A Short Time
We left off on our discussion of Revelation on this verse:
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Revelation 12:11
The group of disciples have cast the aspiration of the ego from the center of decision in the head to its right place in lower self where it no longer can cause division in the body of the group. Even so, fiery desire is strong and still seeks to override the selflessness of the spirit and assume control.
Three things give disciples domination over the dragon:
[1] The blood of the lamb.
Blood is a symbol of life and the lamb is a symbol of submission to the Christ consciousness or the soul before the lion of Christ is manifest. The group, which in the past submitted themselves to the outward authority of the dragon and his angels, now must subject themselves to the inner Christ. Their very life must now be guided by principles revealed through the soul.
[2] The word of their testimony.
Their testimony is manifest as the two witnesses, or the words and the works, which they have accepted through the soul. They teach eternal words and perform selfless works of service to their fellow men and women. Their teachings and service take their attention away from low desire and aids them in subduing the dragon.
[3] They loved not their lives unto death.
The true disciple is willing to give his life as a sacrifice if necessary, but more often than not, the physical sacrifice will not be required. Even so, he still gives his life. The life he yields is the life that is held dear by the dragon of desire and lower aspiration. He gives up the life and control of the lower self in favor of the control of the “lamb” or the Christ within. In many ways this is more difficult than sacrificing the physical life. For one thing the temptation to revert to the lower is always there tugging at the disciple and the group. He must stay in focus and cease to love the lower nature and embrace the higher.
After the complete sacrifice of the lower life is made, the disciple is pleased to find that the higher can fulfill the lower nature better than the lower can fulfill itself. He becomes holy, or whole, because his whole self is happy with the Christ self in charge.
“Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Revelation 12:12
When the group is guided by the soul the higher nature rejoices.
“woe to the inhabitants of the earth…”
These are they who reject the dominion of the inner Christ and are ruled by their carnal desires.
“and of the sea…”
Water is a symbol of the emotional nature. These are they who are governed by their feeling nature and the desires of the ego.
“the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”
The lower nature has a life of its own among humanity as a whole. Whenever an individual or group breaks free from control of the dragon it is as if the energy of the beast is redoubled in keeping those in his dominion under complete control. Even so, the dragon reads the writing on the wall and knows it is just a matter of time before he loses more control until he has none at all. This causes him to have great wrath and intensify his efforts to dominate.
“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.” Revelation 12:13
To preserve his power the dragon stirs up those who are centered in the carnal and emotional nature to suppress the creative power of the female energy, which can create a holy work (the man child) with a destiny to elevate the human race.
The next verse reads:
“And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.” Revelation 12:14
Possible exterior interpretations are interesting here. The church is called the bridegroom of Christ in the scriptures. As such it is an expression of the female aspect of God or the woman.
The 12th chapter of Revelations tells us of two times that the woman (that is, the creative power of the Church) will flee into the wilderness. The first describes suppression of the female power:
“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days.” Revelation 12:6
In Biblical prophecy a day sometimes means a year so we have a prediction of a period of 1260 years where the creative energy of the church will be hidden in the wilderness of a world dominated by male energy.
This could also refer to three and a half cycles of time beginning sometime after the appearance of Christ, but it is probable that it was written 1260 instead to make us think of years rather than cycles.
When we look back upon our history since the time of Christ we do see that the creative powers of the church were driven into the wilderness and all spiritual work blending the male-female energy was close to non-existent for many centuries. It was only after the establishment of the ensign of a free country, as manifested in the United States was it possible for the female powers to surface again.
The woman came out of the wilderness through the power of the Constitution as well as the numerous spiritual movements initiated here.
But wait! John says the church goes into the wilderness again:
“And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and a half a time, from the face of the serpent.” Revelation 12:14
Instead of 1260 years the second time, the church goes in the wilderness or hiding as written “a time, and times, and a half a time.” How long is this? Obviously it is a different time period than the 1260 years, or it would have been written the same. Actually the “time, and times, and half a time” is a type or a symbol of the great spiritual apostasy, but a different length; thus the different wording.
A time is a symbol of a season, a year, or a generation. The “times” spoken of stands for double that length. A “half a time” is, of course, half the length. This adds up to three and one half seasons, years or generations. If we use three and one half prophetic years, this adds up to 1260 days which keeps showing up.
In the second apostasy the woman was “given two wings of a great eagle.” (Revelation 12:14) Look on the back of a dollar bill and you will see the symbol of the United States! Two wings of a great eagle! Obviously the outward manifestation of this prophecy is referring to a time of suppression of female energy right here in the United States.
The two wings stand for political and spiritual creativity and creation. This tells us that after a period of time where political and spiritual creation flourished the power to create constructively was suppressed in the United States.
It is true that many new political programs have surfaced as well as many new churches but where is the constructive and creative power that brings the good, the beautiful and the true? It is as if it has fled in the wilderness.
But three and a half cycles of being in the wilderness are almost over and we are nearing the time again when true political and spiritual creation will manifest again and take us to a higher level just as did the creative minds of the Founding Fathers.
Now let us look at the meaning as it applies to the disciple and his mission.
The disciple has trod the path of Christ and has overcome all the obstacles in the path. The power of his light, love and vision has drawn to his work many other disciples committed to carrying the work forward. The group is plagued, however, with the presence of the dragon of personal aspiration and desire to serve the interest of self. After much internal conflict and war, the dragon of self is removed from heaven. The mind and spirit then dominate the unstable emotional nature. The group achieves relative peace and accomplishment.
The powers of darkness ever seek to preserve and use the life of the dragon. Even though the group cast out the dragon it still lives on the earth upon which it was cast. This tells us the dragon of personal aspiration finds a home with those more polarized in matter than spirit. If the dragon can no longer destroy the group from within then it will attack from without. The power of fiery emotion will stir up those who substitute raw emotion for spiritual vision and attempt to destroy the work of the initiate.
The workers of light are thus misunderstood and persecuted to the extent that it appears the work will be destroyed. At this point the woman is “given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place…”
Notice that is says the woman was given two wings of an eagle and not the child, which is the creative work.
The child has already ascended to heaven. Does this mean the labor, or the results thereof, are no longer on the earth? Not exactly. The child was caught up to God and to his throne. In other words, the essence of the child are the ideas rather than the form and they are caught up into the minds, hearts and spirits of those who are ready. The ideas have created forms upon the earth, which the dragon attacks and attempts to destroy, but try as he will, he cannot destroy the teachings and ideas. He can destroy the forms but the ideas remain and will come back in other forms.
The dragon faces the sad realization that he cannot destroy the ideas so he does the next best thing. He seeks to suppress and subjugate the power that can give form to the ideas. This power is the creative female side of human nature. By suppressing the “woman in heaven” or the female energy, which gives form to ideas he keeps the child in heaven unable to manifest on earth.
We have seen the work of the dragon as we review our history since the birth of Christ. The female energy and the female species herself has been suppressed and dominated to the extent that she has been nothing more than chattel in most parts of the world. By suppressing the female complement to the male energy the dragon has prevented the kingdom of God from manifesting through form upon the earth.
To preserve the female power which is essential to creating the Kingdom, she is given two wings of a great eagle so she can fly into the wilderness.
In ancient times holy men often fled into the wilderness to escape persecution. But what does it mean that she is given two wings of a great eagle? Verily the wings in this context are symbols of power. Power to do what? Power to fly. To fly where? Through the air to “her place” in the wilderness.
The air is a symbol of the mind and spiritual ideas. The wilderness is a symbol of that place ahead of its time where creative thoughts go and abide until the rest of humanity becomes ready for discovery. When they are ready the wilderness is discovered, settled, irrigated and then blossoms as the rose.
When the dragon persecutes, destroys form and suppresses the female he believes he has won, but he has not. The ideas remain and foment in the wilderness abiding their time. As they wait nothing can hold humanity back from progressing onward until they discover the wilderness along with the ideas, which have been awaiting them.
How long must the ideas remain in the wilderness, beyond the reach of the many? “For a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.” Again we see the three and a half cycles of time that must pass before humanity is ready.
But notice that during this time the woman just does not hibernate, but is “nourished.” In other words, there are a few who seek out the ideas of wholeness (holiness) represented by the equality of male and female working as one. The few who do see the higher way nourish the ideas and concepts during these three and a half cycles or periods, however long that turns out to be.
For example, one of the offspring of the female energy working through the Christ was the principle of spiritual love. The dragon raised its ugly head and suppressed the female energy necessary to manifest this love in its purity. The female energy was driven into the wilderness and all but a few people took the love of Christ and distorted it into a selfish love that drove them to war and to kill their neighbors.
Still the idea of the love of Christ could not be destroyed and was nourished over the centuries by a few who saw the vision of peace on earth good will toward men. This nourishment has kept the vital female energy alive and well and the fact that the females are now gaining their equality is a sign that three and a half cycles are nearing their end.
“And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.” Revelation 12:15
Again, water is a symbol of emotion. Out of the mouths of those possessed of the dragon of fiery desire comes powerful emotional attacks. They try to prevent the manifestation of the new cycle of creative works that are given form through the equal working of the male/female energies.
The emotional attacks are so overwhelming that it seems the new cycle of work will not manifest.
“And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.” Revelation 12:16
The earth not only stands for matter, as opposed to spirit, but it stands for practicality within the world. Those polarized in lower emotion will oppose the ideas when they manifest in a new cycle but because of the evolution of humanity many have become more practical and grounded. The practical people, though not particularly spiritual, see the value of the ideas, which have been nourished over the centuries and support their manifestation. This practical support swallows up the emotional persecution.
For instance, the emotional people in the church fought against Galileo and his idea that the earth was not the center of the universe. They would have succeeded but for the practical, grounded people who looked at the evidence and concluded he was right. As practical people began defending Galileo the persecution against the idea was swallowed up and now all are free to embrace it.
“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17
When one idea permeates society, others are still forming and the dragon gravitates to them in an attempt to suppress them that they do not materialize. He realizes though that his time is short for when enough ideas take form the time will come that the masses will realize how unreliable decision-making by emotion is. Eventually, the people on the earth will rise above the emotional plane and be dominated by mind and spirit.
What does it mean in this context when it refers to those “which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ”?
Those who keep the commandments are those who follow the law of spiritual love which fulfills all the laws. Those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ are those who take upon themselves the meaning of his name: to follow the greatest measure of the law of love though helping your brother to see what you see, know what you know and have power to do what you do.
May we all be bearers of the name of the Son of God.
Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. Will Rogers (1879 – 1935)
Jan 19, 2006
Copyright by J J Dewey
Easy Access to All the Writings
For Free Book go HERE and other books HERE
JJ’s Amazon page HERE
Check out JJ’s Facebook Group HERE
Follow JJ on Twitter @JosephJDewey HERE
Check out JJ’s videos on TikTok HERE: