Nov 16, 1998
Authority Revisited
I see that you are not accepting me as part of the beast — an unquestioned and unproven authority. Therefore, instead of just declaring myself correct and letting it go at that, I’ll have to explain further.
LeLona writes:
So the answer to the question What is the Beast is Authority, as in Verse 2? Maybe there’ll be more questions on this subject, but the little bible I brought to work today (hahaha, boy there’s a good one!) says that the “dragon invested him with his power and his throne and great authority”.
I need time now to understand why the beast is authority. Why wasn’t it the dragon for instance, because the dragon gave the beast those 3 things? Why wasn’t it “power” or “throne”? And WHATis the beast = authority = is what I don’t understand. I understand giving away one’s authority, as an author of a book would give away all rights of authorship, etc., or I would give someone else authority over my life, as in wife/husband, etc. which leads to all kinds of irresponsibility and claims for blame.
First remember that “authority” is the key word or principle behind the power the beast has over humankind not the beast itself.
In addition to authority verse two says that he has “power” and a “seat” (or throne).
Now you can have a seat with no power or authority and you can have power with no authority or seat, but if you have authority you can always obtain power and a seat where you have something to rule over. When people recognize you have authority they will immediately give you power, but if they see that you have power only, they will sometimes run away to avoid the wrong use of that power.
Hitler had power and a seat even to the people of the United States, but he only had authority to the German people which in turn gave him power to be a beast to them. When the dragon gives the beast authority he automatically gives power and a seat (or some type of position from which to command).
The Beast itself is a giant world thoughtform that is a vehicle for the dragon to establish his authority.
The dragon gives authority to the beast but he owns the beast so he has lost nothing and still has control.
In addition to this Nancy writes:
From where I view the world, the *essential core* of the Beast is not authority. Authority is something bestowed upon the Beast from the outside, not something essential to its nature. What is essential to its nature is The Lie—from center to periphery, from head to toe, there is nothing truthful about the Beast. Authority, as a vehicle or garment, is actually yet another lie when worn by the Beast.
Also from where I view the world, a more useful question might be “Why do we accept the Beast as Authority, when this is not its true nature?”
Remember the importance of seeing the exactness in the words of a teacher such as John who wrote the Book of Revelation. Notice that the word “Lie” is never used in connection with the beast?
Actually, the beast will often use the truth to increase his authority. The deception to accept his authority comes from our own self-deception and has little to do with the beast itself. “To thine own self be true” is not something one can do until he reaches a certain degree of evolution; therefore, the beast does not even have to lie.
Take the former Soviet Union. Communism there was established on a true principle of equality, sharing and equal rights. Why didn’t it work? Because the beast demanded unquestioned authority and this turned good into evil.
It is good that we help the poor, but if we submit to an authority that takes all of our money and gives it to the poor, then we will be poor, too.
Unquestioned or unproven authority is always a destroying energy.
To further understand and clarify this I have two more questions.
Why is the thought form with great authority called a beast?
The beast was created out of the “sea.” (verse 1) What is the sea that created the beast? The answer to this is given in chapter 17.
As we put the pieces of this chapter together I think the keyword of authority will begin to make a lot of sense.
Copyright by J J Dewey
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