The Rudolf Steiner Archive

63. Apocalypse IV

[ 1 ] Before I proceed with the explanation of the Apocalypses, I would not want to fail to reiterate that this explanation of the Apocalypses is truly of value only to those who have been part of the Theosophical Movement for some time and approach the Theosophical worldview with a certain degree of goodwill and understanding. Much must be said here that could very easily give opponents of theosophy cause to attribute all sorts of fantastical ideas to theosophy; much must be said that initially appears to the reasonable person, the rationalist, to be mere fantasy. One must be familiar with the way a theosophist thinks and feels if one is not to misunderstand too greatly what is said in the Apocalypse.

[ 2 ] We must keep firmly in mind the explanation I have given regarding Christianity’s position on Jesus the Christ, as well as the explanation of the apocalyptic writer’s relationship to Jesus, if we are to understand what follows. The key to grasping Christianity’s worldview lies in a correct understanding of the saying: “Blessed are those who believe, even though they do not see.” — I have already pointed out that this saying derives its significance from the fact that Christianity has, so to speak, become the greatest mystery of the world; that through Christianity, what formerly took place in the depths of the temples has been brought out onto the great world stage. I have already noted that this does not in the least detract from the historical reality of the events that took place in Palestine between the years 1 and 33; rather, the one who sees through these things is firmly of the view that the common Christian tradition is a historical truth, so that Theosophy agrees with the Christian faith on every single point in this regard. But this historical fact from the beginning of our era is also something else, and we understand the fact in its proper sense when we regard it as a mystical fact, when we realize that the Passion, the death, the Resurrection, and the Ascension are world-historical events that previously took place in the Mysteries. Christianity has a term that indicates how the ancient mystery relates to Christianity as the fulfillment of that mystery. Christianity calls everything that pointed to Christ even before his appearance a “promise.” Anyone who sees through these things knows that “promise” means nothing other than that the events that took place in Palestine were promised in the depths of the mysteries.

[ 3 ] We can understand this almost literally when we read the ancient writings. Let us go back to the Mysteries in Greece. What took place within them—deeply mysterious, known only to the initiates—was the suffering, death, and resurrection of the Son of God. However, they experienced this because the initiates had been prepared through training on higher planes. In the mysteries, the initiates thus beheld the suffering, death, and resurrection of the Son of God. This was presented to them in their spiritual vision. That is the promise. And then this promise was fulfilled in Palestine. This is precisely how the saying is explained: Blessed are not only those who behold the Mysteries, but also those who can believe—not merely in the Word revealed to the mystic, but in the Word made flesh. That is the meaning of this saying. Starting from this point of view, we must grasp the context and the relationship in which John the Apocalyptic stands in relation to the mysteries of antiquity and to the Christian mystery, and how he thus comes to stand between the mysteries of antiquity and the Christian mysteries. Then light will be shed on many a word.

[ 4 ] In the Book of Revelation, we are told that seven seals will be opened. What does “opening the seals” actually mean in the language in which the Book of Revelation was written?

[ 5 ] From time immemorial, the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God had been foretold to the mystics. And the revelation of this mystery on the physical plane is called, in the language of the apocalyptic writer, the “breaking of a seal.” In the secret language, “unsealing a seal” means nothing other than proclaiming something that had previously been revealed only to the initiated and that had previously been depicted only in the Mysteries. This goes so far that the image corresponds in every detail. What is later revealed had previously been beheld only in the Mysteries. During the time of the Mysteries, there was no book in which what took place in the Mysteries was written down. Such books did not appear until later. And one such book is precisely the Gospel. Written within it is what was previously depicted in the Mysteries, and what is written within it will be unsealed to those who are ready for it.

[ 6 ] Who will be ready? Here is something you must grasp in its full, proper context within the Book of Revelation. We have seen that a message is proclaimed to seven churches. You have seen that these churches represent the seven sub-races of the fifth root race. Who, then, are those who proclaim? And who are those to whom the proclamation is made? From an esoteric point of view, we must now consider the appearance of Christ in comparison with other appearances. If you have picked up the latest issue of Luzifer, you will have found something there that I would like to briefly summarize here. In its evolution, humanity is guided by great leaders. These leaders direct the course of human evolution. In esoteric terminology, these leaders are called “Manus.” A Manu, then, is the one who, at the beginning of a root race, provides the great impulse and sets the direction in which that root race is to develop. We are now in the fifth root race. When this fifth root race began its course after the downfall of the Atlantean, or fourth, root race, it received its great impulse from the Manu of our fifth root race. This Manu is not a human being among humans in the same way as other outstanding human individualities. Rather, this Manu was already at a high stage of development before humanity on Earth was even imbued with spirit. If we go back to the third root race, when, in the middle of the Lemurian epoch, the human spirit first flashed into being within the human body, that is when we first had such leaders of the human race. Back then, when humans were “young”—when they were still children—they could not guide themselves. Their leaders, however, were not their equals. These beings, who had already attained a higher level of development in an earlier evolution—one that is not human—were so advanced that they could serve as human leaders even before the spirit had incarnated in human bodies.

[ 7 ] These were superhuman beings. There are two kinds of such superhuman beings. Those who, back when human beings were still children in spiritual terms, were already so advanced that they had attained a level which humanity will not reach until the distant future—these highly developed individualities, these Manus—are called “the holy spirits” in esoteric language.

[ 8 ] Then there was a second kind of being that was already closer to humans but was still of a superhuman nature. They are called “Sons of God.” And the next group of individuals were those who were already human among humans.

[ 9 ] If we go back to the middle of the Lemurian era and trace the development of humankind, we find three stages of individualities within the evolution related to humanity. We have a high group of individualities who are far more exalted and who, in times long past, went through those stages of development that humankind will only attain in the distant future: the holy spirits. The second group consists of the Sons of the Gods; these are the ones who are closer to humankind but are nonetheless far above them. And the third group consists of those who, at that time, were still children as human beings but were the most advanced among the first humans. They were called the “Fathers,” the “Pitris.”

[ 10 ] So there are three levels, and it is the beings of these three levels who guide people.

[ 11 ] If we now return once more to the beginning of the fifth root race, we find at its outset the superhuman Manu, who provided the great impulse. But then, in the course of the fifth root race, something quite peculiar takes place—namely: In the course of the fifth root race, human beings themselves reach a point where some of them are able to take the spiritual leadership of the human race into their own hands. Those whom we call Fathers or Elders will then be able to guide humanity in the same way that the superhuman beings had previously guided humanity. Thus, the leadership of humanity passes from the Manus to the human brothers themselves. The holy spirits, the Sons of God, the Fathers—they were the leaders of the human race in successive ages. [...]

[ 12 ] When the Word took on human form—as the apocalyptic writer puts it in his own language—this Word, the Logos, took on human form in the likeness of this Son, just as the Word had previously taken on human form in the likeness of a spirit. Or—since Christian esotericism calls the Spirit “Engel”—the Word, before it became flesh, was an angel. That is Christian esotericism. First, the Word, the Logos, is an angel. Then it became flesh as the Son, and then it will become the Elder, the Father. That is the sequence of stages. This is what Christian initiates have always proclaimed. One need only understand their words correctly.

[ 13 ] One of the most outstanding Christian initiates, Paul, could express the deepest mysteries only in symbolic language. He, too, spoke of what I have said in a symbolic manner. When the Word was still an angel, it still existed on the supersensible plane. The Word is spoken from the clouds, from the supernatural realm, when the commandments are proclaimed. The time of the Law is the time of the Promise. When the Word was an angel, it was the time of the Law. Then the Word became flesh. Later, the Word becomes an elder or a father. Paul, who was an initiate, proclaimed this in his letter to the Galatians. There you can read what I have just said in the following words:

But the law is not based on faith; rather, “the one who does these things will live by them.” But Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree!”), so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, and so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. Dear brothers, I will speak in human terms: After all, a person’s will is not set aside once it has been ratified, nor is anything added to it. Now the promise was made to Abraham and his seed. He does not say, “through the seeds,” as though referring to many, but as though referring to one: “through your seed,” who is Christ. But I am saying this: The testament, which was previously confirmed by God concerning Christ, is not set aside, so that the promise might be nullified by the law, which was given four hundred and thirty years later. For if the inheritance were acquired through the law, it would not be given through a promise; but God freely gave it to Abraham through a promise.

What, then, is the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the Seed to whom the promise had been made would come, and it was enacted by angels through the hand of the Mediator. But a mediator is not a mediator of one; God, however, is one. How so? Is the Law then contrary to God’s promises? Far be it from that! But if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would truly come from the Law. [Gal 3:12–21]

[ 14 ] You will also find references elsewhere to the fact that the Word was an angel but later became flesh. What happened as a result of the Word becoming flesh? Through this, the sub-races of the fifth root race were told how they are to develop into the future. The Apocalyptic Writer now describes to us in the letters to the seven churches how this development unfolds. Not all will reach the goal; not all those who have entered into this development will also reach this goal within the time period in question here. Something special is taking place here. But let us ask ourselves, in order to understand this correctly: How does the Apocalyptic Writer further explain this to us—rightly so—through the Fathers, through the Elders? Do the Elders themselves appear to us in the Gospel? Yes, they appear to us at the time when the Angel became the Son. At that point, the Fathers were not yet ready to receive the Word within themselves. They had to be directed toward the future. At the time of the promise, the Fathers are not yet ready. They will understand the Word only when they have reached the end of the fifth root race, where, as Fathers, they will finally understand within themselves what remained veiled from them at the time of Christ, their Master. The twelve disciples are the elders. They are chosen to stand before the Christ once more. But then, at the end of the fifth root race, the book that was given to them sealed will be unsealed.

[ 15 ] But something special is still taking place during the course of evolution. We are told what it will look like when the fifth root race has reached the point where the decision is made to transition into the sixth root race. I just want to hint at what I will elaborate on later in the following sessions. And as we shall hear, the arrival of the sixth root race is heralded by the trumpets:

And the fourth angel sounded his trumpet: And a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them was darkened, and the day did not shine for a third of it, and the night likewise. [Rev 8:12]

[ 16 ] This is the third that has fallen behind, though that need not have been the case. The letters to the churches contain not only exhortations but also sharp rebukes. Not all reach the goal. The third part falls away completely from the path of evolution. We thus have one third that will reach the goal, a middle third that will fall behind, and a final third that will not reach its goal and will fall away completely. One third does not reach its goal; a second third will reach its goal only later—together, this amounts to two-thirds—and only one-third of those who have begun the evolutionary process will have reached the corresponding stage of evolution by the end of the fifth root race.

[ 17 ] 72 elders were called to enter into the process of evolution and were to continue developing. The admonitions to the seven churches they were to lead show us that only one-third of them will reach the goal. If we take one-third of the 72 elders, that comes to 24 elders who will still be here when the seven seals of the book are unveiled. This revelation of God’s majesty is something that was proclaimed with the appearance of Christ. In the fourth chapter of Revelation, it says:

After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven; and the first voice I had heard speaking to me, like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

And immediately I was in the Spirit. And behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one was seated on the throne; and the one seated there was in appearance like jasper and sardius; and a rainbow was around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. And around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones sat twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments and with golden crowns on their heads.

And from the throne came flashes of lightning, thunder, and voices; and seven torches of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. And before the throne was a sea of glass like crystal, and in the midst of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like a calf, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. And each of the four living creatures had six wings, and they were full of eyes both outside and inside, and they never ceased day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

And as the living creatures gave praise, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne, who lives from everlasting to everlasting, the twenty-four elders fell down before the One seated on the throne and worshiped the One who lives from everlasting to everlasting, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “Lord, you are worthy to receive praise and honor and power; for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” [Rev 4:1–11]

[ 18 ] This is the future stage of evolution, where those who have overcome will have become true fathers.

[ 19 ] I said that what took place in the depths of the mysteries will be revealed later. Now I have told you that the Greek mysteries depicted the appearance of Christ on earth. What was a mystery at that time was revealed through the appearance of Christ. We could have entered into the Greek mysteries, and there we would have beheld suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension. The seven seals will be broken in the future. If a mystery is proclaimed there as well, it will again be a mystery whose seal will be broken at a later time.

[ 19 ] I said that what took place in the depths of the mysteries will be revealed later. Now I have told you that the Greek mysteries depicted the appearance of Christ on earth. What was a mystery at that time was revealed through the appearance of Christ. We could have entered into the Greek mysteries, and there we would have beheld suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension. The seven seals will be broken in the future. If a mystery is proclaimed there as well, it will again be a mystery whose seal will be broken at a later time.

[ 21 ] There is a horse with its front hoof raised. Riding this horse is a divine figure holding a bow. The figure makes a certain gesture, and then the horse steps on a snake’s head with its front hoof. This is the horse Kalki. This depicts how everything of a lower nature will fall away, and that a future will come in which the Son of God—that is, the one sitting on the horse—will arrive and, as king, adorned with a crown, will reveal what is hidden in the book with the seven seals. This is a mystery that you can find everywhere.

[ 22 ] I could only hint at it in a very superficial way. But even today, this is still something that, as a mystery, can only be experienced and perceived by an apocalyptic thinker; yet in the future, it will be revealed to us in the same way that John revealed and recorded for us the unsealing of the old world. Then we will understand that it points to the time when the elders, the fathers, will receive the revelation of what underlies this mystery and appears when it is unsealed.

[ 23 ] The sixth chapter of the Book of Revelation states:

And I saw the Lamb open one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come and see!” And I looked, and behold, a white horse, and the one sitting on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come and see!” [Rev 6:1–3]

[ 24 ] This is repeated four times. The unveiling of the Mystery of the Fathers, as contained within Christianity, is the most significant word that has been spoken in the Mysteries. Where does man come from? Where is he headed? From Father to Father. This is revealed in the Father through the Mediator.

No one comes to the Father except through me. [John 14:6]

[ 25 ] You see, the entire evolution of the world—both past and future—is truly laid out in the Apocalypse. These are, incidentally, only the most basic hints. One must simply be able to interpret the words of the Apocalypse in their true sense. We will learn more and more about this.

[ 26 ] Tonight I simply wanted to give you a sense of how one can delve into this text and then realize that it possesses unfathomable depth. That is the only thing I can assure you of. This Apocalypse is one of those writings that truly inspire humility and devotion, and through which one learns what the Indian esotericist calls “faith.” There is an experience that teaches us this faith in the deepest sense. It is as follows: After we have striven to understand such a text, we initially believe we know something about it. But when we seek to explore it further and then approach this text once more, we find that our earlier interpretation was quite childish. We see that only now do we truly understand the matter. And once we’ve done that, and lived for a while, and take the book up again, we experience the same thing as last time. Once this has happened a few times, we attain “Shraddha,” faith. One will then delve deeper and deeper into it and discover more and more within it. This is the inexhaustible source of such writings, which we can read with firm confidence but can never fully exhaust. At the same time, this serves as an incentive to remain humble before such writings, to explore them, and to pursue this exploration ever further. It then becomes clear to us that even when a seemingly quite profound explanation has been found, it will still become deeper and deeper in the future. From this springs the realization that the best thing given to humankind does not stem from human imperfection, but from divine perfection, for it is divine wisdom—it is the revelation of divine wisdom. Documents of wisdom are given to us in these books. Our understanding of them is still weak, for these writings come to us not from human beings, from below, but through the gods, from above. We must develop ourselves upward to understand them. This gives the esotericist a sense of the truth of the saying by which he must live, which must become his guiding principle, and which must increasingly permeate the theosophists; for it is not knowledge of dogmas or doctrines that defines the theosophist, but rather being imbued with the wisdom of this saying and having one’s mindset filled with what the saying contains. The saying is:

The Supreme—it has existed from the very beginning.
The Supreme—it will be understood by humankind at the end of days.

Afterword

[ 27 ] Before addressing the expected questions, I would like to preface them with one very important point. The Theosophical Society is not one that requires the acceptance of a dogma or the acceptance of any one individual’s insights. We are a completely free association with regard to our truths. The Society is merely a forum in which these truths are presented, depending on what each individual has to say about them; thus, especially when it comes to the most difficult problems, you may well find that, stemming from the theosophical spirit, differences emerge between what the various individuals express. You need not think that one person is opposing another in any way; for we know that the truth stands far above us and that we can approach this truth only from a wide variety of angles. It is as if we were viewing a city from different vantage points. Depending on the perspective, things may appear somewhat different to us. Everyone can and may present things only as they see them. And with regard to the question of the Christ problem, there is indeed not unity but a diversity of views; however, this will likely lead to a unification of views in the coming years. But the situation today is still such that each person can proclaim only what their own perspective allows them to. In doing so, they are not opposing the views of others, but may perhaps contribute to the harmonization of these views. Among a group of those who are able to speak on such matters, there is a view that the birth of Jesus of Nazareth took place 105 years before our era, and that the manner of his death was not crucifixion but stoning. I have never made a secret of the fact that I cannot subscribe to this view, but rather that I must present what I know about it. Nor have I ever made any secret of the fact that my view is that we must hold fast to the so-called tradition as it is given, and also adhere to it with regard to the historical course of events, insofar as it arises from a genuine insight that can then rectify the perspective of the Gospels. Now, you should find nothing strange in the fact that two occult teachers can hold different views on one and the same point. Consider that two travelers who come to a foreign country and give travel accounts of it often agree very little, in that, although both have seen the same things, they describe what happened quite differently. If this is already possible on the physical plane, then it is perfectly understandable that similar differences can arise on the higher planes. For on these higher planes, observation is indeed certain, but it is by no means easier than on the physical plane. The perspectives through which one perceives a phenomenon are so difficult to untangle that a shift in perspective can very easily occur. The following, for example, can happen: If you observe an event in the occult realm that took place 1,900 years ago, you may see two figures side by side. These two figures, even though they appear side by side in the occult realm, may be 100 years apart. Thus: Although you see the things together, they may actually be related to events that occurred 100 years earlier or 100 years later. I do not mean to say anything more than this, but only to suggest that observation is subject to such errors. I can therefore say nothing better than that I must remain firmly grounded in the standpoint of tradition. This also applies to the crucifixion, for it is occultly difficult to distinguish a crucifixion from a stoning. It is therefore not surprising when two opinions arise.

From the Q&A section

Was Christ's death the result of guilt or innocence?

[ 28 ] We also find that Socrates was apparently sentenced to death while innocent. Aeschylus was sentenced to death for revealing a secret of the Mysteries. That is why Socrates was also condemned. Betrayal of the Mysteries was punishable by death under all circumstances, even in the community in which Jesus lived. After all, it was said of Jesus: “One cannot live with this man, for he performs too many signs.”—In the raising of Lazarus, the reason for the condemnation is also found. Renan certainly noted that Christ’s condemnation is connected to the raising of Lazarus. However, this reason is never stated. This is one of those cases where evolution gives rise to tragedy. — Jesus’ death was not a death based on karma. Karma begins at one stage and eventually comes to an end.

Was his suffering necessary to establish his teachings?

[ 29 ] This is connected with involution and evolution. Involution had to be completed in death. No mustard seed can develop unless it first undergoes decomposition in the soil.