Essene Revelation
And behold, the cover I lifted,
And my hands touched the golden pages,
And my eyes beheld the mystery of the Seven Seals.
And I beheld, and I heard the voice
Of many angels
Round about the throne,
And the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand,
And thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
"All glory, and wisdom, and strength,
And power forever and ever,
To him who shall reveal the Mystery of Mysteries."
And I saw the swirling clouds of golden light
Stretching like a fiery bridge between my hands,
And the hands of the thirteen elders,
And the feet of him who sat on the throne,
Whose face was hidden.
And I opened the First Seal.
And I saw, and beheld the Angel of Air.
And between her lips flowed the breath of life,
And she knelt over the earth
And gave to man the winds of Wisdom.
And man breathed in.
And when he breathed out, the sky darkened,
And the sweet air became foul and fetid,
And clouds of evil smoke hung low over all the earth.
And I turned my face away in shame.
And I opened the Second Seal.
And I saw, and beheld the Angel of Water.
And between her lips flowed the water of life,
And she knelt over the earth
And gave to man an Ocean Of Love.
And man entered the clear and shining waters.
And when he touched the water, the clear streams darkened,
And the crystal waters became thick with slime,
And the fish lay gasping in the foul blackness,
And all creatures died of thirst.
And I turned my face away in shame.
And I opened the Third Seal.
And I saw, and beheld the Angel of Sun.
And between her lips flowed the light of life,
And she knelt over the earth
And gave to man the fires of Power.
And the strength of the sun entered the heart of man,
And he took the power, and made with it a false sun,
And, lo, he spread the fires of destruction,
Burning the forests, laying waste the green valleys,
Leaving only charred bones of his brothers.
And I opened the Fourth Seal.
And I saw, and beheld the Angel of Joy.
And between her lips flowed the music of life,
And she knelt over the earth
And gave to man the song of Peace.
And peace and joy like music
But he heard only the harsh discord of sadness and discontent,
And he lifted up his sword
And cut off the hands of the peacemakers,
And lifted it up once again
And cut off the heads of the singers.
And I turned my face away in shame.
And I opened the Fifth Seal.
And I saw, and beheld the Angel of Life.
And between her lips
Flowed the holy alliance between God and Man,
And she knelt over the earth
And gave to man the gift of Creation.
And man created a Sickle Of Iron in the shape of a Serpent,
And the harvest he reaped was hunger and death.
And I turned my face away in shame.
And I opened the Sixth Seal.
And I saw, and beheld the Angel of Earth.
And between her lips flowed the river of Eternal Life,
And she knelt over the earth
And gave to man the secret of eternity,
And told him to open his eyes
And behold the mysterious Tree of Life in the Endless Sea.
But man lifted his hand and put out his own eyes,
And said there was no eternity.
And I turned my face away in shame.
And I opened the Seventh Seal.
And I saw, and beheld the Angel of the Earthly Mother.
And she brought with her a message of blazing light
From the throne of the Heavenly Father.
And this message was for the ears of man alone,
He who walks between Earth and Heaven.
And into the ear
Of man was whispered the message.
And he did not hear.
But I did not turn away my face in shame.
Lo, I reached forth my hand to the wings of the Angel,
And I turned my voice to heaven, saying,
"Tell me the message. For I would eat of the fruit
of the Tree of Life that grows in the Sea of Eternity.
And the angel looked upon me with great sadness,
And there was silence in heaven.
And then I heard a voice, which was like unto the voice
Which sounded like a trumpet, saying,
"0 Man, wouldst thou look upon the evil thou hast wrought,
When thou didst turn thy face away from the throne of God,
When thou didst not make use of the gifts of the seven
Angels of the Earthly Mother
And the seven Angels of the Heavenly Father?
And a terrible pain seized me as I felt within me
The souls of all those who had blinded themselves,
So as to see only their own desires of the flesh.
And I saw the seven angels which stood before God;
And to them were given seven trumpets.
And another angel came and stood at the altar,
Having a golden censer;
And there was given unto him much incense,
That he should offer it with the prayers of all the angels
Upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
And the smoke of the incense ascended up before God
Out of the angel's hand.
And the angel took the censer,
And filled it with the fire of the altar,
And cast it into the earth,
And there were voices and thunderings,
And lightnings, and earthquakes.
And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets
Prepared themselves to sound.
The first angel sounded,
And there followed hail and fire mingled with blood,
And they were cast upon the earth:
And the green forests and trees were burnt up;
And all green grass shriveled to cinders.
And the second angel sounded,
And as it were a great mountain burning with fire
Was cast into the sea;
And blood rose from the earth as a vapor.
And the third angel sounded,
And lo, there was a great earthquake;
And the sun became as black as sackcloth of hair,
And the moon became as blood.
And the fourth angel sounded,
And the stars of heaven fell onto the earth,
Even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs,
When she is shaken of a mighty wind.
And the fifth angel sounded,
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together.
And over the whole earth there was not one tree,
Nor one flower, nor one blade of grass.
And I stood on the earth,
And my feet sank into the soil, soft and thick with blood,
Stretching as far as the eye could see.
And over all the earth was silence.
And the sixth angel sounded.
And I saw a mighty being come down from heaven,
Clothed with a cloud:
And a rainbow was upon his head,
And his face was as it were the sun,
And his feet were pillars of fire.
And he had in his hand an open book:
And he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left on the earth,
And he cried with a loud voice, which was wondrous to hear:
"0 Man, wouldst thou have this vision come to pass?"
And I answered, 'Thou knowest, 0 Holy One,
That I would do anything
That these terrible things might not come to pass."
And he spoke: "Man has created these powers of destruction.
He has wrought them from his own mind.
He has turned his face away
From the Angels of the Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother,
And he has fashioned his own destruction."
And I spoke: "Then is there no hope, bright angel?
And a blazing light streamed like a river from his hands
As he answered, "There is always hope,
0 thou for whom heaven and earth were created.
And then the angel,
He who stood upon the sea and upon the earth,
Lifted up his hand to heaven,
And swore by him that liveth for ever and ever,
Who created heaven, and the things that therein are,
And the earth, and the things that therein are,
And the sea, and the things which are therein,
That there should be time no longer:
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel,
When he shall begin to sound,
The mystery of God should be revealed to those
Who have eaten from the Tree of Life
Which standeth for ever in the Eternal Sea
And the voice spoke again, saying:
"Go, and take the book which is open in the hand of the angel
Which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
And I went unto the angel, and said unto him,
"Give me the book,
For I would eat from the Tree of Life
Which standeth in the middle of the Eternal Sea.
And the angel gave to me the book,
And I opened the book, and I read therein
What had always been, what was now,
And what would come to pass.
I saw the holocaust which would engulf the earth,
And the great destruction
Which would drown all her people in oceans of blood.
And I saw too the eternity of man
And the endless forgiveness of the Almighty.
The souls of men were as blank pages in the book,
Always ready for a new song to be there inscribed.
And I lifted up my face
To the seven Angels of the Earthly Mother
And the seven Angels of the Heavenly Father,
And I felt my feet touching the holy brow of the Earthly Mother,
And my fingers touching the holy feet of the Heavenly Father,
And I uttered a hymn of Thanksgiving:
I thank thee, Heavenly Father,
Because thou hast put me at a source
Of running streams,
At a living spring in a land of drought,
Watering an eternal garden
Of wonders,
The Tree of Life, Mystery of Mysteries,
Growing everlasting branches for eternal planting
To sink their roots into the stream of life
From an Eternal Source!
And thou, Heavenly Father,
Protect their fruits
With the Angels of the day and of the night
And with flames of Eternal Light burning every way.
But again the voice spoke,
And again my eyes were drawn away
From the splendors of the realm of light.
"Heed thou, O Man!
Thou mayest step on the right path
And walk in the presence of the Angels.
Thou mayest sing of the Earthly Mother by day
And of the Heavenly Father by night,
And through thy being may course the golden stream of the Law.
But wouldst thou leave thy brothers
To plunge through the gaping chasm of blood,
As the pain-wracked earth shudders and groans
Under her chains of stone?
Canst thou drink of the cup of eternal life,
When thy brothers die of thirst?
And my heart was heavy with compassion,
And I looked, and lo,
'There appeared a great wonder in heaven:
A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet,
And upon her head a crown of seven stars.
And I knew she was the source of running streams
And the Mother of the Forests.
And I stood upon the sand of the sea,
And saw a beast rise up out of the sea,
And from his nostrils wafted foul and loathsome air,
And where he rose from the sea the clear waters turned to slime,
And his body was covered with black and steaming stone.
And the woman clothed with the sun'
Reached out her arms to the beast,
And the beast drew near and embraced her.
And lo, her skin of pearl withered beneath his foul breath,
And her back was broken by his arms of crushing rock,
And with tears of blood she sank into the pool of slime.
And from the mouth of the beast there poured armies
Of men, brandishing swords and fighting, one with the other.
And they fought with a terrible anger,
And they cut off their own limbs and clawed out their eyes,
Until they fell into the pit
Of slime, screaming in agony and pain.
And I stepped to the edge of the pool and reached down my hand,
And I could see the swirling maelstrom of blood,
And the men therein, trapped like flies in a web.
And I spoke in a loud voice, saying,
"Brothers, drop thy swords and take hold of my hand.
Leave off this defiling and desecration of she
Who hath given thee birth,
And he who hath given thee thy inheritance.
For thy days of buying and selling are over,
And over, too, thy days of hunting and killing.
For he that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity,
And he that killeth by the sword must be killed with the sword.
And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn,
For no man buyeth thy merchandise any more:
The merchants of gold, and silver, and precious stones,
And of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet,
And marble and beasts, and sheep and horses,
All these things can ye not buy and sell,
For all is buried in a sea of blood
Because thou hast turned thy back on thy father and mother,
And worshipped the beast who would build a paradise of stone.
Prop thy swords, my brothers, and take hold of my hand.
And as our fingers clasped, I saw in the distance a great city,
White and shining on the far horizon, glowing alabaster.
And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings,
And there was a great earthquake,
Such as was not since men were upon the earth,
So mighty an earthquake, and so great.
And the great city was divided into three parts,
And the cities of the nations fell:
And the great city came in remembrance before God,
To give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven,
Every stone about the weight of a talent.
And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone,
And cast it into the sea, saying,
"Thus with violence shall the great city be thrown down,
And shall be found no more at all.
And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers,
And of singers, and trumpeters,
Shall be heard no more at all in thee;
And no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be,
Shall be found any more in thee;
And the sound of a millstone shall be heard
No more at all in thee.
And the light of a candle shall shine
No more at all in thee;
And the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be
Heard No more at all in thee:
For thy merchants were the great men of the earth;
For by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
And in her was found the blood of prophets, and
Of saints,
And of all that were slain upon the earth.
And my brothers laid hold of my hand,
And they struggled out of the pool of slime
And stood bewildered on the sea of sand,
And skies opened and washed their naked bodies with rain.
And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters,
And as the voice of a great thunder:
And I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps.
And they sung as it were a new song before the throne.
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven,
Having the songs of day and night
And the everlasting gospel to preach unto them
That dwell on the earth,
Unto them that have climbed from the pit of slime
And stand naked and washed by the rain before the throne.
And the angel cried, "Fear God, and give glory to him;
For the hour of his judgment is come:
And worship him that made heaven, and earth,
And the sea, and the fountains of waters."
And I saw heaven open, and beheld a white horse;
And he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,
And in Righteousness he doth judge.
His eyes were as a flame of fire,
And on his head were many crowns,
And he was cloaked in blazing light
And his feet were bare.
And his name is called the Word of God
And the Holy Brotherhood followed him upon white horses,
Clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And they entered the eternal Infinite Garden,
And the rain-washed naked throngs came before them,
Trembling to receive their judgment.
For their sins were many, and they have defiled the earth,
Yea, they had destroyed the creatures of the land and sea,
And buried alive the Mother who had given them birth.
But I saw not what befell them, for my vision changed,
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:
For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away;
And there was no more sea.
And I saw the holy city of the Brotherhood
Coming down from God out of heaven,
Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,
"Lo, the mountain of the Lord's house
Is established in the top of the mountains
And is exalted above the hills;
And all people shall flow unto it.
Come ye, and let us go up to the Mountain Of The Lord,
To the House Of God;
And he will teach us of his ways,
And we will walk in his paths:
For out of the Holy Brotherhood shall go forth the Law.
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
And he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
And God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
And there shall be no more death,
Neither sorrow, nor crying,
Neither shall there be any more pain:
For the former things are passed away.
T'hose who made war shall beat their swords into Plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks:
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war any more:
For the former things are passed away.
And he spoke again:
"Behold, I make all things new.
I am Alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.
I will give unto him that is athirst
of the fountain of the water of life freely.
He that overcometh shall inherit all things,
And I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
But the fearful, and unbelieving,
And the abominable, and murderers, and all liars,
Shall dig their own pit which burneth with fire and brimstone.
And again my vision changed,
And I heard the voices of the Holy Brotherhood raised in song,
Saying, "Come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Law.
And I saw the holy city,
And the Brothers were streaming unto it.
And the city had no need of the sun,
Neither of the moon, to shine in it:
For the glory of God did lighten it.
And I saw the pure river of the Water of Life,
Clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God.
And in the midst of the river stood the Tree Of Life,
Which bore fourteen manner of fruits,
And yielded her fruit to those who would eat of it,
And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
And there shall be no night there;
And they need no candle, neither light of the sun,
For the Lord God giveth them light:
And they shall reign for ever and ever.
I have reached the inner vision
And through thy spirit in me
I have heard thy wondrous secret.
Through thy mystic insight
Thou hast caused a spring of knowledge
To well up within me,
A fountain of power, pouring forth living waters;
A flood of love and of all-embracing wisdom
Like the splendor of Eternal Light.
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