Four Beasts
Four Beasts
Four Beasts
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“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things
saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the
creation of God [that is, Shekinah]; I know thy works, that thou art
neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because
thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my
mouth.” In our meditations here we recognize that we can use patterns
of response and patterns of opposition, but lukewarmness is
something which we cannot use, it is something which we must ignore
or work around. Only where there is response in the sense of yielding
or response in the sense of opposition can we utilize the factors
present. “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and
have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and
miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me
gold tried in the fire [the Shekinah Fire], that thou mayest be rich.” And
can we hope to find any true riches in being if we ignore this Fire, the
gold tried in the fire? Gold is the symbol of what? Love. Love tried in
the Fire, “that thou mayest be rich”—the riches of heaven on earth at
hand.
“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be
rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed…” And what is the
clothing? The Light that Glows, that relates to the reality of illumination
and the function of the mind. “… and that the shame of thy nakedness
does not appear…” What is it that clears away the shame of nakedness?
The white raiment, the Light that Glows. “… and anoint thine eyes with
eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Now here in this particular pattern we
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“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten…” Did you ever notice how I
love you? “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous
therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any
man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will
sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit
with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with
my Father in his throne.” With my Father—not only the One Who
Dwells but the Shekinah Pattern of Reality. “He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. After this I looked, and,
behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard
was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up
hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” Have you
ever known the experience of hearing the Voice inviting you, “Come up
hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter”?
Now when you begin to hear the Voice that speaks with you, what are
you in? Are you simply a human being in the flesh? Or are you just in
your mind trying to intellectually comprehend that which the Voice is
speaking? Or are you in some place far away, some place of the past or
some place somewhere else on the globe? Are we all
together individually, with one accord in one place—body, mind, heart
and spirit, in alignment, in one place? And where is the centering of
you? In the flesh? In the mind? In the heart? Let it be in the spirit, for
when you begin to hear the voice you should immediately be in the
spirit.
”Four beasts full of eyes.” I wonder what vision that conjures up in your
mind, in your imagination? Don't be too quick to picture these beasts
that are full of eyes before and behind. “And the first beast was like
a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as
a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.”
the union of love and truth in order for life to be born. And the reality
of life takes on meaning in relationship to the mind or intelligence; and
so at the point of the calf we have the mental level and the
manifestation of the Lord of Life, just as at the focalization of the beast
like a lion we have the presence of the Lord of Love in the focalization
of the reality of love. And then the third one mentioned is the first,
speaking from the level of human beings looking upward, and this first,
who is the third in the pattern, had a face as a man—a beast with a face
as a man. Now how many beasts are there in the world with a face as a
man? Quite a few I would say. Immediately we see that it relates to the
human pattern of being, the formation of the one body of mankind in
the Divine Design—the face as a man, the One Body, the Christ Body,
the body of mankind. However we may put it, you are supposed to be a
part of this beast with a face as a man. You are called to be a means by
which this beast may take form on earth.
”And the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.” Now we go back to
our Inner Trinity Pattern and we find here the third point, from the
outward moving inward, and this is the position of the Lord of Truth.
The union of love and truth allows the birth of life; and love and truth
and life must manifest in the body of the man, or the form that has the
face as a man. Here then we begin to see the nature of the symbolism:
the flying eagle. Is it by chance that the eagle is used as one of the
symbols of the United States of America? It is not by chance. But here
we have the flying eagle, and that is the symbol of the Lord of Truth.
When we begin to be acquainted with the reality of truth, what do we
find? There is the ability to move in the air of the spirit: the flying eagle
—not something that is earthbound, not something that is limited to
one little point here or there. And what is the nature of the eagle? The
eagle is called the king of birds; the eagle carries a very positive pattern.
Did you ever see an eagle? Did you ever look at one, even one in a
cage? It is a pitiful sight to see an eagle in a cage. But the nature of an
eagle—perhaps you have seen pictures—the bearing of an eagle, what
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So here we have the four points of the creative field, recognizing the
blending of two creative fields to make one. The points of the eagle and
the points of the calf function both from an inner and an outer
standpoint. The point of the lion functions from an inner standpoint,
and we have the Inner Creative Triangle. And then extending outward
in this square, the city foursquare, the creative field foursquare in
relationship to the four forces, we have the fourth point, which is the
first or the third, depending upon the patterns of relatedness, which
has the face as a man, the formation of the body of mankind as
the Christ Body or the Body of God on earth. And you are called to be a
part of that Body.
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Now these beasts were spoken of, or are spoken of here, as being full
of eyes. It will be easier for you to see this in relationship to the Body
that has the face as a man; for this Body has many members, and you
are to be one of those members—many members—and each one has
two physical eyes, to say nothing of the eye of the heart, the eye of the
mind, the ability to see, to perceive, and to recognize. And so the Body
that has the face as a man is certainly full of eyes before and behind,
and all the way through.
Now let us note something of the peculiar nature of these four beasts.
“And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him…” Six
wings. Now, like a flying eagle, but an eagle in the ordinary sense has
two wings. But the four beasts had each of them six wings. That would
make twenty-four wings, wouldn't it? “…six wings about him; And they
were full of eyes within…” Now first, the four beasts full of eyes before
and behind. And here we note they were full of eyes within.
“…and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God
Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts
give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who
liveth for ever and ever; The four and twenty elders fall down before
him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and
ever, and cast their crowns before the throne [and cast their crowns of
gold, of love, before the throne], saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to
receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things,
and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
“And for thy pleasure they are and were created.” How
much pleasure has man given to God in recent millennia? Not much.
But these things on earth are supposed to give God pleasure. Now can
we imagine God having pleasure without sharing pleasure? I cannot. I
cannot imagine God having pleasure without sharing pleasure and
giving pleasure. “And for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Now
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that includes you. You were created for God's pleasure. If you so
function that you give pleasure to God, do you think you will have
pleasure? Do you think you will receive pleasure? And to what extent
will this pleasure be limited? Just for a few minutes of meditation, with
this little experience or that? Or will we begin to share God's pleasure
all the time?
We remember that just before the betrayal and the mockery of the
trial, all the things to which our Master was subjected on earth, He gave
a great prayer, a prayer that you might well meditate upon, how many
times? Ten times? A hundred times? Would that reveal all of its
significance to you? It might pay to do it a hundred and one times, or
even more. But in any case, there He emphasized the reality of
oneness; He mentioned His joy, He mentioned extending His joy to
others, His joy by reason of oneness, by reason of union with the
Father: the inner and the outer, one; and the inner and the outer
together, one with a higher pattern of focalization. And He said that He
was going to leave His joy with us, give it to us. In another place He
said, “Fear not, little flock”—little flock; it doesn't have to be a big one
to begin with; even a little flock like this. “Fear not, little flock; for it is
your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom,” the Kingdom
made manifest on earth, in body and mind and heart.
Projected where? Into the Body that has the face as a man. All of these
things, in their aspects and in their blended form, projected into the
Body that has a face as a man. Again, you; again that blending. And
what is the result?
“And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they
were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy,
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And
when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on
the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall
down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth
for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou
art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou
hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were
created.” How much pleasure do you give to God day by day? How
much pleasure do you give to God? The pleasure you give to God is the
measure by which you receive the pleasure which God would give to
you.
Let us go back a bit now. What about these six wings round about?
There are six wings, there are four beasts; there are therefore twenty-
four wings, and there are likewise twenty-four elders. A wing is that
which is necessary to the bird to fly in the air; but a bird with one wing
is rather handicapped. It takes a pair of wings, and generally speaking
those creatures which fly have two wings. There are creatures on earth
which have four wings: one set to be as the wings of an airplane, fixed
in a projected form, and the other set to work as a propeller, to carry
the creature through the air. So the principle by which man finally built
the airplane was used in the insect world long ago—fixed or stable
wings, and the moving wings. But here we have the four beasts with six
wings, and the wing is something to move in the air, and the air is the
symbol of the spirit. And there are four and twenty elders and there
are four and twenty wings. But the wings need to work in pairs. Let us
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note carefully: "And the four beasts had each of them six wings ABOUT
him." Now the reader might not be alert enough to see the difference.
It did not say that each beast had six wings, did it? It said each beast
had six wings about him. There is a difference. I have seen people try to
portray what they imagined these four beasts to be, and they had eyes
stuck all over them in a peculiar fashion and they tried to work it out so
that there would be six wings attached to each beast--peculiar-looking
creatures. Try putting six wings on a lion, and try putting six wings on an
eagle that already has two wings. And eyes before and behind and
within. And each beast had six wings about him. It does not say, as
some have supposed, that each beast had six wings. Now where are the
four beasts? Let us go back.
“And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in
heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon
like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about
the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne
were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty
elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads
crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and
thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning
before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the
throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the
throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes
before and behind.”
One could very easily suspect that the four beasts were the Throne.
And there was One sitting on the Throne. We begin to see a pyramid:
four beasts, four corners, and a point extending upward to an apex,
a pyramid. And the pyramid touches what? The next
higher focalization of deity, the next higher level. You do not need to
be too concerned about that at the moment, but there we have the
connection with the next higher level of deity. But here we have
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“And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal…” The
sea of glass—before the Throne there was the sea of glass. The sea
suggests that it extends out quite a ways from the Throne, that it is not
limited to a spot just near the Throne as such. And we have recognized
that the sea of glass is the pneumaplasmic substance of the physical
realm of creation. “…and in the midst of the throne, and round about
the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the
first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third
beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him.”
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The four and twenty elders are round about the Throne. And the
Throne itself has within it the formation of the four beasts, and there
are six wings around each beast, at each corner of the Throne. There
are four groupings, then, of the four and twenty; and the four and
twenty would make the twelve; three pairs of wings make six; so
at four points there are six elders, making three pairs. Now the
significance of all of that you will not grasp in a moment, but it begins
to give you an understanding of some of the fundamental, basic
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principles relating to the expression of the divine into the world of man.
But in order for this fulfilment to take place there must be the
manifestation of the fourth beast, which has the face as of a man,
and this fourth beast is the One Christ Body.
Our Master came into the world to begin the manifestation of that
Body, but He could not remain here to be all by Himself the reality of
that Body. How did He receive the power of God into the world to do
the things which He did? By providing a Body with a face as a man. That
Body, with its face as a man, was called, or is ordinarily called, Jesus.
But that was supposed to be the beginning point for the formation of a
Body with many members. And so this Body of many members is to be
the Body with a face as a man, full of eyes before and behind and
within. The eye is the pattern of perception.
physical eyes there is the realization that, while one may live a full life
in many respects, something important to the physical organism is
gone: the reality of the eyes to see, to perceive. When we stop to think
about it, what priceless treasures we have in our eyes. And we learn to
see the importance of perceiving, alertness. I mentioned in the earlier
class this morning something about the development of seeing, the
development of alertness, of recognizing that which is to be seen.
“And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that
sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty
elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him
that liveth for ever and ever.”
Now here we begin to see the working of the pattern of response: The
outmoving from the apex of the pyramid out through the base and into
the surrounding pattern is obvious. But there is the One at the Apex,
there are the Four at the Base of the Throne, or of the pyramid; and
when the four beasts are giving response to the Apex of Deity
immediately present in the creative field, then the four and twenty
elders follow suit, and those who are attuned to the four and twenty
elders follow them, and there is the cycle of response to the Apex of
the creative triangle. For if there is a creative field at the base of the
triangle, made up of two triangles, we also have the four triangles
forming the faces, the four faces of the pyramid, so the pyramid has six
triangles. Does not every pyramid have six triangles? Two in the base;
four on the sides. Let me use a little illustration here. We look at the
base first; that is, looking down upon it. [A diagram was placed here,
showing a double pyramid (i.e. two pyramids with the same base, one
upright, one inverted).]
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Why is the capstone gone from the Great Pyramid of Gizeh? Because
the capstone is invisible, symbolizing something for us—the invisible
capstone. Always the focalization point of a pyramid is, for that which is
focalized, the Almighty. And so that which is contained within the city
foursquare, in the creative fields involved, in the inner sense and the
outer sense, is dwelling in the secret place of the Most High and abiding
under the shadow, the evidence of the presence, of the Almighty.
The pyramid has its four faces, in the surrounding sense, and the two
triangles in the base, making six. We have in this pattern, then, the
reality of the inner, the reality of the outer, the patterns of their
manifestation and their focalization in that which is higher. And this
provides the focalization for that which is lower; for if we saw this from
the lower level, instead of seeing the apex up here we would see a
similar pyramid projected downward into the lower levels of being, and
then there would be twelve, twelve creative triangles in the double
pyramid, two pyramids having the same base, one pointing upward,
one pointing downward. Now, instead of just looking at the base of the
triangle, you are looking at one side of the double pyramid. This is the
apex of the pyramid, this is the base of the pyramid, and this is the
pyramid pointing downward, because you can only see it from one side
at a time.
There is a great deal in that little city foursquare that you may not have
explored yet. And where are the golden streets, the streets of love? In
the city foursquare? You think they are going to be streets paved with
gold? Paved with love, the streets of love in the city. Are there streets
of love in that city? If it is manifest you will find there are. And you have
to walk the Golden Path, the Golden Path of what? When I talk about
the Golden Path that leads to the Tree of Life, what do I mean? The
Path of Love that leads to the Tree of Life. And what happens to the
Tree of Life? It brings forth twelve manner of fruits, each in its season,
one fruit each month. Twelve months—back to the twelve.
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There are many twelves. You have not found them all yet. But the
twelve, the twelve segments of humanity. Now we begin to see that
there are the four and twenty elders, or the twelve; and the twelve
provides us with the focalization of the twelve segments of humanity.
And twelve has three cycles of four, four relating to the square,
the four forces, or the four that are called beasts, points
of focalization, and that manifests in relationship to each of the three
levels of the Trinity of Being, all of these things being interrelated. You
cannot segregate some part and say, “This I'll take away, and I'll have
something.” It is an integral thing. It must be an integrated thing to
have meaning, all of its parts.
We cannot separate the Lord of Love from the rest and have true
meaning—or the Lord of Truth, or the Lord of Life, or man, the
manifestation of love and truth and life. The first manifestation is life at
the birth of the body, but then we begin to have the evidence of the
spirit of love, and as the pattern of intelligence develops there is
likewise the beginning of the integrity of truth, and the patterns and
designs and control factors begin to manifest. The babe becomes a
child, the child becomes a youth, the youth becomes a man.