Thelema in the Apocalypse



Claas Hoffmann

The Apocalypse, Crowley's favorite book of the Bible, announces the coming of the Beast 666. Crowley identifies himself with this Beast, the Antichrist. Following Thelemic belief, the Christian Aeon ended in April, 1904, with the writing of the Book of the Law, with which the Aeon of Horus began. The writer of the Apocalypse saw the end of the Christian Aeon in the Second Coming of Christ. The Christian Aeon will also not end and be replaced by another, but will establish itself after 2000 years for eternity.

Although Crowley clearly identified himself with the Beast 666, he denied that the Apocalypse prophesied the defeat of the Beast. The Thelemites insist that the holy John, the seer of the Apocalypse, was mistaken in his vision of the defeat of the Beast. If John was mistaken in his vision of the defeat of the Beast, then with the victory of the Beast the Christian aeon would never perfectly manifest. But why should this occur in the succession of aeons?

Thelema refers to the vision of the holy John and readily takes Babalon, the holy whore and the number of the Beast. What is not helpful is left out.

Christ fought the the Apocalypse with a double-edged sword from his mouth. A double-edged word is an ambiguous word. Does he give hidden tips in his last chapter of the New Testament that it wasn't the defeat of the Beast, but the victory of the Beast that was described? Can we, if we now carefully look, recognize that the writer of the Apocalypse did not make a mistake, but with his double-edged sword from his mouth described the victory of the Beast?

Who has ears, hear what the spirit of the common said:
Revelation V, 1-7:

[1] And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals;
[2] and I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?"
[3] And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it,
[4] and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
[5] Then one of the elders said to me, "Weep not; lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."
[6] And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth;
[7] and he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.

The only being in the universe that is worthy to take the "Book of Life" from the hand of God and break its seals is a lamb with seven heads. This lamb is announced as a lion and looks as if it was slaughtered or strangled.

In the Christian tradition this lion, which is a murdered lamb, is identified with the sacrificed Christ. Here begins the double meanings of the words, with the fact that a lion is announced and a murdered lamb with seven heads appears. Which animal does it concern here?

In the Crowley Tarot, the tarot of the new aeon, a lamb sits at the feet of the emperor. An emperor in the Aeon of Horus, supported by a Christian lamb?

Since the lamb is the actual star of the Apocalypse, an interesting phonetic connection between Crowley's guardian angel and the lamb should be referred to here. According to P.R. Koenig's "Abramelin & Co.", Crowley identified the extraterrestrial intelligence LAM with AIWASS, his guardian angel. Is the extraterrestrial intelligence LAM identical with the lamb?

Who has ears, hear what the spirit of the common said:
The most astonishing fact that appears to me in the Apocalypse is that in the city of God that comes down from the sky great (thelemic?) freedom prevails:

Revelation 21:

[1] Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
[2] And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband;
[3] and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them;
[4] he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away."
[5] And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true."
[6] And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment.

...

[21] And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.
[22] And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
[23] And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
[24] By its light shall the nations* walk; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it,
[25] and its gates shall never be shut by day — and there shall be no night there;
[26] they shall bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations*.

THAT is the double-edged sword with which Christ fights. First the heathen are crushed like brittle earthenware vessels and then suddenly told: You have glory and honor. Warm welcome in my humble abode. Feel at home!

[27] But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

The Lamb's Book of Life = Liber AL vel Legis ?

Revelation 22:

[1] Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
[2] through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations*.

Plants for heathens in the city of God? What are heathens? Those that do not crawl before Jehova in the dust, but believe what they will.

[3] There shall no more be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall worship him;
[4] they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads.
[5] And night shall be no more; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they shall reign for ever and ever.

THEY will reign. If all reign in the city, then genuine DO WHAT THOU WILT prevails in this city. There is a note in Liber AL vel Legis that the Christ of the Apocalypse is a key to the law of Thelema. As it is said in AL I 46: "Nothing is a secret key of this law. Sixty-one the Jews call it; I call it eight, eighty, four hundred & eighteen."

In the Greek Kabballa Jesus results in 888, Christus results in 1480. The kabbalistic connection with the AL verse is obvious. Also the Greek words of "and its number is 666", as it in the Greek original of the Apocalypse, together are 2368, thus the number of Jesus + Christ. Above the Abyss the opposites are unity. There are no Christ and an anti-Christ. Chistus and 666 are there an intelligence beyond duality. Below the Abyss this opinion is incomprehensible and the Thelemite will call: The Beast will win!

Which animal? A beetle, a billy goat, a sheep or a dragon, or a mixture from all? The question was asked here:
"If John was mistaken in his vision of the defeat of the Beast, then with the victory of the Beast the Christian aeon would never perfectly manifest. But why should this occur in the succession of aeons?"

This statement arouses first of all the impression, as they assume, that first a complete manifestation of the Christian age would have to be carried out before the "new age" could be born. Now, the complete manifestation of the Christian aeon means the establishment of this age for the eternity. Does this mean the end of the changing of the aeons, does mean this deadlock and death? Never, because Christ speaks: "Behold, I make all things new!".

Which could have this different meaning, as the manifestation of a new age, the manifestation of the Nuit?!.

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* NOTE: Although English translations of the Bible contain the term "nations", in German the term "Heiden" is used, which translates to "heathen" or "pagan".



To contact the author:

Claas Hoffmann
Emerson College
Forest Row
RH 18 5JX
England

email: claasvommars@yahoo.com



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