Chapter XVI - The Apocalypse
The dragon as a type
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Human sense may well marvel at discord, while, to a
Human sense may well marvel at discord, while, to a
diviner sense, harmony is the real and discord the unreal.
We may well be astonished at sin, sickness, and
death. We may well be perplexed at human
fear; and still more astounded at hatred, which lifts
its hydra head, showing its horns in the many inventions
of evil. But why should we stand aghast at nothingness?
The great red dragon symbolizes a lie, – the belief
that substance, life, and intelligence can be material.
This dragon stands for the sum total of human error.
The ten horns of the dragon typify the belief that mat-
ter has power of its own, and that by means of an
evil mind in matter the Ten Commandments can be
broken.
The sting of the serpent
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The Revelator lifts the veil from this embodiment of
The Revelator lifts the veil from this embodiment of
all evil, and beholds its awful character; but he also
sees the nothingness of evil and the allness of
God. The Revelator sees that old serpent,
whose name is devil or evil, holding untiring watch, that
he may bite the heel of truth and seemingly impede the
offspring of the spiritual idea, which is prolific in health,
holiness, and immortality.
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Revelation xii. 4. And his tail drew the third part of the
Revelation xii. 4. And his tail drew the third part of the
stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the
dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be
delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
Animal tendency
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The serpentine form stands for subtlety, winding its
The serpentine form stands for subtlety, winding its
way amidst all evil, but doing this in the name of good.
Its sting is spoken of by Paul, when he refers
to "spiritual wickedness in high places." It
is the animal instinct in mortals, which would impel
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them to devour each other and cast out devils through
them to devour each other and cast out devils through
Beelzebub.
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As of old, evil still charges the spiritual idea with error's
As of old, evil still charges the spiritual idea with error's
own nature and methods. This malicious animal in-
stinct, of which the dragon is the type, incites mortals to
kill morally and physically even their fellow-mortals, and
worse still, to charge the innocent with the crime. This
last infirmity of sin will sink its perpetrator into a night
without a star.
Malicious barbarity
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The author is convinced that the accusations against
The author is convinced that the accusations against
Jesus of Nazareth and even his crucifixion were instigated
by the criminal instinct here described. The
Revelator speaks of Jesus as the Lamb of God
and of the dragon as warring against innocence. Since Jesus
must have been tempted in all points, he, the immaculate,
met and conquered sin in every form. The brutal bar-
barity of his foes could emanate from no source except the
highest degree of human depravity. Jesus "opened not
his mouth." Until the majesty of Truth should be demon-
strated in divine Science, the spiritual idea was arraigned
before the tribunal of so-called mortal mind, which was
unloosed in order that the false claim of mind in matter
might uncover its own crime of defying immortal Mind.
Doom of the dragon
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From Genesis to the Apocalypse, sin, sickness, and
From Genesis to the Apocalypse, sin, sickness, and
death, envy, hatred, and revenge, – all evil, – are typi-
fied by a serpent, or animal subtlety. Jesus
said, quoting a line from the Psalms, "They
hated me without a cause." The serpent is perpetually
close upon the heel of harmony. From the beginning
to the end, the serpent pursues with hatred the spiritual
idea. In Genesis, this allegorical, talking serpent typi-
fies mortal mind, "more subtle than any beast of the