Second Coming, Page 11

We may now look at Joseph’s special powers of interpretation as a holdover of this ancient clairvoyance. And we would seem to be quite justified in looking at his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream of “seven years of great plenty .. . [followed by] seven years of famine [during which] all the plenty will be forgotten .. . [and] unknown in the land by reason of that famine . . .” (Gen 41,29-31) as a description of this loss of consciousness which led “Pharaoh [to] select a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt” (Gen 41,33). On an even higher spiritual level the story is illustrative of the cycle of life, or wheel of birth. In advising Pharaoh to set aside grain during the good time, it is not unlike Jesus’ admonition in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 6,19-20) to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”

A spine-tingling experience can reward one willing to delve into the matter of the physical body/etheric body correspondence to the tree of knowledge/tree of life (Gen 3,22-24), in recognizing that these can be seen to be demonstrated respectively by the Greek letters Phi and Theta. Phi is the “Golden Ratio,” observed by Plato, by which the pyramid, the human body, and perhaps most all of physical creation are made (Universe, Earth and Man [UEM], Lect. 1, pp. 14, 17 and 19; EB, p. 6). Theta represents the ellipse which describes the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the outgoing and return, the journey of each human soul. In support of this, see Appendix to “Fire” in Vol. 2.

Now let us look briefly at the myth of Prometheus. It has deep esoteric meaning that speaks of profound truths in the human being’s evolution. Steiner often spoke of Prometheus. See Greek and Germanic Mythology in the Light of Esotericism (GGMLE), Lect. 1; The Temple Legend (TL), Lect. 4; CMF, Chap. 5; The Influence of Spiritual Beings Upon Man (ISBM), Lect. 1; and Egyptian Myths & Mysteries (EMM), Lect. 10. See also Otto Wolff’s EB, pp. 9-11. The myth portrays the human being of the Fifth “Root-Race” (see I-4) of Earth evolution, i.e., our present post-Atlantean Epoch. Its allegorical portrayal extensively corresponds with the evolutionary facts as anthroposophy has given them. Prometheus, who steals fire (Ego) and brings it down to Earth, is chained to a rock (mineral-physical body). An eagle comes daily to gnaw at his liver, which is restored each night. Quoting Wolff, “The organ which creates life is the liver. Life—liver (Leben—Leber in German). The relationship of these two words is found in many languages. The liver produces life.” As such it represents the life body, i.e., the etheric body. The eagle represents the astral body which, by virtue of its primeval taint (Gen 3), gnaws at the etheric body through lack of control of passions and desires, the “animals” human beings brought with them in the “Ark” from Atlantis (Gen 6,19-7,3). Each night, the etheric body is restored by sleep. Hercules, who prevails in the twelve labors of initiation, presses through to the Caucasus (the rock) in order to free Prometheus, but the centaur Chiron, man’s half-animal (astral) nature (see “Wild Animals”), has to be sacrificed before Prometheus is free.

This mythical legend is but one of many from the ancient Western world that portray profound evolutionary truth.⁸ Today, humanity has totally lost its comprehension of these myths. This legend shows the necessity of the Ego (the Christ-enabled “I Am”) overcoming the tainted astral nature in order to set the human being free. When the etheric body is thus freed, it can see the truth in the spiritual world, and that is freedom (Jn 8,32) as Prometheus finally attained it. For our present purposes, what the etheric body is to see in the etheric world is the Second Coming of Christ.

When all of the above, taken in connection with the other related terms identified early herein, is carefully considered, one can see that not only is the etheric nature of the Second Coming compatible with the pertinent scriptural passages, but indeed its understanding clarifies what has heretofore been mystifying about them. Such passages include at least the following: Mt 16,28; 24-25; 26,64; Mk 13; 14,62; Lk 12,40; 17,20-21 (The “Little Apocalypse”); Jn 14,3,28; 21,22-23; Acts 1,11; 1 Cor 15,23; 16,22; 1 Th 2,19; 3,13; 4,15; 5,2,23; 2 Th 2,1-2; Heb 9,28; 10,37; Jas 5,7-8; 2 Pet 3,4,10,12; Rev 2,16,25; 3,3,11; 22,7,12,20.

At the same time that such understanding clarifies the Second Coming passages, it also greatly clarifies Christ’s appearances to the disciples after the Resurrection itself. For among other things, Acts 1,11, “This Jesus . . . will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven,” clearly tends to equate the nature of his first appearances to that of his Second Coming. And the accounts of his first appearances (given that passages such as Lk 24,43, Jn 21,13 and Jn 20,27 are otherwise explained herein) give clear indication that his Resurrection, while in the “body,” was in the non-mineral “physical body,” the “phantom form,” requiring a higher clairvoyance as above indicated (see “Form/Phantom”), as well as in the etheric “body” (see I-9). Thus, we are told of his appearances at impractically diversified spots (see SE), such as on a “mountain” (Mt 28,16; see “Mountain”); that he is “with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28,20); that his appearance was “in another form” (Mk 16,12); that “after he had spoken with them, [he] was taken up into heaven” (Mk 16,19; Lk 24,51); that they did not at first recognize him (Lk 24,16; Jn 20,15; Jn 20,24-28; Jn 21,4,12); that they did not recognize him until “their eyes were opened [after which] he vanished out of their sight” (Lk 24,31), to immediately appear in the presence of several, who were “startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit” (Lk 24,36-37); that he entered their presence through “shut doors” (Jn 20,19); that others than the disciples could not “see” him (Acts 9,7) and even Paul, “when his eyes were opened, . . . could see nothing” (Acts 9,8); and that he appeared to Paul even after he had “ascended,” many had “fallen asleep,” and Paul had persecuted the Church (1 Cor 15,6-9).

The path to etheric vision is not an easy one, nor will it be walked by many as initiates (Mt 7,13-14). What is vital in our time is that correct thinking begin to mold humanity toward that day when failure to recognize the Christ in the etheric world will mean slipping toward the abyss. Regrettably, the “Faith of Our Fathers,” and that “Old Time Religion,” both “Epimethean” (backward looking), cannot prevent such slippage unless revitalized by these profound insights. And Heb 9,27, so relied upon to disprove karma and reincarnation, can prove to be a double-edged sword against those who so rely. For indeed, what is done in “one life” is of vital importance: the right Path must be taken during one’s life on Earth if the organs of spiritual perception are to be timely developed. Conditions will not be the same in future lives, and talents not properly used will be lost (Mt 25,14-30), requiring even greater struggle ahead. Efforts properly directed will bear rich and transformed fruit, but one must not be afraid to follow Abraham’s lead in this generation if one is to be fruitful, leaving the “house” that one has known, bound for “the land that I will show you” (Mt 19,29; Gen 12,1). Let us be about the task.