#the Book of Revelation

[heartsings77]

[sictransitgloriamvndi]

[youryurigoddess]

Books and crumbs

Probably most speculative post in this little series, but nonetheless marked as spoiler. As always when talking about S3 locations and related content, appropriate level of discretion is advisable — due to the obvious sensitivity of this material, please tag it accordingly and share only with the fans consenting to know potential spoilers.

By now most of you probably have seen this post published on the Till’s social media on Friday. Super cute gesture and a lovely way to let the fans know that even the staff is shipping Aziraphale and Crowley (told you they have Muriel vibes!).

Technically the bookshop wasn’t the only off-set location, since we already know of some others, including the parallel film shoot happening on the same day, but still! Do you think that this display could be a Clue? Are we going to see a sword-fighting angel again? Let’s see if the books here (neither is currently listed on their website and wasn’t there at the time of the filming) might feed us some information crumbs.

The first thing I can notice about this display is an open copy of The Pilgrim’s Progress (already noticed on Aziraphale’s desk in the Good Omens: Lockdown special) open on yet another illustration by Harold Copping, this time titled ominously “In the Valley of the Shadow of Death” with a quote: “So he cried in my bearing, o Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul”.

This fragment of the actual book could be potentially relevant to the plot:

“At the day of doom we shall not be doomed to death or life, according to the hectoring spirits of the world, but according to the wisdom and law of the Highest. Therefore, thought I, what God says is best, is best, though all the men in the world are against it”‬.

The book behind The Pilgrim’s Progress can’t be identified at the moment, but reminds me of the illustration of the War in Heaven for Milton’s Paradise Lost by Gustave Doré:

What can be easily identified here is a leather-bound copy of Angel Pavement, a 1930 novel by J. B. Priestley depicting the struggles of shopkeepers and traders of an imaginary London street in the wake of the Great Depression, additionally stirred up by a mysterious and charming newcomer.

Priestley’s social panorama of London depicts many perspectives, but focuses on the employees of the firm Twigg & Dersingham, suppliers of veneers and inlays to the cabinet-making trade, under No. 8, Angel Pavement (a small cul-de-sac in the heart of London’s commercial district). Interestingly, both BBC adaptations of the novel — a 1957 and a 1967 TV series — are considered completely lost.

The red spine is the only one I recognised from my visits to the bookshop in question — a leather bound copy of Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens. The 1848 novel tells a story of a wealthy shipping firm owner coming to terms with the death of the son he dreamt of continuing his business with and eventually embracing his daughter’s love when it seemed lost as well after years and years of neglect.

His boy had faded into dust, his proud wife had sunk into a polluted creature, his flatterer and friend had been transformed into the worst of villains, his riches had melted away, the very walls that sheltered him looked on him as a stranger; she alone had turned the same mild gentle look upon him always. Yes, to the latest and the last. She had never changed to him – nor had he ever changed to her – and she was lost.

The daughter eventually returns to reunite with her father after starting a family of her own, and years later the changed and aged merchant dotes on his granddaughter as if to make up for what he’s done to her mother by abandoning her due to patriarchal values.

Father figures and their sons or, in particular, daughters seem already pretty significant in the S2 context, as described in e.g., On Love and Sacrifices and Dysfunctional Family Dynamics, but they hit particularly close to the potential S3 themes in relation to both Aziraphale’s changing position in Heaven (and in Metatron’s eyes) and Jesus and his role in the Second Coming and the Last Judgement.

The big open book at the bottom is a first edition of Heroes of Folk Tale and Legend by Vladimir Hulpach (1970). Illustration by Miroslav Troup represents the monster Grendel, known from the Old English epic poem Beowulf in which he was slayed by the titular hero.

Grendel’s sudden appearance at the royal banqueting hall described on this spread is similar to the demonic attack on Aziraphale’s bookshop at the end of S2, but can also be seen as a foreshadowing of yet another danger to come and/or the beast from Revelations, the Antichrist.

He even looks similar to the engraving Anathema had hanged on her murder board, don’t you think?

[creature-wizard]

I contend that the main reason the Book of Revelation seems confusing is because the end times scenarios described by American Evangelicals have almost no relation to what's actually in it.

Like no kidding you can't make heads or tails of it, you're looking for something that simply is not there. If you actually read it for what it does say, you'll probably find it makes a lot more sense.

[eyeoftheheart]

Young Girl Reading the Quran by Osman Hamdi Bey

According to the Sufi tradition, there are three essential books through which the seeker comes to know the Divine: the Book of the Universe, the Book of the Soul, and the Book of Revelation. Each of these books offers a unique mode of divine communication, and only when they are read together can one begin to perceive the full meaning of divine revelation.

The Book of the Universe is the outer scripture—the vast, living text of creation itself. Every star, every tree, every drop of water, and every breath of wind speaks of the One. Nature is not a mute backdrop, but a sacred manuscript, constantly unfolding the signs (ayat) of God for those who have eyes to see and hearts to understand.

The Book of the Soul is the inner scripture—our own being, heart, and consciousness. The soul is both mirror and mystery, reflecting the divine light while concealing its deepest essence. To read this book is to undertake the inner journey, the path of self-knowledge, which is ultimately the path to knowledge of God. As the Sufi aphorism goes, “He who knows himself, knows his Lord.”

The Book of Revelation is the received scripture—the holy texts passed down through the prophets. It is the luminous guidance given in human language, calling us to remember, to awaken, to return. It is the divine speech made manifest in history.

To read any one of these books in isolation is to grasp only a fragment of the truth. The Book of Revelation without the living world becomes abstract; the Book of the Universe without the soul becomes meaningless; the Book of the Soul without revelation risks delusion. But together, they form a sacred trinity of knowledge—external, internal, and transcendent. Together, they unveil the wholeness of the divine message and invite the seeker into a unified vision of Reality.

Seeds of Contemplation:

“There are in fact three grand revelations: the cosmos, the human state, and religions — all three of which Islam sees as "books." There is, first of all, the cosmic book to be read and deciphered. Then there is the inner book of the soul, which we carry within ourselves. And finally, there are the sacred scriptures which have been sent by God through His Mercy to guide humanity throughout the ages and which are the foundations of various religions and keys for reading the other two books, that of the cosmos and that of the soul.”

~ Seyyed Hossein Nasr, The Heart of Islam

“To the eye of the seer every leaf of the tree is a page of the holy book that contains divine revelation, and he is inspired every moment of his life by constantly reading and understanding the holy script of nature.”

~ Hazrat Inayat Khan, Vol. 1, The Way of Illumination

“Just as the Quran and other scriptures are collections of God's "signs" or "verses" (ayat), so also the whole universe is a vast collection of God's signs and verses. In effect, God creates the universe by revealing three books - the universe, the human self, and scripture. In each, He reveals His signs and writes out His words.”

~ William C. Chittick, On the Cosmology of Dhikr

“Your sickness is from you, but you do not perceive it, and your remedy is within you, but you do not sense it. You presume you are a small entity, but within you is enfolded the entire Universe. You are indeed the evident book, by whose alphabet the hidden becomes manifest. Therefore you have no need to look beyond yourself. What you seek is within you, if only you reflect.”

~ Imam Ali

[idylls-of-the-divine-romance]

Pros of becoming a mystic

Usually very attractive

See the world from a divine perspective

See visions of the future

Privacy

Eroticism

Gender nonconforming

Great education, very well read, and very poetic

God is love and God is love and God is love

Super cool and famous and much beloved in the future

Cons of becoming a mystic

Exile

Possible sex assault attempt (???)

Sickness

Getting thrown to the lions

More sickness

HORROR!!!!!

Slavery

Getting thrown into fiery furnaces

Did I mention sickness? Bitter sickness.

Double the horror if you're both a mystic AND a prophet

Getting thrown into boiling oil

Exile. Again.

[weirdlookindog]

William Blake - The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun, c. 1805-1810

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

The Man Comes Around : Johnny Cash

+

"The Man Comes Around" is the title track from Johnny Cash's American IV: The Man Comes Around, released in 2002. It was written several years prior to the release of the album; however, Cash updated it for the album. It is one of the last songs Cash wrote before his death. Both sung and spoken, the song makes numerous Biblical references, especially to the��Book of Revelation.

The arrangement of the song is sparse (although not so much as in some of Cash's later compositions, such as "God's Gonna Cut You Down"); two guitars, piano (played in the bass register), and an electric organ.

Of the album's fifteen tracks, only three were written by Cash, with "The Man Comes Around" the sole song specifically penned for it, and the only song Cash wrote in its entirety.

The song was inspired by a dream Cash had about Queen Elizabeth II in which the Queen compared Cash to "a thorn tree in a whirlwind." Haunted by the dream, Cash became curious if the phrase was a biblical reference and eventually found a similar phrase in the Book of Job.

[WIKI]

[a-story-teller]

Revelation: "To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose" "They had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit" "When they finish, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war"

Me: and you're just gonna say that. No context or explanation. Just, y'know, The Bottomless Pit.

Revelation:

[writingbugandink]

"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. " (Revelation 14:12)

[heartsings77]

THE TIME IS SHORT...

The time is short, and the warnings are clear! After the rapture, the world will face unimaginable horrors as described in the book of Revelation—the rise of the Antichrist, war, famine, and death. These events will come upon those left behind, and it will be a time of great tribulation like the world has never seen. You don’t want to face this.

But there is good news! God has already made a way for you to escape what’s coming. Through His great love, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take the penalty for our sins. As 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (KJV) says: "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."

Salvation is a free gift of grace, received by faith alone. All you need to do is believe in Jesus and His finished work on the cross. Romans 10:9 (KJV) declares: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

Eternal life begins now when you trust in Christ. Don’t delay! The rapture could happen at any moment, and after that, salvation will still be possible, but it will be far more difficult and require enduring until the end. Turn to Jesus today and receive the gift of eternal life. (by Sean/X)

READ THE BOOK OF REVELATION CHAPTERS 6-20

[sictransitgloriamvndi]

[i-am-worm]

Inktober 2023 - Day Seventeen - Demon CREATURE BONUS

So ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE, when the world ends a few hellish beasts will roam the earth and one of the most fascinating is the 'Beast from the sea':

"Rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy." (Revelation 13:1) It was like a leopard, with feet like the feet of a bear, and had a mouth like a lion. One of its heads had a mortal wound which healed itself, causing people to wonder at it and follow it. (Revelation 13:1–10)".

I've seen some really fantastic depictions, but few represent the 'mortally wounded head that healed itself' so I gave that a go.

I can't get over the cute little crowns.

[creature-wizard]

If you think the Antichrist has anything to do with banking whatsoever, this is because of influence from The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion on modern Antichrist mythology.

The Book of Revelation doesn't say anything about banks. It only says that people who don't accept the mark won't be allowed to buy or sell. There is nothing in the text that ties this to banks or bankers. It's literally just a tyrannical ruler decreeing that nobody will be allowed to buy or sell anything unless they pledge their allegiance to him first.

[titleknown]

Thought: With how accessible Blender is these days, making it really easy to do 90s-level CGI, you could theoretically make a Veggie Tales adaptation of The Book of Revelation as a fan project with relative ease.

Which, of course, I want to see. Like, not even as a shitpost joke-y thing, but as something sincere done by someone who loves the series, because those always end up so much more interesting and weird.

I want to see someone animate the Whorseradish Of Babylon on the back of the Great Beet. I want to see the Four Horseveg Of The A-slaw-calypse.

I want to see Bob and Larry kiss as end is nigh and the stars fall from the face of heaven.

[idylls-of-the-divine-romance]

Understanding the Revelation is understanding that Christians ruling the world is not electing your preferred person to office but it is the 21 Christian’s in Egypt who got their heads cut off. They are the ones actually ruling. The enthronement of the Christ was his enthronement onto the cross. A torture device. When one dies the death of a slave. It is the martyrs who choose nonviolence and death over violence and tyranny who are exalted