Der Glaube an Gott und unsere Kleider

An Gott zu glauben, bedeutet zunächst einmal, darauf zu vertrauen, daß die Welt in Seinen Händen liegt, und als nächstes wohl, daran zu glauben, daß Er die Dinge zum Besten lenkt.

Ein solcher Glaube wäre ein sehr entspannter Glaube. Sobald man aber glaubt, daß man selbst etwas tun muß, um Gottes Willen zu entsprechen, glaubt man bereits an etwas mehr. Was dieses Mehr ist, versteht man dabei für gewöhnlich nicht, bis man an den Punkt kommt, dieses Mehr instinktiv zu aktualisieren. Und alle, welche das getan haben, wissen, daß dieses Mehr darin besteht, an einen bestimmten Lauf der Dinge zu glauben.

Die zentrale Formel des aktiven Gläubigen lautet: Verherrliche mich in der Welt, wie ich Dich in mir verherrlicht habe. Gibt meiner Seele das, sofern sie Dir genehm ist, wonach sie verlangt.

Wer seinen Glauben aktualisiert hat, weiß, daß glauben mehr ist als hoffen und erwarten. Glauben bedeutet, sich zu entschließen, sein Leben auf dem Weg zu suchen, an welchen man glaubt, weil er einem gerecht erscheint.

Beispielsweise erscheint es mir gerecht, ein mit Gott auf wie unklare Weise auch immer verbundenes Wesen nicht auf seine Funktion zu reduzieren. Und also suche ich meine Zukunft darin zu glauben.

Wie gesagt, ich bin zu keiner großen Spezialisierung fähig und verweile im Allgemeinen.

Dieses Allgemeine aber, das Glauben, ist mittlerweile zur Unverzichtbarkeit gelangt. Es gibt kein Christentum, ohne zu glauben. Damit Christus als unser gegenwärtiger Herr etwas mit uns anfangen kann, müssen wir unseren Glauben aktualisieren.

Dies ist das Eine, daß wir nicht vergessen, daß uns Christus gelehrt hat zu glauben.

Das Andere ist folgendes. Jeder Gläubige, also jeder, welcher seinen Glauben aktualisiert hat, glaubt zunächst einmal nur an seinen eigenen Weg. Nur dann können wir uns in den Weg Christi, als unseres gegenwärtigen Herrens, fügen, wenn wir ihn als gerecht erkennen.

Da mein eigener Weg sehr im Allgemeinen verweilt, besteht die Schwierigkeit für mich darin, die Siebung, welche unter dem Begriff der Ernte in der Bibel beschrieben wird, als gerecht zu erkennen.

Es ist aber nötig, damit wir überleben, daß wir glauben, und Einigkeit im Glauben können nur die erlangen, welche zunächst einmal an den gütigen, doch zugleich fordernden Gott glauben, und ihren Glauben schließlich aktualisieren, indem sie erkennen, was Er fordert und verspricht, und also ist es gerecht, die Menschen daraufhin zu sieben.

Für uns alle gilt es also, die Worte unseres Herren zu erinnern, zu verstehen, was sie meinen, und schließlich den Weg des gegenwärtigen Christus als gerecht zu erkennen. So uns das gelingt, haben die Gläubigen ihre Kleider zur rechten Zeit angelegt.

Zeitübergreifende Transzendenz

Ich hatte in den Beiträgen Zum Ursprung der Inspiration und Zur Quelle der Ahnungen einige Vermutungen über zeitübergreifende Transzendenz ausgebreitet, welche ich hier nun daraufhin destillieren möchte, an wessen Wahrheit ich glaube.

Nach eingehender technischer Betrachtung bin ich zu dem Schluß gekommen, daß es zwei Formen der Transzendenz gibt, welche grundsätzlich zeitübergreifend sind, nämlich

1. ideelle transzendente Akte, welche von der Gegenwart in die Zukunft wirken,
2. funktionale transzendente Akte, welche aus der Zukunft in die Gegenwart wirken.

Üblicherweise ist es die unmittelbare Zukunft, also der nächste Augenblick, aus welchem funktionale transzendente Akte in die Gegenwart wirken, aber manchmal liegt auch eine längere Zeitspanne zwischen den Enden des telepathischen Kontakts.

Die Frage, von welcher Art ein zeitübergreifendes Phänomen ist, welches uns begegnet, läßt sich dadurch beantworten, ob das Begegnende fremd ist oder ob es sich in unsere eigene Glaubenswelt fügt. Ist ersteres der Fall, handelt es sich um einen funktionalen transzendenten Akt und sonst um einen ideellen.

Angenommen, wir könnten eine telepathische Verbindung zu uns selbst in der Zukunft herstellen, so wären wir nicht in der Lage zu klären, ob es sich um einen ideellen oder um einen funktionalen transzendenten Akt handelt, weil es nicht klar wäre, ob wir in der Gegenwart für uns in der Zukunft verantwortlich wären oder ob es sich umgekehrt verhält. Sonst läßt sich die Frage nach der Verantwortung aber sehr wohl klären, und das werde ich im folgenden auch tun.

Ideelle transzendente Akte.

Bei ideellen transzendenten Akten geht es darum, die Gesetze der Welt zu bestimmen, in welcher wir leben wollen, was, in der Substanz, kein gewöhnlicher Vorgang ist, so daß es müßig genannt werden könnte, nach entsprechenden Phänomenen Ausschau zu halten. (Daß ich selbst eines kenne, tut nichts zur Sache. Ich dürfte damit ziemlich alleine sein.)

Allerdings gibt es neben der Substanz eine Art Verzierung, deren Bestimmung sehr viel gewöhnlicher ist. Bei dieser Verzierung handelt es sich um die Muster, in welche sich unsere Erlebnisse zu fügen pflegen. Wenn man so will handelt es sich dabei um Gottes Kommentar zu unserer Geschichte. Wie Gott allerdings kommentiert, das bestimmen wir selbst, indem wir an ein Muster glauben oder auch nicht. Streng genommen ist es also nicht Gottes Kommentar, sondern der Kommentar unseres Glaubens.

In der heutigen Zeit gibt es nur noch ein Muster, an welches Menschen im größeren Ausmaß glauben, nämlich die böse Ironie. Das Auftreten lauter böser Ironien um uns herum hat keinen rein psychologischen, sondern einen gemischt psychologisch-metaphysischen Grund, wiewohl es sich von ihm glauben läßt, daß er rein psychologisch sei, weshalb das Muster wohl auch immernoch wirkt: Wir glauben von uns selbst, dreist und dumm zu sein, und erwarten unsere Bloßstellung.

Ich selbst glaube hingegen noch an ein anderes Muster, nämlich die Belohnung des guten Willens. Konkret zeigt sich dieses Muster in glücklichen Zufällen, welche dem Erspüren der eigenen Hoffnung folgen. Also folge ich meinem Herzen und verabscheue die Planung, einschließlich des Anlegens des Sicherheitsgurtes: Sollte sich schon ein Unfall ereignen, so möchte ich Gott die Gelegenheit geben, mich dahin zu schleudern, wohin er will.

Und daß der Klinkenberg'sche Komet nach dem 1. März 1744 einen sechsfachen Schweif entwickelte, kann nur dem Muster geschuldet sein, an welches der stolze Vater glaubte.

Funktionale transzendente Akte.

Manchmal ist es wesentlich, das Unscheinbare festzuhalten, und hier ist es folgendes: Wann immer uns etwas in den Sinn kommt, gehen wir in dieses etwas hinein.

Zum Beispiel, wenn wir uns erinnern. Aber auch, wenn wir einen funktionalen transzendenten Akt empfangen. Meistens verspüren wir dann ein Gefühl, einmal habe ich auch einen Gedanken erfaßt.

Wir gehen in ein solches Gefühl oder einen solchen Gedanken hinein und malen es oder ihn aus, und anschließend reagieren wir auf das verfertigte Ganze.

Das beste Beispiel, um funktionale Transzendenz zu studieren, ist die gedankliche Drohung, das entgegenkommende Arschloch zu blenden, das partout nicht ablenden will. Denn es ist ganz unmöglich, sich dabei etwas dazu zu denken, was reine Einbildung wäre.

Was, also, geschieht?

Ich bilde in meinem Geist den Vorsatz aufzublenden, und in dem Moment, in welchem ich zur Entscheidung komme, blendet das Gegenüber ab. Was empfindet das Gegenüber? Eine plötzliche Schuld, wie auch ich sie schon oft verspürt habe. Warum verspürt sie das Gegenüber? Weil es einen Eindruck meiner unmittelbar bevorstehenden Empfindung gewinnt, nämlich vor mich hinzugrummeln, daß es nochmal davongekommen ist.

Mein Gegenüber stellt einen geistigen Kontakt mit meinem Empfinden im nächsten Moment her und reagiert auf es. Das Gesetz von Ursache und Wirkung tritt außer Kraft und wird durch die Fügung in den aufgespürten Lauf der Welt ersetzt.

Deutlicher ist es selbstverständlich bei Jagd- und Fluchtinstinkt. Welcher von beiden ist Ursache, und welcher Wirkung? Oft genug stehen Jäger und Beute erst einmal wie angewurzelt da, und Tiere reagieren nicht auf Stillstand. Einer der beiden verspürt den unmittelbar bevorstehenden Instinkt des andern und fügt sich in den aufgespürten Lauf, wahrscheinlich einmal der eine und einandermal der andere.

Doch so wird es immer sein, schließlich sind es Phänomene einer Art. Immer tritt der Empfänger in einen zukünftigen, normalerweise unmittelbar bevorstehenden, Eindruck des Senders ein, malt sich ihn aus und reagiert schließlich auf ihn.

Was mir heute noch zu Tariks Herrschaft hat begonnen. klar wurde, ist, daß es der Eindruck eines tatsächlich Herrschenden ist, welcher von Glauben erfüllt ist, und welchem entsprechend viele transzendente Akte zur Verfügung stehen. Als ich den Eindruck vor bald vier Jahren empfing, fügte ich mich in den Lauf der Welt, welcher zu ihm führt. Er kann noch nicht da sein, denn er bliebe nicht verborgen, da er die andern um sich herum ebenfalls mit Glauben erfüllte, aber er ist mittlerweile bereits sehr viel mehr da als vor vier Jahren. Der Eindruck selber scheint mit der Zeit zu wachsen, er nimmt zunehmend persönliche Züge an.

Und was den anderen Eindruck angeht, den des Tadels der protestantischen Entwicklungshelferin, auch da habe ich mich gefügt, und zwar in die religiöse Abspaltung, welche zehn Jahre später zur erstgenannten Fügung führte.

Meine Spekulation über Déjà-vus bleibt eine Spekulation. Richtig ist aber, daß wir in ein Déjà-vu hineingehen wie in eine Ahnung, und vielleicht findet auch irgendeine Art von Fügung statt, sagen wir eine geistesbejahende, eine Art Neugeburt oder Stärkung.

Sollte dies alles aber so sein, so hätte mich die Stärkung des tadelnden Geistes sowohl besänftigt, als auch nicht wirklich überzeugt, denn das war meine damalige Reaktion auf den verspürten Geist.

Es erscheint mir seltsam, daß wir im ideellen Bereich von einander unbemerkt in den Himmel wachsen, während wir uns im funktionalen Bereich zu den Eindrücken anderer, oftmals auch schmerzlich, fügen, doch heißt es etwas anderes, als daß der Himmel als solcher nicht mit der irdischen Aufgehobenheit zu verwechseln ist? Und muß sich Christus nicht dadurch erweisen, daß beide ein Mal zusammenfallen?

The penultimate proof of God's existence: The Revelation

Though it will be an arduous task to include everything I have written about the Revelation so far in a structured text, I shall take it upon me, for I think I owe it to the non-German-speaking world and certain ethical questions are becoming more pressing.

Orthodoxy. I shall start with the historical interpretations throughout the last 2000 years that I consider to be orthodox.

1. The first six kings and the number of the beast.

The first six kings are: Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero. Revelation 17:10 states that chapter 17 was written during the reign of Nero. The number of the beast has been given as 616 and 666, the former refering to Caligula or Nero, the latter only to Nero. I bow to the editorial decision of the elders, primarily because they were infinitely more acquainted with the editing process of the Revelation and secondarily because there is a correspondence between the lines of the hexagram 36 Darkening of the Light and the first six kings, which strongly suggests that the last chapter of the reign of darkness will be written by a blatant restorer, whose ambition will be the undoing of the whole system that he is trying to restore.

2. Thanatos.

Though incorrectly translated as:

And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Revelation 6:8 has been correctly identified with the Black Death. The correct translation of the ambiguous original:

καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος χλωρός, καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ ὄνομα αὐτῷ [ὁ] Θάνατος, καὶ ὁ ἅ|δης ἠκολούθει μετ' αὐτοῦ: καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἐξουσία ἐπὶ τὸ τέταρτον τῆς γῆς, ἀποκτεῖναι ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ καὶ ἐν λιμῷ καὶ ἐν θανάτῳ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων τῆς γῆς.

reads thus:

And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill in piercing grief, and in hunger, and in death, and through the animals of the land.

3. Babylon.

When Nathaniel Conklin, friend of historian Silas Wood, changed the name of his property in South Huntington to New Babylon in 1803, his aim was to write Babylon on the forehead of New York on any map of the area (cf. Revelation 17:5).

4. The Second Beast.

When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle went to the publishing of The Land of Mist, he did so, because he had recognised what stood in front of his own eyes at Selfridges Department Store in London in 1925, that is, as Revelation 13:15 puts it:

And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

5. The Seventh Trumpet.

Certain statements from Catholic bishops in the 1950s clearly show that they had recognised nuclear explosions as what they are (cf. Revelation 10:1).

What is interesting about these realisations is that they have been put forward ever more timidly. The Caligula vs. Nero debate was an open debate among church fathers. The identification of the Black Death with the fourth seal was an openly expressed subject of contemporary art. The renaming of a part of South Huntington was done under the guise of a false, but still transparent enough, pretext, that is expressing the views of an old lady. Whereas Sir Arthur Conan Doyle only vaguely hinted at the fact that these might really be the end times, as did the Catholic bishops, only even more so.

The reason for this is of course that mentioning this belief has ever more become a conversation stopper. John Carpenter's The Thing is precisely about this subject: One has something to tell, but one is not believed, and that in itself spells doom for mankind. Nevertheless Carpenter went on to make Prince of Darkness, where a Catholic priest saves the day by destroying a mirror, and In the Mouth of Madness, where a man loses his mind, because he sees a book become true.

If I had to give the title olive tree, candlestick standing before God (cf. Revelation 11:4) to any celebrity I know, it would clearly have to be to John H. Carpenter. As for my own tone speaking about these things: I am quite incapable of appearing serious, the reason for which is that I have difficulty taking anybody seriously. I live in the midst of blind brutes and have thought so since I was 3 years old. I might just as well talk to a bunch of orangutans. But although this really is a dark valley, I somehow think that it is not the end all be all of humanity.

Proof of authority. The next point I want to raise is the question, whether, and if how, John (not Carpenter) ascertained that he is speaking in the name of God. It so happens that he did so, and did so by addressing the seven holy spirits, in which people follow God. Proof of this are chapters 2 and 3 of the Revelation, which I better reproduce here in full.

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children in death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

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; 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. 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, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 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. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

What John thus expresses, among other things, is this:

  righteous   forthcoming    brave        grateful      charitable      loyal       exemplary

   Ephesus     Smyrna     Pergamos    Laodicea   Philadelphia  Sardis        Thyatira
   |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    \      \      \_____|_____/      /      /
     \      \           |           /      /
      \      \__________|__________/      /
       \                |                /
        \_______________|_______________/
                        |
                        |
                        |
                  ______|______

and he uses it as a signature. Concerning the logic of this signature, let me add these explanations:

• the middle row concerns taking, the other rows concern giving,
• the left rows concern advancing, the right rows concern representing, and in such a way that each pair of connected rows leads from the one to the other,
• the outermost rows concern character,
• the second outermost rows concern perceptiveness,
• the third outermost rows concern action.

Although not related to the question of authority, I shall add my observations on the way in which John describes the state of these seven churches.

• All churches except the church of Philadelphia are being described in an obviously bad light, which makes me wonder, whether the church of Philadelphia is really being described in a good light. When it says: Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee, does it not speak of an abuse of charity by those of the synagogue of Satan? For what other reason would they worship before the feet of charity? They respect the power that the charitable have accumulated, and nothing more. Furthermore we learn:
• that the righteous have left their first love, which means that they've become dogmatic,
• that the forthcoming are being blasphemed against by those of the synagogue of Satan,
• that the brave live in the land where Satan's throne is and that they harbour many heterodox ideas, and in particular that it is right to test the children of Israel by putting a stumblingblock in their way,
• that the loyal have become weary,
• that the exemplary have become fascinated by the depths of Satan,
• and that the grateful have been spoiled by wealth and have lost all gratitude,
• which, all taken together, makes me wonder whether this was really the state of affairs at the outset of Christianity. Born like this, Christianity certainly'd appear to be stillborn. And let us ponder one more thing:
• Who blasphemes against the forthcoming, is headquartered in the land of bravery and worships to the feet of charity? In this combination I can only think of journalists, of which many indeed say that they'd be Jews.

I do not say that we'd have established the land of Satan's seat simply by having found its self description to be the home of the brave, yet this identification is undoubtedly true as we shall see.

Proof of prophecy. John may have been a man of God, but what he saw may have been something different from the actual future.

The first point here is to ask, whether there really is an actual future. But without a prophecy of some sort the question is entirely academic. However, the only prophecy that I know of that can possibly substantiate the claim that there is an actual future is the Revelation, so we're not really making progress by raising this point.

Still, Gene Roddenberry seems to have lived to teach us that there is no actual future, and many people today are quite certain that it has to be so, since otherwise they could not have free will. The first to ponder this apparent contradiction, that God can know the future and that we can have free will, was, to the best of my knowledge, Saint Augustine of Hippo in his De Civitate Dei. The last to ponder it were the Wachowski Brothers in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.

The following lines from the Revelation (22:18-19) are probably addressing this point:

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

I find it likely that this is not about altering the text, it is about trying to alter the actual future. Whoever tries to add a chapter to it that contradicts the Revelation will by this effort bring about the plagues described in the Revelation. And the price for escaping these plagues is to not share the promised future, that is stop being a Christian. In other words John is saying: Christianity's actual future is this, like it or leave it. I'll name the events in question later, but there are several signs mentioned in the Revelation, which came about out of a desire to escape the future foretold in the Revelation, namely:

• the fifth seal,
• the sixth seal,
• the third trumpet,
• the fifth trumpet,
• and the sixth trumpet.

But my opinion matters little more than Gene Roddenberry's here. What can hardly be a coincidence or a self fulfilling prophecy? What do we have to take as proof of the existence of an actual future?

Obviously this point touches upon the first point I discussed, orthodoxy. The fourth seal, the second beast and the seventh trumpet all describe things of which no-one could have had any idea, when the Revelation was written, nor could they have come about by a desire to fulfill it.

The same is true in my opinion of the fifth und sixth trumpet, although there is no pre-existing consensus on the matter.

The fifth trumpet, that is Revelation 9:4-10, describes a helicopter spraying a non-lethal poison (dioxin, as it were) instead of a defoliation agent (called orange). The images to consider are these:

Not wanting to insult the intelligence of my readers any more than I've already done (blind brutes, orangutans), I'll leave it as an exercise to identify these images with the images in the aforementioned passage:

And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

The five months in question were during the summer half year of 1969, right after Kissinger and Nixon took office and leading to the first deformed babies in 1970.

The sixths trumpet, Revelation 9:14-19, describes tanks:

Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt,

or more precisely a tank battle at the Euphrates. I had said earlier that the smoke might be diesel exhaust and the roar of the diesel engine the reason for the likening to a lion. It occurs to me now that it is more natural to blame it all on different kinds of gun fire. The number mentioned, 200 million, doesn't fit, unless it's supposed to represent the whole population of the United States, which might of course be so, counting every American as a combatant.

It is uncertain, whether the sixth seal describes the First or the Second Iraq War, but for reasons of uniformity of time intervals I prefer to identify it with the hot phase of the Second Iraq War in 2003.

Both the Vietnam and the Iraq War happened during our time, which might explain why no consensus has formed on them yet. However, there is one more sign that occurred 275 years ago, the meaning of which I have no doubts whatsoever. It is the third trumpet, Revelation 8:10-11:

And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

Since no star can possibly fall on more than a handful of rivers and fountains, this has to be a metaphor. Whether the water here stands for liquidity or spirit makes little difference. This is the star Wormwood:

and this is wormwood:

As for its falling from heaven: The Great Comet of 1744 reached perihelion on March 1, the day Meyer Amschel Rothschild was circumcised. It developed its sixfold tail only after that.

So, having certainty on the forth seal, the third, fifth, sixth and seventh trumpet and on the second beast, I claim that the belief that there is no actual future is unreasonable.

One may argue that John's prophecy is only partially true. But then we must assume that John was either careless enough to mix truth with invention, or that the spirit that guided John was deceitful. John doesn't strike me as careless and a spirit that knows the actual future has in my opinion better things to do than to deceive people. Essentially, I bow before the superior intellect and I expect all believers to do the same.

The remainder of the first six seals. The meaning of the events described in Revelation 6 is quite likely as follows, the chronological order of the seals presupposed.

And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

King Harold was killed in 1066, by an arrow from an archer of William I's army.

And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

Stephen of Blois was crowned thus

on December 22, 1135 and the Anarchy followed.

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

John, King of England, signs the Magna Carta on June 15, 1215.

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Jan Hus was burned on the stake depicted thus

in Constance on July 6, 1415.

And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;  And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

João III signs the Treaty of Zaragoza on April 22, 1529. The moon becomes as blood in Lisbon on October 6,1530. The Lisbon Earthquake follows on January 26, 1531. And finally, on the day after the Easter festivities Lisbon experiences a total solar eclipse on April 18, 1539. Since the earth is a disc no longer, the dome of heaven doesn't touch the earth anymore. Also the places of all mountains and islands change on their maps.

The remainder of the seven trumpets. Three trumpets remain to be clarified in Revelation 8.

The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

This refers to the advent of the scorched earth policy in Europe, e.c. Munster, 1581 or Pomerania, 1630.

And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

The just below water level volcano Kolumbo erupts in 1650, causing pyroclastic flows in the Aegean.

And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

Tambora erupts in 1815, causing eighteen hundred and froze to death, 1816.

From the first seal to the sixth trumpet 937 years have passed. It is clear however from the description given in Revelation 16 that all the vials and the seventh trumpet must occur in one lifetime. The average time span between the signs given above is 937/11 = 85.(18) years. What would be a reasonable guess for the average time span between two vials? For one, the Revelation mentions 3.5 years a lot. And secondly, if the days were to be shortened, to what would they be shortened? Half a day? Or perhaps an hour? Trying the latter we get 85.(18)/24 = 3.549(24).

Assuming that the sixth trumpet occurred in 2003 and kicked off the faster pace, we get the following time table for the vials: 2007, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2021, 2024, 2028, the last event being Armageddon.

However, before I can go into a possible mapping of the vials onto contemporary events, we must first discuss the division of historic events used by John.

History as the ages of seals, of trumpets and of vials. Looking at the first six seals they all appear to be some form of stumbling. William I stumbled into England. Stephen of Blois stumbled into the Anarchy, John, King of England, stumbled into guaranteed rights, Europeans stumbled into the Black Death, Jan Hus stumbled into individually professed faith, João III stumbled into the New World.

But then something changes, scorching the earth is not stumbling, it is transgressing. A submarine volcano causing pyroclastic flows is transgressing as well, as was the birth of international finance, the continuation of winter into summer, the spraying of dioxin over enemy territory and to lead a war against someone, who had nothing to do with the cause that led to the war, another reason for preferring the Second Iraq War over the First.

The last transgression will be the nuclear destruction of a city. And since it is a transgression, it will not be part of a war.

So then, at the beginning naivety, then ruthlessness and finally? I venture: the bitter end.

The vials are about taking down something, actually, taking down the beast and those, who march against Jerusalem. The Great Whore will also be taken down, but the vials are not describing that.

Then, if we subscribe to the view that a strong power has to be brought down by means of subversion, we would expect the vials to fall under the following categories:

1. demoralisation,
2. destabilisation,
3. crisis,
4. normalisation.

But before we go there, we must first identify the beast and the Great Whore.

The identity of the beast. The relevant information on the identity of the beast is contained in Revelation 13.

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast 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. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

The beast is an army, its heads are wars, of which one was lost. There is shouting like a lion in this army, its soldiers wear uniforms that are spotted like the fur of a leopard, as opposed to those of Roman soldiers, say, or those of Napoléon's or those of the soldiers of the British or the German Empire. But you can see that it was already slowly getting there. Its footwear are not sandals, because when you walk in sandals, the sandals will not make your toes appear to be as long as the toes of a bear, as boots, on the other hand, do. Feel free to ponder this the next time you visit a zoo.

Then of course we only have to ask which army we see on television and we have finished the identification.

Let me, however, point out a few things about the dragon. I cannot believe this is a coincidence:

Behold a dragon that is as old as the rocks, spans a third of the earth's circumference and hence catches the light of a third of the stars, spews water into the depths of the earth and has something like a frog coming out of its mouth!

Since it's something like a popular sport, I'll give the names of the seven heads of the beast:

1. World War I,
2. World War II,
3. the Korean War,
4. the Vietnam War,
5. the First Iraq War,
6. the Second Iraq War,
7. the War in Afghanistan,

but if somebody in Washington thinks that he can get out of this by starting another war, let me tell him that in that case I'll simply count the Iraq Wars as one. Oh, and as for the deadly wound, it's the head in the middle, which has received it. Well, you may ask: Why not include the wars prior to World War I? But the quite adequate answer to that is that the Federal Reserve had only been established a few days before the outbreak of World War I and that we shan't want to overlook the significance of that.

The identity of the Great Whore. Here we have to turn to Revelation 17-18. Having called the renaming of South Huntington orthodox, you know what to expect.

And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

East River, Hudson River, Long Island Sound, Atlantic Ocean and so on. As for the kings, they convene at the East River.

And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.

Babylon, Long Island, formerly South Huntington.

And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

Lucky, that we had the heads already. Now, which organisation was founded as a result of World War II and has been deriving its importance from the wars that the beast leads ever since? Well, the United Nations, headquartered in New York on the East River.

And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are tribes, and masses, and cultures, and tongues.

This is very important for two reasons. Firstly, John defines ἔθνη here, as being to a tongue what a tribe is to a mass, that is born from a common idea, only a cultural one instead of a biological one. And secondly it makes me wonder whether a man of this precision would ever call Christians the twelve tribes of Israel.

We had already one occurrence of that notion in the text covered here, namely in the section about the brave, who have cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel. The passage describes seduction through freedom, but of Christians in general or only of Jews? (Sorry for putting it like this, but to John the idea that there could be Jews, who would not be Christians, was absurd. It is all about leading the rest of the world to the God of the elders. And Christ is Christ and has given him this prophecy. Think about it. Given that the Revelation is true, said idea does indeed become absurd.)

I admit that it is not particularly important who is meant with the children of Israel in this instance, but in case of the 144,000 it is of some significance.

And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

This has many political implications. Let's just say that there are political movements who don't like the United Nations springing up all over the place. Movements, who profess proximity to the United States.

And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

New York. It is a little confusing whether New York or the United Nations are meant, but we shall always understand it in whichever way is more intelligent. For instance, when it says that she shall be burned with fire, we understand that New York gets nuked and not just the United Nations Building. The truth is of course that the burning down of the United Nations Building would have no monumental value at all.

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

His people are His people and they are aplenty in New York. But if ye read these words and not come out of her, ye may have no reason to complain that no voice from heaven ever warned you.

Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

In one hour. As far as I know only a nuclear weapon can do that.

For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

A coastal city with a big harbour, who would have thought.

And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

A second nuke causing a local tsunami, I venture, by being detonated in the New York Bay.

And finally there is one more bit of information in Revelation 16:19.

And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Staten Island, Long Island and the land east of the Hudson River. We haven't got enough information on the fall of the other cities to understand their situation. Towards the end of chapter 16 John seems to get drunk or at least into a mood associated with having had a cup of wine in the evening, that is to say being full of reminiscences.

The seven vials. Now then, let us proceed with Revelation 16. By what we have found so far, it is clear that the beast is the Army of the United States and that the international order centered in New York will be replaced by an order held together by the military power of the United States, monumentally expressing itself through a nuclear double strike on New York, which is the sounding of the seventh trumpet.

First, I want to point out the idea of this shift: It is the successful attack of the Behemoth against the Leviathan. These are general principles of organisation. The Behemoth promises safety and the Leviathan contacts. The Behemoth breeds ruthlessness and the Leviathan corruption. For the Behemoth to be successful, there has to arise a situation in which safety trumps everything else and that can only happen, if the Army of the United States receives a catastrophic blow.

Likewise, the rise of the ten kings can only happen, if there is widespread reason to loathe the United Nations.

Since John has the superior intellect or was at least in contact with it, we can safely assume that all the necessary developments we discover will occur.

But here I want to say something that has made me write this text. A Christian isn't supposed to attack the Leviathan. The Behemoth will do it for him. A Christian is supposed to attack the Behemoth, once the Behemoth has been successful.

However, neither is a Christian supposed to help the Leviathan. And if a people has found the strength as a people to break with the Leviathan, thus also freeing itself from the counteraction, the rush to the Behemoth, it has pleased Christ greatly, and any action on part of the Leviathan to prevent this will face the righteous wrath of God.

After this ethical clarification let us first consider the subversive structure of the seven vials, as alluded to before.

1. vial: demoralisation of the soldier, (2007 to)
2. vial: demoralisation of the consumer, (2010 to)
3. vial: injection of the truth, (2014 to)
4. vial: destabilisation, (2017 to)
5. vial: crisis, (2021 to)
6. vial: anarchy in order to let people show their true colours, (2024 to)
7. vial: normalisation, (2028 for the next 1000 years).

And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

Depleted uranium.

And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

Deepwater Horizon.

And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments..

An allusion to the olive trees, the candlesticks standing before God, their words and labours. Note that the Brexit referendum falls into this period.

And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

The literal part is the Thomas Fire, the River Fire, the Camp Fire, the recent pipeline explosion in Mexico, the metaphorical part is the burning of bridges between Republicans and Democrats.

And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

The most manageable catastrophic blow to the Army of the United States is probably a Yellowstone eruption. Since God will always choose the most merciful path to advance his causes, this is where I would place my bets, if I was in the habit of doing so.

And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the rising sun might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, producing signs, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Since Christ is the Morning Star, the kings of the rising sun might very well be his saints. Therefore it is not correct to translate that as the east. Also, not every sign is a miracle and the devil never works miracles, for how then could we recognise God? (The whole point of Carpenter's Prince of Darkness.) Indeed, when the Army of the United States withdraws from the Euphrates and by extension from all over the world, unclean spirits will go forth to seduce the kings of the earth to do many sinful things, amongst which, I am quite sure, there will be the persecution of minorities. I expect the persecution of Jews for their proximity to the beast to grow into an attack on Israel, but that conclusion is not certain. It is after all possible that John did consider Arabs to be the lost 11 tribes. However, in light of everybody's comparative conduct that does not appear to me to be the most likely meaning, but God Himself is the sole judge of that.

In any case it is precisely the newly found freedom and the abuses that accompany it that will create an interest in ethical questions in the common man and thus allow him to elect the most righteous person amongst him to be his king, for otherwise that person would remain a nuisance, a thorn in the side of corruption, ruthlessness and any other ethical weakness.

Knowing these things full well these persons will of course try to prevent a return to the bad times (for them) and keep the common man in his proper place, that is rule with an iron rod and break the former customs as the vessels of a potter, for it is the customs in which a culture lives and which make it an ethnos.

And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

Good wins.

There is some additional information on the sequence of things in chapters 11 and 19: The two olive trees have to die and be resurrected before New York can be nuked and New York has to be nuked, before Christ can return. Instrumental in bringing about the first event might be the assertion of the Revelation that it is these two olive trees, who plague the people as often as they will, which might turn out unfortunate in the event of Yellowstone's eruption. I can only hope that they won't be maimed, given that their dead bodies shall be on open display for three and a half days. But coming back to Yellowstone, if Yellowstone erupts we can safely assume that Revelation 19:20 will take place somewhere in the general area of the then former state of Wyoming.

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought signs before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

I did not mention everything here that I have written on the Revelation, but this is enough to serve as a reference for my views. It took me more than 12 hours and I happily end this text with these words. Amen.

Mental freedom

A man can choose the world he wants to live in by the power of his belief. And so he has control over the surroundings of his fate, but its course must be aligned with his character.

My character doesn't allow me to ask for any changes in my surroundings, but for those which provide a general benefit. Part of the reason for that is that I'm easily persuaded of the opposite. The other part is my general regard.

In any case my mental freedom is strictly checked. What about other people? Could they enjoy a mentally free society?

Not in the sense that it is usually understood. There can be no development of something that isn't shared. Only common beliefs can guide a people's progress. So mental freedom is nobody's benefit, unless it's pursued in a common direction, acknowledging a shared canon.

That is why a belief cycle starts with a messiah, so that he can provide the foundation for its further development. Mental freedom then only exists in his footsteps - a prospect that may appear dark to the childish enthusiasm that explores its freedom, but if one allows oneself to overlook a few generations it becomes clear what is really dark and what is really light.

The Matrix, 20 years later.

The Matrix pretty much outlines the anti-ideology that is defining the interim we live in:

• seeking meaning in vulnerability,
• seeking one's role in oneself,
• seeking proof in being loved,

that is

• not seeking meaning in endangeredness,
• not seeking one's role before the horizon of one's time,
• not seeking proof in the turns of history.

The Matrix allows ISIS, The Matrix allows snowflakes, The Matrix allows to dream of the brotherhood of men on the basis of sympathy. It is a vitaliser and a blindfold, an insulator and an isolator. It is a tool to enter the unheard of into the public consciousness without risking collapse, thus upsetting morals sufficiently to create an interest in their restoration. Even in the films its ideology leads to naught, because under the assumption of atheism machines do know best how to handle humans. And in the real world Smith's take on misery and suffering as the basis of humans' understanding of meaning applies, since the film itself tells its disciples to worship the transcendence of coolness, i. e. find meaning in their frailty, and hence to devolve into a suicide cult, sterilising themselves after they've brought their measure of damage on the world.

Yet, to quote a film that is similar enough, but more faithful in its craziness:

It's a poison. But thanks to your teachings it's changing my consciousness.

I'm glad that I've reached into the past and found lines that bridge the times and thus escaped the poverty of our time. Taken the right way, watching The Matrix now reassures me.

How it will be.

After the irresponsible will have been rebuked and the law of necessity rules the land under the shadow of ill fortune, people will split into two groups: those, who find rescue in the belief that Christ is teaching them, and those, who lose all hope of salvation, because they cannot believe as Christ is teaching them. That is the nature of the mind that touched me, for which I can vouch.

Zur Quelle der Ahnungen

Wenn wir uns bei unseren Erwägungen ermahnt fühlen oder etwas bereuen, so liegt die Quelle dieser Empfindungen in unserer Verbindung mit Gott. Aber wie verhält es sich bei Ahnungen?

Ich meinte im Beitrag Zum Ursprung der Inspiration, daß ihre Quelle andere Menschen seien, womöglich auch zukünftige, aber diese Auffassung wirft doch einige Fragen hinsichtlich temporaler Paradoxien auf.

Heute nun hat sich in mir die Vermutung gebildet, daß diese temporalen Fragen mit Déjà-vus zusammenhängen könnten. Ich hatte im Beitrag Platonic Remebrance spekuliert, daß ein Déjà-vu eine Art Hilfestellung aus einem vorherigen Versuch, ein Problem zu lösen, ist. Aber dieser Auffassung bin ich nicht wirklich, daß wir wiederholt versuchen, ein bestimmtes Problem zu lösen, also daß wir wieder und wieder unser Leben leben, bis wir den richtigen Weg durch es gefunden haben. Dennoch hatte ich etwas an den Situationen, in welchen Déjà-vus auftreten, erfaßt, was mich zu dieser Darstellung anregte.

Ich denke, es verhält sich damit so. Es gibt Situationen, an welchen wir eine fundamentale Bewandtnis erkennen, welche es mit ihnen hat, und wir senden diese Einsicht durch die Zeit zurück in die Vergangenheit, wo wir selbst und andere eine Ahnung von ihr gewinnen können. Sind wir selbst der Empfänger, so bleibt die Ahnung blockiert bis es zum Déjà-vu kommt, was diesbezüglichen temporalen Paradoxien vorbeugt, sind es andere, so muß sich die Bewußtwerdung der Ahnung als selbsterfüllende Prophezeiung in die Geschichte einfügen.

Beispielsweise hatte ich mein erstes Déjà-vu bei einem Spaziergang an einem Karfreitag vor ungefähr 24 Jahren an einer Stelle südlich der Holmer Sandberge. Ich meinte, mir eine bestimmte Frage schon einmal gestellt zu haben und auch keine Antwort auf sie gefunden zu haben. Es liegt nahe zu vermuten, daß ich die Beschäftigung mit dieser Frage ungeachtet ihrer einstweiligen Hoffnungslosigkeit für wesentlich hielt, und dies das Déjà-vu auslöste.

Also würde es ganz natürlich zustandekommen, daß ein Meer von derartigen Empfindungen der Wesentlichkeit durch die Zeit zurückströmt, und daß wir durch Hinwendung unseres Herzens womöglich bestimmte Eindrücke aus diesem Meer herausfischen könnten.

Freilich ist nicht jede Form transzendenter Telepathie von dieser Art, die funktionalen transzendenten Akte, beispielsweise, ereignen sich zwischen den Mitgliedern einer Gegenwart, aber wo die Zeit überbrückt wird, mag der dabei zu beobachtende Mechanismus der eben beschriebene sein.

Andererseits glaube ich, daß Gott allezeit alles wägt und den besten Weg vermittelt, indem Er bestehende Konflikte auf dem dienliche Weise auflöst. Nur würde es mich sehr wundern, wenn Er dabei mehr als allgemeine Ahnungen, etwa von Gefahr und Verderben, einsetzen würde, um Menschen in eine bestimmte Richtung zu treiben. Regelrecht persönliche Ahnungen scheinen mir dabei fehl am Platz.

Aber es gibt solche, Ahnungen, bei welchen man spürt, daß man einem Anderen gegenübersteht. Dieser Andere kann einem schrecklich und allzu mächtig erscheinen, wie es mir auch ein Mal begegnete, aber ist es darum Gott? Für gewöhnlich nehme ich einen freundlichen Anderen wahr. Wie soll man aber den Raum, welcher sich bei einer Offenbarung auftut, beschreiben? Die plötzliche Erkenntnis eines etwas, wo sonst immer nichts gewesen ist? Ist es letztlich vielleicht nur der Schrecken allzu großer und unerwarteter Nähe?

Nachdem ich am 26. Dezember 2004 mein Gebet gesprochen hatte, sprang mich das tadelnde Urteil einer protestantischen Entwicklungshelferin in ihren 50ern an. Da ist es fast ausgeschlossen, daß es auf andere als auf die oben beschriebene Weise an mich herangetreten sein könnte. Mir wurden die Folgen meines Gebets noch vor ihrem Auftreten klar. Diese Frau war mir nah, ich könnte immer noch ein Phantombild von ihr zeichnen lassen. Aber sie war mir nicht zu nah.

Es läßt sich wenigstens denken, daß einem ein Mensch so nah ist, daß man ihm nicht nur nicht ausweichen kann, sondern sogar so nah, daß er die Kontrolle über die eigenen Gedanken übernimmt, und diese Erfahrung ist als solche schrecklich.

Und was heißt es dann? Wenn ich die Worte Tariks Herrschaft hat begonnen. vernehme, also entschlüsselt Die Herrschaft des Morgensterns hat begonnen, wenn man das entschlüsselt nennen kann, nicht als Stimme, sondern als bloßer Gedanke, wenn der, welcher solches heißt, mir so nah ist, daß er meine Gedanken kontrollieren kann, was heißt es?

Wenn ich schon spekulieren muß, warum nicht klug? Muß es nicht heißen, daß ein Werkzeug gefunden wurde, eine Tür aufzustoßen? Daß es jemanden zukünftigen gibt, dessen Geist und Wesen durch mich einen Fuß in die Gegenwart setzen konnte? Als Teil der selbsterfüllenden Prophezeiung seiner Herrschaft, deren Ahnung zurück durch die Zeit vor ihr her zieht?

Die Lehre aus alledem wäre, daß nicht nur wir Gott die Augen für das uns Genehme öffnen, damit Er es uns werden lasse, sondern zugleich auch Er unsere Augen für das in unserer Richtung liegende, auf daß wir es suchen.

Alexius II starb im Gebet, und ich nahm es wahr. Eine Ahnung war es, aber mehr von der Art eines funktionalen transzendenten Aktes. Ich kannte das Gebet. Ich war passiv involviert, unintendiert. Dieses Gebet ist ja ein umstürzendes, und vielleicht muß sich jeder Betende dem Urteil aller Betenden unterwerfen, wann der richtige Zeitpunkt gekommen ist. Wahrscheinlich sogar. Ich bin ja auch einem Vertreter meiner Widersacher begegnet.

Bei Ingo Swann und Alexander Grothendieck hingegen weiß ich noch nicht einmal, ob es eine Mahnung oder eine Ahnung war. War es eine Mahnung, so empfanden sie wahrscheinlich eine Ahnung. Jedenfalls dürften sich beide mit ähnlichen Gegenständen beschäftigt haben wie ich selbst. Mein Instinkt sagt mir, daß es sich um eine Frage der Verunreinigung handelte, wahrscheinlich von einem Geist im anderen induziert. Eine tiefe Störung der Ruhe durch einen Akt des Unglaubens. In jedem Fall wiederum mehr von der Art eines funktionalen transzendenten Aktes, mit anderen Worten ein unwillkürlicher solcher.

Post Scriptum vom folgenden Tag. Déjà-vus sind in der Tat Offenbarungen unseres Wesens, und die Annahme, daß eine zeitenüberbrückende Ahnung einem ein fremdes Wesen offenbart, eine gute.

Insbesondere war jenes zu nahe Wesen ein durch Betrauung herrschendes, wobei Es mich damit betraute, in Seinem Rahmen zu glauben.

Es gibt eine Erkenntnis des Dienlichen, des den Menschen dienlichen, und an sie ist die Erwartung desselben geknüpft. Glaube, welcher auf solche Weise befestigt ist, kann nicht durch menschliche Willkür erschüttert werden.

Dort also erahnte ich einen herrschaftlichen Geist, und warum ich? Weil ich glaube, und mir der Glaube wesntlich an meiner Existenz ist. Weil ich der Erkenntnis des den Menschen Dienlichen aufgeschlossen gegenüberstehe. Weil ich bereit bin, mein Leben der Behebung der Mißstände in diesen Dingen zu widmen. Mehr bedarf es nicht.

Jeder, dem sein Glaube wesentlich ist, weiß, was er in diesem Ringen gewinnt. Es bedarf keiner Versprechen, die Belohnung ist fühlbar und der Verlust des untätig Bleibenden ahnbar genug.

Ich werde die Auseinandersetzung nicht scheuen, welche zu hindern sucht, daß ich auf meinem Weg gehe, und mich zugleich über jede Gnade freuen, welche mir auf ihm noch zuteil wird.

Es gibt viele Anfechtungen, aber treffen tun sie nur da, wo man selbst den Kopf verloren hat.

Die Einfalt des Glaubens

Ich habe in der letzten Zeit einen merkwürdigen Gegensatz zwischen meiner eigenen geistigen Verfassung und der meiner Mitmenschen bemerkt, eine Einlassung, welche gleich zum spaßen animiert, doch ist der Gegenstand gar nicht komisch.

Es ist, als ob meine Mitmenschen in mehreren übereinander geschichteten Gittern steckten, welche ihren Geist in deren jeweilige Richtung mitzerrten, wobei mich sowohl die Autonomie der Gitter als auch ihre Koexistenz faszinierten.

Ich halte alle diese Gitter, Territorial- und Werbeverhalten, soweit ich es überblicke, für Ausdrücke existentiellen Neides, der Unkenntnis des eigenen Glaubens geschuldet und von der Furcht geplagt, ihn zu verpassen, ohne sich zu besinnen, wo und unter welchen Umständen er zu finden ist.

Wenn etwas an mir zerrt, so nehme ich es zunächst in den Blick und befrage dann meinen Glauben, wie es sich mit ihm verträgt. Das Ergebnis dessen ist eine weitestgehend einschichtige Bewegung meines Gemüts und große Ruhe, Klarheit und Zuversicht, was ich durchaus für an und für sich anstrebenswert halte. Können meine Mitmenschen auch nur einmal denken, daß sie sich selbst in vollem Einklang mit ihrem Herzen auf ihren Weg mitnehmen? Daß das Zentrum ihres Schicksals stets da ist, wo sie gerade sind?

Es sieht nicht danach aus. Es sieht danach aus, daß sie in Gedanken an anderen Orten sind, an welche es sie zur Stillung ihres Zweifels, etwas zu verpassen, zieht.

Aber vielleicht muß erst einmal Ruhe im eigenen Herzen herrschen, bevor Glaube überhaupt erst erfahren werden kann, als die Stimme, welche bleibt, wenn alles ausgekehrt ist. Und anschließend gilt es, ihren Widerhall im eignen Gemüte zu bewahren und zum Ausdruck zu bringen.

Weitere zum Kopfrechnen geeignete Basen

Ich hatte gestern das Tetradezimalsystem betrachtet, welches merkwürdigerweise noch von niemandem zum Kopfrechnen erwogen wurde, obwohl seine Multiplikationstabelle eine vernünftige Größe hat und man mit Hilfe der Quersumme leicht die Teilbarkeit durch 3, 5 und 13 überprüfen kann. Außerdem sind die Perioden der ersten Brüche erstaunlich kurz und die Nähe von 196 zu 200  erlaubt eine schnelle Größenabschätzung.

Was ich gestern noch hätte verbessern können, ist die Darstellung der einzelnen Ziffern durch positive Zahlen von 0 bis 13, denn es ließen sich auch Ziffern von -6 bis 7 verwenden, was die Multiplikationstabelle entschieden verkleinerte.

Ich werde dies im folgenden an noch größeren Basen als 14 vorführen.

Vigesimalsystem. Zur Primzahlbestimmung leicht ungeeigneter als die Basen 14 und 21 ist die Basis 20 wohl dennoch die praktischste Basis zum Kopfrechnen.

Bezeichnungen und Benennungen.

• 9: ohnneun
• 8: ohnacht
• 7: ohnsieben
• ...
• 0: null
• 1: eins
• 2: zwei
• ...
• Φ: zehn
• 10: zween
• 19: ohnneunzween (11₁₀)
• 29: ohnneunundzwanzwig (31₁₀)
• 2Φ: zehnundzwanzwig (50₁₀)
• 30: dreizwig
• 60: sechzwig
• 100: grandert
• 119: grandertohnneunohnzween (371₁₀)
• 121: granderteinohnzwanzwig (361₁₀)
• 1000: twausend

Multiplikationstabelle.

   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  Φ

1  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  Φ

2     4  6  8  Φ 18 16 14 12 10

3        9 18 15 12 11 14 17 1Φ

4          14 10 14 18 28 24 20

5             15 1Φ 25 20 25 2Φ

6                24 22 28 36 30

7                   29 34 33 3Φ

8                      34 48 40

9                         41 4Φ

Φ                            50

Das Vigesimalsystem erlaubt über die Quersumme, die Teilbarkeit durch 3, 7 und 19 zu prüfen. Größenabschätzung und Lernen der Multiplikationstabelle sind für Dezimalsystemgewöhnte keine große Herausforderung.

Unvigesimalsystem. Die beste handliche Basis für die Primzahlprüfung ist die Basis 21. Sie erlaubt die Quersummenprüfung für 2, 5 und 11. Außerdem werden alle Ziffern voll ausgenutzt, das heißt auch

• Φ: ohnzehn.

Freilich fällt die Größenabschätzung etwas schwerer. Die Multiplikationstabelle ist aber recht schön anzusehen. Namen möchte ich mir für diese Basis nicht ausdenken. Wer lieber im Unvigesimalsystem rechnet als im Vigesimalsystem, kann ja die dortigen Namen hier benutzen.

Multiplikationstabelle.

   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  Φ
 
1  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  Φ

2     4  6  8  Φ 19 17 15 13 11

3        9 19 16 13 10 13 16 19

4          15 11 13 17 2Φ 26 22

5             14 19 27 22 23 28

6                26 20 26 39 33

7                   27 37 30 37

8                      31 39 44

9                         43 46

Φ                            55

Wie man sieht, ist die Verwendung von Ohnziffern eine feine Sache, und es wäre gewiß nicht schlecht, wenn sie stadardmäßig von Programmiersprachen für das Hexadezimalsystem unterstützt würden, also beipielsweise $17553 statt $8AB3. Die bessere binäre Basis für die Primzahlprüfung ist aber das Oktalsystem, weil zwei seiner Ziffern die Basis 64 darstellen, welche die Teilbarkeitsprüfung für 3, 5, 7 und 13 erlaubt, genau wie beim Tetradezimalsystem, und wer es sich zutraut, kann auch die Multiplikationstabelle unter Verwendung von Ohnziffern für die Basis 36 auswendig lernen, welche wohl so eben noch im handhabbaren Bereich liegt. Die über die Quersumme unterstützten Primzahlen sind dabei 5, 7 und 37.

Wie wäre es mit Basis 14?

Basis 6 hat viele Vorteile, führt aber zu schnell zu zu vielen Stellen. Basis 12 ist bequemer und hat den Vorteil, bereits sprachlich eingebettet zu sein (Dutzend, Gros), verliert aber die einfache Teilbarkeitsprüfung für 5 und 7, welche Basis 6 besitzt.

Wie wäre es also mit Basis 14? Damit läßt sich die Teilbarkeit für 2, 3, 5, 7 und 13 auf einfache Weise prüfen und 100₁₄ liegt erfreulich nahe an 200₁₀.

Bezeichnungen und Benennungen. Die Ziffern seien 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D und gesprochen werde wie folgt:

• A: zehn
• B: elf
• C: zwölf
• D: drelf
• 10: wechs (kurz für Mondwechsel)
• 11: einwechs
• 15: fünwechs
• 16: sechwechs
• 17: siewechs
• 18: achwechs
• 1B: elwechs
• 1C: zwölwechs
• 1D: drelwechs
• 20: zwanwig
• 30: dreiwig
• 50: fünwig
• 60: sechwig
• 70: siewig
• 80: achwig
• B0: elwig
• C0: zwölwig
• D0: drelwig
• 100: wöchert (analog zu handert~hundert)
• 1000: bausend

Multiplikationstabelle.

   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  A  B  C  D

1  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  A  B  C  D

2     4  6  8  A  C 10 12 14 16 18 1A 1C

3        9  C 11 14 17 1A 1D 22 25 28 2B

4          12 16 1A 20 24 28 2C 32 36 3A

5             1B 22 27 2C 33 38 3D 44 49

6                28 30 36 3C 44 4A 52 58

7                   37 40 47 50 57 60 67

8                      48 52 5A 64 6C 76

9                         5B 66 71 7A 85

A                            72 7C 88 94

B                               89 96 A3

C                                  A4 B2

D                                     C1

Die ersten Brüche.

• 1/2 = 0,7
• 1/3 = 0,(49)
• 1/4 = 0,37
• 1/5 = 0,(2B)
• 1/6 = 0,2(49)
• 1/7 = 0,2
• 1/8 = 0,1A7
• 1/9 = 0,(17AC63)
• 1/10 = 0,1(58)
• 1/11 = 0,(13B65)
• 1/12 = 0,12(49)
• 1/13 = 0,(1)