The final book of the Bible is called the Book of Revelation. Written by a man named John (possibly John the Apostle) toward the end of his life, he records a vision he experiences, probably while dreaming or meditating. This vision contains a tremendous amount of symbolism; the same kind of symbolism one would see in a dream, a vision of the spirit world. In fact, the Book of Revelation contains the same symbolism found in the symbols in the Prophet Daniel's dream. All Biblical dreams, such as those of Joseph, Gideon, Daniel, Paul, and Peter, are very symbolic and therefore had a hidden spiritual meaning rather than a literal interpretation of the symbols. Such is the case with the Book of Revelation.

Edgar Cayce was a Sunday School teacher who had many near-death experiences. As a result of these experiences, he was able to unlock the secrets to the symbolism in the Book of Revelation. He gave a large amount of information specifically for the purpose of discovering the book's hidden meaning. 

Cayce described the true nature between humanity and God. Cayce revealed that humans actually have three different levels of consciousness: the physical consciousness (the personality), the subconsciousness (the soul) and the superconsciousness (the spirit). One of our most important goals in life is to "awaken" our superconscious mind to attain what Cayce called "at-one-ment" with God.  (To learn how to do this click here)

The superconscious mind is called by many names by many religions in many different cultures. Some of these names are: Buddha consciousness, Christ consciousness, the Collective Mind, the Universal Mind, the Collective Unconsciousness, the Holy Spirit, Brahman, God, the Clear White Light, Allah, Higher Self, the Mind of Christ, etc. 

Cayce's references to "the Christ", "the Christ consciousness" and "the "Mind of Christ" has little to do with the personality known as Jesus. Cayce revealed that Jesus became "the Christ", in that he attained a full manifestation of the "Christ consciousness" - the divine nature within humanity. It is God's desire for all of humanity to become "Christs" (or "Buddhas" if you live in the East). Such a condition will truly bring the Kingdom of God to the Earth. Cayce revealed that the Book of Revelation is the symbolic story of how humanity in general (and a human in particular) attains this manifestation of the divine.

Cayce's symbolic interpretation about the Book of Revelation can be contained in a book all by itself. In fact, a whole book has been written about Cayce's interpretation of Revelation. It is entitled Edgar Cayce's Commentary on the Revelation. There is also a video on this subject from the ARE Foundation (the Cayce organization) 

What follows is a very brief (too brief) summary of the information he received.

Chapters 1-3:   Letters to the Churches

Literal:  John, on the island of Patmos, explains that he was in the Spirit when Christ appears to him standing in the midst of seven candlesticks. Christ then tells John to write down what he sees and hears concerning seven churches.

Interpretation:

While in meditation, John's conscious mind becomes open to his subconscious mind and his superconscious mind. The seven "churches" and the seven "seals" represent the seven "spiritual centers" (or "chakras") of the body where the physical, mental and spiritual forces all come together. The superconscious mind within John, tells him that anyone, who can regain control of these spiritual centers within their bodies, can access the superconscious mind, and never need to reincarnate again (Rev. 3:12). 

Chapter 4-11:   Christ opens the seals of the book in heaven

Literal:  John now appears at the throne of God and sees four beasts and twenty-four elders around it. On the throne sits God who has a book with seven seals. John weeps when he learns that no one can open the seals to the book. One of the elders tells John that Christ is able to open the seals. Christ then opens the seals, resulting in many Earth changes. The seventh seal unleashes seven angels who sound seven trumpets which are sounded one by one.

Interpretation:

John has a mental awakening when he attains the spiritual level of the superconscious mind, within the throne of his own body. The "four beasts" are his four lower spiritual center's animalistic desires and the "twenty-four elders" are the twenty-four nerves from his brain leading to his five senses. The superconscious mind, is now in full control of John's body. The body is symbolized as a "book" with "seven seals" which "no one has the ability to open on his own" (Rev. 5:3). Only through the development of the superconscious mind within a person, can these spiritual centers within the body be "opened" (i.e., spiritually activated). 

As each spiritual center within the body is activated, different parts of the body are purified and upheavals of the body occur mentally, physically, and spiritually. The superconscious mind spiritually activates the seventh spiritual center (the pituitary, the master gland of the body). As a result of this, it becomes "quiet in heaven for one half hour" (Rev. 9:1). This is symbolic of the perfect control of the mind for one half hour through meditation. The following are some of the symbols of Revelation interpreted by Cayce:

Chapter 12-14:   A woman, a dragon, two beasts, and a lamb

Literal:  John sees a woman with twelve stars about to bear a child. Next to the woman is a dragon that is ready to devour the child she is giving birth to. After the child is born, the child is taken to the throne of God. Afterward, a war in heaven occurs and the devil and his angels are cast out of heaven to Earth. John also sees a beast rise out of the sea which the world worships. John then sees a lamb on the Earth and angels proclaiming the fall of Babylon.

Interpretation:

John is shown a picture of the soul of humanity in its development since the days of eternity. The "woman" symbolizes the soul of humanity crowned with "twelve stars," the twelve basic patterns of human personality as described in the zodiac. The "child she bears" is the conscious mind. As the conscious mind is born, a rival force of the self occurs, which brings about recurring periods of rebellion in humanity. Through divine intervention, the conscious mind is protected while the unconscious mind, from which it sprung, is withdrawn below the conscious level. This is the same story as symbolized as the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Rebellion from the physical brings conflict into the soul but the soul can remain above it by remaining concealed from the forces of self will.  

The "beast rising out of the sea" is the selfish animalistic desires that arise which are capable of ruling humanity. These desires spring from the self will of the unspiritual intellect of humanity whom the world worships as a "symbol of success." The human intellect, lacking spiritual orientation, cuts itself off from all that is divine. The "lamb" John sees are the forces of the superconscious mind in the world going into action. "Babylon", the human desire for Earthly riches and success in the gratification of the flesh, begins to be "destroyed" as humans are shown the consequences of their "prostitution" of their higher faculties.

Chapter 15-18:   Seven angels, seven vials of seven plagues, and a great prostitute riding a seven-headed beast.

Literal:  John is shown seven angels each of whom holds a vial containing a plague which they pour upon the Earth one at a time. John then sees a woman sitting on a seven-headed beast with ten horns. The woman wears on her forehead the name "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth." John is told the seven heads symbolize the seven mountains on which the woman sits and the ten horns symbolize ten kings. These make war against the lamb and the lamb conquers.

Interpretation:

John is seeing within the soul of humanity, the collective unconscious, that the souls of individuals are purified and tested on seven levels of consciousness symbolized by the "seven plagues" being poured out by the "seven angels". When all seven levels of consciousness have been "purified", then, and only then, can a person control the physical, mental, and spiritual forces within his body. 

Physical diseases arise from the misuse of the forces and self-gratification of the flesh, "wars" against universal truth. This brings about conflict in the world against groups and governments. The end of the "seven ordeals" comes when humanity's social institutions and concepts collapse, leaving universal truth to be realized. 

The "Prostitute of Babylon" symbolizes humanity's desire lust for riches and gratification of the flesh. The "beast" it rides on are man-made ideas stemming from self-gratification. It is explained to John that these forces have taken control of the seven spiritual centers of the human body, thereby becoming possessed and ruled. However, as the highest forces of evolving humanity overcome the forces of self, even the ten basic urges of the body, symbolized by the "ten horns", will in time fulfill the divine pattern. As the divine nature in humanity becomes less realized, society is destroyed by its own hand through self-gratification.

Chapter 19-22:   Rejoicing in heaven, the devil thrown into a bottomless pit, a new heaven and new Earth.

Literal:  John now sees much rejoicing in heaven and the appearance of Christ. An angel casts the devil into a bottomless pit for one thousand years. John then sees a new heaven and a new Earth come into being.

Interpretation:

What was the final salvation of the bodily, mental, and spiritual forces described within John, now are shown to take place in collective humanity. When humanity recognizes the divinity within them as the controlling force in the world, and turns away from their own selfish pattern of living for self alone, the old pattern disappears and the Christ pattern emerges. 

John is told that the merging of the evolved self with the divine superconscious, which has taken place in John, must also take place in all humanity (Rev. 19:7). The fulfilled pattern of evolved humanity, the Christ (superconscious mind), is now shown in a position of power (the "second coming"). 

Now the archetype of humanity's continual rebellions, the self-willed intellect symbolized as the "devil", is confined for a time in the collective unconscious mind. During this period of one thousand years (the thousand year "rule of Christ"), only the evolved souls will be permitted to incarnate the Earth (Rev. 20:4). At the end of this period, the remaining souls begin to incarnate, bringing with them their unsatisfied ambitions and desires. This, of course, brings about the former conditions of imbalance (wars and plagues). These conditions, all man-made, are now themselves eliminated and all mental forms and patterns not formed by divine will are purged (Rev. 20:14). 

The "new heaven and new Earth" John sees is humanity's perfected state of consciousness and regenerated body. The human mind at this point is now one with the divine in the perfection of control and is free from outside limitations. The human conscious mind merges with the superconscious mind. 

John states that if anyone adds or takes away from this book, that person will experience the plagues in this book. The "book" is the body, which is the vehicle for human experience in the world. Through it, the lessons of the soul are learned. There can be no shortcuts or meanderings without dire consequences to the body.