(18) He that will now sleep, let him sleep still; and he that will awake and trim his lamp, let him awake still: Behold the Bridegroom cometh, and he that is awake and is ready accompanieth him into the eternal heavenly wedding: But he that sleepeth at his coming, he sleepeth for ever, eternally in the dark prison of fierceness or wrath.

(4) Therefore let none make himself stark blind, for the time of the restitution of whatsoever man has lost is now near at hand: the day dawneth, or the morningredness breaketh forth; it is high time to awake from sleep. Question. Now it may be asked, What is ths source or fountain of the first sin of Lucifer's kingdom? Answer.

(1) "I advertise the Reader who loveth God, that this book, the Aurora or Morning-Redness, was not finished. [See Appendix: letter to Abraham Sommerfeld.] For the devil intended to put a stop to it, and suppress it, when he perceived that the Day would break forth therein. And the Day has clearly made haste after the Morning-Redness, so that it is become very light. There wants yet about thirty sheets to the end of it. But seeing the storm has broken them off, therefore it was not finished; and in the meanwhile it is come to be Day, so that the Morning-Redness is passed away, and since that time the work has gone on by Day. And it shall so stand, for an eternal remembrance, seeing the defect herein is supplied in the other books." [The Three Principles, The Threefold Life of Man] Jacob Behme, 1620. Note. [See Epistles of Jacob Behmen, Ep. 2, v. 66.] The Dawning or Morning-Redness riseth up from the infancy and childhood, and sheweth or demonstrated the creation of all beings, but very mystically, and not sufficiently clear, though full of magical understanding, for there are some Mysteries therein which are yet to come to pass. Note. This is the deep, hidden, magical book, which the author at that time might not make clearer, but may now do it through the grace of God. 1621. Note. This book is written in a magical sense or understanding, for the author himself alone, who knew of no other Readers; he supposed he made this work only for himself, but God has disposed it otherwise. Note. The author expressed the first syllable MER, in the word MERCURIUS, with an A, as MAR, MARCURIUS, not without a special mystical cause, with the first vowel, A. But because the self-conceited wise in reason dislike it, accounting it but a country, vulgar expression, therefore the transcriber of the High Dutch copy, from whence this was translated, wrote it according to the commonly received word, MERCURIUS. The corn grows against the will of the enemy. [See Epistle 3] For that which is sown by God, no man can prevent or hinder the growing thereof. [The above five Notes are in the 1656 German ed., with the exception of the words in the last one, "therefore the transcriber of the High Dutch copy," etc. The fifth Note, literally translated, reads: "It is not without a certain mystical purpose that the author pronounced [and wrote] the word Mercurius as if spelt with an A, i.e. Marcurius; though selfwise reason would consider it as mere boorish simplicity." The later German eds. have the first Note only.] NOTE: IT is necessary for the Reader to peruse the book of The Three Principles, and the book of The Threefold Life of Man, also with this; and then he will be able to conceive aright of the ground in this book, Aurora. For since the time of the writing of this book, Aurora, Dayspring or Morning Redness, the lovely bright day has appeared unto the author. And all that which is too obscure here, is held forth most clearly in them; which is truly a great WONDER, as the Reader who loveth God will find. Although the author indeed had written this book only for himself, according to the gift of God's spirit, but he knew not then the counsel or will of God concerning it. Begun the 27 of January, in the year 1612, on the Friday after the conversion of Paul.

(34) The fourteenth chapter opens with the Lamb standing on Mount Zion (the eastern horizon), about Him gathered the 144,000 with the name of God written in their foreheads. An angel thereupon announces the fall of Babylon--the city of confusion or worldliness. Those perish who do not overcome worldliness and enter into the realization that spirit--and not matter--is enduring; for, having no interests other than those which are material, they are swept to destruction with the material world. And St. John beheld One like unto the Son of Man (Perseus) riding upon a cloud (the substances of the invisible world) and bearing in his hand a sharp sickle, and with the sickle the Shining One reaped the earth. This is a symbol of the Initiator releasing into the sphere of reality the higher natures of those who, symbolized by ripened grain, have reached the point of liberation. And there came another angel (Boötes)--Death--also with a sickle (Karma), who reaped the vines of the earth (those who have lived by the false light) and cast them into the winepress of the wrath of God (the purgatorial spheres).

(36) In the nineteenth and twentieth chapters is set forth the preparation of that mystical sacrament called the marriage of the Lamb. The bride is the soul of the neophyte, which attains conscious immortality by uniting itself to its own spiritual source. The heavens opened once more and St. John saw a white horse, and the rider (the illumined mind) which sat upon it was called Faithful and True. Out of his mouth issued a sharp sword and the armies of heaven followed after him. Upon the plains of heaven was fought the mystic Armageddon--the last great war between light and darkness. The forces of evil under the Persian Ahriman battled against the forces of good under Ahura-Mazda. Evil was vanquished and the beast and the false prophet cast into a lake of fiery brimstone. Satan was bound for a thousand years. Then followed the last judgment; the books were opened, including the book of life. The dead were judged according to their works and those whose names were not in the book of life were cast into a sea of fire. To the neophyte, Armageddon represents the last struggle between the flesh and the spirit when, finally overcoming the world, the illumined soul rises to union with its spiritual Self. The judgment signifies the weighing of the soul and was borrowed from the Mysteries of Osiris. The rising of the dead from their graves and from the sea of illusion represents the consummation of the process of human regeneration. The sea of fire into which those are cast who fail in the ordeal of initiation signifies the fiery sphere of the animal world.

(7) Therefore the Holy Ghost has kept it hidden almost till the last hour before the evening, wherein his thousand years are accomplished, and then he must be let loose again for a little season, as is to be read in the Revelation [Rev. xx. 3] ["After that summer cometh the last winter; but the sun will shine warm yet, before that time."]

(126) But when the Dawning or Morning Redness shall shine from the east to the west, or from the rising to the setting, then, assuredly, time will be no more; but the SUN of the Heart of God riseth or sprinqeth forth, and, RA. RA. R. P. will be pressed in the winepress without the city, and therewith to R. P. [see Epistles of Jacob Behmen (1649), Ep. 23, v. 12-13.]

(178) O thou fair world, how does heaven complain of thee? How dost thou trouble the elements? O wickedness and malice! when wilt thou leave, and give over? Awaken! awaken! and bring forth, thou sorrowful woman; behold thy Bridegroom cometh, and requireth fruit at thy hands: Why dost thou sleep? Behold, he knocketh!

(103) Though this great work in man has remained hidden till this very day, yet God be praised, it will now once be day, for the dayspring or morningredness breaketh forth. The breaker through, or opener of the innermost birth, sheweth and presenteth itself with its red, green and white flag, in the outermost birth upon the rainbow. Observe: Now thou objectest, How then could there be day and night, and not also morning and evening? Answer.

(175) O ye watchmen of Israel! why do ye sleep? Awake from the sleep of whoredom, and dress or trim your lamps: The Bridegroom cometh, sound your trumpets.

(29) In the upper left-hand corner is shown the destruction of Babylon, also the angel which cast the great millstone into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down and shall be found no more at all." Below is the horseman, called Faithful and True, casting the beast into the bottomless pit. At the lower right is the angel with the key to the bottomless pit, who with a great chain binds Satan for a thousand years. In the heavens above is represented one like unto the Son of Man, who carries a great sickle with which he reaps the harvest of the world. In the center is the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, with its twelve gates and the mountain of the Lamb rising in the midst thereof. From the throne of the Lamb pours the great river of crystal, or living water, signifying the spiritual doctrine: upon all who discover and drink of its waters are conferred immortality. Kneeling upon a high cliff, St. John gazes down upon the mystic city, the archetype of the perfect civilization yet to be. Above the New Jerusalem, in a great sunburst of glory, is the throne of the Ancient One, which is the light of those who dwell in the matchless empire of the spirit. Beyond the recognition of the uninitiated world is an ever-increasing aggregation composed of the spiritual elect. Though they walk the earth as ordinary mortals, they are of a world apart and through their ceaseless efforts the kingdom of God is being slowly but surely established upon earth. These illumined souls are the builders of the New Jerusalem, and their bodies are the living stones in its walls. Lighted by the torch of truth they carry on their work, through their activities the golden age will return to the earth and the power of sin and death will be destroyed. For this reason the declare that virtuous and illumined men, instead of ascending to heaven, will bring heaven down and establish it in the midst of earth itself.

(1) After I cease to be upon the earth and withdraw up to my rest, a great, evil error will come upon the world, and many evils in accordance with the number of the forms of nature. Evil times will come. And when the era of nature is approaching destruction, darkness will come upon the earth. The number will be small. And a demon will come up from the power who has a likeness of fire. He will divide the heaven, and he will rest in the depth of the east. For the whole world will quake. And the deceived world will be thrown into confusion. Many places will be flooded because of envy of the winds and the demons who have a name that is senseless: Phorbea, Chloerga. They are the ones who govern the world with their teaching. And they lead astray many hearts because of their disorder and their unchastity. Many places will be sprinkled with blood. And five races by themselves will eat their sons. The regions of the south will receive the word of the light. But they who are from the error of the world and from the east. . . . A demon will come forth from the belly of the serpent. He was in hiding in a desolate place. He will perform many wonders. Many will loathe him. A wind will come forth from his mouth with a female likeness. Her name will be called Abalphe. He will reign over the world from the east to the west.