24    From Genesis to the Apocalypse, sin, sickness, and death, envy, hatred, and revenge, — all evil, — are typi-Doom of the dragonfied by a serpent, or animal subtlety. ... The serpent is perpetually close upon the heel of harmony. From the beginning 30to the end, the serpent pursues with hatred the spiritual idea. In Genesis, this allegorical, talking serpent typi-fies mortal mind, “more subtle than any beast of the 565 565:1field.” In the Apocalypse, when nearing its doom, this evil increases and becomes the great red dragon, swollen 3with sin, inflamed with war against spirituality, and ripe for destruction. It is full of lust and hate, loathing the brightness of divine glory.

The great red dragon symbolizes a lie, — the belief 9that substance, life, and intelligence can be material. This dragon stands for the sum total of human error. The ten horns of the dragon typify the belief that mat -12ter has power of its own, and that by means of an evil mind in matter the Ten Commandments can be broken.

3    As of old, evil still charges the spiritual idea with error’s own nature and methods. This malicious animal in -stinct, of which the dragon is the type, incites mortals to 6kill morally and physically even their fellow-mortals, and worse still, to charge the innocent with the crime. This last infirmity of sin will sink its perpetrator into a night 9without a star.

    Unless the harmony and immortality of man are be-coming more apparent, we are not gaining the true idea 9Narrow pathwayof God; and the body will reflect what gov-erns it, whether it be Truth or error, understanding or belief, Spirit or matter. Therefore 12“acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace.” Be watchful, sober, and vigilant. The way is straight and narrow, which leads to the understanding that God 15is the only Life. It is a warfare with the flesh, in which we must conquer sin, sickness, and death, either here or hereafter, — certainly before we can reach the goal 18of Spirit, or life in God.

    The sinner makes his own hell by doing evil, and the 21saint his own heaven by doing right. The opposite per-secutions of material sense, aiding evil with evil, would deceive the very elect.

    Heaven represents harmony, and divine Science inter-prets the Principle of heavenly harmony. The great 12True estimate of God’s messengermiracle, to human sense, is divine Love, and the grand necessity of existence is to gain the true idea of what constitutes the kingdom of 15heaven in man.

    Abuse of the motives and religion of St. Paul hid from view the apostle’s character, which made him equal to 24Persecution harmfulhis great mission. Persecution of all who have spoken something new and better of God has not only obscured the light of the ages, but has been fatal 27to the persecutors. Why? Because it has hid from them the true idea which has been presented. To mis-understand Paul, was to be ignorant of the divine idea he 30taught. Ignorance of the divine idea betrays at once a greater ignorance of the divine Principle of the idea — igno-561561:1rance of Truth and Love. The understanding of Truth and Love, the Principle which works out the ends of eternal 3good and destroys both faith in evil and the practice of evil, leads to the discernment of the divine idea.

    The woman in the Apocalypse symbolizes generic man, the spiritual idea of God; she illustrates the coincidence 24Spiritual sunlightof God and man as the divine Principle and divine idea. The Revelator symbolizes Spirit by the sun. The spiritual idea is clad with the radiance 27of spiritual Truth, and matter is put under her feet.

15    The Revelator lifts the veil from this embodiment of all evil, and beholds its awful character; but he also The sting of the serpentsees the nothingness of evil and the allness of 18God. The Revelator sees that old serpent, whose name is devil or evil, holding untiring watch, that he may bite the heel of truth and seemingly impede the 21offspring of the spiritual idea, which is prolific in health, holiness, and immortality.

    The Old Testament assigns to the angels, God’s divine 30Angelic officesmessages, different offices. Michael’s charac-teristic is spiritual strength. He leads the hosts of heaven against the power of sin, Satan, and 567 567:1fights the holy wars. Gabriel has the more quiet task of imparting a sense of the ever-presence of ministering 3Love. These angels deliver us from the depths. Truth and Love come nearer in the hour of woe, when strong faith or spiritual strength wrestles and prevails through 6the understanding of God. The Gabriel of His presence has no contests. To infinite, ever-present Love, all is Love, and there is no error, no sin, sickness, nor death. 9Against Love, the dragon warreth not long, for he is killed by the divine Principle. Truth and Love prevail against the dragon because the dragon cannot war with 12them. Thus endeth the conflict between the flesh and Spirit.

563:1    Human sense may well marvel at discord, while, to a diviner sense, harmony is the real and discord the unreal. 3The dragon as a typeWe may well be astonished at sin, sickness, and death. We may well be perplexed at human fear; and still more astounded at hatred, which lifts 6its hydra head, showing its horns in the many inventions of evil. But why should we stand aghast at nothingness?