Shed the Beast and Uncover Our Humanity
Scripture
Daniel 7:2, 9-18, 27-28
Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.
“As I looked, thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
A river of fire was flowing,
coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
and the books were opened.
“Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
“I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this.
“So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’
Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’
“This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”
Shed the Beast and Uncover Our Humanity
by Rev. Cory Bradford-Watts
Read the message below
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God’s message of social justice, hope, and life sometimes gets watered down in our various understandings of the world’s scriptures, which is ironic since even the most esoteric sections of holy text point to the Divine’s mission of uplifting and empowering the entire world in spiritual health. One example, Daniel chapter 7 of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, describes Daniel’s visions of beasts rising up and subjugating the earth in war and strife, but they’re eventually cast into a fiery river in front of the “Most High” who is the “Ancient of Days,” which then leads to “one like a son of humanity” to enter God’s presence and to rule over and empower all nations, releasing them from oppression. This story can be read on many levels, from the personal to Christ’s process of glorification during his earthly life, and as we break down its meaning I think we’ll all hope to not only embody its message ourselves but also as a diverse, interreligious society.
Many people have reflected on what is meant by “beasts” in scripture, particularly, the Beast of Revelation. And if we follow the thread of “beasts” throughout the Bible, like in Daniel 7, we often see them relayed as kingdoms that turn away from spiritual health and God – as well as a perversion of the angels that are often described with similar beastly or animalistic characteristics (such as many wings, multiple animal heads, and so on). Seemingly most important to scripture, these beasts represent periods of humankind that invert the angelic nature that all of humanity should have in its diversity, instead becoming similarly monstrous and set on earthly or selfish goals while misusing the diversity of spirituality and scripture for these destructive purposes.
We can all fall into an aspect of this and we’re all deeply connected! So, we must remember not to be too judgmental of each other as we discern how we and our society might currently and historically embody such beasts to overcome them. Thankfully, as we see in both Daniel 7 and in Revelation, these beastly parables tend to point to the healing that is to come as we shed these natures and allow Divinity to turn us into a truly humane humanity.
Part of the reason I think that distorted beasts are used to represent us when we profane the apparent point of scripture (uplifting each other with compassion, wisdom, and care in the light of our oneness in God) is because above all other creatures on our earth, humanity has the ability to intentionally turn toward our higher nature and our oneness in diversity, empowering all other species around us. When we let go of this creative responsibility, we disturb our role in the universe and descend into divisiveness (which stems from our belief in separateness) and oppression – as described in our reading. Even when we don’t think we have spiritual beliefs, the way we view and interpret the world can amount to a distorted faith.
And we have to accept that it’s a process coming out of these arrogant viewpoints and behaviors – as the Buddhist Master Padmasambhava said, “Work diligently, because it is very difficult to attain the View.”
It starts with the conviction that there’s a need to change, but what comes next? How do we work toward that eventual day when “all nations and peoples” are freed from oppression? We’re told that it begins with ourselves. That we individually must radically “turn” toward internal and external social justice, as Christ emphasized (often interpreted as “repent”). This means working to let go of each and every little harmful thing in our motives and actions, as well as open our hearts toward what Christ taught and what Padmasambhava calls a key aspect of enlightenment, “Bodhicitta:” an awareness of our oneness and a deep compassion for all beings with the goal to liberate them and ourselves.
Sound tough? The alternative is much tougher. As Jesus said, “My yoke is light.” Our tendencies toward beastly motives turns us away from our angelic peace, and instead centers us on the weight, anxiety, and pain of perceived disconnection.
Spiritual practices of many kinds help with this process too, with some saying that they are often necessary to uncover our intrinsic natures. For Daniel, like with many Muslims, monks, Christians, and others, this included daily regimented prayers. Regular meditations, chants, and other meditative exercises are typically recommended as well. All of these can help us to quiet our distracted thinking and attached yearnings to find our shared wellspring of Divine peace and humanity within.
Inherent in this more open, robust approach to spirituality, is understanding that God’s light shines through many traditions and many “nations and peoples” – this is what makes us diverse peoples instead of slaves. Forcing others into our own way of thinking, our own religion or nation, is a typical tendency of our more beastly natures. This is why oppression is lifted when we turn to the Ancient of Days: a God that has been with all peoples since ancient history, speaking to each of us every day in the light of our individual expression of the Lord’s infinity. May we come to understand that God is present within everyone as our shared source of life, and knowing this, turn toward a more humane and equitable treatment of the poor and oppressed, uplifting everyone as we would uplift ourselves.
Peace and blessings to you,
Rev. Cory