2025/06/09
199. The Book of Revelation and the New Testament, Part 2
The Book of Revelation is composed of seven prophecies but is divided into two major sections. The first half (the first three prophecies, chapters 1–11) serves as prophecy leading to the New Testament. The second half (the fourth to seventh prophecies, chapters 12–22) functions as prophecy leading toward the completion of the Mass liturgy and the spirituality of the Holy Spirit. As we examined in the previous two issues, the sixth chapter of Revelation, where the first to sixth seals are opened one after another in the third prophecy, prophesies the six books of the New Testament in the same order as they appear today. From this, we confirmed that the third prophecy is indeed a prophecy of the New Testament. Once the seventh seal, which represents Revelation, is opened, its singularity is revealed. Before delving into Revelation, let us review the characteristics of each prophecy we have understood so far, starting with the first one, to better understand the unique features of Revelation.
The First Prophecy (Chapter 1): The Prophecy of Jesus Christ with the
Church
As it says, "Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near" (Rev 1:3), Revelation, which is linked to the other books of the New Testament, generates the implicit knowledge of the New Testament through one's five senses, using the intuitive sense of one's own voice. To believe that one will be saved in the name of Jesus and that Jesus is the Son of God is to cognise that fact. Cognition occurs when the information received agrees with the memories one already has. Therefore, to grow in faith in Jesus, when receiving the words of the New Testament, one needs to have memories that agree with them. That is what Revelation creates. The reason why Revelation is written in words that are difficult to grasp intuitively and understand is to create that memory as tacit knowledge, even connecting it to the New Testament, without making us conscious of the fact. Eventually, believers will intuitively cognise the Word without being aware of any complex procedure. And that tacit knowledge will self-organise and grow in the memories of believers who take in the words of Revelation every day through their five senses.
The Second Prophecy (Chapters 2-3): The Prophecy of the Problems Faced
by the Church Community and Their Solutions
In this prophecy, letters addressed to the seven angels of the seven churches are introduced. These seven angels are the seven Apostles who encountered the risen Jesus in the Gospel of John, and they were all fishermen. That is because their intuitive nature, which was essential for their profession, was crucial. Their intuitive cognitive abilities were the result of acquiring the complex procedures of fishing through their senses in their experiences and transforming them into tacit knowledge. The exchanges in Luke's Gospel where Jesus tells Peter, "Henceforth you will be catching men" (Lk 5:10), testifies to this. Having seen Jesus and heard his teachings in his voice (cf. 5:3), and then been called in that way, they cognised his words based on the intuition they had honed as fishermen. After believing in Jesus and following him in this way, the many things they had experienced with him became their new tacit knowledge (cf. John 21:25). Eventually, they would begin to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and cognise it intuitively. That must have made them strongly recognise the necessity of the New Testament. The contents of the seven letters in Revelation are arranged in chronological order from the future to the near future and the present, leading to the solution, i.e., the establishment of the New Testament, the third prophecy. The words "To him who conquers" and "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" at the end of all the letters indicate that these letters are addressed to all believers.
The Third Prophecy (Chapters 4–11): The Prophecy of the Establishment of
the New Testament (Up to the Book of Revelation)
The door described as "in heaven an open door" (Rev 4:1) is the door that was left open because the Holy Spirit descended after Jesus had come down from heaven and ascended back to heaven (cf. John 3:13). Jesus came down from heaven to become the bread of God that gives life to the world (cf. 6:33). And he departed to send the Holy Spirit (cf. 16:7). The "one seated on the throne" mentioned in "a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne" (Rev 4:2) is the Father and the Son (cf. 3:21). The eyes mentioned in the passage, "And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind" (4:6), symbolise God's knowledge. And they had "full of eyes in front and behind" so that the knowledge of God in the four Gospels could become one and deal with all events. That is because they work in conjunction with the "Lamb standing, as though it had been slain" (5:6), which has seven horns (complete authority) and seven eyes (complete knowledge). The expression "as though it had been slain" indicates that the lamb represents the Holy Spirit sent in the name of Jesus.
Maria K. M.