2025/06/30

202. The Beast That Ascends from the Bottomless Pit Will Make War Upon Them and Conquer Them and Kill Them

The two witnesses appearing in Revelation 11 represent the Acts of the Apostles and the letters of Paul. When these two books have finished their testimony, "the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is allegorically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified" (Rev 11:7-8). This is a prophecy that people will use the knowledge of the past, or the "bottomless pit," to interpret these two books, distort the truth they convey, and even interpret the teachings of the Lord's crucifixion with the knowledge of the past. Furthermore, it foretells a future in which, as a result, people on earth will pursue money and wealth, and power and authority will be bought and sold. This "beast" is a foreshadowing of the phenomenon that will occur when the beast "rising out of the sea" (13:1) and the beast that "rose out of the earth" (13:11) in Revelation 13 are intertwined in history. 

The phrase "rising out of the sea" reminds us of the Israelites, who crossed the Red Sea in the time of Moses. It is written, "One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth followed the beast with wonder" (Rev 13:3). The "mortal wound" refers to the fact, despite God's promise to David, regarding his son Solomon, "I will be his father, and he shall be my son" (2 Sam 7:14), Solomon turned away from God, failing this promise to be fulfilled (cf. 1 King 11:1-10). The Israelites failed to get the chance to become the one who was equal to God by establishing the relationship of father and son with God. Thus, a beast arose from their history, that is, a theology that likens the relationship between God and His people to marriage. Thanks to this illusion, the mortal wound was healed, and the people surrendered themselves to this theology. However, the wound remained. That is why the Jews, filled with intense jealousy toward Jesus, who called God his Father, all the more sought to kill him (cf. Jn 5:17-18). 

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes, "circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law a Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ" (Phil 3:5-7). And he continues, "Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him " (3:8-9). In these words, we find a man who has regained the relationship between God and people as father and son, God and son (cf. Jn 1:12, Rom 8:14-17, Gal 4:6-7, and Rev 21:7). 

On the other hand, the beast that "rose out of the earth" refers to Greek philosophy, which pursued earthly matters. The "two horns" in the description: "[I]t had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon" (Rev 13:11), likely refer to the philosophies of Plato (427-347 BC) and Aristotle (384-322 BC), which had a significant influence on Christianity. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul writes, "See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ" (Col 2:8). The following words give us an image of the Eucharist, which is the body of Christ: "For in him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fulness of life in him, who is the head of all rule and authority" (2:9-10). 

For Paul, who desired to "attain the resurrection from the dead" (Phil 3:11), there was nothing else to do but to "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (3:14). However, he also encouraged people, saying, "If in anything you are otherwise minded, God will reveal that also to you" (3:15). Nevertheless, he hopes that everyone will move forward based on what he has achieved, and strongly urges them, "Brethren, join in imitating me" (3:17). That is because he says, "For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ" (3:18). There are still believers who aim for self-realisation, making their belly their God, glorying in their shame, with minds set on earthly things, not knowing where they will end up (cf. 3:19). Despite being baptised, they are also those who have been marked with the name of "the beast" (cf. Rev 13:16). 

However, Paul was not afraid of them because he was convinced that Jesus Christ "will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself" (Phil 3:21). At the beginning of the latter half of Revelation, "the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself" is revealed as follows: "And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (Rev 12:1). Therefore, Paul strongly encourages us saying, "Therefore, my brethren, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved" (Phil 4:1). 

Maria K. M.

 2025/06/23

201. Revelation 7 and 11

Revelation prophecies that the Acts of the Apostles and Paul's epistles will be included in the New Testament, in addition to the four Gospels, which describe up to the ascension of the Lord. We will examine Chapter 7, which explains its reason and Chapter 11, which describes the details of how these two books were taken up into heaven.

Chapter 7 begins: "After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree" (Rev 7:1). The phrase "four corners" that appears twice here alludes to the "four corners" that also appears twice in the Acts of the Apostles (cf. Acts 10:11, 11:5), appearing nowhere else in the New Testament. It appears in a vision that Peter had while praying in the town of Joppa. Peter understood the meaning of the vision from his encounter with the Gentiles, whom the Holy Spirit had worked upon (cf. 10:1-48). When he returned to the church in Jerusalem and reported this experience (cf. 11:1-17), people who heard it "glorified God, saying, 'Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life' "(11:18). Taking this as an opportunity, the church in Jerusalem began to preach to the Gentiles. This policy change is the "four winds of the earth."

The reason why the four angels were holding back the four winds of the earth was to wait for Barnabas to find Paul, who had gone to Tarsus after his conversion, before beginning their mission to the Gentiles (cf. Acts 11:19-26). The Lord said to Ananias, who had assisted Paul's conversion, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel" (9:15). Also, before setting sail for Rome, Paul spoke to King Agrippa and testified, "Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance" (26:19-20). These episodes demonstrate that Paul was commissioned not only to preach the name of Jesus to the Gentiles but also to the children of Israel.

Looking at Revelation, we see that Paul's mission was to choose 144,000 people out of every tribe of the sons of Israel to be sealed with the seal of God (cf. Rev 7:2-4) and to enable "a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues" (7:9) to stand "before the throne and before the Lamb" (ibid.). These circumstances explain why, at the beginning of chapter 11, the writer of Revelation was given a measuring rod like a staff and commanded to "[r]ise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there" (11:1). That was to choose those who would be sealed from among all the tribes of the children of Israel.

The prophecy continues, "[B]ut do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months" (Rev 11:2), which suggests Jesus' prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem (cf. Lk 13:34-35). So, it continues, "'And I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.' These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth" (Rev 11:3–4). The expression "clothed in sackcloth" suggests that "my two witnesses" are books or letters. The phrase "I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days" implies that this prophecy will be fulfilled in the Roman Empire, which will "trample over the holy city for forty-two months." These two expressions of time represent the time of God's patience.

Furthermore, "the two olive trees and the two lampstands" allude to the two churches likened to the "wild olive tree" and the "cultivated olive tree" in Paul's Epistle to the Romans (cf. Rom 11:24), namely, the Jewish Christian and Gentile Christian communities, because "lampstands" refer to churches in Revelation (cf. Rev 1:20). Then, Revelation testifies that the Acts of the Apostles and Paul's epistles, which support these two churches, "stand before the Lord of the earth," that is, they are already acknowledged by the Holy Spirit sent to earth in the name of Jesus. Therefore, anyone who harms these two books, which have great effectiveness, will be considered an enemy of God (cf. Rev 11:5-6).

Then, "when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill them" (Rev 11:7). When these two books are made public, a "beast" will interpret them using knowledge of the past world, i.e., the "bottomless pit," and falsify the truth they convey. Then, as it is written, "[T]heir dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is allegorically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified" (11:8), the "beast" will interpret even the teachings of the Cross of the Lord with knowledge of the past. That is because, regarding Paul's writings, "[t]here are some things in them hard to understand" (2 Pet 3:16) and they "had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth" (Rev 11:10).

However, those who have realised the truth from these two books and been saved, who are in heaven (cf. Rev 7:9-17), watch over these events for "three and a half days" (11:9) and pray and support that the power to convey the truth of the two books will not be buried in the tomb. On the other hand, the people on the earth rejoice greatly at the falsification carried out by the "beast." As it says that they will "exchange presents" (11:10), Revelation foretells a future in which people will exchange money and wealth and buy and sell power and authority as a result of these interpretations. Then, it says, "But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them" (11:11). The expression "three and a half days" here also refers to God's time of patience.

Then, it says, "Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, 'Come up hither!' And in the sight of their foes they went up to heaven in a cloud" (Rev 11:12), which prophesies that the day will come when these writings will be linked to the four Gospels and interpreted correctly by all people. That is because the training of the first half of Revelation begins to create the tacit knowledge of the New Testament in trainees' memories.

Maria K. M.

 2025/06/16

200. The Testimony of Revelation, Which Sequentially Prophesied the Formation of the New Testament (the Book of Revelation)

Among the seven prophecies that comprise the Book of Revelation, the third prophecy is the "Prophecy of the Establishment of the New Testament" (chapters 4–11). The seven seals mentioned there represent the books of the New Testament. The final seventh seal represents Revelation itself. When it opened, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour, and seven angels were given seven trumpets. Another angel stood beside the altar, holding a golden censer. And the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth. And there were peals of thunder, voices, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake (cf. Rev 8:1–5). This description recalls the phenomena that happened immediately after Jesus breathed his last on the cross (cf. Mt 27:51–52). Such phenomena occur six times in Revelation, three of which when the Book of Revelation itself appears (Rev 8:5, 11:19, 16:18). The Book of Revelation has a unique mission. 

The description of the seven angels blowing the seven trumpets symbolises the various "woes" that occur when the New Testament is revealed to the world, that is, the effects of the New Testament (cf. Rev 8:6–9:21, 11:15–19). We can see from small clues that these seven trumpets that the angels blow one after another are arranged in the order of the New Testament. The first four trumpets can be thought to correspond to the four Gospels, as an eagle appears immediately after the blast of the fourth trumpet. The fifth trumpet is the Acts of the Apostles. Revelation says when the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, a star fell from the sky, and "he was given the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit; he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit" (9:1-2). This description is linked to a scene in the Acts of the Apostles, in which the Apostles were imprisoned, and an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors at night, bringing them out, although the prison was securely locked (cf. Acts 5:19–23). That is because in Revelation, "stars" represent angels (cf. Rev 1:20). The sixth trumpet focuses on the theme of worshipping idols (cf. 9:20) and thus represents the epistles of Paul, which devote much attention to this theme. Accordingly, the final seventh trumpet corresponds to the Book of Revelation. 

Revelation also refers to the catholic epistles using the metaphor of seven thunders (cf. Rev 10:1-4). Here, the entire New Testament has been prophesied. After that, it says that its writer took a little scroll from an angel's hand and ate it (cf. 10:5-10). It represents the New Testament, which is relatively little compared to the Old Testament. To "take and eat" the New Testament means to voluntarily undergo the training of Revelation, which is connected to the New Testament like the two sides of a coin, thereby imprinting the tacit knowledge of the New Testament into one's memory. Revelation reads, "[I]t was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter" (10:10). "[I]t was sweet as honey in my mouth" means that the training of Revelation is easy to begin. It is not difficult to continue reading aloud and listening to Revelation, even if it is only one sentence a day (cf. 1:3). However, as it says, "when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter," having the tacit knowledge of the New Testament often affects as bitter medicine for the stomach that ponders various things. You will understand that if you continue to eat it. 

At the beginning of the third prophecy, "The Prophecy of the Formation of the New Testament," the four Gospels, symbolised by four living creatures, were around the throne of God in heaven (cf. Rev 4:6-8). That means that including the four Gospels in the New Testament was decided relatively early. In addition to the four Gospels, which describe events up to the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of Paul needed to be raised to heaven for use. The events inserted into Chapter 7, before the seventh seal is opened and the Book of Revelation appears, explain the reason for these two being raised to heaven. Its details are described in Chapter 11, just before the seventh angel blows the trumpet. In the next issue, we will examine these points and discuss the effects of the Book of Revelation after the seventh angel blows his trumpet. After that, we will prepare for the second half of Revelation. The second half of the Book of Revelation is a prophecy, leading to the completion of the Mass liturgy and the spirituality of the Holy Spirit, creating tacit knowledge of the New Testament in believers to help them overcome the many difficulties they may encounter in their daily lives as they move toward those goals. 

Maria K. M.

 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 be saved in the name of Jesus and to believe that Jesus is the Son of God are to cognise these facts. 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.

 

 2025/06/02

198. The Testimony of Revelation, Which Sequentially Prophesied the Formation of the New Testament (Acts of the Apostles and Paul's Epistles)

Based on the idea that the scenes in Revelation where the seven seals are successively opened serve as prophecies of the formation of the New Testament, we have begun to examine each scene in detail. In the last issue, we saw that the scenes of opening the first four seals prophesy the four Gospels. This time, we will continue to examine the fifth and sixth seals.

The description of the breaking of the fifth seal is a prophecy of the Acts of the Apostles. That is because we can find the answer to the question raised by that description in Peter's sermon immediately after the descent of the Holy Spirit. Revelation reads, "When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne" (Rev 6:9). The phrase "the witness they had borne" refers to what happened at Jesus' last supper: "Peter said to him, 'Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.' And so said all the disciples" (Mat 26:35). However, when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane because of Judas' betrayal, "all the disciples forsook him and fled" (26:56). After that, Peter followed Jesus at a distance into the courtyard of the high priest, but when he was recognised by a maid and accused of being with Jesus, he denied it, saying, "I do not know the man" (cf. 26:69-75). Although these events happened so that Jesus' words, "Of those whom thou gavest me I lost not one" (Jn 18:9), would be fulfilled, the disciples could not fulfil "the witness they had borne." It was not until the Holy Spirit descended that it was fulfilled. Therefore, the souls that the writer of Revelation "saw under the altar" were the souls of the Apostles. And "they cried out with a loud voice, 'O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?'" (Rev. 6:10). The answer to this question can be found in Peter's sermon immediately after the descent of the Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles (cf. Acts 2:22-36). What had happened to Jesus would happen to them. They have "souls" because they are alive even though they were slain. Revelation continues, "Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been" (Rev 6:11). They are waiting under the altar, looking at the priests, "their fellow servants and their brethren," celebrating the Mass today "for the word of God and for the witness they had borne," until the number of them will be complete just as they did. They are attending the Mass with us believers under the altar.

The scene of opening the sixth seal prophesies Paul's epistles. That is because the meaning of what is described in that scene is made clear by the Apostle Paul's Letter to the Romans. Revelation says, "When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale; the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place" (Rev 6:12-14). This description is a metaphor for Paul's conversion. It happened in a way that was unimaginably intense for both him and the believers in Damascus (cf. Acts 9:1-9). Paul, who was converted to Jesus Christ, was just like "the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place" (cf. 9:10-20). With the help of Ananias, Paul was baptised and gained strength. He demonstrated that Jesus was the Messiah, causing the other people of Damascus to be confused. Eventually, they plotted to kill him. Paul recounted that incident as follows: "At Damascus, the governor under King Ar'etas guarded the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped his hands" (2 Cor 11:32–33). On the other hand, the Book of Revelation states: "Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals and the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand before it?'" (Rev 6:15-17). The cause of these tragedies described here is made clear by the following passage from Paul's Letter to the Romans, which we can link to this passage in Revelation through the expression "day of wrath." The expression "day of wrath" appears only in these two passages in the New Testament. "Therefore you have no excuse, O man, whoever you are, when you judge another; for in passing judgment upon him you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who do such things. Do you suppose, O man, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume upon the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not know that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed" (Rom 2:1–5).

Maria K. M.

 2025/05/26

197. The Testimony of Revelation, Which Sequentially Prophesied the Formation of the New Testament (The Four Gospels)

In Revelation, when Lamb opened the first four of the seven seals, the "four living creatures" called out one after another, "Come!" In response to each call, four horses and their riders appeared. The descriptions of these horses and riders correspond to the final commands of the risen Jesus recorded in the four Gospels, as described below. From this, we can identify each author as follows. 

The First Living Creature (Gospel of Matthew). "Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say, as with a voice of thunder, 'Come!' And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and its rider had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer" (Rev 6:1–2) corresponds to the last command of the risen Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mat 28:18–20). The "bow" represents the guarantee that "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" and that "I am with you always, to the close of the age." The "crown" is the sign of victory. "He went out conquering and to conquer," following the command, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations." 

The second living creature (Gospel of Mark). "When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, 'Come!' And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another; and he was given a great sword" (Rev 6:3–4). This description corresponds to the final command of the risen Jesus in the Gospel of Mark: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover" (Mk 16:15–18). The power to "take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another" will be exerted when the words, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned," divide the people. And the "great sword" signifies the power that "in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." 

The third living creature (Gospel of Luke). "When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, 'Come!' and I saw, and behold, a black horse, and its rider had a balance in his hand; and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, 'A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm oil and wine!'" (Rev 6:5–6). This description of the breaking of the third seal corresponds to the final command of the risen Jesus in Luke's Gospel: "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high" (Lk 24:46–49). The theme of the expression "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius" is Jesus' words, "[G]ive, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back" (Lk 6:38). The rider on the black horse is holding a balance because Jesus says, "For the measure you give will be the measure you get back." Oil was for the sick (cf. Ja 5:14), and wine for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, so no one should harm them. These things would be fulfilled when "repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations" through Christ's suffering, death and resurrection. And Jesus said, "[S]tay in the city," so that they might wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, who would fulfil these things. 

The fourth living creature (Gospel of John). "When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, 'Come!' And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him; and they were given power over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth" (Rev 6:7–8). This description corresponds to the last command of the risen Jesus in the Gospel of John: "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!" (Jn 21:22). This statement is the answer given when Peter, seeing the disciple whom Jesus loved, asked Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" (21:21) after Jesus had shown Peter how he would glorify God through his death (cf. Jn 21:19) and commanded him to follow his "death." The disciple whom Jesus loved had preached with Peter after Jesus' ascension, but afterwards, the two took different paths. This disciple, who would be involved in his Gospel and Revelation, could not follow Jesus' death. Therefore, Jesus again told Peter, "Follow me," commanding him to follow his death. The phrase, "its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him," reflects Peter's letter: "For Christ ... being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison" (1 Peter 3:18-19). John was with Peter and must have heard his idea above. 

Maria K. M.

 2025/05/19

196. King of Kings, Lord of Lords

One day, when I read the phrase in Revelation, "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), I realised that this book is a book of training. I tried it out and discovered its effectiveness. I have been continuing it for nearly four years. Recently, when I read the words "King of kings and Lord of lords" in Paul's letter to Timothy (1 Tim 6:15), I remembered that these words were also in Revelation (cf. Rev 19:16). Upon searching the Bible, I found that these words appear only in Revelation and Paul's letter to Timothy in the entire Bible. 

Paul's letter to Timothy, which contains these words, is in the form of a prayer: "[T]his will be made manifest at the proper time by the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen" (1 Tim 6:15-16). Looking at the passage of Revelation containing the words, the passage seems to answer Paul's prayer, as follows. 

"Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. ... he has a name inscribed which no one knows but himself. ... and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. ... From his mouth issues a sharp sword with which to smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron ... On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, King of kings and Lord of lords" (Rev 19:11-16). 

In this epistle, Paul gives his disciple Timothy various specific exhortations. He commands him to "attend to the public reading of scripture, to preaching, to teaching" (1 Tim 4:13) and teaches him writing, "[T]he sacred writings ... are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Tim 3:15-16). The "scripture" Paul refers to here is the Old Testament. It contains prophecies of Christ, but the name of "Christ Jesus" does not appear in it. Based on his faith experience, Paul understood that the wisdom for salvation was given when the name of Christ and the name of Jesus were connected in one's understanding (cf. Acts 9:4-5). Therefore, he used tentative expressions such as "are able to instruct you" and "profitable for teaching, for …. " 

Jesus chose the Apostles and allowed them to spend time with him during his public ministry, witness his suffering, death, resurrection and ascension, and experience the descent of the Holy Spirit. However, God's choice regarding the Apostle Paul was completely different. He did not have the personal experience with Jesus that the other Apostles had. He did not have in his memory "all that I have said to you," of which Jesus had said, "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (Jn 14:26). Therefore, he went to Jerusalem for himself and heard much from the other Apostles. His efforts benefited the future Christians more than himself. 

Paul was given by God a role similar to that of John the Baptist, who had prepared the way for Jesus, as Paul himself writes, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim 1:1). He was chosen for God's plan to save the future of Christians from the falling Jerusalem and make Rome the new capital. Following the exceptional guidance of the Holy Spirit, Paul's path led him to Rome. He advanced, following the Lord's command: "Depart; for I will send you far away to the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21) and "Take courage, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also at Rome" (23:11). Thus, he testified to the words of Jesus: "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel" (9:15).

 All of these stories are in the New Testament. The New Testament has the Holy Spirit, who "will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you," and the authors who wrote the New Testament in collaboration with the Holy Spirit. The relationship between the Holy Spirit and its author is clearly described in the Book of Revelation. And when we read aloud and hear it, we relive the relationship between those two. On the other hand, the descriptions in the Book of Revelation that are read aloud have corresponding descriptions in the New Testament, and the two are like two sides of a coin. In this way, by reading Revelation aloud and listening to it, we can keep the memory of the New Testament alive. Paul's prayer above, which is part of the New Testament, was like the other side of a coin to the passage in Revelation containing the words "King of kings, Lord of lords". That is why the passage in Revelation seemed to answer Paul's prayer. 

Maria K. M.