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.

 

 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.

 2025/05/12

195. God, Who Governs the Tense

The opening words of the Book of Revelation are as follows: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John" (Rev 1:1). The Book of Revelation, which was communicated to an individual—as indicated by the phrase "to his servant John"—seems to be intended to be recited personally from the beginning. It is said that people tend to remember words they read aloud better than words they hear from others. 

Revelation states, "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). However, the most blessed person here is the one who "reads aloud." When one reads aloud and hears a text oneself, the simultaneous activation of "visual input" + "motor output (speaking)" + "auditory input (hearing)" strengthens one's memory network. Processing and remembering information using multiple senses and actions simultaneously is highly effective. The phrase "keep what is written therein" refers to keeping the words of Revelation in one's memory in this way. In this context, "short and frequent" is effective, and frequency, rather than length of time, is the key to embedding information in memory. Therefore, we need to continue reading Revelation aloud and listening to it at our own pace, even if only one sentence at a time, day after day, throughout our lives. 

Last time, I explained the structure of the Book of Revelation. Chapter 1 is a prophetic account of Jesus Christ, who is with us in the Church. When we realise the fact that the statement in Revelation, "Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen" (Rev 1:7), suggests the future of the description in John's Gospel, "But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water" (Jn 19:34), we recognise the latter as the past fact leading to the future event obtained from Revelation. Then, we can empathise with the words written afterwards, "He who saw it has borne witness -- his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth -- that you also may believe" (19:35) and will believe in the fact that there came out blood and water from Jesus' side. 

Similarly, when we realise that the passage in Revelation "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, 'Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades" (Rev 1:17–18), suggests the future of the description in John's Gospel, "When he said to them, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground" (Jn 18:6), we recognise the latter as the past fact leading to the future event obtained from Revelation. As a result, we will understand that the reason that "they drew back and fell to the ground" is because Jesus was the one who was "alive for evermore" and had "the keys of Death and Hades." Jesus, who was heading toward death at that time, is now the one who lives forevermore. He is Jesus Christ, who is truly with us in the Church. 

Moreover, as we have examined over six sessions under the theme of "The Seven Disciples and the Seven Letters," expressions formed by combining phrases from the different passages in the Book of Revelation sometimes suggest corresponding passages in the New Testament. For example, combining "the seven lampstands are the seven churches" (Rev 1:20) with "I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place" (Rev 2:5) from the first letter results in "I will remove your church from its place." The recipient of the first letter, "the angel of the church in Ephesus" (Rev 2:1), was Peter. Therefore, "its place" refers to "this rock" of which Jesus said, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church" (Mt 16:18). So, that expression means to take away the primacy from Peter. The Holy Spirit admonishes and guides Peter, who lives the future of the Gospel. 

Thus, the tense at work in Revelation comes from God, who is described as "'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" (Rev 1:8) and is portrayed as the one who governs the tense. Accompanied by the tense governed by God, Revelation pours the worldview of Jesus Christ into the memory of those "who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and ... those who hear, and who keep what is written therein." 

Maria K. M.

 2025/05/05

194. The Book of Revelation and the New Testament

The Book of Revelation is structured in such a way that it defies intuition and eludes understanding so that its contents may be stored in one's memory as tacit knowledge. It is impossible for people to consciously hold the worldview of Jesus Christ, the memory of Jesus Christ who was fully God and fully human, which is as John the Evangelist wrote at the end of his Gospel: "But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written" (Jn 21:25). 

The first chapter of Revelation states, "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), which effectively declares that Revelation is a guidebook. Therefore, the letters addressed to the angel of the seven churches always include the exhortation, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." The one who "reads aloud the words of the prophecy" speaks aloud "what the Spirit says to the churches" and pours it into his memory. You cannot accomplish this training in a day or two. It is necessary to continue reading Revelation aloud and listening to it at your own pace, even if only one sentence at a time, day after day, throughout your life. Even if you have difficulties with hearing, vision, or speech, it is worth somehow managing to pour the words of Revelation into your memory through your five senses, for there is immense value in Revelation. 

The Holy Spirit is the Advocate Jesus sent from the Father to us, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father. The Holy Spirit, who came to bear witness to Jesus, also calls us Christians to bear witness (cf. Jn 15:26-27). For this reason, we, too, need the worldview that the Apostles, who had been with Jesus from the beginning, shared with him. That is the worldview of Jesus Christ, who was one hundred per cent God and human. Revelation satisfies this need. By pouring the words of Revelation into our memory through our five senses, we unconsciously experience Jesus Christ's worldview in a simulated manner. Therefore, this training includes scenes that are sublime beyond human imagination and terrifying scenes. Revelation is in the New Testament with this intention. 

The structure of Revelations is as follows. Chapter 1 is a prophetic account of Jesus Christ, who is with us, the Church. Next, the letters addressed to the angles of the seven churches prophesy the problems the church community faced and their solutions (Chapters 2–3). These solutions are revealed through the prophecy of the establishment of the New Testament (Chapters 4–11). However, the mysteries of the priesthood and the Eucharist are hidden in the wilderness and heaven and are not revealed. In this situation, the prophecy of the fate of the Church (Chapters 12-16) occurs, followed by the prophecy of the fall of the Church, which has been tossed about by the tide of history (Chapters 17-18). It is a prophecy that light will shine over the darkness by exposing the various problems the Church has been facing and hiding. Beyond that lies the prophecy of the completion of the liturgy of the Mass (Chapters 19–20), which becomes a hope for the truth. However, it also contains a prophecy of severe judgment. That is so that all people created by God may enter the "prophecy of the spirituality of the Holy Spirit" (Chapters 21–22), which leads them to understand God's life and love. 

In this way, the Book of Revelation is composed of seven prophecies. The most astonishing thing is that Revelation, written in the first century, prophesies the New Testament, established in the fourth century. Moreover, it prophesies it in the same order as the Bible today. First, there is a throne in heaven, and someone is seated on it (cf. Rev 4:1–6). There, the "four living creatures" imply the images of the four Gospels, and it is suggested that they are already in heaven (cf. 4:7–11).  The author of Revelation sees a scroll sealed with seven seals in the right hand of the one seated on the throne. And the "Lamb standing, as though it had been slain," that is, the Holy Spirit sent in the name of Jesus, breaks the seals and opens the scroll, which is the New Testament (cf. 5:1–14). 

As the seven seals are opened one after another, the four Gospels (cf. Rev 6:1–8), the Acts of the Apostles (cf. 6:9–11), and the Epistles of Paul (cf. 6:12–17) are introduced in this order using prophetic words. When the last seal is broken, the Book of Revelation is introduced, and the Catholic epistles are mentioned there, too (cf. Chapters 8-11). The contents resist intuitive grasp and are structured in an incomprehensible form. However, as seen in the letters addressed to the angles of the seven churches we have examined so far, the descriptions of Revelation and the contents of the New Testament associated with them, which are being testified to here, exist simultaneously like the two sides of a coin as the story unfolds. These passages are also written using a technique distinctive to the Book of Revelation. 

From the next issue onwards, I will summarise the descriptions in Revelation when each seal is opened and the corresponding contents of the New Testament and explore the possibility that Revelation allows readers to unconsciously experience the worldview of Jesus Christ in a simulated manner. 

Maria K. M.

 2025/04/28

193. Pentecost and the Book of Revelation

From the previous analyses over the past six issues, we have learned that the seven angels of the seven churches described in the Book of Revelation 2 and 3 correspond to the seven disciples who encountered the risen Jesus at the Sea of Tiberias in the Gospel of John. The starting point for these reflections was the San Damiano Crucifix, which is said to have led St. Francis of Assisi to his conversion. Its composition contained themes from the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation, and the figure of Christ at the centre can be seen to represent the Risen Jesus. So, we have examined the scenes in the Gospel of John where the risen Jesus appears to his disciples, together with the documents concerning Saint Francis. 

As a result, we focused on the fact that John the Evangelist explains the words of Jesus in response to the Apostle Peter's question in the final scene of disciples' encounter with risen Jesus in the Gospel of John with the following meaningful phrase: "The saying spread abroad among the brethren that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, 'If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?'" (Jn 21:23). Here, we found that the key to understanding John's intention lies in the phrase "until I come," because John stresses that "Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die." 

In the Book of Revelation, numbers hold significant meaning. When opening the Book of Revelation, keeping in mind the seven disciples who encountered the resurrected Jesus, the first phrase that catches the eye is "John to the seven churches that are in Asia" (Rev 1:4). Additionally, we have discovered that the expression "until I come" in the final words of the risen Jesus in the Gospel of John, serves as the theme in the six letters, excluding the second letter, the letter to the church in Smyrna, and that the tenses used for this theme in each letter form a chronological sequence. In the letters to the churches in Ephesus, Pergamon, Thyatira, and Sardis, the theme is a prophecy of the future; in the letter to the church in Philadelphia, its tense is the near future, with the phrase "I am coming soon" (3:11). And in the letter to the church in Laodicea, its tense is the present tense: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock" (3:20). 

However, this theme is absent in the second letter, addressed to the angel of the church in Smyrna (who is thought to represent Thomas). That is likely because the author considered that Jesus had come again specifically for Thomas, who had stubbornly refused to believe in Jesus' resurrection (cf. Jn 20:24-29). In this way, the narrative of the Book of Revelation goes on using an expression method in which the contents of its descriptions and that of the Gospels associated with them exist simultaneously as if they are the two sides of a coin. It is structured in such a way that people find difficulty in intuitively grasping and understanding. 

When Jesus taught people, he used parables to convey truths that could not be understood without insight. Then, he explained the meaning of these parables to his disciples. However, regarding himself, who was fulfilling the will of the Father, the Gospel says, "But they understood none of these things; this saying was hid from them, and they did not grasp what was said" (Lk 18:34). Jesus' parents had the same experience (cf. 2:50). This experience made them vividly realize the moment when the Holy Spirit descended (cf. Acts 2:2), the moment when he touched them (cf. 2:3), and the moment when they understood everything through them, through the contrast between these two experiences. They came to know the Holy Spirit. 

The reality that the Book of Revelation is structured in a way that is difficult for people to grasp intuitively and understand leads us, who practise the "training of Revelation" by reading it aloud, listening to it, and memorising it, to the blessedness of having the same experience as Jesus' disciples and his parents (cf. Rev 1:3). We who have accumulated daily experiences of "not understanding" through the "training of Revelation" will, when the Holy Spirit guides us and reminds us of the New Testament (cf. Jn 16:12–15), become able to grasp the moments when the Holy Spirit is at work and when he touches us, through the contrast between these two experiences. We will come to know the Holy Spirit. 

Maria K.M.