2026/04/06

242. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: Implementing Affinity

The process of enabling believers to experience Jesus' words—"You know him [the Spirit of truth], for he dwells with you, and will be in you" (Jn 14:17)—and the process of fostering spontaneity to implement affinity with the Holy Spirit sent in Jesus' name proceed simultaneously. Therefore, it is essential that the name of Jesus be placed within the text of the book of training for that (cf. this blog No. 240). The mission of the Old Testament came to an end when it was quoted by Jesus in the Gospels. At that moment, the words of the Old Testament became connected to Jesus, were perfected by Him, and came to live as new words of God within the Gospels. Therefore, I believe it is sufficient for their origins and background to be explained only as necessary.

Christians are believers who, through the New Covenant, have been given the power to become children of God by accepting Jesus and by believing in the name of Jesus (cf. Jn 1:12). One of the purposes for which the New Testament was established is to constantly infuse the new Word into their new memory. The memory of believers baptised in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is a new wineskin. For the words of the New Testament poured into this vessel to demonstrate a perfect affinity with the Holy Spirit sent in the name of Jesus, those words must mature into recognition. The Book of Revelation was given to meet this need. It is the pastors of the Church who can publicly impart this training—optimised by the Holy Spirit sent in the name of Jesus—to the believers.

We, believeres, need only obey the words of the Book of Revelation, recognised by the Church as canonical, with the simplicity of a child, and allow these prophetic words to enter through our senses (cf. Rev 1:3). The voice reading the Book of Revelation flows, purifying the believer's senses, and enters the place of memory designated by the Holy Spirit without remaining in knowledge. It can then autonomously form the worldview of Jesus Christ as part of the believer's unconscious memory. This worldview becomes the foundation upon which the words of the New Testament, previously stored in the believer's knowledge, become recognition. In this way, by reading the Book of Revelation daily, as naturally as drinking water, the spontaneity to implement the affinity with the Holy Spirit—sent in the name of Jesus—is cultivated. Therefore, the amount read at any one time may be whatever is appropriate for the individual sincerely engaging in this training.

This resembles the parable in Matthew's Gospel, where Jesus began by saying, "For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property" (Mat 25:14). The master entrusted his property to his servants according to their respective abilities. For believers, this is the training in reading aloud the Book of Revelation. Even if one can only manage a single verse on a given day, if one continues this daily, one can yield a profit. That is because the Holy Spirit is at work. However, if one fails to understand the power of the Book of Revelation and buries it in the ground, one will be called a "wicked and slothful servant" (25:26) and cast out into the outer darkness as a worthless servant. In this passage, the "master" admonishes us: "For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away" (Mat 25:29). What is meant by "what he has" is the recognition of God's Word.

Therefore, 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). The phrase "for the time is near" here anticipates the words written in the final chapter of Revelation: "'And behold, I am coming soon.' Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book" (22:7). The Word is waiting to share His recognition with "those who hear, and who keep what is written therein."

There are seven "blessings" in the Book of Revelation, and they serve as a major driving force propelling the entire book forward. The diagram from the revised edition of Prophetic Composition of the Book of Revelation (April 2026 edition) shown above offers a new perspective on the "seven blessings" of Revelation. The reason the "seven blessings" possess the function we have discussed in this blog and serve as a driving force is that these blessings are rooted in the "Lord's Prayer," which is placed at the centre of the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. The Lord's Prayer, which Jesus taught us saying, "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this" (Mat 6:8–9), consists of seven petitions and begins by addressing God as our Father in heaven.

In response to this, the opening of the Book of Revelation states: "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 training of Revelation is indeed the will of God, the Heavenly Father. Next time, I would like to delve deeper into the seven blessings that answer the Lord's Prayer.

Maria K. M.