2023/08/21

105. The Flesh of All Men, Small and Great

So far, we have seen that the words, or testimony, of Jesus in the Gospels were fulfilled in the Book of Revelation in the manner of the "Spirit of prophecy." Believers, who are with and in concert with the Holy Spirit, are the ones who are to substantiate this new prophecy. 

While Jesus was on earth, his disciples were protected by the Word that proceeded from his mouth and by the name of the Father (cf. John 17:12). They were safeguarded from "the beast" and the "false prophet." Today believers who hear the Word are protected by receiving the "sword of the Word," which has become the living word again by the Holy Spirit, and by experiencing themselves hearing the Word (cf. blog № 104). That is because they will experience distinguishing "the beast" and the "false prophet" from themselves. This experience is transformed into recognition, assisted by the training of Revelation. Thus, the colour of Jesus' discipleship gradually oozes outwards from them. 

In addition, as Jesus described in his commentary on the Parable of the Weeds, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom" (Matthew 13:37-38), believers are the "seeds that fell on good soil" in the Parable of the Sower (cf. Matthew 13:8). 

These seeds are not of those who mocked and reviled Jesus on the cross, such as the chief priests, the scribes and the elders, nor of those who were curious to hear the words of Jesus who cried out loudly before his death (cf. blog № 99), much less of the centurion, who stubbornly refused his visit out of fear that his involvement with him would be known, saying, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof" (Matthew 8:8), who did not even meet him in person, saying, "But say the word, and let my servant be healed" (Luke 7:7) (cf. blog № 100). 

The believers are Jesus' disciples to whom "it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 13:11). They are the believers likened to "all men, …, both small and great" (Revelation 19:18) who were fulfilled in the manner of the "Spirit of prophecy" in the Book of Revelation (cf. blog № 101). 

It is essential for believers to constantly ask God to remove from themselves all the lusts consciously and rationally that are created from human knowledge and experience, which they have left untreated. Once these lusts, which they have been pursuing, are devoured by "all the birds that fly in midheaven" (Revelation 19:17), they will come to see what they truly seek. 

The place where every lust of the believers who hear the Word is removed most reasonably is where they were born anew as children of God, the place from which they came and to which they are going. At that place, the Eucharist is brought forth, lifted up like Jesus, and draws all men to himself (cf. John 12:32). Just as Moses had seen the Lord face to face, Jesus' disciples saw the Lord Jesus. And now the believers see the Lord in the Eucharist at that place. 

Maria K.M.

 2023/08/14

104. "The Beast" and the "False Prophet", part 3

In the Parable of the Weeds, weeds were gathered and bound "in bundles to be burned" (cf. Matthew 13:30). Jesus explained the parable, saying, "[T]hey will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and throw them into the furnace of fire" (Matthew 13:41-42). Similarly, the final description of "the great supper of God" in Revelation tells that "the beast and the false prophet" were captured and "thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur" (Revelation 19:20). These facts show that both Jesus' testimony and what was realized in the manner of "the Spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10) (cf. blog № 98) have the same consequence. That is because all these things above originate from man's accidental information likened to "the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan" (Revelation 20:2) (cf. blog № 4). 

On the other hand, "the wheat" is asked to be gathered "into my barn" (Matthew 13:30), and Jesus explained, "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matthew 13:43). These testimonies by Jesus were fulfilled in the manner of "the Spirit of prophecy" and described, "And the rest were slain by the sword of him who sits upon the horse, the sword that issues from his mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their flesh" (Revelation 19:21). "The rest" refers to the faithful who are to substantiate this new prophecy. They need to be killed by "the sword of him who sits upon the horse, the sword that issues from his mouth," namely, the Word. People always take in information and put it into their memory as knowledge or words. Therefore, the faithful need to be slashed by the sword of the Word and killed, so to speak, so that they can distinguish these things held in their memory from themselves, the hearer of the Word. 

From the episode of Jesus admonishing Peter the Apostle in the presence of other disciples saying, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men" (Matthew 16:23), we can understand how important this fact is. In it lies the essential meaning of Jesus' words that followed: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 16:24-25). 

It is indispensable for us to accept the sword of the Word to remain "on the side of God, but not of men." Therein lies the Father's will for "eternal life" (cf. John 6:40). Because of this life, Jesus continued: "For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?" (Matthew 16:26).

Maria K. M.

 2023/08/07

103. "The Beast" and the "False Prophet" Part 2

As we have discussed, "the beast" in the Book of Revelation is man's accidental information (cf. Blog № 4) likened to "the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan" (Revelation 20:2) transformed into "knowledge" in a person by taken in by the person. This "knowledge" becomes "words" through the person as its medium. That is the "false prophet." These "words" are built up in a person's mind into a solid memory with seemingly feasible images. The behaviour of the "false prophet," the human "knowledge" that has become the "words" through a person as its medium, was indeed for Jesus, in whom the Word, the divine knowledge, became a man, what "An enemy has done" (Matthew 13:28) in the "parable of the weeds." 

That is, "[W]hile men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away" (Matthew 13:25). So, as we examined last time, "the kings of the earth with their armies" (Revelation 19:19) had become "those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image" (Revelation 19:20) while they were alive. Taking in man’s accidental information and having the "knowledge" of the beast, they made it into "words" and acted out the behaviour of the "false prophet." 

In the parable of the weeds, when the servants said, "Then do you want us to go and gather them?" (Matthew 13:28), the householder said, "No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them" (Matthew 13:29). The concern the householder shows here suggests that the "field" in Jesus' commentary, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one" (Matthew 13:37-38), refers to the memory of a person. The fact that Jesus says that "the weeds are the sons of the evil one" and also says that "the enemy who sowed them is the devil" (Matthew 13:39) shows that the "weeds" refers to man’s accidental information. If one takes it, makes it one's own "knowledge," and then puts it into "words," a "false prophet" will emerge. 

The believer who hears the Word can acknowledge the existence of the "false prophet" in his own memory. He can distinguish it from himself, the hearer of the Word. Jesus' experience in the wilderness before he began his public ministry tells us that Jesus, who was divine yet human, also had a memory of man’s accidental information. However, Jesus called it Satan and distinguished it perfectly from himself, the Word (cf. Matthew 4:1-11). Now, amid the complex social structures, we must discriminate the inner "false prophet" from ourselves, who hear the Word, just as Jesus did in the wilderness. To this end, acquiring the worldview of Jesus Christ is essential. The training of Revelation, which is within the New Testament and closely linked to the Gospel, makes it possible. That is because the Word is made alive by the Holy Spirit.

To be continued.

Maria K. M.

 2023/07/31

102. "The Beast" and the "False Prophet" Part 1

In the previous issues, we have discussed the angel's words beginning with "Come, gather for the great supper of God" (Revelation 19:17) in the light of the "scene of the Crucifixion" and the "parable of the sower" and Jesus' own commentary on the parable (cf. blog № 99). In the "scene of the Crucifixion," Jesus' statement, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44), was substantiated (cf. blog № 101). 

The Father draws us so that Jesus "will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44). Therefore, if the believer responds to the Father's drawing power and tries to go near the cross of Jesus, he will have the opportunity to undergo the "great supper of God" and to have the "flesh" of his greed devoured by the birds as the angel commanded them. If the believer takes advantage of this opportunity, he will witness in himself what was realised in Revelation in the manner of the "Spirit of prophecy" (cf. blog № 98). 

Now, on the other hand, Jesus said, "I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself" (John 12:32), implying the "scene of the Crucifixion." From this issue on, focusing on these words, we will examine the final description of the "great supper of God," which the author of Revelation saw and wrote after the above angel's words, in the light of the "parable of the weeds," which Jesus told after the "parable of the sower," and his own commentary on it, in the same way as previous issues (cf. Revelation 19:19-21). 

"And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who sits upon the horse and against his army" (Revelation 19:19). 

As stated in Revelation 1:5, the ruler of the "kings of earth" was Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, they and their armies "gathered to make war against him who sits upon the horse and against his army" because they were "those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image" (Revelation 19:20), i.e., those who were captives of money and entrapped by the monetised economy system, during their lifetime (cf. blog № 46). There will be those who will die a miserable death misled by the beast and the false prophet, like the disciple who handed Jesus over for 30 pieces of silver. The social structure brought by money and its economic system surpasses even human greed and turns human life into a commodity (cf. Revelation 18:12-13).

To be continued.

Maria K. M.

 2023/07/24

101. "The Great Supper of God", part 3

In this article, I will examine "the flesh of all men, ... both small and great" (Revelation 19:18) at the end of the angel's words. As before, in the light of the "scene of the Crucifixion," the flesh of these belonged to the many women watching this scene from afar. They were "women there, looking on from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him; among whom were Mary Mag'dalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zeb'edee" (Matthew 27:55-56). It can be said that the seed sown in the disciples, who had followed and ministered to Jesus in this way, "fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matthew 13:8). 

The reason for the disparity in the harvest from the seeds sown in this parable is that there are individual differences in "hearing the word and understanding it," as Jesus himself explained: "As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty" (Matthew 13:23). Such individual differences even among the disciples, to whom "it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 13:11), are not due to their abilities or qualities, but because they leave all the lusts that arise within them, which are created from human knowledge and experience, as they are. These desires, both small and great, are the "flesh" that the angel commanded the "birds" to "devour." Once these are eaten by the birds, they will be able to see better what truth they pursue, and their desire for "hearing the word and understanding it" will be amplified. This desire reaches its highest degree when the Father draws them close to Jesus. 

The Father does so because there were constraints on what Jesus, who was human as well as divine, could do, as he said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44). Among the women in the scene of the Crucifixion were those whom the Father drew close to the cross of Jesus, together with his mother and "the disciple whom he loved" (John 19:26) (cf. John 19:25). 

On the cross, Jesus waited for them to come. Now, we can see a temporal connection between the last words of Jesus, depicted by each of the four Gospels. Amidst his suffering, Jesus' desire awaiting their arrival becomes a cry to the Father: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34). But then it is replaced, like Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, by the words "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" (Luke 23:46). Eventually, in the presence of those whom the Father had drawn near the cross, he breathed his last, saying, "It is finished" (John 19:30). These people became witnesses to the new covenant in the blood of Jesus. And some women among them became the first witnesses of the Lord's resurrection.　 

To be continued.

Maria K. M.

 2023/07/17

100. "The Great Supper of God", part 2

"The flesh of the horses and their riders" (Revelation 19:18) signifies the flesh of the centurion at the crucifixion scene and those with him on guard over Jesus. Fear and awe were the sources of their faith, as it is written that when they "saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe, and said, 'Truly this was the Son of God!'" (Matthew 27:54). 

According to the Gospel of Matthew, a centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant, who was ill. But when Jesus offered, "I will come and heal him," the centurion declined his offer (cf. Matthew 8:5-13) and held Jesus back, saying, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof" (Matthew 8:8). He did so because he feared that his position and authority as a Roman soldier would be shaken if it became known that he had been involved with Jesus. 

In the case of Luke's Gospel, the centurion did not even meet Jesus directly (cf. Luke 7:1-10). He sent the Jewish elders on an errand to ask Jesus to come to him. But when Jesus went out with them and came near his house, the centurion entrusted his friends with a message, this time to decline Jesus' coming. Previously, we discussed the Parable of the Sower. For the centurion, the Word spoken to him was a seed that "fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them" (Matthew 13:7). 

Jesus saw through all the centurion's circumstances. But he was amazed at the centurion's words when he said, "[B]ut only say the word, and my servant will be healed" (Matthew 8:8). For he who was under human authority had even come to realise the truth, living out his daily experience as a commander (cf. Matthew 8:8-11). 

So, Jesus said to those who followed him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith" (Matthew 8:10). By saying so, Jesus pointed out the stubbornness of his people. If they stay in their current state in the age when even the Gentiles reached such enlightenment, it will be sure that "many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 8:11). 

Nonetheless, the faith of the centurion, who also himself was subject to human authority and was in a position that demanded him to kill people without hesitation in wartime, was the faith that did not bear fruit, even though he had seen the Word fulfilled. People like him are those, in Jesus' commentary, who "hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful" (Matthew 13:22). 

Eventually, the time came when each believer, taught by the Holy Spirit, realised and believed in the revelation of Jesus Christ. But the Church remains in the faith at the level of the centurion. They testify to that reality by continually proclaiming before the Eucharist: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." They do so because they, like the centurion, prefer to live under human authority. So, even now, the "marriage supper of the Lamb" becomes the "great supper of God." 

To be continued

Maria K. M.

 2023/07/10

99. "The Great Supper of God"

It is written, "Then I saw an angel standing in the sun" (Revelation 19:17). Considering that the expression "standing in the sun" coincides with the description in the Gospel, "it was the third hour, when they crucified him" (Mark 15:25), it is clear that from then on, the scene in Revelation shifts to the point at which Jesus was crucified. 

Revelation continues, "[W]ith a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, 'Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great'" (Revelation 19:17-18). These words of the angel are the fulfilment of the testimony of Jesus on the Cross, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34), in the manner of the Spirit of prophecy (cf. blog № 98). 

This prayer of Jesus shows that many people act according to various desires created by human knowledge and experience, such as the lust for power, authority and control, but they fail to realise the fact. The "flesh" that the angel commanded the "birds" to "eat" is these desires, and if these desires are eaten up by the birds, they will come to know what they do. So, let us carry forward our discussion. 

The words of the angel commanding the "birds" to "eat" find a similar expression in the Gospels. It is a phrase in the Parable of the Sower (cf. Matthew 13:3-23), "the birds came and devoured them" (Matthew 13:4). Jesus himself added a commentary to this parable. So, we shall rely on it and try to interpret the words of the angel commanding the "birds," considering that, as mentioned above, they were uttered at the time of Jesus' crucifixion. 

"[T]he flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men" are the flesh of the chief priests, scribes, elders and others who had derided and mocked Jesus on the Cross (cf. Matthew 27:39-44). They might have had the opportunity to hear the Word, but they never realised it because their own lust for authority and control would take the Word from their memory (cf. Matthew 13:19). For them, the Word is a seed that fell along the path and the birds came and devoured it (cf. Matthew 13:4). 

"[T]he flesh of all men, both free and slave" is the flesh of those who heard and were interested in Jesus's words which he had cried with a loud voice before death, "Eli, Eli, la'ma sabach-tha'ni?" (cf. Matthew 27:46-49). For them, the Word is the seeds that "fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away" (Matthew 13:5-6). They are the ones who, even though they hear the Word and immediately accept it with joy, "has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away" (Matthew 13:21).

(To be continued)

Maria K. M.