Chapter 31

"We have always been 'one body,' and the 'body' of the Holy Church exists for each of its members, and for all those in the world who suffer, who are unfortunate, who are lost in their future. It was founded solely for humanity."

"This is not what the Lord requires, but a covenant between me and you, and one that all believers in God throughout the world should uphold, from now until the distant future."

He said this.

Thus, in 55 AD, Christianity changed its name, and the Holy Church officially stepped onto the historical stage of the Roman Empire.

The founder and first Pope was named Novia.

His full title was:

Successor of Jesus Christ, He Who Correctly Understands the Lord's Will, Chief of all Servants of God, Leader of the Heavenly Kingdom on Earth, Mediator of Strife, Guide of the Mortal World, Enumerator of All Things, He Whose Faith in the Lord is Boundless, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Servant of the Holy Land, Elder of the Roman Provinces, Writer of the New Covenant, Judge at the Gates of Heaven.

"...I see."

After the Ecumenical Council concluded, the sky gradually darkened. Those who participated in the council were busy preparing to return to their respective regions to carry out their duties. However, among them, John, one of the eleven apostles, had a troubled expression, seemingly lost in thought.

Finally, John secretly sought out Novia.

"Yes, Novia, though it's hard to believe, last night I saw... the Apocalypse."

057: The Position of the Holy Spirit

Regarding the Apocalypse John spoke of, Novia understood it to be the so-called Book of Revelation, the true concluding chapter of the original New Testament.

But the issue was why John's description included a baffling section that he referred to as the Pre-Revelation Scripture.

The apostle John described it to Novia thus:

I saw.

In the midst of the human world, there was One, clad in a white robe that reached to his feet, with a blue-black sash around his chest.

His head and hair were white, like white wool, like snow; his eyes were like the blue ocean, and his voice was like the voice of the sun.

He came into this world, reconnecting the Son with the Father, constantly working through inspiration, guidance, teaching, and revelation, causing them to bear fruit, the fruits being love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness.

What he promised was distributed to each according to his will, poured out abundantly on the earth through Jesus Christ.

Though he prevented Vesta's fire from ever burning again, he guaranteed eternal safety.

I also saw the temple of the Holy Land open, and within the temple, calamities appeared, causing the heavens to close and withhold rain. He was given authority to turn water into blood and to strike the world with all kinds of plagues whenever and however he pleased.

The calamity, through this, deceived the inhabitants of the earth, saying they should make an image for this false Messiah, and all who refused to worship the false image were killed.

The calamity also caused everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to lose a finger and receive a mark.

His actions would turn the sea to blood, as if it were the blood of dead men, and all living creatures in the sea and on land died.

When the calamity sat on its throne, the kingdoms of men were plunged into darkness.

I saw the first man appear as if dead, falling before the calamity, but he bravely declared, "I have no fear; I came into this world to bring happiness to all that is good."

I heard a voice from heaven say, "My wrath has come, and the time has arrived to judge the evil that corrupts, and to destroy those who corrupt the world. Those who overcome shall be clothed in white robes, and my Father shall not blot their names from the Book of Life. Both I, my Father, and my Father's angels will grant him the recognition he deserves."

The world lost its color, darkness spread across the land. That man, this one, the words spoken by the Holy Spirit, whoever has ears should listen, as should the King of the Antichrist.

There was also a voice, thunder, and a great roar. Since the existence of humans on earth, the Holy Land had never sustained such great and severe damage.

That calamity, that destruction, could no longer appear.

Therefore, whoever has ears should listen to the words spoken by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit, whom I saw treading on the sea and the earth, swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and all things in them, the earth and all things on it, the sea and all things in it, saying, "Hold fast to what has been said until the end, for this is my covenant with you."

After John concluded the Pre-Revelation Scripture, he continued with the Book of Revelation as recalled by Novia, but with subtle changes.

For instance, in the Book of Revelation, the cause of the Great Apocalypse was Christ's second appearance.

The reasons included people claiming to be Christ, rumors of war, nation rising against nation, terrifying earthquakes, famines, plagues, many betraying and hating one another, the increase of lawlessness, and the cooling of love in many.

Therefore, a new world was created.

But the reason for the coming of the Apocalypse that John described to Novia was completely different, to the point of being unbelievable.

Although the initial content differed, the part after the seven angels blew their seven trumpets changed entirely:

An angel came and said to me, "Come here, and I will show you the coming judgment."

A great red dragon appeared in heaven, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on its heads. Its body was covered with blasphemous names. Its tail swept a third of the stars of heaven and hurled them to the earth.

A woman was riding on a scarlet beast, clothed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls. She held a golden cup filled with abominations, the filth of her fornication.

This is that ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world.

On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: "Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth."

I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.

The angel said to me, "Why were you astonished? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.

The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up from the Abyss and go to destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it was, and is not, and yet is.

The angel also said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages."

The Holy Spirit works in the human world until this disguise, the devil, shows its true face.

For the Holy Spirit was poured out by the wine of her desires, and he suffers in the fire before the holy angels and the Lamb.

I heard a voice from heaven say, "She has treated people in the same way, and she will be rewarded double for what she has done.

Give her double the drink from the cup she mixed.

To the extent that she glorified herself and lived in luxury, to the same extent give her torment and mourning.

Therefore, in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, because a mighty God will judge her.

In an instant she has become a wasteland! And all the blood of the slain is found within her.

No longer will light shine on the earth, and all nations have been slaughtered.

I saw again, the eyes of the Holy Spirit opened. His eyes, like a blue ocean, were like flames. He wore many crowns on his head, with names written that no one knew except himself. He was clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and he demanded retribution for the blood shed by her.

Heaven opened, and there was the Great White Throne, and the One seated on it. Before him, earth and sky fled away and vanished, leaving no trace.

Fire came down from heaven and consumed everything.

This is the fierce wrath of Almighty God. The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, were riding on white horses and following him.

They shouted, "King of Kings and Lord of Lords!"

The one seated on the throne wiped away the Holy Spirit's sadness. There will be no more death, no more mourning, no more sorrow, no more indecision, for the former things have passed away. And so it should be for the human heart.

He continued, "Look, I am making everything new."

All the impurity that has occurred on Earth, therefore, all things will be punished. The living dead, and the dead once again dead.

Nothing unclean will enter there, the kingdom of God's glory. Even though the city gates are never closed during the day, there is no night there.

For the keys have been shattered.

However, since the position of the Holy Spirit already exists, that person will always have to ascend.

058: For you, teacher, I can do anything, right?

Novia instructed John to compile all that he had said into a scroll, and once it was finished, it would serve as the concluding chapter of the New Testament.

The only condition was that no one other than Novia could be informed of it until it was completed.

"The Revelation... what exactly is this..."

Novia, who usually wore a smile, seemed to lack the energy to maintain his composure. He leaned against a tree outside his home, gazing at everything before him.

Reflected in his vision were the clear blue sky, the green earth, and the gentle morning light illuminating every inch of the country.

"...The Holy Spirit..."

Hoo— Novia exhaled a sigh.

He could tell completely that the Holy Spirit mentioned in the Pre-Revelation Scripture that John spoke of was undoubtedly him.

The matching silver hair and blue eyes, and the connection of the Father and Son again likely referred to the preached doctrine of the Trinity.

The inability for Vesta's fire to be reignited should refer to Christianity replacing Roman polytheism. Vesta, the Roman goddess of the hearth, is the Romanized name for the Greek Hestia. It was widely believed that the eternal flame of Vesta must never be extinguished, as it would portend disaster for Rome.

The subsequent calamity was even more apparent, calling it the King of the Antichrist, which was none other than the one who utilized Solomon's remains.

Later, it was mentioned that Novia destroyed Jerusalem with his spear.

All these accounts suggested that the most likely true identity of the 'Holy Spirit' John spoke of was Novia himself.

But why? When did I become the Holy Spirit? Novia couldn't help but feel bewildered.

He understood the Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity quite well. The reason why only the duality was preached over these years was because early Christianity was still in the stage of 'making it understandable to the common people.' Regarding the Holy Spirit, whose nature could only be discovered through deep study of the scriptures, Novia decided to leave its discussion to future generations, as he saw no need to define the nature of something so 'marvelous.'

Ultimately, the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force or power. Within the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is not the Father, nor the Son, because these three possess eternal distinctions. God is one. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is identical to the Father and the Son in existence or essence, but in personhood, they are irreducibly distinct from the Father and the Son.

This relationship does not imply any subordination, inferiority, or temporal priority, but rather a relational and personal order.

"Mmm, Teacher, you're not even coming to see me off when I'm about to head to the Greek peninsula? I'll be upset."

Amidst the beauty of the lush green trees, soft sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves onto the ground. Each time the leaves swayed in the wind, they seemed like giggling girls.

The golden-haired girl named Nero gazed at Novia with fervent affection and fascination.

She was supposed to leave today, but when she couldn't find her teacher anywhere at the farewell ceremony that was about to begin, she postponed it to the next day. Then, she rushed straight to her teacher's home, wanting to know if something had happened to Novia that he hadn't even informed her about.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I—"

"I don't want you to call me Your Majesty, Teacher. Please continue calling me Nero. Domitius is also fine, okay, Teacher?"

Nero sat down, unceremoniously hugged Novia's waist, and covered his mouth with one hand, saying with a pleading expression.

"...I-I'm sorry, Teacher, I shouldn't have done that..."

Novia stared at her, unmoving. The girl, thinking she had made a mistake, looked at him anxiously.

Novia was well aware that the girl before him, who was as beautiful as a rose, was deeply fond of him. He hadn't done anything particularly wrong to her over the years, always acting with her best interests in mind. It was unlikely he would be considered 'God's enemy' or '666,' or that she would degenerate into the beast of catastrophe, Draco...

However, according to John's account, Novia felt that the outwardly lively Nero actually wished to drink his blood and eat his flesh, just like Albion. The eventual outcome would be that he would one day be overcome by the wine of her desires and suffer... Could it be that he had misguided her in some way?

But he hadn't excessively restrained her desires; he had allowed her appropriate outlets. Did he need to allow even more?

"No, it's nothing. I was just lost in thought."

Novia shook his head.

"...Really, really, you're not mad at me...?"

Nero's lack of confidence was palpable in her words. Sensing her mood, Novia calmly and affirmatively stated:

"Not at all... That's the truth, Nero."

"Teacher, but I'm an Emperor, you know."

This response instantly brightened Nero's mood, and she smiled again, her tone a mix of scolding and coquetry.

"As an Emperor, you should remember what I say, even if it's you, Teacher, right?"

Nero's words seemed somewhat unreasonable, but Novia, without smiling or getting angry, replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"What you say, regardless of that title, I will keep in mind."

"Then, Teacher—"

The girl's eyes and words held no hint of falsehood, only a passion that seemed capable of consuming everything.

"If it's to be with you, I can do anything, can't I?"

Her fiery eyes, and words that were all the more terrifying for their beauty.

The next instant, in Nero's eyes, her teacher gently shook his head, and then—

Unlike the last time she had wanted to reward him, Novia took the initiative and kissed her lips. The kiss lasted so long that she felt she was about to suffocate, yet her body instinctively surged with countless pleasures.

"Nero, you don't need to do anything you said. All you need to do is listen to me."