南方王和北方王的爭戰之一

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但以理書11: 5  南方的王必強盛，他將帥中必有一個比他更強盛，執掌權柄，他的權柄甚大。
閱讀經文:  但以理書 11:5-9

5 「南方的王必強盛，他將帥中必有一個比他更強盛，執掌權柄，他的權柄甚大。 6 過些年後，他們必互相聯合，南方王的女兒必就了北方王來立約。但這女子幫助之力存立不住，王和他所倚靠之力也不能存立。這女子和引導她來的，並生她的，以及當時扶助她的，都必交於死地。

在亞歷山大死去後，希臘帝國被四個將軍分為四國：馬其頓和希臘（安提帕特和卡山德）；脫拉西及小亞西亞（賴西馬克）：敘利亞（西流古一世）；巴勒斯坦和埃及（多利買一世）。但是在但以理書裡則著重在南王與北王之爭。南王指佔領埃及的多利買王，北王指佔領敘利亞的西流古王。這從希臘出來的二強互相爭霸，歷時約160多年，以致生靈塗炭。以色列位在巴勒斯坦，正好夾在埃及和敘利亞中間，因此飽受戰火之禍。

在第5節說到，南方的王必強盛，便是指佔領埃及的多利買一世蘇他Ptolemy Soter　自封為王。亞歷山大生前曾冊封一名將帥在巴比倫作王，那便是在敘利亞稱王的西流古一世尼卡特Seleucus Nicator。他的權柄甚大，遠勝於多利買一世。

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he More You Look at Jesus, the More Like Jesus You Become

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is 1 John 3:1-8.

1 John 3:1a
1  How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

On verse 1a:  When our sin had disqualified us from God’s presence and we had no right to have anything to do with God, God lavished His love on us when He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross.  It is through Jesus Christ that we can be called children of God.   That’s the identity changing love of our God.  Because of His love, we’re no longer the same.  We go from sinners to saints, from excluded to included, from being orphaned to being part of His family.  It’s not because of anything we have done but because of His grace.

1 John 3:1b (NIV) 
1…The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

On verse 1b:  Through faith in Christ we are children of God, but of course the world does not know that or acknowledge that.  As we looked at in 1 John 2:15-17, the world is a system of thinking, feeling and living that does not acknowledge Christ.  It’s a system that pervades our society.  Since the world does not acknowledge God, the world will not acknowledge you as a child of God.  Instead the world will try to define you in other ways that are sometimes contradictory to what God’s Word says about you.  

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You Can’t Have God Without Jesus

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is 1 John 2:18-29.  Let’s go!

1 John 2:18-28 (NIV)
18  Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.
19  They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
20  But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.

On verses 18-28:  The apostle John is warning his readers about false teachers.  These false teachers were originally part of the church that John led, but they left the church (v19) and were now teaching that Jesus is not the Christ (that is, not the Messiah that the Jews were waiting for nor the Saviour that we all need) (v22).

These teachers were likely telling the people in John’s church, “You do not know the truth” (v21), accusing John and the other apostles of lying to them.  In response, John reassures his people that “you have an anointing form the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” (v20). 

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四百年沉默時期的序幕

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但以理書11: 2 現在我將真事指示你，波斯還有三王興起，第四王必富足遠勝諸王。他因富足成為強盛，就必激動大眾攻擊希臘國。

閱讀經文:  但以理書 11:1-4

1 又說：「當瑪代王大流士（大利烏）元年，我曾起來扶助米迦勒，使他堅強。

2 「現在我將真事指示你，波斯還有三王興起，第四王必富足遠勝諸王。他因富足成為強盛，就必激動大眾攻擊希臘國。 3 必有一個勇敢的王興起，執掌大權，隨意而行。 4 他興起的時候，他的國必破裂，向天的四方分開，卻不歸他的後裔，治國的權勢也都不及他，因為他的國必被拔出，歸於他後裔之外的人。

在《聖經》的舊約與新約之間有一段沉默的時期，這沉默指的是神不再有話語給猶大人。這段時期大約有四百年，其間所發生的事都記載在但以理書11章裡，那時巴比倫已經被滅，波斯成為世界的霸主。因此舊約的記事中止於波斯帝國；當新約聖經開始時，已是羅馬帝國統治的時候。自先知瑪拉基之後，到施洗約翰出生，神在以色列（包括猶大），沒有再興起先知。此時猶大人散居在埃及、巴比倫和波斯，有一部份得到古列王的允許，已經回到耶路撒冷重建聖城和聖殿。

因著但以理迫切的禱告，神把將來要發生的事一一告知但以理。神學家D.K. Campbell 說在這一章的前35節裡，已經有135個預言在歷史上應驗了。也因為這部份的預言和歷史是那樣絲絲相扣，後來的史學家竟有人不願意相信那是神在數百年前的預言，而說是有馬加比族的人按著歷史所編造的。但是智者總應該明白，唯有耶和華才是真神，也是宇宙的主宰。

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3 Stages in Your Spiritual Growth

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is 1 John 2:9-17.  Let’s go!

1 John 2:9-11 (NIV) 
9  Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 
10  Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 
11  But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

On verses 9-11:  Light versus darkness is an ongoing theme in 1 John, the idea that God is light (see 1 John 1:5), that Jesus is the true light (2:5) and that if we are in Jesus we are in the light as well (1:7).  In contrast, the darkness is anywhere where Jesus is not glorified or obeyed (1:6).  How do you know if a Christian is truly in the light or in the darkness?  It’s in how that person loves others.  Here John proclaims that anyone who says he is in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness, whereas anyone who loves his brother lives in the light (v10).  In other words, how we love others is proof of whether we are truly in Christ or not. 

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但以理最後的一個異象

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但以理書10: 12  他就說：但以理啊，不要懼怕。因為從你第一日專心求明白將來的事，又在你神面前刻苦己心，你的言語已蒙應允，我是因你的言語而來。

閱讀經文:  但以理書 10:1-21

1 波斯王居魯士第三年，有事顯給稱為伯提沙撒的但以理。這事是真的，是指著大爭戰。但以理通達這事，明白這異象。 2 當那時，我但以理悲傷了三個七日。 3 美味我沒有吃，酒肉沒有入我的口，也沒有用油抹我的身，直到滿了三個七日。

4 正月二十四日，我在底格里斯大河邊， 5 舉目觀看，見有一人身穿細麻衣，腰束烏法精金帶。 6 他身體如水蒼玉，面貌如閃電，眼目如火把，手和腳如光明的銅，說話的聲音如大眾的聲音。 7 這異象唯有我但以理一人看見，同著我的人沒有看見，他們卻大大戰兢，逃跑隱藏， 8 只剩下我一人。我見了這大異象便渾身無力，面貌失色，毫無氣力。 9 我卻聽見他說話的聲音，一聽見就面伏在地沉睡了。

這是繼上一章的事件兩年之後發生的，也是但以理的最後一個異象。第10-12章是一個極長的預言，本章是導論，11-12章則比較詳細地敘述在但以理之後的世代將要發生的事。但以理因為預言的內容而悲傷了21天。為何此內容使但以理如此傷神呢？從但以理被告知此預言時 ，他自己就好像被捲入了一場極大的爭戰之中。

這次在底格里斯河向他顯現的，不再是天使加百列了，而是一位像在啟示錄裡，約翰看見的那一位：“燈臺中間有一位好像人子，身穿長衣，直垂到腳，胸間束著金帶。他的頭與髮皆白，如白羊毛，如雪，眼目如同火焰，腳好像在爐中鍛煉光明的銅，聲音如同眾水的聲音”（啟1:13-15）。但以理則見“有一人身穿細麻衣，腰束烏法精金帶。他身體如水蒼玉，面貌如閃電，眼目如火把，手和腳如光明的銅，說話的聲音如大眾的聲音。” 令人不能不想到，是不是榮耀的主耶穌向他顯現了？

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Love Never Gets Old

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is 1 John 2:1-8.  Let’s go!

1 John 2:1-2 (NIV) 
1  My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 
2  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

On verses 1-2:  The greatest lawyer you will have representing you is Jesus Christ.  When we sin, Jesus acts as our advocate and speaks to the Father in our defense (v1).  Yet unlike lawyers who defend with their words alone, Jesus defended us with His blood, giving Himself as “the atoning sacrifice for our sins”.  What an amazing advocate and Saviour we have in Jesus. 

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但以理的禱告和異象

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但以理書 9:17  我們的神啊，現在求祢垂聽僕人的祈禱懇求，為自己使臉光照祢荒涼的聖所。

閱讀經文:  但以理書  9:1-27

1 瑪代族亞哈隨魯的兒子大流士(新譯本:大利烏)立為迦勒底國的王元年， 2 就是他在位第一年，我但以理從書上得知耶和華的話臨到先知耶利米，論耶路撒冷荒涼的年數，七十年為滿。

3 我便禁食，披麻蒙灰，定意向主神祈禱懇求。 4 我向耶和華我的神祈禱、認罪，說：「主啊，大而可畏的神，向愛主守主誡命的人守約施慈愛。 5 我們犯罪作孽，行惡叛逆，偏離你的誡命、典章， 6 沒有聽從你僕人眾先知奉你名向我們君王、首領、列祖和國中一切百姓所說的話。

“亞哈隨魯”是波斯皇帝的稱號，有如羅馬的“凱撒”或埃及的“法老”，不是人名。這裏指出大流士（新譯本譯：大利烏）是亞哈隨魯的兒子，表示他是當時的統治者之子。按華人說法，就是太子登基那年。迦勒底國實際上是不存在的，是沿著下來的稱呼，其實已經改朝換代，是瑪代和波斯統治了。可能尚未定名，所以但以理就暫時這麼稱之。就像在第五章31節：“瑪代人大流士（大利烏）年六十二歲，取了迦勒底國”。是指迦勒底人之國，就是尼布甲尼撒創建的新巴比倫。這位大流士和第六章第1節立但以理為總長的大流士是同一人，也就是本章第1節所說的大流士。

那時但以理已經82歲，被擄到巴比倫已有六十餘年。當他在典籍中看到耶利米寫的預言，猶太人在被擄七十年後必將歸回，他的心情何等激動。家國已毀，神恩浩蕩，竟有重建之日，我想他一定是老淚縱横。想當年國共之戰，有許多人從大陸逃到台灣或其他地方，卅幾年後才得以回歸，也是個個激動不已。平時的思念都化為行動，用盡方法要回去再見故老鄉親一面。雖然從猶大被滅開始算起，還有大約廿年才滿七十年，但以理知道自己已年邁，不可能回去了，卻因而向神獻上一個充滿感恩和認罪求赦免的禱告，懇求神施憐憫，按著所應許的，眷顧耶路撒冷，讓被擄之人可以早日回去重建聖城。

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Welcome to the Light

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Hi GAMErs!

Today we begin the powerful book of 1 John.  Here is some background you may find helpful:

· Interestingly, the author of 1 John does not identify himself in this book, although he repeatedly claims to be an eyewitness of Jesus’ life on earth.  From very early on in Christian history, this book has been attributed to the apostle John, who was one of Jesus’ closest disciples and the writer of the Gospel of John.  Both in terms of writing style and content themes, 1 John and the Gospel of John read like they come from the same author.  Thus in our look at 1 John we will assume that John is indeed the author of 1 John. 
· Many scholars believe that 1 John was written around the same time as the Gospel of John, in which case 1 John may have been written around 70 A.D.

Today’s passage is 1 John 1:1-10.  Let’s go!

1 John 1:1-4 (NIV) 
1  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched–this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 
2  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 
3  We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 
4  We write this to make our joy complete.

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公綿羊和公山羊的異夢

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但以理書  8:16  我又聽見烏萊河兩岸中有人聲呼叫說：「加百列啊，要使此人明白這異象。」

閱讀經文:  但以理書  8:1-27

1 伯沙撒王在位第三年，有異象現於我但以理，是在先前所見的異象之後。 2 我見了異象的時候，我以為在以攔省書珊城中，我見異象又如在烏萊河邊。

3 我舉目觀看，見有雙角的公綿羊站在河邊，兩角都高，這角高過那角，更高的是後長的。 4 我見那公綿羊往西、往北、往南牴觸，獸在牠面前都站立不住，也沒有能救護脫離牠手的。但牠任意而行，自高自大。

這是伯沙撒王在位的第三年，也就是在夢到四怪獸的兩年之後，神繼續向但以理顯示將來要發生的事。神真的很愛但以理，愛到一個地步，不能不跟他分享世界的趨勢和權力的走向。就像當年神要滅掉所多瑪和蛾摩拉之前，耶和華說：「我所要做的事，豈可瞞著亞伯拉罕呢？（創18:17）」神的心是那樣渴望和祂所愛的人分享，我覺得這是很奇妙的一件事，也令人感到十分的溫馨。每個人都會有這樣的感受吧，有想要和好朋友分享的時候。

就像以西結被神的靈從巴比倫的迦巴魯河邊提到耶路撒冷的聖殿裡，但以理也是被神的靈從巴比倫提到書珊城外的烏萊河邊。以攔是挪亞之孫，閃的長子，他的領土即是古代的以攔。大約在今日伊朗的邊，與伊拉克的庫茲斯坦省相隣，是底格里斯河和伊朗高原之間的一片狹長高地，其首都是書珊城。以攔先為亞述打敗，後被波斯併吞，從一個獨立國變成波斯之一省。

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