预言的应验

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以西结书 38:23  我必显为大，显为圣，在多国人的眼前显现，他们就知道我是耶和华。

阅读经文：以西结书  38:1-23

1耶和华的话临到我说： 2 「人子啊，你要面向玛各地的歌革，就是罗施、米设、土巴的王发预言攻击他， 3 说：『主耶和华如此说：罗施、米设、土巴的王歌革啊，我与你为敌。 4 我必用钩子钩住你的腮颊，调转你，将你和你的军兵、马匹、马兵带出来，都披挂整齐，成了大队，有大小盾牌，各拿刀剑。 5 波斯人、古实人和弗人各拿盾牌，头上戴盔， 6 歌篾人和他的军队，北方极处的陀迦玛族和他的军队，这许多国的民都同着你。

以西结书第37章是一个高点，提到以色列的复兴与合一，与神立永约。纵然以色列人已经没有盼望，但神仍然可以使他们枯骨复活，神说有可能。当进入第38至39章，是另一个高潮。在自然界的角度是预言以色列会复国，灵界的角度是指神的国要临到，神要在地上掌权，神与百姓立永约。

以色列复国之后，同样要面对黑暗的权势，也面对列国与她之间的争战，今天的以色列与世界上许多国家也不和，每一天都在打仗。灵界中神的国亦要面对黑暗的权势，是魔鬼撒但的权势，撒但不断抢夺神的荣耀，要把神光明的国度摧毁，所以我们看到有两个国度在争战，是光明与黑暗的争战。

但神有心意，我们要感恩，因这争战是神容许的，甚至是神主导的，目的是迈向终极的复兴，使黑暗权势在这争战之后完全被消灭。所以这一章圣经直接指向《启示录》第20章，就是神的国临到，以色列复兴，会透过争战迈向大复兴，就是这一章的重点。

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Work Hard and Play Hard WITH God, not without Him

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Ecclesiastes 2:1-11.  In case you’re wondering, since I believe that Qohelet, the main speaker  in Ecclesiastes, is best identified as Solomon, I will refer to him interchangeably as Qohelet or Solomon.  Let’s go!

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 (NIV)
1  I thought in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.
2  “Laughter,” I said, “is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?”
3  I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly–my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.

On verses 1-11:  After focusing so much on gaining and studying wisdom and coming up empty (Ecclesiastes 1:12-18), Solomon shifts his focus to amassing wealth and pursuing pleasure.  Solomon claims that his goal was “to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.” (v3)  Pastor-author Douglas Sean O’Donnell puts it this way: in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 Solomon searches for satisfaction in 4 places: the pub, the garden, the treasury, and the bedroom.

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两根木杖接连为一

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以西结书 37:17  你要使这两根木杖接连为一，在你手中成为一根。

阅读经文：以西结书  37:15-28

15耶和华的话又临到我说： 16 「人子啊，你要取一根木杖，在其上写『为犹大和他的同伴以色列人』。又取一根木杖，在其上写『为约瑟，就是为以法莲，又为他的同伴以色列全家』。 17 你要使这两根木杖接连为一，在你手中成为一根。 18 你本国的子民问你说：『这是什么意思，你不指示我们吗？』 19 你就对他们说：『主耶和华如此说：我要将约瑟和他同伴以色列支派的杖，就是那在以法莲手中的，与犹大的杖一同接连为一，在我手中成为一根。』 20 你所写的那两根杖要在他们眼前拿在手中， 21 要对他们说：『主耶和华如此说：我要将以色列人从他们所到的各国收取，又从四围聚集他们，引导他们归回本地。

在迦巴鲁河边，当犹大被掳到巴比伦的人正在愁眉不展，为故国伤痛不已时，神借着以西结给他们带来了枯骨复生的预言，预言灵性早已死亡的以色列人（包括犹大人），都必在神的恩典里复得新的生命和新的灵。当他们的生命和灵魂都在主里复活时，以色列和犹大的统一就会来临。对神而言，这两个国是一个国，原都是雅各（以色列）的后裔，原是不应分开的。虽然以色列北国是指以色列的十个支派，犹大南国是指以色列的两个支派：犹大和便雅悯。但是它们应该是一个国家，不是两个国家，所以有一天，神要把它们重新整合，恢复大卫王在世的盛况，一个国家，就是以色列。

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以西结见枯骨复生

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以西结书 37:14a  我必将我的灵放在你们里面，你们就要活了。

阅读经文：以西结书  37:1-14

1耶和华的灵降在我身上，耶和华藉他的灵带我出去，将我放在平原中，这平原遍满骸骨。 2 他使我从骸骨的四围经过，谁知在平原的骸骨甚多，而且极其枯干。 3 他对我说：「人子啊，这些骸骨能复活吗？」我说：「主耶和华啊，你是知道的。」 4 他又对我说：「你向这些骸骨发预言说：『枯干的骸骨啊，要听耶和华的话！ 5 主耶和华对这些骸骨如此说：我必使气息进入你们里面，你们就要活了。 6 我必给你们加上筋，使你们长肉，又将皮遮蔽你们，使气息进入你们里面，你们就要活了，你们便知道我是耶和华。』」

这是以西结书很出名的一个异象。神的灵再次带以西结出去，把他放在一个满是骸骨的平原中。换了是你，会不会觉得很可怕呢？那里的骸骨不仅数目众多，而且极其枯干，表示那些人已经死了一段很长的时间。就好像亚伦用的手杖一样，已经枯干的木头，没有生命力，不可能再长芽了。但是神使亚伦的杖一夜之间，发芽、开花、结果。所以神问以西结，这些枯干的骸骨，有没有复活的可能？在人不可能，但是在神，没有不可能的事情。所以在这里，我们又发现另一个为什么神要人要知道祂是耶和华神的特质，唯有祂能使枯骨复活，重得生命。因为祂就是赐人生命的神。

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Can You Find Happiness by Pursuing Knowledge?

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Ecclesiastes 1:12-18.  Let’s go!

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 (NIV)
12  I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13  I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men!
14  I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
15  What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.
16  I thought to myself, “Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.”
17  Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
18  For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.
 
On verses 12-18:  In verse 12 Qohelet (the Teacher) confirms that he was king of Israel, ruling in Jerusalem.  Then in verses 13-15 Qohelet describes how he pursued wisdom and knowledge, yet it led him nowhere.  Despite trying to wisely explore everything that is done on the earth (v13), he found nothing that was truly meaningful; everything was just “a chasing after the wind” (v14).  Moreover, Qohelet found that there were certain problems that could not be solved (“what is twisted cannot be straightened” – v15) and certain questions where key information was lacking which made finding an answer impossible (“what is lacking cannot be counted” – v15).  Thus he concludes that pursuing wisdom and knowledge this way was “a heavy burden” that God had laid upon people (v13). 
 

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