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Heaven Always Gets the Last Laugh

2020-06-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 11:1-19.  Many consider this chapter to be the most difficult chapter in the book of Revelation to interpret.  Let’s go!

Revelation 11:1-2 (NIV) 
1  I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there.
2  But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

On verses 1-2:  In John’s vision John receives a reed like a measuring rod and is told to measure the temple of God and the altar as well as to count the worshipers there (v1).  John is told not to include the outer court in his measurements, because “it has been given to the Gentiles” who “will trample on the holy city for 42 months” (v2).  The holy city is most likely a reference to the city of Jerusalem.

What does this mean?   When a person is told by God to measure something in the Bible, often it means that either that person or God (or both) will own and take possession of the thing being measured.  For example, “God told Abram to walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you” (Genesis 13:17) 

以色列的国家队

2020-06-11 in /by

民数记 2章 34节   以色列人就这样行，各人照他们的家室、宗族归于本纛，安营起行，都是照耶和华所吩咐摩西的。

在《创世记》 里告诉我们「在起初」发生的重大事件，其中「架构出、规范」了人类历史发展的总体方向和路线，包括：耶和华神的创造、人类的犯罪，人离开神、土地受咒诅、人类文明的「自行发展」、耶和华神的毁灭与「历史的终结」。接着，就是「救赎」历史的开展，由亚伯拉罕肩负「修复」世界的任务，再由耶和华神「确立」出一条神圣产业「血脉传承」的系谱，也就是亚伯拉罕–以撒–雅各这条「主线」，以「确保」修复世界、回到起初的总工程可以被「延续」下去，不致中断。

在《出埃及记》里，再次强力证明了《创世记》的信息：耶和华神是创造天地宇宙万物的主宰，祂定意要执行「修复」世界的国度计画。所以，以色列百姓被领出埃及后，很快地来到西奈山与耶和华神「相认」，拿到一张新的「国民身分证」，要成为『祭司的国度，圣洁的子民，在万民中做专属耶和华的子民』；另外还领取一份「永恒的婚约」，就是神的圣法：十诫及一切的典章、律例、法度，统称为「妥拉」。

这是人类历史上，耶和华神 (首度) 将祂的「整套圣法」系统性地授予一个特定的人类社群。因此《出埃及记》的结尾，也是《出埃及记》的巅峰和「完成」，就提到了会幕的竖立和完工，让神的荣耀 (在人类犯罪以后)，首次得以在一个人类团体里面「居住和同在」，这代表耶和华神初步「恢复」了祂与人类「在起初」的同住状态。

Born to Be a Blessing

2020-06-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 10:1-7.  Let’s go!

Revelation 10:1-4 (NIV) 
1  Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.
2  He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,
3  and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.
4  And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”

On verses 1-4:  Revelation is full of strange and awesome creatures: living creatures, fallen angels, the scariest locusts ever conceived, crazy “horses”, the list goes on.  Sometimes I think that if Pokemon could be transported into the world of Revelation, Pikachu, Charmander and all their Pokemon friends would look at some of the creatures in Revelation and think, “They’re so weird.” 

洁净与不洁净之动物

2020-06-10 in /by

利未记11章45节   我是把你们从埃及地领出来的耶和华，要做你们的神，所以你们要圣洁，因为我是圣洁的。

民以食为天，谈到饮食精神就来了。在起初，神把蔬菜和水果赐人为食物；灭世洪水后，神又把鱼和动物赐给人为食物。在《创世记》一章29-30节，神说：「看哪，我将遍地上一切结种子的菜蔬和一切树上所结有核的果子，全赐给你们做食物。至于地上的走兽和空中的飞鸟，并各样爬在地上有生命的物，我将青草赐给牠们做食物。」

《创世记》9章2-4节，神对挪亚和他的儿子们说：「凡地上的走兽和空中的飞鸟，都必惊恐，惧怕你们，连地上一切的昆虫并海里一切的鱼，都交付你们的手。凡活着的动物，都可以做你们的食物，这一切我都赐给你们，如同菜蔬一样。唯独肉带着血，那就是牠的生命，你们不可吃。」

一直到以色列人出埃及后，摩西才在《利未记》11章记载神在食物方面的要求，神才告诉世人原来动物和鱼类有洁净不洁净之分别。洁净不洁净究竟是指什么呢？神没有明示，但是我相信若要一一列出原因，可能再给摩西120年的性命也写不完。我们在神的面前都像个幼童，在神那浩瀚的知识领域里惊讶不己。多数时候，选择顺服比抗议有智慧，因为在专家面前逞强有什么意思？

最近张文亮教授写了几篇文章，让我们可以稍微明白动物不洁净的意思。在此节录一些与大家分享。上帝为什么不要人吃「骆驼」？/ 为什么不能吃沙番？/ 为什么上帝认为兔子不洁净？

膏立祭司

2020-06-09 in /by

利未记8章5节     摩西告诉会众说：「这就是耶和华所吩咐当行的事。」

有人问，在居家隔离这段时间里，除了睡觉吃饭，你有没有利用时间提升自己？有的人觉得居家隔离就好像在旷野里，想要什么没有什么，想做什么也都提不起劲。但也有些人利用这段时间做了一些平常没有时间做的事，把在旷野的生活过得充实又有意义。有的人快乐地陪伴家人，享受与父母或儿女的相处，有的人拚命玩游戏，有的人和配偶吵架大打出手而离异。

旷野是一样的，但是怎样面对它的心态非常重要。有的人以为当基督徒不能做很多世俗的事很无聊，可是当你看摩西被神使用时之忙碌，你就晓得无聊不在跟随神的人之字典里。摩西做好会幕之后，下一步会是什么？

神对摩西说：「你将亚伦和他儿子一同带来，并将圣衣，膏油，与赎罪祭的一只公牛，两只公绵羊，一筐无酵饼都带来，又招聚会众到会幕门口。」摩西就照耶和华所吩咐的行了，于是会众聚集在会幕门口，告诉会众：「这就是耶和华所吩咐当行的事。」。神要摩西去膏立亚伦和他的儿子们承接祭司的职份。

神没有拣选摩西和其后裔作为祭司，摩西的后裔和其他利未人一样负责帮助祭司，照顾会幕的事。假如换了别人，会不会想为自己的儿女或后裔争取比较好的职位或差事呢？人总是要计较自己的工作或收入，夫妻之间也要计较谁是头，但是神的安排让人明白，每一种工作和职份都是平等的，只是工作的性质不同。

所以在摩西膏立祭司这件事，每一件事都带着这一句话：「都是照耶和华所吩咐摩西的。」摩西完完全全地顺服神的每一句话，让我们看到摩西对神的敬畏和忠心，表现在每一件事的细心上。从把把冠冕戴在亚伦头上，在冠冕的前面钉上金牌；为亚伦的儿子们洗身，给他们穿上内袍，束上腰带，包上裹头巾，都是照耶和华所吩咐摩西的。

A Matter of Your Heart, Not Your Circumstances

2020-06-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 9:1-21.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-11:  If there was any passage in the Bible that resembled a science fiction movie, it’s these 11 verses.  What is going on here? The fifth angel sounds his trumpet, which then triggers “a star that had fallen from the sky” to appear. Apparently this star is not an actual star from space, but a fallen angel who is referred to as “he” in verse 2.  This fallen star (or fallen angel) is given the key to “the Abyss”.  While “the Abyss” sounds like some kind of space craft, it is not clear what the Abyss is.  We do know that when the fallen angel opens the Abyss, enough smoke comes out of the Abyss to darken the sun and sky.  After that, the most powerful and scariest looking locusts come out of the Abyss.

Unlike the locusts that God sent in the book of Exodus who ate of all of Egypt’s vegetation, the sole purpose of these much scarier locusts was “not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree” (v4), but to hunt down those who have not been marked by God with a seal and torturing them for five months.

The leader of these locusts is “the angel of the Abyss” (v11).  It is very probable that “the angel of the Abyss” in verse 11 and the fallen star in verse 1 are the same person.  His name (Abaddon in Hebrew or Apollyon in Greek) means “Destroyer”.  Thus many commentators believe that this angel of the Abyss, this fallen star, is none other than Satan himself.

建造会幕

2020-06-09 in /by

出埃及记35章29节    以色列人，无论男女，凡甘心乐意献礼物给耶和华的，都将礼物拿来，做耶和华藉摩西所吩咐的一切工。

不晓得你有没有参与过建立教堂的圣工？我倒是参与了一次，因为建立教堂不是常有的事，很多教堂早就建好了，所以有幸参与一次也算很难得了。那是温哥华华人宣道会预备建立菲莎仑教堂时，我们在牧师的带领下，大家在一块尚未动工的土上一起祷告，看老牧师拿着铲子意思一下地铲了土。从那时起到菲莎仑教堂完工，就像看着一个梦想的形成和实现，感受神从无到有的奇妙作为。

当然，从牧师和长执会有这个异象之后，就跟会众分享，大家有了共识之后，就开始有信心认献。信心认献的意思是，自己回家祷告，看看神给你有多少信心，今年里可以为建堂奉献多少。不是看自己每个月赚的，也不是看你的存款，而是看神怎样感动你，就凭著信心写下那个数目交给教会，然后看神怎样在今年祝福你达成那个指标。参加这样的信心挑战是信徒生活里极为重要的功课。

摩西在旷野里的经历更刺激，旷野里实在没有什么资源，但是神要摩西在旷野里建一座神的会幕。建会幕需要有布，有木头，有钉子，有金子，有银和铜和各样的材料。除了木材可以就地取柴，砍皂夹木之外，旷野里就是一片沙漠。

但是你记得当以色列人出埃及时，神叫他们向埃及人尽量索取，四百年的奴役生涯，要付多少赔偿才算公平呢？因此每一家以色列人都有不少的家当。但是神并没有要摩西叫以色列人拿出什么。相反地，他说：「耶和华所吩咐的是这样：你们中间要拿礼物献给耶和华，凡乐意献的，可以拿耶和华的礼物来…….(出35:5)」假如不乐意或舍不得，神也不会拿你的。

Don’t Try to Fight God

2020-06-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 8:1-13.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-13:  When the Lamb opens the seventh seal, there is about a half hour of silence.  Then heaven launches a series of attack against the earth.  First an angel takes a gold censer and fills it with fire from an altar where incense (representing the prayers of God’s people) is burning.  That angel hurls the gold censer onto the earth.  Not only does this cause peals of thunder, rumblings, lightning and an earthquake to occur, but this also seems to trigger the next series of attacks, where one by one seven angels each with a trumpet in hand blow their trumpet to call forth a specific attack from heaven on the earth.  Chapter 7 describes what happens when the first four angels with trumpets blow their horns.

After the first trumpet sounds, hail and fire mixed with blood are hurled onto the earth, burning up a third of the earth as well as a third of all trees and green grass (v7).

After the second trumpet sounds, a huge mountain is thrown into the sea, causing a third of the sea to turn into blood, a third of marine wildlife to die and a third of the ships to be destroyed (v8-9).

After the third trumpet sounds, a great blazing star called Wormwood is hurled onto a third of the rivers, causing a third of the waters to turn bitter, killing many people who drank from it (v10-11).

使我可以认识祢

2020-06-07 in /by

出埃及记33章13节  我如今若在祢眼前蒙恩，求祢将祢的道指示我，使我可以认识祢，好在祢眼前蒙恩。

在〈出埃及记〉里有极大部份都是在讲述神对以色列国的计划和律例典章。神拣选以色列人，虽然摩西曾经在埃及王宫里学到很多知识，但是神要建立的国不是一个像埃及那样的国度，神要建立的是一个属祂的国度，有别于世上其他的国家，这个国家的标准是以神的标准为尺度， 神要建立一个归祂做祭司的国度，其中的百姓是圣洁的国民。圣洁是指灵性上的专一。

神让摩西邀请七十个长老和亚伦、拿答、亚比户父子三人，一同上山敬拜神。神的命令是：「你和亚伦、拿答、亚比户，并以色列长老中的七十人，都要上到我这里来，远远地下拜。唯独你可以亲近耶和华，他们却不可亲近，百姓也不可和你一同上来。(出24:1-2)」摩西记载：「他们看见以色列的神，祂脚下仿佛有平铺的蓝宝石，如同天色明净。祂的手不加害在以色列的尊者身上。他们观看神，他们又吃又喝。(出24:10-11)」在这段记载里，虽然说他们看见以色列的神，其实看到的只是祂脚下仿佛有平铺的蓝宝石。因为神对摩西说：「你不能看见我的面，因为人见我的面不能存活。(出33:20)」在这段经文里要表现的是，神希望这些人能感受到祂的同在，明白祂的真实。

然后摩西独自上山四十天，领受神对以色列国的蓝图和会幕的制造。摩西带着满怀的兴奋和两块神亲自写成的法版下山，想把这建国的好消息和百姓分享，不料百姓却在拜一只金牛犊，并且宣称它是带领他们出埃及的神。

The Power of Jesus’ Blood

2020-06-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 7:1-17.  Let’s go!

Revelation 7:1 (NIV) 
1  After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.

On verse 1:  After the sixth seal is broken, John sees four angels holding back “the four winds of the earth” (v1), effectively stopping any wind from blowing on the earth.  According to some scientists, if there was no more wind on the earth, much of the earth would become uninhabitable, temperatures on the earth would become either extremely hot or extremely cold, mass migration would lead to coastal regions being heavily populated, marine life would die, widespread famine would occur and many people would not be able to survive.

Similarly, we need the wind of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Without the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus likens to a wind (see John 3:8), our spiritual lives would dry out.