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Loved For A Thousand Years and More

2020-06-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 20:1-15.  Let’s go!

Revelation 20:1-3 (NIV) 
1  And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.
2  He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
3  He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. 

On verses 1-3:  Previously in Revelation 9 we read of “the angel of the Abyss” (9:11) who was also called a “fallen star” and given the key to the Abyss (19:1).  Many commentators believe this angel is Satan himself.  Here in Revelation 20:1 John sees another angel coming down out of heaven possessing the key to the Abyss and holding a great chain.  This angel seizes the red dragon Satan, throws him into the Abyss, locks and seals the Abyss, so that Satan cannot deceive the nations for 1,000 years.  After the 1,000 years are over, verse 3 says that Satan “must be set free for a short time”.

摩西上尼波山

2020-06-22 in /by

申命记34章4  -5节   耶和华对他说：「这就是我向亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各起誓应许之地，说：『我必将这地赐给你的后裔。』现在我使你眼睛看见了，你却不得过到那里去。」于是，耶和华的仆人摩西死在摩押地，正如耶和华所说的。

米利暗和亚伦相继去世后，摩西又面对了几件大事。一是沿途的作战，二是铸造铜蛇，三是在不知不觉时中了摩押人的诡计。

以色列人两三百万人浩浩荡荡，又有神蹟相随，但是迦南人也不是省油的灯，那么多人进迦南，就等于要立国了。所以迦南人找他们打仗，附近的亚摩利人也跟他们打，巴珊王也出来打他们。这些人就是10个探子口中高大的强人，使以色列人看起来像蚱蜢般的伟人，所以神对摩西说：「不要怕他。因我已将他和他的众民，并他的地，都交在你手中。」事情就这样成了。

虽然神不许以色列人侵犯摩押的地，摩押却以小人之心度君子之腹，去找了一个出名的术士巴兰来咒诅以色列人。但是在神的干预之下，巴兰对以色列人的咒诅都变成了祝福。后来巴兰向摩押王献计。摩押王就约了亚扪人，利用美人计去吊诱以色列的男人犯奸淫，又带他们去拜偶像，得罪耶和华。以玫耶和华对以色列人发怒，直到非尼哈出手杀死一个以色列人和亚扪的一个公主，神的愤怒才止息。

铜蛇是因为以色列人又抱怨食物的淡薄，神因而叫火蛇去咬他们。他们也知罪了:「我们怨讟耶和华和你，有罪了。求你祷告耶和华，叫这些蛇离开我们。」因此神要摩西铸一条铜蛇，凡仰望它的就必痊愈。这个铜蛇喻表耶稣将要被高举在十字架上，凡仰望祂救恩的人，就可以出死入永生。

Meet the One Who Wins in the End

2020-06-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 19:11-21.  There are so many powerful truths about Jesus that we can learn from this passage.  Let’s go!

Revelation 19:11 (NIV) 
11  I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.
 
On verse 11:  Here John sees an awesome picture of Jesus.  In the Gospel of John 12:14-15, John described Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, which is what kings would ride on during peace time.  Now when we see Jesus on a white war horse, it’s because Jesus means war.  The suffering servant who died to bring us peace is now the conquering king who lives to judge with justice and fight his enemies. 
 
Also, in verses 11 through 16, we will learn 4 names of Jesus.  The first name is here: Faithful and True.  Like you and me, Jesus is known by His character.

Revelation 19:12a (NIV) 
12  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns.

与天父会面

2020-06-19 in /by

约翰福音一章12节     凡接待祂的，就是信祂名的人，祂就赐他们权柄做神的儿女。

父亲节就在眼前了，当神的儿女称神为「天父」的时候，你知道这意味着什么吗？

基督徒称神为父的属灵含意有五方面：

1. 我们与神有亲密关系。你们既为儿子，神就差祂儿子的灵进入你们的心，呼叫：「阿爸！父！」(加4:6)

2. 神关心和照顾我们的一切需要。

    你们不可效法他们，因为你们没有祈求以先，你们所需用的，你们的父早已知道了。(太:8)

3. 我们遵从神的旨意，以好行为荣耀祂。

我见你的儿女有照我们从父所受之命令遵行真理的，就甚欢喜。(约二:4)

4.  当我们犯错时，神会管教我们。

你们又忘了那劝你们如同劝儿子的话说：「我儿，你不可轻看主的管教，被他责备的时候也不可灰心。(希12:5)

5. 神给我们预备了永恒的产业。

得胜的，必承受这些为业：我要做他的神，他要做我的儿子。(启21:7)

You Are Righteous and Radiant Because of

2020-06-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 19:1-10.  Let’s go!

Revelation 19:1-4 (NIV) 
1  After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 
2  for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” 
3  And again they shouted: “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.” 
4  The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!”

On verses 1-4:  Earlier in Revelation 17-18 we read of Babylon, a prostitute who according to many commentators symbolizes the spirit of false religion that is all about man thinking he can reach God on his own effort.  In Revelation 17, Babylon’s fall is predicted.  In Revelation 18, we read of how the kings and merchants who dealt with Babylon will mourn after her death.  Now in Revelation 19 we hear heaven’s response to Babylon’s fall. 

Last Kingdom Standing 

2020-06-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 18:1-24.  Let’s go!

Revelation 18:1-3 (NIV) 
1  After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.
2  With a mighty voice he shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.
3  For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.” 

On verses 1-3:  In Revelation 17 we read about a drunk prostitute dressed in fine clothes, riding on a beast.  We learned that this woman is called Babylon the Great and, according to many commentators, represents a spirit of false religion that is all about man thinking he can reach God by his own effort.  At the end of chapter 17 we learned that Babylon would be burned alive by the very kings who used her and slept with her.  Now in chapter 18 is heaven’s description of her demise and how various groups including kings, merchants, and sea captains will respond to her death.

摩西在米利巴击磐出水

2020-06-18 in /by

民数记20章12节   耶和华对摩西、亚伦说：「因为你们不信我，不在以色列人眼前尊我为圣，所以你们必不得领这会众进我所赐给他们的地去。」

从西乃山到加低斯仅需要11天的路程，但是从加低斯到约旦河，以色列人飘流了37年6个月。在出埃及后的第四十年，以色列人再度安营在加低斯。在这一年里米利暗，亚伦和摩西相继离世。

加低斯，一个印满了以色列人足迹之地，是西奈半岛北部最大的绿洲，位于连接亚喀巴湾与地中海的通道附近。加低斯的旷野(The Wilder-ness of Kadesh)，是别是巴以南沙漠中的绿洲和聚居地。这里是耶和华应许赐给以色列人为业的迦南地之南界。

以色列人在此地飘流了近38年后，再度碰到缺水的问题，也再度聚集攻击摩西和亚伦。这些以色列人和倒闭在旷野中的上一代以色列人一样，碰到问题就埋怨，就攻击摩西，又想着埃及，因为那里有各样的果树，是奴隶也有果子吃，宁可生生世世做奴隶 ! 这样的态度终于使世上最谦和的摩西发怒了。

摩西、亚伦招聚会众到磐石前。摩西说：「你们这些背叛(悖逆)的人听我说：我为你们使水从这磐石中流出来吗？(出20:10)」摩西举手，用杖击打磐石两下，就有许多水流出来，会众和他们的牲畜都喝了。这水名叫米利巴水，是因以色列人向耶和华争闹，耶和华就在他们面前显为圣。

摩西第一次大骂以色列人悖逆，他不再忍了。他用杖击打磐石两下，大概非常用力。他破功了。真的破功了。

可拉的叛乱

2020-06-17 in /by

民数记17章8节  第二天，摩西进法柜的帐幕去。谁知利未族亚伦的杖已经发了芽，生了花苞，开了花，结了熟杏。

〈民数记〉16章所记载的可拉一党的叛乱，是大家耳熟能详的故事，让我们看到摩西面对的挑战一级级地加重。旷野里的生活就好像人的一生，不停地受到挑战，让我们来看看摩西怎样面对这个局面。

犹太拉比根据犹太经典Midrash(释经书)里的资料，作出了一些分析。可拉之所以背叛摩西与亚伦的原因，至少有四项因素：1,沉湎于自身的家世背景，2,贪图祭司的职分，3,不服神所设立的代表权柄，4,怀着不信的恶心 。

1,沉湎于自身的家世背景：可拉是利未支派哥辖次子以斯哈的长子（出6:21），因此他与摩西、亚伦在辈分上称得上是平起平坐，并且是他们堂兄弟中最年长的，所以当他未受摩西重用时，心中十分恼怒。尤其比他年幼的平辈以利撒反－乌薛的次子（出6:22）被任命为哥辖宗族的首领（民3:30），而不是他时，他感到屈辱不平。

2,贪图祭司的职分：比可拉年幼的几位晚辈－亚伦的四个儿子，拿答、亚比户、以利亚撒和以他玛都是受膏的祭司，承接圣职供祭司职分，而他这个长辈却未被授予祭司的职分，心中当然忿忿不平。（他不明白这是神的拣选。）

三、不服神所设立的代表权柄 :由于心中长期以来累积的种种不满，对于神所设立的代表权柄摩西与亚伦，自然心生怨怼，认为他们两人高擡自己，超过耶和华的会众，并且常凭己意行事。（例如亚伦的四个儿子都承接圣职供祭司职分，他认为一定是因为亚伦是摩西的哥哥，所以摩西才如此安排。）可拉没有看见耶和华的权柄，他以为这是个人的问题。

四、怀着不信的恶心 ：由于心中不服神所设立的权柄，故进而对于神藉摩西所颁布的律法也产生怀疑。他认为神在西乃山上只有颁布十条诫命，其余所谓的律例、典章、法度等都是摩西杜撰的，为要借着这些律例来统治他们。

The Woman on the Beast

2020-06-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 17:1-18.  Let’s go!

Revelation 17:1-2 (NIV) 
1  One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. 
2  With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.” 

On verses 1-2:  The key to properly interpreting the book of Revelation is correctly identifying the characters that appear in the book.  Who is “the great prostitute, who sits on many waters” (v1), who committed adultery with the kings of the earth and intoxicated earth’s inhabitants with her adulteries (v2)?  Many commentators believe that this great prostitute represents false religion.  What false religion are we talking about?  In this sharing, I will use the term “false religion” to mean every system of belief in the world that preaches that man by his own effort can reach God or become his own God.  The great prostitute of false religion has affected people all over the world for millennia.  It gives people a false hope and a false comfort that can be fairly described as “adultery” (v2a), for it involves running away from depending on God to save us by the means of His Son Jesus and running into the arms of a false religious system that is all about one’s own effort and exalting oneself.  The comfort of this false religion is like the false comfort of being “intoxicated” (v2b) in that the comfort is fleeting and does not last. 
 

摩西打发探子去迦南

2020-06-16 in /by

民数记14章 18节  耶和华不轻易发怒，并有丰盛的慈爱，赦免罪孽和过犯，万不以有罪的为无罪，必追讨他的罪，自父及子，直到三四代。

在教堂关闭的日子里，我们特别需要信心，尤其明白自己的信心究竟是在哪里？在教堂里吗？在牧师身上吗？在小组长身上吗？或是，神的殿就在你心中？

我觉得读摩西的事蹟，越读就越羡幕他和神的关系，这也是每日亲近神想带给读者的信息，我们的信心来自于我们与神的关系；我们若经常亲近神，信心很自然就产生；我们若不亲近神，信心要从何产生呢？今天就是要看两种人的信心，为何一组有信心，一组没有信心，而且处在同样的大环境下，为何大多数人会没有信心？只有少数人有对耶和华神的信心？

在〈民数记〉的记载里，神吩咐摩西打发探子去窥探迦南地；在〈申命记〉一章里记载 … 摩西说，「你们都就近我来说：『我们要先打发人去，为我们窥探那地，将我们上去该走何道，必进何城，都回报我们。(申1:22)』」可见大家都非常兴奋，都希望看看神所应许的迦南地是怎样的？那时正是葡萄初熟的时候。

四十天后，12个探子回来，他们到了以实各谷，从那里砍了葡萄树的一枝，上头有一挂葡萄，两个人用杠抬着，又带了些石榴和无花果来(民13:23)。他们手里拿着那地的果子下来，回报说：『耶和华我们的神所赐给我们的是美地。(申1:25)』又告诉摩西说：「我们到了你所打发我们去的那地，果然是流奶与蜜之地。(民13:27)」12个探子都印证了神的话之真实。