於2016-09-10發佈


認識神道路的關鍵─啟示錄

這週我們將結束別迦摩教會的研讀,它位在『撒旦座位之處』,似乎打開了教會對地獄的最大門戶。我們研讀此,藉以將所學的功課應用在我們個人生命與時代中。當教會從逼迫到備受敬重,他們是如何回應的?倘若我們基督徒的身份在工作中被排擠,突然老闆信主,我們馬上升遷,我們個人要如何回應呢?我們需要在各個層面來看這些功課。

一當君士坦丁大帝信主後,羅馬政府認可教會內的某些宗派為合法教會,其他則為異端,稱其持有敗壞或錯誤的教導。被皇帝認可受特別待遇的教會,便開始逼迫其競爭對手,聲稱它們造成分裂。這引致制度化教會嚴重逼迫其他拒絕向其屈膝的基督徒,長達一千二百年之久。

在這段期間,教會加劇惡化,甚至禁止閱讀聖經。權柄為了將此合理化,便說一個人要瞭解聖經,必須經過高規格的訓練,沒有這樣訓練的人會扭曲經文,帶來分裂和異端。最後,任何沒有授權而閱讀聖經的人將被判死刑。耶穌對那些可以瞭解祂話語的人是怎麼說的?

那時,耶穌說:父啊,天地的主,我感謝祢!因為祢將這些事向聰明通達人就藏起來,向嬰孩就顯出來(馬太福音11:25

在基督裡的新信徒比這世界的聰明人更瞭解祂的話,因為單純與謙卑是瞭解主道路的基本關鍵,所以當制度化教會強加唯有受高規格訓練才能讀聖經的教義,反而造成嚴重的教義曲解。當你研讀教會教義的發展,似乎在此時期沒有人真正為讀聖經感到困擾。倘若聖經被當時的人閱讀,是規定以拉丁文來閱讀,一般人是無法瞭解的。所有講道也是以拉丁文來講,以此方式,教會權柄掌管基督徒的生活,告訴他們要如何過活。

由於教會教義很快便與聖經的教導抵觸,最後演變成教皇的權柄取代聖經的權柄,此教義宣稱教會的領袖比初代使徒更進化成熟。教義變成以羅馬帝國的政治權宜之計為基礎,而教會權柄也與羅馬帝國結親。

教會如此的誘惑和腐敗,早在神賜給約翰的啟示中預言,我們未來會更詳盡談到。使徒也預先看見並寫下來,正如初代教父所寫的,他們是當時主十二門徒的直接門徒。他們預知但以理所寫的『行毀壞可憎者』,保羅稱其為『大罪人』,他說他會坐在神的殿裡,也就是教會。他們預先看見那是教會大大腐敗的時期,教會將成為一些最邪惡之人的座位。此『大罪人』將成為『人的罪』的化身。

當我們來看中古世紀制度化教會的歷史,在本質與教導上除了敵基督外很難想到別的,其教義和常規幾乎與基督的教導相反。在此期間,教會教義變成要成為教會成員才能得著救恩,因此逐出教會被視為一個終生處罰的判決。恐懼控制著人們,對神的信心已被教會權柄與神父所取代。

和這一樣糟的是,制度化教會有一些正面成就,使今日世界受惠於其中。在基督徒隨後的運動中發現,許多制度化教會所提倡的並不符合聖經,充滿敵基督本質,最後卻往往做了同樣的事,為什麼呢?

敵基督的靈如何能在教會中取得一席之地,亦是『耶穌基督的啟示』之一部分,它啟示在我們裡面都有著沈淪之子的根基,這也會支配著我們,若我們不連結於基督─祂十字架的恩典與能力。祂賜恩給謙卑的人,抵擋驕傲的人。去譴責別人、認為自己更好是很傲慢的事,若不是神的恩典,我們可能也會做同樣的事。

神的恩典使我們擁有祂的本質,首先我們需要承認,若沒有祂我們的本相為何,以及我們是何等需要祂的恩典。藉由歷史所發生的事,還有啟示錄所預言的,都呈現出一個信息,那就是我們沒有祂的真實本相,以及我們何等需要祂。那即是何以敵基督有這麼多內容被涵蓋在『耶穌基督的啟示』當中。

當我們看見那些宣稱是基督跟隨者所掉入的深層黑暗,我們必須將此謹記在心。我們需要使用此知識來謙卑自己,領悟到我們何等需要祂,不要傲慢自大,以為我們比他們更好。倘若我們擁有更多的恩典,也是那恩典─使我們不自誇或譴責他人,乃是在主前感恩與謙卑。

(摘自喬納 word for the week,Week33, 2016)

 
Keys to Knowing God's Ways—The Book of Revelation
Week 33, 2016
Rick Joyner

         This week we will complete our study of Pergamos that dwelt “where Satan’s throne is” and seemed to open the church to the biggest gates of hell. We study this to apply the lessons to our own lives and times. How has the church responded recently when they went from being persecuted to being respected? How would we personally respond if marginalized at work for being a Christian but then suddenly the head of the company gets converted and we are instantly promoted? We need to see these lessons on all levels.

         Soon after the conversion of Emperor Constantine, the government of Rome recognized certain factions within the church as the legitimate church and the others as sects, which it claimed had corrupt or false teachings. The favored church, recognized by the Emperor, began to persecute its rivals, claiming they were causing divisions. This led to an over one thousand two hundred year period of terrible persecution by the institutional church against other Christians who refused to bow the knee to it.

         During this period, the church exacerbated the darkness by forbidding the reading of the Scriptures. Authorities justified this by saying that to understand the Scriptures, one had to be highly trained and that anyone without this training would distort them, leading to divisions and heresies. Ultimately, it was capital punishment for anyone reading the Scriptures without authorization. What did Jesus say about who could understand His words?

         I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to babes (Matthew 11:25).

         New believers in Christ will understand His Word better than the wise in this world because innocence and humility are basic keys to understanding the Lord’s ways. So when the institutional church imposed the doctrine that only the highly trained could read the Scriptures, it resulted in the worst kind of doctrinal perversion. As you study the evolution of church doctrine, it seems that no one really bothered to read the Scriptures during this period. If the Scriptures were read to the people, it was mandated that they be read in Latin, which the common people did not understand. Then all sermons were given in Latin. In this way, authority over the lives of Christians was concentrated in church authorities who told the people how to live.

         Because virtually every church doctrine was soon in contradiction to what was taught in the Scriptures, it became doctrine that the Pope’s authority superseded Scripture’s authority. It was claimed that church leaders had evolved and matured beyond the understanding of the first apostles. Doctrine became based on what was politically expedient for the Empire and the church authorities now married to the Empire.

         This seduction and corruption of the church was foreseen in the revelation given to John, as we will cover in more detail later. The Apostles also foresaw and wrote about it, as did the early church fathers who were the direct disciples of the twelve apostles of the Lord. They foresaw “the abomination of desolation” written about by Daniel and called “the man of sin” by Paul, who said it would take its seat in the temple of the Lord, which is the church. They all foresaw a time of great corruption in the church that would become the seat of some of the worst evil of man. This “man of sin” would be the personification of the “sin of man.”

            As we look at the history of the institutional church in the Middle Ages, it is hard to imagine anything more antichrist in nature and teaching. Its doctrines and practices became almost exactly counter to the teachings of Christ. During this time, it became church doctrine that salvation was corporate and attained by being a member of the church. So excommunication was considered a sentence to eternal punishment. Fear was used to control the people, and faith in God was supplanted by a faith in church authorities and priests.  

         As bad as this was, that institutional church had some positive accomplishments that the world benefits from today. Subsequent movements among Christians that identified the unbiblical and antichrist nature of much of what the institutional church was promoting and doing usually ended up doing the same things. Why?

         The revelation of how such an antichrist spirit could take its seat in the church is part of “the revelation of Jesus Christ.” It reveals the foundations of the fallen nature of man that we all have in us, and this will dominate us too if we do not abide in Christ—His grace and the power of His cross. He gives His grace to the humble and resists the proud. It is a very arrogant thing to condemn others and consider ourselves as better when we almost certainly would do the same things in their place, except for the grace of God.

         The grace of God that enables us to take on His nature begins with acknowledging what we are without Him and how much we need His grace. What has transpired through history, and was foretold in Revelation, is a message of what we are without Him and how badly we need Him. That is why so much about the antichrist is included in the “revelation of Jesus Christ.”

         We must keep this in mind as we look at the deep darkness those claiming to be followers of Christ fell into. We need to use this knowledge to humble ourselves, realize how much we need Him, and not become prideful, thinking we are better than they were. If we have more grace it is grace—not a cause for boasting in ourselves or condemning others but to be thankful and humble before the Lord.