於2017-06-05發佈


四大勢力─啟示錄   

我們繼續來研讀啟示錄七章1節:      

此後,我看見四位天使站在地的四角,執掌地上四方的風,叫風不吹在地上、海上,和樹上。 

正如我們上週所談到的,『地上四方的風』代表地上的四大勢力,其可以對一個文明國家帶來決定性的改變。這四大勢力分別是:軍事力量、宗教力量、政治力量,以及經濟力量。  

在歷史上我們看見第一個偉大歷史紀元是由軍事力量支配,這是征服者與大軍事帝國時代。在此時地上的大部分衝突都與軍事征服有關。 

下一個偉大文明紀元是由宗教力量支配,軍事服在興起的宗教力量之下。這些宗教力量包括中東與北非的伊斯蘭教,遠東地區的印度教,以及西方的天主教與基督教。 

此時期大約從公元300年開始,到了十字軍東征和奧圖曼帝國達到顛峰,大約在公元1050年到1500年間。在此時期,宗教領袖是全世界最有能力的人。大部分的戰爭都與宗教衝突有關。在西方世界,衝突幾乎都在基督教與伊斯蘭教之間,或在不同的基督教派別之間。 

接下來的文明紀元是由政治力量支配。此時期始於公元1200年間簽署大憲章,持續到二十世紀中期。這是偉大政治改變的時期,新的政府形式經由社會動亂而生,例如法國大革命、美國大革命,以及俄國大革命。 

在此期間,宗教與軍事力量服在政治勢力之下。雖然仍有一些宗教與軍事戰爭,但全面性的社會改革幾乎都出於政治衝突。 

在每一個時期之間一般都有過渡時期,有時超過數百年。在二十世紀一開始,我們進入一個新的偉大文明時期─是由經濟力量支配。此改變是由第一次世界大戰所點燃,其應驗了聖經的預言,說到地上的君王將被摧毀。在第一次世界大戰前,大部分的王國都是經由皇家血脈來繼承王位。在大戰之後,還存留的君王只不過是名義上的,並沒有真正的勢力。 

俄國大革命是一場政治與經濟革命,從一開始的政治勢力改變成經濟勢力。雖然第二次世界大戰是由種族主義最邪惡之彰顯所驅使而點燃的,但二次大戰更多受到經濟征服所驅動。日本攻打美國,便是因為他們認為我們的經濟禁運政策,是一種對抗他們的『戰爭行動』。   

在中古世紀期間,打仗是為了強加宗教旨意在敵軍身上。在上一個偉大紀元,打仗是為了強加政治旨意在敵軍身上,現在我們打仗則是為了強加經濟旨意在他人身上。冷戰是一場很真實的戰爭,它卻是一場經濟大戰,為銀行與經濟政策而戰勝過軍事力量。近期的波斯灣戰爭則是由經濟利益所引起,要不然西方國家是不會投入其中的。 

瞭解到我們正處在經濟紀元,促使我在過去幾十年間花許多時間研讀經濟。我知道我們需要瞭解時候,也知道多數人並沒有這樣的時間研讀,我不斷嘗試濃縮並分享我長時間研讀的精華。我嘗試讓人們只花幾小時就可以吸收數年的內容,也有其他人起來做同樣的事,分享其他當代的關鍵議題。 

所有地上的風都有它們的個別時期,但我們已經進入一個時期,所有的軍事、宗教與政治勢力都會服在經濟勢力之下。為什麼這很重要?因為我們看見『獸的印記』便是一個經濟勢力。 

他又叫眾人,無論大小、貧富、自主的、為奴的,都在右手上或是在額上受一個印記。 

除了那受印記、有了獸名或有獸名數目的,都不得做買賣(啟示錄13:16-17)。 

在啟示錄七章1-3節,四位天使被差派阻止『地上四方的風』,直等到他們印了神眾僕人的額。我們看見會有一個時期,『地上四方的風』會比較靜止不吹,因此會有一段相對平靜的時間,直等到主印了祂的眾僕人。 

下週我們會談到為眾僕人封印現在正如何發生。      

(摘自喬納 word for the week,Week19, 2017)
 

 
The Four Great Powers—The Book of Revelation
Week 19, 2017
Rick Joyner

         We continue this study with Revelation 7:1:

          “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the  earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.”

         As we touched on last week, the “four winds of the earth” are the earth’s four great powers that can bring sweeping and profound changes to a civilization. These four are: military power, religious power, political power, and economic power.

         We see historically that the first great historical epoch was dominated by military power. This was the age of the conquerors and great military empires. Most of the conflicts on earth at that time were about military conquest.

         The next great civilizational epoch was dominated by religion, and the military became subservient to the emerging religious powers. These religious powers included Islam in the Middle East and North Africa, Hinduism in the Far East, and Catholicism and Protestantism in the West.

         This period emerged about 300 AD and reached its peak during the Crusades and the Ottoman Empire from about 1050 to 1500 AD. The religious leaders were the most powerful men in the world during this time. Most wars were religious conflicts. In the West, the conflict was mostly between Christendom and Islam, or between the different emerging sects of Christendom.

         The next great civilizational epoch was dominated by politics. This period began about the time of the signing of the Magna Carta during the 1200s. It continued through the mid-twentieth century. This was a time of great political change, when new forms of government were born through social upheavals, such as the French, American, and Bolshevik revolutions.

         During this time, the religious and military powers became subservient to political forces. There were still religious and military wars, but the sweeping social changes were almost all the result of political conflicts.

         The transition between each of these great epochs was general, sometimes unfolding over hundreds of years. During the beginning of the twentieth century, we shifted into a new great civilizational epoch—the one dominated by economic power. This change was ignited by World War I, which fulfilled biblical prophecies that spoke of the time when the kings of the earth would be destroyed. Before World War I, most nations were ruled by kings who inherited their power through royal bloodlines. After this war, the remaining kings were mere figureheads with no real power.

         The Bolshevik Revolution was both a political and an economic revolution, marking the beginning of the shift in power from the political to the economic. World War II was ignited and driven to a degree by the most evil manifestation of racism, but it was driven even more by economic conquest. Japan attacked America because they considered our economic embargo an “act of war” against them.

         During the Middle Ages, wars were fought to impose religious will on the enemy. During the last great epoch, wars were fought to impose political will. We now fight wars to impose our economic will on others. The Cold War was a very real war, but it was an economic war. It was fought and won more by banks and economic policies than by military power. The recent Gulf Wars were mostly fueled by economic interests, or the Western nations would not have engaged in them.

         Understanding that we are in the economic epoch compelled me to spend much time studying economics over the last few decades. I knew it was necessary to understand the times. Knowing that most do not have the kind of time I’ve had to study, I constantly try to condense and share what took me so long to grasp. I try to do this in a form that others can absorb in hours instead of years. Others have been raised up to do the same for this and other key issues of the times.

        All these “winds of the earth” have had their time, but we have emerged into a time when the military, religious, and political powers are becoming subservient to economic powers. Why is this important? We see that the “mark of the beast” is an economic power:

And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their forehead

and he provides that no one should be able to buy, sell or trade, except the one who has the mark (Revelation 13:16-17).

         In Revelation 7:1-3, the four angels are sent to hold back the “four winds of the earth” until they have sealed the bondservants of God on their foreheads. We see that there will be a time that the "four great winds of the earth" will be in relative abeyance, and so there will be relative peace until the Lord has sealed His bondservants.

        Next week we will cover how the sealing of the bondservants is taking place now.