我們站立的時候─啟示錄
現在我們來看啟示錄九章 13-21節，第六位天使吹號與來自東方的大軍：
第六位天使吹號，我就聽見有聲音從神面前金壇的四角出來，
吩咐那吹號的第六位天使，說：把那捆綁在伯拉大河的四個使者釋放了。
那四個使者就被釋放；他們原是預備好了，到某年某月某日某時，要殺人的三分之一。
馬軍有二萬萬；他們的數目我聽見了。
我在異象中看見那些馬和騎馬的，騎馬的胸前有甲如火，與紫瑪瑙並硫磺。馬的頭好像獅子頭，有火、有煙、有硫磺從馬的口中出來。
口中所出來的火與煙並硫磺，這三樣災殺了人的三分之一。
這馬的能力是在口裡和尾巴上；因這尾巴像蛇，並且有頭用以害人。
其餘未曾被這些災所殺的人仍舊不悔改自己手所做的，還是去拜鬼魔和那些不能看、不能聽、不能走，金、銀、銅、木、石的偶像，
又不悔改他們那些兇殺、邪術、姦淫、偷竊的事。
使徒約翰對於現代武器毫無概念，他只能以熟悉的用語自然描繪，例如有火從獸的口中出來。整個場景似乎就像20世紀世界大戰的狀況，在那期間，人類的毀滅性武器大大倍增，數百萬人因而死亡。重點是人類沒有為他們所做的悔改，因此繼續朝著終極毀滅飛奔而去。
當我在美國海軍的航空母艦上服役時，我們被告知艦上的火力足以摧毀地球上所有生命。整個美國海軍的火力，足以摧毀世界25倍以上，這還不包括空軍發射核彈與飛彈的能力，也沒包括冷戰時期我軍或敵軍的火藥庫。邱吉爾哀悼人類的摧毀能力成長到足以摧毀全世界，卻沒有在相對的智慧或品格上成長來控制此能力。
我們長久以來處在最不安定的地方，有著有史以來最毀滅性的衝突，似乎向著全世界傾倒而下，儘管從二次大戰以來我們有一些戰爭，但它們仍有所克制與限制。這有沒有可能是主差派祂的天使停止地上四方的風之時，直到祂的僕人被印上印，正如啟示錄七章所言呢 ？若是如此，為神的僕人印上印便是此時所發生最重要的事件了。
整本聖經清楚指出有神的審判與神的忿怒，這些可能是特別恩典與憐憫耗盡的結果。然而，要怪罪於神的多半是人的所作所為，而非神的。在歷史與現今的一切災難，都是由於人類以為可以不要神來運轉世界的結果。它們可以更準確地被稱為『人的審判』，這些都是種與收定律的結果，而人類為自己栽種了壞的種子。
我們一切困難的終極答案在於人們轉向神，正如啟示錄所啟示，臨到世界的大災難通常不會讓人轉向神。相反的，他們的心會更為剛硬悖逆，只會讓災難不斷增加。即便如此，已經印上印的主的僕人也會帶來影響，正如我們將看到的。我們可以預期風會被釋放，破壞會增加，但在黑暗中會有大光，從破壞之處會有避難之城，有些地方會有避難之國。
所以說，安全無法在一個地方找到，而是在主裡。最安全的地方便是在神的旨意裡，無論我們所在的地理位置如何，主自己就是我們的保障。
我們必須謹記在心，當時候越黑暗，主應許彰顯祂的榮耀。最終，萬國要來就主子民的光輝，正如我們在以賽亞書六十章1-3節所看到的：
興起，發光！因為你的光已經來到！耶和華的榮耀發現照耀你。
看哪，黑暗遮蓋大地，幽暗遮蓋萬民，耶和華卻要顯現照耀你；祂的榮耀要現在你身上。
萬國要來就你的光，君王要來就你發現的光輝。
因此我們可以為這些時候來預備最重要的事情是：
1) 興起。為真理而站立，絕不向黑暗撤退。
2) 發光。以祂的榮耀來發光。
我們絕不要害怕從黑暗中站立出來，這是我們站立的時候，正如偉大聖徒在各個世代所做的一樣。
(摘自喬納 word for the week,Week29, 2017)
Our Time to Stand—The Book of Revelation
Week 29, 2017
Rick Joyner
Now we come to Revelation 9:13-21, the sixth trumpet and the army from the East:
Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet,
"Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."
So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind.
The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.
This is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone.
A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths.
For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.
The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;
and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.
The Apostle John would have had no concept of modern weapons and he would have naturally described them in familiar terms, such as beasts that spew fire out of their mouths. This entire scenario seems like the plight of the world through the World Wars of the 20th century. During that time, the destructive power of human weapons multiplied many times over and millions died. A key point to this is that mankind does not repent of what they have wrought, and therefore continue hurtling toward ultimate devastation.
When I served on an aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy, we were told that there was enough firepower on our ship to destroy all life on earth. In the entire U.S. Navy, there was enough to destroy the world twenty-five times or more. That did not include the Air Force’s capabilities with its nuclear bombers and ballistic missiles. Neither did it include the arsenals of our Cold War adversaries or allies. Winston Churchill lamented that mankind had grown in its destructing capabilities to the point where we could destroy the entire world, but had not grown in the corresponding wisdom or character to handle this power.
We have been in the most precarious place for a long time, with the most destructive conflicts of all time seeming to cascade down upon the world. Then something changed. The trend was toward increasingly devastating conflicts, and though we have had wars since World War II, they were contained and restrained. Could this be anything but the time when the Lord sends His angels to hold back the four winds of the earth until His bondservants are sealed, as told in Revelation 7? If this is true, then the sealing of the bondservants of God is the most important event taking place at this time.
There are judgments of God and the wrath of God that is clear throughout the Scriptures. These seem to be the result of the extraordinary grace and mercy of God being exhausted. However, much of what is blamed on God is man’s doing, not God’s. All the troubles in history and our present are the result of mankind thinking that we could run this world without God. They could probably be more accurately called “the judgments of man.” These are the result of the law of sowing and reaping, and mankind has sown bad seed.
The ultimate answer to all of our troubles is for man to turn back to God. As Revelation reveals, the great troubles coming on the world do not generally cause man to turn to God. Rather, they harden their hearts in rebellion, only increasing the troubles. Even so, the bondservants of the Lord that are being sealed will also have impact, as we will see. We can expect the winds to be released and the devastation to increase at some point, but there will be great lights in the darkness and “cities” of refuge from the devastation that in some cases will be nations of refuge.
This being said, safety is not found in a place, but in a Person. The safest place is in the will of God, regardless of our geographical location. The Lord Himself is our fortress.
We must keep in mind that as the times get darker, we are promised the revealing of the Lord’s glory. Ultimately, all of the nations will come to the rising of the Lord’s people, as we see in Isaiah 60:1-3:
"Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
"For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples, but The Lord will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you.
"The nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising."
So the most important thing we can do to prepare for these times is to:
1) ARISE. Stand up for the truth and never retreat before the darkness.
2) SHINE with His glory.
We must not be afraid to stand out from the darkness. This is our time to stand, as the great saints have in every age.