美國第二次革命／內戰 25 

當我們瞭解到相信神的話並建造我們生命在其上有何等必要時，我們便瞭解為何撒旦的第一個謊言是要人對神的話產生懷疑，此造成人類第一次的墮落，以及此後的大部分墮落。這即是何以在今日大部分大學的新生訓練，會嚴厲攻擊聖經的正確性與任何相信聖經的人。魔鬼知道若能搖動任何信徒對神話語的相信，便能輕易掠奪他們，他們必然跌倒。

同樣地，那些想要摧毀美國共和國之人的策略，經常始於撒下對憲法正當性的懷疑種子。因為我們是擁護憲法的國家，摧毀憲法便是摧毀國家，因為它不再具有成為一個政府的合法地位。

對憲法正面的攻擊並不管用，就像魔鬼告訴亞當、夏娃神說謊一樣不管用。撒旦和我們自由的仇敵幾乎從不直接攻擊。就像撒旦一樣，或許因為他在他們當中工作，美國的仇敵竭盡所能讓我們懷疑憲法或建國父老的意圖，正如他試圖讓基督徒懷疑聖經一樣。

為何撒旦要改變此策略呢？既然它似乎總是屢試不爽。當其在伊甸園奏效時，世界進入了混亂。當其在教會奏效，教會失去了其中肯性。當魔鬼用憲法在我們政府這樣做時，結果就是我們現在每天在政府部門所看見的混亂與功能不彰。

當一些人從對神的話懷疑中甦醒，他們開始用信心讀聖經，帶來他們世界與時代的巨大改變。宗教改革或教會革命將人們從『黑暗世紀』帶出來，這是由少數人得著如此啟示所誕生出來的。在我們政府所需要的改革中將以同樣方式臨到，先從少數人看見發生在我們身上的亮光開始。不需要很多人，只要少數委身的人就能戰勝沈睡或冷漠的大多數。

那些嚴肅來看待這些事的，例如我們政府的根基、持續保有正直，便能輕易找出建國者在憲法中所指的每件事，多數被記載在聯邦黨人文集（The Federalist Papers）。這些是由憲法的作者寫成，為要向州政府解釋裡面的主要觀點以得著批准。此外還有一些建國父老所寫關於憲法意圖的相關書信。

因此，任何人只要願意做一點研究，便能完全知道建國父老的意思，卻鮮少人願意讀憲法，更少人想要更深探索額外資源。我們怠惰所帶來的結果，就是原本被設計為最佳政府的寶貴禮物從我們當中被偷走了。因著太多人懶得研究、得著資訊，我們正處於歷史上毀滅的最危險階段，要保存我們國家的代價變得越來越高。

基督徒裡面有著相同的懶惰，他們不願意讀聖經、容許教會越來越接近啟示錄裡所謂的『大淫婦』與『奧秘的巴比倫』─而不是成為主聖潔、無玷污的新婦。然而，在基督徒和百姓中間開始有一個甦醒，美國未來的教會與美國共和國本身，都需要仰賴此持續不斷的甦醒。

有一句話說：『未來屬於那些現身的人。』我們國家的軌跡是由那些現身投入的人所設定的，就像會讀每週一話的人正是那些會為我們的未來設定路線的人。聖經說：『因為聖靈參透萬事，就是神深奧的事也參透了』（參考哥林多前書二章10節）。 因此，被聖靈引導的人絕不膚淺。那些被聖靈充滿的人就像聖靈一樣，尋求我們需要瞭解深奧的事。聖靈也是『真理的靈』，尋找真理，而不是那些只讓我們覺得舒服的事。

即便如此，不是每個人都有時間深入研究每件事。為此緣故，我把自己必須這樣做視為一種神聖的責任，我花了許多年研究一些事，然後將其研究結果放入書中或像每週一話的資源中。我很榮幸能夠為神的家這樣做。然而，仍需要那些以智慧利用時間的人─來檢視這些事並殷勤查考他們所讀的內容─他們將找到智慧與知識的寶藏，也將成為要來時候的寶藏。

(摘自喬納word for the week, Week25, 2019) 

 

The Second American Revolutionary/Civil War, Part 25

When we understand how essential it is to believe God’s Word and build our lives on adhering to it, we understand why the first lie of Satan was aimed at causing doubt in God’s Word. This caused the first fall and most of the falls since. This is why during orientation at most universities today, there will be a scathing assault on the validity of The Bible and on anyone who believes it. The devil knows that if he can shake any believer’s faith in the Word of God, they will be easy prey and certain to fall.

     Likewise, the strategy of those intent on destroying our Republic usually begin by sowing doubt about the legitimacy of the Constitution. Because we are a Constitutional Republic, destroy the Constitution and you have destroyed the Republic because it no longer has a legitimate standing to be a government.

     A frontal attack on the Constitution would be unlikely to work, just as it would not have worked for the devil to have told Adam and Eve outright that God lied. Satan is almost never that direct and neither are the enemies of our liberty. Like Satan, and maybe because he is the one working through them, the enemies of the Republic have worked hard to get us to doubt what it actually says or what the Founders intended, just like he tries to get Christians to doubt The Bible.

     Why should Satan change this strategy? It always seems to work. When it worked in the Garden, it threw the world into chaos. As it has worked in the church, it has lost its relevance. As he has done this in our government with the Constitution, the result is the chaos and dysfunction we now see every day in government.

      When just a few people woke up to what had been done to them through their doubt in God’s Word, and they began to read The Bible with faith, it resulted in radical transformation of their world and times. The Reformation, or the reforming of the church that brought it out of “the dark ages,” was born out of such revelation coming to just a few. The needed reformation in our government will come the same way, beginning with just a few seeing the light of what has happened to us. It does not take many. A tiny percentage of the committed will prevail over the great majority that is asleep or indifferent.

      Those who take serious things seriously, such as the foundation of our government and the continued fidelity to its integrity, can easily find out what the Founders meant by everything in the Constitution. Most of it is in The Federalist Papers. These were written by the authors of the Constitution in order to explain the main points in it to the states that had to ratify it. There are also many letters written by the Founders on what they intended in the Constitution.

     So anyone can know exactly what the Founders meant if they are willing to do a little research. But few are willing to read the Constitution, much less dig deeper into these additional resources. The result of our laziness is to have a most remarkable and precious gift of the best government ever devised stolen from us. Because so many have been too lazy to do a little study and stay informed, we are in worse danger of destruction than at any time in our history, and the cost of preserving our Republic is becoming increasingly high.

     It is the same laziness of Christians who have not been willing to read The Bible that has allowed the church to become something closer to what the Book of Revelation called the “great harlot” and “Mystery Babylon”—rather than the chaste, spotless bride The Lord is coming back for. However, there is an awakening beginning among Christians and among citizens. The future of both the church in America, and the American Republic itself, are dependent on this awakening continuing.

     It has been said that “The future belongs to those who show up.” The trajectory of our country was set by those who showed up and got engaged. The kind of people who read things like this Word for the Week are the ones that will set the course of our future. We are told that “The Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God” (see I Corinthians 2:10). Therefore, no one who is Spirit led will be shallow. Those filled with The Spirit will be like The Spirit, searching into the depths of what we need to understand. The Spirit is also “The Spirit of Truth” that searches for truth, not just what makes us feel good.

     Even so, not everyone has the time to research everything deeply. For this reason, I consider the time I have had to do this a sacred trust. I have spent years researching some things, and then put the conclusions of this research in books or resources like this that can be absorbed by others in hours. I’m honored to be able to do this for the household of God. However, it will still be those who use the time they have wisely—to check things out and do their due diligence to test what they read—who will find the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and be the treasures in the times to come.