喜愛真理─啟示錄 

這週我們持續來看啟示錄19:17-21，墮落的人與主爭戰的終極愚昧，以及所帶來的毀滅： 

我又看見一位天使站在日頭中，向天空所飛的鳥大聲喊著說：你們聚集來赴神的大筵席，

可以吃君王與將軍的肉，壯士與馬和騎馬者的肉，並一切自主的為奴的，以及大小人民的肉。我看見那獸和地上的君王，並他們的眾軍都聚集，要與騎白馬的並祂的軍兵爭戰。

那獸被擒拿；那在獸面前曾行奇事、迷惑受獸印記和拜獸像之人的假先知，也與獸同被擒拿。他們兩個就活活的被扔在燒著硫磺的火湖裡；

其餘的被騎白馬者口中出來的劍殺了；飛鳥都吃飽了他們的肉。 

人最大的愚昧莫過於對抗神，下場是人類悖逆的終極挫敗。我們在法老身上看見這種瘋狂─他目睹來自上帝如此的大能，然後定意在紅海與上帝作戰。怎麼會有人這樣做？只有一個答案─我的前合夥人經常說的終極真理：人們瘋了！從人類的整個歷史來看，似乎此真理已經牢固確立。在這世代末了，它將會再次最後證明。 

正如主耶穌和祂的使徒所說的，欺騙（迷惑）將成為這世代末了的一個主要因素。當主耶穌的門徒問及世界末了的預兆時，這正是祂所警告的第一件事。使徒保羅在提摩太後書四章3-4節闡述此欺騙的主要根源： 

因為時候要到，人必厭煩純正的道理，耳朵發癢，就隨從自己的情慾，增添好些師傅，

並且掩耳不聽真道，偏向荒渺的言語。 

每一世代都有其挑戰，但有一個即要興起的世代將會符合最後一世代的所有聖經情節，正如上述經文所說的。他們只聽師傅說他們想要聽的，使他們『耳朵發癢』或感覺很好。  

即便如此，這世代是大有盼望的，主在最黑暗的時候興起最偉大的先知，就在此正在興起的世代中─他們有著徹底不同的靈。我們未來會有更多討論，但一般而言，千禧世代的人很快從掩耳不聽那些說他們不想聽的話，到惡意攻擊任何說了他們不認同的話。我研讀歷史超過半世紀，我不認為有任何世代像現在正在興起的世代這樣被欺騙，或這麼容易跟隨欺騙者。 

因此，我們要如何幫助他們呢？首先，我們絕不向神所託付我們的真理妥協，那對於緩和他們過度敏感的情感或偏見毫無助益。唯一的盼望在於有一群堅固的見證人，他們身上擁有『不同的靈』。他們是對真理、對神不妥協的熱愛者，也是新世代正在興起的完全先知。即便如此，當提到『不法的隱意』─他是試圖對抗神的軍隊首領─對於掉入他欺騙中的人，保羅在帖撒羅尼迦後書二章7-10節賜給我們完全的解藥： 

因為那不法的隱意已經發動，只是現在有一個攔阻的，等到那攔阻的被除去，

那時這不法的人必顯露出來。主耶穌要用口中的氣滅絕他，用降臨的榮光廢掉他。

這不法的人來，是照撒但的運動，行各樣的異能、神蹟，和一切虛假的奇事，

並且在那沉淪的人身上行各樣出於不義的詭詐；因他們不領受愛真理的心，使他們得救。 

不被欺騙的關鍵不單是擁有真理，更要『愛』真理。我們若愛真理，無論它是否使我們感覺很好，是否認同我們的意見或偏見，是否帶給我們榮耀或羞辱，我們都想要愛它。當真理使我們知罪、挑戰我們、顯明我們的錯誤時，我們也愛它。根據箴言，那也是真正智慧人的本質─他們喜愛指教。 

 (摘自喬納 word for the week, Week29, 2018)

 
Loving the Truth—The Book of Revelation
Week 29, 2018
Rick Joyner 

This week we continue with Revelation 19:17-21 and the ultimate folly of fallen men to make war against the Lord, and their resulting doom: 

       Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God,

       so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great."

       Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army.

       But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.  

The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. 

         Man’s greatest folly, fighting against God, will end in the ultimate defeat of man’s rebellion. We see this madness with Pharaoh—he witnessed such power from God and then determined that he would fight with God at the Red Sea. How could anyone do this? There is only one answer—the profound and ultimate truth often stated by a former associate of mine: “People are crazy!” From the whole history of man, it seems that this truth has been firmly established. At the end of this age, it is once more ultimately demonstrated.   

We also have deception as a main factor at the end of the age, as stated by both the Lord Jesus and His apostles. This was the first thing Jesus warned about when He was asked by His disciples about the signs of the end of the age. The Apostle Paul elaborated on a main root of this deception in II Timothy 4:3-4:    

        For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,

       and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 

         Every generation has its challenges, but there is a generation emerging that fits all of the biblical scenarios of the last generation, such as the one quoted above. They resolve to only listen to teachers that say what they want to hear, that “tickle their ears” or make them feel good. 

         Even so, there is hope for this generation. The Lord raised up the greatest prophets in the darkest of times, and so it is in this emerging generation—there are some that are of a radically different spirit. We will discuss these more later, but in general, the millennials quickly went from shutting their ears to any who were not saying what they wanted to hear to viciously attacking anyone who said or thought anything they disagreed with. I have studied history for over half a century and I do not think there has been a generation as deceived, and prone to follow deceivers, like the one now arising. 

So what can we do to help them? First, we must never compromise the truth that we have been trusted with. It will not help them to try to assuage their overly sensitive feelings or prejudices. Their only hope is for there to be strong witnesses who are of “a different spirit.” There are uncompromising lovers of the truth and lovers of God, as well as a new generation of radical prophets, arising. Even so, when addressing the “mystery of lawlessness”—who is the leader of the army that would try to fight against God, as addressed above—Paul gives us a clear antidote to falling to his deception in II Thessalonians 2:7-10:      

       For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.

       Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;

       that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,

       and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 

         The key to not being deceived is to not just have the truth, but to love the truth. If we love the truth, we will want it regardless of whether it makes us feel good, agrees with our opinions or prejudices, brings us glory, or brings us shame. We will love it when it convicts us, challenges us, and shows us where we’re wrong. That is also the nature of the truly wise person, according to Proverbs—they love correction.