於2022-06-21發佈


選擇 5
雷克•喬納
2022.6.21

當人因悖逆上帝而犯罪時,人與上帝分隔。人與受造物之間也出現了分隔。受造物悖逆人類,就像人類悖逆上帝一樣,人類難以耕種大地,正如我們在創世記3:17-19中讀到的那樣。

"地必為你的緣故受咒詛;你必終身勞苦才能從地裡得吃的。
地必給你長出荊棘和蒺藜來;你也要吃田間的菜蔬。
你必汗流滿面才得糊口,直到你歸了土,因為你是從土而出的。你本是塵土,仍要歸於塵土。"

在人墮落之前,神與人、人與受造物之間在地上有平安與和諧。當分隔在神和人之間出現時,它也出現在人和受造物之間,然後是人和人之間,正如我們在前兩個兒子該隱和亞伯身上所看到的。自從墮落以來,地上的人們彼此之間的關係就充滿了爭鬥、衝突和分隔。

在人類歷史上,平安時期是罕見的。分隔和衝突幾乎一直在持續。當我們走到這個時代的盡頭時,分隔和衝突正在增加,並將加增,直到人類接近於毀滅地上的所有生命。正如耶穌在馬太福音第24章第22節中所說:"若不減少那日子,凡有血氣的總沒有一個得救的...... "在祂的憐憫中,上帝將干預混亂和衝突,並回來在地上建立祂的國度,扭轉人類墮落的所有後果。

以賽亞書第11章包含了許多預言和應許,全地最終恢復到原來的天堂。神與人、人與人、人與受造物之間的分隔都將被治癒,並恢復和諧。我們被告知,在祂的國度裡,地上將有如此的平安:羔羊將與獅子一起躺下,孩子們將與眼鏡蛇一起玩耍,沒有人會傷害別人。

聖經中關於神的國度即將到來的預言是世界上有史以來聽到的最偉大的盼望好消息。這是好消息,是福音,是國度的 "好消息",必須在主來之前傳遍整個全地。正如祂在馬太福音24章14節所說:"這天國的福音要傳遍天下,對萬民作見證,然後末期才來到"。

為了幫助主和祂即將到來的國度預備道路,我們能做的最重要的事情就是傳揚這國度的福音。正如許多聖經教師所言,我也同意,自第一世紀以來,這一好消息並沒有真正在地上傳開。它的部分內容可能偶爾會被傳開,但大多數被傳開的都是救贖的福音,這是國度福音的一部分,但不是國度的全部好消息。

救恩的福音是如此的榮耀,很容易理解為什麼許多人變得以它為中心。毫無疑問,我們將永遠感謝上帝對我們的救贖。然而,福音的這個方面是以人為中心的,而不是以神為中心或以國度為中心。即使以人為中心,所傳的救恩福音也只是信徒作為國度公民所擁有的所有好處的一小部分。有些人在這方面做得比其他人多,但國度的福音主要是關於國王的。這就是為什麼在第一世紀傳揚福音的使徒會宣揚耶穌和從死裡復活(見使徒行傳4:2,17:18)。

我們預期那些剛剛重生的人在一段時間內以自我為中心,因為新生的嬰兒肯定是以自我為中心的。然而,隨著嬰兒的成長,他們變得不再以自我為中心,基督徒也應該如此。真正的成熟是為別人而不是為自己而活,但主要是為主而活,看到主得到祂付如此大的代價所領受的產業。因此,希伯來書12:14應該是我們生活中的基本態度。"你們要追求與眾人和睦,並要追求聖潔;非聖潔沒有人能見主。"
 

Choices, Part 5
Rick Joyner

When man sinned by disobeying God, a division came between man and God. A division was also manifested between man and creation. Creation rebelled against man, as man had against God, and it became difficult for man to cultivate the earth, as we read in Genesis 3:17-19:

“Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
“Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you will eat the plants of the field.
“By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, until you return to the ground.”

Before the fall of man there was peace and harmony on earth between God and man and man and creation. When division came between God and man, it also came between man and creation, and then between man and man, as we see with the first two sons, Cain and Abel. Since the fall, people on earth have related to one another with strife, conflict, and division.

Periods of peace have been rare in human history. Division and conflict have been almost continuous. As we come to the end of this age, division and conflict are increasing and will increase until man is close to destroying all life on earth. As Jesus stated in Matthew 24:22, “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved…”In His mercy, God will intervene in the chaos and conflict and return to set up His kingdom on earth and reverse all the consequences of man’s fall.

Isaiah 11 contains just one of many prophecies and promises of this ultimate restoration of earth to its original paradise. The divisions between God and man, man and man, and man and creation will all be healed, and harmony restored. We are told there will be such peace on earth in His kingdom, lambs will lie down with lions, children will play with cobras, and no one will hurt anyone else.

The biblical prophecies given concerning the coming kingdom of God are the greatest messages of hope the world has ever heard. This is the message, the gospel, the “good news” of the kingdom, which must be preached throughout the earth before the Lord can come. As He said in Matthew 24:14, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

The most important thing we can do to help prepare the way for the Lord and His coming kingdom is to preach this gospel of the kingdom. As many Bible teachers have stated, and I agree, this message has not really been preached on the earth since the first century. Parts of it may have been preached occasionally, but most of what has been preached has been a gospel of salvation, which is part of the gospel of the kingdom but not the entire good news of the kingdom.

The gospel of salvation is so glorious it’s easy to understand why many become centered on it. No doubt we will forever be thanking God for our redemption. However, this aspect of the gospel is man-centered, not God-centered or kingdom-centered. Even in its man-centricity, what has been preached as the gospel of salvation is but a fraction of all the benefits believers have as citizens of the kingdom. Some have done more of this than others, but the gospel of the kingdom is mostly about the King. That is why the apostolic gospel preached in the first century preached Jesus and the resurrection from the dead (see Acts 4:2, 17:18).

We would expect those just born again to be self-centered for a time, since newborn infants are certainly self-centered. However, as babies mature, they become less self-centered, and so should Christians. True maturity is living more for others than ourselves, but mostly living for the Lord and seeing Him receive the inheritance He paid for with such a great price. Thus, Hebrews 12:14 should be a basic devotion in our lives: “Pursue peace with all people, and the holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (NKJV).