DAY 8
萬國 The Nations
雷克-喬納 Rick Joyner
翻譯：Kate
轉載/轉寄 請註明出處：國度禱告網
神說：天下的水要聚在一處，使旱地露出來。事就這樣成了。
神稱旱地為地，稱水的聚處為海。神看著是好的。（創世記1:9-10）
在聖經中，海常常代表國家，如我們在《以賽亞書》17:12中看到的："唉！多民鬨嚷，好像海浪匉訇；列邦奔騰，好像猛水滔滔"。這在啟示錄17:15中也可以看到："天使又對我說，你所看見那淫婦坐的眾水，就是多民、多人、多國、多方。"
在創世記的前幾節經文中，主建立了天。緊接著，祂創造海洋，這代表國家。正如保羅在《哥林多前書》15:46-49所解釋的：
但屬靈的不在先，屬血氣的在先，以後才有屬靈的。
頭一個人是出於地，乃屬土；第二個人是出於天。
那屬土的怎樣，凡屬土的也就怎樣；屬天的怎樣，凡屬天的也就怎樣。
我們既有屬土的形狀，將來也必有屬天的形狀。
新的創造與原來的創造遵循同樣模式。在我們與基督耶穌同坐在天上之後，祂立即要給我們一個關於列國（海洋）的願景。正如《詩篇》2:8中關於聖子的記載。"你求我，我就將列國賜你為基業，將地極賜你為田產。"。教會是主的新婦，但各國是祂的產業。祂創造了萬國，不同的文化和民族，萬國在祂那裡都有一個具體而榮耀的目的。大使命是：
"所以，你們要去，使萬民(直譯：列國)作我的門徒，奉父、子、聖靈的名給他們施洗（或作：給他們施洗，歸於父、子、聖靈的名）。
凡我所吩咐你們的，都教訓他們遵守，我就常與你們同在，直到世界的末了。"（馬太福音28:19-20）。
我們得救不是為了能坐在天上，而是為了能帶著十字架的榮耀信息去。在去之前，我們需要牢固地建立在主和祂的權柄下，但隨後我們一定要去。如果我們不帶著生命的使命而活，我們就會被算為背道者或舊皮袋中。我們對主的愛迫使我們看到，祂將得到祂犧牲的賞賜--萬國。
當主完成了將水分離成代表萬國的海的工，祂說這是 "好"。上帝顯然喜歡不同文化和國家的多樣性。祂在每個人身上都積存了獨特的恩賜，反映了祂自己的屬性。那些愛配得讚美的有造物主的人，在遇到那些不同的人時，第一個反應應該是期望通過他們更深入地揭示主的道路。我們的差異不是為了相互矛盾和衝突，而是為了互補。正如聖經所教導的，即使是那些有先知性恩賜的人也只能看到部分內容。為了看到全貌，我們必須把我們的部分和祂賜給別人的放在一起。為了有一個準確的觀點，我們需要彼此。主把水分成不同的海之後，祂說這是"好"事。
熱愛多樣性是神的基本屬性之一。然而，這是祂的基本特徵之一，而教會的大部分人卻傾向於忽視它。循規蹈矩的壓力不是來自上帝。祂喜歡多樣性。因此，那些認識造物主的人應該是地上最具創意和自由的人。
基督釋放了我們，叫我們得以自由。所以要站立得穩，不要再被奴僕的軛挾制。（加拉太書5:1）。
DAY 8
The Nations
Rick Joyner
Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.
And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good (Genesis 1:9-10).
In Scripture, seas often represent nations, as we see in Isaiah 17:12: "Alas, the uproar of many peoples who roar like the roaring of the seas, and the rumbling of nations who rush on like the rumbling of mighty waters!" This is also seen in Revelation 17:15: "And he said to me, 'The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues."'
In the previous verses in Genesis, the Lord established the heavens. Immediately after this, He established the seas, which represent nations. As Paul explained in I Corinthians 15:46-49:
However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.
The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.
As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.
And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
The new creation follows the same pattern as the original creation. Immediately after we have our place established with Christ Jesus seated in the heavenly places, He then wants to give us a vision for the nations (seas). As was written concerning the Son in Psalms 2:8: "Ask of me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Thy possession." The church is the Lord's bride, but the nations are His inheritance. He created the nations, the different cultures and peoples, and they each have a specific and glorious purpose in Him. The Great Commission was:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).
We were not saved just so we can sit in the heavens, but so we can go forth with the glorious message of the cross. We need to be firmly established with the Lord and His authority before we go, but then we do need to go. If we do not live with a mission in life, we will be counted with the backsliders, or old wineskins. Our love for the Lord compels us to see that He will receive the reward for His sacrifice—the nations.
When the Lord finished separating the water into seas, which represent the nations, He said that it was "good." God obviously loves the diversity of different cultures and nations. He has deposited unique gifts in each one which reflect His own nature. The first response of those who love the blessed Creator, when meeting those who are different, should be the expectation of a deeper revelation of the Lord's ways through them. Our differences are not meant to contradict and conflict with each other, but rather to complement one another. As the Scripture teaches, even those with the gift of prophecy only see in part. To see the whole picture, we must put our part together with what He has given to others. To have an accurate view, we need each other. After the Lord divided the waters into different seas, He said that it was a "good" thing.
Loving diversity is one of the basic natures of God. However, this is one of His basic characteristics that much of the church has tended to neglect. The pressure toward conformity is not from God. He loves diversity. Accordingly, those who know the Creator should be the most creative and free people on earth.
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).