CHAPTER XLIX - Revelation 22:6-9 - 真實可信的事 TRUSTWORTHY AND TRUE THINGS

CHAPTER XLIX  

(Revelation 22:6-9)  

真實可信的事  - 
TRUSTWORTHY AND TRUE THINGS

啟示錄是這樣一本書，它說到將來的事，卻很少人讀它。一方面是很少人明白它，另一方面它所說關於將來的事，都是關於整個世界的，不是關於個人的。中國人有很多尋找未來奧秘的方法，都是想尋找自己的前途。無論是占卜、風水、紫微鬥數、摸骨、看相，都是在尋找自己的命運。而且都是不肯定的，很糢糊的。只說可能會惹官非，或有血光之災，都不是肯定的預言。很多人信以為真。過了多年之後，纔知道是一派胡言。

The book of Revelation talks about the things to come, yet not many people read it. On one hand it is because only a few people understand it and on the other hand, it talks about  future events pertaining to the entire world, not only on an individual basis. Chinese people use many ways to find out about the mysteries of the things to come because they all want to know what will happen in the future. Whether it is divination, feng shui, purple star astrology or fortune telling by feeling a person's bones, they all want to find out their destiny. Yet, what the fortune teller says to you is very vague and uncertain. He or she can only tell you the possibility of encountering adversity, hardships or afflictions. Many people believe in the fortune teller's predictions, but later on they realize that it was all just deceptive talk.

除了相士、術士之外，其實也有高知識的人，都想知道將來是怎樣的。他們的方式就是研究過去，以知道未來。如果能夠肯定人怎麼來，對於將來怎麼去，至少有點空間可以推想。可惜人怎麼來，都不知道，怎麼去，更加不知道。所以關於將來的事，不單那些相士的話不可信，基本上凡是人的話，都不可信。因為沒有人能夠知道將來發生的事。

Besides the fortune-tellers and the wizards, there are also many highly educated people who want to know about the future. Their approach is to study the past to know the future. If they could be sure of how people came to be, at least there would be some space for supposition of where people will be going. Unfortunately, people don't know where they came from, and they have no idea where they will be going. Therefore, regarding the future, do not believe what the fortune- teller tells to you, in fact, don't even believe anything that people tell you about the future because no one can know for sure what will happen in the future.

啟示錄的話，卻是非常真實可靠的。第二、三章是第一世紀時對未來二千年的預告，對當時的人是預言，對我們是歷史。過去二千年都準確應驗，那關於前面的預言，我們沒有理由不相信。

However, the words of the book of Revelation are trustworthy and true. For the people living in those times, chapters 2 and 3 were prophecies that would be happening during the next 2000 years; but for us it has already become history. The prophecies of the past two thousand years have been accurately fulfilled, so there is no reason not to believe in the prophecies to come.

是神藉天使向約翰啟示的

IT IS GOD'S REVELATION TO JOHN THROUGH AN ANGEL

6 天使又對我說：這些話是真實可信的，主就是眾先知被感之靈的神，差遣祂的使者，將那必要快成的事指示祂僕人。

6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.

天使再次肯定告訴約翰，這些預言都是真實可信的，是必定會發生的。以前的時代，神藉眾先知得到靈感，是靈裡的感覺，很難確定是怎樣成就的，要等應驗之後纔知道。但約翰所見，是從天使來的，天使向他顯現，給他看異象，解釋不明白之處，是非常獨特的經驗。人要全心全意相信，不要看為是普通教訓，或約翰的心得，這是約翰記錄下的。

The angel reiterates to John that these prophecies are trustworthy and true and they will definitely happen. In the old times, the prophets received revelation from God through inspiration, it was really difficult to determine what would happen until the prophecy actually took place. But what John saw came from the angel. The angel appeared to him and showed him a vision, explaining to him what he did not understand, it was a very unique experience. People should believe it wholeheartedly, it is not just an ordinary teaching, or John's insights, it is what John recorded.

｢先知被感之靈｣。｢靈｣是一個複數字，是先知的靈，先知的靈是敏銳的靈，是能接收神信息的靈。先知得的感動已經超過常人的啟示，但總還是有點糢糊不清。現在給先知靈的那位神，差天使直接傳講，看異象，像看電影一樣，所以是最清晰的啟示方法。來源仍然是神自己，我們絕對可以不疑惑的接受。人再沒有不信的理由，不相信的是傻瓜，因為那些事快要發生，就在我們這一代了。

“The spirits of the prophets”. The word “spirits” is in plural form. They are the spirits of the prophets, they are keen spirits, those are the spirits that can receive the message of the Lord. The inspiration that the prophets receive from God exceeds that of an ordinary person, nevertheless, it could still be unclear. Now, the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sends His angel to relate the message directly, to show visions like a movie scene; as a result, this way of revelation is the clearest one. The source is God Himself, and we can absolutely accept it without any doubt. People cannot have anymore excuses not to believe   it.  Those who do not believe it are foolish, because those things will be happening during our generation.

這稱為啟示，不單是要讓人知道，要讓人明白，也是要讓人知道怎樣跟著遵行的。神的話都不是一種資料、諮訊。如果一個人只是想聽聽意見，不打算遵行的話，神是不會對他說話的。

This revelation is not only to make people know and understand it, but also to let people know how to follow it. God's Word is not just some kind of an information or an idea. If a person only wants to hear some ideas and is not planning to follow it, God will not speak to him.

有約翰的反應證明

JOHN'S REACTION CONFIRMS THE TRUTH

8 這些事是我約翰所聽見、所看見的，我既聽見、看見了，就在指示我的天使腳前俯伏要拜他。9 他對我說：千萬不可，｢我與你、和你的弟兄、眾先知、並那些守這書上言語的人，同是作僕人的。你要敬拜神。｣

8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me.

約翰在這裡有一個很怪異的行為，就是想跪拜那位傳信息的天使。其實在第十九章已經出現過一次，被天使禁止，約翰自己也知道除了神之外，不能跪拜別的生物。雖然天主教、東正教都有人拜天使，但約翰自己知道，這是不應該做的事。

Here, John has an unusual reaction; he wants to worship the angel who was giving him the message. This also happened in chapter 19 but the angel prohibited him from doing such a thing. John himself knew that he should not worship any other being besides God. Even though there are people in the Catholic Church and in the Eastern Orthodox Church who worship angels, John knew that it should not be done.

那為甚麼他會犯這個錯誤？因為這信息太大、太重、太神奇了，令他太興奮。這麼美妙的將來，令他不知該怎樣表達。他看到全套末世的異象，其他的先知都沒有這種機會，他是唯一一個在肉身跟隨過耶穌，然後在異象裡又親耳聽見基督的人，他不由自主就想跪拜。這是人在得到神啟示的時候一種最自然的反應，就是要熱烈敬拜這一位神奇的主。

Then, why did he make that mistake? Because that message was exceedingly awesome and amazing which made him overly excited. Such a wonderful future made him not know how to express himself. He saw the whole scene of the vision of the end times which other prophets did not have that opportunity to see. He was the only one who saw Jesus with his own eyes and heard Christ speak to him in the vision, he couldn't help it but fall down and worship. It is the natural reaction of a human being when seeing a revelation from God, to fervently worship this amazing Lord.

這種怪異行為的產生，表明他在生命中遇到最神奇的事。他這種怪異行為，很自然會被外面的人看為神經病，但在我們看，他有這種怪異行為，證明他見到一些事物，是令他非常興奮，不由自主的。

The way he reacted indicated that he came across a very unusual thing. His weird reaction might have made others think that he was crazy, but as we see it, the way he reacted proves that he might have seen something so amazing that he couldn' t react in any other way.

基督的確認

CHRIST'S AUTHENTICATION

7 看哪，我必快來，凡遵守這書上豫言的有福了。

7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”

16 我耶穌，差遣我使者為眾教會將這些事向你們證明。我是大衛的根，又是他的後裔，我是明亮的晨星。

16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

對於約翰這裡還有一個很重要的證明，是主耶穌親自對他說話。他是耶穌所愛的門徒，跟主相處了超過三年。耶穌復活升天之後，他大概以為要等過世之後，纔有機會再見到主，誰知所有門徒都過世之後，他在晚年還見到主。他在第一章開始見異像那段時間，已經看見幾十年沒見面的主。看完所有異象之後，主耶穌還是向他顯現，對他說話。

Regarding John, there is still one more very important proof which is the fact that Jesus Christ spoke to him personally. He was the disciple whom Jesus loved, he was with Jesus for more than 3 years. After Jesus resurrected from the dead and ascended to heaven, he must have thought that he would not be able to see Jesus until he passed away. Who would have thought that after all the other disciples had died, he was able to see Jesus in his old age. In chapter 1 when he started seeing the visions, many years had already gone by since he last saw the Lord. After he had looked at all the visions, the Lord Jesus appeared to him and spoke to him.

祂就好像一個畫家，畫他的作品之後，再親自加上他的簽名，證實這幅畫是他的傑作。祂說：祂是大衛的祖宗，就是根，也是大衛的後裔。這真是非常獨特的介紹自己。古往今來，只有一位是可以這樣自稱的，祂是大衛的祖宗，也是他的後代。

The Lord is like an artist who after he had finished drawing his work of art, He puts His own personal signature on it to prove that the drawing was His own masterpiece. He said that He is the Root and Offspring of David, and He is also a descendant of David. That is truly a very unique way to introduce Himself. Since ancient times, there is only one who could call Himself the ancestor of David and his offspring.

古時的大衛發現了並且建立了舊的耶路撒冷，基督卻建立了新的耶路撒冷；大衛建立了一個長時間的王朝，他的後代源源不絕沒有消失，但基督，這大衛的後代，將要建立一個永遠的王朝，基督將要永遠的作王，沒有窮盡。

In ancient times, David discovered and established the old Jerusalem, but Christ established the new Jerusalem; David established a dynasty for generations and generations, but Christ, the Offspring of David, He will establish an eternal kingdom and He will reign forever and ever.

還有，祂是明亮的晨星。晨星帶來新的一天、新的希望。基督也要再來帶給世界新的景象、永遠的盼望。以色列人很尊重大衛，以大衛星為國徽。大衛的星又稱為大衛的盾牌，只是用了幾百年而已。這大衛的星，並不是真的星，更不是晨星，不會帶給人新的希望。但耶穌基督卻是明亮的晨星，是將來新的領袖，帶給人新的希望，永遠的倚靠。

Furthermore, He is the bright Morning Star. The morning star brings a new day, a new hope. Christ will also bring to the world a new sight to behold, an eternal hope. The Israelites honored David greatly, they use the star of David as their national emblem. The star of David is also called the shield of David, it has been used for a few hundred years. This star of David is not really a star, not even a morning star and will not bring them new hope. But Jesus Christ, He is the bright and morning Star, He is our future leader, bringing new hope to the people, we can trust in Him for all eternity.