BA 13 Assurance from Revelation
BA 13 启示的保证

Lesson Thirteen
第十三课

Assurance From Revelation
来自启示的保证

On the evening prior to his crucifixion, Jesus said to his apostles, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1-3).
在被钉十字架的前一天晚上，耶稣对他的使徒说：“你们不要忧愁。信靠上帝;也相信我。在我父的家里有许多房间;如果不是这样，我会告诉你的。我要去那里为你准备一个地方。我若去为你们预备地方，就要回来，带你们与我同在，使你们也与我同在“（约翰福音14：1-3）。

Where is Jesus now? He is preparing a place for us in his Father's house. Doug Bacthelor says, “This is the language the ancient Hebrews used to describe a wedding. In Bible times it was customary for the man to build a honeymoon chamber at his father's house before he claimed his bride.”
耶稣现在在哪里？他正在他父的家里为我们预备一个地方。道格·巴克瑟勒（Doug Bacthelor）说：“这是古希伯来人用来描述婚礼的语言。在圣经时代，男人习惯于在他父亲的房子里建造一个蜜月室，然后他才认领他的新娘。

Jesus is described as a “bridegroom” fifteen times in the New Testament (Matthew 9:14-15; Mark 2:18-20; Luke 5:33-35; John 3:29; Ephesians 5:23-27; Revelation 19:7; 22:17), and the church is depicted as his bride (Ephesians 5:22-23; Revelation 21:2, 9-10). Jesus is coming back to take us home with him. He wants to be with us as a groom wants to be with his bride. He is motivated by pure spiritual love. There will be a great wedding-feast in heaven (Revelation 19:6-9).
耶稣在新约中被描述为“新郎”十五次（马太福音9：14-15;马可福音2：18-20;路加福音5：33-35;约翰福音3：29;以弗所书5：23-27;启示录19：7;22：17），教会被描绘成他的新娘（以弗所书5：22-23;启示录21：2，9-10）。耶稣要回来带我们回家。他想和我们在一起，就像新郎想和他的新娘在一起一样。他的动机是纯粹的属灵之爱。天上将有一场盛大的婚宴（启示录19：6-9）。

Both Joy and Terror
欢乐与恐怖并存

The second coming of Christ is mentioned more than 300 times in the New Testament. Committed Christians have nothing to fear as they look forward to his return. Scriptures that portray the events of that great day give us reason to rejoice at the thought of his coming. Conversely, the same scriptures that bring comfort to us should strike fear into the hearts of unbelievers.
基督的第二次降临在新约中被提到300多次。委身的基督徒在期待祂再来时没有什么可害怕的。描述那伟大日子事件的经文让我们有理由为他的到来而欢欣鼓舞。相反，那些给我们带来安慰的经文，也应该使非信徒心生恐惧。

Reward and Punishment
奖惩

Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all his angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world'. . . . Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’” (Matthew 25:31-34, 41).
耶稣说：“当人子带着他的荣耀降临，他的众天使与他同在时，他必在天上的荣耀中坐在他的宝座上。万国都要聚集在他面前，他要把百姓彼此分开，就像牧羊人把绵羊和山羊分开一样。他会把绵羊放在右边，山羊放在左边。然后国王会对他右边的人说：'来吧，你们这些被我父祝福的人;拿走你的产业，自创世以来就为你准备的国度。然后他会对左边的人说，'你们这些受咒诅的人，离开我，进入为魔鬼和他的使者预备的永火中'“（马太福音25：31-34，41）。

The apostle Paul assures Christians in Thessalonica that “the Lord will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).
使徒保罗向帖撒罗尼迦的基督徒保证，“耶和华必从天上降下，带着大声的命令，带着天使长的声音，带着上帝的号角呼召，在基督里死人必先复活。在那之后，我们还活着的，剩下的人，会和他们一起在云中被赶上，在空中与主相遇。因此，我们将永远与主同在。所以你们要用这些话互相鼓励“（帖撒罗尼迦前书4：16-18）。

Assurance From the Book of Revelation
启示录的保证

In the prologue of Revelation, John writes, “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye shall see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him” (Revelation 1:5-7)
在启示录的序言中，约翰写道：“看哪，他带着云彩来了，万眼都要看见他，连那些刺穿他的人;地上的万民都要因他而哀恸“（启示录1：5-7）

In the book of Revelation, the “people of the earth” (Revelation 1:7), are people who reject Jesus and refuse to follow him in paths of righteousness. They choose rather to follow Satan in paths of sin. For committed Christians, the day that Jesus returns will be a day of rejoicing and celebration. For those who choose to follow Satan and to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin, it will be a frightful day of mourning and horror.
在启示录中，“地上的子民”（启示录1：7）是拒绝耶稣并拒绝在公义道路上跟随他的人。他们宁愿选择跟随撒旦走罪恶的道路。对于虔诚的基督徒来说，耶稣再来的日子将是喜乐和庆祝的日子。对于那些选择跟随撒旦并享受罪恶暂时快乐的人来说，这将是一个可怕的哀悼和恐怖的日子。

The Glory of God on His Throne
上帝在宝座上的荣耀

John looks up and sees a door standing open in heaven, and a loud voice says, “Come up here.” John is escorted into the throne room of God and sees things that can only be described in symbolic language. God is sitting on his throne with a rainbow overhead. His throne is surrounded by twenty-four other thrones, and twenty-four elders are sitting on the thrones dressed in white and wearing golden crowns. Flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder come from the throne. In front of the throne, there is a sea that looks like glass, clear as crystal. Four living creatures fly around the throne chanting, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” The twenty-four elders fall down before God and worship him. They lay their crowns before the throne and say, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things and by your will they were created and have their being” (Revelation, chapter 4).
约翰抬起头，看到一扇门在天上敞开着，一个响亮的声音说：“上来。约翰被护送到上帝的宝座室，看到只能用象征性语言描述的事情。上帝坐在他的宝座上，头顶上有一道彩虹。他的宝座被二十四个其他宝座包围，二十四位长老穿着白色衣服，戴着金色的王冠坐在宝座上。闪电、隆隆声和雷声从王座上传来。在宝座前，有一片宛如玻璃的大海，清澈如水晶。四个活物在宝座上飞来飞去，高呼：“圣洁，圣洁，圣洁是全能的主神，他过去、现在和将来。二十四位长老跪倒在神面前敬拜他。他们把冠冕放在宝座前，说：“我们的主和神，你配得荣耀、尊贵和能力，因为你创造了万物，他们因着你的旨意被创造并拥有它们的存在”（启示录，第4章）。

This awe-inspiring vision makes us aware of God's infinite authority, power, honor, glory, and wisdom. We soon discover that God's throne room is also his “war room” where he directs his angels in a cosmic war against Satan and his allies.
这个令人敬畏的异象使我们意识到上帝无限的权柄、能力、尊贵、荣耀和智慧。我们很快发现，上帝的宝座室也是他的“作战室”，在那里他指挥他的天使与撒旦和他的盟友进行一场宇宙战争。

Worthy Is the Lamb
值得的是羔羊

God is holding in his right hand a scroll with writing on both sides, and it is sealed with seven seals. A mighty angel with a loud voice asks, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” No one in heaven or on earth is worthy to break the seals, and John begins to weep. One of the elders says to him, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals” (Revelation 5:5).
上帝右手拿着一个两面写着字的卷轴，上面有七个印章。一个大能的天使大声问道：“谁配破封印，打开卷轴？天上地下没有人配打破封印，约翰开始哭泣。其中一位长老对他说：“不要哭泣！看，犹大支派的狮子，大卫的根，已经得胜了。他能打开书卷和它的七个印“（启示录5：5）。

John looks up, and instead of a Lion, he sees a Lamb. The Lamb looks as if it has been slain and is standing in the center of the throne. The Lamb takes the scroll from God's right hand, and the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fall down before the Lamb and sing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open the seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God” (Revelation 5:9). Billions of angels encircle the throne and sing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and praise!” (Revelation 5:12).
约翰抬起头，看到的不是狮子，而是羔羊。羔羊看起来好像被杀了一样，站在宝座的中央。羔羊从上帝的右手里接过书卷，四个活物和二十四位长老跪倒在羔羊面前，唱了一首新歌：“你配得拿卷轴，打开封印，因为你被杀了，你用你的血从各部落、各语言、各民族、各民族为神买人。你造他们作国度和祭司，侍奉我们的神“（启示录5：9）。数以亿计的天使围着宝座唱道：“被杀的羔羊配得权柄、财富、智慧、力量、尊贵和赞美！“（启示录5：12）。

Assurance in the Midst of Conflict
冲突中的保证

In the following fifteen chapters of Revelation, John sees visions of God and his heavenly forces inflicting punishment upon evil. As the Lamb removes the seven seals from the scroll, John beholds war, famine, starvation, pestilence, death, and Hades. He sees the severity of God's judgment on those who have rejected Jesus to follow Satan. But before God's judgments begin, angels are commanded to “put a seal upon the foreheads of the servants of God” to protect them from collateral damage in the war (Revelation 7:3).
在启示录接下来的十五章中，约翰看到神和他天上的力量对邪恶施加惩罚的异象。当羔羊从卷轴上取下七个印记时，约翰看到了战争、饥荒、饥饿、瘟疫、死亡和阴间。他看到神对那些拒绝耶稣跟随撒旦的人的审判是严厉的。但在上帝的审判开始之前，天使被命令“在上帝的仆人的额头上印上印记”，以保护他们在战争中免受附带损害（启示录7：3）。

John looks up and sees “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9). They are wearing white robes, and they cry out, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Revelation 7:10). One of the elders says to John, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. . . . The Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd . . . and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:14, 17). A protective seal is placed on their foreheads.
约翰抬起头，看见“众人，从各民族、各支派、各民族、各语言，都数不清，站在宝座前，站在羔羊面前”（启示录7：9）。他们穿着白色的长袍，大声呼喊：“救恩属于坐在宝座上的神，也属于羔羊”（启示录7：10）。其中一位长老对约翰说：“这些人是从大患难中出来的;他们洗了他们的袍子，用羔羊的血使他们变白。宝座中心的羔羊将是他们的牧羊人。神必擦去他们眼中的泪水“（启示录7：14，17）。他们的额头上贴上了保护性封条。

Seven Trumpets
七个小号

As each of seven trumpets sounds, John sees more symbolic details of God's judgment on the earth. Hail and fire mixed with blood are thrown down upon the earth, and a third of the earth and trees are burned up. A huge flaming mountain is thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea turns to blood. A third of the rivers and streams of water turn bitter, and many people die. People who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads are tortured for five months. They are so miserable they want to die, but death eludes them. God is trying to bring them to repentance, but they refuse to repent. Instead, they seize and kill his witnesses.
当七个号角中的每一个都响起时，约翰看到了上帝在地上审判的更多象征性细节。冰雹和火混合着鲜血被扔在地上，三分之一的大地和树木被烧毁。一座巨大的火焰山被扔进海里，三分之一的海水变成了鲜血。三分之一的河流和水流变得干涩，许多人死亡。额头上没有上帝印记的人会被折磨五个月。他们太悲惨了，他们想死，但死亡躲开了他们。神试图让他们悔改，但他们拒绝悔改。相反，他们抓住并杀害了他的证人。

At the sound of the seventh trumpet, there are flashes of lightning, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm. The twenty-four elders fall on their faces and worship God saying, “The time has come for judging the dead and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great, and for destroying those who destroy the earth” (Revelation 11:18).
在第七号角声响起时，有闪电，雷声，地震和大冰雹。二十四位长老跪倒在地，敬拜上帝说：“审判死人的时候到了，奖赏你的仆人先知、你的圣徒和尊敬你名的人，无论大小，毁灭那些毁灭地球的人”（启示录11：18）。

God's Victory Over Satan and His Agents
神战胜撒旦和他的代理人

John watches God defeat Satan and his forces. First, there is a flashback to God's victory over Satan through the incarnation and crucifixion of Jesus. Second, Satan is defeated in his efforts to destroy God's people (Revelation 12). Angels pour out bowls of God's wrath upon his enemies. Followers of Satan gnaw their tongues in agony, but they curse God and refuse to repent (Revelation 16:10-11). Corrupt secular governments and false religions that are used by Satan to deceive people are thrown into a fiery lake of burning sulfur. Satan, also, and those whose names are not written in the book of life, are thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14-15). These are symbolic pictures of what will occur when Jesus returns to earth to claim his people and take them home.
约翰看着神打败撒旦和他的势力。首先，有一个闪回，神通过道成肉身和耶稣被钉十字架战胜撒旦。第二，撒旦在毁灭上帝子民的努力中被击败了（启示录12）。天使将神的愤怒倾倒在祂的仇敌身上。撒旦的追随者痛苦地咬着舌头，但他们诅咒上帝并拒绝悔改（启示录16：10-11）。腐败的世俗政府和虚假的宗教被撒旦用来欺骗人们，被扔进燃烧硫磺的火湖中。撒旦和那些名字没有写在生命册上的人也被扔进火湖里（启示录19：20;20：10，14-15）。这些象征性的画面，描绘了当耶稣回到地上认领他的子民并带他们回家时会发生什么。

The New Jerusalem
新耶路撒冷

In his final vision, John sees the future home of God's people. He sees the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, prepared as a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband. John hears a voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4). God says to John, “To him who is thirsty, I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son” (Revelation 21:5-7).
在他最后的异象中，约翰看到了上帝子民未来的家。他看到圣城，新耶路撒冷，从天而降，准备成为新娘，为她的丈夫精心打扮。约翰听见宝座上有声音说：“现在神的居所与人同在，他要与他们同住。他们将成为他的子民，神自己将与他们同在，成为他们的神。他会擦去他们眼中的每一滴泪水。不再有死亡、哀恸、哭泣、痛苦，因为旧的秩序已经过去了“（启示录21：3-4）。神对约翰说：“我必把生命之泉的泉水免费赐给他。得胜的必承受这一切，我要作他的神，他要作我的儿子“（启示录21：5-7）。

An angel says to John, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” He carries John away in the Spirit to a high mountain and shows him the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. The city shines with the glory of God, and its brilliance is “like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal” (Revelation 21:9-11). Walls of jasper, gates of pearl, foundations of precious stones, and the great street of pure gold symbolize the beauty of the city. There is no sun or moon there because the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp (Revelation 21:23).
一位天使对约翰说：“来吧，我要给你看新娘，羔羊的妻子。他用圣灵把约翰带到一座高山上，向他展示圣城耶路撒冷，从天上从上帝那里下来。这座城市因上帝的荣耀而闪耀，它的光辉“像非常珍贵的宝石，像碧玉，像水晶一样清澈”（启示录21：9-11）。碧玉墙、珍珠门、宝石地基和纯金大街象征着这座城市的美丽。那里没有太阳或月亮，因为上帝的荣耀给了它光，羔羊是它的灯（启示录21：23）。

In the New Jerusalem, John sees the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stands the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. No longer will there be any curse (Revelation 22:1-3). The curse that God pronounced upon the earth when Adam and Eve sinned has been revoked. The paradise that was lost has been restored, and the heavenly paradise is far better. God's eternal plan has finally come to fruition.
在新耶路撒冷，约翰看到生命之水的河流，像水晶一样清澈，从上帝和羔羊的宝座流下，沿着城市的大街中间流淌。河的两岸矗立着生命之树，结出十二种果实，每个月都会结出果实。不再有任何咒诅（启示录22：1-3）。当亚当和夏娃犯罪时，上帝在地上宣布的咒诅已被撤销。失去的天堂已经恢复，天堂天堂要好得多。上帝永恒的计划终于实现了。

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” “Whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17).
圣灵和新娘说：“来吧！“谁愿意，就当拿生命之水的白赐”（启示录22：17）。

Let all committed, obedient-minded Christians sing, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. O what a foretaste of glory divine.”
让所有委身、顺服的基督徒唱道：“有福的保证，耶稣是我的。哦，多么荣耀的预兆。

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