Revelation
Revelation is probably one of the most difficult to understand book in the Bible. Apart from a few chapters of direct exhortation with a minimum use of symbols, the rest of the book is filled with symbols that are hard to understand, especially in modern times. As the book is primarily an “apokalypsis” (hence the title of the book, given according to the first word of the book in its Greek original), this genre is necessarily about the future and that adds to the confusion as to what time in the future each particular passage is referring to and if the events are necessarily chronological in order. You may want to refer to many fine commentaries of a conservative tradition to learn more about the four schools of interpretation which include:
(1) The “preterist (meaning past) view” which interprets the book from its first-century historical setting which opines that the major prophecies of the book were fulfilled either in the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 or the fall of Rome in A.D. 476—the major problem of this view lies in the fact that the decisive victory of Christ prophesied in the latter chapters has yet to happen, even in our time.
(2) The “historical view” relates the visions in the book to the entire span of church history and seeks to match up various key events in history with John’s visions. Such matchings tend to be very arbitrary and subjective.
(3) The “futurist or eschatological view” sees that everything from Revelation 4:1 onwards belongs to a period in the future which will only come to pass right before the Parousia, Christ’s return.
(4) The “idealist or timeless symbolic view” which was very popular throughout the medieval period interprets basically everything allegorically. This approach is in direct conflict with the stated purpose of the book which is “to show His servant what must soon take place” (1:1).
Instead of having a preconceived preference to anyone of the approaches, I would suggest that we should allow the text to speak to us, with the following reminders:
- Do not approach the book out of curiosity—it is the Word of God that demands a reverent spirit that is ready to obey the message of the book.
- Remember that God will not hold against us things that we do not understand and we need to be honest to accept that there are things in the book that we totally do not understand.
- However, our lack of understanding should not preclude us from reading this book because, “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near” (1:3).
- Bear in mind that John is recording honestly what he has seen in his visions, but is expressing what he sees in terms and with symbols that belonged to his time, the 1st century A.D.
I have followed Robert Mounce’s approach in listing the following outline of the book based on “its literary structure alone” (NICNT, 32-35):
Interlude: Visions of the Prophetic Role (10:1 – 11:14)
The 7th Trumpet (11:15-19)
Interlude: Vision of Final Judgment (14:6-20)
1:1-3—Prologue—What is Revelation about?
(1) The source: Who is the source of this revelation? What is its implication?
(2) The heavenly agent: Who will be used to reveal this revelation?
(3) The earthly agent: Who will be the one given the revelation to behold and record this revelation?
(4) The audience: To whom will John show this revelation?
(5) What is John’s specific mission concerning this revelation? (v. 2)
(6) Since the revelation pertains to future events that are made doubly hard to understand through symbolism, should we encourage the average believer to read this book? Should we preach on this book? Why or why not? (v. 3)
(7) Then what should your attitude be in the studying of this book?
(8) God is obviously the “most wise” and for whatever He does, there must be a purpose. What then might be the “must” of using symbolism to talk about some of the things of the future?
1:4-8—The Greetings and Doxology
(9) To whom does John specifically address his writing to? (Note: Asia in those days refers to the region now known as Turkey.)
(10) In his greetings, John mentions that grace and peace would come from the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (vv. 4-6).
a. How does he address Father God? How does this name elaborate on His name, Yahweh, in the Old Testament? (See Exod. 3:14-15)
b. How does he address the Holy Spirit? (See the manifold description of the Spirit in Isa. 11:2—note that the Septuagint inserts one more description of the Spirit, that being of godliness)
c. What is the significance to the overall message of Revelation and to the seven suffering churches in addressing Jesus Christ as: (vv. 5-6)
- The Faithful Witness?
- The First Born of the dead?
- The Ruler of the kings of the earth?
(11) At the thought of who Jesus is, John cannot help but burst into a personal doxology (vv. 5a-6). Reflect on his doxology, and what does it mean to you that
a. He loves you?
b. He has freed you from our sins by His blood?
c. He has made us to be kingdom and priest to serve His God and Father?
d. See if you can re-write this doxology in your own words.
(12) As an addendum to his doxology, John reaffirms that (v. 7):
a. He is coming with the clouds: To which passage (in the word of God) is John testifying as a faithful witness himself? (Acts 1:9-11; Dan. 7:13; Zech. 14:4)
b. Every eye will see Him. This includes
- Those who pierced Him: To whom might John be referring? (Zech. 12:10; John 19:37)
- All the people of the earth, except that they will mourn because of Him. Why is that? (Matt. 24:30)
(13) At the end of the greetings and doxology, Father God is speaking.
a. How does He address Himself?
b. How significant is it that Father God reaffirms who He is as John is about to begin to record what he saw and heard?
(14) What is the message to you today? How may you apply it to your life?
請細心慢慢讀每天指定的經文至少兩遍，然後反複思考問題。
啟示錄
啟示錄誠然是聖經中最難明的書卷之一。除了其中幾章以教訓為主的經文外，其他都充滿了喻意的象徵(symbols) ，特別使我們今天的讀者覺得難明白。顧名思義，“啟示錄” 的希臘原文“apokalypsis” 使人聯想到兩約之間當時流行與末世有關的著作，都是關乎將來的事，且帶有神秘的異象。一般而言，歷代對啟示錄的釋經系統可分為四類：
(1) The “Preterist” —即已過去的意思：
他們認為這書不但是以第一世紀為背景，書中大部份的預言也已在耶路撒冷陷落（主後70年）和羅馬帝國毀滅（主後476年）時得到應驗。這樣的解釋完全忽略了書中後面部份有關基督再來時所帶來決定性的勝利；
(2) The “Historical” —即歷史觀:
他們試圖把書中的預言與歷代教會歷史配合。這樣的解釋明顯是非常牽強的。
(3) The “Futurist/Eschatological” —即末世論：
他們認為從啟示錄4:1開始到書的末了都是有關將來直至基督再來之前才會發生的事。
(4) The “Idealist/Timeless Symbolic” —即純喻意論：
這論調在中世紀甚盛行。他們認為書中的預言純屬喻意，不是歷史上會發生的。讀時得其中靈意和道德教訓便可。這當然與書中清楚表明的目的相違：“耶穌基督的啟示，就是神賜給祂（基督耶穌），叫祂將必要快成的事指示祂的眾僕人”(1:1)
我提議最好不要帶先入為主的觀念去研讀這書。要讀和領會經文的上文下理來引導我們去思想、了解和應用。特別在此要提醒：
- 不要出於好奇心來研讀—神是要我們帶著敬虔、準備遵行祂話語的心來讀祂的話；
- 謹記：神不會因我們不能明白而看不起我們；祂卻要我們對能明白的向祂交賬；
- 不能明白並不能構成不研讀這書的藉口，因祂已應許說：“念這書上預言的和那些聽見 又遵守其中所記載的，都是有福的，因為日期近了”(1:3) ；
- 而且，要記得，約翰是誠實的把所聽見、所看見的異象和徵象記錄下來。不過因詞彙的限制，他只能用當時第一世紀的詞彙來表達出來。
以下是我按書的文法體材，列出其綱要：
II. 寫給七教會的信 (2:1–3:22)
III. 天上的敬拜 (4:1–5:14)
IV. 七印(6:1– 8:1)
V. 七號(8:2–11:19)
插曲: 小卷與先知 (10:1–11:14)
第七號(11:15–19)
VI. 教會與世上罪惡勢力的鬥爭 (12:1–14:5)
插曲: 最後審判的異象(14:6-20)
VII. 最後七災(15:1–16:21)
VIII. 巴比倫的傾覆(17:1–19:5)
IX. 最後的勝利 (19:6–20:15)
X. 新天新地 (21:1–22:5)
XI. 結束的啟示 (22:6-21)
1:1-3—引言—這啟示的原由
(1) 源頭：這啟示從何而來？
(2) 天上的使者：誰是啟示的傳遞者？
(3) 地上的使者：誰是聽到、看到和寫下這些啟示？
(4) 約翰要把啟示向誰指示出來？
(5) 總括而言，約翰的責任包括什麼？(1:1-2)
(6) 這關乎將來的啟示既充滿了難解的異象、徵記，我們該鼓勵別人研讀嗎？該傳講這書的信息嗎？為什麼？(3:3)
(7) 既是如此，我們該存什麼態度來研讀這書？
(8) 神當然是最智慧的；祂作事也必有其因。為何要用這麼多的徵象來論到將來的事？
1:4-8—問候與頌讚
(9) 約翰首先要寫給的讀者是誰？（請參閱聖經后頁有關的地圖）
(10) 在問候語中，約翰指出恩惠與平安是從三位一體的神而來的
(11) （1:4-6）
a. 他怎樣論到父神？(1:4) 這名字與「耶和華」這名字有什麼關係？（見出3:14-15）
b. 他怎樣論到聖靈？（可參賽11:2；希臘舊約的七十士譯本，加上聖靈的第七個形容，就是敬虔的靈—Spirit of Godliness）
c. 以下論到基督耶穌的名字，對整本啟示錄和收信的七個教會有什麼重要性（1: 5-6）：
i. 誠實的見證人？
ii. 從死裡首先復活的？
iii. 世上君王的元首？
(12) 想到基督耶穌是誰，約翰禁不住發出頌讚—doxology(1:5a-6) ：試思想這頌讚對你有什麼個人的感受：
a. 祂愛你？
b. 用自己的寶血使你脫離罪惡？
c. 使你成為國民、作祂父神的祭司？
d. 請試用自己的言詞寫出你的頌讚。
(13) 頌讚之餘，約翰要我們知道（1:7）
a. 祂要駕雲降臨：約翰，作為誠實的見證人，是在肯定聖經那處的記載？（見徒1:9-11； 但7:13；亞14:4）
b. 眾目要看見祂：
i. 這包括刺祂的：是指誰呢？（見亞12:10；約19:37）
ii. 地上的萬族何以因祂而哀哭？（參太24:30）
(14) 就在此時父神發聲(1:8)：
a. 祂怎樣自稱？
b. 在約翰把所看見、所聽見的寫出來時，神這樣的自稱有什麼重要性？
(15) 今天你得到的提醒是什麼？你會怎樣應用在你的生命中？
“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon take place…” (Rev. 1:1)
As difficult
as the book of Revelation is to understand and that throughout the ages, many
have had an unhealthy obsession in its reading (which led to far-fetched interpretations and liberal thoughts, discounting it
as a book of fantasy like other apocalyptical works that flourished in the
Inter-testamental period) the prologue given by the
Apostle John serves to affirms beyond a doubt the following:
(1) It is the revelation given to him by Christ Jesus affirming what the Apostle Peter says of all prophecies in the Scriptures in that “For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Pet. 1:21)
(2) John is simply testifying to what he saw; as a result, “the descriptions (in Revelation) themselves are not John’s creative attempt to portray eschatological truth in apocalyptical terminology, but the faithful transmission of what he actually saw in authentic vision” (NICOT, 30).
(3) The revelation is about “what must soon take place” and from the contents of the book it is about the final consummation of the redemptive work of Christ through His second coming. The Apostle Peter already explains the reason why it appears that His second coming might be perceived as being delayed (2 Pet. 3:8-9), but “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon’” (Rev. 22:20). Therefore, as we read this book of Revelation, let us “take to heart” and be blessed by our reading and hearing as the Spirit affirms in our hearts that indeed, “the time is near”. (Rev. 1:3)
「耶穌基督的啟示，就是神賜給祂，叫祂將必要快成的事指示祂的眾僕人。祂就差遣使者，曉諭祂的僕人約翰。」(啟1:1)
啟示錄確是一本難明的書。歷世歷代不少人單因好奇而費上不少時間和精力來鑽研；因而產生不少荒誕的解釋；也有不少不信派把它當作像兩約中間那時代盛行的末世古怪離奇的作品看待。但是使徒約翰在啟示錄的一開始，就清楚的說明：
(1) 這是耶穌基督的啟示(1:1)：這啟示並非是人的創作，乃是從基督耶穌而來；祂不啟示我們，我們就對屬祂的事一無所知。正如使徒彼得所言：「該知道經上所有的預言沒有可隨私意解說的。 因為預言從來沒有出於人意的，乃是人被聖靈感動，說出神的話來」(彼後1:21) ；
(2) 約翰單單把“凡自己所看見的，都證明出來”(1:2) ：故此，啟示錄“所形述的不是約翰的創作，用末世災難論的詞彙來表明末世的真理，乃是他誠實的把所看見的異象，記錄下來” （NICOT, 30）
(3) 這些啟示是論到“必要快成的事”(1:1) ：啟示錄論到主耶穌救贖大工，是要藉著祂的再來而得到完成的，並且將這末期的事件告訴我們。為何主耶穌經過差不多二千年尚未再來？使徒彼得已給我們作出交待（參彼後3:8-9）。在啟示錄主自己就再次作出肯定，說：“證明這事的說：「是了，我必快來！」”(22:20)
故此，當我們研讀啟示錄時，務要“遵守”( 或譯“放在心上/take to heart”) ；這樣我們必蒙福，聖靈也會與我們的心同證：“日期近了。” （1:3）
The revelation of Jesus Christ to John begins with a most glorious vision of Who He is:
1:9-17—The Glorious Appearance of Jesus Christ to John
(1) Self-address of John (v. 9)
a. What does John address himself as? (v. 9a)
b. What does that mean to the seven churches to whom he writes?
c. What does it mean to you as you are also a companion (or co-sharer) of this kingdom?
d. Why is he on the island of Patmos? (see Note 1 below)
(2) Jesus’ Appearance (vv. 10-16)
a. How does John come to see the vision? (v. 10)
b. What does the voice of the Lord sound like? (vv. 10b, 15b; Ezek. 43:2)
c. What does the Lord tell him to do? (v. 11; you may want to refer to the map at the back of your Bible to see the location of these churches, all on the west side of modern-day Turkey)
d. Why does John say that He is like a “Son of Man”? (see Dan. 7:13 and Note 2 below)
e. How does John describe His glorious appearance? (You might want to draw a sketch of His appearance to get a sense of His awesomeness. Many of these descriptions are picked up in the seven letters concerning Who Christ is.)
f. What do the seven golden lampstands and the seven stars represent? (see v. 20)
g. What does it mean that He is among the seven golden lampstands (v. 13)
h. What does it mean that He is holding the seven stars in His right hand? (v. 16)
(3) How does John respond to the appearance of the Lord? (v. 17a)
(4) Why is John afraid? (v. 17b)
1:18-20—The Charge to John
(5) How does this Son of Man address Himself? (vv. 17b, 18)
(6) How will this self-address alleviate the fear of John?
(7) What keys does He hold? Why does He not refer to the Keys to heaven, but only to the keys of death and Hades?
(8) What does He charge John to do? (v. 19)
(9) What can we expect to read about in the rest of the book as a result?
(10) What is the most important message to you and how may you apply it to your life?
Note 1:
I had the
privilege of visiting the island of Patmos, a small island in the Mediterranean
Sea off of the coast of Turkey. Even in
modern times, the sea during October to April is so rough that it is
inaccessible by boat—it was a most ideal place for prisoners in exile in John’s days.
Note 2:
“John says He is ‘like a Son of man’, which is not exactly the same as Jesus’ expression, ‘the Son of man’; (in Greek this has two
articles, ‘the Son of the man’; here there are none). It seems to be taken directly from Daniel
7:13 where we read of a heavenly Being
coming with the clouds and receiving a mighty dominion.”
(TNTC, Revelation, 53)
請細心慢慢讀每天指定的經文至少兩遍，然後反複思考問題。
耶穌基督的啟示是以祂極榮耀的顯現作為開始：
1:9-17—基督榮耀的顯現
(1) 約翰的自我介紹(1:9)
a. 約翰怎樣介紹自己？(1:9a)
b. 這對收信的七個教會有什麼意義？
c. 這句話對你又有什麼意思？
d. 為何他會在拔摩海島？（參註一）
(2) 基督的榮耀(1:10-16)
a. 約翰憑什麼才得見這異象？(1:10)
b. 基督耶穌的聲音像什麼？(1:10b; 15b; 參結32:2)
c. 耶穌給約翰什麼吩咐？(1:11; 可參今天靈修小篇)
d. 為何約翰說：“好像人子” ？ (參但7:13和下註二)
e. 約翰如何仔細的形容祂的形狀？（這裡的形述在七書信中，主耶穌多有用來介紹自己的；故提議你試在紙上把祂的形狀描繪出來）
f. 七個金燈臺和七星是代表什麼？（1:20）
g. 祂在七燈臺中間是什麼意思？
h. 祂右手拿著七星又是什麼意思？
(3) 約翰看見這異象時作出什麼反應？(1:17a)
(4) 為何他會如此懼怕？(1:17b)
1:18-20—給約翰的吩咐
(5) 人子怎樣介紹自己？(1:17b-18)
(6) 這怎樣能使約翰不懼怕？
(7) 祂手拿死亡和陰間的鑰匙是什麼意思？為何不說是天堂的鑰匙？
(8) 祂給約翰什麼吩咐？(1:19)
(9) 因此，我們可以從啟示錄以下的篇幅讀到什麼？
(10) 今天對你最主要提醒是什麼？你會怎樣應用在你的生命中？
註一：我有機會到過這荒涼的小島。就是在今天，因海浪之故，由十月至四月左右，是船隻不能達到的。確是昔日放逐囚犯的理想地方。
註二：約翰說：“人子” 時，原文是完全沒有分詞在這兩個字之前（與福音書論到“人子” 時不同）。似是直指但7:13那位從天駕雲而來，永遠得權柄的那位（TNTC, Revelation, 53）
“Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” (Rev. 1:11)
Of all churches in the 1st century, the Lord has not explained to us why He has chosen to ask John to write to these seven specific churches. The more logical suggestion is perhaps because these were churches that John had ministered to and his influence was such that the message and especially the hard-to-understand contents of the revelation would be more readily accepted. But more importantly, we find that these seven churches have the following commonalities:
(1) They were all suffering churches.
(2) They were all facing internal challenges as well.
(3) Yet, they were called golden lampstands among which the Lord Himself walked.
(4) They have, for all intents and purposes, vanished from the face of the earth and from history.
On the one hand, it is of great comfort for us to know that sufferings and internal challenges are not unique to us today, and the Lord is still walking among us. On the other hand, it is a sobering reminder to us that even though the seven churches have died and vanished, Christianity has not, and there are two lessons at least that we may draw from this fact:
(1) We all serve the generation that God has meant us to and put us in: Some of these seven churches would continue to flourish for a time, but, in the larger scheme of God’s plan, somehow, God has seen fit to put an end to their existence. However, if they had been faithful as charged by these words of the Lord, they had served the eternal purpose of the Lord. And so, it is not necessarily a bad thing for a church or a ministry to come to an end as long as they serve their generation faithfully, just as Moses or David did. They could not control the destiny of those behind them nor guarantee the faithfulness of their successors! So, just press on and be faithful; you will only be held accountable for your generation!
(2) The second thing is God will never fail: While the seven churches eventually vanished from the face of the earth, Christianity has not and the church of Jesus Christ has not. In fact, it has grown by leaps and bounds since the 1st century, and has reached the ends of the earth, just as He has planned. So, even though the former bastion of Christianity (and I am referring to Europe) is treading the same path of the seven churches, the church of Jesus Christ is exploding in China, in Africa and in other parts of the world. God forbid that the US and Canada will also go down the same path as the Seven churches; even if such is the case, it is not the end of the church because, God has reminded John at the beginning of this series of visions: “'I am the Alpha and the Omega', says the Lord God, 'who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty'.” (1:8)
「你所看見的當寫在書上，達於以弗所、士每拿、別迦摩、推雅推喇、撒狄、非拉鐵非、老底嘉那七個教會。」(啟1:11)
聖經沒有交待為什麼在當時小亞細亞眾多的教會中，只揀選這七個教會來作收書人。除了「七」是完全數目的代表外，我相信是因約翰與這七個教會的密切關係有關，好使他們雖讀到書中各種不容易明白的徵記，仍願意接受。不過更重要的是這七個教會都有以下的共通之處：
(1) 他們都是在經歷苦難中的教會；
(2) 他們都面對內部種種的挑戰，有他們的軟弱；
(3) 都被主耶穌稱為「金燈臺」，是祂在其中行走的；
(4) 這七個教會，在實質上，都一個一個的在歷史和地理上消失了！
故此，讀到給他們的書信時，我們可以得到鼓勵，曉得苦難和內部的挑戰不是我們今天獨有的。同時，從這七個重要教會的消失，讓我們也明白到：
(1) 要按神的心意服侍我們這一代的人。在這七個教會中有部份繼續存在多一段時期，但至終在神的容許甚至在神的計劃中消失了。不過，若然他們對主忠心，他們已完成神在他們身上永恆計劃的那一部份。教會或事工的結束不一定是壞事，就如摩西和大衛忠心服侍了他們的世代。下一代如何，不是他們可以左右的，也不是神要向他們討賬的；
(2) 另一方面，神是永不會失敗的。這七個教會雖然消失了，基督普世的教會仍存在，而且從第一個世紀就急劇的增長、擴展，現在已到了“地極” ，一如祂旨意所定的（徒1:8）。雖然福音早期的重要基地—歐洲—已漸走向這七個教會息微的地步，福音卻在中、非洲和其他地方急劇的發展。如果北美的教會也仿似歐洲的教會那樣，這亦非基督教會的結束。因為早在這異象的開始，神就提醒約翰：“主神說：‘我是阿拉法、我是俄梅戛，是昔在、今在、以後永在的全能者’”(1:8) 。
The Church in Ephesus (see Note below)
(1) To whom in the church of Ephesus does the Lord address this letter to? Why? (v. 1)
(2) From the glorious description of the Lord in 1:13-16 which particular part does the Lord use to depict Himself? (v. 1b)
(3) What is the purpose of this emphasis?
(4) Commendations (vv. 2-3)
a. Their deeds—these likely refer to the overall manner of life:
- As a commendation, what might their manner of life look like?
- What might the Lord say about you?
b. Their hard work:
- What does a church of “hard-work” look like?
- Does it describe your church? Why or why not?
c. Their perseverance
- In those days of suffering, what might be the factors that would sustain them?
- Are you easily frustrated and do you tend to give up when you face hardship or opposition in your ministry?
d. Their intolerance of wicked men
- What kind of wicked men is being pointed out here?
- How have they demonstrated their intolerance?
- How would they “test” these men to find out their falsehood? (see Gal. 1:9)
e. Endurance―Together with the foregoing commendations,
- How would you describe the church in Ephesus?
- Will it be a church that you would like to be part of? Why or why not?
(5) The rebuke (v. 4)
a. What is meant by “first love” in general?
b. How might you describe your “first love” for the Lord?
c. How can such a church of such good deeds, hard work, pure doctrine and perseverance lose their first love? (see 1 Cor. 13:1-3 as well)
d. What then compels them to do all these if not love?
(6) The call to repentance (v. 5)
a. What two things are they asked to do in order to repent?
b. Since love is of the heart, what are the things that they did at first that could restore their first love for the Lord?
c. What if they continue to worship and serve without love?
d. What then should you do today?
(7) One final praise (v. 6): Their hatred of the practices of the Nicolatians
a. Since “love” is what they need to restore, why does the Lord condone their hatred?
b. In what way might they demonstrate their hatred of such practices? (See 2:14-15 to understand what such practices might be.)
(8) The exhortation to heed (v. 7a)―This call to listen is almost like a closing formula in all seven letters.
a. Who is the speaker of these letters?
b. Obviously, everyone has ears to hear. What then does this call to listen mean?
(9) The encouragement (v. 7b)—Each letter ends with a promise of rewards. While, in essence, they are common promises of good for each church, it appears the rewards are highlighted for each individual church with a purpose:
a. What is meant by to “overcome”?
b. What is the promised reward? (see Gen. 2:9; 3:22-24; Rev. 22:2)
c. How should this serve as an encouragement to the church in Ephesus?
d. What about you?
(10) What is the message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
Ephesus was a city of great importance in the region, being granted the right of self-government by Rome as a free city. Its commerce was greatly enhanced by its location being the junction of three great trade routes at the time, and its population grew to a quarter of a million toward the end of the 1st century. It was also known for emperor worship and the great temple of Artemis. The church in Ephesus was established by Paul with Aquila and Priscilla in about A.D. 52 (Acts 18:18-22). On his 2nd missionary journey, Paul spent more than two years there (Acts 19:8, 10), and since then it blossomed into a base through which the gospel reached many parts of Asia Minor (Acts 19:10). Timothy also ministered at the church and according to church tradition, the Apostle John spent his latter years in Ephesus as well.
請細心慢慢讀每天指定的經文至少兩遍，然後反複思考問題。
以弗所的教會（參下註）
(1) 主耶穌叫約翰向這教會中的什麼人寫信？(2:1)
(2) 主的自稱是從先前的異象（1:13-16）那一個形述中取材的？(2:1b)
(3) 這自稱的目的是什麼？
(4) 稱讚：祂知道(2:2-3)
a. 行為—相信是指平日的生活見證：
i. 既是可稱讚的：你認為他們生活可有什麼值得稱讚的呢？
ii. 今日主會稱讚你的行為嗎？為什麼？
b. 勞碌：
i. 一個「勞碌」的教會是怎樣的？
ii. 這是否你或你的教會的現象？
c. 忍耐：
i. 他們既在經歷逼迫，你認為是什麼使他們能忍耐呢？
ii. 當你遇見苦難或在事奉時遭受反對時，能否用忍耐來形容你呢？
d. 不能容忍惡人
i. 裡特別是指那些惡人？
ii. 以弗所教會怎樣表現出他們的不容忍？
iii. 你認為他們怎樣「看出」他們是假的？（可參加1:9）
e. 並不乏倦—加上以上的種種稱讚
i. 你認為以弗所是怎樣的一個教會？
ii. 你希望你的教會像以弗所教會嗎？為什麼？
(5) 責備(2:4)
a. 一般而言，起初的愛心（或說初戀的愛）是怎樣的？
b. 你可以怎樣形容你對主“起初的愛” ？
c. 為何如此美好和積極的一個教會竟可以是離棄了起初的愛心呢？（可參林前13:1-3）
d. 那麼，是什麼在推動他們各樣的事工呢？
(6) 悔改的呼喚（2:5）
a. 主吩咐他們當作那兩樣事？
b. 愛是發自心的：與行起初所行的有何關？
c. 若然他們不重拾愛心而繼續敬拜與事奉又如何？
d. 你今天又當如何？
(7) 還有可稱讚之處(2:6) —恨惡尼哥拉一黨人的行為
a. 既要重拾愛心，何以又可有恨呢？
b. 你認為他們如何顯出這合神心意的恨惡？（可參2:14-15對尼哥拉的行為的指摘）
(8) 呼籲要聽(2:7a) —每封信都有呼籲
a. 是誰在向教會發出這呼籲？
b. 人人都當然有耳朵：這句話是什麼意思？
(9) 賞賜的鼓勵（2:7b）—每封信的結尾都有賞賜的話，相信是每個教會所共有的；其不同是針對個別教會的情況而刻畫出來：
a. 「得勝」是什麼意思，特別在以弗所教會而言？
b. 主應許的賞賜是什麼？(參創 2:9; 3:22-24；啟 22:2)
c. 這賞賜如何成為以弗所教會的鼓勵？
d. 對你又如何？
(10) 今天你得到的主要提醒是什麼？你會怎樣應用在你的生命中？
註：以弗所在當時的小亞細亞是個極重要的城市。它獲羅馬政府給予自主權，成為一個「自由城」。因位於當時三個主要商道的交界，是個極繁榮的城市。當時人口達25萬，以帝王和偶像的敬拜見稱；是著名的底米丟廟的所在地。以弗所的教會相信是保羅與亞居拉夫婦在主後52年左右所建立的（見徒18:18--2）。保羅在第二次宣教旅程時曾停留在此達兩年多的時間（見徒19:8, 10）。自此之後，這教會成為福音遍傳小亞細亞的基地（見徒19:10）。提摩太和約翰在年老時，曾牧養這教會。
“Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken your first love.” (Rev. 2:4)
The church in Ephesus should be considered a model church for us today, especially given the permissiveness and tolerance of wickedness that have crept into many Evangelical churches today.
This was a church that was known for her deeds. This meant living a lifestyle that was pure, with little or no scandals to speak of.
This was a hardworking church and that normally would indicate a church with vibrant ministries and sacrificial caring of her flock and the people of the community.
This was a church that was under persecution and yet, they had learned to persevere for the name of Christ (2:3).
What’s more, this was a church that could not tolerate wicked men, especially the Nicolatians. According to the explanation given in the letter to the church in Pergamum, these were people who practiced sexual immorality and were associated with idol worship.
And yet, such a church could be void of their “first love”, obviously referring to their love for the Lord. We cannot help but ask: How could this be? What else would motivate them to be such a “model” church?
The Apostle Paul has already told us that this is absolutely possible (1 Cor. 13:1-3), and perhaps, such is the temptation of such a busy church of good repute. Their busyness and their success had caused them to be proud and self-serving, and the urge to maintain such an appearance would further blind them to their real spiritual condition—that of having forsaken their first love.
Surprisingly, in calling them to repentance, the Lord asks them to consider how far they have fallen and to do the things they did at first.
Of course, in order to “consider”, they had to pause and spend time in prayer and self-examination. And, in order to return to what they did as a young church or believer, it necessarily meant that they would have to value their “being” (i.e. their spending time to cultivate their intimate fellowship with the Lord) over their “doing”.
This is, indeed, a timeless message for all believers and churches.
「然而，有一件事我要責備你，就是你把起初的愛心離棄了。」(啟2:4)
看來，以弗所教會該是今天教會的模範。不是嗎？以弗所教會不像今天的教會那樣容忍罪，那樣接納種種世俗與神話語相違的心態。
以弗所教會是以行為見稱，相信甚少醜聞；也是以勞碌見稱，表明他們一定有不少，甚至多元化的事工，是其他教會和社區所注目的。而且，雖然有外來的逼迫，他們為主名的原故，忠心忍耐到底。更寶貴的是，他們不能容忍惡人，特別是尼哥拉一黨那些行姦淫、拜偶像的人（參2:14-15的解釋）。
但奇怪的是，這樣的一個教會竟然可以同時是失掉了起初的愛心！怎可能呢？他們事奉的動力從何而來呢？
使徒保羅在哥林多前書13:1-3早已告訴我們，這是可能發生的。其實，經驗告訴我們，這是忙碌的教會常見的現象。事工的繁多與成功，往往叫人驕傲、自我抬舉；為要維持這外表，以致被弄到瞎了眼，看不到自己靈裡的實況—就是漸漸離棄起初的愛心了。
不過奇怪的是，主呼喚他們悔改時，叫他們「回想」，並要行起初所行的事(2:5) 。
當然，要「回想」，就必須定下來、停下來，撥出一段時間來禱告反思，這才知道自己是「從那裡墜落的」。至於行起初信主時所行的，就是在尚沒有經驗作各種事奉時，如初生的嬰孩愛慕奶一樣，看重的是親近神，著重的不是工作(doing)，乃是生命(being) —與神建立相愛的關係。
The second letter is addressed to the church in Smyrna: (see Note below)
(1) From the glorious description and self-address of the Lord in 1:13-18, which particular part does the Lord use to depict Himself? (v. 8b)
(2) What is the purpose of this emphasis to the church in Smyrna?
(3) The Lord knows their afflictions and poverty (v. 9)
a. What kind of persecution are they facing?
b. In such a prosperous city (some estimates put it at 200,000 in population), what could some reasons for their poverty? (see Heb. 10:34)
(4) An even more gloomy future (v. 10a)
a. What does the Lord foretell about their future?
b. Who is the one responsible for their persecution?
c. “Ten days” is likely a metaphor: Would it be for a long or short period? (History reveals that their persecution was a prolonged one.)
(5) The exhortation and reward (vv. 10b-11)
a. What encouragement does the Lord give to urge them to be faithful?
b. A crown refers to the wreath awarded to the champion in the games famous in those days. The value of it lay not in itself but in what it symbolized:
- What kind of a crown is promised to the “overcomers” in the church of Smyrna?
- Does it refer to the present life or eternal life? (v. 11)
c. How meaningful do you think this letter was to the church in Smyrna then?
d. How meaningful is it to the suffering churches of today?
(6) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
Smyrna was a very special city. Although it was small, it was one of the few “planned” cities of the time, and with its great harbor, it was known for its beauty with its coins describing the city as “First of Asia in beauty”. Its temple worship, its strong allegiance to Rome plus a large Jewish population meant that it was exceptionally difficult to live as a Christian in Smyrna. The most famous martyr of the early church fathers was Polycarp, the “12th martyr in Smyrna” (NICNT, Revelation, 74). You may read today’s Meditative Reflection for the story of his martyrdom.
請細心慢慢讀每天指定的經文至少兩遍，然後反複思考問題。
士每拿的教會（參下註）
(1) 主的自稱是從先前的異象（1:13-18）那一個形述中取材的？(2:8b)
(2) 這自稱的目的是什麼
(3) 主知道他們的患難與貧窮（2:9）
a. 他們遇見什麼苦難？
b. 在這極繁榮的城市（估計有20多萬人口），何以這教會是如此貧窮？(可參來10:34)
(4) 更糟的將來(2:10a)
a. 主預言他們將會遭遇什麼？
b. 是誰在背後作工的？
c. 「十日」是指長還是短的時間？（歷史告訴我們，它們遭受的逼迫持續甚久）
(5) 勸勉與賞賜(2:10b-11)
a. 主給他們什麼勸勉和鼓勵？
b. 這冠冕是指當時競賽贏得用葉編造的桂冠—故此其價值只在乎所得的榮譽：
i. 主應許得勝的得什麼冠冕？
ii. 「生命」是指今生嗎？(2:11b)
c. 你認為這信息對士每拿教會有意義嗎？
d. 對今日受苦的教會又如何？
(6) 今天你得到的主要提醒是什麼？你會怎樣應用在你的生命中？
註：士每拿雖是個小小的城市，卻是很特別的。它是當時少有「城市設計」的城，因而是非常的美麗。所出的錢幣刻有“亞細亞第一美城” 的字句。它盛行偶像敬拜和效忠羅馬政府，加上龐大的猶太社區，使在士每拿作基督徒倍感困難。它最出名的殉道教父Polycarp已是“士每拿第12位殉道者” （NICNT, Revelation, 74）。其殉道的故事可參閱今天的靈修小篇。
“Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10b)
“Polycarp appeared to have been in his nineties when persecution broke out in Smyrna. When it became evident that a Roman festival would become an occasion for the severe harassment of Christians, a majority in the church persuaded their aged pastor to retire to a farm outside the city. There, in the company of a few friends, he spent time in prayer.
Christians in Smyrna were arrested and brought before the Roman Pro-Consul, who sought to persuade them to take the oath of allegiance to the emperor, acknowledging Caesar as Lord, and to offer pagan sacrifice. A man named Quintus was remembered because ‘he played the coward’ and complied, but most of the Christians from Smyrna remained true to Christ. They were scourged, burned alive, tortured on the rack, and torn by wild beasts. After a few days of this public spectacle, the crowd in the arena became restless and called for a search to be made for Polycarp.
Polycarp was moved to still another farm, but he could not remain hidden. A young slave revealed under torture where he could be found, and the police captain, with a detachment of cavalry, was dispatched to bring him to the arena. When Polycarp entered the arena, there was a deafening roar from the spectators, but it could not drown out the heavenly voice which the aged pastor heard: ‘Be strong Polycarp, and play the man.’
The Pro-Consul apparently had never seen Polycarp previously. When this venerable old man stood before him, he was deeply moved. He urged the old pastor to respect his age, and pressed him to take the oath, swearing by the genius of Caesar: ‘Take the oath and I will let you go. Revile Christ.’ Polycarp replied without hesitation: ‘For eighty-six years I have been His servant, and He has never wronged me. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?’ (Martyrdom of Polycarp, 9:3). When every effort at dissuasion had failed, the Pro-Consul sent his herald into the arena to announce three times, ‘Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian.’ It was decreed that Polycarp should be burned alive. He was bound and consigned to the flames.”
(Lane, Hebrews, 92)
Indeed, as promised by the Lord, he has received the crown of life!
「你務要至死忠心，我就賜給你那生命的冠冕。」(啟2:10b)
士每拿是一個受苦的教會。在使徒約翰從主耶穌所得的啟示得知，他們「必受苦難十日」。從歷史中，我們知道這並非指只再受苦十日，苦難就會完結，反而是指苦難會持續的意思。我們所熟悉的士每拿主教Polycarp (主後69-155)，已是「士每拿第12位殉道者」。讓我再與你們分享他殉道的事跡。
“看來，在士每拿教會開始遭受逼迫時，Polycarp已年逾九十。當知道（政府）要藉著一個羅馬節日來嚴厲的逼迫基督徒時，教會大部份的人都勸他這年老的牧者到市外的農場躲避。在那裡，他與陪伴的幾個友好一起禱告。
當士每拿的基督徒被捉拿，帶到方伯面前時；就會被力勸向該撒宣誓效忠，稱該撒為主，並向偶像獻祭。有一個稱為Quintus的人，就因「討好群眾」而妥協，而此遺臭萬年。但大部份的士每拿信徒是忠於基督的。他們有被鞭打的、被活活燒死的、被用刑架施刑的、或被猛獸撕裂的。經過幾天的公開戲景後，觀眾就感到不耐煩，要求找Polycarp出來。。
Polycarp雖然已逃到另一農場去，但始終不能久藏。一個年輕的奴隸，在酷刑下說出他藏身之處；警察長帶著武裝兵士把他帶到劇場那裡。當Polycarp進場時，群眾發出如雷的呼聲，卻蓋不過那從天而來對這年老牧者的聲音：‘Polycarp, 要堅強，要作大丈夫’ 。
方伯似乎從未見過Polycarp。當這備受敬重的老年人站在他面前時，他深深的被感動。他催促這年老牧者要考慮自己的年紀，勸他向該撒起誓：‘起誓吧；我就釋放你。咒罵基督吧。’ Polycarp 毫不猶疑的回答：‘我已作祂的僕人86年，祂從來未對我不是。我怎能褻瀆那拯救我的王？’ (Martyrdom of Polycarp, 9:3) 當所有說服的話都無效時，方伯就差人進劇場去宣告三次：‘Polycarp已承認他是基督徒’ 。跟著就依法宣判要活活燒死他。Polycarp就被綑綁起來，被扔在火焰裡。” (Lane, Hebrews, 92)
是的，正如亞伯一樣，Polycarp “雖然死了，因這信仍舊說話。” (來11:4)