6月14日安息日下午
记忆经文：
“因为神赐给我们，不是胆怯的心，乃是刚强、仁爱、谨守的心。” 钦定本 — 提摩太后书 1:7
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” KJV — 2Timothy 1:7
当上帝向世人发出如此重要的警告，甚至圣天使在天上飞翔宣告时，祂要求每一个有理智的人都要留意这信息。对拜兽和兽像所宣告的可怕审判（启示录14:9-11）应当促使人人都殷勤研读预言，以了解兽的印记是什么，以及如何避免受此印记。然而，世人却掩耳不听真理，偏向荒诞的言语。使徒保罗展望末世说：“时候要到，人必厌烦纯正的道理。”（提摩太后书4:3）时候已经到了。众人不想要圣经真理，因为它干扰了他们罪恶的、贪爱世俗的心；而撒但则提供他们所喜爱的欺骗。GC 594.2
但上帝要在地上设立一班子民，来维护圣经，并且唯独圣经，作为一切教义的标准和一切改革的基础。学者们的意见，科学的推论，教会会议的信条或决议，无论它们所代表的教会多么众多，多么不一致，以及大多数人的声音——这些都不应被视为支持或反对任何宗教信仰的证据。在接受任何教义或训诫之前，我们应当要求有明确的“耶和华如此说”来支持它。”（GC 595.1）
“When God sends to men warnings so important that they are represented as proclaimed by holy angels flying in the midst of heaven, He requires every person endowed with reasoning powers to heed the message. The fearful judgments denounced against the worship of the beast and his image (Revelation 14:9-11), should lead all to a diligent study of the prophecies to learn what the mark of the beast is, and how they are to avoid receiving it. But the masses of the people turn away their ears from hearing the truth and are turned unto fables. The apostle Paul declared, looking down to the last days: “The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.” 2 Timothy 4:3. That time has fully come. The multitudes do not want Bible truth, because it interferes with the desires of the sinful, world-loving heart; and Satan supplies the deceptions which they love. GC 594.2
“But God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms. The opinions of learned men, the deductions of science, the creeds or decisions of ecclesiastical councils, as numerous and discordant as are the churches which they represent, the voice of the majority—not one nor all of these should be regarded as evidence for or against any point of religious faith. Before accepting any doctrine or precept, we should demand a plain “Thus saith the Lord” in its support.” GC 595.1
6月15日星期日
但以理书第2章与历史主义的预言方法
阅读但以理书2:31-45。尼布甲尼撒做了什么梦？但以理是如何解释的？
Read Daniel 2:31–45. What was Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, and how did Daniel interpret it?
那些已经灭亡的国度，那些仍然存在的国度，以及那些尚未来临的国度，其立法都与上帝的子民有关，这些都已被但以理和启示录的作者约翰以图画的方式记载下来。
古巴比伦国王尼布甲尼撒正为他的王国能存到多久而苦恼，梦中看到一个由四种金属构成的巨大像。它的头是“金”的；它的胸膛和胳膊是“银”的；它的股是“铜”的；它的腿是“铁”的；它的脚是“铁和泥搀杂的”。但以理解释这异象时对王说：
巨像的四种金属，如同四兽，象征着四位君王在各自时期的连续更替。铁泥制成的脚（左右）显然象征着第五个时期的两派君王（右派和左派），即天上的上帝将“另立一国，永不败坏”的时期。脚趾当然象征着左右两派——右派和左派——的众多君王。
但以理在提及国度的开端时说：“当这些君王在位的时候（不是在那之后，而是在那些由大像的脚和脚趾象征的君王在位的时候），天上的上帝必另立一国，永不败坏，也不归别国的人，却要打碎灭绝那一切国，这国必存到永远。”（但以理书2:44）由此可见，在我们这个时代的列国（由但以理书2:41,42中大像的脚和脚趾象征）尚存之时，主必另立一国，用以倾覆这些列国。那时必有话说：“世上的国成了我主和主基督的国；他要作王，直到永永远远。”（启示录11:15）
是什么击打了这像？难道不是但以理所揭示的那块象征上帝王国复兴的石头吗？还要记住，这像不是被石头击打的，而是在石头（这块石头）非人手凿出山之后，然后长成充满全地，最终成为一座山。为了阐明这一真理，先知以赛亚补充道：
“末后的日子，耶和华殿的山必坚立，超乎诸山，高举过于万岭；万国都要流归这山。必有许多国的民前往，说：来吧，我们登耶和华的山，奔雅各神的殿。主必将他的道教训我们，我们也要行他的路。因为训诲必出于锡安，耶和华的言语必出于耶路撒冷。”（以赛亚书 2:2, 3）
因此，当一块石头以超自然的方式从一座山上凿出来，又以超自然的方式变成另一座山，然后充满全地时，它就揭示了预言变为历史的过程：石头（因为它要生长）象征着天国中初熟的果子；婴儿天国始于十四万四千名“上帝的仆人”（启示录 7:3）；因此，老底嘉教会（因为它是麦子和稗子最后混合的教会，因此也是收获麦子，即十四万四千个初熟的果子的教会）必然是那块石头，即天国初熟的果子，从中凿出或取出的山。
此外，可以看出，它们是“非人手凿出来的”，无需人力协助，这显然指出了它们是由天使采集的；而它们的增多，正如石头的增长所表明的那样，是随后从万国中聚集了第二批果子的结果，使得这座山或王国充满大地；而凿出石头、将十四万四千人（王国的核心）分开的超自然工作，就是净化教会。
最后，既然如前所述，这块石头是凿出来的——这个婴儿王国是“在这些国王（趾王）的日子”建立的——而不是在他们的日子之后，又因为十四万四千名“上帝的仆人”站在锡安山上（启示录 14:1），所以可以肯定地说，石头王国最初是在圣地建立的，而趾王还存在着。
因此，毫无疑问，十四万四千名无辜的上帝仆人（启示录14:5），在起初组成上帝的政府，击碎圣像的石头，后来又变成充满全地的大山，最终在推翻所有地上政府方面发挥了重要作用。因此，除了他们自己之外，在当时全世界还有谁，还有谁，可以这样写：
“……他们令人惊奇；……又大又强的民；从来没有像这样的，以后世世代代也必没有。” 撒迦利亚书 3:8；约珥书 2:2。
The kingdoms that have gone down, the kingdoms that still exist, and the kingdoms that are yet to come, whose legislations involve God’s people, have been pictorially chronicled by both Daniel and John the Revelator.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of ancient Babylon while in a quandary as to the duration of his kingdom, was shown in a dream a great image composed of four metals. Its head was of “gold”; its breast and arms were of “silver”; its thighs, of “brass”; its legs, of “iron”; and its feet, of “iron mixed with miry clay.” Interpreting the vision Daniel said to the king:
The four metals of the great image symbolize, as do the four beasts, a succession of four kings in their respective periods. The feet (right and left) of iron and clay obviously represent two divisions of kings (rightists and leftists) in a fifth period – the time in which the God of Heaven shall “set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.” The toes of the feet, indicate, of course, a multiplicity of kings in both parties, the rightists and the leftists.
“In the days of these kings [not after, but in the days of the kings who are symbolized by the feet and toes of the great image] shall the God of heaven,” says Daniel, calling attention to the kingdom at its beginning, “set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people but it [the kingdom] shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” Dan. 2:44. Thus we see that while the nations of our age (symbolized by the feet and toes of the great image of Daniel 2:41, 42) are yet in existence, the Lord will set up the kingdom with which He will overthrow them. Then it shall be said: “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.” Rev. 11:15.
What smites the image? Is it not the stone which Daniel reveals is symbolical of the Kingdom of God restored? Also keep in mind the fact that the image is not smitten by the stone until after it (the stone) is cut out of the mountain, without hands, and that afterwards it grows and fills the earth, thus in turn becoming a mountain of itself. In elucidation of this truth, the prophet Isaiah adds:
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” Isa. 2:2, 3.
Thus as the stone, supernaturally cut out of one mountain, supernaturally turns into another mountain, then fills the whole earth, it reveals the process of the prophecy’s turning into history: that the stone (in that it is to grow) is symbolical of the first-fruits in the kingdom; that the infant kingdom begins with the 144,000 “servants of God” (Rev. 7:3); that consequently the church of Laodicea (in that it is the last in which the wheat and the tares commingle, and therefore the one in which the wheat, the 144,000 first fruits, is harvested) is necessarily the mountain out of which the stone, the first fruit of the kingdom, is cut or taken from.
Further, it is seen that their being “cut out without hands,” without human aid, obviously points out the fact that they are garnered by the angels; that their increasing, then, as the growth of the stone reveals, is the result subsequently of the gathering of the second fruits out of all nations, causing the mountain or kingdom, to fill the earth; and that this super-natural work of cutting out the stone, of separating the 144,000, the nucleus of the kingdom, is the purification of the church.
Finally, since the stone, as has been seen, is cut out – the infant kingdom set up – “in the days of these kings” (the toe-kings), not after their days, and since the 144,000 “servants of God” stand on mount Zion (Rev. 14:1), it conclusively follows that the stone kingdom in its beginning is set up in the Holy Land, while the toe-kings are yet in existence.
Beyond question, therefore, the 144,000 guileless servants of God (Rev. 14:5), composing the government of God in its beginning, the stone which smites the image, and which subsequently becomes a great mountain that fills the whole earth, are instrumental in the eventual overthrow of all earthly governments. Accordingly, therefore, of who else at that time in all the world, of who else indeed but themselves, could it be written:
“…they are men wondered at;…a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.” Zech. 3:8; Joel 2:2.
6月16日星期一
崇拜偶像
阅读但以理书3：1-12。这座金像全是金的，而且国王要求人们崇拜它，这其中有什么意义？
Read Daniel 3:1–12. What significance can be found in the fact that the statue was all gold and that the king demanded that it be worshiped?
“你就是这金头”这句话，在王的心中留下了深刻的印象。（第38节）他国中的智者们，趁着他又重新拜偶像之机，建议他造一个与梦中所见相似的像，立在众人都能看见金头的地方，因为金头被认为是代表他的王国。PK 504.1
他听了这奉承的建议，非常高兴，决心付诸实行，甚至更进一步。他不打算复制他所见的像，而是要超越原作。他的像从头到脚都不应贬值，而应完全由金子制成——象征着巴比伦是一个永恒的、不可摧毁的、全能的王国，它将击碎所有其他王国，永远屹立不倒。PK 504.2
尼布甲尼撒从他丰富的宝库中，命人铸造了一座巨大的金像，其外形与异象中所见的金像大致相同，只是构成金像的材料有所不同。迦勒底人惯于崇拜异教神祇的宏伟雕像，因此从未铸造过像这座高六十肘尺、宽六肘尺的金像这样雄伟壮丽的金像。在偶像崇拜盛行的国家，这座位于杜拉平原、象征着巴比伦荣耀、宏伟和权势的美丽无价的金像，被奉为圣物，也就不足为奇了。于是，他安排了此事，并颁布法令，规定在奉献之日，所有人都要在金像前下拜，以示对巴比伦政权的至高忠诚。PK 505.2
“The words, “Thou art this head of gold,” had made a deep impression upon the ruler's mind. Verse 38. The wise men of his realm, taking advantage of this and of his return to idolatry, proposed that he make an image similar to the one seen in his dream, and set it up where all might behold the head of gold, which had been interpreted as representing his kingdom. PK 504.1
“Pleased with the flattering suggestion, he determined to carry it out, and to go even farther. Instead of reproducing the image as he had seen it, he would excel the original. His image should not deteriorate in value from the head to the feet, but should be entirely of gold—symbolic throughout of Babylon as an eternal, indestructible, all-powerful kingdom, which should break in pieces all other kingdoms and stand forever.” PK 504.2
“From his rich store of treasure, Nebuchadnezzar caused to be made a great golden image, similar in its general features to that which had been seen in vision, save in the one particular of the material of which it was composed. Accustomed as they were to magnificent representations of their heathen deities, the Chaldeans had never before produced anything so imposing and majestic as this resplendent statue, threescore cubits in height and six cubits in breadth. And it is not surprising that in a land where idol worship was of universal prevalence, the beautiful and priceless image in the plain of Dura, representing the glory of Babylon and its magnificence and power, should be consecrated as an object of worship. This was accordingly provided for, and a decree went forth that on the day of the dedication all should show their supreme loyalty to the Babylonian power by bowing before the image.” PK 505.2
阅读但以理书3:17,18，三个希伯来男孩反抗国王的话语。这段经文教导我们什么关于信心的道理？有时信心也需要我们具备什么要求？
Read Daniel 3:17, 18, the words of the three Hebrew boys in defiance of the king. What does this teach us about faith and what at times it could demand of us?
王的威胁终归是徒然。他无法使百姓转离对宇宙主宰的效忠。他们从祖先的历史中得知，悖逆上帝的结果必遭羞辱、灾祸和死亡；敬畏耶和华是智慧的开端，是一切真正兴盛的根基。他们平静地面对火窑，说道：“尼布甲尼撒啊，这件事我们不必回答你。即便如此（如果这是你的决定），我们所侍奉的上帝能将我们从烈火的窑中救出来。王啊，他也必救我们脱离你的手。” 当他们宣告上帝会因拯救他们而得荣耀时，他们的信心更加坚定了。他们带着因完全信靠上帝而生的胜利的确信，补充道：“即或不然，王啊，你当知道我们决不侍奉你的神，也不敬拜你所立的金像。” PK 507.3
于是这些人被捆起来，穿着内袍、长裤、帽子，并别的衣服，扔在烈火的窑中。因为王命紧急，窑又甚热，那抬沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌的人都被火焰烧死了。” PK 508.2
国王从王座上注视着这一切，以为那些违抗他的人会被彻底消灭。但他胜利的心情突然改变了。站在附近的贵族们看到他从宝座上跳起来，目不转睛地盯着熊熊燃烧的火焰，脸色变得苍白。国王惊恐地转向他的大臣们，问道：“我们不是把三个人捆起来扔在火里吗？……看哪，我看见四个人被捆绑着，在火中行走，他们没有受伤；第四个人的形象好像上帝的儿子。” PK 509.1
那位异教国王怎么会知道上帝的儿子是怎样的呢？那些在巴比伦担任要职的希伯来俘虏，在生活和品格上，在他面前展现了真理。当被问及他们信仰的原因时，他们毫不犹豫地回答了。他们简明扼要地阐述了公义的原则，从而将他们所敬拜的上帝教导给周围的人。他们讲述了基督，那位即将到来的救赎主；而国王在火中，从第四位圣者的形象中，认出了他就是上帝的儿子。PK 509.2
从杜拉平原希伯来青年的经历中，我们汲取的教训是重要的。在我们这个时代，许多上帝的仆人，虽然没有犯过任何罪，却要遭受那些受撒但煽动、充满嫉妒和宗教偏执之人的羞辱和虐待。人类的愤怒尤其要倾泻到那些尊崇第四诫中安息日的人身上；最终，一项普遍的法令将谴责这些人，称他们该死。PK 512.1
上帝子民所面临的苦难时期，要求他们拥有坚定不移的信心。祂的儿女必须显明祂是他们敬拜的唯一对象，任何考虑，甚至连性命本身的考虑，都不能诱使他们对虚假的崇拜作出丝毫的让步。对忠诚的心而言，与永恒上帝的圣言相比，有罪的、有限的人的诫命将变得微不足道。即使结果可能是监禁、流放或死亡，真理仍会被遵守。PK 512.2
正如沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌的日子一样，在世界历史的末期，主必为那些坚定维护正义的人大行大能。那位曾与希伯来圣贤在烈火窑中同行的主，无论祂的门徒身在何处，祂必与他们同在。祂常在的同在必安慰扶持他们。在患难之时——自有国以来从未有过的患难——祂的选民必站立不摇。撒但和一切邪恶的势力都无法摧毁上帝圣徒中最软弱的一位。大能的天使必保护他们，耶和华必为他们彰显祂自己是“万神之神”，凡信靠祂的人，祂都能拯救到底。”（PK 513.1）
“In vain were the king's threats. He could not turn the men from their allegiance to the Ruler of the universe. From the history of their fathers they had learned that disobedience to God results in dishonor, disaster, and death; and that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the foundation of all true prosperity. Calmly facing the furnace, they said, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so [if this is your decision], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.” Their faith strengthened as they declared that God would be glorified by delivering them, and with triumphant assurance born of implicit trust in God, they added, ‘But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.’” PK 507.3
“‘Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.’” PK 508.2
“From his royal seat the king looked on, expecting to see the men who had defied him utterly destroyed. But his feelings of triumph suddenly changed. The nobles standing near saw his face grow pale as he started from the throne and looked intently into the glowing flames. In alarm the king, turning to his lords, asked, “Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? ... Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” PK 509.1
“How did that heathen king know what the Son of God was like? The Hebrew captives filling positions of trust in Babylon had in life and character represented before him the truth. When asked for a reason of their faith, they had given it without hesitation. Plainly and simply they had presented the principles of righteousness, thus teaching those around them of the God whom they worshiped. They had told of Christ, the Redeemer to come; and in the form of the fourth in the midst of the fire the king recognized the Son of God.” PK 509.2
“Important are the lessons to be learned from the experience of the Hebrew youth on the plain of Dura. In this our day, many of God's servants, though innocent of wrongdoing, will be given over to suffer humiliation and abuse at the hands of those who, inspired by Satan, are filled with envy and religious bigotry. Especially will the wrath of man be aroused against those who hallow the Sabbath of the fourth commandment; and at last a universal decree will denounce these as deserving of death. PK 512.1
“The season of distress before God's people will call for a faith that will not falter. His children must make it manifest that He is the only object of their worship, and that no consideration, not even that of life itself, can induce them to make the least concession to false worship. To the loyal heart the commands of sinful, finite men will sink into insignificance beside the word of the eternal God. Truth will be obeyed though the result be imprisonment or exile or death. PK 512.2
“As in the days of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, so in the closing period of earth's history the Lord will work mightily in behalf of those who stand steadfastly for the right. He who walked with the Hebrew worthies in the fiery furnace will be with His followers wherever they are. His abiding presence will comfort and sustain. In the midst of the time of trouble—trouble such as has not been since there was a nation—His chosen ones will stand unmoved. Satan with all the hosts of evil cannot destroy the weakest of God's saints. Angels that excel in strength will protect them, and in their behalf Jehovah will reveal Himself as a “God of gods,” able to save to the uttermost those who have put their trust in Him.” PK 513.1
6月17日星期二
再次崇拜偶像
阅读启示录13:11-17；14:9, 11, 12；16:2；19:20；以及20:4。这里上帝的诫命与人的诫命之间有何对比？
Read Revelation 13:11–17; Revelation 14:9, 11, 12; Revelation 16:2; Revelation 19:20; and Revelation 20:4. What contrast is present here that pits the commandments of God against the commandments of men?
这双角兽行使了第一兽（形似豹子）所拥有的一切权柄，再次彰显了它作为世界霸权的威力。事实上，它需要这样的权柄才能迫使全地居民都按它的命令敬拜，并建立一种类似教会和国家治理的体制，这种体制本身就如同中世纪一样过时。是的，它需要这样的权柄才能影响世界，拯救那些名字写在羔羊生命册上的人，使他们向它下拜。
当野兽颁布法令，禁止任何人买卖，不顺从的人将被处死时，只有上帝才能保护他的子民，即名字写在“书”上的人。
当这一切发生时，这不再遥不可及，那些名字写在“生命册”上的人将得到拯救，但所有其他人都将接受兽的印记。不会有中间地带，也不会有中间阶层。
The two-horned beast exercises all the power which the first beast, the leopard-like, exercised, again showing it to be a world power. Indeed, it requires just such a power to compel all the inhabitants of the earth to worship as he commands, and to implement a likeness of a church and state government that is as outdated as are the Middle Ages themselves. Yes, it takes such a power to influence the world, save those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, to bow down to it.
When the beast’s decree is passed that no one can buy or sell, and should be killed for non-conformity, then God only can protect His people, the people whose names are written in “The Book.”
When this comes to pass, which is no longer beyond the horizon, then those whose names are written in the “Book of Life” shall be delivered, but all others will have received the mark of the beast. There will be no middle ground, or middle class.
阅读罗马书1:18-25。（请注意罗马书1:18和启示录14:9,10关于“上帝的愤怒”的联系。）崇拜偶像的问题，从哪些方面来说，只是关于人类最终效忠对象的同一原则的另一种体现？
Read Romans 1:18–25. (Notice the link between Romans 1:18 and Revelation 14:9, 10 about “the wrath of God.”) In what way is the issue over worshiping the image just another manifestation of this same principle regarding to whom humans ultimately give their allegiance?
上帝的愤怒，按照通常的理解，就是最后的七灾（启示录 15:1），发生在宽容期结束和基督第二次降临之间的时期。
与那些遵守上帝诫命并信仰耶稣的人相反，第三位天使指出了另一等人，并对他们的错误发出了严肃而可怕的警告：“若有人拜兽和兽像，在额上或在手上受了印记，这人也必喝上帝大怒的酒。”（启示录14:9-10）要明白这信息，就必须正确地解释所用的象征意义。兽、兽像和印记分别代表什么呢？（GC 438.1）
“那双角的兽又吩咐众人，无论大小贫富，自主的、为奴的，都在右手上，或是在额上，受一个印记。除了那受印记，有了兽名，或有了兽名数字的，都不得作买卖。”（启示录13:16-17）第三位天使的警告是：“若有人拜兽和兽像，在额上，或在手上，受了印记，这人也必喝上帝大怒的酒。”本信息中提到的“兽”，即由双角兽强制崇拜的兽，是指启示录第十三章中提到的第一个兽，或像豹子一样的兽——罗马教廷。“兽像”代表背道的新教，当新教教会寻求国家政权的帮助来强制推行其教义时，这种背道的新教就会发展起来。“兽的印记”仍有待定义。（GC 445.2）
The wrath of God, as commonly understood, is the seven last plagues (Rev. 15:1), and is visited during the period between the close of probation and the second coming of Christ.
“In contrast to those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus, the third angel points to another class, against whose errors a solemn and fearful warning is uttered: “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.” Revelation 14:9, 10. A correct interpretation of the symbols employed is necessary to an understanding of this message. What is represented by the beast, the image, the mark?” GC 438.1
“The beast with two horns “causeth [commands] all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:16, 17. The third angel's warning is: “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.” “The beast” mentioned in this message, whose worship is enforced by the two-horned beast, is the first, or leopardlike beast of Revelation 13—the papacy. The “image to the beast” represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas. The “mark of the beast” still remains to be defined.” GC 445.2
6月18日星期三
早期教会的迫害
阅读使徒行传12：1-17。这个故事的哪些内容可能预示末日的事件？
Read Acts 12:1–17. What elements of this story might foreshadow last-day events?
怀疑论者或许会嘲笑一位荣耀的天使竟然会关注如此普通的人类需求，并质疑这故事的启示性。然而，上帝的智慧将这些事记录在神圣的历史中，并非为了天使，而是为了人类，好让他们在面临困境时，能够因着上天无所不知而得到安慰。耶稣曾对门徒说，没有一只麻雀掉在地上，天父也无不察觉；如果上帝能够顾念空中所有小鸟的需要，祂必会更加眷顾那些可能成为祂国度子民，并因信祂而承受永生的人。哦，如果人类的头脑能够理解——如同有限的头脑能够理解救赎计划一样——耶稣化身为人的工作，以及祂这奇妙的屈尊俯就将为我们成就的一切，那么人类的心就会……他们会因对上帝伟大的爱而感恩不已，并会谦卑地崇拜设计出恩典奥秘的神圣智慧！”5T 749.1
今天，天上的天使奉差遣，去服侍那些将要承受救恩的人。我们现在尚不清楚他们是谁；谁将得胜，分享圣徒在光明中的基业，也尚未显明；但天上的天使正在遍及全地，安慰忧伤的人，保护危难的人，赢得人心归向基督。没有一个人被忽视或放过。上帝不偏待人，祂对祂所造的一切灵魂都一视同仁。（圣约1905年12月13日，第6段）
“那位离开天庭去救彼得脱离逼迫者权势的天使，也曾向希律王传达愤怒和审判的使者。天使击打彼得，使他从沉睡中苏醒；但他击打邪恶之王的方式却截然不同，使他患上致命的疾病。——《预言之灵》3:344。” TA 234.1
“Skeptics may sneer at the thought that a glorious angel from heaven should give attention to a matter so commonplace as caring for these simple human needs, and may question the inspiration of the narrative. But in the wisdom of God these things are recorded in sacred history for the benefit, not of angels, but of men, that as they should be brought into trying positions they might find comfort in the thought that heaven knows it all. Jesus declared to His disciples that not a sparrow falls to the ground without the notice of the heavenly Father, and that if God can keep in mind the wants of all the little birds of the air, He will much more care for those who may become the subjects of His kingdom and through faith in Him may be the heirs of immortality. Oh, if the human mind were only to comprehend—in such measure as the plan of redemption can be comprehended by finite minds—the work of Jesus in taking upon Himself human nature, and what is to be accomplished for us by this marvelous condescension, the hearts of men would be melted with gratitude for God's great love, and in humility they would adore the divine wisdom that devised the mystery of grace!” 5T 749.1
“Today angels of heaven are sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation. We know not now who they are; it is not yet made manifest who shall overcome and share the inheritance of the saints in light; but angels of heaven are passing throughout the length and breadth of the earth, seeking to comfort the sorrowing, to protect the imperilled, to win the hearts of men to Christ. Not one is neglected or passed by. God is no respecter of persons, and He has an equal care for all the souls He has created.” ST December 13, 1905, par. 6
“The same angel who had left the royal courts of heaven to rescue Peter from the power of his persecutor, had been the messenger of wrath and judgment to Herod. The angel smote Peter to arouse him from slumber; but it was with a different stroke that he smote the wicked king, bringing mortal disease upon him.—The Spirit of Prophecy 3:344.” TA 234.1
6月19日星期四
兽印
阅读马太福音12:9-14和约翰福音5:1-16。什么原因导致宗教领袖想要杀死耶稣？
Read Matthew 12:9–14 and John 5:1–16. What issue caused the religious leaders to want to kill Jesus?
耶稣被带到公会面前，回答违反安息日的指控。如果当时犹太人是一个独立的国家，这样的指控足以达到他们处死耶稣的目的。然而，他们对罗马人的臣服阻止了他们这样做。犹太人没有死刑的权力，对基督的指控在罗马法庭上也毫无意义。然而，他们还有其他目的。尽管他们竭力阻挠基督的作为，但基督甚至在耶路撒冷，对民众的影响力也比他们自己更大。许多对拉比的长篇大论不感兴趣的人被祂的教导所吸引。他们能够理解祂的话语，他们的内心得到温暖和安慰。祂谈到上帝，不是以一位复仇的法官的身份，而是以一位慈爱的父亲的身份，祂揭示了上帝的形象，正如祂自己所反映的那样。祂的话语如同抚慰受伤心灵的良药。祂用祂的话语和祂的怜悯之工，打破了旧传统和人为的压迫力量。诫命，并传扬上帝无穷无尽的爱。” DA 204.4
耶稣来是要“使律法为大，为尊”。祂不是要贬低律法的尊严，而是要高举它。经上说：“祂不灰心，也不丧胆，直到祂在地上设立审判。”（以赛亚书42:21, 4）祂来是要将安息日从那些使它成为咒诅而非祝福的繁重要求中解放出来。DA 206.1
因此，祂选择在安息日在毕士大行医治。祂本可以在一周中的任何其他日子医治那病人；或者祂也可以直接治好他，而不吩咐他把褥子抬走。但这样并不能给祂想要的机会。基督在世上生活的每一个举动背后都有一个明智的目的。祂所做的每一件事，其本身及其教义都很重要。在池边那些受苦的人中，祂选择了病情最重的人来施行祂的医治，并吩咐那人把褥子抬到城里去，好把祂在他身上成就的伟大工作广为传播。这会引起一个问题：在安息日做什么是合法的，也为祂打开了谴责犹太人对主日的限制，并宣告他们的传统无效的大门。DA 206.2
“Jesus was brought before the Sanhedrin to answer the charge of Sabbathbreaking. Had the Jews at this time been an independent nation, such a charge would have served their purpose for putting Him to death. This their subjection to the Romans prevented. The Jews had not the power to inflict capital punishment, and the accusations brought against Christ would have no weight in a Roman court. There were other objects, however, which they hoped to secure. Notwithstanding their efforts to counteract His work, Christ was gaining, even in Jerusalem, an influence over the people greater than their own. Multitudes who were not interested in the harangues of the rabbis were attracted by His teaching. They could understand His words, and their hearts were warmed and comforted. He spoke of God, not as an avenging judge, but as a tender father, and He revealed the image of God as mirrored in Himself. His words were like balm to the wounded spirit. Both by His words and by His works of mercy He was breaking the oppressive power of the old traditions and man-made commandments, and presenting the love of God in its exhaustless fullness.” DA 204.4
“Jesus had come to “magnify the law, and make it honorable.” He was not to lessen its dignity, but to exalt it. The scripture says, “He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth.” Isaiah 42:21, 4. He had come to free the Sabbath from those burdensome requirements that had made it a curse instead of a blessing. DA 206.1
“For this reason He had chosen the Sabbath upon which to perform the act of healing at Bethesda. He could have healed the sick man as well on any other day of the week; or He might simply have cured him, without bidding him bear away his bed. But this would not have given Him the opportunity He desired. A wise purpose underlay every act of Christ's life on earth. Everything He did was important in itself and in its teaching. Among the afflicted ones at the pool He selected the worst case upon whom to exercise His healing power, and bade the man carry his bed through the city in order to publish the great work that had been wrought upon him. This would raise the question of what it was lawful to do on the Sabbath, and would open the way for Him to denounce the restrictions of the Jews in regard to the Lord's day, and to declare their traditions void.” DA 206.2
6月20日星期五
进一步的思考
考验临到每一个人的时候已不远了。我们必被催促遵守假安息日。这场较量将在上帝的诫命与人的诫命之间展开。那些一步步屈服于世俗要求、顺从世俗习俗的人，到那时必屈服于当权者，而不是让自己遭受嘲笑、侮辱、监禁的威胁和死亡。到那时，精金将与渣滓区分开来。真正的敬虔将与它的外表和浮华截然不同。许多我们曾因它的光辉而赞叹的明星，到那时都将在黑暗中熄灭。那些披戴圣所的装饰，却没有披戴基督的义的人，到那时必显露自己赤身露体的羞辱。PK 188.1
在世上分散在各地的居民中，总有一些人未曾向巴力屈膝。如同天上的星辰只在夜间出现，当黑暗笼罩大地，当万民被黑暗笼罩时，这些忠信的人必将闪耀光芒。在异教的非洲，在信奉天主教的欧洲和南美洲，在中国、印度、在海岛，以及在地球上所有黑暗的角落，上帝都保留了一批选民，他们将在黑暗中闪耀光芒，向背道的世界清晰地揭示顺从祂律法的改变人心的力量。即使在现在，他们也出现在每个国家、每个民族、每个语言中；在背道最严重的时候，当撒旦竭尽全力要使“所有人，无论大小、贫富、自主的、为奴的”，在死刑的惩罚下，接受对虚假的安息日效忠的标志时，这些忠信的人，“无可指摘，纯洁无瑕，是上帝无可责备的儿子”，将“照耀在世上，如同明光照耀。” 启示录13:16；腓立比书2:15。夜越黑暗，他们的光就越明亮。 PK 188.2
“The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The observance of the false sabbath will be urged upon us. The contest will be between the commandments of God and the commandments of men. Those who have yielded step by step to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs will then yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death. At that time the gold will be separated from the dross. True godliness will be clearly distinguished from the appearance and tinsel of it. Many a star that we have admired for its brilliance will then go out in darkness. Those who have assumed the ornaments of the sanctuary, but are not clothed with Christ's righteousness, will then appear in the shame of their own nakedness. PK 188.1
“Among earth's inhabitants, scattered in every land, there are those who have not bowed the knee to Baal. Like the stars of heaven, which appear only at night, these faithful ones will shine forth when darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the people. In heathen Africa, in the Catholic lands of Europe and of South America, in China, in India, in the islands of the sea, and in all the dark corners of the earth, God has in reserve a firmament of chosen ones that will yet shine forth amidst the darkness, revealing clearly to an apostate world the transforming power of obedience to His law. Even now they are appearing in every nation, among every tongue and people; and in the hour of deepest apostasy, when Satan's supreme effort is made to cause “all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond,” to receive, under penalty of death, the sign of allegiance to a false rest day, these faithful ones, “blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke,” will “shine as lights in the world.” Revelation 13:16; Philippians 2:15. The darker the night, the more brilliantly will they shine.” PK 188.2