第十六章

1 我聽見有大聲音從殿中出來，向那七位天使說：「你們去，把盛神大怒的七碗倒在地上。」2 第一位天使便去，把碗倒在地上，就有惡而且毒的瘡生在那些有獸印記、拜獸像的人身上。3 第二位天使把碗倒在海裏，海就變成血，好像死人的血，海中的活物都死了。4 第三位天使把碗倒在江河與眾水的泉源裏，水就變成血了。5 我聽見掌管眾水的天使說：昔在、今在的聖者啊，你這樣判斷是公義的；6 他們曾流聖徒與先知的血，現在你給他們血喝；這是他們所該受的。7 我又聽見祭壇中有聲音說：是的，主神─全能者啊，你的判斷義哉！誠哉！8 第四位天使把碗倒在日頭上，叫日頭能用火烤人。9 人被大熱所烤，就褻瀆那有權掌管這些災的神之名，並不悔改將榮耀歸給神。

 

默想：

1. 在這一景中，七位天使離開天上，要將盛滿神大怒的七碗傾倒在地上。這七碗，與七號相似，也讓人聯想起埃及的十災。這想法更加使約翰強調崇拜的重要，因為十災的降下並非因埃及人特別邪惡，而是因為他們定意阻止以色列人去敬拜神。
2. 有人曾這麼說，「信徒從外界遭受的最大邪惡，就是對敬拜的阻擋；而他們所面對內在的最大邪惡，就是對敬拜的漠視」。我明白這說法的含意嗎？今天，教會應當如何與這種勢力來抗衡？
3. 對於我自己，現代社會中有什麼勢力會對我有這樣的影響——或是阻擋我對神的敬拜，或是腐化我對敬拜的重視？我是否曾經因為我的行為或態度，攔阻了別人對神的敬拜？我應當如何悔改？並重整我的敬拜生活？

禱告與筆錄：

繼續安靜在神面前，與神對話，並聆聽祂對我說的話。將心中的思想（心得），或是與神的禱告，記錄在「靈程筆記簿」上面。

 

Chapter 16

¹Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.” ²The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.  ³The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.  ⁴The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. ⁵Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:    “You are just in these judgments,   you who are and who were, the Holy One,       because you have so judged;  ⁶for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets,  and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.”  ⁷And I heard the altar respond:  “Yes, Lord God Almighty,  true and just are your judgments.”  ⁸The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. ⁹They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.

 

Meditation

1. In this scene, the seven angels leave heaven to pour out their bowls filled with God’s wrath. The seven bowls, similar to the seven trumpets, are reminiscent of the judgments plagues in Egypt.  This reinforces John’s emphasis on worship because the ten plagues on the Egyptians not because they were extraordinarily evil but for their determination to prevent Israel from worshipping God.
2. It has been said, “The greatest evil that people of faith face from the outside is the obstruction of worship.  The greatest evil that they face from the inside is the subversion of worship.”  Can I identify some these forces in our contemporary society? How should the church counteract these external and internal forces?
3. Have I noticed such forces in me – either hindering my worship of God or corrupt my sense of significance of worship? Have I ever hindered others from worshipping God by my behaviours or attitudes? How do I need to repent, and claim victory in Christ?

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the 2012 “Spiritual Journal” book.