第二十章

11 我又看見一個白色的大寶座與坐在上面的；從他面前天地都逃避，再無可見之處了。12 我又看見死了的人，無論大小，都站在寶座前。案卷展開了，並且另有一卷展開，就是生命冊。死了的人都憑著這些案卷所記載的，照他們所行的受審判。13 於是海交出其中的死人；死亡和陰間也交出其中的死人；他們都照各人所行的受審判。14 死亡和陰間也被扔在火湖裏；這火湖就是第二次的死。15 若有人名字沒記在生命冊上，他就被扔在火湖裏。

 

默想：

1. 聖經裡有很多關於永遠刑罰的形像描繪，但最常出現的就是一個又大、又黑，燃燒的硫磺火湖。耶穌提到一個「外面、黑暗」的地方，在那裡的人「必要哀哭切齒」（太25：30）。
2. 新舊約聖經，都有提到一本書，其中凡事認識神、愛神的人的名字，都會記錄在其中。這就是生命冊。凡是名字在生命冊上的，就有永生，不在上面的，就是永死；是天堂的永生，而不是火湖裡無止盡的痛苦。
3. 這個審判的景觀提醒我們神的公義和正直，但同時也帶來傳福音與領人歸主的緊迫性。試想我們所愛的家人朋友將與我們永遠隔離，我們何等應當屈膝主前，為他們的得救來懇求？
4. 寫下我家中、親戚朋友當中，還沒有信主的人的名字；懇求聖靈在禱告中，將兩、三位的名字擺在我的心中。今天起，用三個月的時間，每天忠實、懇切地為他們禱告。

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 20

¹¹Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. ¹²And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. ¹³The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. ¹⁴Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

 

Meditation

1. There are many images of eternal punishment in Scripture.  But the one that recurs most often is that of a vast, dark, and smoldering pool of burning sulfur.  Jesus spoke of a place of “darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt 25:30).
2. Both Old and New Testaments speak of a book in which a record of those who know and love God is maintained.  It is the Book of Life.  Being found in the book is the difference between eternal life and eternal death.  Between eternal life in heaven, and unending existence in the lake of fire.
3. This Judgment scene reminds us of God’s righteousness and justice.  It also brings a sense of urgency in the proclamation of the Gospel and the evangelization of our kinsmen. Imagine that our love ones will be separated from us in eternity.  How much more should we be on our knees to beseech the Lord for their salvation?
4. Write down the names of those among my family and friends who still do not know Jesus? Ask the Holy Spirit to bring up two or three of them in my mind. Begin to pray for them earnestly and faithfully daily for the next three months starting today!

 

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.