晨興聖言-經歷、享受並彰顯基督(四)(W38-4)

第三十八週.週四

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晨興餧養

啟九1~2 『第五位天使吹號,我就看見一個星從天落到地上,有無底坑的鑰匙賜給他。他開了無底坑,便有煙從坑裏往上冒,好像大火爐的煙,日頭和天空都因這坑的煙昏暗了。』

〔啟示錄九章一節〕的星是指撒但,他要從天上摔到地上。天使被比喻作星。(伯三八7,啟十二4。)撒但是天使長,原是明亮之星。(賽十四12。)他在路加十章十八節已經受了審判。在啟示錄九章這裏以及十二章九至十節,乃是那審判的執行。

〔十二章〕啟示,男孩子被提到天上後,要與撒但爭戰。…按照這一章,撒但要在末了的三年半開始時,從天上落下去。…這一點強有力的證明,大災難的開始,不會早過這時,因為在此以前,撒但仍在天上。

撒但從天上落到地上後,有無底坑的鑰匙賜給他,使他可以打開無底坑,放出那些被鬼附的蝗蟲,叫人受痛苦五個月。(啟示錄生命讀經,三四○至三四一頁。)

信息選讀

關於蝗蟲,啟示錄九章十一節說,『有無底坑的使者作王管轄牠們;他的名,希伯來話叫亞巴頓,希利尼話叫亞玻倫。』無底坑的使者就是獸,也就是敵基督,他要從無底坑裏上來。(十一7,十七8。)按希伯來話,無底坑的使者名叫亞巴頓,原文意毀壞,與約伯記二十六章六節,二十八章二十二節,箴言十五章十一節之滅亡、滅沒同。按希利尼話,他的名字是亞玻倫,原文意毀壞者。敵基督是毀壞者,要行許多毀壞的事。(但八23~25。)

再後撒但要放出蝗蟲,在那獸的統帥下組成一支軍隊;獸就是敵基督,他是這支軍隊的王。這些蝗蟲要使那些額上沒有神印記的人,受痛苦五個月。(啟示錄生命讀經,三四三至三四四頁。)

第五號吹響時,撒但從天上摔到地上,有無底坑的鑰匙賜給他,他開了無底坑,有蝗蟲從無底坑所冒出的煙中飛到地上;(啟九1~3;)這些定規是鬼,因鬼是住在無底坑裏。這種怪物的尾巴像蠍子,又有毒刺,有能力傷人五個月。(3~5,7~10。)那種痛苦僅僅使人痛,卻不置人於死;因為六節說,『在那些日子,人要求死,卻絕不得死;切望要死,死卻遠避他們。』頭四號的災禍是臨到人外在的環境,但第五號的災禍是臨到人身上。(李常受文集一九五五年第一冊,六○四至六○五頁。)

羅馬十章七節所題的『無底坑』,原文這辭在路加八章三十一節指鬼的住處;這辭在啟示錄九章一節、二節、十一節,指那些『蝗蟲』出來的地方,牠們的王名叫亞玻倫(敵基督);在十一章七節,十七章八節這辭指『獸』,就是敵基督要上來的地方;在二十章一節、三節,這辭指千年國時,撒但要被扔進去受監禁的地方。舊約七十士希臘文譯本,在創世記一章二節用這辭指深淵。羅馬十章七節的無底坑是指基督在死後,復活前所去的地方。根據行傳二章二十四節、二十七節,這地方就是陰間,因為這二節啟示,基督死後下到陰間,復活時從那裏起來。因此,照聖經的用法,無底坑一辭乃是指死亡,以及撒但黑暗權勢的地方,就是基督死後所降到地的低下之處。(弗四9。)祂勝過了這地方,就在復活裏從這地方上來。(羅馬書生命讀經,三一九至三二○頁。)

參讀:李常受文集一九五五年第一冊,六○四至六○五頁;羅馬書生命讀經,第二十三篇。

WEEK 38 — DAY 4

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Morning Nourishment

Rev. 9:1-2 And the fifth angel trumpeted, and I saw a star out of heaven fallen to the earth, and to him was given the key of the pit of the abyss. And he opened the pit of the abyss, and smoke went up out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.

The star [in Revelation 9:1] refers to Satan, who will be cast down from heaven to earth. The angels are likened to stars (Job 38:7; Rev. 12:4). As the archangel, Satan was the Daystar (Isa. 14:12). In Luke 10:18 we see the judgment upon him. In Revelation 9:1 and in 12:9-10, we see the execution of that judgment.

Revelation 12 reveals that after the man-child is raptured to heaven, he will fight against Satan…According to that chapter, Satan will fall from heaven at the beginning of the last three and a half years…This is a strong proof that the great tribulation will not begin before then, for, prior to this, Satan will still be in heaven.

When Satan falls from heaven to earth, the key of the abyss will be given to him that he may open the abyss to release the demon-possessed locusts to torment men for five months. (Life-study of Revelation, p. 279)

Today’s Reading

Speaking of the locusts, Revelation 9:11 says, “They have a king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon; and in Greek he has the name Apollyon.” The angel of the abyss is the beast, Antichrist, who will come out of the pit of the abyss (11:7; 17:8). In Hebrew the angel of the abyss is called Abaddon, which means “destruction,” as in Job 26:6; 28:22; and Proverbs 15:11. In Greek he will have the name Apollyon, which means “destroyer.” As the destroyer, Antichrist will do much destroying (Dan. 8:23-25).

Satan will then release the locusts, which will be organized as an army under the rule of the beast, Antichrist, who will be their king. The locusts will proceed to torment for five months those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 281-282)

At the sounding of the fifth trumpet, Satan will be cast down from heaven to earth, and the key of the pit of the abyss will be given to him. After he opens the pit of the abyss, smoke will go up out of the pit of the abyss, and out of the smoke will come forth locusts to the earth (Rev. 9:1-3). These are demons, because they dwell in the pit of the abyss. These strange creatures have tails like scorpions and in the sting of their tails is their power to harm men for five months (vv. 3-5, 7-10). The pain from their sting torments men but does not kill them. Verse 6 says, “In those days men will seek death and shall by no means find it; and they will long to die, and death flees from them.” The plagues of the first four trumpets are on men’s outward environment, but the woe of the fifth trumpet is directly upon men. (CWWL, 1955, vol. 1, p. 455)

In Greek the word rendered as “abyss” [in Romans 10:7] is abyssos. This word is used in Luke 8:31 referring to the dwelling place of the demons. It also occurs in Revelation 9:1-2 and 11 denoting the place out of which the “locusts,” whose king is Apollyon, will come; in Revelation 11:7 and 17:8 signifying the place out of which the beast, which is the Antichrist, will ascend; and in Revelation 20:1 and 3 specifying the place into which Satan will be cast and imprisoned during the millennium. The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, uses this word for the word deep in Genesis 1:2. Here in Romans 10:7 it points to the place Christ visited after His death and before His resurrection, which place, according to Acts 2:24 and 27, is Hades, for Acts 2:24 and 27 reveal that Christ went into Hades after He died and rose from that place in His resurrection. So, according to biblical usage, the word abyss always refers to the region of death and of Satan’s power of darkness into which Christ after His death descended as into the lower parts of the earth (Eph. 4:9), which He conquered, and from which He ascended in His resurrection. (Life-study of Romans, p. 263)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1955, vol. 1, p. 455; Life-study of Romans, msg. 23



 

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