新约 - 启示录(Revelation)第20章

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
启示录第二十章   启 20:2> 被锁起来,是要惩罚它吧…… 

  20:2 那龙并不是因惩罚而被锁起来( 20:10 ),而是要使它不能欺骗各国的人。 

  启 20:2-4> 对于千禧年的看法,众说纷纭,你的见解也许是很独持的? 

  20:2-4 这一千年就是一般所指的“千禧年”。这段时间怎样出现和在什么时候出现呢?学者们有不同的理解,主要有三种说法:后千禧年派,前千禧年派,和无千禧年派。 

  ( 1 )后千禧年派认为,千禧年是由教会在地上所引导的一千年的和平时期,就是主耶稣再来前教会的复兴期,褔音要传遍世界,基督在教会中掌权。当这一千年结束时,撒但要再一次被释放,但基督要回来把它击败,然后永远掌权。基督在千禧年之后才第二次降临。 

  ( 2 )前千禧年派也认为,这是实实在在的一千年,基督第二次降临在地上,设立祂的国度,开始祂的一千年的掌权。这段掌权时期也就是撒但被捆绑的一千年;之后,撒但才被消灭。 

  ( 3 )无千禧年派认为,这一千年并非按字面解释,而是象征基督升天和再来之间的一段时间。千禧年是基督在信徒心中和在教会里的掌权;因此这是对教会时代的另一种说法。当基督第二次降临的时候,这个千禧年时期就要结束了。 

  这些关于千禧年的不同观点,不应该导致教会的分裂和争执,因为每个观点都接纳基督教中最重要的真理──基督要再来,打败撒但,和永远掌权!不论千禧年是怎样和在什么时候出现,耶稣基督都要把所有的信徒联合起来。因此,我们不要被这一个问题弄得分裂。 

  启 20:3> 撒但既已被捆绑,为何还要释放它? 

  20:3 约翰没有说明,神为什么再一次释放撒但,但这是祂审判世界计划的一部分。可能是要把那些从心里反叛神的人显露出来,也要坚固那些向神真正忠贞的人。不论什么原因,撒但的释放必然导致所有恶魔的毁灭( 20:12-15 )。 

  启 20:5-6> 头一次的复活,第二次的死,是有什么特别意思的吗? 

  20:5-6 关于头一次复活,主要有两个不同的观点:( 1 )有些人相信,头一次的复活是灵的复活(得救时,在我们心中所成就的),千禧年是在基督第一次和第二次降临之间,我们与祂一同在灵里掌权。在这段期间,我们就是神的祭司,因为基督在我们心中执掌王权。根据这个观点,第二次复活就是所有人身体的复活,为要接受审判。( 2 )另有些人相信,第一次复活发生在撒但被隔离之后。这是信徒身体的复活,他们要和基督在地上实实在在掌权一千年。第二次复活是在千禧年之后,目的是要审判那些已经死去的非信徒。 

  启 20:6> 第二次的死,是指── 

  20:6 第二次的死是灵的死亡,是指永远的刑罚或毁灭,永远与神隔绝。(有关“火湖”,请参 19:20 ; 20:14 的注释。) 

  启 20:7-9> 列国就只有歌革和玛各两个? 

  20:7-9 歌革和玛各代表邪恶,他们结集起来与神争战。挪亚的儿子雅弗有一个儿子名叫玛各(参创 \cs15 10:2 )。以西结说歌革是反对以色列的巨大势力(参结 38-39 章)。 

  启 20:9-10> 有想过自己在蒙爱的城被撒但围困吗?若是这样,你怕吗? 

  20:9-10 这不是一场不知鹿死谁手的战争,这里并没有出现争斗。两股巨大的恶势力──那属兽的( 19:19 )和属撒但的( 20:8 ),联合起来攻击神。圣经只用了两节经文来叙述每次战役──邪恶的兽和他的军队都被擒拿,被扔在火湖里( 19:20-21 ),有烈火从天降下,消灭撒但和它那正在进袭的军队( 20:9-10 )。就神来说,就是这般容易。信徒不用怀疑和担心、无须再犹疑自己所选择的道路,如果你是与神同在,你便会跟基督一同经历这次巨大的胜利。 

  启 20:10> 撒但的终局──想像一下,哇── 

  20:10 撒但的权势并不是永远的──它绝不能逃过厄运。它从一开始便在人间进行邪恶的工作(参创 3:1-6 ),并且继续到今天。但当它被扔进火湖里去的时候,它便要被消灭。鬼魔也会从无底坑里被释放出来( 20:7 ),但它绝不会从火湖里得到释放,也再不能威胁任何人。 

  启 20:12-15> 我的言行都被记在册上?那…… 

  20:12-15 在审讯中,有很多册子揭开了。他们代表神的审判,在里面纪录了每一个人或善或恶的行为。我们不是靠行为得救,但是行为可以清楚印证我们与神的关系。生命册纪录了那些信靠基督而得蒙拯救之人的名字。 

  启 20:14> 不信靠神的就被扔进火湖里!这一刻,你想起谁来了? 

  20:14 死亡和阴间被抛进火湖里,神的审判便结束了。火湖是一切恶者──撒但、兽、假先知、鬼魔、死亡、阴间和一切名字没有记录在生命册上之人的结局,因为他们不信耶稣。在神的审判中,没有中间地带。如果不靠信心认耶稣为主,就再没有盼望,也再没有回转的机会了。──《灵修版圣经注释》