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这是耶和华的日子：2020圣灰星期三特别主题

这是耶和华的日子The day of Lord

Joel:2:1-2.12-17

Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near--a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come.

Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.

Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy. Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep.

Let them say, "Spare your people, O Lord, and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, `Where is their God?'"

约珥书2：1-2，12-17

1“你们要在锡安吹角，在我圣山吹出大声！国中的居民都要发颤，因为耶和华的日子将到，已经临近。 2 那日是黑暗、幽冥、密云、乌黑的日子，好像晨光铺满山岭。有一队蝗虫又大又强，从来没有这样的，以后直到万代也必没有。

12 “耶和华说：虽然如此，你们应当禁食、哭泣、悲哀，一心归向我。 13 你们要撕裂心肠，不撕裂衣服，归向耶和华你们的神，因为他有恩典，有怜悯，不轻易发怒，有丰盛的慈爱，并且后悔不降所说的灾。 14 或者他转意后悔，留下余福，就是留下献给耶和华你们神的素祭和奠祭，也未可知。

15 “你们要在锡安吹角，分定禁食的日子，宣告严肃会。 16 聚集众民，使会众自洁，招聚老者，聚集孩童和吃奶的，使新郎出离洞房，新妇出离内室。 17 侍奉耶和华的祭司要在廊子和祭坛中间哭泣，说：‘耶和华啊，求你顾惜你的百姓，不要使你的产业受羞辱，列邦管辖他们。为何容列国的人说：“他们的神在哪里呢？”’

After hearing this scripture, you might ask: “When David became a charismatic pastor?” I understand, The message sounds that way. It sounds like a preacher is possessed by the spirit and spoke charismatically.

听完这一段圣经，你们可能会想：什么时候David变成了一个灵恩派的牧师了? 我知道，这段圣经听起来灵恩味道很浓。

I would like to suggest: there is deep logic behind the message of the book Joel. And it resonate today.

我想要告诉你们的是，这样的信息却和今天的时代有着很深的联系。

This is what I read recently on news: Locust Swarms Swept through East Africa, they followed the wind, fly across red sea, they revenge the middle east, had their buffet in Iran, Pakistan, and finally arrived Indian. It seems that they stopped in India, yet left the land they swept through without crop, tree, and grass. Hunger will follow. Like what Joel told us 2500 years ago right?

我在几天前的新闻上读到：大群的蝗虫横扫东非，他们随着风飞越了红海，灭掉了中东，然后在伊朗巴基斯坦狂吃一路，最后到了印度。他们在印度被阻住了，然而却在所过之地吃光了庄稼、树、草，一切的植物。我们知道随后会有饥荒。2500年前的约珥说了一样的事情。

We have another case, also true in 2020. The coronavirus out break in Wuhan China. Ten million of people has to stay at home for almost 20 days. They could not meet, thousands died. Later we realize the situation is worse, In Japan, in Korea, in Italy, in Iran… We don’t know when this will be ended.

不仅如此，在2020年，冠状病毒从武汉发生。一座一千万人口的城市所有人必须呆在家里，已经一个月了。他们不能聚会，成千上万的人死去。随后我们发现情况在扩散，日本、韩国、意大利、伊朗。。。。我们不知道什么时候会止住。

The problem of such kind of disaster is not only the disaster itself. It is just a start. After locusts, there is famine. People will die of hunger. After the Virus disease, there will be economical problem. The stock market is diving.

这样的灾害不仅仅是一层的麻烦。它仅仅是一个开始。在蝗虫过后，有饥荒，人们会在饥馑中死亡。在病毒危机后，还有经济问题，我们看到股票市场已经开始下跌。

Please understand that I totally don’t want them to happen, but I am afraid, and I cannot be optimistic.

我完全不希望这些事情发生，但是我害怕，我无法在这样的情形下保持乐观。

So similar message for us as God spoke to Israel about 2500 years ago. It is disaster, but the scripture used a term: it is the day of the Lord. Why he used such a religious term on disasters?

2500年前，同样的信息给了以色列人。灾难，但是圣经用了一个词来描述这样的日子：这是耶和华的日子。为什么用这样一个此来描述这样的灾难呢？

Because, sadly, only in pain and fear, human could response to a truth: We are not in control, God is. Return to the Lord, your God. Return. Return means we have been walking to a wrong direction, return means we should repent.

因为只有在痛苦和恐惧中，人才会面对真相：我们不能够控制一切，上帝是万有的掌控者。回转，回到上帝面前，他是你的神。回转，回转意味着我们知道自己走错了方向，回转意味着悔改。

This message is for all the human race. When we feels our technology can solve all problems, the disaster is an indication that we need to awe and respect. When we feel our political system is better, the disaster tell us how fragile we truly are.

这样的信息是给所有的人类的。当我们觉得我们的科技可以做任何事情，疾病告诉我们我们必须敬畏和尊重，需要为自己设定界限。当我们觉得我们的政治体系很棒，疾病告诉我们，我们实际上是脆弱的。

It is not only a indication of the truth but also an eschatological event in our life to tell us that we are not supposed to indulge in this life, this world, but we should looking forward for the coming of our Lord, our God.

它不仅仅是揭示真相，还是指向人类终极性方向的信息。它告诉我们，我们不应该沉浸在今生、今世，还应该看到主将会再来，他是我们的神。

Lord Jesus Christ instruct his disciples to deal with such kind of crisis. He said: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.” Then Lord asked: Who is the faithful and wise servant…..

主耶稣基督教导他的门徒们如何应对这样的危机。“所以，你们要警醒，因为你不知道你们的主是哪一天来到。就像人不知道什么时候贼会来，所以会保持警惕。。。”随后主问了一个问题：谁是忠心且有智慧的仆人呢？（马太福音24：42-45）

Be watchful, be faithful, and be wise.

要警醒，要忠心，要有智慧。

Return from where you are heading to, and be watchful, be faithful, be wise. This is the message for this age.

要从你走的错路上回转，警醒、忠心、有智慧。这是给今天这个时代的信息。

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