作者：Dennis E.
Johnson 翻译：王一
前千？后千？还是无千？圣经中的千禧年本是一段空前和平的时期，然而讽刺的是这个话题却成了千百年来的神学战场。因为这个神学问题，许多宣教机构拒绝宣教士，许多教会否决了牧师，许多神学院开除了教授。这些矛盾冲突使人们避开使徒约翰的启示录，宁愿停留在其他更清晰安全的区域。然而，圣经这最后一卷书应许上帝必祝福读这卷书的和听这卷书中信息的人（启1:1-3），因此我们不应忽视它。书中奇异的场景是赐给所有上帝的仆人，刚强我们去争战，不是彼此相争，而是去对抗我们真正的仇敌。
Pre-mill?
Post-mill? Or A-mill? The subject of the millennium, often portrayed as a
period of unprecedented peace, ironically has been a theological battlefield
for millennia. Missions agencies have refused missionaries, churches have
rejected pastors, and seminaries have dismissed professors for lacking proper
millennial credentials. Such conflict might tempt us to shun John’s Revelation
visions and prefer Scripture’s clearer, safer waters. However, the Bible’s last
book promises to bless both reader and hearer (Rev. 1:1-3) and should not be
ignored. Its strange scenes are for all of God’s servants—to fortify us to
fight, not each other, but our real enemy.
要想破解启示录的密码，我们必须了解这卷书是如何使用悖论（paradox）和重演（recapitulation）的。启示录让我们瞥见历史面纱背后的真相。事物并非如表面所见：光鲜的苹果其实有毒，乞丐的破衣裹着一位君王。同样，启示录也使用悖论：得胜的雄狮是被杀的羔羊，殉道者为基督被斩首却因此击溃大龙。To crack Revelation’s code we must recognize how it uses paradox
and recapitulation. Revelation offers a peek behind the veil of history,
enabling us to glimpse unseen realities. Things are not always what they
seem—the shiny apple is poisonous, and a beggar’s rags disguise a king. In the
same way, Revelation’s pictures speak in paradox: the Lion triumphs as a Lamb
slain, and martyrs defeat the dragon by losing their heads for Jesus.
所谓重演就是像体育比赛里的画面重播。电视机前的观众可以从不同摄像机镜头来观看同一粒进球：一个摄像机从中场发动进攻球员的角度来拍摄，另一个助攻手的角度拍，还有一个从射门的球员角度拍，但这不是三个进球，而是从不同角度看同一粒进球。比如，在《启示录》12章里，作者从两个不同的角度来描写与龙战斗的那场争战，龙被打败但还没有完全毁灭。第一个镜头是展现了大红龙无法吞灭妇人属天的婴孩，弥赛亚的母亲逃到旷野去寻找安身之处（1-6节）。第二个镜头是拍摄这条龙从天上被驱逐，禁止他不再控诉信徒。龙气急败坏开始追赶逃到旷野去的弥赛亚的母亲（7-13节）。这两个镜头都是描述基督的救赎工作，他的道成肉身，顺服的一生，受苦，受死，复活最后升天，把这世界的王驱逐出去（约12:31）。这些异象表明无论是借着希律的大屠杀，各样的试探或是罗马的十架酷刑，撒但都无法毁灭我们的勇士君王。撒但无法控诉我们的罪，因为基督的宝血已经一次永远的涂抹了我们的犯罪记录。撒但也无法通过谎言或暴力摧毁上帝的百姓，弥赛亚的母亲在旷野里安然无恙。Recapitulation is
the literary counterpart of video replay in sports broadcasting. Television
viewers see every touchdown from several perspectives: one camera focused on
the quarterback, another on the wide receiver, a third on the running back
cutting up the middle—not three touchdowns, but one viewed from different
angles. Likewise, Revelation 12, for example, has two different perspectives on
the epoch-changing conflict in which the dragon is decisively defeated but not
utterly destroyed. The first camera angle shows that the dragon cannot consume
the heavenly woman’s child, so Messiah’s mother flees for safety into the
desert (vss. 1-6). The second camera angle shows the dragon expelled from
heaven, disbarred from accusing believers. In frustration it pursues Messiah’s
mother, who flees for safety into the desert (vss. 7-13). These are two
perspectives on Christ’s redemptive work—his incarnation, obedience, suffering,
death, resurrection, and ascension—expelling the prince of this world (John
12:31). These visions exclaim that Satan could not destroy our Warrior-King,
whether it be through Herod’s holocaust, temptation, or Roman cross. He cannot
accuse us of sin, for Jesus’ blood cleared our criminal record once-for-all.
Nor can Satan destroy God’s people through lies or violence—Messiah’s mother is
safe in the desert.
到了《启示录》第20章，我们又看到一个新的视角描述了12章所提到的战役。在20章里，我们又一次看到龙被打败，捆绑起来不再迷惑列国，但它还没有被摧毁。在20章里重复了12:9出现的四个名字“龙，古蛇，魔鬼，撒但”，把这两个异象连接在一起。像在12章那样，在20章里基督的第一次降临所做的工作就是捆绑这条龙，开始了约翰所看见的以一千年作为象征的新时期。这就是说，基督的死，复活与升天开启了千禧年。千禧年不是一个未来的某个时期，而是当下的现实。The millennial
vision of chapter 20 gives us an additional “camera angle” of the same battle
discussed above in Rev. 12. Here again we see the dragon decisively
defeated—bound, prevented from deceiving Gentile nations—but not yet destroyed.
His fourfold name, “dragon, ancient serpent, devil, Satan,” is repeated from
Rev 12: 9 to reinforce the bond between these two visions. Here, as in chapter
12, it is Christ’s work in his first coming that binds the dragon, launching
the era that John sees symbolized as 1,000 years. That is, Christ’s death,
resurrection, and ascension inaugurated the millennium so that it is not a
future hope, but a present reality.
然而，有许多人会反对这种观点。让我们来一同回答这些疑问，这能够帮助我们更加了解《启示录》的含义和其中蕴含的鼓舞：However, the mere suggestion that the millennium
has already begun and continues to exist raises objections in many minds. Answering these
objections will help us grasp both Revelation’s meaning and its encouragement to us:
第一，难道“一千年”不是1000年吗？有些人认为千禧年不是从基督升天时开始的，否则基督应该在升天后1000年再来！简短的回答是，《启示录》里的数字是象征性的。《启示录》第四章二节和五节提供一个人人都会同意的例子。约翰被上帝的灵提上天，这里是一个灵。在天上他看见七盏等象征着上帝的七个灵。这个灵依旧是一个，但是却被描绘为七个，这要表明的是圣灵完全与父同在天上并且完全与教会同在地上，因为数字七象征着完全或完整。同样，“一千年”不应该从字面来理解，而应该按照象征意义来看。数字1000象征着从基督第一次降临捆绑撒但到他第二次降临最终审判撒但之间有一段非常长的时间。(1) Doesn’t “1,000
years” mean 1,000 years?
Some argue that the millennium could not have begun with Christ’s ascension, or else Christ would have returned
a mere 1,000 years later! The short answer is that numbers are symbolic in Revelation.
Rev. 4:2 and 5 provide an example on which everyone agrees. John is caught up
to heaven by “the Spirit”—one Spirit of God. In heaven he sees seven lamps that
symbolize God’s seven Spirits. Without ceasing to be one, the Spirit is seen as
seven to signal that he is fully present with the Father in heaven and with the
church on earth, seven being the number of fullness or completion. Likewise,
“one thousand years” should not be taken literally but symbolically. It
signifies a very long time between Christ’s binding of Satan at his first
coming and his final judgment of Satan at his second coming.
在《启示录》中，基督宣称其中的异象很快便会开始，对于使徒约翰在第一世纪的读者来说，这些事件不是在遥远的未来（1:1,3；22:10；对比但12:1-4）。对于约翰的读者们来说，千禧年是当前的现实。当然，这个“很快”只是一半。千禧年的高潮尚未开始。因为上帝的时间与我们的不同，上帝的“很快”可能我们感觉不是很快。但必须记得，表面上主是迟延，但不是因为他疏忽，而是因为他在忍耐，他在伸手招呼一切选民来信靠他（彼后3:9）。羔羊必先招聚一切名字写在他生命册上的人之后才会再来。同时，基督徒必须做长远打算，并且勇敢的为福音作见证，借此圣灵亲自聚集基督的羊。At both ends of
Revelation, Christ insists that its visions concern trends soon to commence,
not events removed from John’s first-century
readers in some distant future (1:1, 3; 22:10; contrast Dan 12:1-4). The
millennium was a present reality for his readers. Yet this “soon-ness” theme is
only part of the truth. The culmination of the millennium has yet to occur.
Because God’s timing is not ours, God’s “soon” may not feel soon to us. We must
recognize that the Lord’s apparent tardiness is not negligence but patience, as
he woos all his elect to faith (2 Pet. 3:9). The Lamb will not return until he
has gathered everyone whose name is written in his book of life. In the
meantime, Christians must dig in for the long haul and boldly bear the gospel
testimony by which the Spirit gathers Jesus’ sheep.
第二，难道末日大决战不应该是在千禧年之前进行的吗？有些人认为既然大决战是19章，那就必须先于20章出现的千禧年。如果这种观点是正确的话，那么为什么千禧年从基督第一次降临时就已经开始了，而当时大决战还没有开始呢？大决战不是在千禧年之前进行。我们必须记得，《启示录》使用的是重演或重播的手法。第19章给我们的是最终战役的两个镜头其中之一。这一章向我们展现了列国被兽和那假先知迷惑，聚集起来争战以及毁灭性的结局。第二个镜头同样也是这最后一战，记录在启20:7-10，其中清楚描述了在千禧年之后的争战。与第一个镜头相同，我们在这里看到列国被迷惑，聚集起来争战。但是不同于第一个镜头的是，这时的镜头聚焦在撒但身上，他是兽和假先知迷惑行动背后的主谋。他企图从地上消灭为耶稣作见证的教会，但是他最终会失败，并被投入火湖。因此，《启示录》19:19-21和20:7-10这两个镜头视角相互补充，把千禧年之后发生的最终决战完整的展现在读者眼前。(2) Doesn’t the battle at Armageddon come before and not
after the millennium? Some argue that the battle at Armageddon (found at the
end of Rev. 19) must precede the millennium of Rev. 20. If they are right, how
could the millennium begin with Christ’s first coming when the battle at
Armageddon has yet to occur? However,
the battle at Armageddon does not come before the millennium. We must keep in
mind Revelation’s use of recapitulation or video replay. Rev. 19 gives us the first of two views of
the last battle. It shows us the nations gathered to wage the battle and its
disastrous outcome for the beast and false prophet. The second view of the same
last battle is found in Rev. 20:7-10 which clearly describes a conflict after
the millennium. Just like the first view, we see nations deceived and gathered
for the battle. Unlike the first view, this camera angle focuses on Satan, the
archenemy behind the activity of the beast and the deception of the false
prophet. He tries to erase Jesus’ testifying church from the earth, but he will
fail and be thrown into the lake of fire. As a result, the two camera angles of
Rev. 19:19-21 and Rev. 20:7-10 allow the reader to see the complete picture of
the last battle that occurs at the end of the millennium.
第三，当今世界的现状看起来不像是撒但已经被捆绑的感觉。我们必须记得撒但依旧像一头吼叫的狮子在地上徘徊寻找猎物（彼前5:8）。他知道自己所剩时日不多，就越发在上帝的儿女身上发泄怒气（启12:12, 17）。但是，要特别注意的是，基督捆绑撒但的目的是什么：是使他无法像从前那样迷惑列国。因此，他无法再聚集列国组成全球联盟一举消灭教会。新约圣经里其他地方也证实这一点。因为基督来捆绑了撒但释放了他的俘虏（太12:28-29），上帝的光如今照耀进入列邦的黑暗（太4:15-16）。从前上帝任凭外邦在无知中各行其道，现今不再如此（徒14:15-16; 17:30）。撒但不论如何费尽心力都无法阻止福音传遍地极。(3) World
conditions don’t look as if Satan
is bound. We must remember that Satan still prowls like a lion seeking prey (1
Pet. 5:8). Knowing that his days are numbered, he vents his rage on God’s children (Rev. 12:12, 17). But note, specifically,
what the binding prevents him from doing: he cannot deceive the nations as he
once did. Therefore he can no longer assemble the nations into a global
coalition to try to snuff out the church. Other New Testament scriptures
confirm this. Because Jesus came to bind Satan and release his captives (Matt
12:28-29), God’s light now shines into the Gentiles’ darkness (Matt 4:15-16).
Formerly God had left the Gentiles in their ignorance, but no more (Acts
14:15-16; Acts 17:30). In Jesus, the light of the world, Gentile nations behold
God’s glory (Luke 2:32; Acts 13:47). Try as he might, Satan cannot prevent the
gospel from reaching the ends of the earth.
总结 CONCLUSION
千禧年宣告羔羊已登宝座，龙气数已尽，福音之光刺穿列国的黑暗。当然，要想看到这一切，我们必须透过表面现象，看到真相。民意调查，参加人数统计，文化趋势，选举结果或国家立法这些都无法告诉我们哪一方才是宇宙决战的胜者。这并不奇怪。毕竟，犹大的狮子取得的胜利看起来并不像胜利，而是像罪犯一样屈辱受刑。那个黑暗的午后，撒但似乎占了上风；但是我们的主就是在这样的软弱中驱逐了那位控诉者，捆绑了那条大龙。福音在万民中被传扬正证明了基督的十架的确已经大打破了撒但束缚列国的锁链。福音证明如今就是千年之久的禧年了！The millennium declares that the Lamb is on
the throne, the dragon is on its last legs, and the light of the gospel is
piercing the nations’ darkness. To see this, of course, we must look past surface
appearances. We cannot estimate who is winning the cosmic conflict by opinion
polls, attendance statistics, cultural trends, election results, or legislative
actions. But that should not surprise us. After all, the triumph of Judah’s
Lion did not look like victory, but like the shameful execution of a criminal. That dark afternoon Satan seemed to have the
upper hand; but in such weakness our Champion disbarred the accuser and bound
the dragon. The spread of the gospel among all peoples proves that Christ’s
cross has indeed broken Satan’s stranglehold on the nations. Gospel witness
proves that the millennium is now.
因此，《启示录》给今天教会的宣教事工极大的鼓舞。既然耶稣已经捆绑了壮士，我们可以信心满怀的投身到宣讲福音的工作中去，使福音传到地极。我们生活在基督升天与再临之间的时代，这期间上帝驱逐了那曾经吞灭列国的黑暗。耶稣正在使用为他作见证并受苦的教会，“从各国，各族，各民，各方言”招聚一大群人永远歌唱“救恩归与坐宝座的我们的上帝，并归与羔羊。”（启7:9-10）Therefore, the book of Revelation gives
great encouragement to missionaries and the church’s work of missions. Since
Jesus has bound the strongman, we can throw ourselves confidently into gospel
witness to the ends of the earth. We inhabit the age
between Jesus’ ascension and his return, the age in which God dispels the
darkness that once engulfed the nations. Through his witnessing and suffering
church, Jesus assembles a crowd “from every nation, tribe, people and language”
to sing forever: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to
the Lamb.”
