QT 28/01/2024 Sunday Matthew 24. Flourish or destroyed? 繁荣或被毁灭？
QT 28/01/2024 Sunday Matthew 24
http://www.esvbible.org/matt24
Jesus will come again. What are you focusing your life on REALLY today What will you be "doing ... when he comes?" (Matt 24:46) Jesus left the temple (Matt 24:1). But the disciples called his attention to the magnificent temple buildings. However, Jesus prophesied that the temple will be utterly destroyed (Matt 24:2).
REFLECTION (1): No deity in the Ancient Near East (ANE) would want to destroy his own temple? But why did Jesus choose to do so?
In the ANE, the worshippers of a deity would construct a temple (the buildings, the stones). There would then be an INAUGURATION where the deity start to RESIDE and REST in the newly constructed temple. The priests would also guard the temple and man its FUNCTIONS. From the temple of that deity, that god would operate from the now fully FUNCTIONAL temple (HQ) to do his stuff and RULE over his dominion.
Similar accounts occur in Genesis 1, where in Days 1-6 the cosmos was set up for the LORD God to reside and rest (Gen 2:2,3) on the 7th Day. The 7th Day was indeed holy and God blessed it (Gen 2:3). The LORD God is now IN HIS cosmic temple with Adam and Eve as keepers (Gen 2:15). The cosmic temple is now FULLY FUNCTIONAL. The LORD RULES the cosmic temple through Adam & Eve (Gen 1:28).
But after the sin in Gen 3, this set up is ruined. Even though the LORD's glory FILLED His tabernacle (Exo 40:34, 1450+ BC) and First Temple (1King 8:10-11, 970++ BC) subsequently, these became DYSFUNCTIONAL ultimately. Indeed, the First Temple of Solomon was destroyed in 586 B.C. by the Babylonian invasion.
If God cannot RESIDE and RULE His cosmos from His temple due to the unholiness of the temple or the sin of the priests/worshippers that operate it, God would LEAVE THAT TEMPLE (or ask the worshippers to leave) because that temple DISGRACES His holy name.
REFLECTION (2): What kind of a temple are you all together in Christ (1Cor 3:16)?
REFLECTION (3): Is God RULING His cosmos through you all, "a royal priesthood" (1Pet 2:9)? Or is DESTRUCTION on His mind again? Watch out for what you WANT to do today!
星期日 2024年1月28日 今日读经：马太福音24章
http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/Mat/24/
繁荣或被毁灭？
耶稣会再来。你现在正专注于什么？“主人来到时...”你会在做什么呢？(太24:46)。耶稣离开了圣殿(太24:1)。他的门徒前来把华丽的圣殿建筑指给他看。然而，耶稣告诉门徒这圣殿将会被彻底毁灭(太24:2)。
反思(1):在古代近东，没有任何的神会愿意毁掉自己的圣殿的。但是为什么耶稣却选择这么做？
在古代近东，一个神的信徒会为他们的神建造圣殿(建筑物、石头)。那个时候就会有一个就职仪式，然后那个神就会入住其圣殿并在这新建的殿安歇。祭司们会看守圣殿和负责圣殿的运作。那神就在那圣殿(总部)实际运作，处理他的事并主宰他的领域。
类似这样的描述也出现在创世记1章，第一天到第六天，那宇宙成形以让耶和华神能够在那第七天入住安息(创2:2,3)。第七天确实是分别为圣的，神也赐福了这第七天(创2:3)。耶和华神现在在祂宇宙的殿，亚当和夏娃是这殿的看守(创2:15)。这宇宙的殿现在已完全装备好可正常运作了。耶和华透过亚当和夏娃管理着这宇宙的圣殿(创1:28)。
但自从罪在创3章出现后，这样的体系就被破坏了。尽管神的荣光充满祂的至圣所(出40:34,公元前1450+年)和第一圣殿(王上8:10-11,公元前970++年),但最终这些都失去了原来的运作功能。确实如此，所罗门的第一座圣殿在公元前586年巴比伦入侵时就被摧毁了。
如果神因为管理这殿的祭司/信徒不圣洁或犯罪而无法居住其殿并在祂的圣殿里主宰祂的宇宙，神就会离开那圣殿(或叫信徒离开)，因为那圣殿玷辱了祂的圣名。
反思(2):你们在基督里是怎样的圣殿(林前3:16)?
反思(3):神是否透过你们这些“君尊的祭司”(彼前2:9)主宰着祂的宇宙？还是祂又想着毁灭？当心你今天要做的事！
