当我们开始思考圣经以及经中的信息时，首先让我们回答几个常见的问题。
What does "Holy Bible" mean
?
圣经是什么意思？
The word "Bible" comes from the
Greek word "biblos" meaning "book". "Holy" is a word meaning "set apart"
or "separate", with the idea of being set apart or dedicated by or for
God. Therefore the name "Holy Bible" was given to this book because it was
seen to be God's inspired Word, thus making it separate from all other
books ever written.
“Bible”一词源于希腊语，原意是书本。“Holy”一词则意味着“旁置的”或“有别的”。这本书被称为“Holy Bible”是因为它记载了上帝的话语，因此有别于其他的书本。
When was the Bible written?
圣经是何时写成的？
The Bible is in fact a collection of books or writings that were
written over a period of approximately 1600 years by many different
writers. The first books were written by Moses about BC 1500, while the
last was written by John the Apostle around AD 100.
圣经实际上是一本合集，它是在长达1600年的一段时间内，由不同的执笔者写成的。最早的一卷是由摩西在大约公元前1500年写成，最晚的一卷是由使徒约翰在大约公元后100年所著。
Why is the Bible divided into the Old and New
Testaments?
圣经为何被分为旧约和新约？
If we look at the index in the front of the Bible we see that it
contains 66 books. The translators divided these books into the Old and
New Testaments many years after they were written. The Old Testament
contains 39 books that were written in Hebrew before the birth of Christ,
while the New Testament contains 27 books that were written in Greek after
Christ. 如果我们查询圣经的目录就会发现其中共包括66卷书。在这书被写成的许多年后，译者将其分为旧约和新约。基督诞生前用希伯来文写成的被称为旧约，共39卷。基督诞生后用希腊文写成的被称为新约，共27卷。
Where was the Bible
written?
圣经是在何地完成的？
There were many men whom God
chose to write the Bible over a long period of time. Although most wrote
in Israel there were some like Daniel and Ezekiel who wrote in Babylon and
others like the apostles who wrote in different provinces of the Roman
Empire. The amazing fact is that although the Bible was written over such
a long period of time, in many different places and by many writers, its
message is consistent and unified. This in itself indicates that God is
its Author
在很长一段时间内，上帝拣选了许多不同的人来执笔圣经。虽然圣经大部分是在以色列写成的，但也有一部分象但以理书和以西结书是写于巴比伦的，其他象使徒行传是写于罗马帝国的不同省份的。令人惊讶的一个事实是：虽然圣经是在这么长的一段时间内，由许多执笔者在不同的地方所著而成，它的内容却始终保持着和谐一致。这本身就是显示了上帝才是圣经的真正作者。
How did God cause these men to write the
Bible?
上帝是如何使这些人执笔圣经的？
There are many references in
the Bible telling how God caused His message to be recorded. The Apostle
Peter expresses it this way: "No prophecy of the scripture is of any
private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will
of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit"
(2 Peter
1:20-21). Thus
Peter explains that God selected holy or God-fearing men to whom He made
known His will. These men then wrote the message that they received from
God. These combined writings have become the book we know as the
Bible.
圣经中许多地方都告诉我们上帝是怎样使他的训示被记录下来的。使徒彼得是这样说的：该知道经上所有的预言没有可随人私意解说的，因为预言从来没有出于人意的，乃是人被圣灵感动，说出上帝的话来。（彼得后书: 1:20-21）彼得解释说上帝降意旨于他所拣选的圣者的敬畏上帝的人，这些人记录了上帝的训示，这些文字合起来就是我们所称之的圣经。
Why was the Bible
written?
为什么要书写圣经？
This question is answered this
way by the Apostle Paul: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect,
throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy
3:16-17). The
Bible was therefore given to teach man about God and His purpose, and to
direct him into a way of life that is pleasing to God and rewarding to
those who obey Him.
关于这个问题，使徒保罗是这样回答的：“圣经都是上帝所默示的，于教训，督责，使人归正，教导人学义都是有益的，叫属神的人得以完全，预备行各样的善事。”（提摩太后书3：16-17）。因此圣经是教人认识上帝以及上帝的旨意，教导人过一种愉悦上帝的生活并嘉许那些遵从上帝的人。
How can we prove that God exists
and the Bible really is His Word?
如何证明上帝确实存在以及圣经确实为他的话语？
This is a very sensible question yet the
answer is not complicated nor difficult to understand, for it is God
Himself who anticipated it and has given the answer in many places in the
Bible. One of these places is in the prophecy of Isaiah "For I am God, and
there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end
from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet
done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure"
(Isaiah
46:9-10).
这是一个非常切实的问题，虽然答案即不复杂也不难理解。因为上帝本身就是答案，并且上帝在圣经中的许多地方都作出了回答。以赛亚书中写道：“你们要追念上古的事，因为我是神，别无他神。我是神，再没有能比我的。我从起初指明末后的事，从古时言明未成的事，说，我的筹算必立定；凡我所喜悦的，我必成就。”（以赛亚收46:9-10）。
Look at the claims
that God makes here:
看一下上帝在此的宣称：
- He
alone is God and there is no other. If this is true then
the God of Israel alone is the God of the universe, and therefore all
other religions that claim to worship another god are false.
他是神，并无别神。假如这是对的，那么以色列的神即是全宇宙的神，因此任何崇拜别神的宗教都是错误的。
- He can
tell the future. We know by experience that no man can
reliably tell the future. In the Bible God foretells events that humanly
speaking would be impossible to predict, and yet they have come to pass
with unerring accuracy.
他可预示未来。由经验得知，没人可以使人信服地预示未来。在圣经中，上帝对事物的预知是人所不有的，并且这些事无一例外地准确发生了。
- He has
the power to accomplish His predictions. Thus He claims
not only to be able to foretell the future but also to bring it to
pass.
他拥有实现预言的力量，因此他不仅能预知未来，而且能使预言成真。
From this we see that
God has given a very simple method whereby the genuine seeker for truth
can find an answer to the question, "Is there a God and is the Bible His
Word?" Finding the answer does not depend upon a high intellectual
capacity, but rather upon the honesty to logically deal with the facts
that are presented in the Bible. The prophecies of the Bible substantiate
its claim to be inspired by God. We will briefly consider some simple
prophecies whereby we can test God's claim to be able to predict the
future.
由此可见，上帝指明了一条简单的道路，籍此那些探寻真神的人对“真有神存在并且圣经是他的话语”这一问题找到了答案。这并不需要极高的智慧，而需要对圣经中的事实报有诚实合理的态度。应验了的预言有力地证明了圣经的确是上帝所灵示的。以下我们将主要考虑一些简单的预言以此证明上帝的训示是可以预示未来的。
Some Facts
to Consider
一些事实
- The Old Testament
of the Bible was definitely written over 200 years before the birth of
Jesus Christ. The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament)
bears historical witness to this.
圣经中的旧约的确是在耶稣基督出生200年前写的。“Septuagint”(旧约的希腊译本是这一史实的见证)。
- The Dead Sea
Scrolls support the dating of the Old Testament.
死海古卷证实了旧约的年代日期。
- Both Jesus Christ
and the New Testament record are historically provable facts which date
to the period that the Bible claims for them. (These facts can be
substantiated in any reliable Public Library.)
耶稣基督以及新约上的记载在历史上都是有据可查的，与圣经上的记录年代相符。（这些事实可在任一可信的公立图书馆内查找到）。
From these
historically provable facts we can now test whether God can actually
foretell the future, realising that predictions made in the Old Testament
were made at least 250 years before they were fulfilled in the New
Testament.
从这些可验证的真实事情身上我们可以检验上帝是否真能预言未来，要知道从旧约的预言到在新约中应验，中间至少间隔了250年。
A Prophecy
of the Crucifixion of Christ
关于基督被钉十字架的预言
Consider the minute detail set
out in this prophecy in Psalm 22 regarding the crucifixion of Christ and
the way each detail was fulfilled. This Psalm was written by David 1000
years before it was fulfilled.诗篇22章记载了耶稣被钉死在十字架的细节，每一个都被准确地应验了。这一诗篇是大卫在预言的成就1000年前所作的。
Psalm
22
诗篇22 |
Event
事 件 |
Where
Fulfilled
应验处 |
| v 1 |
The words that Christ would speak on the
cross
基督将在十字架上说的话 |
Matthew
27:46
马太福音27:46 |
| v 7-8 |
The actions and words of the Jews at the foot of the
cross
犹太人在十字架脚下的言行 |
Matthew 27:39-43
马太福音27:39-43 |
| v 16 |
The actual mode of death - by crucifixion
受难的形式-被钉十字架 |
Matthew 27:35;马太福音27:35
John
19:23
约翰福音19:23 |
| v 18 |
The way that his clothes would be parted
他的衣服如何被分 |
John
19:23-24;约翰福音19:23-24
Matthew 27:35马太福音27:35 |
It would be impossible
for a man to predict in such detail these events. It is also irrational to
believe that Jesus himself, the Jewish rulers who denied his claim to be
the Messiah, and the pagan Roman soldiers would collaborate to perform the
crucifixion of Jesus so that they might fulfil an Old Testament prophecy,
and so deceive people into believing that the Bible was the Word of God.
Psalm 22 not only predicted the crucifixion of Christ but also his
resurrection in v 22.
人类是无法作出如此详尽的预言的。同样我们也不能那些异教徒的罗马士兵也不会为了应验旧约中的预言而互相串通把耶稣钉在十字架上，以之来愚弄百姓，使他们相信圣经是上帝的话语。诗篇第22章不仅预言了基督被钉十字架，而且也预言了他的复活。
Some
Prophecies Concerning the Nations
一些关于国家的预言
The prophet Isaiah lived in Israel between BC 760-700. In his day
the two major powers in the world were Assyria in the north and Egypt in
the south. In his 13th chapter God revealed through him the rise and then
the fall of Babylon. We need to realise that his prediction of Babylon
becoming a major power was made at least 100 years before the event.
However his prophecy does not only concern the rise but also the overthrow
of Babylon by the Medes. The Medes overthrew Babylon in BC 536 so this
prediction was made nearly 200 years before it took place.
先知以赛亚在公元前760-700间居住在以色列。那时世界的两大势力是北方的亚述国与南方的埃及。在以赛亚书第13章中，上帝预示了这一事件，而且，不仅仅是巴比伦的崛起，上帝亦预言了巴比伦被米底亚人颠覆。米底亚人在公元前536年攻陷了巴比伦，而预言早在将近200年前就已作出。
Not only did Isaiah
tell of the destruction of Babylon but he said that the city would remain
uninhabited and a desolation. This was a remarkable prediction for a city
which in its day was one of the wonders of the ancient world (Isaiah
13:17-22). Yet
this is not all! Isaiah also gave the name of the king who would overthrow
Babylon - a man named Cyrus (Isaiah
45:1-2). Added
to this Isaiah told of the decree that Cyrus would make urging scattered
Jews to return to Jerusalem and saying that the Temple of Jerusalem should
be rebuilt (Isaiah
44:27-28;
Ezra 1:1-4). These prophetic utterances
go far beyond what man can predict. Only God can foretell the
future.
以赛亚不仅预言巴比伦会被摧毁，而且他也曾预方巴比伦将荒无人烟。这是一个伟大的预言，因为巴比伦在当时被称为列国的奇迹。（以赛亚书13:17-22）然而不仅仅如此！以赛亚还预言了征服巴比伦统治者的名字-赛鲁士，（以赛亚书45:1-2）。而且他还预言赛鲁尔颁布法令，使四散的犹太人重归耶路撒冷，重建耶路撒冷神庙（同赛亚书44:27-28以斯拉记1:1-4）。这些预言的准确性远远超过了人的范畴，只有上帝才能预示这一切。
Consider
what such a prophecy would mean in today's
world.
想一想这亲的预言在现今世界的含义它需要能够：
- Predicting the
nation which would be the ruling world power 100 years from
now.
预言100年后哪个国家将主宰世界。
- Then predicting the
nation that would overthrow this first power 200 years from
now.
然后预言在200年后又有哪个国家将前一个国家摧毁。
- Naming the ruler of
this second nation.
预言后一个国家统治者的名字。
- Stating a decree
that he would make when he came to power.
预言统治者掌权后将颁布的法令。
Obviously this is
impossible for man to predict. However God, through His prophet Isaiah,
did exactly this. Thus God can not only predict the future, but is also
able to bring it to pass.
显然，人是做不到这一点的。然而上帝通过先知以赛亚准确地做到了这一点。而且上帝不仅能预示未来，而且够使预言应验。
Daniel's
Remarkable Prophecies
但以理奇异的预言
Daniel lived between BC 600-534. His prophecy
foretold:
但以理生活在公元前600-534年。他预言了：
- The fall of
Babylon's Empire (Daniel
5:25-31)
巴比伦王国的陷落（但以理书5:25-31）
- The rise and fall
of the Medo-Persian Empire (Daniel 8:20)
米底亚-波期王国的崛起与衰落（但以理书8:20）
- The rise and fall
of the Greek Empire (Daniel 8:21)
希腊王国的兴衰（但以理书8:21）
- The destruction of
Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70 (Daniel
8:9-11)
公元70年罗巴人摧毁耶路撒冷（但以理书8:9-11）
- The year of the
crucifixion of Jesus Christ (Daniel
9:24-27)
耶稣基督受难的年代（但以理书9:24-27）
The accuracy of
Daniel's prophecies has been a source of amazement to the genuine seeker
of truth, and a great difficulty to the sceptic and
atheist.
但以理书中预言的准确性成为那些追求真神的人惊奇的源泉，也使怀疑上帝的人和无神论者感到难以解释。
What has
God Predicted for the Future?
上帝对未来作了怎样的预示？
We can read the Bible with confidence, knowing that as God has
fulfilled His prophecies in the past, He will just as surely fulfil what
He has predicted for the future.
那些过去岁月中应验了的神示使我们对圣经充满了信心。上帝当然亦会应验他对未来的预示。
Here is a brief
preview of events predicted for our age:
对现今主要的事件的预示：
- There will be a
collapse of morality and decency in society (Luke
17:26-30)
社会道德规范的沦丧（路加福音17:26-30）
- The Jews will
return to the land of Israel, with Jerusalem becoming the centre of
international tension (Zechariah
12:2-3;
Ezekiel
38:8,12)
犹太人重归以色列人的土地，耶路撒冷在为世界紧张关系的中心（撒迦利亚书12:2-3：以西结书38:8，12）
- Jesus Christ will
return personally and visibly to the earth (Acts 1:9-11)
耶稣基督将再次降临人间并被世人所见（使徒行传1;9-11）
- God will establish
His Kingdom on this earth which will replace man's rule (Daniel 2:44)
上帝将在地上建立王国以代替人的统治（但以理书2:44）
- This Kingdom will
fulfil the Lord's Prayer: "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth,
as it is in heaven" (Matthew
6:9-10)
这个王国将应验救主教给人的祈祷：“你的王国将临，你的旨意将行在地上，如同行在天上。”（马太福音6:9-10）
- Jerusalem will be
the capital of this Kingdom (Jeremiah 3:17)
耶路撒冷成为王国的中心（耶利米书3:17）
- Jesus Christ will
be King in that day (Revelation
11:15,18)
到那日耶稣基督将成为王（启示录11-15，18）
- In that day the
people of the world will willingly learn of God's way and there will be
no more war (Isaiah 2:2-4)
到那日人们将乐意行上帝的道，并且不再有战争（以赛亚书2:2-4）
Is there a
Personal Message in the Bible for Us?
圣经中是否有传达给我们的个人信息呢？
Yes, there is. God
offers men and women the hope of sharing this new world order with the
Lord Jesus Christ when he returns. This message of hope is called the
gospel, which means the good news or glad tidings of the coming Kingdom of
God, and salvation from sin and death through the Lord Jesus Christ. This
is the message that Christ and his disciples preached (Mark 16:15-16).
是的，有。上帝赐给人这样的希望-当耶稣基督再次降临的时候，人可以与他分享新世界的新制序。这个充满希望的信息被称为福音，就是上帝的王国将临，人通过耶稣基督将从罪和死亡中得救的好消息。这是基督和他的信徒所传扬的信息。（马可福音16:15-16）。
|
Summary
Points
-
The Bible is God's inspired Word given by the power
of His Holy Spirit (2 Peter
1:20-21)
-
It was given so that man might know the plan and
purpose of God and come to understand His ways (2 Timothy
3:16-17)
-
The accurate fulfilment of the prophecies of the
Bible confirms that God exists and that the Bible is His
inspired Word (Isaiah
46:9-10)
-
Prophecies yet unfulfilled foretell that Jesus Christ
will soon return to this earth to set up God's Kingdom on
earth (Daniel
2:44, Matthew
6:9-10; Acts
1:9-11) | |
QUESTIONS 第一课的问题
1、“圣经”是什么意思？
2、圣经中共包括多少卷书？
3、上帝是怎样使人著作圣经的？
4、上帝问何使人著作圣经？
5、为什么说圣经中的预言是证明“圣经是上帝所灵示的话语”的有力证据？
6、上帝对未来将发生的事件作了什么样预示？ |