死亡的厄运

“〔我〕见有一匹灰色马！骑在马上的，名字叫做死，阴府也随着他。” - 启 6:8

我们实在太熟悉第四位骑士了，这幅景象代表扰乱我们生命的死亡和忧伤。或许今天你正感受到恐怖的死亡逼近你，愿你在神的慈爱和看顾中得到安慰。

我执笔写这些文章时，全球因新冠病毒死亡的人数已超过二百万。第四位骑士又制造了另一场大疫情。无论是很多陌生人的生命被夺去，又或者是我们至爱的人突然离世，死亡肯定都是一个可怕的不速之客。

圣灵已经赐给我们一些有力的图景，在这些处境中来拥抱安慰我们的了。我们晓得基督降生和衪在复活节主日复活的好消息，我们看到耶稣与哀哭的人同哭的景象，耶稣与马利亚和马大为她们死去的兄弟拉撒路一同哀哭（约翰福音 11:33-35）。当这位骑着灰色马的骑士到来时，耶稣也与我们一同哀哭。

耶稣更知道，这个骑士就是衪“尽末了所毁灭的仇敌”（哥林多前书 15:26），在神这个伟大的故事尾声，约翰宣告说：“我又看见一个新天新地，”神要“擦去〔我们〕一切的眼泪。不再有死亡、也不再有悲哀、哭号、疼痛”（启示录 21:1-4）。哈利路亚！

圣父、圣子、和圣灵啊，你为我们胜过死亡，我们因你的得胜而感谢你。你应许不再有死亡也不再有哀伤，求你以此来安慰我们。阿们。

7揭开第四印的时候，我听见第四个活物说：“你来！”
8我就观看，见有一匹灰色马。骑在马上的名字叫做“死”，阴府也随着他。有权柄赐给他们，可以用刀剑、饥荒、瘟疫、野兽杀害地上四分之一的人。

Death’s Doom

"There before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him." - Revelation 6:8

英语音频 English Audio

The fourth horseman is too familiar to us. This picture represents death and grief disrupting our lives. Perhaps you are feeling death’s dreadful presence today. May you be comforted in God’s love and care.

At the time of this writing, the global death count from COVID-19 is over 2 million. The fourth horseman has created another pandemic. Death is always a terrible intruder, regardless of its coming to claim people in large numbers or in the sudden death of a person we love.

The Holy Spirit has given us powerful pictures to embrace for a time such as this. We have the good news of Christ’s coming and of his rising on Easter Sunday morning, announcing death’s defeat. We also have comforting pictures of Jesus grieving with those who mourn. Jesus wept with Mary and Martha over their brother Lazarus’s death (John 11:33-35). Jesus weeps with us too when this rider on the pale horse comes.

Jesus also knows this horseman as his "last enemy to be destroyed" (1 Corinthians 15:26). And God’s great story closes with John announcing, "Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’" in which God will "wipe every tear from [our] eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain" (Revelation 21:1-4). Hallelujah!

Prayer

Thank you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for your victory over death for our sake. Comfort us in your promise to put an end to death and to all our grieving. Amen.