Chapter 34 The War Between Good and Evil in "Apocalypse"

The "Apocalypse" part of the "Bible" is an important basis for missionaries to preach.Many of these myths and similes became enduring sources of art in Christendom. The Book of Revelation is called the Revelation of Jesus Christ.According to legend, the Roman emperor Domitian persecuted the Christian church, and the apostle St. John was exiled to the island of Patmos, where the Lord appeared to him and showed him "what is happening now and what will happen in the future" .St. John recorded all the truths and testimonies he saw and heard, and then it became the book of Revelation.

"Revelation" is the most difficult book among the volumes of the "Bible". Interpretations are made by different interpreters, which can be roughly classified into four categories: the first way of interpretation is called "past tense interpretation", This theory holds that the representations in this book refer to what happened at that time, so they are in the past and have nothing to do with the present era. The second way of interpretation is called "historical interpretation". This theory holds that this book uses the method of prophecy to write down the history of mankind from that time to the time when the Lord returns.The representations show successive events in this history.

The third way of interpretation is called "future-oriented interpretation". This theory believes that the chapter four and below of this book are all prophecies about the future, and they will be fulfilled after the rapture of the church, that is, the seven-year catastrophe and the thousand-year kingdom era. There is another way of interpretation, which is called "spiritual interpretation". This theory believes that all the representations in this book are the principles and principles that indicate the true God governing human history, rather than predicting specific facts.Therefore, it should be explained in principle or spiritual meaning.

"Apocalypse" has 22 chapters, which predict the natural disasters, diseases, wars, and the battle between good and evil that mankind will face in a certain period of time (God and his believers are the righteous side, and a devil who is anti-God or anti-Christ leads a group of demons) is the evil side), God's great judgment and the fundamental destination of every human being.No matter which method of interpretation it is, it seems that the word prophecy cannot be separated from it, and this should be the central idea of ​​"Revelation". Unlike other prophecies, there is a serious warning at the end of the Book of Revelation that no one is allowed to make any changes to the Book of Revelation, otherwise they will be punished. The tone is so loud and strong that it is rare in the Bible.In Western countries, the most influential book of prophecy is the "Bible", and "Revelation" is the most influential chapter in the "Bible". Only Dan in the "Old Testament" can be compared with it. Book of prophecies. The prophecies in the Book of Revelation are comprehensive, systematic, and huge, and they are the most essential part of the prophecies in the Bible, with the greatest influence.

In "Apocalypse", the doomsday catastrophe of mankind is recorded in detail. This seems to be a protracted battle between good and evil. At the end of the battle, neither side got the best result.Although light always wants to defeat darkness, the price paid for this war is too tragic. It is written in the book: "I saw another angel flying through the air; he had an eternal gospel to proclaim to all the nations, tribes, peoples, and languages ​​of the world. Then the second angel said: 'Fall down! Babylon the Great Fallen! For he gave to all nations the drink of lustful wine.'" This Babylon the Great, that city of sin, was destroyed in less than an hour, and the kingdoms and kings of the earth with whom they had had dirty dealings agonized Wailing, the world's most powerful merchants saw their fortunes reduced to ashes.After that, Dacheng was crushed to the bottom of the sea by a big rock and never reappeared.It is said that people will never see the handicrafts of skilled craftsmen and the singing and dancing of silk, bamboo and wind music.

"The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the ground, and there were wicked and poisonous sores on those who had the mark of the beast and who had worshiped his image." "The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and the sea turned blood, and all the creatures in the sea died." "The third angel poured out his bowl into the river and the fountain, and the water became blood." "The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, so that the sun might burn man with its heat. Man, being burned with heat, blasphemed the God who had power over these plagues."

"The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and darkness fell over the kingdom of the beast, and men bit their tongues out of pain. They blasphemed the kingdom of heaven by their pain and their sores. God, yet still not forsake their wicked ways." "The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the Euphrates, and it dried up, in order to prepare a way for the kings coming from the east." "The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and there was lightning, thunder, and a terrible earthquake. Such a violent earthquake was not seen since the beginning of man on earth. The great city of Babylon was torn into three parts; and the cities of all nations were Collapsed. God remembered its sin, and made it drink the strong drink of righteous indignation from the cup of God. All the islands are gone, and all the mountains are gone."

"Whoever worships the beast and his image, and whoever has received his mark in his forehead or in his hand, shall drink the strong wine of God, which is poured undiluted into the cup of his righteous indignation! They were tormented with fire and brimstone before the Lamb, and the smoke of their torment never ceased to rise, and those who worshiped the beast and his image, and the mark of his name on their foreheads, had no rest day or night." The final outcome described in the Bible "Revelation" is: "Our brethren have overcome the red dragon by the blood of the lamb and the truth they proclaim; they are even willing to sacrifice their own lives."

It is undeniable that justice will triumph over evil, and mankind will eventually be redeemed.This is like the idea of ​​apocalypse and doomsday judgment that Christianity has always upheld. Only the good can gain eternal life.It's just that eternal life needs to be exchanged for a body that has gone through all kinds of hardships. The battle between good and evil in "Apocalypse" seems to be a war between gods and demons, but if it is understood in the context of prophecy, it is not difficult to imagine that this is a revelation to the future world. "The cities of all countries have also collapsed...all the islands have disappeared, and all the mountains have disappeared" and other sentences, I am afraid that they are not legendary fairy tales.