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Luke第2章:8-20 : The Shepherds Visit Jesus in Bethlehem

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8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

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Shepherds in the Fields

原作者: Junchol Lee

The Annunciation to the Shepherds, By Henry Ossawa Tanner - http://www.artnet.de/artist/16406/henry-ossawa-tanner.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4864375


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One of the most significant events, if not THE most significant event, in human history is the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Savior of humanity. Christ's birth had been prophesied by many, but it was Isaiah who gave us the fullest and most detailed description of the Messiah's coming. It is notable that besides Mary and Joseph, shepherds were the only individuals allowed to visit Jesus on the night of his birth. Why only shepherds? What is the spiritual significance of the shepherds? We will explore this question.

(参考: Isaiah 46:3)

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Apocalypse Revealed#891

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891. 21:8 "But the fearful, faithless, and abominable." This symbolizes people who have no faith and no charity, and are consequently caught up in evils of every kind.

The fearful symbolize people who have no faith, as will be seen next. The faithless symbolize people who have no charity toward the neighbor, for they are dishonest and deceitful, thus faithless. The abominable symbolize people who are caught up in evils of every kind, for abominations in the Word symbolize in general the evils listed in the last six of the Ten Commandments, as can be seen in Jeremiah:

Do not trust in lying words, saying, "The temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah are they... Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, and swear falsely..., and then come and stand before Me in this house...(while you) do... these abominations?" (Jeremiah 7:2-4, 9-11)

And so also everywhere else.

That the fearful symbolize people who have no faith is clear from the following:

(Jesus said to His disciples,) "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 8:26, cf. Mark 4:39-40, Luke 8:25)

(Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue,) "Do not be afraid; only believe, then (your daughter) will be made well." (Luke 8:49-50, cf. Mark 5:36)

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

The same are meant by those told not to be afraid in Matthew 17:6-7; 28:3-5, 10; and elsewhere.

It can be seen from all these passages that the fearful, faithless, and abominable symbolize people who have no faith and no charity, and who are consequently caught up in evils of every kind.

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.