서론
無題
繁體中文
英語原文
It is generally agreed by the most learned expositors that the narrative we have in this and the two following chapters, from the sounding of the seventh trumpet to the opening of the vials, is not a prediction of things to come, but rather a recapitulation and representation of things past, which, as God would have the apostle to foresee while future, he would have him to review now that they were past, that he might have a more perfect idea of them in his mind, and might observe the agreement between the prophecy and that Providence that is always fulfilling the scriptures. In this chapter we have an account of the contest between the church and antichrist, the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. I. As it was begun in heaven, Re 12:1-11. II. As it was carried on in the wilderness, Re 12:12-17, etc.
1-11
The Woman and the Dragon (95 AD)
繁體中文
婦人與龍（主後 95 年）
¹ 天上現出大異象來：有一個婦人身披日頭，腳踏月亮，頭戴十二星的冠冕。 ² 她懷了孕，在生產的艱難中疼痛呼叫。 ³ 天上又現出異象來：有一條大紅龍，七頭十角；七頭上戴著七個冠冕。 ⁴ 牠的尾巴拖拉著天上星辰的三分之一，摔在地上。龍就站在那將要生產的婦人面前，等她生產之後，要吞吃她的孩子。 ⁵ 婦人生了一個男孩子，是將來要用鐵杖轄管萬國的。她的孩子被提到神寶座那裡去了。 ⁶ 婦人就逃到曠野，在那裡有神給她預備的地方，使她被養活一千二百六十天。 ⁷ 在天上就有了爭戰。米迦勒同他的使者與龍爭戰，龍也同牠的使者去爭戰， ⁸ 並沒有得勝，天上再沒有牠們的地方。 ⁹ 大龍就是那古蛇，名叫魔鬼，又叫撒但，是迷惑普天下的；牠被摔在地上，牠的使者也一同被摔下去。 ¹⁰ 我聽見在天上有大聲音說：「我神的救恩、能力、國度、並他基督的權柄，現在都來到了！因為那在我們神面前晝夜控告我們弟兄的，已經被摔下去了。」 ¹¹ 弟兄勝過牠，是因羔羊的血和自己所見證的道。他們雖至於死，也不愛惜性命。
在此我們看見，神曾說要*「使女人的後裔與蛇的後裔彼此為仇」*（創 3:15）這一早期預言在此顯著地應驗了。請留意：
一、撒但及其黨羽企圖在孩子剛一出生時就吞吃，以此阻遏教會的增長；這事我們在此看見一幅最貼切的意象所作的生動描繪。
1. 我們看見教會在這異象中如何被描繪。（1）描繪為婦人——世上較軟弱的一群，卻是基督的新婦，是聖徒的母親。（2）身披日頭，就是主耶穌基督歸算給她的義。她既穿上了那公義的日頭基督，便因與基督的關係得著尊榮的權利與特權，並在祂的光輝中發光照耀。（3）腳踏月亮（即這個世界）；她立於其上，卻活在其上頭；她的心與盼望並不寄託於屬地之事，而是寄託於頭所在的天上的事。（4）頭戴十二星的冠冕，即十二使徒所傳的福音真理，這乃是給一切真信徒的榮耀冠冕。（5）她在生產中疼痛呼叫，要生產。她懷了孕，如今正為要為基督生下聖潔的後裔而受痛楚，切願那在罪人知罪時所開始的工夫，能在他們歸正時得以完成；願孩子到了產期就有生產的力量，使她能看見自己勞苦的功效。
2. 教會的大仇敵如何被描繪。（1）作為大紅龍——是龍，因其力量與可怖；是紅龍，因其凶猛與殘酷。（2）有七頭，即坐落於七座山上，正如羅馬那樣；故此這裡很可能是指外邦羅馬。（3）有十角，分為十個省份，正如羅馬帝國在亞古士督凱撒時所劃分的那樣。（4）頭上戴著七個冠冕，這在後文（啟 17:10）解釋為七位王。（5）用尾巴拖拉天上星辰的三分之一，摔在地上，把基督教的傳道人與信徒從他們的職位與權利中驅逐出來，並盡可能使他們軟弱無用。（6）站在婦人面前，要吞吃她的孩子，極其機警地要在基督教一誕生之時就將其扼殺，並完全阻止其在世上的增長與延續。
二、這些對教會的攻擊並未奏效；因為：1. 她平安地生了一個男孩子（啟 12:5）。有人將這男孩子解作基督，有人解作君士坦丁，但另有人更恰當地將其解為一群真實的信徒——剛強、合一、像基督，並在祂之下定意用鐵杖轄管列國；也就是說，現今憑他們的教訓與生活審判世界，並在那大日作為基督的同審者。2. 這孩子得著照管：被提到神那裡，提到祂的寶座那裡；即被置於神特別、大有能力且直接的保護之下。基督教從其嬰孩時期起，就是偉大的神我們救主耶穌基督所特別看顧的。3. 母親和孩子同樣得著看顧（啟 12:6）。她逃到曠野，在那裡有預備好的地方，既是為她的安全，也是為她的供應。教會處於隱晦、分散的狀態；這反成了她的保障，全是因著神護理的看顧。她這種隱秘而不顯眼的狀態是有期限的，並非永遠如此。
三、龍的攻擊不僅對教會無效，反而對牠自己的利益成了致命的打擊；因為在牠企圖吞吃那男孩子之時，便招惹了天上一切的能力來與牠為敵（啟 12:7）：天上有了爭戰。天上必要為教會的訴訟挺身而出。請留意：
1. 這場爭戰的所在——在天上，即在教會中；教會就是地上天國，在天上的看顧之下，與天同享同一個利益。
2. 爭戰的雙方——米迦勒與他的使者在一方，龍與牠的使者在另一方：基督就是那立約的偉大使者，以及祂忠心的跟從者；另一方是撒但與牠一切的工具。後者在人數與外表的力量上遠勝前者；但教會的力量乃在於有主耶穌作她們救恩的元帥。
3. 爭戰的結果：龍與牠的使者爭戰，並沒有得勝；雙方都有極大的角力，但勝利歸於基督與祂的教會，龍與牠的使者不僅被征服，更被逐出；那本為敬拜魔鬼的外邦偶像崇拜，在君士坦丁時代便從帝國中被剷除。
4. 此時所作並所用以頌讚的得勝之歌（啟 12:10,11）。請留意：（1）得勝者如何受敬拜：我神的救恩、能力、國度、並他基督的權柄，現在都來到了。如今神已顯明自己是全能的神；如今基督已顯明自己是剛強大能的救主；祂親自的膀臂成就了救恩，如今祂的國度必大大擴展並堅立。教會所得的拯救與能力，全都歸功於教會的君王與元首。（2）被征服的仇敵如何被描述。[1] 就其惡毒而言：他是控告弟兄的，在我們神面前晝夜控告他們；他以教會對頭的身分出現在神面前，不斷對他們提出控訴，不論真假；他這樣控告約伯，也這樣控告大祭司約書亞（亞 3:1）。他雖恨惡在神面前，卻仍樂意出現在那裡控告神的百姓。所以我們當謹慎，不要給他留任何控告我們的把柄；而當我們犯了罪，就要立刻進到主面前，自己控告自己、定自己為有罪，並將我們的案件交託我們的中保基督。[2] 就其失望與敗亡而言：他和他一切的控告都被摔出去，控訴被撤銷，控告者被以公正的憤怒逐出法庭。（3）這勝利是如何得著的。神的僕人勝過撒但是[1]因羔羊的血，這是功效之因。基督藉著死敗壞了那掌死權的，就是魔鬼。[2]因他們所見證的道，這是爭戰的大兵器，聖靈的寶劍，就是神的道——藉著堅決而大有能力地傳揚那永遠的福音，這福音藉著神是大有能力，能攻破堅固的營壘——並藉著他們在受苦中的勇敢與忍耐；他們雖至於死，也不愛惜性命，當對性命的愛惜與對基督的忠誠相抵觸時；他們並非愛惜性命到不能為之捨命的地步，不能在基督的事業中放下性命；他們對自己性命的愛惜被另一種更強的愛所勝過；他們這種勇敢與熱心，有助於使仇敵羞愧，使許多旁觀者信服，堅固忠信者的心靈，因此大大促成了這場勝利。
英語原文
The Woman and the Dragon (95 AD)
¹ And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
² And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
³ And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
⁴ And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
⁵ And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
⁶ And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
⁷ And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
⁸ And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
⁹ And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
¹⁰ And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
¹¹ And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Here we see that early prophecy eminently fulfilled in which God said he would put enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, Ge 3:15. You will observe,
I. The attempts of Satan and his agents to prevent the increase of the church, by devouring her offspring as soon as it was born; of this we have a very lively description in the most proper images.
1. We see how the church is represented in this vision. (1.) As a woman, the weaker part of the world, but the spouse of Christ, and the mother of the saints. (2.) As clothed with the sun, the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Having put on Christ, who is the Sun of righteousness, she, by her relation to Christ, is invested with honourable rights and privileges, and shines in his rays. (3.) As having the moon under her feet (that is, the world); she stands upon it, but lives above it; her heart and hope are not set upon sublunary things, but on the things that are in heaven, where her head is. (4.) As having on her head a crown of twelve stars, that is, the doctrine of the gospel preached by the twelve apostles, which is a crown of glory to all true believers. (5.) As in travail, crying out, and pained to be delivered. She was pregnant, and now in pain to bring forth a holy progeny to Christ, desirous that what was begun in the conviction of sinners might end in their conversion, that when the children were brought to the birth there might be strength to bring forth, and that she might see of the travail of her soul.
2. How the grand enemy of the church is represented. (1.) As a great red dragon—a dragon for strength and terror—a red dragon for fierceness and cruelty. (2.) As having seven heads, that is, placed on seven hills, as Rome was; and therefore it is probable that pagan Rome is here meant. (3.) As having ten horns, divided into ten provinces, as the Roman empire was by Augustus Cæsar. (4.) As having seven crowns upon his head, which is afterwards expounded to be seven kings, Re 17:10. (5.) As drawing with his tail a third part of the stars in heaven, and casting them down to the earth, turning the ministers and professors of the Christian religion out of their places and privileges and making them as weak and useless as he could. (6.) As standing before the woman, to devour her child as soon as it should be born, very vigilant to crush the Christian religion in its birth and entirely to prevent the growth and continuance of it in the world.
II. The unsuccessfulness of these attempts against the church; for, 1. She was safely delivered of a man-child (Re 12:5), by which some understand Christ, others Constantine, but others, with greater propriety, a race of true believers, strong and united, resembling Christ, and designed, under him, to rule the nations with a rod of iron; that is, to judge the world by their doctrine and lives now, and as assessors with Christ at the great day. 2. Care was taken of this child: it was caught up to God, and to his throne; that is, taken into his special, powerful, and immediate protection. The Christian religion has been from its infancy the special care of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. 3. Care was taken of the mother as well as of the child, Re 12:6. She fled into the wilderness, a place prepared both for her safety and her sustenance. The church was in an obscure state, dispersed; and this proved her security, through the care of divine Providence. This her obscure and private state was for a limited time, not to continue always.
III. The attempts of the dragon not only proved unsuccessful against the church, but fatal to his own interests; for, upon his endeavour to devour the man-child, he engaged all the powers of heaven against him (Re 12:7): There was war in heaven. Heaven will espouse the quarrel of the church. Here observe,
1. The seat of this war—in heaven, in the church, which is the kingdom of heaven on earth, under the care of heaven and in the same interest.
2. The parties—Michael and his angels on one side, and the dragon and his angels on the other: Christ, the great Angel of the covenant, and his faithful followers; and Satan and all his instruments. This latter party would be much superior in number and outward strength to the other; but the strength of the church lies in having the Lord Jesus for the captain of their salvation.
3. The success of the battle: The dragon and his angels fought and prevailed not; there was a great struggle on both sides, but the victory fell to Christ and his church, and the dragon and his angels were not only conquered, but cast out; the pagan idolatry, which was a worshipping of devils, was extirpated out of the empire in the time of Constantine.
4. The triumphant song that was composed and used on this occasion, Re 12:10,11. Here observe, (1.) How the conqueror is adored: Now have come salvation, strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ. Now God has shown himself to be a mighty God; now Christ has shown himself to be a strong and mighty Saviour; his own arm has brought salvation, and now his kingdom will be greatly enlarged and established. The salvation and strength of the church are all to be ascribed to the king and head of the church. (2.) How the conquered enemy is described. [1.] By his malice; he was the accuser of the brethren, and accused them before their God night and day; he appeared before God as an adversary to the church, continually bringing in indictments and accusations against them, whether true or false; thus he accused Job, and thus he accused Joshua the high priest, Zec 3:1. Though he hates the presence of God, yet he is willing to appear there to accuse the people of God. Let us therefore take heed that we give him no cause of accusation against us; and that, when we have sinned, we presently go in before the Lord, and accuse and condemn ourselves, and commit our cause to Christ as our Advocate. [2.] By his disappointment and defeat: he and all his accusations are cast out, the indictments quashed, and the accuser turned out of the court with just indignation. (3.) How the victory was gained. The servants of God overcame Satan, [1.] By the blood of the Lamb, as the meritorious cause. Christ by dying destroyed him that hath the power of death, that is, the devil. [2.] By the word of their testimony, as the great instrument of war, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,—by a resolute powerful preaching of the everlasting gospel, which is mighty, through God, to pull down strongholds,—and by their courage and patience in sufferings; they loved not their lives unto the death, when the love of life stood in competition with their loyalty to Christ; they loved not their lives so well but they could give them up to death, could lay them down in Christ's cause; their love to their own lives was overcome by stronger affections of another nature; and this their courage and zeal helped to confound their enemies, to convince many of the spectators, to confirm the souls of the faithful, and so contributed greatly to this victory.
12-17
The Woman and the Dragon (95 AD)
繁體中文
婦人與龍（公元95年）
¹² 所以諸天和住在其中的，你們都快樂罷。只是地與海有禍了，因為魔鬼知道自己的時候不多，就氣忿忿的下到你們那裏去了。
¹³ 龍見自己被摔在地上，就逼迫那生男孩子的婦人。
¹⁴ 於是有大鷹的兩個翅膀賜給婦人，叫她能飛到曠野，到自己的地方，在那裏被養活一載二載半載，躲避蛇的面。
¹⁵ 蛇就在婦人身後，從口中吐出水像河一樣，要將婦人沖去。
¹⁶ 地卻幫助婦人，地開口吞了從龍口中吐出來的水。
¹⁷ 龍向婦人發怒，去與她其餘的兒女爭戰，這兒女就是那守神誡命，為耶穌作見證的。
我們在此得悉這場在天上、或說在教會中已美滿結束的爭戰，又如何在曠野——就是教會所逃往、並在那裏蒙她的神和救主特別看顧而保全一時的地方——重新發起並繼續下去。請注意，
一、關於魔鬼因忿怒狂怒而將加於世界居民之普遍困苦和災禍的警告。因為他的惡意雖然主要針對神的僕人，卻也是人類整體的仇敵和恨惡者；他既對教會的計謀失敗，便決意要盡量對整個世界造成擾亂：「地與海有禍了」（啟12:12）。撒但的狂怒因他在空間和時間上雙雙受限而愈加增大；他既被限制在曠野、並在那裏掌權的時間不多，便帶著更大的怒氣而來。
二、他如今在曠野中的教會身上第二次的嘗試：「他就逼迫那生男孩子的婦人」（啟12:13）。請注意：1. 神對他教會所施的看顧。他如鷹之翼將她帶到一個為她預備的安全之處，她要在那裏居住一段確定的時間——這時間以取自但7:25的預言性記號表明。2. 龍對教會持續不斷的惡意。她的隱藏不能完全保護她；那起初潛伏在樂園中的古蛇，如今追蹤教會進入曠野，「從口中吐出水像河一樣，要將她沖去」。這被認為是指異端和邪說的洪流——由亞流、涅斯多留、伯拉糾和許多別人所呼出的——神的教會險些被其淹沒沖去。神的教會從異端所受的危險，比從逼迫者所受的更大；而異端之確出於魔鬼，正如公開的武力和暴力一樣。3. 在這危險關頭為教會適時提供的幫助：「地卻幫助婦人，開口吞了那水」（啟12:16）。有人認為這是指侵入羅馬帝國的哥特人和汪達爾人的一群群大軍，他們為那些亞流派的統治者找到了工作——否則他們會像從前的異教徒那樣成為凶猛的逼迫者，並已施過極大的殘忍；但神開了一條戰爭的缺口，那洪水便在某種程度上被吞滅了，教會因此得到一些喘息。神常常差遣刀劍為他的聖約伸冤；當人選擇新神的時候，城門就有戰爭的危險；內部的紛爭和傾軋往往以共同仇敵的入侵告終。4. 魔鬼既在謀害普世教會的計謀上如此失敗，如今便將他的怒氣轉向個別的人和地方；他對婦人的惡意驅使他「去與她其餘的兒女爭戰」。有人認為這是指亞勒比根斯派——他們起初被丟克理先驅趕到貧瘠多山之地，後來又因教皇派的狂怒和權勢，連續數代被殘酷屠殺；除了因為「他們守神的誡命」、「為耶穌基督作見證」之外，別無緣由。他們在教義、敬拜和實行上對神和基督的忠心，正是使他們暴露於撒但和他工具之狂怒下的原因；這樣的忠心仍要使人在或多或少程度上受暴露，直到世界末了，「末了的仇敵被毀滅」之時。
英語原文
The Woman and the Dragon (95 AD)
¹² Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
¹³ And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
¹⁴ And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
¹⁵ And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
¹⁶ And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
¹⁷ And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
We have here an account of this war, so happily finished in heaven, or in the church, as it was again renewed and carried on in the wilderness, the place to which the church had fled, and where she had been for some time secured by the special care of her God and Saviour. Observe,
I. The warning given of the distress and calamity that should fall upon the inhabitants of the world in general, through the wrath and rage of the devil. For, though his malice is chiefly bent against the servants of God, yet he is an enemy and hater of mankind as such; and, being defeated in his designs against the church, he is resolved to give all the disturbance he can to the world in general: Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, and the sea, Re 12:12. The rage of Satan grows so much the greater as he is limited both in place and time; when he was confined to the wilderness, and had but a short time to reign there, he comes with the greater wrath.
II. His second attempt upon the church now in the wilderness: He persecuted the woman who brought forth the man-child, Re 12:13. Observe, 1. The care that God had taken of his church. He had conveyed her as on eagles' wings, into a place of safety provided for her, where she was to continue for a certain space of time, couched in prophetic characters, taken from Da 7:25. 2. The continual malice of the dragon against the church. Her obscurity could not altogether protect her; the old subtle serpent, which at first lurked in paradise, now follows the church into the wilderness, and casts out a flood of water after her, to carry her away. This is thought to be meant of a flood of error and heresy, which was breathed by Arius, Nestorius, Pelagius, and many more, by which the church of God was in danger of being overwhelmed and carried away. The church of God is in more danger from heretics than from persecutors; and heresies are as certainly from the devil as open force and violence. 3. The seasonable help provided for the church in this dangerous juncture: The earth helped the woman, and opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood, Re 12:16. Some think we are to understand the swarms of Goths and Vandals that invaded the Roman empire, and found work for the Arian rulers, who otherwise would have been as furious persecutors as the pagan had been, and had exercised great cruelties already; but God opened a breach of war, and the flood was in a manner swallowed up thereby, and the church enjoyed some respite. God often sends the sword to avenge the quarrel of his covenant; and, when men choose new gods, then there is danger of war in the gates; intestine broils and contentions often end in the invasions of a common enemy. 4. The devil, being thus defeated in his designs upon the universal church, now turns his rage against particular persons and places; his malice against the woman pushes him on to make war with the remnant of her seed. Some think hereby are meant the Albigenses, who were first by Dioclesian driven up into barren and mountainous places, and afterwards cruelly murdered by popish rage and power, for several generations; and for no other reason than because they kept the commandments of God and held the testimony of Jesus Christ. Their fidelity to God and Christ, in doctrine, worship, and practice, was that which exposed them to the rage of Satan and his instruments; and such fidelity will expose men still, less or more, to the end of the world, when the last enemy shall be destroyed.
最有學問的解經家多半同意，我們在本章及接續兩章中——從第七號吹響到七碗傾倒——所讀到的敘述，並非對未來之事的預言，而是對已過之事的重述與回顧；這些事既是神要使徒在尚未發生時預先看見，如今既已成為過去，神也要他重新檢視，使他在心中對這些事有更完全的認識，並能觀察預言與那始終在應驗聖經的護理之間彼此相符。本章記述教會與敵基督、即女人的後裔與蛇的後裔之間的爭戰。一、這爭戰在天上如何開始（啟 12:1-11）。二、在曠野中如何繼續進行（啟 12:12-17 等）。