📖 Ufunuo — Somo la Kina — Sehemu ya 8: Mwanamke, Joka, na Wanyama📖 Revelation Intensive — Unit 8: The Woman, the Dragon, and the Beasts

Kifungu cha Maandiko: Ufunuo wa Yohana 12–13Text: Revelation 12-13

Mwanamke, Mtoto, na JokaThe Woman, the Child, and the Dragon

Katika sura ya kumi na mbili kitabu kinasimamisha mfululizo wa hukumu ili kuonyesha pambano la ndani zaidi lililo nyuma ya historia yote: vita virefu kati ya watu wa Mungu na yule adui mkuu. Yohana anaona ishara kuu mbinguni, "mwanamke aliyevikwa jua, na mwezi chini ya miguu yake, na juu ya kichwa chake taji ya nyota kumi na mbili" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 12:1), akilia kwa utungu wa kuzaa. Mwanamke huyo anaeleweka vizuri zaidi kuwa ni watu wa agano wa Mungu, jumuiya ya Israeli inayoamini ambayo Masihi alitoka kwayo; wengine wamemwona kuwa Mariamu, lakini zile nyota kumi na mbili na vazi lake la kimbingu vinaelekeza kwa watu wote wa Mungu. Kisha ishara ya pili inatokea, "joka kubwa jekundu, mwenye vichwa saba na pembe kumi" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 12:3), ambaye mkia wake unakokota theluthi moja ya nyota za mbinguni, naye anasimama mbele ya mwanamke ili amle Mtoto wake mara atakapozaliwa. Anazaa "mtoto mwanamume, atakayewachunga mataifa yote kwa fimbo ya chuma," na Mtoto huyo ananyakuliwa hadi kwa Mungu na kwenye kiti chake cha enzi (Ufunuo wa Yohana 12:5) — kuzaliwa na kupaa kwa Kristo, kukisimuliwa kwa mkupuo mmoja. Mwanamke anakimbilia nyikani, mahali palipotengenezwa na Mungu, ambapo analindwa kwa siku elfu moja mia mbili na sitini. Tukio hili ni la kimbingu na kidunia kwa pamoja: joka lilikusudia kumwangamiza Masihi, lakini Mtoto anatawazwa kitini, na Mungu anawahifadhi watu wake.With chapter twelve the book pauses the sequence of judgments to show the deeper conflict behind all of history: the long war between God's people and the great enemy. John sees a great sign in heaven, "a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars" (Revelation 12:1), crying out in the pains of childbirth. The woman is best understood as the covenant people of God, the believing community of Israel from whom the Messiah came; some have seen Mary, but the twelve stars and the cosmic dress point to the whole people of God. Then a second sign appears, "a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns" (Revelation 12:3), whose tail sweeps a third of the stars from heaven, and who stands before the woman to devour her Child the moment He is born. She bears "a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron," and the Child is caught up to God and to His throne (Revelation 12:5) — the birth and ascension of Christ, told in a single sweep. The woman flees into the wilderness, to a place prepared by God, where she is kept for twelve hundred and sixty days. The drama is cosmic: the dragon meant to destroy the Messiah, but the Child is enthroned, and God preserves His people.

Vita Mbinguni: Joka Latupwa ChiniWar in Heaven: The Dragon Cast Down

Kisha Yohana anaona vita mbinguni: "Mikaeli na malaika zake walikuwa wakipigana na yule joka. Joka naye akapigana na malaika zake" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 12:7), na joka linashindwa na kutupwa nje. Maandiko yanamtaja waziwazi, ili pasiwe na kosa lolote: "yule nyoka wa zamani, aitwaye Ibilisi, na Shetani, audanganyaye ulimwengu wote; akatupwa hata nchi, na malaika zake wakatupwa pamoja naye" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 12:9). Sauti kuu mbinguni inatangaza kwamba wokovu, nguvu na ufalme wa Mungu umekuja, kwa maana "ametupwa chini mshitaki wa ndugu zetu, yeye awashitakiye mbele za Mungu wetu mchana na usiku" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 12:10). Kisha unakuja mojawapo ya mistari mikuu ya kitabu hiki, ukieleza jinsi watakatifu wanavyomshinda adui huyu: "Nao wakamshinda kwa damu ya Mwana-Kondoo, na kwa neno la ushuhuda wao; wala hawakupenda maisha yao hata kufa" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 12:11). Ushindi juu ya Shetani haupatikani kwa nguvu za kibinadamu bali kwa damu ya Mwana-Kondoo, inayodaiwa kupitia ushuhuda wa uaminifu, hata hadi kufa. Hata hivyo sura hii inatoa onyo pia: Ibilisi ameshuka "mwenye ghadhabu nyingi, akijua ya kuwa ana wakati mchache tu" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 12:12). Yeye ni adui aliyeshindwa, lakini ni adui mwenye hasira kali.Then John sees war in heaven: "Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought" (Revelation 12:7), and the dragon is defeated and cast out. The text names him plainly, so there can be no mistake: "that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:9). A loud voice in heaven announces that salvation, strength, and the kingdom of God have come, for "the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down" (Revelation 12:10). And then comes one of the great verses of the book, telling how the saints conquer this enemy: "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Revelation 12:11). The victory over Satan is not won by human strength but by the blood of the Lamb, claimed through faithful testimony, even unto death. Yet the chapter sounds a warning too: the devil has come down "having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time" (Revelation 12:12). He is a defeated foe, but a furious one.

Vita vya Joka dhidi ya Uzao wa MwanamkeThe Dragon's War on the Woman's Offspring

Likiwa limetupwa chini duniani, joka linaelekeza ghadhabu yake kwa yule mwanamke. Linamwudhi, lakini anapewa "mabawa mawili ya tai yule mkubwa, ili aruke nyikani mpaka mahali pake" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 12:14), ambapo Mungu anamlinda kwa wakati na nyakati mbili na nusu ya wakati. Yule nyoka anatoa maji kama mto kinywani mwake ili amchukue kwa mafuriko, lakini nchi inamsaidia mwanamke, ikifunua kinywa chake na kuumeza ule mto (Ufunuo wa Yohana 12:15-16); Mungu anaugeuza mbali shambulio la adui. Likiwa na hasira kwa kuwa haliwezi kumwangamiza, joka linaenda "kufanya vita juu ya wazao wake waliosalia, wazishikao amri za Mungu, na kuwa na ushuhuda wa Yesu Kristo" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 12:17). Hili ni kanisa lililo duniani katika kila kizazi, uzao wa kiroho wa mwanamke, unaojulikana kwa kumtii Mungu na kumshuhudia Yesu kwa uaminifu. Maono haya yanawafundisha waamini watarajie nini: Shetani, asiyeweza kumgusa Kristo aliyetawazwa, anapigana vita visivyokoma dhidi ya watu wa Kristo, lakini wao wanalindwa chini ya uangalizi wa Mungu.Cast down to the earth, the dragon turns his fury on the woman. He persecutes her, but she is given "two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place" (Revelation 12:14), where God keeps her for a time and times and half a time. The serpent spews water like a flood from his mouth to sweep her away, but the earth helps the woman, opening its mouth to swallow the flood (Revelation 12:15-16); God turns the enemy's assault aside. Enraged that he cannot destroy her, the dragon goes off "to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 12:17). This is the church on earth in every age, the spiritual offspring of the woman, marked by obedience to God and faithful witness to Jesus. The vision teaches believers what to expect: Satan, unable to touch the enthroned Christ, wages relentless war on Christ's people, yet they are kept under the care of God.

Mnyama kutoka BahariniThe Beast from the Sea

Sura ya kumi na tatu inaonyesha jinsi joka linavyopigana vita hivyo: kupitia mawakala. Yohana anaona "mnyama akipanda kutoka baharini, mwenye pembe kumi na vichwa saba" na majina ya makufuru, aliye kama chui, dubu na simba kwa wakati mmoja (Ufunuo wa Yohana 13:1-2) — picha iliyotolewa katika maono ya Danieli kuhusu falme za dunia, ikikusanya ukatili wao wote kuwa kitu kimoja. Joka linampa mnyama "nguvu zake na kiti chake cha enzi, na uwezo mwingi" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 13:2). Kimoja cha vichwa vya mnyama kina jeraha la mauti lililopona, na ulimwengu uliostaajabu unamfuata, ukilisujudia joka na mnyama na kusema, "Ni nani afananaye na huyo mnyama? Tena ni nani awezaye kufanya vita naye?" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 13:4) — maneno yanayodhihaki ibada inayomstahili Mungu peke yake. Mnyama huyu ameeleweka kwa njia zaidi ya moja, wengine wakiona nguvu ya Rumi iliyowatesa waamini, wengine mpinga Kristo wa mwisho ambaye bado atakuja, na wengine kila mamlaka ya kidunia inayompinga Mungu katika historia yote; kozi hii inaeleza tafsiri hizi kwa haki. Lililo wazi ni kwamba mnyama ni chombo cha joka, mamlaka ya kidunia yenye makufuru inayodai utii unaomstahili Mungu peke yake.Chapter thirteen shows how the dragon wages that war: through agents. John sees "a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns" and blasphemous names, like a leopard, a bear, and a lion all at once (Revelation 13:1-2) — an image drawn from Daniel's vision of world empires, gathering all their cruelty into one. The dragon gives the beast "his power, his throne, and great authority" (Revelation 13:2). One of the beast's heads has a mortal wound that has been healed, and the astonished world follows after it, worshiping the dragon and the beast and saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" (Revelation 13:4) — words that mock the worship due to God alone. The beast has been understood in more than one way, some seeing the persecuting power of Rome, some a final antichrist still to come, and some every God-defying world-power across history; the course presents these readings fairly. What is clear is that the beast is the dragon's instrument, a blasphemous earthly power that demands the allegiance owed only to God.

Makufuru ya Mnyama na Kitabu cha UzimaThe Beast's Blasphemy and the Book of Life

Mnyama anapewa "kinywa kinenacho maneno makuu, na ya makufuru," na mamlaka ya kufanya kazi miezi arobaini na miwili, ambapo anamtukana Mungu na maskani yake, anafanya vita na watakatifu, na anapewa mamlaka juu ya kila kabila, lugha na taifa (Ufunuo wa Yohana 13:5-7). Kisha inakuja mstari wa kugawanya wa maono yote: "Na wote wakaao juu ya nchi watamsujudu, kila ambaye jina lake halikuandikwa katika kitabu cha uzima cha Mwana-Kondoo, aliyechinjwa tangu kuwekwa misingi ya ulimwengu" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 13:8). Kitabu cha Uzima ni orodha ya mbinguni, daftari la waliokombolewa, kinachotajwa mara kadhaa katika Maandiko. Ni mali ya Mwana-Kondoo, naye ni Mwana-Kondoo "aliyechinjwa tangu kuwekwa misingi ya ulimwengu," kwa maana msalaba haukuwa wazo la baadaye bali ni mpango wa Mungu kabla ulimwengu haujaanza. Wale wanaomsujudu mnyama ndio hasa wale ambao majina yao hayamo katika kitabu hicho; wale wanaomkataa mnyama ndio wale ambao majina yao yameandikwa humo. Majina ya waliokombolewa yameandikwa mara moja tu na kwa daima kwa wino usiofutika, na wino huo ni rangi nyekundu ya damu ambayo Mwana-Kondoo ameimwaga. Kwa hiyo pambano lote la sura ya kumi na tatu linarudi kwenye swali moja: je, jina lako limeandikwa katika kitabu cha Mwana-Kondoo? Kisha sura inaita watu wavumilie: "Hapa ndipo penye subira na imani ya watakatifu" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 13:10).The beast is given "a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies," and authority to continue for forty-two months, during which it blasphemes God and His tabernacle, makes war on the saints, and is given authority over every tribe, tongue, and nation (Revelation 13:5-7). Then comes the dividing line of the whole vision: "All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). The Book of Life is heaven's roll, the register of the redeemed, named several times across Scripture. It belongs to the Lamb, and it is the Lamb "slain from the foundation of the world," for the cross was no afterthought but God's plan before the world began. Those who worship the beast are precisely those whose names are not found in that book; those who refuse the beast are those whose names are written there. The names of the redeemed are recorded once and for all in indelible ink, and that ink is the scarlet of the blood the Lamb has shed. So the whole contest of chapter thirteen comes down to one question: is your name written in the Lamb's book? The chapter then calls for endurance: "Here is the patience and the faith of the saints" (Revelation 13:10).

Mnyama kutoka Nchi na ChapaThe Beast from the Earth and the Mark

Sasa mnyama wa pili anapanda, huyu "kutoka katika nchi," mwenye "pembe mbili mfano wa mwana-kondoo" lakini akinena "kama joka" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 13:11). Anaonekana mpole lakini ananena kwa ajili ya adui, naye anamtumikia mnyama wa kwanza, akitumia mamlaka yake yote kuifanya nchi imsujudu yule mnyama ambaye jeraha lake lilipona. Mnyama huyu wa pili, ambaye baadaye anaitwa nabii wa uongo, anafanya ishara kubwa, hata kushusha moto kutoka mbinguni, na hivyo kuwadanganya wakaao juu ya nchi (Ufunuo wa Yohana 13:13-14). Anawaambia wafanye sanamu ya mnyama, anaipa sanamu hiyo pumzi ili ionekane kunena, na kuwafanya wote wasiotaka kuisujudu sanamu hiyo wauawe. Pia "awatie watu wote, wadogo kwa wakubwa, matajiri kwa maskini, walio huru kwa watumwa, chapa katika mkono wao wa kuume, au katika vipaji vya nyuso zao," ili mtu yeyote asiweze kununua wala kuuza isipokuwa ana ile chapa, yaani, jina la mnyama au hesabu ya jina lake (Ufunuo wa Yohana 13:16-17). Chapa hiyo ni ishara inayoonekana ya utii kwa mnyama, uigaji wa uongo wa muhuri wa Mungu katika vipaji vya nyuso za watumishi wake. Sura inaishia na fumbo maarufu: "Hapa ndipo penye hekima... na aihesabu hesabu ya mnyama yule; kwa maana ni hesabu ya kibinadamu. Na hesabu yake ni 666" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 13:18). Hesabu hii imesomwa kwa njia zaidi ya moja, wengine kwa kutumia thamani za kale za herufi kama namba, wakiona inaelekeza kwa mtawala kama Nero, wengine kama hesabu ya mwanadamu inayopungukiwa na ukamilifu wa saba, na wengine kama mtu wa wakati ujao; kozi hii inaeleza tafsiri hizo kwa haki. Wale wanaosoma kitabu hiki kwa kuzingatia mazingira yake ya karne ya kwanza wanaijaza picha hii kwa ukamilifu zaidi. Kwa usomaji wao mnyama ana sura ya Rumi ya kifalme na Kaisari wake, awe Nero, ambaye mateso yake yalikuwa ya kikatili, au Domitiano, aliyependa kuitwa bwana na mungu. Basi chapa ni ishara inayoonekana ya ibada ya mfalme: mtu aliyetoa uvumba uliotakiwa na kukiri Kaisari kuwa bwana alipokea hati, na bila hiyo hakuweza kwa urahisi kununua, kuuza wala kufanya biashara, hivi kwamba waamini waliokubali kusema tu kwamba Yesu ndiye Bwana walifungiwa nje ya masoko na mara nyingi walifanywa kuteseka. Hesabu 666, kwa hesabu ya kale ya herufi kama namba, inaweza kusomwa kama Nero Kaisari, jambo ambalo pia linaeleza kwa nini nakala chache za kale zinasomeka 616, hesabu ya tahajia tofauti kidogo ya jina hilo. Wale wanaosoma kitabu hiki kama kinachohusu hasa wakati ujao wanamchukua mnyama huyo huyo, chapa na hesabu kama vitu vya mtawala wa dunia ambaye bado atakuja. Kwa njia yoyote ile chapa na hesabu 666 vina uzito mkubwa, na kwa njia yoyote ile wito ni ule ule, kumkiri Yesu peke yake kuwa Bwana, hata iwe gharama gani.A second beast now rises, this one "out of the earth," with "two horns like a lamb" but speaking "like a dragon" (Revelation 13:11). It looks gentle but speaks for the enemy, and it serves the first beast, using all its authority to make the earth worship the beast whose wound was healed. This second beast, later called the false prophet, works great signs, even calling fire down from heaven, and so deceives the people of the earth (Revelation 13:13-14). It tells them to make an image of the beast, gives breath to the image so that it seems to speak, and causes all who will not worship the image to be killed. It also "causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads," so that no one may buy or sell without the mark, the name of the beast, or the number of its name (Revelation 13:16-17). The mark is the visible sign of allegiance to the beast, the counterfeit of the seal of God on His servants' foreheads. The chapter ends with a famous riddle: "Here is wisdom... let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666" (Revelation 13:18). The number has been read in more than one way, some by ancient letter-numbers as pointing to a ruler such as Nero, some as the number of man falling short of the perfection of seven, and some as a future figure; the course presents the readings fairly. Those who read the book against its first-century setting fill in this picture most fully. On their reading the beast wears the face of imperial Rome and its Caesar, whether Nero, whose persecutions were savage, or Domitian, who liked to be hailed as lord and god. The mark is then the visible token of the emperor cult: a person who offered the required incense and confessed Caesar as lord received a certificate, and without it he could not easily buy, sell, or trade, so that believers who would say only that Jesus is Lord were shut out of the markets and often made to suffer. The number 666, by the ancient counting of letters as numbers, can be read as Nero Caesar, which also explains why a few old copies read 616, the figure for a slightly different spelling of the name. Those who read the book as chiefly future take the same beast, mark, and number as belonging to a world ruler still to come. Either way the mark and the number 666 weigh heavily, and either way the call is the same, to confess Jesus alone as Lord whatever it may cost.

Kitabu cha Mwana-Kondoo na Subira ya WatakatifuThe Lamb's Book and the Patience of the Saints

Zikichukuliwa pamoja, sura ya kumi na mbili na ya kumi na tatu zinafunua pazia la pambano lote la kitabu hiki. Nyuma ya kila mateso ya kidunia anasimama joka, yule nyoka wa zamani, Ibilisi na Shetani. Alishindwa kumwangamiza Kristo, ambaye ametawazwa kitini; hawezi kulishinda kanisa, ambalo Mungu analihifadhi; na kwa hiyo katika wakati wake mchache anaghadhibika, akifanya kazi kupitia mnyama kutoka baharini, mamlaka yenye makufuru inayotesa, na mnyama kutoka katika nchi, nabii wa uongo mdanganyifu, ili kudai ibada inayomstahili Mungu peke yake. Lakini watakatifu hawakosi ushindi. Wanalishinda joka kwa damu ya Mwana-Kondoo na kwa neno la ushuhuda wao, wasiyapende maisha yao hata kufa. Jambo la kuamua si nguvu za mnyama bali ni majina ya nani yameandikwa katika kitabu cha uzima cha Mwana-Kondoo aliyechinjwa tangu kuwekwa misingi ya ulimwengu. Mwana-Kondoo yule yule aliyechinjwa, aliyeonekana kuwa amestahili kukifungua kile kitabu, ndiye anayeshika kitabu cha waliokombolewa, na majina yao yameandikwa kwa damu yake. Kwa hiyo kanisa linaitwa kwenye subira na imani, likikataa chapa ya mnyama na kushikamana na Mwana-Kondoo, likiwa na hakika kwamba Yule aliyechinjwa kabla ulimwengu haujaanza amekwisha kuwalinda watu wake milele.Taken together, chapters twelve and thirteen pull back the curtain on the whole conflict of the book. Behind every earthly persecution stands the dragon, the ancient serpent, the Devil and Satan. He failed to destroy the Christ, who is enthroned; he cannot conquer the church, which God preserves; and so in his short time he rages, working through the beast from the sea, a blasphemous persecuting power, and the beast from the earth, a deceiving false prophet, to demand the worship that belongs to God alone. Yet the saints are not without victory. They overcome the dragon by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, not loving their lives even to death. The decisive thing is not the beast's power but whose names are written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. The same slain Lamb who was found worthy to open the scroll holds the book of the redeemed, and their names are written in His blood. So the church is called to patience and faith, refusing the mark of the beast and holding fast to the Lamb, certain that the One who was slain before the world began has already secured His people forever.

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