📖 Ufunuo — Somo la Kina — Sehemu ya 9: Mavuno na Vitasa Saba📖 Revelation Intensive — Unit 9: The Harvest and the Seven Bowls

Kifungu cha Maandiko: Ufunuo wa Yohana 14–16Text: Revelation 14-16

Mwana-Kondoo na Wale 144,000 juu ya Mlima SayuniThe Lamb and the 144,000 on Mount Zion

Baada ya maono ya giza ya joka na wanyama wawili, sura ya kumi na nne inafunguliwa kwa tukio la faraja. "Kisha nikaona, na tazama, Mwana-Kondoo amesimama juu ya mlima Sayuni, na pamoja naye watu mia na arobaini na nne elfu, wenye jina la Baba yake limeandikwa katika vipaji vya nyuso zao" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 14:1). Kinyume cha wale waliopokea chapa ya mnyama katika vipaji vya nyuso zao, hawa hapa ni waliokombolewa, waliotiwa muhuri kwa jina la Mungu badala yake, wakisimama salama pamoja na Mwana-Kondoo. Wanaimba wimbo mpya ambao hakuna mwingine awezaye kujifunza, kwa maana wao peke yao "wamekombolewa katika nchi" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 14:3). Wanaitwa malimbuko kwa Mungu na kwa Mwana-Kondoo, wanamfuata Mwana-Kondoo kila aendako, wala hakuna uongo unaoonekana vinywani mwao. Wale 144,000 ni watu wa Mungu, na kama katika sura ya saba idadi yao na utambulisho wao vimeeleweka kwa njia zaidi ya moja, jambo ambalo kozi hii imekwisha kulieleza kwa haki. Kilicho muhimu hapa ni tofauti hii: wakati ulimwengu una chapa ya mnyama na unakabiliwa na ghadhabu, walio wa Mwana-Kondoo wana jina la Baba na wanasimama salama pamoja naye juu ya mlima Sayuni.After the dark vision of the dragon and the two beasts, chapter fourteen opens with a scene of comfort. "Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads" (Revelation 14:1). Set against those who took the mark of the beast on their foreheads, here are the redeemed, sealed instead with the name of God, standing secure with the Lamb. They sing a new song that no one else can learn, for they alone have been "redeemed from the earth" (Revelation 14:3). They are called firstfruits to God and to the Lamb, they follow the Lamb wherever He goes, and no lie is found in their mouths. The 144,000 are the people of God, and as in chapter seven their number and identity have been understood in more than one way, which the course has already presented fairly. What matters here is the contrast: while the world bears the mark of the beast and faces wrath, the Lamb's own bear the Father's name and stand safe with Him on Mount Zion.

Malaika Watatu: Injili, Babeli, na OnyoThe Three Angels: Gospel, Babylon, and Warning

Kisha malaika watatu wanaruka katikati ya mbingu wakiwa na matangazo matatu. Wa kwanza ana "Injili ya milele, awahubiri wao wakaao juu ya nchi, na kila taifa na kabila na lugha na jamaa," akilia, "Mcheni Mungu, na kumtukuza, kwa kuwa saa ya hukumu yake imekuja; mkamsujudie yeye aliyezifanya mbingu na nchi" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 14:6-7). Hata katika saa ya hukumu, Injili bado inayaita mataifa yote yamgeukie Mungu. Malaika wa pili anatangaza, "Umeanguka, umeanguka, Babeli ulio mkuu" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 14:8), mara ya kwanza kutajwa kwa mji ule wa ulimwengu uliohukumiwa kuangamia, ambao sura ya kumi na saba na ya kumi na nane zitaueleza. Malaika wa tatu anatoa onyo zito: yeyote anayemsujudu mnyama na kupokea chapa yake "yeye naye atakunywa katika mvinyo ya ghadhabu ya Mungu" na kuteswa kwa moto (Ufunuo wa Yohana 14:9-11). Kisha linakuja neno kwa ajili ya kanisa: "Hapa ndipo penye subira ya watakatifu, hao wazishikao amri za Mungu, na imani ya Yesu" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 14:12), na baraka kutoka mbinguni, "Heri wafu wafao katika Bwana tangu sasa... wapate kupumzika baada ya taabu zao; kwa kuwa matendo yao yafuatana nao" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 14:13).Then three angels fly through the heavens with three announcements. The first has "the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people," crying, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth" (Revelation 14:6-7). Even in the hour of judgment, the gospel still calls all nations to turn to God. The second angel announces, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city" (Revelation 14:8), the first mention of the doomed world-city that chapters seventeen and eighteen will describe. The third angel gives a solemn warning: whoever worships the beast and receives its mark "shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God" and be tormented with fire (Revelation 14:9-11). Then comes a word for the church: "Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:12), and a blessing from heaven, "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on... that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them" (Revelation 14:13).

Mavuno Mawili ya NchiThe Two Harvests of the Earth

Sura inafungwa kwa mavuno mawili. Kwanza, Yohana anamwona Mmoja kama Mwana wa Adamu ameketi juu ya wingu jeupe, akiwa na taji ya dhahabu na mundu mkali, na malaika analia, "Peleka mundu wako ukavune; kwa kuwa saa ya kuvuna imekuja, kwa sababu mavuno ya nchi yameiva" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 14:15), na nchi inavunwa. Wengine wanaelewa mavuno haya ya nafaka kuwa ni kukusanywa kwa waliokombolewa na wengine kuwa ni mavuno ya hukumu, na kozi hii inaliacha swali hilo wazi. Kisha yanakuja mavuno ya pili, yanayotisha waziwazi: malaika mwingine mwenye mundu mkali anakusanya zabibu za nchi na kuzitupa "katika shinikizo kubwa la ghadhabu ya Mungu" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 14:19). Shinikizo hilo linakanyagwa nje ya mji, na damu inatoka ndani yake hata kufikia hatamu za farasi kwa umbali mkubwa. Ni picha ya kutisha ya hukumu ya Mungu juu ya ulimwengu mwasi uliokomaa katika uovu, nayo inaandaa jukwaa kwa ajili ya vitasa saba vya ghadhabu vinavyofuata.The chapter closes with two harvests. First, John sees One like the Son of Man seated on a white cloud, with a golden crown and a sharp sickle, and an angel cries, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe" (Revelation 14:15), and the earth is reaped. Some understand this grain harvest as the gathering of the redeemed and others as a harvest of judgment, and the course leaves the question open. Then comes a second, plainly fearful harvest: another angel with a sharp sickle gathers the grapes of the earth and throws them "into the great winepress of the wrath of God" (Revelation 14:19). The winepress is trodden outside the city, and blood flows from it as high as the horses' bridles for a great distance. It is a terrible picture of the judgment of God upon a ripened, rebellious world, and it sets the stage for the seven bowls of wrath that follow.

Wimbo wa Musa na wa Mwana-KondooThe Song of Moses and the Lamb

Sura ya kumi na tano ni utangulizi mfupi lakini mzito wa mapigo ya mwisho. Yohana anaona ishara nyingine mbinguni, "malaika saba wenye mapigo saba, yaliyo ya mwisho, kwa maana katika hayo ghadhabu ya Mungu imetimizwa" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 15:1). Kabla hayajamiminwa, anawaona wale walioshinda dhidi ya mnyama na sanamu yake, wakisimama juu ya bahari ya kioo iliyochanganyika na moto, wakiwa na vinubi vya Mungu. Wanaimba "wimbo wa Musa, mtumwa wa Mungu, na wimbo wa Mwana-Kondoo" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 15:3), wakiunganisha ukombozi mkuu wa Bahari ya Shamu na ukombozi mkuu zaidi uliopatikana kwa Mwana-Kondoo. Wimbo wao ni sifa safi ya haki ya Mungu: "Ni makuu, ya ajabu, matendo yako, Bwana Mungu Mwenyezi! Ni za haki, za kweli, njia zako, Ee Mfalme wa watakatifu! Ni nani asiyekuogopa, Ee Bwana, na kulitukuza jina lako?... kwa kuwa mataifa yote watakuja na kusujudu mbele zako; kwa sababu hukumu zako zimekwisha kufunuliwa" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 15:3-4). Washindi hao hawashangilii kwa majivuno juu ya ghadhabu inayokuja; wanamwabudu Mungu kwa sababu hukumu zake ni za haki.Chapter fifteen is a short but solemn prelude to the final plagues. John sees another sign in heaven, "seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete" (Revelation 15:1). Before they are poured out, he sees those who had gained the victory over the beast and its image, standing on a sea of glass mingled with fire, holding harps of God. They sing "the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb" (Revelation 15:3), joining the great deliverance at the Red Sea to the greater deliverance won by the Lamb. Their song is pure praise of God's justice: "Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?... For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested" (Revelation 15:3-4). The victors do not gloat over the wrath to come; they worship God because His judgments are right.

Hekalu Lililojaa UtukufuThe Temple Filled with Glory

Kisha patakatifu pa mbinguni panafunguliwa: "hekalu la hema ya ushuhuda lililo mbinguni likafunguliwa" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 15:5), na kutoka humo wanatoka malaika saba wenye mapigo saba, wamevikwa kitani safi inayong'aa na mishipi ya dhahabu. Mmoja wa wale wenye uhai wanne anawapa "vitasa saba vya dhahabu, vilivyojaa ghadhabu ya Mungu, aliye hai hata milele na milele" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 15:7). Ghadhabu ya Mungu sasa imekusanywa katika vitasa, tayari kumiminwa kwa ukamilifu. Mwishowe "hekalu likajaa moshi kwa sababu ya utukufu wa Mungu na kwa sababu ya uweza wake, wala hakuna mtu aliyeweza kuingia ndani ya hekalu hata yatimizwe yale mapigo saba ya wale malaika saba" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 15:8). Moshi wa utukufu wa Mungu unazuia njia, ishara kwamba wakati wa maombezi umepita na hukumu za mwisho sasa lazima zifuate mkondo wake. Kila kitu ni kizito, kimepangwa kwa utaratibu, na kiko chini ya mkono wa Mungu mtakatifu ambaye ghadhabu yake iko karibu kutimizwa.Then the heavenly sanctuary is opened: "the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened" (Revelation 15:5), and out of it come the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen with golden bands. One of the four living creatures gives them "seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever" (Revelation 15:7). The wrath of God is now gathered into bowls, ready to be poured out in full. Finally "the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed" (Revelation 15:8). The smoke of God's glory bars the way, a sign that the time for intercession has passed and the final judgments must now run their course. Everything is solemn, ordered, and under the hand of the holy God whose wrath is about to be completed.

Vitasa Saba vya GhadhabuThe Seven Bowls of Wrath

Sauti kuu kutoka hekaluni inaamuru, "Enendeni, mkavimimine vile vitasa vya ghadhabu ya Mungu juu ya nchi" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 16:1). Kitasa cha kwanza kinaleta majipu mabaya, yenye kuchukiza, juu ya wale walio na chapa ya mnyama na wanaoisujudu sanamu yake. Cha pili kinageuza bahari kuwa damu kama damu ya mfu, na kila kiumbe hai kilichomo kinakufa. Cha tatu kinageuza mito na chemchemi za maji kuwa damu. Cha nne kinalipa jua uwezo wa kuwaunguza watu kwa moto. Cha tano kinatumbukiza kiti cha enzi cha mnyama na ufalme wake katika giza, hata watu wanatafuna ndimi zao kwa maumivu. Cha sita kinakausha mto ule mkubwa Frati ili kuwatengenezea njia wafalme wa kutoka mawio ya jua, na roho tatu za uchafu kama vyura zinatoka katika vinywa vya joka, mnyama na nabii wa uongo, zikienda kuwakusanya wafalme wa ulimwengu "kwa vita vya siku ile kuu ya Mungu Mwenyezi" mahali paitwapo Har–Magedoni (Ufunuo wa Yohana 16:13-16). Mambo mawili yanajitokeza. Kwanza, tofauti na baragumu, zilizopiga theluthi moja tu, vitasa vinaanguka kwa ukamilifu: hii ni ghadhabu kamili ya Mungu, isiyochanganywa. Pili, tena na tena wale waliofanywa wagumu hawatubu bali wanamkufuru Mungu tu, jambo linaloonyesha kwa mara nyingine kwamba hukumu peke yake haiwezi kuugeuza moyo mwasi.A loud voice from the temple commands, "Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth" (Revelation 16:1). The first bowl brings foul, loathsome sores on those who bear the mark of the beast and worship its image. The second turns the sea to blood like a dead man's, and every living thing in it dies. The third turns the rivers and springs to blood. The fourth gives the sun power to scorch men with fire. The fifth plunges the throne of the beast and its kingdom into darkness, so that men gnaw their tongues in pain. The sixth dries up the great river Euphrates to prepare the way for the kings from the East, and three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, going out to gather the kings of the world "to the battle of that great day of God Almighty" at a place called Armageddon (Revelation 16:13-16). Two things stand out. First, unlike the trumpets, which struck only a third, the bowls fall in full: this is the complete, unmixed wrath of God. Second, again and again the hardened do not repent but only blaspheme God, showing once more that judgment alone cannot turn a rebel heart.

"Imekwisha Kuwa!" na Haki ya Mungu"It Is Done!" and the Justice of God

Mara mbili katika sura ya kumi na sita haki ya Mungu inatangazwa waziwazi. Mito inapogeuka kuwa damu, malaika wa maji anasema, "Wewe u mwenye haki, Ee Bwana... kwa sababu umehukumu hivi; kwa kuwa walimwaga damu ya watakatifu na ya manabii, nawe umewapa damu wanywe; nao wamestahili" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 16:5-6), na madhabahu yanajibu, "Naam, Bwana Mungu Mwenyezi, kweli na za haki ni hukumu zako" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 16:7). Ghadhabu ya Mungu kamwe si ya kiholela; inalipa damu ya watu wake waliouawa kwa ajili ya imani, nayo ni ya haki. Kisha malaika wa saba anamimina kitasa chake hewani, na sauti kuu kutoka kwenye kiti cha enzi inalia, "Imekwisha kuwa!" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 16:17). Kunafuata tetemeko kubwa la nchi kuliko yote ambayo ulimwengu umewahi kujua, kugawanyika kwa mji ule mkubwa kuwa sehemu tatu, na kukumbukwa kwa Babeli ili apewe kikombe cha ghadhabu kali ya Mungu, huku visiwa na milima vikikimbia na mvua kubwa ya mawe ikianguka, huku watu bado wakimkufuru Mungu. Kwa neno "Imekwisha kuwa," ghadhabu ya Mungu inafikia ukamilifu wake, na njia inafunguliwa kwa ajili ya kuanguka kwa Babeli na kurudi kwa Kristo. Kwa hiyo sura ya kumi na nne hadi ya kumi na sita zinawaweka waliokombolewa, walio salama pamoja na Mwana-Kondoo, kinyume cha wafuasi wa mnyama walio chini ya ghadhabu; zinatangaza Injili na onyo kwa pamoja; zinaithibitisha haki ya Mungu; na zinaileta ghadhabu yake kwenye mwisho wake uliokusudiwa. Wito kwa kanisa uko wazi: shikeni imani ya Yesu, shirikini katika subira ya watakatifu, na mwonekane miongoni mwa walio wa Mwana-Kondoo, ambao majina yao yameandikwa katika kitabu chake.Twice in chapter sixteen the justice of God is openly declared. When the rivers become blood, the angel of the waters says, "You are righteous, O Lord... because You have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due" (Revelation 16:5-6), and the altar answers, "Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments" (Revelation 16:7). The wrath of God is never arbitrary; it repays the blood of His martyred people, and it is just. Then the seventh angel pours out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice from the throne cries, "It is done!" (Revelation 16:17). There follow the greatest earthquake the world has ever known, the splitting of the great city into three parts, and the remembering of Babylon to give her the cup of God's fury, with islands and mountains fleeing and great hailstones falling, while men still blaspheme God. With "It is done," the wrath of God reaches its completion, and the way is opened for the fall of Babylon and the return of Christ. So chapters fourteen through sixteen set the redeemed, secure with the Lamb, over against the followers of the beast under wrath; they sound both the gospel and the warning; they vindicate the justice of God; and they bring His wrath to its appointed end. The call to the church is plain: keep the faith of Jesus, share in the patience of the saints, and be found among the Lamb's own, whose names are written in His book.

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