第226号 ヨブ記5：17－27

サタンがもたらした「罪」との戦いの人類史

― L姉妹の末期がん克服の真相―
「私には過去何年もの間、占星術（星占い）への常習的関心を断ち切れない問題がありました…
去年の夏、敵は私を誘惑しました…私の声が次第にかすれ始めたのはその直後です…」

ああ、幸いなことよ。神に責められるその人は。だから全能者の懲らしめをないがしろにしてはならない。神は傷つけるが、それを包み、打ち砕くが、その手でいやしてくださるからだ。神は六つの苦しみから、あなたを救い出し、七つ目のわざわいはあなたに触れない。ききんのときには、死からあなたを救い、戦いのときにも剣の力からあなたを救う。舌でむち打たれるときも、あなたは隠され、破壊の来るときにも、あなたはそれを恐れない。あなたは破壊とききんとをあざ笑い、地の獣をも恐れない。野の石とあなたは契りを結び、野の獣はあなたと和らぐからだ。あなたは自分の天幕が安全であるのを知り、あなたの牧場を見回っても何も失っていない。あなたは自分の子孫が多くなり、あなたのすえが地の草のようになるのを知ろう。あなたは長寿を全うして墓に入ろう。あたかも麦束がその時期に収められるように。さあ、私たちが調べ上げたことはこの通りだ。これを聞き、あなた自身でこれを知れ。　
ヨブ記5：17－27

全聖書の中で最古の書『ヨブ記』は、人の苦しみ、悲しみの背後に神に敵対する天界の被造物サタンがいることを明確に描いている際立った書です。この世の事象を神の視点から見ることによって初めて、神の創造の秩序を乱し、神の人類救済のご計画を阻止しようと、自ら被造物の分際でありながら、神に敵対しこの世の支配者者となったサタンが、堕天使、悪霊とともに、この世の背後で暗躍していることを知ることができます。
最初の人類アダムとエバの神への不従順の結果の堕落は、人類史にサタンの介入を許し、神の完璧な家族の一員として「神の御姿」に似せて特別に創造された人間は、サタンのもたらした罪の結果、―病、苦しみ、悲しみ、憎しみ、死―  に彩られた人生を歩む者に転落しました。堕落後、神ご自身が備えてくださった救いの道によらなければ、もはや、永久の神の家族の一員となる特権に戻ることができなくなった人間の、滅びに至る人生の始まりです。

ヨブ記冒頭で、神の会議で人を訴える者として立ったサタンは、義人ヨブを苦しめて神を呪わせようとはかり、神に許可を願います。神はサタンを敗北させ黙らせるために、サタンがヨブに災いを下すことを許されましたが、そのことを通して神は、義人ヨブでさえまだ気づいていなかった、堕落した被造物に潜在的に存在する罪を自覚させ、試練を通してさらに聖めることをもくろまれたのでした。突如襲い全家族を巻き込んだ恐ろしい災いによって、大変な苦痛におとしめられたヨブが最も理解に苦しんだことは、生涯愛し、献身してきた神が自分の悲痛な訴えに応答されないことでした。しかし、神ご自身がヨブに御姿を顕されるという至福の経験を通して、最後にヨブは

「あなたにはすべてができること、あなたはどんな計画も成し遂げられることを、私は知りました。あなたは言われました。『知識もなくて、摂理をおおい隠す者はだれか』と。まことに、私は、自分で悟りえないことを告げました。自分でも知りえない不思議を。あなたは言われました。『さあ聞け。わたしは語ろう。わたしはあなたに尋ねよう。わたしに答えよ』と。私はあなたのうわさを耳で聞いていましたが、今、この目であなたを見ました。それで私は自分をさげすみ、ちりと灰の中で悔い改めます」（NIV）

と信仰告白をしたのでした。

冒頭に引用した聖句は、苦難のさなかにあったヨブを助けようとかけつけた友人エリファズの最初の助言です。ヨブの苦しみの本質を理解できなかった友人は「全能者なる神の正しい裁きを耐え忍ぶ者には、考えられるすべての難儀を越える癒し、守り、助け、祝福が与えられ、長寿を全うすることができる。だから、ヨブよ、罪を悔い改め、あなたが今まで他人に語ってきたことを今、自分自身に適用せよ」と、真理を非難の心、むちで諭そうとしたのでした。
すべての苦しみをただ罪の結果と決めてかかった愛のない神学論は、神の慈しみ、憐れみに対する確信をヨブから失わせ、神を見失うまいともがいていたヨブの苦しみに、信仰の脅威さえ増し加えたのです。『ヨブ記』はページを割いて、人間的視点に立った愛のない神理解、カウンセリングの危険を訴えています。

献身的なキリスト信徒P兄弟から、今年二月半ば過ぎ、執り成し依頼の連絡が入りました。妻のL姉妹が咽喉癌末期と診断され、喉頭摘出、声帯除去の手術以外に方法がないと医師から言われ、三月半ばに手術が行われることになったとの絶望的な知らせでした。長い医者通いにもかかわらず、症状は悪化の一方で、去年十二月初めの診断でも風邪薬しか処方されなかったこと、今年になって他の医師を訪ねた結果、突然の癌宣告で動転、L姉妹は「主を賛美し、御言葉を語り告げるため、せめて声帯は残したい」との強い願望がある旨の連絡を受け、私たちの執り成しが始まりました。
五ヶ月前に主から示された詩篇によって、声帯が残されることを信じているとのL姉妹の揺るがない信仰と、喫煙、飲酒、声帯酷使などとは全く無縁な姉妹の信仰生活、医師の誤診などの要因をかんがみ、主の憐れみにすがり、私たちは主の奇蹟的なご介入を信じて祈りました。L姉妹には手術後の精神的ショックを緩和するための、声帯除去後の発声法、呼吸法、生活の仕方などのカウンセリングに重点が置かれた、手術までの三週間が始まりました。私たちの祈りは、声帯が残される奇蹟と主の完全な癒し、がん撲滅に向けられました。
L姉妹から手術中止の驚くべき知らせと御言葉通りに主が働かれたことに対する歓喜が伝えられ、私たちも主の大きなご介入をほめたたえ、すべてが好転するかのように思えたのは、手術予定日の五日前のことでした。
しかし、その二日後、姉妹は呼吸困難に陥り、咽頭腫瘍の腫れを削除し、気道を確保する緊急手術をしなければならなくなりました。成功が危ぶまれましたが、主は不安にさいなまれたL姉妹にご自身を顕され、彼女を支えてくださいました。この後、L姉妹には大変な試練のとき、六週間に亘る放射線療法と化学療法が続きました。初回の化学療法は彼女には過酷すぎ、身体の極度の衰弱に加え、放射線療法によるのどの炎症で強度の鎮痛剤も効かなくなり、液体、唾液さえ飲みこむことができなくなったため、二週間余に亘り鼻腔栄養補給に依存しなければならず、手術による声帯除去は免れたものの、それ以上の死活が危ぶまれた危機、苦しみが彼女を襲ったのでした。
しかし、癒しのきざしは突然訪れました。多くの苦しみの後、六月半ばには、笑いを交えた会話もできるまでにL姉妹の声が戻り、内視鏡検査の結果、癌の委縮が確認されました。主は、進行がんによって声を喪失し絶望状態にあったL姉妹を憐れみ、彼女の信仰と、主にある兄弟姉妹の執り成しに確かに答えてくださいました。最終的なCTスキャンによる癌撲滅宣言は九月に延ばされましたが、彼女の、加えられた生命を主への献身に捧げる新たな人生はすでに親類の者たちへの証しで始まっています。

しかしながら、四ヶ月に亘るL姉妹の闘病の間、日夜辛苦をともにした執り成し手として、主の御旨を測りかねる疑問は多く、晴らされないまま残っていました。最悪の癌宣告が告げられた最初の時点で、L 姉妹には、声を用いて犯した数々の罪を悔い改めることを勧め、私たちは執り成しを始めました。愛の主は奇蹟的なご介入で、確かに祈りに答えてくださいましたが、その後、なぜ神は再三再四、絶望感を与えるような過酷な苦しみ、痛みを容赦なく加えられたのだろうかということは大きな謎でした。
ヨブの例のように、神ご自身が義人とみなされる人だれに対しても突如として災いを下し、先が見えないような苦難におとしめられるとしたら、主のしもべたちは御心を測りかね、いつも不安を抱いていなければならないのだろうか、これが信仰生活なのだろうかと、思いあぐねていた六月末、日常生活に戻り始めたL姉妹から思いがけない罪の告白の証しが届きました。彼女の快い承諾を得て、以下、全文を載せました。彼女の赤裸々な告白は、私たちの信じている神が理由なくしもべたちを懲らしめる方ではなく、「道理の神」であることを大きく証ししています。

 今日、私は自分の罪を告白したいと思います。このことはもう神と私との間で取り扱われ、神は私を赦してくださったと、信じています。医者が私の癌を見抜くことができなかったとき、神が私に詩篇107篇17－22節、特に17節

「愚か者は、自分のそむきの道のため、また、その咎のために悩んだ」

を示されたことを以前あなたにお話したことを思い出してください。神がこの最初の聖句を示されたとき、私には神が私を懲戒されるおつもりであると分かりました。ですから、私は神に、なぜ私を病におとしめたのですかとか、直ちに癒してくださらないのですかなどと、不平を言いませんでした。神がもたらされる苦しみをすべて耐える覚悟はできていました。私は私を懲戒される神の御旨と決意を受け入れ、一言たりとも文句を言わず、そればかりか、神が愛で私を鍛錬してくださることにむしろ感謝さえしました。それは、私には自分の罪がよく分かっていたからです。
　　私には過去何年もの間、占星術（星占い）への常習的関心を断ち切れない問題がありました。過去、私はこの罪を神に告白し、朝毎に熱心な祈りを捧げました。それに応え、神は憐れみを示してくださいました。2009年、神はご自身を顕してくださり、私は目で神を見たわけではありませんが、三日間の間に二度も、神の栄光、力、愛を感じることができたのでした。この世の何物にも比べることのできない、その素晴らしい体験は朝五時、教会と自宅で起こりました。私は神のために生きる決意をし、そうしたいと心は燃えていました。
　　しかし、去年の夏、敵は私を誘惑しました。私は誘惑に抵抗することができず、ついに罠に落ちてしまったのです。再び、コンピューターで占星術にふけり始めたのです。私の声が次第にかすれ始めたのはその直後です。神がこの詩篇を示されたとき、私は、苦しみが神からのものであることを知りました。最初、医者の診断（末期癌告知）は恐怖でした。しかし、神は私に御言葉を与えてくださっていたので、完全に絶望的になることはありませんでした。とはいえ、最初の化学療法を受けた後、症状があまりにもひどく、身体が衰弱したため、もうだめだ、神の言葉は成らないとの思いに至りました。化学療法は耐えるにはあまりにも過酷すぎたので、正直言って、私は死ぬのではないかと思いました。しかし、そのとき、神が与えてくださった詩篇から、神は私を墓から救ってくださるのだと思い起こし、私は神に希望を託し、憐れみを祈りました。
　　神の愛と憐れみを体験した私は今、今まで以上に神を愛しています。私には、私を聖めようとされた神の御心が分かります。神は人が罪を犯すのを我慢されるお方ではありません。今私は心から神をほめたたえ、感謝しています。本当に祝福を感じています。私は神の子で主は私の神です。あなたは私に、神は子らに最善のものを与えてくださると言いましたが、その意味が今分かりました。どうぞ、私のために、私の残りの人生のために、私が主のために生きることができるように、お祈りください。主のために生きるということがどういうことなのか、今まだよく分からないので、私の生涯が主に献身するものとなるように、祈ってください。信徒たちの間で、執り成しの祈りがいかに重要であるかを、私は感じています。私のために執り成してくださったお一人お一人に感謝を言い尽くせません。皆さまの上に主の祝福がありますように。Lより。

（今月号英語欄に関連記事）

#226: POWER OF REDEMPTION AND PROCESS OF SANCTIFICATION

POWER OF REDEMPTION AND PROCESS OF SANCTIFICATION

Whenever we hear of the unfathomable sufferings of very earnest Christians, it is difficult for us to understand God’s will, especially given that the Scriptures promise that all His followers are protected from the enemy’s attacks, at least, from unnecessary afflictions…
The following confession by a Christian lady helps us to understand the process of sanctification, in that the Lord imposes hardships upon His precious followers only to cleanse them as His true vessel…L had long been suffering from discomfort in her throat for the past several years…Last December, even when her condition had gotten worse, the doctor failed to diagnose her as having laryngeal (voice box) cancer…

One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the LORD, ‘From roaming throughout the earth, going to and fro on it.’ Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.’‘Does Job fear God for nothing?’ Satan replied. ‘Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.’ The LORD said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.’ Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
JOB 1:6-12.
On another day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the LORD said to Satan……And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.’‘Skin for skin!’ Satan replied. ‘A man will give all he has for his own life. But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.’ The LORD said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.’ So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.   
2:1-7.
For God does speak – now one way, now another –though no one perceives it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, to turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride, to preserve them from the pit, their lives from perishing by the sword.                  
33:14-18.
‘So listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong. He repays everyone for what they have done; he brings on them what their conduct deserves.
34:10-11.

Many bad things happen to good people throughout the world. Countless Christians have continued to suffer physical and mental illness, broken relationships, tragedies, calamities, adversities, poverty, financial problems and sudden death. There are many possible causes of such plights: hatred, anger, jealousy, unforgivingness, involvement in ungodly things, breaking vows to God and so on. Nevertheless, there are still many mysteries surrounding us that do not make sense. Indeed, quite a few of them seem to have been left unexplained, just as Job experienced, until he directly encountered God and confessed his sinfulness out of deep conviction:

‘My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes’ (Job 42:5-6). 

The book entitled ‘Unbroken Curses’ co-authored by Rebecca Brown, which I introduced in our last letter, boldly attributes troubles that we experience as Christians, to the unavoidable influence and affliction of unbroken curses. If her curse theory is indeed valid and biblical, it would be very helpful for Christ’s followers, to prevent unnecessary sufferings and afflictions.

However, while the theory appears to be very logical and helpful in understanding the source of a lot of enigmatic miseries around us, there’s some reason to believe that it may not be entirely consistent with the Scriptures. There is a strange verse in Revelation 2:24-25:

‘Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, “I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.”’ (Line added). 

“Satan’s deep secrets” mentioned here is the very opposite to the ‘deep things of God’, which God’s Holy Spirit reveals to us because the Spirit fully knows God’s nature and His plans of grace for us (1Co.2:10). Contrary to the work of the Holy Spirit, one of the most dangerous heresies of the first two centuries of the church; was “Gnosticism”, which taught that salvation is not achieved by faith in Christ but by special knowledge, ‘gnosis’ in Greek. Gnosticism also encouraged Christ’s followers to acquire knowledge of “Satan’s deep secrets” by experiencing evil deeply, in order to enter and defeat Satan’s stronghold. But it was not Christ’s teaching for His followers. Their so-called knowledge ‘gnosis’ was inspired by Satan, and not by God. Nevertheless, the adherents of “Gnosticism” argued that Christians should demonstrate the fact that they would never be affected themselves by idolatries, pagan rituals and customs, by actually practising them. In so doing, they could boast of their special knowledge of “Satan’s deep secrets” and taunted careful and faithful followers of Christ of their ignorance of the knowledge.

The authors of the book have received a good deal of backlash in the christian community. They are reputed to be controversial Christians and reported to be mentally unbalanced and unstable. Rebecca Brown befriended, and lived with a well-known ex-satanist woman Elaine, and involved herself in countless deliverances of hard-core satanists from satanism. She may have inadvertently got herself too involved with the realm of demon activity, well beyond that of an ordinary Christian life. Christians face the danger of glorifying the works of Satan by spending too much time acknowledging their works. Critics have said that Brown’s books are full of unbiblical claims over spiritual warfare with factual and historical misinformation and embellishments. Indeed, there are quite a number of extreme arguments in her book, for which there is no biblical reference. While her premise is that the majority of Christians’ problems stem from unbroken demonic curses, and her book shows the necessary biblical steps to recognize, prevent and break every type of curse, the Scripture is clear that we are never to be free from problems in this fallen world.

It is a reality that perpetual sins can be passed down from parents to their offspring in certain circumstances and also that the innocent (but not sinless) is afflicted by unjust suffering. But at the same time it should be emphasized that it is our conversion to Christ and our will not to follow their ways or others’ wrong ways that could lead us out of such problems. In this fallen world, everyone can more or less be a victim of other’s sins. Therefore, what sets some people apart is the way they respond biblically to the forces of evil, through the process of sanctification, and strengthening oneself in the Lord’s mighty power as Paul taught:

‘Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground…And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people’ (Ep.6:11-18, Lines added).

Whenever we hear of the unfathomable sufferings of very earnest Christians, it is difficult for us to understand God’s will, especially given that the Scriptures promise that all His followers are protected from the enemy’s attacks, at least, from unnecessary afflictions. Brown puts it in the introductory chapter of her book:

‘Many Christians attend church regularly and strive with all their hearts to lead godly lives. However, in spite of their best efforts, everything seems to fall apart. No matter how hard they try or how much counselling they receive, nothing seems to help…there are those believers who battle year after year with all sorts of illnesses and catastrophic accidents. No matter how much they pray, believe, or attend healing services, nothing changes of improves in their lives. The conflict just continues without any resolution or any revelation from the Lord as to the reason for the lack of victory. Countless families are plagued by conditions such as mental illness, suicides, alcoholism, physical illness, divorce, incest, and poverty. Often, even those who come to the Lord are unable to break the endless cycles of devastation without their own families…Why does this destructive cycle occur? These discouraging situations may result from a number of factors, but a frequently overlooked reason is a curse on the person’s life or family that has never been broken. Many churches are also cursed. This is a much neglected area in Christian teaching today’ (p.7-8). 

If these states are the reality of true born-again Christians, what a mess it is! What does Christ’s redemption on the cross mean to His true followers? If such is the case, then Brown’s “curse theory by Satan” must be applied to certain situations in order to be freed from the devil’s bondage through specific prayers and rituals that she depicts. Of course, we cannot scripturally deny Satan’s involvement in sufferings and temptations in our lives. As the passages from the Book of Job clearly illustrates, the truth is that even Christians must daily examine themselves so as to be free from sinful habits and addictions and to be always placed under the Lord’s perfect cover of protection. However, it is perfectly possible that not all sufferings are caused by demons - sometimes, suffering is caused by Christians’ disobedience to the Lord.

The following confession by a Christian lady helps us to understand the process of sanctification, in that the Lord imposes hardships upon His precious followers only to cleanse them as His true vessel. Under her permission to publicize her testimony, I will briefly explain what happened to lady L in February this year. L had long been suffering from discomfort in her throat for the past several years. She went to see the doctor several times, but she was given the diagnosis of common cold each time. She started losing her voice from last summer onwards and started crying out to the Lord. Last December, even when her condition had gotten worse, the doctor failed to diagnose her as having laryngeal (voice box) cancer.

It was only in the middle of February this year, when she sought a second opinion, that she was told that she was in the latter stages of laryngeal cancer. Upon diagnosis, she was immediately recommended surgery to remove her vocal chords, with the date of operation fixed for the middle of March. It was also at this time that L reached out to us to ask for intercession. She mentioned that she was given the Psalm 107:17-22 from the Lord, which gave her strong assurance that God would preserve her vocal chords so that she could tell of His work with songs of joy. It was not until the end of June, 4 months into her fight against cancer, that we, as her intercessors, were made aware of how prophetically relevant the passage in Psalm 107 was for L’s situation.

When hearing of L’s eventual diagnosis of cancer, my immediate thoughts were that God would intervene in her situation and miraculously restore health to her, as she had been at the mercy of a physician’s misdiagnosis for years, and also as there was no apparent cause for this affliction (in terms of unhealthy habits and misuse of her voice). I felt that the Lord had given us three whole weeks to devote to fervent intercessory prayer for her. Meanwhile, L repented of   any potential past misuses of her voice and prayed for the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy.

Two weeks after the cancer diagnosis, a miracle happened, in that after a review of her larynx, the doctors decided not to operate on her, but to refer her to chemo- and radio-therapies. The Lord faithfully responded to her earnest desire of the restoration of her vocal chords. At that point, it was as if everything had turned favourable by the Lord’s mercy. However, that was just the beginning of a long road of suffering ahead- for the next few months, L encountered incessant difficulties, one after another. Twice, L faced critical conditions; a sudden difficulty of breathing, which required emergency operation to clear the airway. The side effects of chemotherapy excruciated her almost to death, and she experienced tube-feeding through the nose. After what seemed an interminable period of time, she managed to finish the course of therapies and she received news in June that her tumour had shrunk. A few weeks later, L wrote an email to me, divulging the following:

Today I wanted to confess my sin. I have dealt with this between God and myself. And I believe God has forgiven me. Do remember I told you before that at the time a doctor was misdiagnosing my cancer God gave me a passage from Psalm 107:17-22, especially verse 17: 

 "Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities." 

When God gave me the first verse, I knew God was going to discipline me. That's why I didn't complain to God about why I was sick, and that he didn't heal me immediately, in other words allowing me to go through all the suffering I had to endure. I accepted God's will and his decision to discipline me and I did not complain, even once. I was even thanking God because He was disciplining me in love, because I knew my sin very well. 
I had this ongoing problem in the past where I was interested in horoscopes. In the past also I confessed this to God and He showed His grace while I was fervently committed in morning prayer. God even let me experience His presence. I didn't see Him visually, but felt his glory, power and love - I've never experienced anything like this. Twice in three days, 5am in the morning, I experienced this once at church and once at home. It was an extraordinary experience - there is nothing I can compare it to in this world. This was in 2009. I was determined to live for God and enthusiastically wanted to do this. 
But last summer l was tempted by the enemy. I fell into temptation which I could not resist, so I started to read horoscopes on computer again. After that my voice started to change, becoming hoarse. When God gave me this verse I knew this time that my suffering was coming from God. At first the news was terrifying but because God gave me the Word, I didn't completely fall into despair. After the first session of chemotherapy, I was too ill and frail. At one point I thought I would not make it; I thought the therapies was too hard for me to cope with. I honestly thought I might die. But then I remembered God will save me from the grave, from the verse He gave me, and again I had hope and prayed to God for His mercy. 

I experienced His love and mercy, and I love God more than ever. I understood God's intention to purify me - He cannot stand sin.
Now I want to praise God and thank God. I feel really blessed that I am a child of God and He is my God. I remember that you told me God gives his children only the best and l understand what that means.  Please pray for me, that for the rest of my life, I live for God. I don't know what I have to do at the moment to live for God. Please pray that I find something to do as I live a life devoted to Him. And I truly feel that prayers of intercession are so important among believers. I can't thank enough you and all who praying for me. God bless you all.

If L had not honestly shared her story with us, we would have counted her case as another unfathomable example of God’s dealing with His earnest followers. Now she is still in recovery, awaiting a final diagnosis thorough a CT Scan in September.
（Related article: No.226Japanese）

第225号 エレミヤ書29：8－14：

聖書にすでに記された神の全啓示と今日の預言

― 永久に不変の神は今日も預言を通して、ご自分の御旨を、信じ求める者に語っておられる 。
過去一世紀余に亘って、神は何を語ってこられたのであろうか。終末末期の今日、神は世界中の霊的指導者に、何を語っておられるだろうか―
 

まことに、イスラエルの神、万軍の主は、こう仰せられる。「あなたがたのうちにいる預言者たちや、占い師たちにごまかされるな。あなたがたが夢を見させている、あなたがたの夢見る者の言うことを聞くな。なぜなら、彼らはわたしの名を使って偽りをあなたがたに預言しているのであって、わたしが彼らを遣わしたのではないからだ。―主の御告げ―」まことに、主はこう仰せられる。「バビロンに七十年の満ちるころ、わたしはあなたがたを顧み、あなたがたにわたしの幸いな約束を果たして、あなたがたをこの所に帰らせる。わたしはあなたがたのために立てている計画をよく知っているからだ。―主の御告げ―それはわざわいではなくて、平安を与える計画であり、あなたがたに将来と希望を与えるためのものだ。あなたがたがわたしを呼び求めて歩き、わたしに祈るなら、わたしを見つけるだろう。わたしはあなたがたに見つけられる。―主の御告げ―わたしは、あなたがたの繁栄を元どおりにし、わたしがあなたがたを追い散らした先のすべての国々と、すべての場所から、あなたがたを集める。―主の御告げ―わたしはあなたがたを引いて行った先から、あなたがたをもとの所へ帰らせる。」　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
エレミヤ書29：8－14

紀元前七世紀から六世紀初頭にかけてのユダ王国滅亡直前の時代にエルサレムに広まり、人気を博したのは、「神の名の置かれた都エルサレムと神の御臨在される神殿が滅びるはずがない」という一見、神の言葉とも受け取られる「平安」を告げる偽預言でした。当時は、王や指導者たちが好む偽りの預言を告げる偽預言者が横行し、出どころが神ではなく、サタンのだまし、人の心に由来する偽りの言葉が人民をたぶらかしていた時代でした。そのような時代、神の真の預言者エレミヤは四面楚歌の中で、神の預言「ユダ王国滅亡、首都エルサレムは神殿もろとも陥落、支配者も民もバビロン捕囚に連れていかれる。民はその隷属下で、捕囚先バビロンの繁栄を祈り、安定した共同生活を樹立せよ」が見事に成就するのを見届けるまで、迫害に耐えて神のメッセージ「主の御告げ」を告げた数少ない預言者の一人でした。
このエレミヤの時代は恐ろしい背信の時代で、ユダ王国の至る所をはじめ、エルサレム神殿内にも、異邦人の偶像が満ち、混淆宗教、不道徳、不正に特徴づけられる退廃の時代でした。神は、危機の時代にはいつもご自分の預言者を召名し、預言者を通して民に御旨、警告を語ってこられました。民が悔い改めて、神に立ち返りさえすれば、神は民との正しい契約関係を更新され、祝福が約束されたのでした。しかし、この時代の南ユダ王国は、すでに一世紀以上も前に背信のゆえに北イスラエル王国が滅亡したのを目撃しておりながら、教訓を学ぶことなく背信路線を歩み続けており、社会の上層から下層まで一様に、神殿を物神でもあるかのように間違って信奉しており、それゆえ、祭司制度、王制、偶像の神々、所有地、所有物等々、すべてが剥奪されなければ、もはや聖めようがないほど堕落した状態に陥っていたのでした。

残念ながら、この時代を今日の私たちの時代の姿とみなす霊的指導者はたくさんいます。物質文明のとりこになり、コンピューター、機械工学技術を駆使し、すでに歯止めが利かなくなっている医科学分野での探求を通して、現代人は創造者なる神の秩序の多くをすでに大きくゆがめています。この行きつく先は、聖書の預言に従えば、人々が夢見ているユートピアでは決してなく、滅びです。
最初にイスラエルの民にのみご自分を顕された全人類の神ヤーウェは永久から永久まで、ご自分を求める者たちにいつも関わっておられる神です。ですから、求める者はだれでも神の御旨を知り、生きることができます。もし、神が今日も私たちに御旨を知らせることができることを否定するとしたら、全聖書が証ししている神の不変の本質を否定することになります。旧約の時代や初代教会の時代、預言者や使徒を召し、メッセージを語られた神は今も語っておられるのです。
しかし、神の啓示は旧新約両聖書ですでにすべて顕されたので、今日私たちが聞く預言に新しい神のご計画が加えられることは決してなく、聖書に照らして内容を吟味をすることは必須です。今日、聖霊の助けにより、預言の賜物を用いて預言を語ることのできる預言者はたくさんいますが、聖書に登場する神の預言者のような全権威を帯びて語ることのできる預言者を神は、啓示をすべて聖書を通して知ることのできる時代にはもう送られないので、昨今の預言を逐語的に神のメッセージとして受けとめるのではなく、人の思いが混じることを知っておくことは重要です。ただ大艱難期に大使命を帯びて突如としてエルサレムに現れる二人の預言者だけは、神の全権を担って民に警告を発した旧約の預言者同様にみなすことができるでしょう（『一人で学べるキリストの啓示』p.259－269 ）。

　　　過去一世紀余に亘って語られてきた霊的指導者による預言の中で、まだ成就していない預言をも含んだ興味深い預言を以下、取りあげてみました。全世界に影響を与える「ヨーロッパ」に関するリバイバルの預言です。
1855年のハドソン・テイラーのビジョン：二週間の中国での休暇の後、英国で説教をしているときに、ハドソン・テイラーに与えられたビジョンです。

「私はビジョンを見た。それは、世界を巻き込む大戦のビジョンであった。私はこの戦いが後退するのを見たが、それはまた始まり、実際には二つの大戦であった。この後、全世界に影響を及ぼすような多くの不穏な状態や反乱を見た。またあるところでは霊の覚醒が起きるのを見た」

「私は、ロシアで、すべてを包含する国家的な霊の覚醒が起こり、それが多くのヨーロッパの国々に広がるのを見た。それから私は、全面的な霊の覚醒に続いて、キリストが来臨されるのを見た」

1911年のマザー・バーバラの預言：1918年、マザー・バーバラは、エルサレムにあるオリーブ山のゲッセマネの園の近くの共同住宅に移り住む少し前に、ロシア正教会のアリストコリ司教から、ある預言を受けました。この驚くべき預言で予知されたいくつかの出来事は、すでに成就しました。たとえば、ロシアにおける共産主義の盛衰はすでに起こり、ドイツは1945年以来ほぼ五十年に亘って分割され、英国は帝国と植民地を失いましたが、英国がこの世で類を見ない、最強で最も繁栄していた世界最大の大英帝国を支配していた、あの第一次大戦前の1911年に、その没落を予想することができたとは、驚くべきことでした。
このマザー・バーバラがアリストコリ司教から受けた預言は、英国の預言者クリフォード・ヒルを中心に全世界の預言者が集まって神の御旨を求めた1986年のイスラエルのカルメル山での集会のすぐ後、同年9月の“Prophecy Today” 誌に最初に掲載されました。また、小冊子“Hearing from God”にも載せられています。このカルメル山での集会では、ソビエト連邦が今にも崩壊することが預言されましたが、なるほど、嵐雲はすでにソビエト連邦の上空に集まっていました。

「女たちに告げよ。ひとえに神に結びついていなければならない、と。女たちは、これから起こる大きなこと、および、神が地上になさることを信じなければならない。女たちは、自分たちの魂を、また、子どもたち、夫たちを備えさせなければならない。女たちは、神のために非常に大いなる働きをするであろう。終末のとき、女たちは何と大いなる働きをしなければならないことか、そして、男たちは女たちに従うことになるであろう」
「裁きから免れる国はひとつとしてないであろう。あなたがたが耳にすることに恐れをなしてはならない。悪がまもなくロシアを席巻(せっけん)し、その悪が行くところ、どこにでも血の川が流れるであろう。この悪は全世界を席巻し、それが行くところ、そのためにどこにでも血の川が流れるであろう。それはロシアの魂ではなく、ロシアの魂にのしかかった賦課(ふか)である。それはイデオロギーでも、哲学でもない。それは地獄からの霊である」
「終わりの日には、ドイツは二つに分割されるであろう。フランスは無となるであろう。イタリアは自然災害によって裁かれるであろう。英国は築き上げた帝国、植民地を失い、ほとんど荒廃と化すが、しかし、祈る女たちによって救われるであろう。米国は世界の国々を養っていくが、ついには崩壊するであろう。ロシアと中国はお互いに滅ぼし合うだろう。最終的にロシアは解放され、その信者たちは出て行って、諸国家から多くの者を神に立ち返らせるであろう」

英国の信仰の巨匠スミス・ウィグルスワース（1859－1947年）による「大いなるリバイバル」の預言：この預言は1947年、召天の直前、スミス・ウィグルスワースにエリム年次集会のときに与えられたものです。

「これからの数十年間に、イギリス中の教会で、二つの際立った聖霊の動きがあるだろう。最初の聖霊の動きは、それを受け入れるすべての教会に影響を与え、洗礼の復興と聖霊の賜物で特徴づけられることになろう」
「第二次の聖霊の動きにより、人々は伝統的な教会を離れ、新しい教会を立ち上げることになろう」
「これら二つの聖霊の動きの各々の期間中、その動きに携わった人々は『これは大リバイバルだ』と言うだろう。しかし主は言われる、『いや、二つとも大リバイバルではない、それに向かうステップだ』と」
「新しい教会成長の勢いが衰え始めるとき、以前には見られなかった何かが教会の中に明らかになるであろう。それは、御言葉を重視する教会と聖霊を重視する教会との団結である」
「御言葉と聖霊が結びつくとき、英国国民が、いや全世界でさえも、かつて見た中で最大の、聖霊の動きとなるであろう。それはリバイバルの始まりを画し、過去、英国に起こったウェスレーによるリバイバル（十八世紀）や、ウェールズ地方のリバイバル（1904-1905年）でさえも、かすんでしまうほどのリバイバルとなろう。神の聖霊の注ぎが、英国からヨーロッパ大陸に溢れ出て、そこから地の果てに至るまでの宣教活動が始まるであろう」

紙面が限られているので、全世界宣教に関する三つの預言だけを取り上げましたが、改めて預言をふり返ったとき、私自身、英国でスミス・ウィグルスワースが預言した通りのことを目撃、体験し、今や日本でもこの動きは確実に進行しています。
「御言葉と聖霊の御働きの重視」はまさに、キリストの再臨が非常に近づいている終末末期の今日、キリストの教会にとって最大の関心が払われるべき重要課題です。
キリストの甦りの最初の証人として女が用いられたように、キリストの再臨信仰は、女が男、子どもを先導することになるのでしょうか。

祈り、執り成しの力

先月号で、スーダン国のキリスト教徒メリアム・イェハ・イブラヒム姉妹の死刑からの解放の嘆願が進行中であることをお知らせしましたが、その後、彼女には五月末に未熟児ながら女児が無事誕生し、全世界の執り成しが聞かれ、六月二十三日には、彼女は長男とともに監獄から解放されました。直後の二十四日、イブラヒム姉妹は米国籍の夫とともにスーダン国脱出のため、ハルトゥーム飛行場に向かいましたが、搭乗直前に家族四人が逮捕され、半日以上監禁された後、現在、米国入国のための書類作成が再度なされています。家族四人の安全の保証はなく、全世界の執り成しが引き続き必要ですので、皆さまのお祈りに覚えてください。

#225: SIN, SIN'S EFFECT, YET, ULTIMATE SALVATION

SIN, SIN’S EFFECT, YET, ULTIMATE SALVATION

  Sin and sin offering being combined in the principal Hebrew word for SIN;“chatta’ah”, meaning ‘to miss the mark’,God has provided us, sinners, with a wonderful provision - that He will forgive man’s root problem, “sin” through an ultimate divine offering, JESUS CHRIST and to set us free from Satan’s curse.

The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, ‘There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. ‘Now a traveller came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveller who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.’ David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.’
 Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: “I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.” ‘This is what the LORD says: “Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.”’ Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ Nathan replied, ‘The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the LORD, the son born to you will die.’
 After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill. David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground. The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them. On the seventh day the child died. David’s attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, ‘While the child was still living, he wouldn’t listen to us when we spoke to him. How can we now tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate.’ David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realised that the child was dead. ‘Is the child dead?’ he asked. ‘Yes,’ they replied, ‘he is dead.’ Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the LORD and worshipped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate. His attendants asked him, ‘Why are you acting in this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!’ He answered, ‘While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, “Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.” But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.’                                                  2SAMUEL 12:1-23.

The prophet Isaiah cried out in despair, ‘“Woe to me! I am ruined!” For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips’ (Is.6:5), in acknowledgement of his uncleanness, and in identification with the sinful people around him, whose sins he had denounced in the previous chapters of his book. Paradoxically, Isaiah was divinely set apart from his fellow Israelites as a prophet, God’s spokesman, because of his willingness to admit his real state of sin (contrite heart) in the presence of the Lord.

The above passage from 2 Samuel gives insight into a life of faith in this sin-afflicted world. In the previous chapter of the Book, David committed terrible sins: adultery, murder and the abuse of royal power before the Lord, and ultimately his marriage to Bathsheba, who bore him a son. Sometime passed before David was made aware of the condemnation and punishment he had brought upon himself and his household. One day, Nathan the prophet suddenly showed up and told David a striking story in parables. David, as a king of justice, who had always been in a position of pronouncing judgment on his people, reacted to Nathan’s story with anger. David immediately pointed at the cruelty of the rich man against the poor man in the story. He rightly thought that such behaviour of the rich was totally unacceptable in God’s sight, and whoever behaved in such a way deserves the severest punishment. So, he instantly pronounced the death penalty and also added a fine of four times of the value of the ‘ewe lamb’ according to the law in Exodus 22:1. In the light of the law in Exodus 21:16, David seems to have judged the offence of the rich, not simply as the theft of property, but as the kidnap of the poor’s pet. David’s own sentence of judgment unexpectedly proved his acknowledgement of how serious and unacceptable such offences were in God’s sight, and in his conscience.

   When Nathan convicted David of his sins of adultery and murder with these simple words: ‘You are the man!,’ and subsequently delivered the message from the Lord, David was immediate to confess his guilt and accept His righteous judgment with repentance, and so, he was forgiven. In the Lord’s grace, David was released from the customary death penalty for both sins. He expressed his joy of the Lord’s forgiveness and cleansing through his penitential prayers in Psalm 51. Sin leads to two things: separation of a sinner from the Lord and negative consequences in the world. The former will be restored by God’s forgiveness with genuine and contrite repentance, but the latter tragically remains and will subsequently affect not just one’s own life, but also others’ lives. David was restored to a previous fellowship with the Lord but the impact of sin would remain and the first resultant event was predicted to be a child’s death.

   There are several different translations of verse 14: ‘ But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the LORD, the son born to you will die’ (NIV, an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, Line added): the Masoretic Text reads: ‘for the enemies of the LORD’, and a former edition of NIV also reads: ‘you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt’. Two facts are described here. David has despised the Lord, or caused the enemies of the Lord to despise the Lord, and David’s son would die. Scripture makes it clear that God allows the consequences of man’s actions to stand, even if other people get involved in, and get hurt in the process. Man is required to be responsible for his/her actions. Accordingly, in some senses, in David’s case, living with those consequences might have seemed like a greater punishment than facing death penalty. Although the latest version of NIV has replaced the Masoretic interpretation with an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, the reading of Masoretic Text might be more meaningful if the verse is examined from a different viewpoint. I would like to explore this further, by introducing a book entitled “Unbroken Curses” by Rebecca Brown and David Yoder. They argue that there are three types of curses: (1) Curses from God, (2) Curses from Satan and /or his servants with the legal right to curse, (3) Curses from Satan and /or his servants without the legal right to curse. The first and the second types of curses can be broken only after repentance for the sins responsible for bringing them about, while the third type can easily be broken in the name of Jesus Christ.

The book also argues that curses sent by God are for the purpose of gaining the person’s attention and causing him/her to turn from his/her evil ways towards God for purification. However, if the person does not respond to Him, he/she will be destroyed and eventually put to death. On the other hand, curses sent by Satan and /or his servants are always for the purpose of causing injury, loss, destruction, and often death. The authors put it: ‘Often we give Satan the legal right to attack us because we, knowingly or unknowingly, become involved in situations that open the door just enough for him to gain entrance. Most curses come from this source. It is only as that legal right is removed through repentance and cleansing that we can then break a curse’ (p.19). According to their theory, sin gives Satan and his servants the legal right to attack and defeat the sinner, and so, when we give Satan the right to assail us as a result of our disobedience to God, He won’t intervene and afflictions would continue. If this is the case, we should confess and acknowledge the sin, and through repentance we should ask the Lord for forgiveness and cleansing. However, if Satan has cursed us without any legitimate right, their theory encourages us to follow the following steps: ‘Speaking out loud, take authority over the curse in the name of Jesus Christ, and command it to be broken at once…Command all the demon spirits associated with the curse to leave you immediately’ ,‘With authority comes responsibility. It is our responsibility to break any curses sent onto us. Jesus Christ gave us the power to do so, and He expects us to use the authority given to us in His name’ (p.24-25).

   In David’s case, his sin apparently gave Satan to take the legal right to cause a curse, i.e., death to the child, which the Lord allowed, because David had ‘made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt’, but his repentance broke Satan to do anything more than that. However, the impact of any committed sin remains and affects others. Therefore, as announced by Nathan: 

‘the sword shall never depart from your house…Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you… I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you… You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel’, 

later, all predictions came true: Three of David’s sons died violent deaths and David himself was driven from Jerusalem by Absalom’s rebellion, who seized Jerusalem, thereby fulfilling the prophetic words.

   David’s firstborn with Bathsheba became terminally ill and died despite David’s intense pleas of mercy to the Lord. David’s behaviour before and after the child’s death and its dramatic change is described in detail in the passage. Once he was informed of his child’s death, he decisively stopped mourning and got straight back to normal life, which made his household utterly dumbfounded. His unexpected behavior, which was contrary to custom, was a result of his understanding of God and His character. David knew through his experience and faith how faithful and responding the Lord is to His people’s earnest prayers and actions and that He could do whatever seemed to be impossible. Accordingly while the child was alive, the petition with fasting, praying, weeping, and pleading was worth doing. However, when his child died, David simply accepted the irrevocability of death under divine order in this world. Further petition was no longer appropriate. For David, prayer was a way to communicate with Him, to express his own feeling, and most importantly, to seek out His will. Thinking that his prayer might cause God’s decision to change, David did all his best, but after the child’s death, he simply accepted God’s sovereign decision.

   His last statement in this passage: ‘I will go to him, but he will not return to me’ is quite profound. This verse is understood by many as one of the proof texts to believe that a child before the age of accountability is saved. One of Paul’s remarks in the passage of his “struggle with sin” might support this concept:

‘I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law…Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died’ (Romans 7:7-9, Line added). 

Each man is accountable for his action on the basis of what he knows. Thus, if he/she lives without knowledge of the law, like an infant, he/she will not be required to be accountable, and will be accepted by the Lord and be saved without exception. Through this statement, David must also have had a firm belief in the afterlife; he is implying that there will be a reunion of the dead on the other side of this world by maintaining faith to the end. While there are many passages in the Hebrew Bible, which indicate the reality of life after death, David’s statement may be regarded as a prophetic indication of a future resurrection. In this side of the world, sinful actions that once happened are irrevocable and there is no going back from their consequences while a sinner can be graciously forgiven and restored to fellowship with the Lord. However, man can restart again from the present restored point as David’s case. In this sense, David’s account would be a great encouragement for those who want to restart their lives after facing the consequences of their own sinful actions. As the result of moving on to a renewed life, the Lord blessed David and Bathsheba with another son, Solomon.

   This passage teaches us God’s grace, with which and by means of forgiveness God deals with sin. It also teaches about the greatness of David, in his willingness to face his sin and to return to God with wholehearted repentance. Psalm 51 itself is a proof of his genuine repentance, in which David openly admitted his sinfulness, enough to share his inner anguish that was caused by separation from the Lord and a loss of fellowship with Him. This Psalm, David’s prayer of confession, has later come to be used in public worship. Incidentally, among the three major Hebrew word groups communicating the concept of sin in the Hebrew Bible, the principal word for sin is said to be “chatta’ah”, meaning ‘to miss the mark’. A striking fact is that this word also means “sin offering”. Sin and sin offering being combined in this one word, God has provided us, sinners, with a wonderful provision - that He will forgive man’s root problem, “sin” through an ultimate divine offering, JESUS CHRIST and to set us free from Satan’s curse.

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This month, a money gift of￡**** has been sent to Frederic in Burundi to fully support his new project of helping the poor and vulnerable widows, by providing them with secure social cohesion, sustainable livelihoods and proper job training. Concerned of their well-being, the majority of whom are illiterate widows, single mothers, and HIV/AIDS, Pastor Frederic and his team have launched this challenging project to demonstrate their love in Christ, through teaching, training, and management of time, body and environment. Some people already in this program are reported to have made good progress. Also,￡**** has been sent to Mary Jane in the Philippines to support her ministry of reaching out to minority tribes and to the impoverished children with the sustenance of livelihoods and the Word, including the personnel cost of labour for an establishment of organic vegetable gardens.
Pray for Frederic’s and Mary Jane’s ministries being blessed by the Lord.