11月17日

標　　題： 主的日子

經　　節： 因為你們自己明明曉得，主的日子來到，好象夜間的賊一樣。（帖撒羅尼迦前書五章2節）

在聖經中，要預備主的日子到來的勸勉，通常是給神的百姓，而不是給非信徒。基督徒一定要預備基督的再來，好叫自己可以正確地回應祂。關於主的日子，最重要的一件事已清楚記明，就是那日子的來到是不可預料的。

在聖經中，曾經幾次提及主的日子。這個日子通常是指耶穌第一次或第二次的來到，然而，這也可以指神將來降臨到祂的百姓當中，不是救贖就是審判的那個日子（以賽亞書十三：6；約珥書二：11；瑪拉基書三：2）。阿摩司曾預言，那主的日子臨到時，是超乎人們所期望的（阿摩司書五：18）。在阿摩司的時代，人們以為主的日子是充滿歡樂與歌頌的，但阿摩司說，那是悲痛及審判罪惡的日子。耶穌第一次的降臨出乎人們的意料，因為他們期待彌賽亞以不同的方式降臨，許多人沒有認出祂是彌賽亞。

基督第二次的降臨是主最末的日子。到那個日子之前，神有時候會臨到你身上、你的家人和你的朋友；你要警醒注意，神在你的兒女、朋友及工作夥伴身上，那使人悔改的作為。當神在你教會一些人的生命開始動工，你一定要注意這個時刻。你可能在敬拜時，特別感受到神的同在，你開始為在場的人代禱。現在就要預備自己，注意周圍朋友的生命。你會發現，主的日子就在你手中。

The Day of the Lord

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:2)

In the Scriptures, the exhortation to prepare for the day of the Lord is usually given to God’s people, rather than to unbelievers. Christians must be prepared for Christ’s return, so that they can properly respond to Him. The most important thing about the day of the Lord is clear: it comes unexpectedly.

In Scripture, there are several references to the day of the Lord. Often this refers to Jesus’ first coming or His second coming, but it can also refer to any time God comes to His people, either in salvation or judgment_(Isa. 13:6; Joel 2:11; Mal. 3:2). Amos had predicted that the day of the Lord would be far different from what the people expected (Amos 5:18). The people of his day thought it would come with joy and singing, yet Amos said there would be grieving and judgment of sin. When Jesus came the first time, His coming caught people by surprise. Because they were expecting the Messiah to come in a different way, many did not recognize Him.

The final day of the Lord will be at Christ’s second coming. Meanwhile, there will be times when God will come to you, your family, and friends. You need to be watching for the signs of God’s convicting work in your children, your friends, and your coworkers. You must take notice when God begins to do a special work in the lives of the people in your church. It may be that you have an unusual sense of God’s presence in a worship service and you begin to intercede for those who are present. Prepare yourself now and pay attention to what is happening in the lives of those around you. You may discover that the day of the Lord is at hand.