双语灵修（葛培理牧师）： 6月17日 天使护送

6月17日

天使护送

“后来那讨饭的死了，被天使带去放在亚伯拉罕的怀里。”

路加福音16:22

在路加福音16章，耶稣讲了一个故事，说那个乞丐死后被天使带去了。他不只是被天使护送，而且被天使抱着。这对拉撒路来说，太不可思议了。他在一个财主家门口讨饭为生，直到死亡。突然间发现自己被上帝强有力的天使抱起来！

另外一个故事，是使徒行传6-7章关于司提反的见证。司提反强烈谴责那些不信的人说，“你们受了天使所传的律法，竟不遵守。”（徒7：53）司提反讲完话，就看见神的荣耀，看见耶稣站在父神的右边。那些人用石头打死了他，然后他就被接到了天堂。就连拉撒路死时都有天使护送，我们相信天使也护送了司提反。因而，当我们蒙召归主时，他们也同样会护送我们。我们完全可以想象司提反进入天堂时的情景，天军齐唱圣歌，欢庆第一位基督的殉道者回到天家，得到殉道者荣耀的冠冕。

有成百上千的记载记录了死亡时有天使的护送。例如，我外婆去世时，房间里似乎充满属天的光芒。她从床上坐起来开心地说：“我看见耶稣了。祂向我张开双臂。我看见本了（那是她几年前去世的丈夫），我还看见天使了。“然后，她倒了下去，离开了她的身体，回到了主的面前。对一个信徒来说，这是多么荣耀的经历啊！

今日祷告：

天父，我感谢祢派天使来看护我们。感谢祢对我们的眷顾；奉耶稣的名，阿们。

June 17

CARRIED BY THE ANGELS

And it came to pass that the beggar died,and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom…Luke 16:22

In telling the story in Luke16 Jesus says that the beggar was“carried by the angels.”He was not only escorted;he was carried.What an experience that must have been for Lazarus!He had lain begging at the gate of the rich man until his death,but then suddenly he found himself carried by the mighty angels of God!

Another beautiful account of this kind comes from the life of Stephen(Acts 6:8-7:60).In a powerful sermon Stephen declared that even unbelievers“received the law by the disposition of angels,and have not kept it”(Acts 7:53).When he had finished his discourse,Stephen saw the glory of God and Jesus at the Father’s right hand.Immediately his enemies stoned him to death,and he was received into heaven.Even as the angels escorted Lazarus when he died,so we can assume that they escorted Stephen;and so they will escort us when by death we are summoned into the presence of Christ.We can well imagine what Stephen’s abundant entrance to heaven was like as the anthems of the heavenly host were sung in rejoicing that the first Christian martyr had come home to receive a glorious welcome and to gain the crown of a martyr.

Hundreds of accounts record the heavenly escort of angels at death.When my maternal grandmother died,for instance,the room seemed to fill with a heavenly light.She sat up in bed and almost laughingly said,“I see Jesus.He has His arms outstretched toward me.I see Ben[her husband who had died some years earlier]and I see the angels.”She slumped over,absent from the body but present with the Lord.What a glorious experience for the believer!

Pray for the Day:

Father,I thank You that You have placed angels to watch over us.I thank You that You care for us;in Jesus’Name.