雖活千年、再活千年的省思（傳6章）

那人雖然活千年、再活千年、卻不享福、眾人豈不都歸一個地方去麼？人的勞碌都為口腹、心裏卻不知足。（傳 6：6-7）

能活千年、再活千年，可能是很多人人生夢想的選項之一。今年三月協助東園真耶穌教會靈恩佈道會工作，有一天白天去訪問一位97歲的姐妹，看她神采奕奕，可以跟我們侃侃而談。但是，她卻跟我們說：「我每天都在求神帶我回家，不知道為什麼祂都不肯帶我走？」

當下，讓我陷入沈思：能活97歲應該不是每個人都可能達到的境界吧？但是，為何她身上一點滿足的喜樂都看不見？或許這位老人家有說不出的痛苦，是我們尚未年老的人所不知道的吧？

傳道書這裡說：人世間，眾人所以為的福氣，好比長壽、財富、名聲等，即使當這些東西果真都無限量地擁有時，到頭來會發現都是虛空。因為「眾人豈不都歸一個地方去嗎？」這裡是指死亡而言的。人一旦死亡，卻沒有為死亡之後的世界來好好打算，放任死後的各種可能任意發展，而且一點辦法也沒有、招架無力，這種不確定感，就是死亡之所以令人恐懼的原因之一。

本章傳道書，將人世間的美夢一個個戳破。人總是要等美夢的泡泡破滅時，才會看見破滅後什麼都不剩的真相。若是這樣，為何需要犧牲寶貴的生命、美好的親情、刻骨銘心的愛情，去追求這些轉眼就破滅的財富、長壽、名聲的泡泡呢？「人的勞碌都為口腹、心裏卻不知足。」慾望總是將人推向地獄，人越努力，往往越向地獄前行。到最後，無論如何追求，即使真的得到了，人都不能擁有滿足的喜樂，更可怕的是已靠近地獄邊緣。

眼睛所看的、比心裏妄想的倒好．這也是虛空、也是捕風。（傳 6：9）

當人用盡一生努力去追求，或許有人追求到了，才發現原來不怎麼樣。但是絕大多數的人，是追夢失敗的，迫於無奈，他們就會發出這樣的嘆息：啊！「眼睛所看的、比心裡妄想的倒好」。因為得不著，就自我安慰說：眼前具體存在的幸福，其實更好。我發現人年紀越增長，夢想就越小，等到年老時，就沒有夢了。傳道者說會這樣想，表示：「這也是虛空、也是捕風。」因為這是人與命運妥協後的不得已結果，所得到的不是原本自己的最愛，卻只能將就。但是這樣的結果，更加印證了生命本是虛空。

記得當年從職場退休時，快樂其實不多，更多的感觸是「不再有夢」，要強迫自己接受「我的人生，就這樣而已」的結果。感謝主，藉由全天候的沈浸於神的話語之中，才發現：不！我的人生，現在才開始！

傳道書幫我們不用走完人生就可以認清事實的真相，不必等到走完了這條冤枉路才知道，因此浪費大半的人生做為學費學真理。比較可怕的是即使繳了學費，還是一無所知。傳道者已替我們眾人，探完了人生的各種道路。我們知道所謂的「探路」，目的就是要使後來的人走對路，不用再嘗試錯誤。

先前所有的、早已起了名．並知道何為人．他也不能與那比自己力大的相爭。（傳 6：10）

所以該怎麼辦？傳道者說：那位「先前所有的、早已起了名」就是指天父真神，祂在創造世界之前已經存在，祂早已起名，有可以讓我們靠著得救，得以跳脫人生虛空的聖名「耶穌」。「並知道何為人」，這是說人是祂所造，祂會告訴親近祂的人「何為人」，因為人生的解答盡在聖經之中，聖經是神所默示的，是這位創造人類的真神所啟示的。今天，人無論如何地自我安慰說：「人定勝天」，人終究「也不能與那比自己力大的相爭」，就是無法跳脫神的旨意、拒絕神的安排。

與其在世上浪費生命爭權奪利，還不如來到「真耶穌教會」，謙卑地進入基督裡，藉由神的靈「聖靈」的引導，明白真理，善用所剩有限的生命，為死後、復活，那永存無止盡的生命作正確而有效的預備。

並且知道你是從小明白聖經．這聖經能使你因信基督耶穌有得救的智慧。聖經都是神所默示的、〔或作凡神所默示的聖經〕於教訓、督責、使人歸正、教導人學義、都是有益的．叫屬神的人得以完全、預備行各樣的善事。（提後 3：15-17）

By Isaiah Kao

Reflections on Living a Thousand Years twice (Ecclesiastes Chapter 6)

“Even if the man lives a thousand years twice, but does not see good things—do not all go to one and the same place?” All a person’s labor is for his mouth, and yet his appetite is not satisfied.”(Ecclesiastes 6:6-7 NASB2020)

Living a thousand years, and another thousand years, may be one of the life dreams of many. This March, while assisting with the 

Evangelical Service and Spiritual Convocation work of the Dongyuan True Jesus Church, I visited a 97-year-old sister one day. She was very lively and could chat with us freely. However, she told us, "I pray to God every day to take me home, but I don't know why He won't take me?"

At that moment, I fell into deep thought: Living to 97 years old is probably not a state that everyone can achieve, right? But why couldn't I see any contentment or joy in her? Perhaps this elderly woman had unspeakable suffering that those of us who are not yet old are unaware of?

The book of Ecclesiastes says here: The blessings people consider in this world, such as longevity, wealth, and fame, even if they truly possessed them in unlimited quantities, will ultimately prove to be vanity. For "do not all go to one and the same place?" This refers to death. When people die, they fail to plan for the afterlife, allowing various possibilities to happen, powerless to resist. This uncertainty is one of the reasons death is so terrifying.

This chapter of Ecclesiastes punctures the beautiful dreams of this world, one by one. People only see the truth—that nothing remains—when the bubble of their dreams bursts. If that's the case, why sacrifice precious life, beautiful family, and unforgettable love to pursue these fleeting bubbles of wealth, longevity, and fame? "All man's labor is for his mouth, yet his heart is not satisfied." Desire always pushes people towards hell; the harder one strives, the further one tends towards hell. In the end, no matter how much one pursues, even if one truly obtains it, one cannot possess the joy of fulfillment; what's even more terrifying is that one has already approached the edge of hell.

“What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires. This too is futility and striving after wind.” (Ecclesiastes 6:9 NASB2020)

When people dedicate their entire lives to pursuing something, some may achieve it only to find it wasn't so great after all. But the vast majority fail in their pursuit of dreams, and out of despair, they sigh: "Ah! What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires." Because they cannot obtain it, they comfort themselves by saying: "The happiness that exists right now is actually better." I've noticed that as people age, their dreams become smaller, and by old age, they have no dreams left. Preachers say that thinking this way is: "This too is vanity and a chasing after the wind." Because this is the unavoidable result of compromise with fate, not what one originally desired, but having to make do. But this result further confirms that life is inherently vanity.

I remember when I retired from my job, I didn't feel much joy. The overwhelming feeling was one of "no more dreams," and I had to force myself to accept the outcome: "This is it for my life." Thank God, through immersing myself in His word all day, I discovered: No! My life is just beginning!

Ecclesiastes helps us understand the truth without having to live our entire lives. We don't have to wait until we've gone down the wrong path to realize it, thus wasting most of our lives as tuition to learn the truth. What's more frightening is paying tuition and still knowing nothing. The Preacher has already explored all the paths of life for us. We know that the purpose of "exploring the path" is to ensure that those who come after us walk the right path, without repeating mistakes.

“Whatever exists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he cannot dispute with the one who is mightier than he is.” (Ecclesiastes 6:10 NASB2020)

So what should we do? The preacher said: The one who "exists has already been named," refers to the true God the Father. He existed before the creation of the world, and He already had a name—the holy name "Jesus"—that allows us to be saved and escape the vanity of life. "And known what man is," means that man is His creation, and He will tell those who draw near to Him "what man is," because the answers to life are all in the Bible, which is inspired by God and revealed by the true God who created mankind. Today, no matter how much people comfort themselves by saying, "Man can conquer nature," they ultimately "cannot dispute with the one who is mightier than he is," meaning they cannot escape God's will or reject His arrangements.

Instead of wasting your life in the world fighting for power and gain, it is better to come to the "True Jesus Church," humbly enter into Christ, and, guided by the Holy Spirit, understand the truth, making good use of your remaining finite life to make correct and effective preparations for the afterlife, the resurrection, and the eternal, everlasting life.

“and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:15-17 NASB2020)