We have Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

他們在伊甸園中。

Everything in this garden is great.

Tim: 伊甸園中的所有事物如預期般都很完美，不過

It is exactly is it should be

園中有一棵樹，上帝告訴他們不能吃樹上的果子，因為

except there is this one tree that they are told by God not to eat from

它不好，吃了會喪命。

because it is dangerous and it will kill them.

Jon: 所以…我們只要避開這棵樹，我們就沒事了嗎?

So that is it, just avoid this fruit tree and we are fine?

Tim: 是的，看起來是這樣沒錯，但是園中有一條蛇，

Right, it seems pretty simple.

有不同的意見，它說如果吃了這樹上的果子，

But in this garden there is a snake.

不會死，

It starts telling a different story.

而會讓你變得跟上帝一樣。

It says that if you eat of this tree it is not going to kill you.

Jon: 亞當和夏娃相信蛇說的話，所以吃了樹上的果子。

In fact, it is going to make you become like God.

Tim: 結果伊甸園的美好因此消失，

Adam and Eve believe the snake and they eat the fruit.

邪惡和死亡進入上帝美好的世界。

Because of this, the goodness of the garden is tragically lost.

Jon: 為什麼會有一隻說話的蛇在園中? 它就是問題的根源啊!

Evil and death enters into God's good world.

Tim: 是啊，真的很奇怪， 但更奇怪的是聖經沒有解釋為甚麼

Now, why is there a talking snake in the garden?

或這條蛇怎麼來的? 聖經只有指出

I mean, this thing is a problem.

這條蛇和上帝作對，

Yeah, it is very strange.

它想要讓人質疑上帝的美善，使人走向死亡。

Even more strange is the fact that the Bible doesn't say why or how this thing even got there.

所以不管這條蛇是甚麼，

It simply presents the snake as this creature

他就是邪惡的源頭，遍佈世界和我們的生活之中， 存在到現今。

who is in rebellion against God and wants to get other people

Jon: 但希望還是存在，在聖經中，

to doubt God's goodness and lead them on a path towards death.

上帝給了亞當和夏娃一個很有意思的承諾。

So whatever this snake is,

Tim: 那就是，有一個人將會到來，他是夏娃的後裔。

it is the source of evil that pervades our world and our lives even still today

這個人會打敗蛇並且摧毀邪惡的源頭。

But there is some hope because right here in the story,

但是在這爭戰中，

God makes this really interesting promise to Adam and Eve.

蛇會咬傷這個人的腳踝。

That someone is going to come in the future, a son of Eve,

Jon: 所以…就是同歸於盡囉。

This guy is going to crush the serpent's head and destroy evil at its source.

Tim: 是的! 這是一個奇特但美好的承諾。 但先等等，在進入下一個主要事件，

However, during this battle, the serpent is going to bite this guy's heal.

我先來說另一個故事，上帝揀選亞伯拉罕，

So it is like mutual destruction?

祂說透過亞伯拉罕的後裔

Yes. It is a strange but beautiful promise.

將會復興世界的美善和祝福。

It is just left hanging there until the next key moment in the story...

當我們讀著亞伯拉罕和他族人的故事， 我們認識了亞伯拉罕的後裔－猶大。

...when God singles out this guy named Abraham

猶大得知那美好的承諾， 有一位王會從他的後裔中出來。

and says that through his family goodness and blessing

全世界的人會歸順這位王，

is going to be restored back to all of the nations in the world

他會帶來平安和諧、食物豐盛、

As we follow this family we get to one of Abraham's great-grandsons, this guy named Judah.

葡萄園中有很多的酒和牛奶，一切都會很棒。

He receives a promise that a king is going to come from his line

Jon: 大衛王是第一個從猶大後裔中出來的王。

and that the whole world is going to follow this king,

他是一個英雄，也許他就是那個消滅邪惡之蛇的人。

and he is going to bring peace and harmony

Tim: 可惜的是，大衛王如同其他人類一樣，

and there will be lots of food and wine and milk and vineyards.

也被邪惡侵蝕，他並沒有消滅邪惡之蛇。

It is going to be awesome!

但是上帝允諾大衛王，這個消滅邪惡之蛇的王，

The first king that we meet from the line of Judah is a guy named King David

最終會從他的後裔中出來，但隨著故事的發展，

He is a hero.

一代接一代，大衛王的後裔都很糟糕

Maybe he is the Snake Crusher.

他們都臣服於邪惡的蛇，他們都選擇罪惡，

But it turns out that David is infected with the same evil as the rest of humanity.

崇拜金錢、性和權力並且跟隨其他的神。

He never crushes the snake.

Jon: 他們糟到讓以色列一敗塗地，

Just the opposite.

惡劣的巴比倫大帝國直接打敗以色列。

However, God makes a promise to David that this king is going to eventually come from his line.

Tim: 所以沒有王可以實現那美好的承諾。

But as you go on in the story

Jon: 感覺整個承諾都迷失了。

one by one, each generation of his sons are total disappointments.

Tim: 不過在這段慘淡的歲月， 有一群令人驚訝的先知們，

They give in to the snake.

他們不斷述說那將要到來的王， 提醒我們那美好的承諾，

They choose evil.

那位王會打敗邪惡，復興伊甸園。

They go after money and sex and power and following other gods.

其中一位叫以賽亞的先知，

Things get so bad that they run the nation of Israel right into the ground

他告訴我們為什麼那位將來的王，會受害。

and the big bad empire of Babylon destroys them.

以賽亞說那位將來的王會受害，

So now there are no more kings to even fulfill this promise.

是因為人類的邪惡殺死他。

So seems like the whole plan is lost.

但突然間那位王復活了， 以賽亞說那是因為他所受的傷，

But during these dark days there is these crazy group of guys called prophets.

可以讓那位王變成治癒的源頭。

They kept talking about this coming king

Jon: 舊約的故事到這就結束了， 但那位一直被傳講能夠消滅那蛇的王，

and reminding us of the promise that he will come, he will defeat evil and restore the garden.

一直沒有出現。

Now one specific prophet, Isaiah,

Tim: 所以到了新約，我們見到了

tells us more about why this king is bitten.

拿撒勒的耶穌。

Isaiah says that the promised king receives this wound

耶穌不是一般人，他是來完成那古老的承諾。

because of humanity's evil, and that it kills him.

Jon: 是的! 我們知道他是大衛、猶大、亞伯拉罕的後裔。

But then, all of a sudden, he comes back.

Tim: 耶穌在以色列四處行走，

Isaiah says that is because he suffered this wound that he can now become a source of healing to other people.

宣告上帝美好的國度已經到來，

But the Old Testament ends and the snake crushing king

他開始面對那些被邪惡影響的人們， 藉由饒恕來治癒他們的罪和邪惡。

that everyone has been talking about never shows up.

Jon: 很多人開始相信他就是那位王。

This is why when the New Testament begins it introduces us to Jesus of Nazareth,

Tim: 但耶穌告訴他最親近的信徒們，

not as some random guy, but as someone who comes to fulfill these specific ancient promises.

他將藉由接受人類所有的罪，

Yeah, we learn that he is from the line of David, Judah, and Abraham.

變成王並且帶來和平。

He goes around Israel announcing that the goodness of God's kingdom is here, now.

Jon: 那邪惡之蛇咬傷的傷口。

He begins confronting the affects of evil on people by healing them, by forgiving them of their sins and evil

Tim: 沒錯! 看起來邪惡之蛇好像贏了，

Many people are now believing that this is in fact the promised king.

這故事就要變成悲劇了! 但是接下來發生了奇妙的事，

Jesus began telling his closest followers

耶穌死裡復活。

that he was going to become king and bring peace

Jon: 耶穌超越死亡和邪惡。

by taking the full effect if humanity's evil into himself.

Tim: 所以新約聖經接下來都在述說

That fatal snake bite wound.

耶穌超越死亡和邪惡的能力，

Exactly. So, it seems like the serpent wins.

可以幫助我們面對生命中的罪。

This story actually would be a tragedy except for what happens next.

Jon: 在現今的世界，死亡和邪惡是個很真實的難題。

Jesus rises from the dead.

Tim: 所以聖經的結尾在描述，

And now Jesus has the power over evil and death for himself.

耶穌到來的那天會是甚麼樣的情形。

So the rest of the New Testament is then making this claim

耶穌將會完成他的使命，一勞永逸地消滅那條蛇，

the Jesus' power over evil and death has now become available

並且在地上復興伊甸園的美善。

to us to begin confronting the effects evil in our own lives.

Even still, death and evil are a real problem in our world all around us.

So the story of the Bible ends by describing this future day

when Jesus comes back and he finishes the job.

He destroys the snake once and for all,

and he restores the goodness of the garden here on earth.