生命的建造(七): 金银宝石材料与十字架雕凿(续)
启二一18~19 墙是用碧玉造的，城是纯金的，如同明净的玻璃。城墙的根基是用各样宝石装饰的。第一根基是碧玉…。
11 城中有神的荣耀；城的光辉如同极贵的宝石，好像碧玉，明如水晶。
我们现在来看新耶路撒冷的城墙。…城墙是碧玉的，城所发出的光辉也像碧玉。弟兄姊妹，你看见么？这个城墙所显出来的形像，完全和神一样！在宝座上的神如何像碧玉，这一座城也同样像碧玉。
新耶路撒冷是神在人里头的扩大，乃是神在人里头丰满的彰显。这一个扩大，这一个丰满的彰显，在原则上与神自己一样。神显出来是碧玉，这一座显出来的城也是碧玉。两者是一式一样，毫无二致。
并且第一幅图画，结果是套在第二幅图画里面。有了启示录二十一章这一座城，就没有四章那个宝座了，因为都包括在这一座城里面了。所以这座城，就是神自己的形像。
新耶路撒冷是一座有根基的城，这些根基就是羔羊的十二使徒，每位使徒由一样宝石所表徵。…当〔西门〕被带到主面前时，主将他改名为彼得，意思就是石头。后来，主说到教会的建造时，就以这名称呼他。
宝石不是创造的，乃是从受造之物变化成的。所有的使徒都是受造的泥土，但他们蒙了重生，并且变化成了为著神永远建造的宝石。每一位信徒都需要经过这样的重生和变化，才能成为新耶路撒冷的一部分。
新耶路撒冷有『高大的墙』。墙是为著分别和保护。新耶路撒冷作为圣城，要绝对分别归神，也要完全保护神的权益。
这一道墙，不光像神，彰显神，并且还是一个界限。凡在这墙里面的，就是新耶路撒冷，凡在这墙外面的，就不是新耶路撒冷。换句话说，在这里面的就是神的建造，在这外面的就不是神的建造。
教会是有界限的。教会的这一个界限，乃是神的儿女经过神的组织而有的。…若是在教会中，众圣徒多被建造，这个墙就砌高了，教会与世界的界限就非常显明。到底哪一个是属神的，哪一个是属人的，哪一个是属天的，哪一个是属地的，哪一个是新造的，哪一个是旧造的，在教会这里都能分别得极其清楚。
并且这些完全不是以道理来分，是以建造来分。你要神在教会中间有建造，你就必须看见这里有一道界限，这一道界限乃是因著神的调和、组织而有的。若是神在我们里面有调和，神在我们里面有组织，我们身上马上就有分别的界限。
我们现在总括起来说一下。这一座新耶路撒冷城的门是珍珠，街道和城的本身是纯金，墙是碧玉，根基是十二种的宝石。…因著神在你里面有压的工作，有火炼的工作，有组织的工作，你身上就有宝石的墙显出来。
你我每一个人若都是这样经过神的工作，你我就能同被建造，成为神这一座建筑。…愿主怜悯我们，叫各地的教会都能显出这种种被建造的光景！
(参读：神的建造，第九篇)
English Version
Rev. 21:18-19 "And the building
work of its wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The
foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone: the
first foundation was jasper..."
11 "Having the glory of God. Her
light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, as clear as
crystal."
Let us look at the wall of the New
Jerusalem....The wall of the city is jasper (Rev. 21:18) and...the light of the
city is also like jasper stone (v. 11). Do we see this? The expression of the
city is exactly the same as the expression of God! Just as the God who is on
the throne is like jasper [4:2-3], so also the city is like jasper.
The New Jerusalem is the enlargement
and full expression of God in man. In principle, this enlargement, this full
manifestation, is the same as God Himself. God’s appearance is like jasper, and
the appearance of the city is also like jasper. The two are exactly alike
without any difference. Eventually, the first picture in Revelation 4 is
included in the second picture in Revelation 21. When the city in Revelation 21
comes into being, the throne in Revelation 4 is included in the city.
Therefore, this city is the expression of God Himself. (The Building Work of God,
pp. 115-116)
The New Jerusalem is a city of
foundations (Heb. 11:10). These are the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Rev.
21:14), each of whom is signified by a precious stone....When Simon was brought
to the Lord, the Lord changed his name to Peter, meaning a stone (John 1:42).
Later, the Lord called him by that name when He spoke concerning the building
of His church (Matt. 16:18). Precious stones are not created but are produced
by the transforming of things created. All the apostles were created as clay,
but they were regenerated and were transformed into precious stones for God’s
eternal building. Every believer needs to be thus regenerated and transformed
that he may be a part of the New Jerusalem. (Rev. 21:19, footnote 1)
The New Jerusalem has a "great
and high wall" (Rev. 21:12a). The wall is for separation and protection.
The New Jerusalem as the holy city will be absolutely separated unto God and
will fully protect the interests of God. (The Conclusion of the New Testament,
p. 2721)
The wall not only is like God and
expresses God, [but] it is also a boundary. Everything inside this wall is the
New Jerusalem, and everything outside this wall is not the New Jerusalem. In
other words, everything inside this wall is God's building, and everything outside
this wall is not God’s building.
The church has a boundary. This
boundary of the church comes as a result of the children of God being
constituted....If in the church a great number of the saints have been built
together, there will be a high wall, and there will be a clear boundary between
the church and the world. In the church it will be easy to distinguish what
belongs to God from what belongs to man, what is heavenly from what is earthly,
and what is of the new creation from what is of the old creation. Moreover,
these things are not distinguished by teaching but by building....If you want
God to have the building in the church, you need to see that there is a
boundary here, and this boundary comes out of God’s mingling and constituting.
If God is mingled with us and constituted into us, immediately we will have a
boundary for separation.
To summarize, the gates of the New
Jerusalem are pearls, the street and the city proper are pure gold, the wall is
jasper, and the foundations are twelve kinds of precious stones....Because God
is doing a work of pressure, a work of purification by fire, and a work of
constituting within you, the wall of precious stones will be manifested in you.
If all of us have been worked on by God, then we will be built together to
become the building of God....May the Lord have mercy on us so that the
churches everywhere may manifest all these conditions of being built up! (The
Building Work of God, pp. 119-120, 124)
Further Reading: The Building Work of
God, ch. 9
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生命的建造(六): 金银宝石材料与十字架雕凿
