Image and Dominion—the Heart of Genesis形像与管治权—创世记的心脏 (Day6)

[Samuel Lin]

Morning Nourishment

Matt. 6:13 ...For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Rev. 21:11 Having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, as clear as crystal.

There are many believers, but there is only one new man in the universe. All the believers are components of this corporate and universal new man. According to Ephesians 4:13, we are to grow up until we arrive at a full-grown man, and in 4:24 we see that, in a practical way, we need to put on the new man.

In chapter 6 we see that the church is a warrior to defeat God’s enemy, the devil. In order to fight the spiritual warfare, we need both the power of the Lord and also the whole armor of God. The church is a corporate warrior, and the believers are parts of this unique warrior. We must fight the spiritual warfare in the Body, not individually. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 622-623)

Today’s Reading

According to Daniel 2:35 and 44, Christ will come as the stone cut out without hands to crush the great human image from the toes to the head....However, He will not come by Himself; He will come with His bride (Rev. 19:11, 14). Before His coming He will have a wedding, uniting His overcomers to Himself as one entity (vv. 7-9). Whereas Daniel 2 speaks of Christ coming as a stone cut out without hands, Revelation 19 speaks of Christ coming as the One who has His bride as His army....After crushing the human government, God will have cleared up the entire universe. The old creation will be gone, and the human government will become chaff blown away by the wind. Then the corporate Christ, Christ with His overcomers, will become a great mountain to fill the whole earth, making the whole earth God’s kingdom (Dan. 2:35, 44). Both the earth and the heaven will then be new for God to exercise His kingdom. (Life-study of Daniel, p. 75)

In the coming age, the entering into the kingdom of God and the entering into the glory of God will take place simultaneously. When we live by the divine life, the life of God, we surely will express God, and the expressed God is the divine glory. Since we live such a life, we are in the divine glory. Then spontaneously we are in the kingdom of God, because the kingdom of God is just God’s manifestation in His glory with His authority for His divine administration. Hence, to enter into the kingdom of God and to enter into the expressed glory of God transpire at the same time as one thing....[Matthew 6:13] indicates that God’s glory goes with His kingdom and is expressed in the realm of His kingdom. The kingdom is the realm for God to exercise His power that He may express His glory. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 2662)

At the Lord’s coming, He will take away only the overcomers, leaving the rest of the believers in another category because they will not have the maturity in His divine life. In the millennium the overcoming believers will be with Christ in the bright glory of the kingdom. (The Overcomers, p. 10)

The whole New Jerusalem expresses God, bearing God’s appearance. The New Jerusalem also exercises God’s divine authority to maintain God’s dominion for eternity. Today, these two seeds are growing in you and me. The image of God and the authority of God are constantly growing within us. (Life-study of Genesis, p. 90)

Jasper is the appearance of God (Rev. 4:3). Hence, the jasper wall [in 21:11] signifies that the whole city, as the corporate expression of God in eternity, bears the appearance of God. When we are in New Jerusalem, we shall marvel to see that the whole city has the same appearance, the appearance of jasper. (Life-study of Revelation, p. 699)

The nations will walk by the light of the New Jerusalem, an organic building. Thus, the entire eternal kingdom of God will be under the shining of God’s glory in the Redeemer through the redeemed as the diffuser. The eternal kingdom of God includes the New Jerusalem and the nations around it. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 4461)

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msgs. 245, 247-249

    ‹‹      DAY 6      ››    

3.
The one new man is a corporate warrior fighting against God’s enemy to bring in God’s kingdom (6:10-20; Rev. 12:10).

F.
In the coming age, the age of the millennial kingdom, the glorious kingdom of God will be manifested on earth (Matt. 6:13; Rev. 11:15):

1.
When the Lord Jesus comes again, He and the overcomers as the corporate smiting stone will become a great mountain to fill the whole earth, making the whole earth God’s kingdom, His dominion (Dan. 2:34-35, 44-45).

2.
The kingdom is a realm in which God exercises His power so that He can express His glory; thus, God’s glory goes with His kingdom (Matt. 6:13; 1 Thes. 2:12).

3.
In the millennium the overcoming believers will be with Christ in the bright glory of the kingdom, shining forth “like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13:43).

G.
The New Jerusalem in eternity is the consummation of image and dominion (Rev. 21:2, 10-11):

1.
The New Jerusalem bears the image, the appearance, of God, expressing the Triune God by her shining with a light “like a jasper stone, as clear as crystal” (4:3; 21:10-11).

2.
The New Jerusalem is the eternal kingdom of God, filled with the glory of God (22:1, 5; 21:11).

晨兴喂养

太六13   ……因为国度、能力、荣耀，都是你的，直到永远。阿们。

启二一11 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。

信徒虽多，但在宇宙中只有一个新人。所有的信徒都是这个团体、宇宙新人的组成分子。照以弗所四章十三节看，我们必须长大，直到我们达到了长成的人；并且在二十四节我们看见，在实行上，我们需要穿上新人。

我们在六章看见，召会是战士，击败神的仇敌—魔鬼。我们打属灵的仗，不仅需要主的大能，也需要神全副的军装。召会是一个团体的战士，信徒是这唯一战士的各部分。我们必须在基督的身体里打属灵的仗，绝不能单独作战（以弗所书生命读经，七五一、七五三页）。

信息选读

按照但以理二章三十五节和四十四节，基督要成为那非人手所凿的石头而来，把大人像从脚趾到头砸碎。……然而，祂不是独自来，乃是与祂的新妇同来（启十九11、14）。祂在来到以前，先要举行婚礼，使祂的得胜者与祂自己联合成为一体（7~9）。但以理二章说到基督作一块非人手所凿的石头而来，启示录十九章却启示基督带着祂的新妇和军队而来。……人类政权被压毁以后，神就清理了整个宇宙。旧造过去了，人类政权成了糠秕，被风吹散。然后团体的基督，就是基督连同祂的得胜者，要成为一座大山，充满全地，使全地成为神的国（但二35、44）。那时地和天都要得着更新，让神运作祂的国度（但以理书生命读经，八七至八八页）。

在来世，进入神的国与进入神的荣耀将同时发生。我们凭着神圣的生命，神的生命而活，必定会彰显神，彰显出来的神就是神圣的荣耀。既然我们过这样的生活，我们就在神圣的荣耀里。这样，我们就自然而然在神的国里，因为神的国就是神为着祂神圣的行政，带着祂的权柄显现在祂的荣耀里。因此，进入神的国与进入神彰显出来的荣耀，是同时发生的，二者就是一件事。……马太六章十三节……指明神的荣耀与祂的国并行，且彰显在祂国的范围里。国度是神运用祂的能力，使祂彰显祂荣耀的范围（新约总论第八册，一二八页）。

在主来时，祂只把得胜者取去，把其余的信徒留在另一类，因为他们还没有在祂的神圣生命里成熟。在千年国里，得胜的信徒要与基督一同在国度光明的荣耀里（得胜者，五页）。

整个新耶路撒冷彰显神，有神的样子。新耶路撒冷也运用神的权柄，维护神的管治，直到永远。今天这两粒种子也在你我里面生长。神的形像和神的权柄一直在我们里面长大（创世记生命读经，一一二页）。

碧玉是神显出来的样子（启四3）。〔二十一章十一节里的〕碧玉墙表征那作神在永世里团体彰显的整座城，有神显出来的样子。我们在新耶路撒冷里的时候，就要希奇全城有同样的外观，就是碧玉的外观（启示录生命读经，八一三页）。

列国要借着新耶路撒冷这生机建造的光行走。因此，神整个永远的国要在神的荣耀光照之下；这光照是在救赎主里面，并透过蒙救赎之人作透光者而照耀出去。神永远的国包括新耶路撒冷和周围的列国（新约总论第四百三十六篇—中文尚未出书）。

参读：新约总论，第二百四十五、二百四十七至二百四十九篇。

周　六

3　一个新人乃是团体的战士，抵挡神的仇敌，带进神的国—六10~20，启十二10。

六　在要来的时代，就是千年国时代，神荣耀的国要显在地上—太六13，启十一15：

1　当主耶稣再来时，祂同得胜者作为团体砸人的石头，要成为一座充满全地的大山，使全地成为神的国，祂的管治范围—但二34~35、44~45。

2　国度是神运用祂能力的范围，使祂得以彰显祂的荣耀；因此，神的荣耀与祂的国并行—太六13，帖前二12。

3　在千年国里，得胜的信徒要与基督一同在国度光明的荣耀里，“在他们父的国里，……发光如同太阳”—太十三43。

七　在永远里，新耶路撒冷乃是形像与管治权的终极完成—启二一2、10~11：

1　新耶路撒冷有神的形像、样子，发光彰显三一神，其光“好像碧玉，明如水晶”—四3，二一10~11。

2　新耶路撒冷乃是神永远的国，充满神的荣耀—二二1、5，二一11。