Reflection on Revelation 4 | 沉思啟示錄 4

Author：Karen   Narrator：Liying

I studied Revelation 4 this week and want to share with you what I learned from this very short chapter, 11 verses in total.

First, Jesus' call to "come up here" through a door into heaven invites us to join John in getting a glimpse of God's unmatchable majesty and sovereignty. What John saw immediately reminds me control centers, the ones I saw in movies sometimes. But this one is the only real control center of the whole universe. The sole ruler is God Himself. The glorious sovereign God reigns on His throne and rules over His creation. As rainbow represents God's faithfulness to His people and His creation, the profound power of thunder and lighting declares that judgment will come. God controls not only the final outcome of human history, but also every detail of every day in our life. The brokenness of our world and the painful struggles in our personal situations sometimes lead us to doubt whether God is really in control or concerns at all. By directing our gaze on God sitting on the heaven's throne, we can be comforted by the fact that God's rule and reign are not merely a future hope, but a powerful, present reality.

Besides God, there are four living creatures. I do not understand the description of the creatures, but I do understand what they are doing. They are worshipping. The living creatures speak of God's holiness and His eternal nature.

“Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almigty,
who was, and is and is to come."

God is entirely separate from His creation. His holiness characterizes all He is. Time does not limit God.

As the song of the living creatures ends, immediately the twenty four elders start a second hymn of praise. They praise God's worthiness as Creator.

"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created and have their being."

Everything exists in heaven and on earth because God made it. Everything continues to exist because of God's sustaining provision. 

The two worship groups worship God constantly. They continuously repeat their hymns. Worship begins with a correct view of God. It is the continual surrender and honor rightfully due God. 

Will we worship God through deliberate surrender of our will to Him who is worthy? We are God's creation. He sees everything we say, do and feel. Nothing in our life or in this world is random or outside of His control. He is advancing His purposes, and we are part of them. The only proper response to God is heartfelt praise and humble worship.We are created to worship Him non stop.

On this earth now, true worship calls us to offer our "bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God." This is true and proper worship.

我這個星期讀了啟示錄第四章，想分享一下我從這章短短的十一節經文中學到了什麽。

首先，主耶穌的聲音從天堂敞開的門傳出，“上到這裏來！” 主邀請我們和約翰一同瞻仰父神無以倫比的榮耀與威嚴。約翰所看見的，讓我想起有時候在電影裏看見的指揮中心，但這裏是指揮整個宇宙的唯一指揮中心，這裏唯一的指揮者是父神。榮耀全能神在寶座上掌王權，全權管理著受造的萬物。正如彩虹代表著神對受造者和受造物的信實一樣，雷轟電閃散發出的威嚴，怒吼著神的審判將要來臨。神不僅掌控著人類曆史將要如何結束，也掌控著我們日常生活的每一個細節。這個世界的敗壞和我們個人經曆的痛苦掙紮，有時候會讓我們懷疑神是否在掌握全局，是否關心我們的遭遇。但當我們把視線聚焦於坐在天堂寶座上的父神時，我們就會大得安慰，因為父神作王掌權，不僅僅是一個未來的盼望，更是眼下強有力的現實。

在父神的身邊，站著四個活物，我不太明白對這四個活物的描寫，但我明白這四個活物在做什麽，他們在敬拜，在訴說父神聖潔，永恒的屬性。

“聖哉！聖哉！聖哉！
主神是昔在、今在、
以後永在的全能者！”

神與受造之物完全迥異，聖潔是祂獨特的屬性，祂掌管時間，時間限製不了祂。

當四個活物的讚美聲剛落時，二十四位長老的讚美之聲就響起來了。他們把創造者當得的讚美歸給了神。

“我們的主，我們的神，
你是配得榮耀，尊貴，權柄的！
因為你創造了萬物，
並且萬物是因你的旨意
被創造而有的。”

天地萬物的存在是因著神的創造，萬物的繼續存在是因著神的供應。

這兩個敬拜團隊不停地敬拜著神，反複歌唱著讚美詩。敬拜始於對神的正確認識，敬拜得以持續，是因著敬拜者的順服，願意把神當得的榮耀歸給祂。

我們願不願意主動把自己的意誌降服於配得敬拜的神，不停地敬拜祂？我們是祂造的，祂對我們一切的言行及感受都了如指掌，我們的人生經曆和世間萬事，沒有什麽是偶然的，沒有什麽是落在神的掌管之外。神推動著祂的計劃向前走，我們都在祂的計劃中。真心的讚美和謙卑的敬拜是對神唯一的正確反應。我們受造就是為了不停地敬拜祂。

現在，真正的敬拜要求作為敬拜者的我們，“將身體獻上，當作活祭，是聖潔的，是神所喜悅的。” 這是真正合宜的敬拜。