Karen講故事
享受生命恩典，體會聖經故事
Author：Karen Narrator：Liying
While the echo of the twenty four elders praising God as the Creator still resonant, John noticed that God who sat on the throne had in His right hand a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. The double sided writing could suggest the content in the scroll is final, left no room to add. The seven seals fully guaranteed the authenticity of the scroll. The scroll contains God's plan to restore His good creation to its perfection, completing the redemption for the faithful, and carrying out His just judgment for the wicked. John sensed the prefound significance of the scroll and the urgency to open it so that the sin, suffering and spiritual languish of this world could being stopped.
A mighty angel roared in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" The angel did not ask the strong one to break it with force, neither the intelligent one to figure out a way to unfold it. He called for the one who is worthy. The worthiness is required and measured by God.
As soon as John understood what the angel was asking, he wept and wept. Because no one was worthy to open the scroll or even look inside it. The biggest problem humanity faces is the separation from God caused by their sin. And the human beings can not solve this most pressing problem. At this dreadful moment, I quess John was experiencing disconnection between what he knew in his mind and how he felt in his heart. He forgot there is One who was worthy. But the heavenly assembly would never forgot Him. One of the elders in the heavenly court announced the good news to John.
"Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."
When John looked, he did not see a mighty Lion, he saw a Lamb, once slain now risen, bears scars of sacrificial slaughter. This is not a picture of victorious for people to think, who would send a Lamb to rescue? No one, but God! He directed His people to trust the one perfect sacrifice offered by Himself, His own Son, Jesus Christ. John must remember that once his old teacher, John the Baptist, pointed to Jesus and told him, " look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
Do we trust that He is the One who can save us from the the bondage of sin, grant us eternal life?
Immediately after the Lamb took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty four elders sang a new song,
"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth."
This song announced at least three reasons for Jesus' worthiness. First He had been slain; second His death provides a ransom for believers; third He makes His followers into a kingdom and priests who start to serve God on the earth. He did all of this out of love and obedience to His Father. He did this for His Father! He is the only way to His Father, but anyone may come to His Father through Him. His Father wants to adopt us and to be our Father!
Soon every angels in heaven encircled the throne and started the second hymn. There were so many of them and John could not count. Their voice is so loud in singing.
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"
The countless angels sang with intense joy and reverence. They could not sing without mention the worthiness of the Lamb. They offered their praise and worship from every aspects they could think of. This was a crescendo of praise to cause the universe to tremble.
Indead the universe trembled becsuse every creature from the whole universe started the third song of praise, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
forever and ever!"
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
The concert of praise and worship never ends.
Of course there are always intersection during concert. The concert in heaven has one too. The four living creatures, who were the first to sing praise in chapter 4, pause with a celestial "Amen."
They take a break for our to join the choir or orchestra to offer praise and worship to our heavenly Father, to the Son of God. Heaven is a place of authentic, unrestrained celebration. Music goes on, gives wings to our soul to express your deepest appreciation and love for our Creator and Redeemer.
一位大能的天使高聲問到，“有誰配展開那書卷，揭開那七印呢？” 天使沒問哪位強者可以用力打開，或哪位智者可以用計打開，他問的是哪位有資格打開，而對資格的要求和評定隻能是神說了算。
約翰剛一明白天使的問話就大哭起來，因為沒有人配打開書卷看裏麵的內容。人類最大的問題就是因為犯罪與神隔絕，而自身又解決不了這個難題。在這個揪心的時刻，我猜約翰腦子裏想的和心裏感覺的脫節了，他忘了有一位配打開這書卷的，但是天上的諸君忘不了這一位，天庭中一位長老報好消息給約翰說，“不要哭！看哪，猶大支派中的獅子、大衛的根，他已得勝，能以展開那書卷，揭開那七印。”
可是，約翰看過去時，他看見的不是一頭威武的雄獅，而是一隻羔羊，曾被宰殺，現今複活，帶著祭牲的傷痕。這幅畫麵絕非人們心目中得勝者的形象，誰會送一隻羔羊去當救命者呢？沒人這樣做，隻有神如此行！神要祂的子民相信祂獻上的完美之祭，祂的愛子，主耶穌基督。約翰一定想起來了，他的師傅施洗約翰，曾指著耶穌告訴他說，“看哪，神的羔羊，除去世人罪孽的。”
我們相不相信祂是那位救我們脫離死亡的捆綁，賜我們永生的那一位呢？
羔羊剛一拿到書卷，四活物和二十四位長老馬上就開始唱起了新歌，“你配拿書卷，配揭開七印。因為你曾被殺，用自己的血從各族、各方、各民、各國中買了人來，叫他們歸於神，又叫他們成為國民，作祭司，歸於神，在地上執掌王權。”
這首新歌宣告了至少三個耶穌配拿書卷的原因，第一祂曾被宰殺，第二祂舍命贖回了祂的子民，第三祂使祂的子民成為國民和祭司，在地上侍奉神。祂做所有的事都是出於對天父的愛和順服，祂為了父神而做！祂是通往父神的唯一道路，任何人都可以藉著祂到父神那裏去，祂的父想收養我們，成為我們的父親！
很快，圍繞著寶座的天使們開始唱起了第二首讚美詩，他們的數目太多，約翰數不清楚了。天使們大聲唱說，“曾被宰殺的羔羊是配得權柄、豐富、智慧、能力、尊貴、榮耀、頌讚的！”
數不清的天使帶著盈溢的喜樂和尊敬唱這首讚美詩，他們不能不唱羔羊配得一切，他們從各個方麵唱出了對羔羊的讚美和敬拜，越來越高聲的讚美引起宇宙震顫。
確實，宇宙間所有的受造物都加進來了，開始唱第三首讚美詩，“但願頌讚，尊貴，榮耀，權勢都歸給坐寶座的和羔羊，直到永永遠遠！”
諸天訴說神的榮耀，穹蒼傳楊祂的手段，宇宙對神讚美敬拜的音樂會從沒停止過。
當然了，音樂會的節目之間是有間歇的，天上的音樂會也不例外，在第四章裏領頭唱出第一首讚美詩的四活物，此刻以天籟之音“阿們”為第三首讚美詩劃上了休止符。
他們暫時停了下來，是為了讓我們加入詩班或樂隊，一起讚美敬拜天父和神子。天堂是一個可以真心地自由敬拜的地方，在那裏，美妙的音樂給我們的靈魂插上翅膀，讓我們可以盡情地表達對創造者和救贖者的愛戴。
