Reflection on Revelation 4 | 沉思启示录 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.

我这个星期读了启示录第四章，想分享一下我从这章短短的十一节经文中学到了什么。

首先，主耶稣的声音从天堂敞开的门传出，“上到这里来！” 主邀请我们和约翰一同瞻仰父神无以伦比的荣耀与威严。约翰所看见的，让我想起有时候在电影里看见的指挥中心，但这里是指挥整个宇宙的唯一指挥中心，这里唯一的指挥者是父神。荣耀全能神在宝座上掌王权，全权管理着受造的万物。正如彩虹代表着神对受造者和受造物的信实一样，雷轰电闪散发出的威严，怒吼着神的审判将要来临。神不仅掌控着人类历史将要如何结束，也掌控着我们日常生活的每一个细节。这个世界的败坏和我们个人经历的痛苦挣扎，有时候会让我们怀疑神是否在掌握全局，是否关心我们的遭遇。但当我们把视线聚焦于坐在天堂宝座上的父神时，我们就会大得安慰，因为父神作王掌权，不仅仅是一个未来的盼望，更是眼下强有力的现实。

在父神的身边，站着四个活物，我不太明白对这四个活物的描写，但我明白这四个活物在做什么，他们在敬拜，在诉说父神圣洁，永恒的属性。

“圣哉！圣哉！圣哉！
主神是昔在、今在、
以后永在的全能者！”

神与受造之物完全迥异，圣洁是祂独特的属性，祂掌管时间，时间限制不了祂。

当四个活物的赞美声刚落时，二十四位长老的赞美之声就响起来了。他们把创造者当得的赞美归给了神。

“我们的主，我们的神，
你是配得荣耀，尊贵，权柄的！
因为你创造了万物，
并且万物是因你的旨意
被创造而有的。”

天地万物的存在是因着神的创造，万物的继续存在是因着神的供应。

这两个敬拜团队不停地敬拜着神，反复歌唱着赞美诗。敬拜始于对神的正确认识，敬拜得以持续，是因着敬拜者的顺服，愿意把神当得的荣耀归给祂。

我们愿不愿意主动把自己的意志降服于配得敬拜的神，不停地敬拜祂？我们是祂造的，祂对我们一切的言行及感受都了如指掌，我们的人生经历和世间万事，没有什么是偶然的，没有什么是落在神的掌管之外。神推动着祂的计划向前走，我们都在祂的计划中。真心的赞美和谦卑的敬拜是对神唯一的正确反应。我们受造就是为了不停地敬拜祂。

现在，真正的敬拜要求作为敬拜者的我们，“将身体献上，当作活祭，是圣洁的，是神所喜悦的。” 这是真正合宜的敬拜。