第七週 • 週六

晨興餧養

啟二一18~19 牆是用碧玉造的，城是純金的，如同明淨的玻璃。城牆的根基是用各樣寶石裝飾的。第一根基是碧玉…。

11　  城中有神的榮耀；城的光輝如同極貴的寶石，好像碧玉，明如水晶。

我們現在來看新耶路撒冷的城牆。…城牆是碧玉的〔啟二一18〕，城所發出的光輝也像碧玉〔11〕。弟兄姊妹，你看見麼？這個城牆所顯出來的形像，完全和神一樣！在寶座上的神如何像碧玉〔四2~3〕，這一座城也同樣像碧玉。

新耶路撒冷乃是神在人裏頭的擴大，乃是神在人裏頭豐滿的彰顯。這一個擴大，這一個豐滿的彰顯，在原則上與神自己一樣。神顯出來是碧玉，這一座顯出來的城也是碧玉。兩者是一式一樣，毫無二致。並且第一幅圖畫，結果是套在第二幅圖畫裏面。有了啟示錄二十一章這一座城，就沒有四章那個寶座了，因為都包括在這一座城裏面了。所以這座城，就是神自己的形像（神的建造，一五二、一五四頁）。

信息選讀

新耶路撒冷是一座有根基的城（來十一10），這些根基就是羔羊的十二使徒（啟二一14），每位使徒由一樣寶石所表徵。…當〔西門〕被帶到主面前時，主將他改名為彼得，意思就是石頭（約一42）。後來，主說到召會的建造時，就以這名稱呼他（太十六18）。寶石不是創造的，乃是從受造之物變化成的。所有的使徒都是受造的泥土，但他們蒙了重生，並且變化成了為着神永遠建造的寶石。每一位信徒都需要經過這樣的重生和變化，纔能成為新耶路撒冷的一部分（聖經恢復本，啟二一19註1）。

新耶路撒冷有『高大的牆』（啟二一12上）。牆是為着分別和保護。新耶路撒冷作為聖城，要絕對分別歸神，也要完全保護神的權益（新約總論第八冊，一九二頁）。

這一道牆，不光像神，彰顯神，並且還是一個界限。凡在這牆裏面的，就是新耶路撒冷，凡在這牆外面的，就不是新耶路撒冷。換句話說，在這裏面的就是神的建造，在這外面的就不是神的建造。

召會是有界限的。召會的這一個界限，乃是神的兒女經過神的組織而有的。…若是在召會中，眾聖徒多被建造，這個牆就砌高了，召會與世界的界限就非常顯明。到底哪一個是屬神的，哪一個是屬人的，哪一個是屬天的，哪一個是屬地的，哪一個是新造的，哪一個是舊造的，在召會這裏都能分別得極其清楚。並且這些完全不是以道理來分，乃是以建造來分。…你要神在召會中間有建造，你就必須看見這裏有一道界限，這一道界限乃是因着神的調和、組織而有的。若是神在我們裏面有調和，神在我們裏面有組織，我們身上馬上就有分別的界限。

我們現在總括起來說一下。這一座新耶路撒冷城的門是珍珠，街道和城的本身是純金，牆是碧玉，根基是十二種的寶石。…因着神在你裏面有壓的工作，有火煉的工作，有組織的工作，你身上就有寶石的牆顯出來。你我每一個人若都是這樣經過神的工作，你我就能同被建造，成為神這一座建築。…願主憐憫我們，叫各地的召會都能顯出這種種被建造的光景！（神的建造，一五八至一五九、一六四頁）。

參讀：神的建造，第九篇。

WEEK 7 — DAY 6

Morning Nourishment

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)

Today's Reading

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