Knowing the Ascension
读经:徒二36,来二9,四14~15,七26,十二2,弗一19~23,二6
壹 人救主的升天乃是祂经过创造、成为肉体、人性生活、钉十字架与复活的过程,是神也是人,是创造主也是受造者,又是救赎主、救主以及赐生命的灵,就职进入属天的职任,以执行神的行政,并完成神新约的经纶。
I. The Man-Savior's ascension is His inauguration into His heavenly office through the process of creation, incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection as God and man, as the Creator and the creature, and as the Redeemer, the Savior, and the life-giving Spirit, to execute God's administration and to carry out God's New Testament economy.
贰 我们需要看见主的升天客观的一面:
II. We need to see the objective aspect of the Lord's ascension:
一 主的升天使祂得了荣耀尊贵为冠冕─来二9:
A. The Lord's ascension caused Him to be crowned with glory and honor—Heb. 2:9:
1 荣耀是指与耶稣人位有关的荣美;尊贵是指与耶稣价值有关的珍贵─彼前二7。
1. Glory is the splendor related to Jesus' person; honor is the preciousness related to Jesus' worth—1 Pet. 2:7.
2 基督的光景是荣耀的,位分是尊贵的;祂在一切君王和执政者之上,这是祂的尊贵。
2. Christ is glorious in state and honorable in rank; He is above all kings and rulers; this is His honor.
二 主的升天使祂为着神的行政登上了宝座;希伯来十二章二节说,基督现今坐在神宝座的右边:─引用经文
B. The Lord's ascension caused Him to be enthroned for God's administration; Hebrews 12:2 says that Christ is now seated on the right hand of the throne of God:
1 神在基督里坐在宝座上这个事实,表明神是从基督里面,并借着基督执政管理整个宇宙,就像光从灯里面并借着灯照耀─启二二1、3,参二一23。
1. The fact that God in Christ is sitting on the throne means that God administrates the entire universe from within Christ and through Christ, just as the light shines from within the lamp and through the lamp—Rev. 22:1, 3; cf. 21:23.
2 基督现今在宝座上,执政管理整个宇宙;祂是独一的执政管理者,是万王之王,万主之主;祂是地上君王的元首─一5,十七14,十九16。
2. Christ is now on the throne to administrate the entire universe; He is the unique Administrator, the King of kings and the Lord of lords; He is the Ruler of the kings of the earth—1:5; 17:14; 19:16.
3 祂的执政管理与宇宙有关,但祂完成神新约的经纶,乃是繁殖祂自己,使祂得着复制,以建造召会,就是祂的身体,结果乃是新耶路撒冷─参徒五31。
3. His administrating is related to the universe, but His carrying out of God's New Testament economy is to propagate Himself for His reproduction to build up the church, His Body, which will issue in the New Jerusalem—cf. Acts 5:31.
三 “以色列全家当确实地知道,你们钉在十字架上的这位耶稣,神已经立祂为主为基督了”(二36);这节的“立”可以领会成使其就职之意;在基督升天时,神使祂就职进入祂属天的职事:
C. "Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you have crucified" (2:36); in this verse the word made can be understood to mean "inaugurated"; in His ascension God inaugurated Christ into His heavenly ministry:
1 人救主在祂的升天里已经被立为主,来得着万有;祂现今是主,为要得着整个宇宙、神所拣选的人以及一切正面的人、事、物。
1. The Man-Savior, in His ascension, has been made the Lord to possess all; He is now the Lord to possess the whole universe, God's chosen people, and all positive things, matters, and persons.
2 人救主在祂的升天里被立为基督,作神的受膏者(来一9),来完成神的使命。─引用经文
2. The Man-Savior, in His ascension, was made the Christ as God's Anointed (Heb. 1:9) to carry out God's commission.
四 我们现今与在复活和升天里的基督是一(弗二6);结果,我们有复活里的生命和能力,也有升天里的权柄;我们接触我们的主时,需要认识祂的所是,认识祂的身分、地位和职任。─引用经文
D. We are now one with Christ in His resurrection and ascension (Eph. 2:6); as a result, we have life and power in resurrection and also authority in ascension; when we contact our Lord, we need to have a realization of what He is, a realization of His status, position, and office.
叁 我们需要看见主的升天主观的一面─参诗九一1,歌四7~8,六10:
III. We need to see the subjective aspect of the Lord's ascension—cf. Psa. 91:1; S. S. 4:7-8; 6:10:
一 基督在祂超越一切的升天里超越阴间(拘留死人的地方)、地(堕落之人行动反对神的地方)、空中(撒但和他黑暗权势行事抵挡神的地方)和诸天(撒但能去的地方)─弗一20~21,四8~10,来七26,伯一6~12上,二1~6。
A. Christ in His all-transcending ascension transcended Hades (where the dead people are being held), the earth (where the fallen people are moving against God), the air (where Satan and his power of darkness are acting against God), and all the heavens (where Satan can go—Eph. 1:20-21; 4:8-10; Heb. 7:26; Job 1:6-12a; 2:1-6).
二 基督在祂的升天里经过了诸天(来四14),所以现今不仅在天上(九24),更是高过诸天(七26),远超诸天之上(弗四10)。─引用经文
B. In His ascension Christ passed through the heavens (Heb. 4:14) so that now He is not only in heaven (9:24) but is also higher than the heavens (7:26), far above all the heavens (Eph. 4:10).
三 以弗所一章十九至二十三节启示从升天的基督向着我们有一种传输;二十二节说,神使基督“向着召会作万有的头”;“向着召会”这辞指明从升天的基督向着召会,祂的身体,有一种传输:─引用经文
C. Ephesians 1:19-23 reveals that there is a transmission from the ascended Christ to us; verse 22 says that God gave Christ "to be Head over all things to the church"; the phrase to the church indicates a transmission from the ascended Christ to the church, His Body:
1 神赐给升天的基督一个大恩赐─作万有的头;神使基督作头,乃是向着召会,传输给召会;召会一同分享这件事。
1. God gave the ascended Christ a great gift—the headship over all things; what God gave Christ to be is to the church; it is transmitted to the church, and the church shares it.
2 二十至二十二节给我们看见,神使祂的能力在基督身上运行,有四个步骤:第一,使基督从死人中复活;第二,叫祂在诸天界里,坐在自己的右边;第三,将万有服在祂的脚下;第四,使祂向着召会作万有的头。─引用经文
2. Verses 20 through 22 show that God caused His power to operate in Christ in four steps: first, raising Him from the dead; second, seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies; third, subjecting all things under His feet; and fourth, giving Him to be Head over all things to the church.
四 基督在祂的升天里作了祂身体召会的头,在祂的丰满里彰显神─西一18,弗一23,三19:
D. In His ascension Christ was made the Head of the church, His Body, to express God in His fullness—Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:23; 3:19:
1 头与身体乃是一,形成一个宇宙人;对于这神圣的事,没有空间的因素,也没有时间的因素;身体与头在神圣的生命和神圣的灵里乃是一。
1. The Head and the Body are one and form a universal man; with this divine matter there is neither the element of space nor the element of time; the Body is one with the Head in the divine life and in the divine Spirit.
2 按照神圣的观点,我们与升天的基督乃是一,祂的升天也就是我们的升天(二6);在这升天里,我们在祂的丰满里彰显祂;因着超越的基督乃是三一神的具体化身(西二9),所以祂超越的输供包括了三一神的一切丰富分赐,使我们成为基督的丰满,使祂得彰显(弗一22~23,三19、8)。─引用经文
2. According to the divine viewpoint, we are one with the ascended Christ, and His ascension is also ours (2:6); here in this ascension we express Him in His fullness; since the transcending Christ is the embodiment of the Triune God (Col. 2:9), His transcending transmission includes all the rich dispensing of the Triune God to make us the fullness of Christ for His expression (Eph. 1:22-23; 3:19, 8).
五 基督在祂的升天里,也作了在诸天里的大祭司,在神面前担负我们,并照顾我们一切的需要;祂在升天里就职进入祂的祭司职任─来二17~18,四14~15,诗一一〇1~4,来五6,七26:
E. In His ascension Christ was also made the High Priest in the heavens to bear us in the presence of God and to care for all our needs; in His ascension He was inaugurated into His priestly office—Heb. 2:17-18; 4:14-15; Psa. 110:1-4; Heb. 5:6; 7:26:
1 一面,基督是大祭司,在诸天里为众召会代求(25~26,罗八34);另一面,祂是大祭司,在众召会里行动,照顾众召会;启示录一章十三节描述基督为大祭司,就如祂的长袍所显示的,这长袍直垂到脚,乃是祭司袍(出二八33~35)。─引用经文
1. On the one hand, Christ is the High Priest interceding in the heavens for the churches (vv. 25-26; Rom. 8:34); on the other hand, He is the High Priest moving in the churches to care for them; in Revelation 1:13 Christ is depicted as the High Priest, as shown by His garment, a garment reaching to the feet, that is, a priestly robe (Exo. 28:33-35).
2 启示录八章启示基督是把香献在金坛上的祭司:“另一位天使拿着金香炉,来站在祭坛旁边,有许多香赐给祂,好同众圣徒的祷告献在宝座前的金坛上。”(3)
2. In Revelation 8 Christ is revealed as the Priest offering the incense at the golden altar: "Another Angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer, and much incense was given to Him to offer with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne" (v. 3).
肆 我们需要看见我们是在主的升天里─弗二6:
IV. We need to see that we are in the Lord's ascension—Eph. 2:6:
一 整个恩典时代乃是主升天的时期─一20。
A. The entire age of grace is the time of the Lord's ascension—1:20.
二 基督不仅在升天里,也在我们里面─西一27。
B. Christ is not only in ascension but also in us—Col. 1:27.
三 基督仍然在祂的升天里行动;祂是在祂的升天里生活、居住、住留、尽职、事奉、作工并行事:
C. Christ is still moving in His ascension; He is living, dwelling, staying, ministering, serving, working, and acting in His ascension:
1 祂在我们里面,乃是在祂的升天里;这就是为什么保罗告诉我们,我们是与基督一同坐在祂的升天里─弗二6。
1. He is in His ascension within us; this is why Paul tells us that we are seated together with Christ in His ascension—Eph. 2:6.
2 在我们全人里有一个不平凡的人位,就是升天的基督─西一27,弗二6。
2. Within our being, there is an extraordinary person—the ascended Christ— Col. 1:27; Eph. 2:6.
3 主今天乃是在祂的升天里而在我们灵里─提后四22上。
3. The Lord today is in our spirit in His ascension—2 Tim. 4:22a.
4 在这升天里,三一神在我们里面行动,这行动成了我们的历史。
4. In this ascension the Triune God moves in us, and this move becomes our history.
5 基督是三一神的具体化身,而我们是这具体化身在祂升天里的各部分─罗八10,林后十三5,加二20,四19,西二9。
5. Christ is the embodiment of the Triune God, and we are parts of this embodiment in His ascension—Rom. 8:10; 2 Cor. 13:5; Gal. 2:20; 4:19; Col. 2:9.
6 每当我们聚集到祂的名里,基督就与所有祂在升天里的肢体同在,这就是神在人里的行动─太十八20,西三1、3~4,弗一20,二6。
6. Whenever we are gathered together into His name, Christ is there with all His members in ascension, and this is God's move within man—Matt. 18:20; Col. 3:1, 3-4; Eph. 1:20; 2:6.