神的異象
與那聖者相遇
經文
以賽亞書三十三10-24
10耶和華說：現在我要起來；我要興起；我要勃然而興。
11你們要懷的是糠秕，要生的是碎秸；你們的氣就是吞滅自己的火。
12列邦必像已燒的石灰，像已割的荊棘在火中焚燒。
13你們遠方的人當聽我所行的；你們近處的人當承認我的大能。
14錫安中的罪人都懼怕；不敬虔的人被戰兢抓住。我們中間誰能與吞滅的火同住？我們中間誰能與永火同住呢？
15行事公義、說話正直、憎惡欺壓的財利、擺手不受賄賂、塞耳不聽流血的話，閉眼不看邪惡事的，
16他必居高處；他的保障是磐石的堅壘；他的糧必不缺乏（原文是賜給）；他的水必不斷絕。
17你的眼必見王的榮美，必見遼闊之地。
18你的心必思想那驚嚇的事，自問說：記數目的在哪裡呢？平貢銀的在哪裡呢？數戍樓的在哪裡呢？
19你必不見那強暴的民，就是說話深奧，你不能明白，言語呢喃，你不能懂得的。
20你要看錫安─我們守聖節的城！你的眼必見耶路撒冷為安靜的居所，為不挪移的帳幕，橛子永不拔出，繩索一根也不折斷。
21在那裡，耶和華必顯威嚴與我們同在，當作江河寬闊之地；其中必沒有盪槳搖櫓的船來往，也沒有威武的船經過。
22因為，耶和華是審判我們的；耶和華是給我們設律法的；耶和華是我們的王；他必拯救我們。
23你的繩索鬆開：不能栽穩桅杆，也不能揚起篷來。那時許多擄來的物被分了；瘸腿的把掠物奪去了。
24城內居民必不說：我病了；其中居住的百姓，罪孽都赦免了。
信息分享
現在我們看以賽亞的異象下一段：「其上有撒拉弗侍立，各有六個翅膀：用兩個翅膀遮臉，兩個翅膀遮腳，兩個翅膀飛翔」（賽六2）。
撒拉弗是在神寶座上事奉的天使。以賽亞書第六章是聖經中唯一提到撒拉弗的地方，但很多解經家都將他們連繫到啟示錄四章8節描述的「活物」。「撒拉弗」的希伯來語的意思是「燃燒著的」或「尊貴的」，他們的特別職事是在神的寶座帶領持續的敬拜。一位解經家提出，他們被稱為「燃燒著的」，是因為他們閃耀著來自神那神聖同在的榮耀。他說：「他們展示的不是他們自己的榮耀，而是反映出來的榮耀──熾熱永恆聖潔的榮耀。」
古代的基督徒作家往往將與神親密的相遇比作進入危險的地帶。他們所指的是甚麼？一位當代作者這樣解釋：「如果我們有罪，而神是聖潔的；如果神是烈火，而我們是稻草，那麼當我們去到神的面前時怎能夠安全呢？事實確實如此，不但不安全而且是十分危險。」為甚麼是危險的呢？用「危險」這個詞，是因為我們和撒拉弗不同，他們是純潔的，但我們不是。因此，我們越接近神，越和所有與祂不相似的東西一樣，有被燒盡和消滅的危險。所以當你想到這一點的時候，是否理解到這正是我們應該渴望親近神的原因呢？
「親近神，可以消滅所有與神不同的東西」
進深研究
林前三10-17；林後四18；來十二27-29
1. 甚麼會被火顯明？
2. 神會藉著震動清除甚麼？
祈禱
天父，我明白我不能有太多與聖者相遇的經歷。我不能太像您，或擁有太多您的聖潔。求您幫助我，因為我渴望盡量靠近神您聖潔的火。奉耶穌的名，阿們。
The Vision of God
An encounter with the holy One
Bible reading:
Isaiah 33:10-24
10 "Now will I arise," says the Lord. "Now will I be exalted; now will I be lifted up.
11 You conceive chaff, you give birth to straw; your breath is a fire that consumes you.
12 The peoples will be burned to ashes; like cut thornbushes they will be set ablaze."
13 You who are far away, hear what I have done; you who are near, acknowledge my power!
14 The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: "Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?"
15 Those who walk righteously and speak what is right, who reject gain from extortion and keep their hands from accepting bribes, who stop their ears against plots of murder and shut their eyes against contemplating evil—
16 they are the ones who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. Their bread will be supplied, and water will not fail them.
17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar.
18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror: "Where is that chief officer? Where is the one who took the revenue? Where is the officer in charge of the towers?"
19 You will see those arrogant people no more, people whose speech is obscure, whose language is strange and incomprehensible.
20 Look on Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams. No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them.
22 For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.
23 Your rigging hangs loose: The mast is not held secure, the sail is not spread. Then an abundance of spoils will be divided and even the lame will carry off plunder.
24 No one living in Zion will say, "I am ill"; and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.
Message
We look now at the next section of Isaiah's vision: "Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying" (Isa. 6:2).
Seraphs are heavenly beings who serve above the throne of God. The sixth chapter of Isaiah contains the only references to seraphs in Scripture, but many commentators link them with the "living creatures" described in Revelation 4:8. The Hebrew word for "seraphs" means "burning ones" or "noble ones" and their specific ministry is to lead the continuous worship at the throne of God. One commentator suggests that they are described as "burning ones" because they are illuminated with the glory that comes from God's holy presence. He says: "It is not their own glory they display. It is rather a reflected glory - the glory of incandescent eternal holiness. "
Ancient Christian writers often likened a close encounter with God to entering a danger zone. What did they mean? A contemporary author interprets it thus: "If we are sinful and God is holy, if God is a fire and we are straw, how can it be safe for us to enter His presence? The fact is, it is not safe. It is exceedingly dangerous." Why dangerous? The word "dangerous" is used because we differ from seraphs in that they are pure and we are not. Hence, the closer we get to God the more we run the risk of all that is unlike Him being consumed and destroyed. But when you think of it - isn't that the very reason why we ought to yearn to draw close to Him?
"Closeness to God destroys all that is unlike Him"
Prayer
O Father, I see that this is something I cannot have too much of - an encounter with the holy One. I cannot be too much like You or have too much of Your holiness. Draw me, for I want to get as close as I can to Your holy fire. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
1 Corinthians 3:10-17
2 Corinthians 4:18
Hebrews 12:27-29
1. What will be revealed with fire?
2. What will God remove by shaking?
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