第六週•週二

w06d02-ch

晨興餧養

申十二9『因爲直到如今，你們還沒有進入耶和華你神所賜你的安息，所給你的產業。』

來四8 ～ 9『若是約書亞已經使他們得了安息，此後神就不會題起別的日子了。這樣，必有一安息日的安息，爲神的子民存留。』

現在我們是在召會生活中，也就是在生長的安息裏，這要引領我們進入千年國那收成的安息裏。…終極的安息日之安息乃是新耶路撒冷。…那時要有一個新地，這新地上有一座城，乃是由經過變化的人作爲活的材料建造而成的。這個活的組成，新耶路撒冷，乃是神在將來永遠裏完全的彰顯。…在新耶路撒冷裏有神的寶座和祂國度的權柄。新耶路撒冷將是終極永遠的安息，因爲神在那裏得着完全的彰顯和代表。那將是神恩典工作的終極完成，我們都要在那裏。（希伯來書生命讀經，二七○至二七一頁。）

信息選讀

以色列人…從進入〔迦南〕美地的那天起，就不斷的爭戰。但爲甚麼在申命記十二章九節，神稱美地爲安息？…美地之所以是安息，乃是因爲聖殿能在那裏建造。美地上有聖殿，神能得着彰顯，也得着代表。當神得着彰顯並得着代表的時候，神和人也都得到滿足，那纔是真正的安息。

希伯來四章九節裏，安息日的安息，就是基督作我們的安息；由迦南美地所豫表。（申十二9，來四8。）基督作眾聖徒的安息，分爲三個階段。在召會時代，祂這位屬天的基督，彰顯了神，代表了神，也滿足了神；祂也歇了一切的工，坐在諸天之上神的右邊，現今在我們靈裏是我們的安息。（太十一28 ～ 29。）在千年國裏，撒但從地上除去之後，（啓二十1 ～ 3，）神要因基督和得勝的聖徒而得着彰顯，得到代表，並得着滿足。那時基督連同國度將是得勝的聖徒更完滿的安息，他們要與基督一同作王，（4，6，）有分於並享受祂的安息。在新天新地裏，所有的仇敵，包括最後的仇敵，死，都被基督征服之後，（林前十五24 ～ 27，）神要在所有在基督裏、蒙神救贖的人身上得着完滿的彰顯，充分的代表和完全的滿足；那時，基督這位全勝者，在那樣榮耀的光景中，要成爲神所有贖民完滿的安息，直到永遠。

希伯來四章九節所說安息日的安息，就是迦南美地的安息所豫表的，只該包括基督作我們安息的頭兩個階段，不該包括第三階段。頭兩個階段的安息乃是獎賞，要給那些竭力追求基督，不僅蒙了救贖，還豐滿的享受了基督，以致成爲得勝者的人；而第三個階段的安息不是獎賞，乃是分給所有贖民完滿的分。…基督乃是在作我們安息的第二階段，要得着全地爲業，（詩二8，來二5 ～ 6，）作祂的國度一千年。（啓十一15。）所有跟從祂的得勝者，就是在第一階段尋求並享受祂作安息的人，那時要與祂一同作王，（二十4，6，提後二12，）且要承受地土，（太五5，詩三七11，）有的得權柄管十座城，有的管五座城，（路十九17，19，）也要同享他們主人的快樂。（太二五21，23。）那將是國度的安息，由進入迦南美地而得的安息所豫表。對所有得贖並蒙拯救出埃及的以色列人，美地的安息是他們的目標。照樣，對我們得贖並蒙拯救脫離世界的新約信徒，要來國度的安息乃是我們的目標。現今我們都在朝着這目標的路上。（希伯來書生命讀經，二三四至二三六頁。）

參讀： 希伯來書生命讀經， 第十八、二十至二十七篇。

WEEK 6 — DAY 2

Morning Nourishment

Deut. 12:9 For until now you have not come to the rest and to the inheritance that Jehovah your God is giving you.

Heb. 4:8-9 For if Joshua had brought them into rest, He would not have spoken concerning another day after these things. So then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

We are now in the church life, the growing Sabbath that is leading us into the harvest Sabbath of the millennial kingdom…The ultimate Sabbath rest will be the New Jerusalem…There will be a new earth, and upon that new earth there will be a city built up with transformed people as the living materials. That living composition, the New Jerusalem, will be God’s complete expression in eternity future…In the New Jerusalem will be God’s throne and authority for His kingdom. The New Jerusalem will be the ultimate and eternal Sabbath because there God will be fully expressed and
represented. That will be the ultimate consummation of God’s work of grace, and we all will be there. (Life-study of Hebrews, second edition, p. 221)

Today’s Reading

From the very day [the Israelites] entered into [the good land of Canaan], they were fighting constantly. Then why did God call that land the rest, as He did in Deuteronomy 12:9?…The land was a rest because the temple could be built there. There, with the temple, God could have His expression and representation. When God is expressed and represented, there is satisfaction for both God and man, and that is the real rest.

The Sabbath rest in Hebrews 4:9, as typified by the good land of Canaan (Deut. 12:9; Heb. 4:8), is Christ as our rest. Christ is rest to us in three stages. In the church age, He, as the heavenly Christ, the One who has expressed, represented, and satisfied God and who rests from His work and sits on the right hand of God in the heavens, is the rest to us in our spirit (Matt. 11:28-29). In the millennial kingdom, after Satan has been removed from the earth (Rev. 20:1-3), God will be expressed, represented, and satisfied by Christ and the overcoming saints. Then Christ with the kingdom will be the rest in a fuller way to the overcoming saints, who will be co-kings with Him (vv. 4, 6) and share and enjoy His rest. In the new heaven and new earth, after all the enemies, including death, the last enemy, are subdued to Him (1 Cor. 15:24-27), God will be fully expressed, represented, and satisfied by all His redeemed ones in Christ. At that time Christ, as the all-conquering One, with that glorious situation, will be the rest in the fullest way to all of God’s redeemed for eternity…

The Sabbath rest mentioned in Hebrews 4:9 and typified by the rest of the good land of Canaan covers only the first two stages of Christ as rest to us and does not include the third stage. The rest in the first two stages is a prize to His diligent seekers, who are not only redeemed but also have enjoyed Him in a full way, thus becoming the overcomers; whereas the rest in the third stage is not a prize but the full portion allotted to all the redeemed ones…It is in the second stage of His being our rest that Christ will take possession of the whole earth as His inheritance (Psa. 2:8; Heb. 2:5-6), making it His kingdom for a thousand years (Rev. 11:15). All His overcoming followers who seek and enjoy Him as their rest in the first stage will participate in His reign in the millennium (20:4, 6; 2 Tim. 2:12). Moreover, they will inherit the earth
(Matt. 5:5; Psa. 37:11), some having authority over ten cities, some over five (Luke 19:17, 19), and will partake of the joy of their Lord (Matt. 25:21, 23). That will be the kingdom rest, which is typified by the rest of entering into the good land of Canaan. The rest of the good land was the goal to all the children of Israel, who had been redeemed and delivered from Egypt; likewise, the rest of the coming kingdom is the goal of the New Testament believers, who have been redeemed and saved from the world. We are now all on the way toward this goal. (Life-study of Hebrews, second edition, pp. 190-191)

Further Reading: Life-study of Hebrews, msgs. 18, 20-27