Apocalypse Revealed # 945
945. 22:8 Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. This means that John supposed that the angel sent to him by the Lord to keep him in a state of the spirit was the God who revealed these things, when in fact that was not the case, as the angel only showed him what the Lord presented.
Clearly John supposed that the angel sent to him was the Lord Himself, for we are told that he fell down to worship before the angel's feet. But that it was not as he supposed is apparent from the next verse, in which the angel tells him that he is his fellow servant: "Worship God." That the angel was sent to John by the Lord is apparent from verse 16, which says, "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches."
But behind this lies the following secret: The Lord sent the angel to John in order to keep him in a state of the spirit and to show him in that state the visions he saw. For whatever John saw, he saw not with the eyes of his body, but with the eyes of his spirit, as can be seen from the passages in which he says that he was in the spirit and seeing a vision (Revelation 1:10; 9:17; 17:3; 21:10), thus everywhere that he says "he saw." And a person can enter that state and be kept in it only by angels who are closely attached to the person, who induce their own spiritual state on the interiors of his mind. For this raises the person into the light of heaven, and in that light he sees sights in heaven and not in the world.
[2] Ezekiel, Zechariah, Daniel, and other prophets were at times in the same state, but not when they spoke the Word. When they spoke the Word they were not in the spirit, but conscious in the body, and the words they wrote they heard from Jehovah Himself, that is, from the Lord.
These two states experienced by the prophets must be properly distinguished. The prophets themselves also properly distinguished them, for they everywhere say when they wrote the Word from Jehovah that Jehovah spoke with them and to them, and most often, "Thus says Jehovah," or "the word of Jehovah." However, when they were in the other state, they say that they were in the spirit or seeing in a vision, as can be seen from the following: (Ezekiel said,) "The spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision... of God into Chaldea, to those in captivity. So the vision that I saw went up upon me." (Ezekiel 11:1, 24)
Ezekiel says that the spirit lifted him up and that he heard behind him an earthquake, among other things (Ezekiel 3:12, 14). Also that the spirit lifted him up between earth and heaven, and brought him in visions of God to Jerusalem, where he saw abominations (Ezekiel 8:3ff.). Therefore he was also seeing in a vision of God or in the spirit when he saw four living creatures, which were cherubim (Ezekiel 1 and 10). And when he saw a new temple and a new land, and an angel measuring them (Ezekiel 40; 41; 42; 43; 44; 45; 46; 47; 48). He says that he was then seeing in the visions of God (Ezekiel 40:2), and that the spirit lifted him up (Ezekiel 43:5).
[3] It was the same with Zechariah, who had an angel with him at the time when he saw a man riding among the myrtle trees (Zechariah 1:8ff.). When he saw the four horns, and then the man with a measuring line in his hand (Zechariah 1:18; 2:1ff.). When he saw Joshua, the high priest (Zechariah 3:1ff.). When he saw the lampstand and two olive trees (Zechariah 4:1ff.). When he saw the flying scroll and the ephah (Zechariah 5:1, 6). And when he saw the four chariots and their horses coming from between two mountains (Zechariah 6:1ff.).
Daniel was in the same state when he saw four beasts coming up from the sea (Daniel 7:1ff.), and when he saw the combat of the ram and the male goat (Daniel 8:1ff.). That he saw these sights in visions is said in Daniel 7:1-2, 7, 13; 8:2; 10:1, 7-8. Moreover, that he saw the angel Gabriel and spoke with him in a vision (Daniel 9:21).
It was the same with John when he saw the sights he described, as when he saw the Son of Man in the midst of the seven lampstands; when he saw the tabernacle, 1 the temple, 2 the ark, 3 and the altar 4 in heaven; the dragon and its combat with Michael; 5 the beasts; 6 the woman sitting on the scarlet beast; 7 the new heaven and new earth, and the holy Jerusalem with its wall, gates, and foundations; 8 and more.
These sights were revealed by the Lord, but shown by an angel.
Poznámky pod čarou:
2. Revelation 11:1-2, 19; 14:15, 17; 15:5-6, 8; 16:1, 17.
如申命记 17
1
凡有殘疾,或有甚麼惡病的牛羊,你都不可獻給耶和華─你的神,因為這是耶和華─你神所憎惡的。
2
在你們中間,在耶和華─你神所賜你的諸城中,無論那座城裡,若有人,或男或女,行耶和華─你神眼中看為惡的事,違背了他的約,
3
去事奉敬拜別神,或拜日頭,或拜月亮,或拜天象,是主不曾吩咐的;
4
有人告訴你,你也聽見了,就要細細的探聽,果然是真,準有這可憎惡的事行在以色列中,
5
你就要將行這惡事的男人或女人拉到城門外,用石頭將他打死。
6
要憑兩三個人的口作見證將那當死的人治死;不可憑一個人的口作見證將他治死。
7
見證人要先下手,然後眾民也下手將他治死。這樣,就把那惡從你們中間除掉。
8
你城中若起了爭訟的事,或因流血,或因爭競,或因毆打,是你難斷的案件,你就當起來,往耶和華─你神所選擇的地方
9
去見祭司利未人,並當時的審判官,求問他們,他們必將判語指示你。
10
他們在耶和華所選擇的地方指示你的判語,你必照著他們所指教你的一切話謹守遵行。
11
要按他們所指教你的律法,照他們所斷定的去行;他們所指示你的判語,你不可偏離左右。
12
若有人擅敢不聽從那侍立在耶和華─你神面前的祭司,或不聽從審判官,那人就必治死;這樣,便將那惡從以色列中除掉。
14
到了耶和華─你神所賜你的地,得了那地居住的時候,若說:我要立王治理我,像四圍的國一樣。
15
你總要立耶和華─你神所揀選的人為王。必從你弟兄中立一人;不可立你弟兄以外的人為王。
16
只是王不可為自己加添馬匹,也不可使百姓回埃及去,為要加添他的馬匹,因耶和華曾吩咐你們說:不可再回那條路去。
17
他也不可為自己多立妃嬪,恐怕他的心偏邪;也不可為自己多積金銀。
18
他登了國位,就要將祭司利未人面前的這律法書,為自己抄錄一本,