#14──第三層天 寶座──The Third Heaven – Throne

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第二部分：可見的創造系統

一、天堂：第十四章 第三層天──寶座

啟示錄4:6說：「寶座前好像一個玻璃海如同水晶．寶座中、和寶座周圍有四個活物、前後遍體都滿了眼睛。」啟示錄15:2又說：「我看見彷彿有玻璃海、其中有火攙雜．又看見那些勝了獸和獸的像、並他名字數目的人、都站在玻璃海上、拿著　神的琴．」¹⁷⁹約翰描述的這個「玻璃海」，或「水晶」是什麼？會否是《舊約》中提到的一樣東西？「他們看見以色列的　神、他腳下彷彿有平鋪的藍寶石、如同天色明淨。」¹⁸⁰ 很明顯，神在第三層天上有一些東西作為鋪路的道路，但它是什麼呢？

以西結書1:22-23描述了一群天使，稱為「活物」，我們看到他們與大地的第二和第三層天有關聯。「活物的頭以上、有穹蒼的形像、看著像可畏的水晶、鋪張在活物的頭以上。穹蒼以下、活物的翅膀直張、彼此相對．每活物有兩個翅膀遮體。」¹⁸¹ 他們直接在穹蒼之下，幾乎接觸到穹蒼。它將這種物質描述為「可畏的水晶」──聽起來很有趣！。詹姆士王釋本 (The King James) 用「可畏」這個詞來翻譯這字 ֵירָאֵ ，此為古老的英語單詞 「害怕 (affrightened)」──它的外觀和感覺就像… 嗯… 望之使人畏。我想知道以西結因為什麼而感到不安？它有那麼可怕嗎？啟示錄4:3說它周圍都是綠色的，但這有什麼可怕的呢？¹⁸²我們來看看以西結為什麼會被它嚇到…會不會是因為他看到的是上帝的腳呢？¹⁸³

「在他們頭上的蒼穹之上，有寶座的模樣，好像藍寶石的模樣，在寶座的模樣上，有一個人的模樣在上面。我又看見如琥珀的顏色，在裡面有火的樣子，從他腰間往上，從他腰間往下，我看見如火的樣子，周圍有亮光。如同雨天雲中的虹的樣子，周圍也有光明的樣子。」¹⁸⁴ 所以它就在那裡：一個巨大的藍綠色寶石的寶座，四周環繞著彩虹，散發著綠色的雲彩。看見上帝的腳是一回事，看見祂的腳坐在寶座上又是另一回事。面對這樣的容貌，以西結難以去描述也就不足為奇了。

要記得以西結用來描述這些事情的詞是：「異象」，也就是מַרְא֥וֹת ¹⁸⁵──一個神聖的望遠鏡。這個詞在舊約中只用了11次，所以我們知道它不是一個「夢」或「幻覺」。「異象」是指上帝拉開塵世的帷幕，讓先見 (seer) 看到他們在物質領域中無法看見的屬靈事物。以西結實際上看到了這些東西，而他所看到的乃實際存在著，但我們卻不能在日常生活中看到它們。然而，我們可以看見的是它們的物質對應物。以賽亞書18:4告訴我們，在上帝的居所，祂寶座的周圍有一種閃爍的光芒。「耶和華對我這樣說、我要安靜、在我的居所觀看、如同日光中的清熱、又如露水的雲霧在收割的熱天。」¹⁸⁶這光芒是什麼？這片雲是什麼？這是極光 (Aurora)。以賽亞沒有辦法解釋這一點，因為沒有在先知的異象中看到它。

那他看到了什麼？穹蒼、彩虹和北極光。啟示錄4:3也支持這一點。「那坐著的，外表像碧玉和紅玉石。又有虹圍著寶座，外表像綠寶石。」¹⁸⁷綠寶石、翡翠──寶座周圍有綠色的霧氣或雲。除了北極光，這還能是什麼呢？在北極附近直接可見，由於折射，以及靠近穹蒼 (Ether)，在靠近南極洲邊沿的穹頂邊緣附近也可以看到它。約翰和以西結看到完全相同的事物並記錄下來，這是否巧合呢？不，並沒有巧合。如果我們承認上帝的寶座和活物是真實的話，那麼我們也必須明白，水晶海是真實的，如同上帝腳下的穹蒼。  而我們也必須欣然承認，彩虹和北極光也是真實的。我個人認為，上帝把彩虹放在身邊，以提醒自己所立的約，就是不再以洪水和深淵的水來毀滅人類，這很了不起。

註

¹⁷⁹ 兩種BSB譯本：我又看見有東西像玻璃海，和火混在一起，旁邊站著那些征服了野獸和它的形象以及它名字的數目的人。他們拿著神的豎琴。

¹⁸⁰ 出埃及記24:10

181 以西結書1:22-23

¹⁸² ESV 「坐在那裡的有碧玉和紅玉的樣子，寶座周圍有虹，有翡翠的樣子。」和合本翻譯：「看那坐著的、好像碧玉和紅寶石．又有虹圍著寶座、好像綠寶石。」

¹⁸³ 以賽亞書66:1 「耶和華如此說、天是我的座位、地是我的腳凳．你們要為我造何等的殿宇．那裡是我安息的地方呢。」

¹⁸⁴ 以西結書1:26-28 KJV；和合本翻譯：「在他們頭以上的穹蒼之上、有寶座的形像、彷彿藍寶石．在寶座形像以上、有彷彿人的形狀。我見從他腰以上、有彷彿光耀的精金、周圍都有火的形狀、又見從他腰以下、有彷彿火的形狀、周圍也有光輝。 下雨的日子、雲中虹的形狀怎樣、周圍光輝的形狀也是怎樣…」

¹⁸⁵Strongs 4759：「玻璃」──通常譯為「異象」

186 以賽亞書18:4

187 BLB；和合本翻譯：「看那坐著的、好像碧玉和紅寶石．又有虹圍著寶座、好像綠寶石。」

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Part Two: The System of Visible Creation

I: Heaven──Chapter 14: The Third Heaven – Throne

Revelation 4:6 says: “And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back.” And again, Revelation 15:2 says: “And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, beside which stood those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name.

They were holding harps from God,”¹ What is this sea of glass, or crystal John describes? Could it be the same thing mentioned in the Old Testament? “and they saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was a work like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.”² It is clear that there is something that God has as a roadway, or pavement in the third heaven. But what is it?

Ezekiel 1:22,23 describes a group of angels called: “The Living Creatures”, and we see them in relation to the earth’s second and third heaven. “And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: everyone had two, which covered on this side, and everyone had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.”³ They are directly under the firmament, almost touching it. And it describes this substance as a “terrible crystal” – Sounds interesting! The King James uses the word: “terrible” for a translation of  ֵירָאֵ for the old English word“affrightened” – it bears the look and feel of something… well… terrible to behold. I wonder what Ezekiel got all upset about?Could it be that frightening? Revelation 4:3 says it’s green all around it, but what’s so frightening about that?⁴ Let’s look at why Ezekiel was so freaked out by it… Could it be because it was the feet of God he was seeing?⁵

“And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about.”⁶ So there it is: A huge blue green stone throne, with a rainbow all around it, emanating a green cloud. It is one thing to see God’s feet, it is another to see His feet at His throne. With this visage, it is not any wonder that Ezekiel has a hard time describing it.

Let’s remember that the word Ezekiel used to describe these things: a “vision,” that is, a מַרְא֥וֹת – ⁷ a Godly spyglass. The word is only used 11 times in the Old Testament, so we know it is not a dream or a hallucination. A “vision” is a time where God pulls back the earthly curtain and allows the seer to see things in the spiritual that they would not otherwise see in the physical realm. Ezekiel actually sees these things. These things he sees actually exist. But we cannot see them on a daily basis. What we can see, however, is their physical counterpart. In Isaiah 18:4 we are told that there is a shimmering that goes on around God’s home, His throne. “For thus hath Jehovah said unto me, I will be still, and I will behold in my dwelling-place, like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”⁸ What is this shimmer? What is this cloud? It’s the Aurora. There is no way that Isaiah could have explained this, having not seen it in a prophetic vision.

What did he see? The firmament, the rainbow, and the borealis. Revelation 4:3⁹ backs this up as well. “and the One sitting, in appearance was like jasper and carnelian stone. And a rainbow was around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.” Emerald. Jade… There is a green haze or cloud around the throne. What else could this be but the Borealis? It is directly visible close to the north pole, and due to refraction, and proximity to the Ether, it is also visible near the edge of the dome, near the rim of Antarctica. Is it any coincidence that John and Ezekiel see the exact same things and record them? No. There is no coincidence. If we admit to ourselves that the throne of God and the Living Creatures are real, then we must understand also that the crystal sea is real, as is the firmament under God’s feet… And we must also readily admit that rainbows and the borealis are real as well. I think it’s amazing personally that God keeps a rainbow handy to remind Himself of His covenant not to destroy man again with the flood-waters and the waters of the deep.

Footnotes

¹ Both BSB

² Exodus 24:10 BSB

³ KJV

⁴ ESV “And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.”

⁵ Isaiah 66:1 Holman “This is what the Lord says: Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house could you possibly build for Me? And what place could be My home?”

⁶ Ezekiel 1:26-28 KJV

⁷ Strongs 4759: “glass” – translated usually: “vision”

⁸ ASV

⁹ BLB

──Biblical Cosmology by Pauly Hart
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