启四2　　……看哪，有一个宝座安置在天上，又有一位坐在宝座上。

　　太十一25　　那时，耶稣回答说，父啊，天地的主，我颂扬你……。

　　撒上十五23　悖逆与行邪术的罪相等；顽梗与拜虚神和家神相同。……

　　宇宙中争执的中心，乃是谁该得着权柄；我们要和撒但争执，肯定权柄是属于神的。我们要存心顺服神的权柄，维持神的权柄。

　　保罗在未认识权柄之先，想要从地上铲除召会，但在大马色路上遇见主以后，看见用脚（人的能力）踢犁棒（神的权柄）是难的，他立刻倒下来，承认耶稣是主，就在大马色城内能顺服亚拿尼亚的指示（见徒九3~19）。在这里保罗碰着了神的权柄。所以当保罗得救的时候，不仅认识了神的救恩，也认识了神的权柄（倪柝声文集第三辑第一册，一二○至一二一页）。

　　Rev. 4:2 …Behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and upon the throne there was One sitting.

　　Matt. 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I extol You, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth…

　　1 Sam. 15:23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and insubordination is like idolatry…

　　The center of dispute in the whole universe relates to who has the authority. We have to contend with Satan by asserting that authority is with God. We have to set ourselves to submit to God's authority and to uphold God's authority.

　　Before Paul realized authority, he wanted to eradicate the church from the earth. But after he met the Lord on the way to Damascus, he realized that it was difficult to kick against the goads (God's authority) with his feet (man's energy). He immediately fell down, acknowledged Jesus as Lord, and submitted to the instruction of Ananias in Damascus. Paul met God's authority. At his conversion, Paul was brought not only into a realization of God's salvation, but also into a realization of God's authority. (CWWN, vol. 47,”Authority and Submission,” p. 111)

　　保罗是一个有聪明、有才能的人，而亚拿尼亚是一个无名的小弟兄（圣经中只有这一次提过他的名），如果保罗未遇见神的权柄，怎么会听亚拿尼亚的话呢？……这给我们看见，凡遇见权柄的人就只和权柄发生关系，不和人发生关系。我们应该只想到权柄而不想到人，因为不是顺服那个人，乃是顺服他身上神的权柄，否则根本不认识何为权柄。……若先碰着权柄而后去顺服，不管那人是谁，这就对了。

　　神在召会中有一个目的，就是要借召会在宇宙中彰显神的权柄。我们可以从召会的配搭中看见神的权柄。……神乃是用最大的力量维持祂的权柄，神的权柄比什么都硬。我们这些自以为是（实在是瞎眼）的人总要有一次碰着神的权柄，碰破了才能顺服下来。……人必须遇见了神的权柄，然后才能顺服神所设立的代表权柄。

　　在民数记十六章里有两个背叛：从一至四十节是首领们的背叛，从四十一至五十节是全会众的背叛。背叛的灵是会传染的。……〔全会众〕亲眼看见有火从神那里出来，烧灭了那献香的二百五十人，还是背叛，竟然说是摩西害死他们。摩西、亚伦不能叫地开口，是神开的；摩西不能叫火烧人，是从耶和华神那里出来了火，施行审判。人的眼睛只看见人。……这样的人胆量很大，看见审判也不知害怕，因为他没有认识权柄的知识，这是很危险的。所以会众攻击摩西、亚伦时，神的荣光显现，证明权柄是出于神。神出来施行审判，瘟疫发作，会众死了一万四千七百人。摩西属灵的感觉非常快，即刻通知亚伦拿香炉，盛上火，加上香，到会众那里为他们遮罪；他站在死人与活人中间，瘟疫就止住了。

　　神能经得起他们在旷野十次的发怨言，神经不起人来顶撞祂的权柄。有许多罪是神受得住，且是可原谅的；但一背叛，神就不能容忍，因为背叛是死亡的原则，是撒但的原则。所以背叛的罪比什么罪都厉害。每当有人抵挡权柄，神立刻审判，这是何等严肃的事！（倪柝声文集第三辑第一册，一二一至一二二、一四七至一四八页）。

　　参读：权柄与顺服，第一至三篇。

　　Paul was an intelligent and capable man, while Ananias was a very insignificant, small brother. The Bible refers to him only once. If Paul had not met God's authority, how could he possibly have listened to the words of Ananias?…This shows us that anyone who has met authority will deal with the authority alone; he will not deal with the person involved. We should only think of the authority, not of the person, because our submission is not to a person but to God's authority in that person…. If we touch the matter of authority first and then submit to the person, irrespective of who he is, we are on the right path.

　　God has only one goal in the church, which is to manifest His authority in the universe. We can see God's authority from the coordination in the church. God exercises the utmost of His strength to uphold His authority. His authority is stronger than anything else. We who are so self-confident, but who are in reality so blind, have to come face-to-face at least once with God's authority. Only when we are broken can we come into submission….Only when a man meets God's authority will he submit to the deputy authority whom God appoints.

　　In Numbers 16 there are two rebellions. In verses 1 through 40 we have the rebellion of the leaders, whereas in verses 41 through 50 we have the rebellion of the whole assembly. A spirit of rebellion is contagious…. [The whole assembly] saw with their own eyes fire coming forth from God to consume the two hundred fifty incense burners. Yet they still rebelled. They even accused Moses of killing them. Moses and Aaron could not open the earth; it was God who opened it. Moses could not consume people with fire; it was the fire that proceeded from Jehovah God that judged the people. Some men only see through their own eyes…. Such people are very bold; they are not afraid even when they see judgment, because they do not have the knowledge of authority. This is a very dangerous matter. When the whole assembly attacked Moses and Aaron, the glory of God appeared, proving that authority is from God. God came forth to judge. A plague broke out, and 14,700 died. Moses was quick in his spiritual sensation; he immediately ordered Aaron to take the censer, put fire in it, and place incense on it to make propitiation for the assembly. Aaron stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.

　　God can bear His people's ten murmurings in the wilderness. But He cannot bear His authority being offended. God can bear many sins and can even pardon them. Once rebellion appears, however, God cannot tolerate it, for rebellion is according to the principle of death. It is according to the principle of Satan. For this reason, the sin of rebellion is more serious than any other kind of sin. Whenever someone opposes authority, God immediately comes in to judge. How solemn a matter this is! (CWWN, vol. 47,”Authority and Submission,” pp. 111-112, 134-135)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 47,”Authority and Submission,” chs. 1-3