但七9~10 ……那亘古常在者坐下了。祂的衣服洁白如雪，头发如纯净的羊毛；祂的宝座乃是火焰，其轮乃是烈火。从祂面前有火河流出。事奉祂的有千千，侍立在祂面前的有万万……。

　　但以理书……启示基督借着神选民的环境，成为他们的中心与普及。借着列国作环境，神在要来的日子里，至终要使基督成为以色列的中心与普及。今天这原则对我们也是一样。在现今这奥秘时代（这是但以理书所没有启示的），神正在使用环境，使基督成为我们的中心与普及。

　　我们不是简单的。一面，我们这些在基督里的信徒是神的选民；另一面，我们仍是旧造的一部分。……我们是神的选民，需要基督作到我们里面，成为我们的中心与普及。然而，在我们里面的旧造有时是一只〔如但以理七章中的〕兽，有时又像尼布甲尼撒或敌基督，企图要打败、掳掠、据有并利用神的选民。因着我们是这样复杂，所以我们也需要作但以理，把我们的窗户开向耶路撒冷，祷告要基督进来，把我们里面一切天然、属旧造的东西割断、了结（但以理书生命读经，八九至九○页）。

　　Dan. 7:9-10 ...And the Ancient of Days sat down. His clothing was like white snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool; His throne was flames of fire, its wheels, burning fire. A stream of fire issued forth and came out from before Him. Thousands of thousands ministered to Him, and ten thousands of ten thousands stood before Him...

　　The book of Daniel... reveals that it is through their environment that Christ becomes the centrality and universality of God’s elect. Through the nations as the environment, in the coming days God will eventually make Christ the centrality and universality of Israel. The principle is the same with us today. In this present age of mystery, which is not revealed in Daniel, God is using the environment to make Christ the centrality and universality to us.

　　We are not simple. On the one hand, we, the believers in Christ, are God’s elect; on the other hand, we are parts of the old creation.... As God’s elect, we need Christ to be wrought into us as our centrality and universality. However, the old creation in us is sometimes a beast [as in Daniel 7] and at other times a Nebuchadnezzar or an Antichrist seeking to defeat, capture, possess, and utilize God’s elect. Since we are complicated in this way, we also need to be a Daniel and open our windows toward Jerusalem and pray that Christ will come in to cut off, to terminate, everything in us that is natural and part of the old creation. (Life-study of Daniel, p. 76)

　　基督借着祂两方面的显现，成了我们的中心与普及。首先，祂来了结我们这些旧造，然后使我们成为新造，有新生的起头。第二，祂要来清理一切的兽。基于我们的文化和国籍，我们都有自己的兽。从世界某地来的有一种的兽，从另一个地方来的有另一种的兽。我们需要基督从神得着国度，并来砸碎一切的兽，然后成为一座大山（这座大山包括了我们），并充满全地作神的国。

　　借着了结我们，使我们有新生的起头，并砸碎我们里面一切的兽，基督就作到我们里面，成为我们的中心与普及。

　　但以理书说到三件要紧的事：神属天的掌权、基督的居首位以及神子民的分。神在祂的经纶里管理宇宙，为要成就祂的定旨，就是基督应该在万有中居首位。……要使基督居首位，神就需要一班子民。神若没有一班子民，就无法使基督成为居首位的。

　　我们蒙神拣选作祂的子民，为叫基督居首位，我们乃是在神属天的掌权之下。就这件事来说，旧约和新约的原则都是一样的。在神属天的掌权下，万有都互相效力，叫我们得益处（罗八28）。在我们个人的宇宙中所发生的事特别是这样。我们的宇宙包括我们自己、我们的家庭以及召会。在我们的宇宙中，每一天都发生许多事，目的乃是要使基督居首位。我们需要看见这事，并顺服神属天的掌权。

　　地是在属天行政的管治之下〔参但四26〕。诸天是为我们掌权，基督也是为着我们的。不仅如此，我们是在神为着基督的属天掌权之下。属天掌权的目的，是要完成神的选民，使基督得以居首位，就是使祂成为首先的—中心，并成为一切—普及（但以理书生命读经，九○至九一页）。

　　参读：但以理书生命读经，第十二篇；恢复基督在召会中作一切，第六章。

　　Christ becomes our centrality and universality by His appearing in two aspects. First, He has come to terminate us as the old creation and then to germinate us as the new creation. Second, He will come to clear away all the beasts. Depending on our culture and nationality, we all have our own beasts. Those from one part of the world have one kind of beast, and those from another part have a different kind of beast. We need Christ to receive the kingdom from God and come to crush all the beasts and then to become a great mountain that comprises us and that fills the whole earth to be the kingdom of God. By terminating and germinating us and by crushing all the beasts in us, Christ is wrought into our being to become our centrality and universality.

　　The book of Daniel covers three crucial matters: God’s heavenly rule, the preeminence of Christ, and the portion of God’s people. In His economy God administrates the universe in order to fulfill His purpose. His purpose is to give Christ the preeminence in all things.... For Christ to be the preeminent One, God needs a people. Apart from God’s having a people, there is no way for Christ to be made preeminent.

　　As those who have been chosen by God to be His people for Christ’s preeminence, we are under God’s heavenly rule. Concerning this, the principle is the same both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Under God’s heavenly rule, everything is working together for our good (Rom. 8:28). This is especially true of the things in our personal universe. Our universe includes ourselves, our families, and the church. In our universe many things happen day by day for the purpose of making Christ preeminent. We need to realize this and be submissive to God’s heavenly rule.

　　The earth is under the rule of a heavenly administration [cf. Dan. 4:26]. The heavens rule for us, and Christ is for us. Furthermore, we are under God’s heavenly rule for Christ. The purpose of the heavenly ruling is to complete God’s elect so that Christ may be preeminent, that He may be the first—the centrality—and everything—the universality. (Life-study of Daniel, pp. 76-78)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Daniel, msg. 12; CWWL, 1978, vol. 3, “The Recovery of Christ as Everything in the Church,” ch. 6