拉一3 你们中间凡作祂子民的，可以上犹大的耶路撒冷，建造在耶路撒冷之耶和华以色列神的殿（祂是神）；愿这人的神与他同在。

　　　　11 金银器皿共有五千四百件。被掳的人从巴比伦被带上耶路撒冷的时候，设巴萨将这一切都带上来。

　　以色列人被掳，乃是由于他们的堕落。他们因着堕落，就被掳到巴比伦。召会也堕落了，最后也被掳到大巴比伦—基督教国，大巴比伦在圣别的神眼中乃是个妓女。因此，召会的恢复包含一个归回，就是从巴比伦所表征被掳和分裂的立场归回。

　　那些从巴比伦回到耶路撒冷的人，乃是带着所有被掳到巴比伦之神殿的器皿（拉一5~11）。这些器皿是银的、金的，表征对基督并基督之丰富的经历。……神的子民被分散，所有属灵的经历也都被掳去了。那对他们并对神乃是一个羞耻！甚至今天，有些亲爱的基督徒有真实的经历，他们却是在巴比伦。……经历是正确的，地方却是错误的，因为器皿是正确的，却是神殿的器皿放在偶像的庙中。因此，所有的银器和金器都必须带回耶路撒冷（新约总论第七册，四六三至四六五页）。

　　Ezra 1:3 Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him; and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and let him build the house of Jehovah the God of Israel—He is God—who is in Jerusalem.

　　11 There were five thousand four hundred vessels of gold and silver in all. Sheshbazzar brought up all of them with those of the captivity who were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

　　The captivity of the children of Israel was due to their degradation. Because of their degradation, they were carried away to captivity in Babylon. The church also became degraded and eventually was brought into captivity by Babylon the Great, Christendom, which is a prostitute in the eyes of the holy God. The recovery of the church, therefore, involves a return from the capturing and divisive ground signified by Babylon.

　　Those who went back to Jerusalem from Babylon brought with them all the vessels of the temple of God which had been captured to Babylon (Ezra 1:5-11). These vessels, which were of silver and gold, signify the experiences of Christ and the riches of Christ….The people of God were scattered, and all the spiritual experiences were carried away. That was a shame to them and to God. Even today, some dear Christians have real experiences of Christ, but they are in Babylon….The experiences are right, but the place is wrong, for the vessels are right, but they are the vessels of the temple of God in the temple of idols. Therefore, all the vessels of silver and gold must be brought back to Jerusalem. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 2451-2452)

　　召会的恢复是由旧约里，耶路撒冷城的重建所预表（尼二11、17）。圣殿的建造恢复后，还需要建造城。……圣殿乃是主同在的地方，需要受到保护。城墙对殿乃是防御。

　　以弗所二章十九节和提前三章十五节，说到召会是神的家。但是，在启示录末了两章，有一座城，并且在这城内没有殿（二一22），因为城已经成为殿的扩大。

　　我们要明白新约里家和城的关系，就需要领悟召会乃是基督的扩大和基督的扩增。所有的信徒都是基督的一部分，都是基督的肢体。所有这些部分合在一起，就是基督的扩增。因此，召会乃是基督的丰满（弗一22~23），因为基督已经扩增并扩大到许许多多的肢体里面。基督第一步的扩大是召会作为家。这扩大的第二步仍然是召会，但不是作为家乃是作为城。……至终，整个召会就成了城。因为殿已经作了城，所以启示录二十一章二十二节告诉我们，在耶路撒冷城内没有殿。城是帐幕，是居所（2~3）。因此，城乃是殿的扩大，是家发展到至极。

　　家和城的建造，是神永远定旨的中心。这建造实际上就是神与人的调和。所以，召会就是神性与人性的调和。当这调和扩大并终极完成到最完满的程度时，那就是城。

　　对于基督第二次的来，……若是没有召会生活的恢复，也就是说，神的子民若没有从大巴比伦归回到召会生活，就没有路带进基督第二次的来。这就是为什么主在末了的时候，一直作工要得着一个恢复。我相信这个恢复对于基督的再来，乃是预备和基础（新约总论第七册，四六六至四六八页）。

　　参读：尼希米记生命读经，第一篇；神殿与神城的恢复，第七至八章。

　　The recovery of the church is typified in the Old Testament by the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem (Neh. 2:11, 17). After the recovery of the building of the temple, there was still the need to build up the city….The temple, the place of the Lord’s presence, needed protection. The wall of the city was the defense to the temple.

　　Ephesians 2:19 and 1 Timothy 3:15 speak of the church as the house of God. But in the last two chapters of Revelation, there is a city, and in this city there is no temple (Rev. 21:22), because the city has become the enlargement of the temple.

　　In order to understand the relationship between the house and the city in the New Testament, we need to realize that the church is the enlargement of Christ and the increase of Christ. All the believers are parts of Christ and members of Christ. All these parts put together are the increase of Christ. The church, therefore, is the fullness of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23) because Christ has been increased and enlarged into so many members. The first step of the enlargement of Christ is the church as the house. The second step of this enlargement is also the church, not as the house but as the city….Eventually, the whole church becomes the city. Because the temple has become the city, Revelation 21:22 tells us that there is no temple in the city of New Jerusalem. The city is the tabernacle, the dwelling place (Rev. 21:2-3). Hence, the city is the enlargement of the temple, the development of the house, to the uttermost.

　　The building of the house and the city is the center of God’s eternal purpose. This building is actually the mingling of God with man. The church, therefore, is the mingling of divinity with humanity. When this mingling is enlarged and consummated to the fullest extent, that is the city.

　　With Christ’s second coming, if there is no recovery of the church life, that is, no return of God’s people from Babylon the Great to the church life, there will be no way for Christ to carry out His second coming. This is the reason that the Lord, at the end time, is working to have a recovery. I believe that this recovery will be a preparation and a base for Christ’s coming again. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 2453-2455)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Nehemiah, msg. 1; CWWL, 1969, vol. 2, “The Recovery of God’s House and God’s City,” chs. 7-8