启一5 并从那忠信的见证人、死人中的首生者、为地上君王元首的耶稣基督，归与你们。祂爱我们，用自己的血，把我们从我们的罪中释放了。

　　　　20 论到……七星，和七个金灯台的奥秘，那七星就是七个召会的使者，七灯台就是七个召会。

　　启示录一面给我们“基督的启示”，另一面向我们显示“耶稣的见证”，这见证是特殊并终结的（一2、9，十二17，十九10，二十4）。耶稣的见证就是召会。启示录陈明启示出来的基督和作见证的召会。本书对召会有一特殊并终结的记载（启示录生命读经，一一页）。

　　Rev. 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood.

　　20 The mystery of the seven stars…and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

　　On one hand, Revelation gives us the revelation of Christ, and on the other hand, it shows us the testimony of Jesus, which is particular and consummate (1:2, 9; 12:17; 19:10; 20:4). The testimony of Jesus is the church. Revelation presents the revealed Christ and the testifying church. In this book we have a particular and consummate record of the church. (Life- study of Revelation, p. 9)

　　启示录揭示召会是灯台（一11~12）；新约其他各卷从来没有用过这辞来指召会。……召会为灯台，照亮在黑暗里。“灯台”一辞使我们更了解召会及其功用。召会不是灯，乃是灯台，就是盛托灯的地方。……神是光，羔羊是灯（启二一23）。……神在基督里，而基督就是灯，盛托在灯台上，将神的荣耀照射出去。这就是召会的见证。

　　灯台是众地方召会，其性质是金的。在预表上，金表征神性，就是神的神圣性情。所有的地方召会，在性质上都是神圣的，都是由神的神圣性情所构成的。这种说法完全合乎圣经，因为启示录说，众地方召会乃是金灯台（一20），是从纯金锤出来的，不是由土、木或任何劣等材料作成的。这就是说，所有的地方召会都必须是神圣的；没有神性，就没有召会。虽然召会是由人性同神性组成的，但人性不该是地方召会的基本性

　　质；地方召会的基本性质必须是神性，就是神的神圣性情。所以“金灯台”这个简单的名称，使我们更认识召会：召会是把基督照耀出去的，并且是由神圣的性情构成的。

　　灯台是在黑暗中照亮；……灯要照亮，里面必须有油燃烧；灯里的油点燃了，光就照亮到黑暗里。这就是召会的功用。召会的功用不单是传福音，教导人道理；更是在这黑暗的世代中，把神的荣耀照耀出去。这就是召会的见证。

　　所有的灯台，都是彼此相同的。许多基督徒存着一个错误的观念，总要使自己与别的基督徒不同。……我们每一个人都有一个头、双肩、双臂、双手、十个指头；而每个人头上都有七个孔：双耳、双眼、两个鼻孔，加上一个口。若是有人说，“我不要和别人一样，我要和别人不同……。”这是何等的荒谬！那些主张每个地方召会都该与众不同的人，乃是根据启示录二、三章，那里的七个召会都不相同。他们说，“看，七个召会都不一样！”……启示录二、三章说到各地方召会不同之处，那些不同都不是积极的，而是消极的。以弗所失去了起初的爱，这是消极的；别迦摩属了世界，这是消极的；推雅推喇有了鬼魔，也是消极的；老底嘉不冷不热，也是消极的。然而，在积极一面，所有的地方召会都是一样，七个都是金灯台。你若能把七个灯台放在桌子上，除非你把它们编号或标示出来，否则你说不出哪个不同。七个灯台都是一样的（启示录生命读经，三○至三三页）。

　　参读：启示录生命读经，第三篇；出埃及记生命读经，第九十二至九十四篇。

　　In Revelation the churches are unveiled as being the lampstands (1:11- 20). In no other New Testament book is this term used with respect to the church…As the lampstands, the churches shine in the darkness. The word lampstand enables us to understand much about the church and its function. The church is not the lamp; it is the lampstand, the stand that holds the lamp…God is the light, and the Lamb is the lamp (21:23)…God is in Christ, and Christ as the lamp is held by the stand to shine out God’s glory. This is the testimony of the church.

　　As the local churches, the lampstands are golden in nature. In typology, gold signifies divinity, the divine nature of God. All the local churches are divine in nature; they are constituted with the divine nature of God. To say this is absolutely scriptural, for the book of Revelation says that the local churches are golden lampstands (1:20). These stands are not built of clay, wood, or any inferior substance; they are constructed out of pure gold. This means that all the local churches must be divine. Without divinity, there can be no church. Although the church is composed of humanity with divinity, humanity should not be the basic nature of the local churches. The basic nature of the local churches must be divinity, God’s divine nature. By these two simple words—golden lampstands—we realize a great deal about the church: that the church is something shining with Christ and that it is constituted with the divine nature.

　　The lampstands shine in the darkness…In order for the lamp to shine, it must have oil burning within it. If the oil burns within the lamp, the light will shine out through all the darkness. This is the function of the church. The function of the church is not simply to preach or to teach doctrine. In the dark night of this age, the church must shine out the very glory of God. This is the testimony of the church.

　　All the lampstands are identical with one another. Many Christians, having taken in a mistaken concept, desire to be different from other Christians…Everyone has a head, two shoulders, two arms, two hands, and ten fingers, and every human head has seven holes: two ears, two eyes, two nostrils, and a mouth. It is ridiculous to say, “I don’t want to have the same appearance as others…” Those who claim that every local church should be unique base their concept upon the differences among the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3. Some have said, “Look! All the seven churches are different.”…All the differences in the local churches in Revelation 2 and 3 are negative, not positive. Ephesus lost her first love—negative; Pergamos is worldly—negative; Thyatira is demonic— negative; and Laodicea became lukewarm—negative. On the positive side, however, all the local churches are identical, because they all are seven golden lampstands. If you could place all the seven lampstands on a table before you, unless you numbered or labeled them, you would be unable to tell them apart. All the seven lampstands are the same. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 25-27)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Revelation, msg. 3; Life-study of Exodus, msgs. 92—94