阅读经文 

在《启示录》第四至五章中，使徒约翰描述了天上的异象。他看到父神坐在宝座上，圣灵以七盏火灯的形式出现，基督是一只羔羊，看起来像是被宰杀了。宝座前面是一片宁静的“玻璃海，如同水晶”。在宝座周围，代表所有受造生命的活物向神献上赞美。（参启 4-5）

后来，约翰看到了地上所发生的事件背后的属灵事实。在那里，一条龙，也就是撒但，站在狼藉不堪的海边，带来了“与圣徒争战，并且得胜”的海兽。（参启 13:7）这兽代表着一个与神的旨意秩序迥异的世界。神创造了人类，让他们遍满大地，以祂所赐的权柄和仁爱治理全地（包括动物）。但是，人类却背离了神，犯了罪，崇拜偶像，堕落为兽的帝国，残暴地屠戮掠夺他人和大自然。

当约翰看到这些异象时，罗马帝国已经开始迫害教会了。但是，尽管罗马帝国将神的羔羊耶稣钉在了十字架上，祂却复活了，并成了掌管天地的王。此外，神的灵现在已经住在信徒的生命里面，在洗礼的水中与基督及其教会合一。龙知道留给牠的时间所剩不多了。（参启 12:12）

In Revelation 4-5, the apostle John describes a vision of heaven. He sees God the Father on the throne, the Holy Spirit in the form of seven torches, and Christ as a Lamb, looking like it was slaughtered. In front of the throne is a peaceful "sea of glass, clear as crystal." Around the throne, creatures representing all animal life give praise to God.

Later John sees the spiritual reality behind events that take place on earth. There a dragon, Satan himself, stands on the shore of a chaotic sea, which brings forth monsters that have "power to wage war against God's holy people and to conquer them". (Revelation 13:7)These beasts represent a world turned upside down from what God intended. God had created humans to fill the earth and steward it (including its animals) with his authority and care. But instead humans turned away from God and sinned, worshiping idols and degenerating into beastly empires, brutalizing other people and nature.

As John received these visions, the Roman Empire had begun persecuting the church. But although the empire had crucified Jesus, the Lamb of God, he had come back to life and had taken his rightful place as King of heaven and earth. Further, the Spirit of God was now living in believers, united with Christ in the waters of baptism. And the dragon knew his time was short. (see Revelation 12:12)