I AM the Beginning

By Julie Hogan

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

As J Preston Eby well noted, the words “in the beginning” do not point to a specific point in time, but to the glorious and precious Person of our Lord Jesus Christ, He Himself saying, “I AM the Alpha and Omega, THE BEGINNING and the ending.”  Jesus is the beginning of all things.  Before He was manifest in the flesh, He existed in Spirit form as The Christ.  Genesis 1:1 could easily be rendered. . .

“In the Christ God created the heaven and the earth.” 

Likewise, in John 1:1 we read about this same Christ who had not yet been made manifest in the flesh.  When “Christ” is substituted for “beginning” in this verse, our understanding of the nature of the Godhead becomes illuminated in a marvelous new way.

“In the Christ was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

You see, in the natural order of things, thought precedes word.  And, when God speaks, His words become reality.  With God, thought, word, and action are ONE – meaning there is no difference between His thinking, speaking, and acting.  This is the very essence of TRUTH.  Hence, the Truth of God comes to us by way of His Son – the Word of God, and that Son was in The Christ from the beginning!

The Greek word logos [G3056] quite literally means: SOMETHING SAID (INCLUDING THE THOUGHT), by implication: A TOPIC (SUBJECT OF DISCOURSE), the usage of which denotes: A WORD UTTERED BY A LIVING VOICE EMBODYING A CONCEPT OR IDEA, THE ACT OF SPEAKING.

“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin. . .and the virgin’s name was Mary. . .And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”  Luke 1:26-27; 30-33

“But while he [Joseph] thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”  Matthew 1:20-21

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and TRUTH.”  John 1:14

“Jesus saith. . .I AM the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”  John 14:6

“No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” John 1:18

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”  1 Timothy 3:16

 

  1. In the CHRIST was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

  2. The same (Jesus) was in the CHRIST with God.

  3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

  4. In him was LIFE; and the life was the LIGHT of men.

  5. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

“Therefore IF any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become NEW.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Jesus said, “I AM the LIGHT OF THE WORLD: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the LIGHT OF LIFE.”  John 8:12

The Greek word for “world” is kosmos [G2889] meaning: ADORNING, HARMONIOUS ARRANGEMENT.  Here, a listing of its Biblical usages is most helpful, for Jesus said, “My kingdom is NOT of this kosmos” - that is, not of this earthly arrangement.

J Preston Eby writes, “God sitteth upon the circle of the earth," said the prophet, Isaiah. While the word for "circle" in the Hebrew text denotes the sphericity of the earth, it may also denote the cycles of nature. These cycles are the continual goings and comings of the seasons, days, months and years, ordained by God in the beginning (in Christ). Everything in nature moves in cycles: winter and summer, seedtime and harvest; generation after generation all show the might and wisdom of God. Even electricity must have a circuit. There are positives and negatives in all of nature, and everything flows through them. . . SO IT IS WITH GOD’S WORK.

In the spiritual realm there are the positives and negatives of life and death, good and evil, spirit and flesh, blessing and curse, temptation and triumph, strength and weakness, light and darkness, God and Satan. It is in the interplay between these that we are brought to perfection! It is therefore reasonable to conclude that man, the highest of God’s creation, came out of God, was then lowered into the world of vanity, darkness, and death, but will return to God, thus completing the cycle, not in part, but in full. Our Lord Jesus Christ is Himself the supreme illustration and example of this wonderful truth, for He came out of God, descended into the lower parts of the earth, that is, into the very depths of human nature and experience in the fall and the curse, overcame in it, and then arose and returned back into God.” – End Quote

And that my friend is the very definition of Day and Night!  Day and Night are not measures of “time” but the Positive and Negative FORCES at work in the KOSMOS acting as the “schoolmasters” which bring us back to our origin in Christ.  And while I agree wholeheartedly with Eby, I can also see the Positive and Negative sides of the SAME force at work.  For example, when I think of “darkness”, my mind immediately turns to Psalm 88 where “darkness” is aptly compared to death and the grave. 

“I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength: Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand. Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps ([H4688] meaning “depth of the sea”). . .Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction? Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?”

The Hebrew word for darkness is hosek [H2822] meaning: THE DARK; but figuratively, it means: MISERY, DESTRUCTION, DEATH, IGNORANCE, SORROW, and WICKEDNESS. Here, the Psalmist has been torn from all that he has known and loved, being left all alone in the seemingly hopelessness of despair.  Yet, this same word used in Isaiah 45:3 to describe the Lord gifting to “His anointed one” (Cyrus) the “TREASURES of darkness,” and the “HIDDEN RICHES of secret places”.

Now, if darkness represents “death” and “wickedness”, how can it also represent “treasures” and “hidden riches”?

“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace,

and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.” 

 

  1. In the Christ God created the heaven and the earth.

  2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

  3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

  4. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

  5. And God called the light DAY, and the darkness he called NIGHT. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

When taking a closer look at the opening verses of Genesis, we see that the phrase “without form” is one word in Hebrew, tou [H8414] meaning: VAIN, VANITY, CONFUSION, WILDERNESS.  The opposite of H8414 is G4148, which is the Greek word ploutizo, meaning: TO MAKE WEALTHY, ENRICH.

8414 + 4148 = 12,562

The 12,562nd verse from the end of the Bible is Isaiah 44:6 (Verify: HERE), “Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”

The word “void” is bou [H922] meaning: AN UNDISTINGUISHABLE RUIN, EMPTINESS. 

Which brings into question Psalm 18:11. . .

“And He made the DARKNESS His SECRET PLACE; His pavilion round about Him were DARK WATERS and thick clouds of the skies.”

The word darkness [H2824] means: OBSCURE (HIDDEN), LOW.  The phrase “thick clouds” is one Hebrew word ab [H5645] whose root [H5743] means: TO BE COVERED WITH A CLOUD (as in a PLACE OF REFUGE).  This word is an architectural term meaning: THRESHOLD, or the STEPS leading to an ENTRANCE.  The word skies [H7834] simply means: VAPOR, FIRMAMENT.

Yet, I believe the most important of these words is pavilion, or suka [H5521] meaning: BOOTH, TENT.  This is the same word used to describe the temporary “booths” the Israelite people dwelt in during the Feast of Tabernacles.  And, just as the “cloud” covered mount Sinai at the giving of the Law (Exodus 24:15-18), so also did it cover the Tabernacle when it was consecrated. "And the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle, and Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40:34-35). Many years later, when Solomon had finished the work of the temple, "The cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord" (I Kings 8:10-11).  The same God who filled the Temple upon Mt. Moriah, had now filled a tent of flesh, dwelling as a man among men!

“In the last day, that great day of the feast [Tabernacles], Jesus stood up and cried, saying, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink.  He that believeth on Me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”  John 7:39

“Know ye not that YE are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in YOU?”

To me, this speaks of the mind that has been clouded over so that one cannot “see” the inner man, which is Christ.  His seed is within us, but there is a vail separating the dimly lit Holy Place from the fully illuminated Holy of Holies that we must yet pass through. . .that is to say, His flesh.

Paul, speaking to those Hebrews who had already come to believe on Christ, admonishes them still, saying, ‘Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, HIS FLESH; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

In contrast to the “dark waters” seen at the beginning of our human experience, by the time we have made our way back to the Father, the waters have become pure and clear. . .

“For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.”  Zephaniah 3:9

The word pure here is barar (בָּרַר ) [H1305] meaning:

“I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and THE ENDING.” You see, if everything (including YOU!) has had its beginning in Christ, it shall also have its ending in Him as well.

“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.”  Revelation 22:1 “The Kingdom of God is within you. . .” Luke 17:21. Hence, this “pure river of water of life” symbolizes the reign and rule of the Sons of God under the leadership of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.”  Zechariah 14:9

The curse of Babel will be reversed.  The Spirit of the Lord will fill every heart on the face of the earth and they will leave off from their futile attempts to create a “one world government” to embrace the True Light and Life that is The Christ, the Holy Lamb of God.  Thus, will the promise of God to Abraham find its ultimate fulfilment so that the Glory of the Lord shall fill all the families of the earth!

“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the Glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the Light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

The Eternal Christ

J Preston Eby writes. . .

“Grace be unto you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come.” Revelation 1:4

It seems to me that in the realm of the Spirit, past, present, and future co-exist.  It is when we are "high and lifted up" in the throne realm that we are given the ability to see the past, the present, and the future all at once.  Where our Lord is mentioned in the Book of Revelation, He is spoken of as He who is, He who was, and He who is to come — meaning that when we leave this earthly realm, we transcend time as we know it.  Planet earth is but the tiniest of specks in the eye of God’s infinite greatness - a virtual reality stage upon which man lives out his natural life.  The five senses manipulate us into believing that what we see, hear, feel, taste, and touch are real — but what if all that you see and touch and feel are not real - in fact, what if they are not realities at all?!  The way I see it, they are merely a passing phenomenon - a vapor.  [Website authors note: Psalm 62 speaks of this, saying (in essence). . .”The low born are only a breath.  The high born, a lie.  When they are weighed, they are only a breath, and like vain hope, they die.”]

In our journey from the natural to the spiritual realm we’ve learned that were it not for a power beyond the things we see, none of them would exist. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:1-3). That which we perceive as reality is temporary and passing and has been established out of something eternal that your eye cannot see!  "Wherefore henceforth we know no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more" (2 Corinthians 5:16).  If we want to walk with God we must be willing to jump out of the boat of the five senses and learn how to let our spirit gravitate into WHAT God is, and then bring it back down into this earth until it takes on His LIFE. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).  What a revealtion this is!!

You see, every time Jesus is mentioned in this Book, He is never mentioned in just the past, nor just the present, nor just in the future.  No! every time we meet Jesus in the Book of Revelation it is the Jesus who is, and who was, and who is to come. . .and, the reason for this is that Revelation is the ONLY book which gives us a view of the kingdom of God from the divine perspective — as God views it.  The Lord which is, and which was, and which is to come is God expressed in the dimension of TIME.  This is not talking about the eternal Lord who is without beginning or end (for He most certainly is the Eternal One!), but the verbs “was”, “is” and “to come” relate to TIME.  Was, is, and is to come are all TIME expressions.  Therefore, TIME is a closed loop!  

You will not find this Lord who is, and was, and is to come, in eternity! 

This is the God of the ages revealed in a unique Lordship within those ages!  A concept we must grasp in order to understand God’s plan of the ages is that time consists of past, present, and future just as man is created having youth, middle age, and old age.  You cannot smell, touch, or feel time, but it is there, ever-present, always marching into the future.  When time was created, it had a beginning - likewise, it shall have an end. This Lord who is, and who was, and who is to come, is the beginning and the end.  Jesus is the Alpha and Omega of man as he travels through this realm of sin and death on his way to the eternal.  "For by [literally “in” G1722] Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in the earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by [“through” G1223] him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by [“in”] him all things consist” (Colossians 1:16-17).  Before the creation of the universe, there was no time; at the end of the ages when the present material universe is dissolved and replaced by a new, spiritual universe, time as we know it shall cease to exist.  It will be swallowed up into eternity, just as all death will be swallowed up into victory, and there shall be no more no more time and no more death!  This Lord who is, and who was, and who is to come, is the Lord we meet in this dimension of time and space, though He, Himself, be Eternal.

The Bible provides very little regarding the definition of the word "eternity" because it was written for man who lives in a temporal state and who is not yet a totally eternal being.  Only as we enter that state of being called eternal. . .[let me rephrase that] - only as Jesus who IS ETERNITY becomes “All-in-all” within us thus allowing eternity to become an absolute reality to us. . . only then will formerly temporal beings such as we now are, truly comprehend and understand eternity and things of an eternal nature.  This marvelous work has now begun within our spirit as our spirit has been quickened by God’s Spirit!  Like I said, the Bible is relatively silent about what eternity is - not to say that human teachings and theology haven’t taught us a great deal about this subject, but the problem is that much of it over the past centuries has come from the carnal minds of Babylonish theologians and not from the mind of the Eternal One via the Holy Spirit.  

Eternity is a state of absolute timelessness, not of unending time.  Eternity is a state of being without change, fluctuation or progression, resident in the very nature and person of God in which such concepts as past, present, future, before, after, change, transition, growth, birth, death, beginning, end, etc., do not exist.  Do you see?  Time is not a “part” of eternity.  Eternity is not composed of segments of time.  Eternity is not time standing still.  It is simply not time at all!  Eternity doesn’t go on and on and on, ad infinitum.  Eternity doesn’t go anywhere, nor does it do anything.  Eternity simply IS.  It is just a glorious experience of BEING!  Eternity simply IS, just as God simply IS.  Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58) — not “Before Abraham was, I WAS.”  There are no past or future tenses in eternity.  There is only one eternal NOW!  Only One All Encompassing and Eternal God!  Our forever faithful Lord. . .JESUS, THE CHRIST!

Shine on O Eternal One!

Shine on!

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