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Wednesday, April 11 2007
by Wayne Blank
"He was in the world and the world was made through Him"
The first verses of Genesis, as quoted above, are among the most well-known of the Bible. But the Scriptures do provide much more detail about how, and through Whom, and for Whom, the physical Creation occurred. Because time is a measurement of physical change, time began at the creation of the physical universe. There was no time before the physical creation (i.e. there was no time before the beginning of time, just as, for example, there is nothing north of the North Pole, even though everything exists beginning at the North Pole), hence the reason that God, Who is not physical, but Spirit, has always existed.
From the Gospel record of John, in referring to Jesus Christ, the Word of God, through Whom "all things were made":
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:1-5 RSV)
The Word was born as a man (the Bible most-often uses the term "man" in referring to the species as a whole), as the means, the bridge, by which the humans who accept Him for what and Who He is, can themselves "become children of God" in due time.
"He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world knew Him not. He came to His own home, and His own people received Him not. But to all who received Him, who believed in His Name, He gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father." (John 1:10-14 RSV)
The Messiah became the "first-born of all creation" after "all things were created through Him and for Him."
"He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities - all things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:15-17 RSV)
Christ is the Creator of His church, His people (church literally means people, the "called out ones") physically, for now, and later spiritually when they are truly born again according to plan (see When Will You Be Judged?).
"He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything He might be pre-eminent. For in Him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross." (Colossians 1:18-20 RSV)
Fact Finder: What is the process by which God's physical children are being transformed into His spiritual children?
See Daughter of Zion
Today's Word
The Holy Bible was primarily written in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. Today's Word examines the pronunciation and literal meaning of one of those actual words of the Holy Scriptures and how it is usually translated into English-language Bibles.
The Hebrew word pronounced coe-desh means set apart. It is most often translated for use in English language Bibles as holy or dedicated.
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This Day In History, April 11
217: Accession of Macrinus, the 24th Roman emperor, reigned 217-218
1506: The foundation stone of St. Peter's Basilica was laid under the patronage of Julius II. The church was not completed until 1626.
1512: The forces of the "Holy League" are defeated by the French at the Battle of Ravenna.
1713: The Treaty of Utrecht was signed to end the War of The Spanish Succession.
1814: Napoleon was exiled to Elba.
1864: Archduke Maximilian of Austria accepted the throne of Mexico.
1941: German bombers blitzed Coventry, England.
1951: Police recovered the Stone of Scone (pronounced "scoon") which had been stolen from Westminster Abbey over 3 months earlier. The 484 pound stone has been part of the coronation ceremonies for British monarchs since it had been brought to London in 1296.
1961: Israel began the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichman.
1965: 40 tornadoes struck the U.S. Midwest, killing 272 people and injuring 5,000.
1970: Apollo 13 was launched.
1982: Allen Goodman, a U.S.-born Israeli soldier, went on a shooting rampage on The Temple Mount. Storming into the Al Aksa Mosque with an M-16 rifle, Goodman killed a Muslim guard and wounded other Arabs. The incident set off a week of rioting and strikes in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. Goodman was convicted a year later and sentenced to life plus 2 terms of 20 years. The sentence was later reduced to 24 years, of which he served less than 16 years before being released on October 16 1997.
1997: Fire severely damaged the church that housed The Shroud of Turin (see also Shroud Of Turin: A Miraculous Fake?), however firemen were able to save the relic.
