THE BEGINNING OF ALL THINGS
By James Herschel Lyda
January 6, 2012
Gen. 1:
1 ¶ (AV) In the beginning God created the heaven
and the earth.
Gen. 1:1
¶ (RV09) EN el principio crió Dios los
cielos y la tierra.
We can read
this by stopping at, In the beginning God. Why stop here? What was in the very beginning?
I asked a question at a meeting several of us had several weeks ago. Where did
God come from? I was glad that someone gave the correct answer almost
immediately. He came from nowhere, He has always been, was the answer.
God was not created, nor did he come from some other place. He had no beginning
but as far as man is concerned everything has to have a beginning, but God is
the beginning. He has always existed with no beginning or ending. This is the
only logical answer. If He had a beginning then something had to exist before
Him and cause Him to come into being, so He is the beginning of all things.
Re 1:8 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.
Apoc
1:8 (RV09) Yo soy el Alpha y la Omega,
principio y fin, dice el Señor, que es y que era y que ha de venir, el
Todopoderoso.
Re
22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Apoc
22:13 (RV09) Yo soy Alpha y Omega,
principio y fin, el primero y el postrero.
God was the first to exist and does
exist from infinity to infinity. God is in existence at present, “Rev. 1:8 which
is”. God was in existence always in the past, “Rev. 1:8 which was”. And God
will still be in existence forever in the future, “Rev. 1:8 which is to
come”. The Almighty:
al·might·y (ôl-m
t
)
adj.
1.
Having
absolute power; all-powerful: almighty God. The
source of all power.
Well, what is God? What are His attributes or
characteristics?
·
He
is Almighty (all-powerful) according
to Revelations 6:16
·
He
is immortal (can never die), always
in existence according to 1Timothy 6:16
·
He
cannot lie according to Titus
1:2
·
He
understands or knows all things
according to Psalms 147:5
·
He
is found everywhere at the same time according
to Psalms 139:7-13
·
He
never changes ( with whom is
no variableness, neither shadow of turning) according to James 1:17
·
He
is Righteous and never does wrong
according to Job 34:10 & 12
·
He
is a Jealous God (thou shalt
worship no other god) according to Exodus 34:14
·
He
is The One and Only True Living God
( this is in the first commandment) according to Deut. 6:1 & 4; Mark
12:29
Does He have
a body? He is the source of all power and all that exists or will ever exist in
the entire universe. ( if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; All
flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust. Job 34:14-15)
John 4:24 (AV) God is a Spirit: and they that worship
him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 4:24 (RV09) Dios es Espíritu; y los que le adoran,
en espíritu y en verdad es necesario que adoren.
The word
spirit comes from a Greek word “pneuma” which means wind or breath. But spirit
is the power or influence that one has over someone or something. God is the
source of all power. God is Spirit or the source of all power in the universe but
does this mean that He does not have a body?
Gen. 1:27 (AV) So God created man in his own image, in
the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
27 (RV09) Y crió Dios al hombre á su imagen, á
imagen de Dios lo crió; varón y hembra los crió.
So God has a
body in the same image as us but it does not tell us if He is made of flesh as
we are. We do not know what makes up God’s body but we do know that His
appearance is like ours.
John 14:9 (AV) Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so
long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen
me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
John 14:9 (RV09) Jesús le dice: ¿Tanto tiempo ha que
estoy con vosotros, y no me has conocido, Felipe? El que me ha visto, ha visto
al Padre; ¿cómo, pues, dices tú: Muéstranos el Padre?
Jesus, like
us was made in the image of God. I am in the image of my father who died many
years ago. Remember, God allowed Moses to see part of Him.
Exo. 33:20 (AV) And he said, Thou canst not see my face:
for there shall no man see me, and live.
Exo. 33:20 (RV09) Dijo más: No podrás ver mi rostro:
porque no me verá hombre, y vivirá.
21 (AV) And the LORD said, Behold, there is a
place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
21 (RV09) Y dijo aún Jehová: He aquí lugar junto
á mí, y tú estarás sobre la peña:
22 (AV) And it shall come to pass, while my
glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover
thee with my hand while I pass by:
22 (RV09) Y será que, cuando pasare mi gloria,
yo te pondré en una hendidura de la peña, y te cubriré con mi mano hasta que
haya pasado:
23 (AV) And I will take away mine hand, and thou
shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
23 (RV09) Después apartaré mi mano, y verás mis
espaldas; mas no se verá mi rostro.
So Moses saw
God’s back parts because no mortal can look upon His face and live. So we find
that God is from everlasting in the past, to everlasting in the future. He has
a form or image like ours. He is the source of all power. Is there another
being like Him? There are other things that people call gods and even worship
them but they are manmade and do not possess any power of their own. Man has
created false gods since before flood. Most of them were pagan idols that had
to be carried about by mankind, but some were men who declared themselves to be
a god.
Isa. 46:9 (AV) Remember the former things of old: for I
am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
Isa. 46:9 (RV09) Acordaos de las cosas pasadas desde el
siglo; porque yo soy Dios, y no hay más Dios, y nada hay á mí semejante;
If God who is all
knowledgeable knows of no other god like Him in the universe, then there can't
possibly be another god in the universe. All others are false imitators of god.
So God is the only One Living and True God of all things. He is One. One is a
singular number.
Deut. 6:4 ¶ (AV) Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one
LORD:
Deut. 6:4 ¶ (RV09) Oye, Israel: Jehová nuestro Dios,
Jehová uno es:
He is not two gods,
not three gods, but ONE GOD. Mathematics teaches us that 1 is not 2 or 3 but it
can only be 1, singular. 1 is not a compound number. It is not made up
of multiple items but it is singular and not plural.
I Titus 2:5 (AV) For there is one God, and one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
I Titus 2:5 (RV09) Porque hay un Dios, asimismo un
mediador entre Dios y los hombres, Jesucristo hombre;
1 and 1 = 2.
And is the same as + in mathematics. One God + one mediator = 2 individuals.
The man,
Jesus Christ was born the Only Son of God for the purpose to be a
mediator between sinful man and a Righteous God. We cannot approach unto God to ask for
forgiveness as long as we are sinners and mortal, therefore we had to have a
mediator (a lawyer) to go to God and plead our case. Jesus Christ, a man without
sin and mortal. He did what God could not do. He died (remember God
is immortal, he cannot die). Christ died in place of us to pay the penalty (of death)
that Adam and Eve brought upon all mankind by sinning (by doing what God told
them not to do, they eat of the tree of
knowledge of good and evil) in the Garden of Eden. Christ paid the price for us,
if we will only accept Him and live by obeying God’s commandments and precepts
for the rest of our lives. We must strive to be the best that we can be.
Even though it is impossible, we must strive to be perfect.
2 Ti.
1:9 (AV) Who hath saved us, and called
us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
2 Ti. 1:9 (RV09) Que nos salvó y llamó con vocación
santa, no conforme á nuestras obras, mas según el intento suyo y gracia, la
cual nos es dada en Cristo Jesús antes de los tiempos de los siglos,
10 (AV) But is now made manifest by the appearing
of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life
and immortality to light through the gospel:
10 (RV09) Mas ahora es manifestada por la
aparición de nuestro Salvador Jesucristo, el cual quitó la muerte, y sacó á la
luz la vida y la inmortalidad por el evangelio;
Jesus Christ
was promised from the Garden of Eden that He would pay the price for our sins
but He did not bring life to everyone but only the ones who would accept Him as
our Sacrifice. The invitation was given to all mankind to repent, accept Christ
as our personal sacrifice, be baptized by immersion under the water and
continue unto the end living a more perfect life for Christ as is taught to us
through the gospel. And then it is all summed up in Revelations.
Rev. 21:2 (AV) And I John saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband.
Rev. 21:2 (RV09) Y yo Juan vi la santa ciudad,
Jerusalem nueva, que descendía del cielo, de Dios, dispuesta como una esposa
ataviada para su marido.
3 (AV) And I heard a great voice out of heaven
saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them,
and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their
God.
3 (RV09) Y oí una gran voz del cielo que decía:
He aquí el tabernáculo de Dios con los hombres, y morará con ellos; y ellos
serán su pueblo, y el mismo Dios será su Dios con ellos.
4 (AV) And God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor
crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed
away.
4 (RV09) Y limpiará Dios toda lágrima de los
ojos de ellos; y la muerte no será más; y no habrá más llanto, ni clamor, ni
dolor: porque las primeras cosas son pasadas.
5 (AV) And he that sat upon the throne said,
Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are
true and faithful.
5 (RV09) Y el que estaba sentado en el trono
dijo: He aquí, yo hago nuevas todas las cosas. Y me dijo: Escribe; porque estas
palabras son fieles y verdaderas.
6 (AV) And he said unto me, It is done. I am
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is
athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
6 (RV09) Y díjome: Hecho es. Yo soy Alpha y
Omega, el principio y el fin. Al que tuviere sed, yo le daré de la fuente del
agua de vida gratuitamente.
7 (AV) He that overcometh shall inherit all
things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
7 (RV09) El que venciere, poseerá todas las
cosas; y yo seré su Dios, y él será mi hijo.
8 (AV) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and
the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death.
8 Mas á los temerosos é incrédulos, á los
abominables y homicidas, á los fornicarios y hechiceros, y á los idólatras, y á
todos los mentirosos, su parte será en el lago ardiendo con fuego y azufre, que
es la muerte segunda.