JOHN 1:1 who is the WORD?

[terraricca]

charles

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The omnipotence of God's love is always to give all creatures total freedom to establish themselves the way they want to be, even the most imperfect,and work only through His unfathomable love, through their free will and without the least awareness of His work,to make them perfect.

so God is blind they say LOVE HIS BLIND ,

are you really understand what is GODS LOVE???

[terraricca]

charles

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To remind you if therefore Jesus was created, He would have been a creature, not His direct Son, already perfect,and He would have never had the direct experience of the Father.

you really do not care of what scriptures are saying right

[carmel]

so the book of JOB and Satan is a false book [/quote]

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so the book of JOB and Satan is a false book

Terraricca,

AGAIN, clarify yourself please!!

[carmel]

Quote (terraricca @ July 23 2012,13:54)

charles Quote The omnipotence of God's love is always to give all creatures total freedom to establish themselves the way they want to be, even the most imperfect,and work only through His unfathomable love, through their free will and without the least awareness of His work,to make them perfect. so God is blind they say LOVE HIS BLIND , are you really understand what is GODS LOVE???

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so God is blind they say LOVE HIS BLIND ,

Terraricca<

NEVER COMPERE GOD WITH US,

OUR LOVE IS NOT ONLY BLIND BUT ALSO CORRUPTED

[carmel]

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so God is blind  they say LOVE HIS BLIND ,

Terraricca

NEVER COMPERE GOD WITH US,

OUR LOVE IS NOT ONLY BLIND BUT ALSO CORRUPTED

WE DO NOT KNOW HOW TO LOVE IN THE TRUTH ALTHOUGH WE ARE CONVINCED THAT WE ARE SO!!!

ON HEAVEN NET WE ARE SUPPOSE TO DO ALL THESE POSTS FOR THE LOVE OF JESUS.

ARE WE?

Peace and LOVE IN JESUS

CHARLES

[carmel]

you really do not care of what scriptures are saying right [/quote]

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you really do not care of what scriptures are saying right

Terraricca,

AGAIN for the love of Jesus.

If you keep on posting like that without being clear,we will never get somewhere.

I myself do not know if you did understand what I meant or not!!

So be more specific and clear.

Peace and love in Jesus

Charles

[Frank4YAHWEH]

Just Who Is — “The Alpha and the Omega”?

The old pagan doctrine of a “pre-existent savior,” kept alive and well by religious impostors through the mediums of radio, television and publishing, is much more dangerous than most people realize — because it was actually invented for the purpose of taking away the HEADSHIP and position of YEHOVAH God our Creator, and exalting the Messiah to a position that is not rightfully his! This article uncovers one such attempt to pervert the Scriptures and foist upon the unsuspecting reader the false doctrine of the pre-existence of Yeshua the Messiah.

John D. Keyser

In a letter we recently received from a man on our mailing list, the following comments were made:

   “The following four verses claim that both YHVH and Jesus are both the Alpha and the Omega, which would suggest that Jesus is the Lord of the Old Testament and thus pre-existed according to William Dankenbring's understanding. John records in Revelation the words of God, saying, '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). 'I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it' (Isaiah 44:6). 'I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!' (Rev. 1:17-18). Jesus says, 'And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I AM ALPHA AND OMEGA, THE BEGINNING AND THE END, the first and the last….I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star' (Rev. 22:12-16).”

Things are not always what they seem — Dankenbring not withstanding! This article will explain the TRUE meaning of the above verses and show how error crept into the 1611 King James Version of the Bible!

The phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” can be found FOUR TIMES in the King James Version of the Bible. However, this phrase should only have been included TWO TIMES! Why? Because it was added to these scriptures in order to infer that it was also Yeshua who was “the Alpha and the Omega” — and not just YEHOVAH the Father!

The phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” is first found written in Revelation 1:8 in the King James Version. In this verse it refers to YEHOVAH — notice:

   I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

This verse couldn't be any more clearer — this is YEHOVAH God speaking about Himself.

The fact that the title “the Alpha and the Omega” in this verse refers to only YEHOVAH God is found confirmed in the reference, Insight on the Scriptures —

   While many commentators apply this title [the Alpha and the Omega] both to God and to Christ, a more careful examination of its use restricts its application to Jehovah God. The first verse of Revelation shows that the revelation was given originally by God and through Jesus Christ, hence the one speaking (though an angelic representation) at times is God himself, and at other times it is Christ Jesus. (Re. 22:8) Thus Revelation 1:8 (RS) says: “'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God [“Jehovah God,” NW], who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Although the preceding verse speaks of Christ Jesus, it is clear that in verse 8 the application of the title is to “the Almighty” God. In this regard Barnes' Notes on the New Testament (1974) observes: “It cannot be absolutely certain that the writer meant to refer to the Lord Jesus specifically here…There is no real incongruity in supposing, also, that the writer here meant to refer to God as such.” — Volume 1, page 81.

Then, in Revelation 1:11 (KJV), the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” is again found —

   …saying, “I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea” (New King James Version).

After the apostle John heard this being spoken, he turned around to see WHO said it (verse 12) — but saw Yeshua the Messiah (verses 13-17). However, Yeshua here reassures John that he was NOT the Alpha and the Omega! We can see this for ourselves in Revelation 1:17-18, which states —

   And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST. I am he who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”

In other words, Yeshua told John NOT to be afraid, for HE WAS NOT THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA! Yeshua simply did NOT identify himself by that title! This is born out in other versions of the New Testament where the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” in Revelation 1:11 is not even included — notice!

   …saying, “Write down what you see on a scroll, and send it to the seven Messianic communities — Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea!” (Revelation 1:11, Jewish New Testament).

Absolutely no sign of the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” here! In the New International Version — and even the Authorized Catholic Edition — not a trace of the phrase can be found in verse 11.

Similarly, The New Testament of the Jerusalem Bible also omits this phrase — notice!

   “Write down all that you see in a book, and send it to the seven churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea” (Revelation 1:11).

Mention of this is also found in the Bible dictionary Insight on the Scriptures — Volume 1, Page 80. Notice —

   The additional occurrence of this phrase in the King James rendering of Revelation 1:11, however, does not receive support from some of the oldest Greek manuscripts, including the Alexandrine, Sinaitic, and Codex Ephraemi rescriptus. It is, therefore, omitted in many modern translations.

Moving forward to Revelation 21:6-7 the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” can once again be found (in the KJV):

   And he said to me, “It is done! I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”

Here it is YEHOVAH God the Father speaking and prophesying. All of this chapter is about the New Jerusalem descending from heaven with YEHOVAH God on the throne.

“The title [the Alpha and the Omega] occurs again,” states Insight on the Scriptures, “at Revelation 21:6, and the following verse identifies the speaker by saying: 'Anyone conquering will inherit these things, and I shall be his God and he will be my son.' Inasmuch as Jesus referred to those who are joint heirs with him in his Kingdom as 'brothers,' not 'sons,' the speaker must be Jesus' heavenly Father, Jehovah God. — Mt. 25:40; compare Heb. 2:10-12” (Volume 1, page 81).

Now we come to another scripture in which the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” was ADDED — in order to foist upon the unwary reader the theory that Yeshua was also “the Alpha and the Omega”! This scripture is Revelation 22:13. And Revelation 22:16 undeniably states that these are Yeshua's words —

   I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last (New King James Version)

In The Holy Bible, New King James Version, 1982, published by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Nashville, TN, there is a footnote to Revelation 22:13 which says —

   117. NU-Text and M-Text read the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

This footnote (#117) shows that the Alexandrian (NU) and the Vatican (M) texts leave out the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega.”

While not mentioning that this verse is not to be found in the Alexandrian and Vatican texts, Insight on the Scriptures agrees that this verse refers to YEHOVAH God the Father. Notice!

   The final occurrence of the title [the Alpha and the Omega] is at Revelation 22:13, which states: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” It is evident that a number of persons are represented as speaking in this chapter of Revelation; verses 8 and 9 show that the angel spoke to John, verse 16 obviously applies to Jesus, the first part of verse 17 is credited to “the spirit and the bride,” and the one speaking in the latter part of verse 20 is manifestly John himself. “The Alpha and the Omega” of verses 12-15, therefore, may properly be identified as the same one who bears the title in the other two occurrences: Jehovah God. The expression, “Look! I am coming quickly,” in verse 12, does not require that these aforementioned verses apply to Jesus, inasmuch as God also speaks of himself as “coming” to execute judgment. (Compare Isaiah 26:21.) Malachi 3:1-6 speaks of a joint coming for judgment on the part of Jehovah and his “messenger of the covenant.” — Volume 1, page 81.

Now, you might ask, what DIFFERENCE does it make that this phrase was added to this scripture (Revelation 22:13) — and also to Revelation 1:11? It makes a HUGE difference because it leads people to erroneously believe that Yeshua the Messiah pre-existed in the Godhead before his human birth; because NEVER BEFORE has there been a true understanding of what YEHOVAH God actually said when He identified Himself as “the ALPHA AND THE OMEGA”!

Aleph and Tau

Since we know that YEHOVAH God said He was “THE ALPHA AND OMEGA” in Revelation 1:8 and Revelation 21:6, let's thoroughly study these verses to learn the truth about each of them.

In Revelation 1:8, the Being Who is speaking identifies Himself as “THE ALMIGHTY” — Whom we all know is YEHOVAH. Almost all English versions of the Bible render this verse in the same way as the King James Version —

   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.

By merely leaving this text as it is written, a tremendous understanding of WHO YEHOVAH is has been lost. All one would read into this translation is that YEHOVAH is “the Alpha and Omega” — or the Beginning and the End. However, if these two Greek letters are researched in detail, we can readily see that YEHOVAH God is revealing much more about Himself than just the “Beginning and the End.”

In the Greek alphabet the letter “ALPHA” is the first letter, while “OMEGA” is the last. But in the HEBREW language — in which the New Testament scriptures are now known to have been originally written — the letter “ALEPH” is the first letter, and the letter “TAU” is the last.

It is admitted by Bible scholars that Revelation 1:8 should say (in Hebrew):

   I am the ALEPH and the TAU

instead of

   I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA

This we find in a number of translations, including the Disciples' New Testament. Notice:

   I am the ALAP and TAU, says the Lord God, the One who Is, and the One who Becomes and the One who Comes, the One and Only for all.

In a footnote to this verse, the Disciples' New Testament states: “To use 'Omega' here, that is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, is wrong, since the original utterance is in Aramaic and the title the Lord gives Himself must not be changed according to the alphabet of the language in which His title is translated; therefore, 'Tau' should be retained in all other languages. Incidentally, in Hebrew it is 'Tau' also (page 470).

The Anchor Bible, Revelation Volume 38, p. 379, gives us another explanation of this phrase, saying —

   8. the Alpha and the Omega. The Hebrew would be aleph and taw, probably standing respectively for Urim and Thummin, the sacred lots of the high priest used to determine the will of God and also meaning “all encompassing.”

Adam Clarke, in his Commentary, Volume 6, p. 971, confirms that “ALPHA AND OMEGA” is indeed “ALEPH AND TAU” in Hebrew. Notice what he says —

   [The beginning and the ending] That is, as aleph or alpha is the beginning of the alphabet, so am I the author and cause of all things; as tau or omega is the end or last letter of the alphabet, so am I the end of all things, the destroyer as well as the establisher of all things.

However, we would not be any better off if Revelation 1:8 is properly rendered, “I am the ALEPH and the TAU…” One still would not know what YEHOVAH means when He merely identifies Himself by the FIRST and the LAST letters of the Hebrew alphabet. We need to dig further into this subject. The letters ALEPH and TAU must be researched in depth to ascertain if they have a meaning, or message, to convey.

Unity and Perfection

What the translators of the Bible did not realize — or simply rejected — is that each individual Hebrew letter can be a word or phrase unto itself — with a specific meaning. This is clearly pointed out by Fabre d'Olivet in his intriguing book, The Hebraic Tongue Restored. Dr. d'Olivet shows clear, precise explanations for the meanings of each individual Hebrew letter — and to what they point out or declare. On page 98 of his book, Dr. d'Olivet explains that knowing that each Hebrew letter has a meaning of its own is the KEY to understanding the Bible —

   Twenty-two signs: such are the simple bases upon which reposes the Hebraic tongue, upon which are raised the primitive or derivative tongue which are attached to the same origin. From the perfect understanding of these bases, depends the understanding of their genius: their possession is a key which unlocks the roots.

In discussing the letters ALEPH and TAU, Dr. d'Olivet presents clear proof that these two letters make statements in their own right. The FIRST letter in the Hebrew alphabet (ALEPH), according to Dr. d'Olivet, stands for UNITY. Notice:

   A. — This first character of the alphabet, in nearly all known idioms, is the sign of power and of stability. The ideas that it expresses are those of unity and of the principle by which it is determined (The Hebraic Tongue Restored, p. 95).

Now, going to page 287, he states —

   A. First character of the alphabet in nearly all known idioms. As a symbolic image it represents universal man, mankind, the ruling being of the earth. In its hieroglyphic acceptation, it characterizes unity, the central point, the abstract principle of a thing. As a sign, it expresses power, stability, continuity.

On both page 98 and page 465 of this book, Dr. d'Olivet succinctly points out that the letter “TAU,” — the LAST letter of the Hebrew alphabet — means and stands for PERFECTION:

   TH. — Sign of reciprocity: image of that which is mutual and reciprocal. Sign of signs. Joining to the abundance of the character […], to the force of the resistance and protection of the character […], the idea of perfection and necessity of which it is the emblem.

Incredible as it may seem, both single letters: Aleph and Tau, are in themselves Hebrew words that have specific meanings. As we have just seen, Dr. d'Olivet clearly shows in his book that “Aleph” is a word or sign meaning UNITY, and that “TAU” is a word or sign indicating PERFECTION.

As Adam Clarke and the writers of The Anchor Bible, Revelation have shown, “the Alpha and the Omega” should have been written “The Aleph and the Tau.”

Now, with the true meanings of these Hebrew letters uncovered, we can see what YEHOVAH is actually saying in the scriptures we are studying. Let's look at Revelation 1:8:

   I am the UNITY and PERFECTION, the beginning and the
end, says YEHOVAH, Who is, Who was, and Who is coming, the Almighty.

Other scriptures verify that YEHOVAH is Unity and Perfection — in Deuteronomy 6:4 YEHOVAH says that He is ONE (UNITY). Notice —

   Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.

Yeshua the Messiah — the only begotten Son of YEHOVAH — who was the savior selected and anointed by YEHOVAH — clearly taught that YEHOVAH is Perfection, saying in Matthew 19:17:

   Why are you asking me about good [perfection]? There is One who is good [perfect]! But if you want to obtain eternal life, observe the mitzvot [commandments].

Then, in Matthew 5:48 —

   Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

YEHOVAH God is revealing Himself to be Unity and Perfection. These scriptures that reveal “the Alpha and the Omega” and “the Aleph and the Tau” to be YEHOVAH Almighty (Revelation 1:8 and 21:6) DO NOT point to Yeshua — nor can Revelation 1:11 and 22:13 where this phrase was ADDED in some versions of the Bible to “claim” that Yeshua the Messiah pre-existed!

Yeshua the Messiah: First and Last, Beginning and End

Having proven that the words “Alpha and Omega” were added to Revelation 1:11 and 22:13, the latter verse should correctly read:

   I am the FIRST and the LAST, the BEGINNING and the END.

We know that Yeshua said this; we know that it is no contradiction for him to call himself the “last” because he will live forever. We know it is no contradiction for him to call himself the “end” because he is the END RESULT of having kept his Father's laws perfectly. In Romans 10:4 we read —

   Christ is the end [result] of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Naturally, the translators tried to distort and misinterpret this verse to try and make you believe that Yeshua ended or “did away” with the law! If you research the meaning of the word translated “end” in this scripture you will find that it means ultimate, prophetic purpose or product — and not “end” as is universally understood in the English context. Religious deceivers also use Romans 10:4 to argue that the apostle Paul taught against YEHOVAH's laws! Nothing could be further from the truth! The apostle Paul NEVER once taught against the laws of YEHOVAH.

Now, in Revelation 22:13, Yeshua calls himself the “LAST” because he has been resurrected to eternal life and will never die again. He called himself the “END” because he is the END PRODUCT — the ultimate result of the law of YEHOVAH.

But what did he mean when he called himself the “FIRST” in Revelation 22:13? Did he mean that he was the first being to ever exist? Many would have you think so. Did he mean that he was “the Father of all the living”? There are many who would have you think so. Was Yeshua saying that he pre-existed? If you let scripture interpret scripture the meaning will be very clear. Notice, please, Revelation 1:5:

   And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth…

So therefore, when Yeshua called himself the “FIRST” in Revelation 22:13 — he was not referring to “pre-existence” at all! Yeshua simply meant that he was the first begotten of the dead, which means that he was THE FIRST TO BE RAISED FROM THE DEAD! Because Yeshua is now raised from the dead, he is now immortal — he is the FIRST to be fully created in the whole image of YEHOVAH! This is what Yeshua meant when he said that he was the “FIRST” in Revelation 22:13.

What, then, did he mean when he called himself the “BEGINNING” in the same verse? Does this imply that he was in the beginning with YEHOVAH — as many would have you believe? The answer to these questions is found in Revelation 3:14, which says —

   And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God [YEHOVAH]:

In this scripture Yeshua calls himself the “beginning of the creation of God [YEHOVAH].” Yes, of course! Man — in his present physical state — is only a HALF-CREATED being, because we, mankind, are still corruptible flesh, as Paul says in I Corinthians 15:53:

   For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

The fact is, we are still dying in this world. If you do not believe me, just check the obituary section of your local newspaper. Man is only in the LIKENESS of YEHOVAH at this time — man was created to resemble YEHOVAH. Man has a form just like YEHOVAH's: a head, chest, arms, legs, feet, etc. — just as the Bible describes YEHOVAH as having.

However, Yeshua the Messiah — because he is the FIRST to be raised from the dead to eternal life — is NOW in the FULL IMAGE of YEHOVAH; he is PERFECTED. He has become the First, or the Beginning — AMONG MEN — to reach the state of PERFECT, completed, whole creation, as YEHOVAH's plan for mankind is.

Therefore, he was NOT referring to pre-existence in calling himself the “Beginning” in Revelation 22:13. Yeshua the Messiah simply means that HE was the “Beginning” — the FIRST PERFECTED of YEHOVAH's whole creation plan for mankind.

There is no evidence whatsoever that the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” refers to the Messiah — in fact, the exact opposite is apparent when we carefully examine the occurrences of this phrase in the Book of Revelation.
SOURCE

[terraricca]

Quote (carmel @ July 24 2012,00:24)

so the book of JOB and Satan is a false book [/quote] Quote so the book of JOB and Satan is a false book Terraricca, AGAIN, clarify yourself please!!

charles
this is your quote ;

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Quote I said deadly because the most pure ceature ever created by God, could never possess the Father Spirit in Him directly, for the simple reason that God would eradicate this creature even with the least feeling of pride, which the Father expect even from such a creature so close to His purity,since he is created

well in the book of Job Satan when close to God within the assembly ,and he was in opposition they even talk to each other ?????

[terraricca]

T8

can you delete the long post from Frank because it is spam ,thank you

[Frank4YAHWEH]

Quote (terraricca @ July 24 2012,07:03)

T8 can you delete the long post from Frank because it is spam ,thank you

Pieear,

No, it is not spam! The article is directly in reference with the topic of pre-existence of Yahshua.

Did Yahshua Create Or Pre-exist His Birth?

“Jesus Is God!”?

…

[Frank4YAHWEH]

John 1:1 – But what about John 1:1?

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (NIV)

1. It is imperative that the serious student of the Bible come to a basic understanding of logos, which is translated as “Word” in John 1:1. Most Trinitarians believe that the word logos refers directly to Jesus Christ, so in most versions of John logos is capitalized and translated “Word” (some versions even write “Jesus Christ” in John 1:1). However, a study of the Greek word logos shows that it occurs more than 300 times in the New Testament, and in both the NIV and the KJV it is capitalized only 7 times (and even those versions disagree on exactly when to capitalize it). When a word that occurs more than 300 times is capitalized fewer than 10 times, it is obvious that when to capitalize and when not to capitalize is a translators’ decision based on their particular understanding of Scripture.

As it is used throughout Scripture, logos has a very wide range of meanings along two basic lines of thought. One is the mind and products of the mind like “reason,” (thus “logic” is related to logos) and the other is the expression of that reason as a “word,” “saying,” “command” etc. The Bible itself demonstrates the wide range of meaning logos has, and some of the ways it is translated in Scripture are: account, appearance, book, command, conversation, eloquence, flattery, grievance, heard, instruction, matter, message, ministry, news, proposal, question, reason, reasonable, reply, report, rule, rumor, said, say, saying, sentence, speaker, speaking, speech, stories, story, talk, talking, teaching, testimony, thing, things, this, truths, what, why, word and words.

Any good Greek lexicon will also show this wide range of meaning (the words in italics are translated from logos):

   speaking; words you say (Rom. 15:18, “what I have said and done”).
   a statement you make (Luke 20:20 – (NASB), “they might catch him in some statement).
   a question (Matt. 21:24, “I will also ask you one question”).
   preaching (1 Tim. 5:17, “especially those whose work is preaching and teaching).
   command (Gal. 5:14, “the entire law is summed up in a single command”).
   proverb; saying (John 4:37, “thus the saying, ‘One sows, and another reaps’”).
   message; instruction; proclamation (Luke 4:32, “his message had authority”).
   assertion; declaration; teaching (John 6:60, “this is a hard teaching”).
   the subject under discussion; matter (Acts 8:21, “you have no part or share in this ministry.” Acts 15:6 (NASB), “And the apostles… came together to look into this matter”).
   revelation from God (Matt. 15:6, “you nullify the Word of God ”).
   God’s revelation spoken by His servants (Heb. 13:7, “leaders who spoke the Word of God”).
   a reckoning, an account (Matt. 12:36, “men will have to give account” on the day of judgment).
   an account or “matter” in a financial sense (Matt. 18:23, A king who wanted to settle “accounts” with his servants. Phil. 4:15, “the matter of giving and receiving”).
   a reason; motive (Acts 10:29 – NASB), “I ask for what reason you have sent for me”). [1]

The above list is not exhaustive, but it does show that logos has a very wide range of meaning. With all the definitions and ways logos can be translated, how can we decide which meaning of logos to choose for any one verse? How can it be determined what the logos in John 1:1 is? Any occurrence of logos has to be carefully studied in its context in order to get the proper meaning. We assert that the logos in John 1:1 cannot be Jesus. Please notice that “Jesus Christ” is not a lexical definition of logos. This verse does not say, “In the beginning was Jesus.” “The Word” is not synonymous with Jesus, or even “the Messiah.” The word logos in John 1:1 refers to God’s creative self-expression—His reason, purposes and plans, especially as they are brought into action. It refers to God’s self-expression, or communication, of Himself. This has come to pass through His creation (Rom. 1:19 and 20), and especially the heavens (Ps. 19). It has come through the spoken word of the prophets and through Scripture, the written Word. Most notably and finally, it has come into being through His Son (Heb. 1:1 and 2).

The renowned Trinitarian scholar, John Lightfoot, writes:

The word logos then, denoting both “reason” and “speech,” was a philosophical term adopted by Alexandrian Judaism before St. Paul wrote, to express the manifestation of the Unseen God in the creation and government of the World. It included all modes by which God makes Himself known to man. As His reason, it denoted His purpose or design; as His speech, it implied His revelation. Christian teachers, when they adopted this term, exalted and fixed its meaning by attaching to it two precise and definite ideas: (1) “The Word is a Divine Person,” (2) “The Word became incarnate in Jesus Christ.” It is obvious that these two propositions must have altered materially the significance of all the subordinate terms connected with the idea of the logos. [2]

It is important to note that it was “Christian teachers” who attached the idea of a “divine person” to the word logos. It is certainly true that when the word logos came to be understood as being Jesus Christ, the understanding of John 1:1 was altered substantially. Lightfoot correctly understands that the early meaning of logos concerned reason and speech, not “Jesus Christ.” Norton develops the concept of logos as “reason” and writes:

There is no word in English answering to the Greek word logos, as used here [in John 1:1]. It was employed to denote a mode of conception concerning the Deity, familiar at the time when St. John wrote and intimately blended with the philosophy of his age, but long since obsolete, and so foreign from our habits of thinking that it is not easy for us to conform our minds to its apprehension. The Greek word logos, in one of its primary senses, answered nearly to our word Reason. The logos of God was regarded, not in its strictest sense, as merely the Reason of God; but, under certain aspects, as the Wisdom, the Mind, the Intellect of God (p. 307).

Norton postulates that perhaps “the power of God” would be a good translation for logos (p. 323). Buzzard sets forth “plan,” “purpose” or “promise” as three acceptable translations. Broughton and Southgate say “thoughts, plan or purpose of God, particularly in action.” Many scholars identify logos with God’s wisdom and reason.

The logos is the expression of God, and is His communication of Himself, just as a “word” is an outward expression of a person’s thoughts. This outward expression of God has now occurred through His Son, and thus it is perfectly understandable why Jesus is called the “Word.” Jesus is an outward expression of God’s reason, wisdom, purpose and plan. For the same reason, we call revelation “a word from God” and the Bible “the Word of God.”

If we understand that the logos is God’s expression—His plan, purposes, reason and wisdom, it is clear that they were indeed with Him “in the beginning.” Scripture says that God’s wisdom was “from the beginning” (Prov. 8:23). It was very common in Hebrew writing to personify a concept such as wisdom. No ancient Jew reading Proverbs would think that God’s wisdom was a separate person, even though it is portrayed as one in verses like Proverbs 8:29 and 30: “…when He marked out the foundations of the earth, I [wisdom] was the craftsman at His side.”

2. Most Jewish readers of the Gospel of John would have been familiar with the concept of God’s “word” being with God as He worked to bring His creation into existence. There is an obvious working of God’s power in Genesis 1
as He brings His plan into concretion by speaking things into being. The Targums are well known for describing the wisdom and action of God as His “word.” This is especially important to note because the Targums are the Aramaic translations and paraphrases of the Old Testament, and Aramaic was the spoken language of many Jews at the time of Christ. Remembering that a Targum is usually a paraphrase of what the Hebrew text says, note how the following examples attribute action to the word:

   And the word of the Lord was Joseph’s helper (Gen. 39:2).
   And Moses brought the people to meet the word of the Lord (Ex. 19:17).
   And the word of the Lord accepted the face of Job (Job 42:9).
   And the word of the Lord shall laugh them to scorn (Ps. 2:4).
   They believed in the name of His word (Ps. 106:12). [3]

The above examples demonstrate that the Jews were familiar with the idea of God’s Word referring to His wisdom and action. This is especially important to note because these Jews were fiercely monotheistic, and did not in any way believe in a “Triune God.” They were familiar with the idioms of their own language, and understood that the wisdom and power of God were being personified as “word.”

The Greek-speaking Jews were also familiar with God’s creative force being called “the word.” J. H. Bernard writes, “When we turn from Palestine to Alexandria [Egypt], from Hebrew sapiential [wisdom] literature to that which was written in Greek, we find this creative wisdom identified with the Divine logos, Hebraism and Hellenism thus coming into contact.” [4] One example of this is in the Apocryphal book known as the Wisdom of Solomon, which says, “O God of my fathers and Lord of mercy who hast made all things by thy word (logos), and by thy wisdom hast formed man…” (9:1). In this verse, the “word” and “wisdom” are seen as the creative force of God, but without being a “person.”

3. The logos, that is, the plan, purpose and wisdom of God, “became flesh” (came into concretion or physical existence) in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the “image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15) and His chief emissary, representative and agent. Because Jesus perfectly obeyed the Father, he represents everything that God could communicate about Himself in a human person. As such, Jesus could say, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father” (John 14:9). The fact that the logos “became” flesh shows that it did not exist that way before. There is no pre-existence for Jesus in this verse other than his figurative “existence” as the plan, purpose or wisdom of God for the salvation of man. The same is true with the “word” in writing. It had no literal pre-existence as a “spirit-book” somewhere in eternity past, but it came into being as God gave the revelation to people and they wrote it down.

4. The last phrase in the verse, which most versions translate as “and the Word was God,” should not be translated that way. The Greek language uses the word “God” (Greek = theos) to refer to the Father as well as to other authorities. These include the Devil (2 Cor. 4:4), lesser gods (1 Cor. 8:5) and men with great authority (John 10:34 and 35; Acts 12:22). At the time the New Testament was written, Greek manuscripts were written in all capital letters. The upper and lower case letters were not blended as we do today. Thus, the distinction that we today make between “God” and “god” could not be made, and the context became the judge in determining to whom “THEOS” referred.

Although context is the final arbiter, it is almost always the case in the New Testament that when “God” refers to the Father, the definite article appears in the Greek text (this article can be seen only in the Greek text, it is never translated into English). Translators are normally very sensitive to this (see John 10:33). The difference between theos with and without the article occurs in John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with “the theos,” and the Word was “theos.” Since the definite article is missing from the second occurrence of “theos” (“God,”) the usual meaning would be “god” or “divine.” The New English Bible gets the sense of this phrase by translating it, “What God was, the Word was.” James Moffatt who was a professor of Greek and New Testament Exegesis at Mansfield College in Oxford, England, and author of the well-known Moffatt Bible, translated the phrase, “the logos was divine.”

A very clear explanation of how to translate theos without the definite article can be found in Jesus As They Knew Him, by William Barclay, a professor at Trinity College in Glasgow:

In a case like this we cannot do other than go to the Greek, which is theos en ho logos. Ho is the definite article, the, and it can be seen that there is a definite article with logos, but not with theos. When in Greek two nouns are joined by the verb “to be,” and when both have the definite article, then the one is fully intended to be identified with the other; but when one of them is without the article, it becomes more an adjective than a noun, and describes rather the class or sphere to which the other belongs.

An illustration from English will make this clear. If I say, “The preacher is the man,” I use the definite article before both preacher and man, and I thereby identify the preacher with some quite definite individual man whom I have in mind. But, if I say, “The preacher is man,” I have omitted the definite article before man, and what I mean is that the preacher must be classified as a man, he is in the sphere of manhood, he is a human being.

[In the last clause of John 1:1] John has no article before theos, God. The logos, therefore, is not identified as God or with God; the word theos has become adjectival and describes the sphere to which the logos belongs. We would, therefore, have to say that this means that the logos belongs to the same sphere as God; without being identified with God, the logos has the same kind of life and being as God. Here the NEB [New English Bible] finds the perfect translation: “What God was, the Word was.” [5]

5. It is important to understand that the Bible was not written in a vacuum, but was recorded in the context of a culture and was understood by those who lived in that culture. Sometimes verses that seem superfluous or confusing to us were meaningful to the readers of the time because they were well aware of the culture and beliefs being propounded by those around them. In the first century, there were many competing beliefs in the world (and unfortunately, erroneous beliefs in Christendom) that were confusing believers about the identities of God and Christ. For centuries before Christ, and at the time the New Testament was written, the irrational beliefs about the gods of Greece had been handed down. This body of religious information was known by the word “muthos,” which we today call “myths” or “mythology.” This muthos, these myths, were often irrational, mystical and beyond understanding or explanation. The more familiar one is with the Greek myths, the better he will understand our emphasis on their irrationality. If one is unfamiliar with them, it would be valuable to read a little on the subject. Greek mythology is an important part of the cultural background of the New Testament.

The myths were often incomprehensible, but nevertheless, they had been widely accepted as the “revelation of the gods.” The pervasiveness of the muthos in the Greco-Roman world of the New Testament can be seen sticking up out of the New Testament like the tip of an iceberg above the water. When Paul and Barnabas healed a cripple in Lystra, the people assumed that the gods had come down in human form, and the priest of Zeus came to offer sacrifices to them. While Paul was in Athens, he became disturbed because of the large number of idols there that were statues to the various gods. In Ephesus, Paul’s teaching actually s
tarted a riot. When some of the locals realized that if his doctrine spread, “the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty” (Acts 19:27). There are many other examples that show that there was a muthos, i.e., a body of religious knowledge that was in large part incomprehensible to the human mind, firmly established in the minds of some of the common people in New Testament times.

Starting several centuries before Christ, certain Greek philosophers worked to replace the muthos with what they called the logos, a reasonable and rational explanation of reality. It is appropriate that, in the writing of the New Testament, God used the word logos, not muthos, to describe His wisdom, reason and plan. God has not come to us in mystical experiences and irrational beliefs that cannot be understood; rather, He reveals Himself in ways that can be rationally understood and persuasively argued.

6. In addition to the cultural context that accepted the myths, at the time John was written, a belief system called Gnosticism was taking root in Christianity. Gnosticism had many ideas and words that are strange and confusing to us today, so, at the risk of oversimplifying, we will describe a few basic tenets of Gnosticism as simply as we can.

Gnosticism took many forms, but generally Gnostics taught that there was a supreme and unknowable Being, which they designated as the “Monad.” The Monad produced various gods, who in turn produced other gods (these gods were called by different names, in part because of their power or position). One of these gods, called the “Demiurge,” created the earth and then ruled over it as an angry, evil and jealous god. This evil god, Gnostics believed, was the god of the Old Testament, called Elohim. The Monad sent another god, “Christ,” to bring special gnosis (knowledge) to mankind and free them from the influence of the evil Elohim. Thus, a Gnostic Christian would agree that Elohim created the heavens and earth, but he would not agree that He was the supreme God. Most Gnostics would also state that Elohim and Christ were at cross-purposes with each other. This is why it was so important for John 1:1 to say that the logos was with God, which at first glance seems to be a totally unnecessary statement.

The opening of the Gospel of John is a wonderful expression of God’s love. God “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). He authored the opening of John in such a way that it reveals the truth about Him and His plan for all of mankind and, at the same time, refutes Gnostic teaching. It says that from the beginning there was the logos (the reason, plan, power), which was with God. There was not another “god” existing with God, especially not a god opposed to God. Furthermore, God’s plan was like God; it was divine. God’s plan became flesh when God impregnated Mary.

7. There are elements of John 1:1 and other phrases in the introduction of John that not only refer back in time to God’s work in the original creation, but also foreshadow the work of Christ in the new administration and the new creation. Noted Bible commentator F.F. Bruce argues for this interpretation:

It is not by accident that the Gospel begins with the same phrase as the book of Genesis. In Genesis 1:1, ‘In the beginning’ introduces the story of the old creation; here it introduces the story of the new creation. In both works of creation the agent is the Word of God. [6]

The Racovian Catechism, one of the great doctrinal works of the Unitarian movement of the 14th and 15th centuries, states that the word “beginning” in John 1:1 refers to the beginning of the new dispensation and thus is similar to Mark 1:1, which starts, “The beginning of the Gospel about Jesus Christ.”

In the cited passage (John 1:1) wherein the Word is said to have been in the beginning, there is no reference to an antecedent eternity, without commencement; because mention is made here of a beginning, which is opposed to that eternity. But the word beginning, used absolutely, is to be understood of the subject matter under consideration. Thus, Daniel 8:1, “In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me AT THE FIRST.” John 15:27, “And ye also shall bear witness because ye have been with me FROM the beginning.” John 16:4, “These things I said not unto you AT the beginning because I was with you. And Acts 11:15, “And as I began to speak the Holy Spirit fell on them, as on us AT the beginning.” As then the matter of which John is treating is the Gospel, or the things transacted under the Gospel, nothing else ought to be understood here beside the beginning of the Gospel; a matter clearly known to the Christians whom he addressed, namely, the advent and preaching of John the Baptist, according to the testimony of all the evangelists , each of whom begins his history with the coming and preaching of the Baptist. Mark indeed (Chapter 1:1) expressly states that this was the beginning of the Gospel. In like manner, John himself employs the word beginning, placed thus absolutely, in the introduction to his First Epistle, at which beginning he uses the same term (logos) Word, as if he meant to be his own interpreter [“That which is from the beginning…concerning the Word (logos) of life.” 1 John 1:1]. [7]

While we do not agree with the Catechism that the only meaning of beginning in John 1:1 is the beginning of the new creation, we certainly see how the word beginning is a double entendre. In the context of the new creation, then, “the Word” is the plan or purpose according to which God is restoring His creation.

8. To fully understand any passage of Scripture, it is imperative to study the context. To fully understand John 1:1, the rest of the chapter needs to be understood as well, and the rest of the chapter adds more understanding to John 1:1. We believe that these notes on John 1:1, read together with the rest of John 1 and our notes on John 1:3, John 1:10, John 1:14, John 1:15, and John 1:18 will help make the entire first chapter of John more understandable.
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[Wakeup]

Quote (Frank4YAHWEH @ July 24 2012,06:24)

Just Who Is — “The Alpha and the Omega”? The old pagan doctrine of a “pre-existent savior,” kept alive and well by religious impostors through the mediums of radio, television and publishing, is much more dangerous than most people realize — because it was actually invented for the purpose of taking away the HEADSHIP and position of YEHOVAH God our Creator, and exalting the Messiah to a position that is not rightfully his! This article uncovers one such attempt to pervert the Scriptures and foist upon the unsuspecting reader the false doctrine of the pre-existence of Yeshua the Messiah. John D. Keyser In a letter we recently received from a man on our mailing list, the following comments were made:    “The following four verses claim that both YHVH and Jesus are both the Alpha and the Omega, which would suggest that Jesus is the Lord of the Old Testament and thus pre-existed according to William Dankenbring's understanding. John records in Revelation the words of God, saying, '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). 'I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it' (Isaiah 44:6). 'I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!' (Rev. 1:17-18). Jesus says, 'And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I AM ALPHA AND OMEGA, THE BEGINNING AND THE END, the first and the last….I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star' (Rev. 22:12-16).” Things are not always what they seem — Dankenbring not withstanding! This article will explain the TRUE meaning of the above verses and show how error crept into the 1611 King James Version of the Bible! The phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” can be found FOUR TIMES in the King James Version of the Bible. However, this phrase should only have been included TWO TIMES! Why? Because it was added to these scriptures in order to infer that it was also Yeshua who was “the Alpha and the Omega” — and not just YEHOVAH the Father! The phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” is first found written in Revelation 1:8 in the King James Version. In this verse it refers to YEHOVAH — notice:    I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. This verse couldn't be any more clearer — this is YEHOVAH God speaking about Himself. The fact that the title “the Alpha and the Omega” in this verse refers to only YEHOVAH God is found confirmed in the reference, Insight on the Scriptures —    While many commentators apply this title [the Alpha and the Omega] both to God and to Christ, a more careful examination of its use restricts its application to Jehovah God. The first verse of Revelation shows that the revelation was given originally by God and through Jesus Christ, hence the one speaking (though an angelic representation) at times is God himself, and at other times it is Christ Jesus. (Re. 22:8) Thus Revelation 1:8 (RS) says: “'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God [“Jehovah God,” NW], who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Although the preceding verse speaks of Christ Jesus, it is clear that in verse 8 the application of the title is to “the Almighty” God. In this regard Barnes' Notes on the New Testament (1974) observes: “It cannot be absolutely certain that the writer meant to refer to the Lord Jesus specifically here…There is no real incongruity in supposing, also, that the writer here meant to refer to God as such.” — Volume 1, page 81. Then, in Revelation 1:11 (KJV), the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” is again found —    …saying, “I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea” (New King James Version). After the apostle John heard this being spoken, he turned around to see WHO said it (verse 12) — but saw Yeshua the Messiah (verses 13-17). However, Yeshua here reassures John that he was NOT the Alpha and the Omega! We can see this for ourselves in Revelation 1:17-18, which states —    And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST. I am he who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” In other words, Yeshua told John NOT to be afraid, for HE WAS NOT THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA! Yeshua simply did NOT identify himself by that title! This is born out in other versions of the New Testament where the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” in Revelation 1:11 is not even included — notice!    …saying, “Write down what you see on a scroll, and send it to the seven Messianic communities — Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea!” (Revelation 1:11, Jewish New Testament). Absolutely no sign of the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” here! In the New International Version — and even the Authorized Catholic Edition — not a trace of the phrase can be found in verse 11. Similarly, The New Testament of the Jerusalem Bible also omits this phrase — notice!    “Write down all that you see in a book, and send it to the seven churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea” (Revelation 1:11). Mention of this is also found in the Bible dictionary Insight on the Scriptures — Volume 1, Page 80. Notice —    The additional occurrence of this phrase in the King James rendering of Revelation 1:11, however, does not receive support from some of the oldest Greek manuscripts, including the Alexandrine, Sinaitic, and Codex Ephraemi rescriptus. It is, therefore, omitted in many modern translations. Moving forward to Revelation 21:6-7 the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” can once again be found (in the KJV):    And he said to me, “It is done! I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” Here it is YEHOVAH God the Father speaking and prophesying. All of this chapter is about the New Jerusalem descending from heaven with YEHOVAH God on the throne. “The title [the Alpha and the Omega] occurs again,” states Insight on the Scriptures, “at Revelation 21:6, and the following verse identifies the speaker by saying: 'Anyone conquering will inherit these things, and I shall be his God and he will be my son.' Inasmuch as Jesus referred to those who are joint heirs with him in his Kingdom as 'brothers,' not 'sons,' the speaker must be Jesus' heavenly Father, Jehovah God. — Mt. 25:40; compare Heb. 2:10-12” (Volume 1, page 81). Now we come to another scripture in which the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” was ADDED — in order to foist upon the unwary reader the theory that Yeshua was also “the Alpha and the Omega”! This scripture is Revelation 22:13. And Revelation 22:16 undeniably states that these are Yeshua's words —    I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last (New King James Version) In The Holy Bible, N ew King James Version, 1982, published by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Nashville, TN, there is a footnote to Revelation 22:13 which says —    117. NU-Text and M-Text read the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. This footnote (#117) shows that the Alexandrian (NU) and the Vatican (M) texts leave out the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega.” While not mentioning that this verse is not to be found in the Alexandrian and Vatican texts, Insight on the Scriptures agrees that this verse refers to YEHOVAH God the Father. Notice!    The final occurrence of the title [the Alpha and the Omega] is at Revelation 22:13, which states: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” It is evident that a number of persons are represented as speaking in this chapter of Revelation; verses 8 and 9 show that the angel spoke to John, verse 16 obviously applies to Jesus, the first part of verse 17 is credited to “the spirit and the bride,” and the one speaking in the latter part of verse 20 is manifestly John himself. “The Alpha and the Omega” of verses 12-15, therefore, may properly be identified as the same one who bears the title in the other two occurrences: Jehovah God. The expression, “Look! I am coming quickly,” in verse 12, does not require that these aforementioned verses apply to Jesus, inasmuch as God also speaks of himself as “coming” to execute judgment. (Compare Isaiah 26:21.) Malachi 3:1-6 speaks of a joint coming for judgment on the part of Jehovah and his “messenger of the covenant.” — Volume 1, page 81. Now, you might ask, what DIFFERENCE does it make that this phrase was added to this scripture (Revelation 22:13) — and also to Revelation 1:11? It makes a HUGE difference because it leads people to erroneously believe that Yeshua the Messiah pre-existed in the Godhead before his human birth; because NEVER BEFORE has there been a true understanding of what YEHOVAH God actually said when He identified Himself as “the ALPHA AND THE OMEGA”! Aleph and Tau Since we know that YEHOVAH God said He was “THE ALPHA AND OMEGA” in Revelation 1:8 and Revelation 21:6, let's thoroughly study these verses to learn the truth about each of them. In Revelation 1:8, the Being Who is speaking identifies Himself as “THE ALMIGHTY” — Whom we all know is YEHOVAH. Almost all English versions of the Bible render this verse in the same way as the King James Version —    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. By merely leaving this text as it is written, a tremendous understanding of WHO YEHOVAH is has been lost. All one would read into this translation is that YEHOVAH is “the Alpha and Omega” — or the Beginning and the End. However, if these two Greek letters are researched in detail, we can readily see that YEHOVAH God is revealing much more about Himself than just the “Beginning and the End.” In the Greek alphabet the letter “ALPHA” is the first letter, while “OMEGA” is the last. But in the HEBREW language — in which the New Testament scriptures are now known to have been originally written — the letter “ALEPH” is the first letter, and the letter “TAU” is the last. It is admitted by Bible scholars that Revelation 1:8 should say (in Hebrew):    I am the ALEPH and the TAU instead of    I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA This we find in a number of translations, including the Disciples' New Testament. Notice:    I am the ALAP and TAU, says the Lord God, the One who Is, and the One who Becomes and the One who Comes, the One and Only for all. In a footnote to this verse, the Disciples' New Testament states: “To use 'Omega' here, that is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, is wrong, since the original utterance is in Aramaic and the title the Lord gives Himself must not be changed according to the alphabet of the language in which His title is translated; therefore, 'Tau' should be retained in all other languages. Incidentally, in Hebrew it is 'Tau' also (page 470). The Anchor Bible, Revelation Volume 38, p. 379, gives us another explanation of this phrase, saying —    8. the Alpha and the Omega. The Hebrew would be aleph and taw, probably standing respectively for Urim and Thummin, the sacred lots of the high priest used to determine the will of God and also meaning “all encompassing.” Adam Clarke, in his Commentary, Volume 6, p. 971, confirms that “ALPHA AND OMEGA” is indeed “ALEPH AND TAU” in Hebrew. Notice what he says —    [The beginning and the ending] That is, as aleph or alpha is the beginning of the alphabet, so am I the author and cause of all things; as tau or omega is the end or last letter of the alphabet, so am I the end of all things, the destroyer as well as the establisher of all things. However, we would not be any better off if Revelation 1:8 is properly rendered, “I am the ALEPH and the TAU…” One still would not know what YEHOVAH means when He merely identifies Himself by the FIRST and the LAST letters of the Hebrew alphabet. We need to dig further into this subject. The letters ALEPH and TAU must be researched in depth to ascertain if they have a meaning, or message, to convey. Unity and Perfection What the translators of the Bible did not realize — or simply rejected — is that each individual Hebrew letter can be a word or phrase unto itself — with a specific meaning. This is clearly pointed out by Fabre d'Olivet in his intriguing book, The Hebraic Tongue Restored. Dr. d'Olivet shows clear, precise explanations for the meanings of each individual Hebrew letter — and to what they point out or declare. On page 98 of his book, Dr. d'Olivet explains that knowing that each Hebrew letter has a meaning of its own is the KEY to understanding the Bible —    Twenty-two signs: such are the simple bases upon which reposes the Hebraic tongue, upon which are raised the primitive or derivative tongue which are attached to the same origin. From the perfect understanding of these bases, depends the understanding of their genius: their possession is a key which unlocks the roots. In discussing the letters ALEPH and TAU, Dr. d'Olivet presents clear proof that these two letters make statements in their own right. The FIRST letter in the Hebrew alphabet (ALEPH), according to Dr. d'Olivet, stands for UNITY. Notice:    A. — This first character of the alphabet, in nearly all known idioms, is the sign of power and of stability. The ideas that it expresses are those of unity and of the principle by which it is determined (The Hebraic Tongue Restored, p. 95). Now, going to page 287, he states —    A. First character of the alphabet in nearly all known idioms. As a symbolic image it represents universal man, mankind, the ruling being of the earth. In its hieroglyphic acceptation, it characterizes unity, the central point, the abstract principle of a thing. As a sign, it expresses power, stability, continuity. On both page 98 and page 465 of this book, Dr. d'Olivet succinctly points out that the letter “TAU,” — the LAST letter of the Hebrew alphabet — means and stands for PERFECTION:    TH. — Sign of reciprocity: image of that which is mutual and reciprocal. Sign of signs. Joining to the abundance of the character […], to the force of the resistance and protection of the character […], the idea of perfection and necessity of which it is the emblem. Incredible as it may seem, both single letters: Aleph and Tau, are in themselves Hebrew words that have specific meanings. As we have just seen, Dr. d'Olivet clearly shows in his book that “Aleph” is a word or sign meaning UNITY, and that “TAU” is a word or sign indicating PERFECTION. As Adam Clarke and the writers of The Anchor Bible, Revelation have shown, “the Alpha and the Omega” should have been written “The Aleph and the Tau.” Now, with the true meanings of these Hebrew letters uncovered, we can see what YEHOVAH is actually saying in the scriptures we are studying. Let's look at Revelation 1:8:    I am the UNITY and PERFECTION, the beginning and the end, says YEHOVAH, Who is, Who was, and Who is coming, the Almighty. Other scriptures verify that YEHOVAH is Unity and Perfection — in Deuteronomy 6:4 YEHOVAH says that He is ONE (UNITY). Notice —    Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. Yeshua the Messiah — the only begotten Son of YEHOVAH — who was the savior selected and anointed by YEHOVAH — clearly taught that YEHOVAH is Perfection, saying in Matthew 19:17:    Why are you asking me about good [perfection]? There is One who is good [perfect]! But if you want to obtain eternal life, observe the mitzvot [commandments]. Then, in Matthew 5:48 —    Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. YEHOVAH God is revealing Himself to be Unity and Perfection. These scriptures that reveal “the Alpha and the Omega” and “the Aleph and the Tau” to be YEHOVAH Almighty (Revelation 1:8 and 21:6) DO NOT point to Yeshua — nor can Revelation 1:11 and 22:13 where this phrase was ADDED in some versions of the Bible to “claim” that Yeshua the Messiah pre-existed! Yeshua the Messiah: First and Last, Beginning and End Having proven that the words “Alpha and Omega” were added to Revelation 1:11 and 22:13, the latter verse should correctly read:    I am the FIRST and the LAST, the BEGINNING and the END. We know that Yeshua said this; we know that it is no contradiction for him to call himself the “last” because he will live forever. We know it is no contradiction for him to call himself the “end” because he is the END RESULT of having kept his Father's laws perfectly. In Romans 10:4 we read —    Christ is the end [result] of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Naturally, the translators tried to distort and misinterpret this verse to try and make you believe that Yeshua ended or “did away” with the law! If you research the meaning of the word translated “end” in this scripture you will find that it means ultimate, prophetic purpose or product — and not “end” as is universally understood in the English context. Religious deceivers also use Romans 10:4 to argue that the apostle Paul taught against YEHOVAH's laws! Nothing could be further from the truth! The apostle Paul NEVER once taught against the laws of YEHOVAH. Now, in Revelation 22:13, Yeshua calls himself the “LAST” because he has been resurrected to eternal life and will never die again. He called himself the “END” because he is the END PRODUCT — the ultimate result of the law of YEHOVAH. But what did he mean when he called himself the “FIRST” in Revelation 22:13? Did he mean that he was the first being to ever exist? Many would have you think so. Did he mean that he was “the Father of all the living”? There are many who would have you think so. Was Yeshua saying that he pre-existed? If you let scripture interpret scripture the meaning will be very clear. Notice, please, Revelation 1:5:    And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth… So therefore, when Yeshua called himself the “FIRST” in Revelation 22:13 — he was not referring to “pre-existence” at all! Yeshua simply meant that he was the first begotten of the dead, which means that he was THE FIRST TO BE RAISED FROM THE DEAD! Because Yeshua is now raised from the dead, he is now immortal — he is the FIRST to be fully created in the whole image of YEHOVAH! This is what Yeshua meant when he said that he was the “FIRST” in Revelation 22:13. What, then, did he mean when he called himself the “BEGINNING” in the same verse? Does this imply that he was in the beginning with YEHOVAH — as many would have you believe? The answer to these questions is found in Revelation 3:14, which says —    And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God [YEHOVAH]: In this scripture Yeshua calls himself the “beginning of the creation of God [YEHOVAH].” Yes, of course! Man — in his present physical state — is only a HALF-CREATED being, because we, mankind, are still corruptible flesh, as Paul says in I Corinthians 15:53:    For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. The fact is, we are still dying in this world. If you do not believe me, just check the obituary section of your local newspaper. Man is only in the LIKENESS of YEHOVAH at this time — man was created to resemble YEHOVAH. Man has a form just like YEHOVAH's: a head, chest, arms, legs, feet, etc. — just as the Bible describes YEHOVAH as having. However, Yeshua the Messiah — because he is the FIRST to be raised from the dead to eternal life — is NOW in the FULL IMAGE of YEHOVAH; he is PERFECTED. He has become the First, or the Beginning — AMONG MEN — to reach the state of PERFECT, completed, whole creation, as YEHOVAH's plan for mankind is. Therefore, he was NOT referring to pre-existence in calling himself the “Beginning” in Revelation 22:13. Yeshua the Messiah simply means that HE was the “Beginning” — the FIRST PERFECTED of YEHOVAH's whole creation plan for mankind. There is no evidence whatsoever that the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” refers to the Messiah — in fact, the exact opposite is apparent when we carefully examine the occurrences of this phrase in the Book of Revelation. SOURCE

FRankforyahweh.

This is the great mystery that only a handfull have been given the insight,and have discovered,and you obviously are not one of them.

Should not try to twist and turn the scriptures and blame the scripters to be in error,infact the reader is in deep error.
The same story over again; just blame the translation,it needs changing,we are always right,for we are intelligent.
Those people back then are stupid. No; we are blind.

Luke 10:22. No man knows who the son is but the father, and who the father is but the son ; and -HE- whom the son will reveal -HIM-.

Seek and you will find.

wakeup.

[Frank4YAHWEH]

COLOSSIANS 1:15-20 — PREEXISTENCE OR PREEMINENCE?

by William M. Wachtel

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in him, and through him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven (Col. 1:13-20).

     In standard evangelical commentary, two texts from Paul’s writings are constantly used to teach the personal preexistence of Christ: Philippians 2:5-11 and Colossians 1:15-20. These texts are considered to be bulwarks of Trinitarian theology, expressing in some sense Christ’s status as Deity. At the time of the Nicene Council, both Arians and Athanasians were fond of using them to prove that Christ existed as a personal being before his birth or “Incarnation.” The difference, of course, was that the Arians thought he had a beginning and was the first creature whom God made; while the Athanasians thought he had no beginning and was himself “co-equal, co-eternal, and consubstantial” with the Father. The result of such terms was the claim, still insisted on by Trinitarians today, that Jesus must be seen to be God just as the Father is seen to be God.

     This writer questions seriously, however, whether any such ideas were in Paul’s mind or in God’s inspiration through the Spirit upon Paul’s writing of Scripture. In Philippians 2:5, for instance, Paul declares he is holding forth the historical example of the man Christ Jesus (as in 1 Tim. 2:5), not some prehistoric example into which can be read ideas of personal preexistence. Can the same be said to be true of Colossians 1:15-20? Let us take a careful look at the text and its implications.

Christ, the Image of God

     Verse 15 tells us that God’s “beloved Son” (v. 13, NASB) is the “image” of the unseen God. An image, of course, is a visual representation, the copy of an original. The very fact of using a word such as “image” suggests necessarily that there is a difference in identity between the copy and the original. When one looks in the mirror, he sees an “image” of himself. He does not consider himself to be the person who is “behind the glass” but the person who is “in front of the glass.” The only reason to labor this point is that many foolish things have been said about the word “image” in this and other verses, seeking to prove that Christ, “the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4), is God himself![1] The word “image” establishes, by its very meaning, that Christ is not God. The image is not the same as the original, and in this case the original is God.

     When Jesus told his disciples, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9), he was not claiming to be the Father (a claim that would prove too much, if Trinitarianism were correct), but rather that he is like the Father. The writer of Hebrews (1:3) says that he is the “express image” (KJV) — “exact representation” (NIV, NASB) — of God’s being, or God’s nature. Again, our two words “exact representation” and the single Greek word carakter,[2] from which those two words are translated, imply that a copy is being set forth, based on an original. The writer of Hebrews is telling us that God has spoken to us by a Son who is just like God. But to say this Son is “just like” God is to recognize that he is not, in fact, himself God, i.e., the One to whom he is now being “likened.” The writer goes on to say that this person who is like God, after purging our sins by his death, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, a further differentiation between the Man who is “just like” God, and the Being who is God, himself![3]

Christ, the Firstborn

     Verse 15 continues by calling Christ the Firstborn of “every creature” (KJV) or “all creation” (NIV, NASB). If “first” in the word Firstborn means only precedence in time, and if “creation” means the original creation of Genesis 1, then the case for Christ’s personal preexistence must stand. The Arians and Athanasians would have to be right in their claim that Christ existed as a person before his birth and that this person in fact abandoned his previous mode of existence in order to become a human being. This, precisely, is what any views of personal preexistence must find in the texts in Philippians 2 and Colossians 1. What we are questioning here is whether several crucial terms mean, in their context and in Scripture as a whole, what they are popularly interpreted to mean!

     Let us begin by examining the word translated “firstborn”- prototokos. This word is used a number of times in Scripture, often to designate the child born first in a family. When Esau came to his father Isaac to receive the blessing that was due him, he pleaded the fact that he was Isaac’s firstborn — his prototokos (Gen. 27:32 LXX). Jacob, the second born son, had already deceived his father and received the blessing intended for Esau. The custom of conferring special privileges or a major inheritance on the firstborn son is not only seen in the Bible, but also in the later laws of “primogeniture” in England and other countries, awarding the family inheritance to the eldest son.

     There is, however, in Scripture a further meaning to the term prototokos. Since the Greek word protos can mean either first in time or first in rank, the “firstborn” may be used to designate one who is honored with first or chief position, regardless of time of birth. This idea is seen in Exodus 4:22, where God commands Moses to tell Pharaoh, “This is what YHWH says: Israel is my firstborn son. . . . Let my son go, so he may worship me.” Clearly, here the word prototokos (LXX) has nothing to do with precedence in time, but rather precedence in rank among the nations, as God views their relative importance.[4] The same is true in Jeremiah 31:9 (38:9 LXX), where God calls Ephraim his prototokos (even though Ephraim’s brother, Manasseh, was the elder of the two). Again, it is precedence in rank, or importance, that is in view. The classic example of this usage is found in Psalm 89:27 (88:27 LXX), where God describes in glowing words the promised Davidic king, the Messiah: “I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.” This foremost position as King of kings is a matter of appointment, not time of birth![5] These facts and this usage as to the word “firstborn” may well have much significance in helping us to understand how and why Christ can be called “the Firstborn of all creation” in Colossians 1:15. “If prototokos is selected in Col. 1:15 and then again in 1:18 to express this supremacy, this is because of the great importance which the term ‘firstborn’ took on as a word for rank in the OT and then retained in later Judaism.”[6]

Over All Creation

     The NIV calls Christ “the firstborn over all creation,” while NASB has “firstborn of all creation,” reflecting a literal translation of the genitive case. KJV also translates the genitive literally: “the firstborn of every creature.” The NASB and KJV renderings could be interpreted to imply that Christ was the first created being, just as the Arians believed. They un
derstood “first” to refer to precedence in time. That is why Arius declared that “there was a time when he was not,” i.e., before his being created. It was this that the Athanasians rejected so vehemently, insisting that he was eternal, “begotten in eternity, before all time.”[7] To them this meant he was “co-eternal” with the Father and therefore himself God.

     It is necessary at this point to consider whether Paul uses the word “creation” here in reference to the original creation of Genesis 1, or whether he may have in mind what may be called the “new creation.” Paul goes on to define this creation as comprising all things “in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” Certainly, it was Christ himself who described the original creation as being God’s work (Mark 13:19; cp. Heb. 4:4, where God not Jesus rested from the work of creation) — suggesting that Christ did not see himself as creator of the “all things” mentioned in Genesis 1:31.[8] Paul, in fact, seems to give an exact description of what he means by the “all things” created — namely, “thrones, powers, rulers, authorities.” If this is what he means, then we must ask in what sense Christ can be called the creator of such.

     Just before his ascension, Christ said that “all authority in heaven and on earth” had now been given to him (Matt. 28:18). With that authority he commissioned his apostles to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations and to teach them all his commands. Moses had foretold that Messiah would be a prophet like Moses himself, whose word would have the force of law, demanding obedience (Deut. 18:15, 18, 19; Acts 3:22, 23). But what about his authority “in heaven”? Paul says that when Christ was raised from the dead and was set at God’s right hand in the “heavenlies,” his new position brought him to a status “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come” (Eph. 1:21). Not only that, but “God placed all things under his feet” (v. 22). Colossians 1:17 echoes this, in saying that “in him all things hold together.” Col. 2:10 describes him as “the head over every power and authority.” God rewarded Jesus’ “obedience unto death” by highly exalting him and giving him the name which is above every name. At the name of Jesus every knee is required to bow, “in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:8-11).

     These ascriptions of supreme authority to Christ, under God, suggest that when Christ came to be seated at the right hand of God, he — in turn — set up, or created, a new system of rulerships among the angelic beings as well as preparing a place of honor and service within his Father’s household for all his faithful people, both in this age and in the age to come (John 14:2,3). All of this is then part of “the new creation.” It is this new creation that the present writer understands to be the subject of Colossians 1:15-17. If this view is correct, the personal preexistence of Christ is not at all the subject of our text, contrary to popular interpretation!

Before All Things

     Verse 17 declares that Christ is “before all things” — pro panton. This phrase has been seized upon as proof of his personal preexistence. But care must be taken to notice that the verb here is in the present tense — “is” — not “was”! Paul does not tell us that Christ “was” before all things, evidence for preexistence. But what does “before” mean? The Greek word used here — pro — has three common uses: before, in the sense of place = “in front of”; before, in the sense of time = “prior to”; and before, in the sense of preeminence, rank, advantage.[9] The latter usage is seen in 1 Peter 4:8 — pro panton, “before all things” or “above all things” = “most important of all.” Here, pro has nothing to do with time or place, but rather stresses how Christian love is preeminent above all other virtues. James 5:12 provides another example of the same usage and of the phrase pro panton.

     To say, therefore, that Christ is pro panton is to say that he is, under God, the Preeminent One, the Most Important One! This is underscored by the last statement of the next verse, describing him as having, in everything, “the preeminence” (KJV), “the supremacy” (NIV), “the first place” (NASB). To emphasize this preeminence even more, Paul adds the personal pronoun autos to the verb proteuo, meaning that HE, Christ himself, is being given first place in all God’s universe! This reminds the writer of Pharaoh’s exalting Joseph to first place in Egypt. He told him, “You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you. . . . I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt. . . . I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt” (Gen. 41:40, 41, 44). This is the kind of preeminence and rulership that God has granted to his Son — to be over all other beings — typified only dimly by the history of Joseph’s own exaltation!

     Paul piles on superlatives to declare that in Christ “all things hold together.” The Greek verb translated “hold together” — sunistemi — is given various definitions by the lexicographers. One suggestive definition is “cohere.” All things cohere in Christ and provide a coherent meaning to the universe. He is the reason for it all, because he is God’s only-begotten Son, the perfect image of the Father himself! Another definition is “to have one’s proper place.” All things in the universe have their own proper place, designed by the Creator, YHWH, to be in perfect relationship and harmony with “the Son whom God loves” (v. 13).

     Christ’s headship over the church is a frequent theme in Paul’s writings. Verse 18 declares that headship, and goes on to call him arche, “beginning” (KJV, NIV, NASB). This word also means “ruler, authority.”[10] It gives further emphasis to Paul’s theme of Christ’s preeminence and supreme authority under God. In that now conferred authority, all things begin and end in Christ. As the beginning of the New Creation, he is the “firstborn from among the dead,” the first human being to rise immortal from the grave and to become thereby a “partaker of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). As prototokos he is also “chiefborn” from among the dead, because he in turn is the Lifegiver, the Prince of Life whose voice will awaken and call forth the sleeping dead from their graves (John 5:21-29; Acts 3:15). And it is by resurrection from the dead that he achieves his supreme position (v. 18: “in order that”). This means that he did not already have that position.

The Fullness of God

     “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him” (v. 19). The past tense here, combined with the immediate mention of Christ’s reconciling work in his death on the cross (v.20), seems to indicate that Paul has in mind the period of Christ’s mortal lifetime. It was then that Christ was already filled with God’s fullness, just as believers are called upon to seek that fullness for their own lives today (Eph. 3:19).[11] In Christ’s case, however, there was no limit to the Spirit working in him — he was totally filled with God’s Spirit and power throughout his earthly ministry.[12] His initial preeminence is seen in his walking the earth as though he were God himself.[13]

     Later, in Colossians 2:9, Paul speaks of God’s “fullness” again, but describes it in a special way and in the present tense. “In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” Si
nce his resurrection to bodily immortality and his being granted “all authority in heaven and earth” Christ is exalted by his Father to the highest place in the universe, next to God himself, and is given the highest name (Phil. 2:9). He can be described, therefore, as possessing the fullness of the Deity. How could his preeminence be emphasized more powerfully than this? But all of this is short-circuited and spoiled by Trinitarian notions and the teaching of Christ’s personal preexistence! If those ideas were true, he already possessed — in person — total preeminence long before he was born, before he had been obedient unto death. But, as Paul insists, it was this very obedience — and the humility from which it sprang — that was the reason for, and the cause of, that exaltation and that preeminence!

[1] See, for example, The Living Bible on 2 Cor. 4:4.

[2] This word may be transliterated as “character,” but the modern English word has come a rather long way from its original Greek meaning.

[3] “Majesty” is probably used here as an equivalent for the divine name, YHWH.

[4] “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. For the LORD’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance” (Deut. 32:8,9 NIV).

[5] See the excellent discussion of prototokos in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, VI, 871-881.

[6] Ibid., VI, 879.

[7] Stated in the Nicene Creed as “begotten of the Father before all the ages” — my translation from the Greek text found in Schaff’s Creeds of Christendom, II, 57. Also see article “Eternal generation,” p. 194, in Baker’s Dictionary of Theology.

[8] “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”

[9] Arndt and Gingrich’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, article pro.

[10] Ibid., article arche.

[11] “To know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

[12] “For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God; to him God gives the Spirit without limit” (John 3:34).

[13] Philippians 2:6, speaking of the historical person Christ Jesus, tells us that—as a man— he was in the morphe of God. This word, usually translated “form,” in this context has the other Koiné Greek meaning of “status, position, rank.” This is proved by the use of the same word in verse 7, where Christ is shown to have taken the “status” or “position” of a servant. Cf. morphe in Moulton and Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament; and Kenneth S. Wuest, The Practical Use of the Greek New Testament, p. 84.

SOURCE

[Frank4YAHWEH]

Quote (Wakeup @ July 24 2012,09:00)

Quote (Frank4YAHWEH @ July 24 2012,06:24) Just Who Is — “The Alpha and the Omega”? The old pagan doctrine of a “pre-existent savior,” kept alive and well by religious impostors through the mediums of radio, television and publishing, is much more dangerous than most people realize — because it was actually invented for the purpose of taking away the HEADSHIP and position of YEHOVAH God our Creator, and exalting the Messiah to a position that is not rightfully his! This article uncovers one such attempt to pervert the Scriptures and foist upon the unsuspecting reader the false doctrine of the pre-existence of Yeshua the Messiah. John D. Keyser In a letter we recently received from a man on our mailing list, the following comments were made:    “The following four verses claim that both YHVH and Jesus are both the Alpha and the Omega, which would suggest that Jesus is the Lord of the Old Testament and thus pre-existed according to William Dankenbring's understanding. John records in Revelation the words of God, saying, '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). 'I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it' (Isaiah 44:6). 'I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!' (Rev. 1:17-18). Jesus says, 'And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I AM ALPHA AND OMEGA, THE BEGINNING AND THE END, the first and the last….I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star' (Rev. 22:12-16).” Things are not always what they seem — Dankenbring not withstanding! This article will explain the TRUE meaning of the above verses and show how error crept into the 1611 King James Version of the Bible! The phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” can be found FOUR TIMES in the King James Version of the Bible. However, this phrase should only have been included TWO TIMES! Why? Because it was added to these scriptures in order to infer that it was also Yeshua who was “the Alpha and the Omega” — and not just YEHOVAH the Father! The phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” is first found written in Revelation 1:8 in the King James Version. In this verse it refers to YEHOVAH — notice:    I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. This verse couldn't be any more clearer — this is YEHOVAH God speaking about Himself. The fact that the title “the Alpha and the Omega” in this verse refers to only YEHOVAH God is found confirmed in the reference, Insight on the Scriptures —    While many commentators apply this title [the Alpha and the Omega] both to God and to Christ, a more careful examination of its use restricts its application to Jehovah God. The first verse of Revelation shows that the revelation was given originally by God and through Jesus Christ, hence the one speaking (though an angelic representation) at times is God himself, and at other times it is Christ Jesus. (Re. 22:8) Thus Revelation 1:8 (RS) says: “'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God [“Jehovah God,” NW], who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Although the preceding verse speaks of Christ Jesus, it is clear that in verse 8 the application of the title is to “the Almighty” God. In this regard Barnes' Notes on the New Testament (1974) observes: “It cannot be absolutely certain that the writer meant to refer to the Lord Jesus specifically here…There is no real incongruity in supposing, also, that the writer here meant to refer to God as such.” — Volume 1, page 81. Then, in Revelation 1:11 (KJV), the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” is again found —    …saying, “I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea” (New King James Version). After the apostle John heard this being spoken, he turned around to see WHO said it (verse 12) — but saw Yeshua the Messiah (verses 13-17). However, Yeshua here reassures John that he was NOT the Alpha and the Omega! We can see this for ourselves in Revelation 1:17-18, which states —    And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST. I am he who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” In other words, Yeshua told John NOT to be afraid, for HE WAS NOT THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA! Yeshua simply did NOT identify himself by that title! This is born out in other versions of the New Testament where the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” in Revelation 1:11 is not even included — notice!    …saying, “Write down what you see on a scroll, and send it to the seven Messianic communities — Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea!” (Revelation 1:11, Jewish New Testament). Absolutely no sign of the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” here! In the New International Version — and even the Authorized Catholic Edition — not a trace of the phrase can be found in verse 11. Similarly, The New Testament of the Jerusalem Bible also omits this phrase — notice!    “Write down all that you see in a book, and send it to the seven churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea” (Revelation 1:11). Mention of this is also found in the Bible dictionary Insight on the Scriptures — Volume 1, Page 80. Notice —    The additional occurrence of this phrase in the King James rendering of Revelation 1:11, however, does not receive support from some of the oldest Greek manuscripts, including the Alexandrine, Sinaitic, and Codex Ephraemi rescriptus. It is, therefore, omitted in many modern translations. Moving forward to Revelation 21:6-7 the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” can once again be found (in the KJV):    And he said to me, “It is done! I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” Here it is YEHOVAH God the Father speaking and prophesying. All of this chapter is about the New Jerusalem descending from heaven with YEHOVAH God on the throne. “The title [the Alpha and the Omega] occurs again,” states Insight on the Scriptures, “at Revelation 21:6, and the following verse identifies the speaker by saying: 'Anyone conquering will inherit these things, and I shall be his God and he will be my son.' Inasmuch as Jesus referred to those who are joint heirs with him in his Kingdom as 'brothers,' not 'sons,' the speaker must be Jesus' heavenly Father, Jehovah God. — Mt. 25:40; compare Heb. 2:10-12” (Volume 1, page 81). Now we come to another scripture in which the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” was ADDED — in order to foist upon the unwary reader the theory that Yeshua was also “the Alpha and the Omega”! This scripture is Revelation 22:13. And Revelation 22:16 undeniably states that these are Yeshua's words —    I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last (New King James Version) In The Holy Bible, New King James Version, 1982, published by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Nashville, TN, there is a footnote to Revelation 22:13 which says —    117. NU-Text and M-Text read the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. This footnote (#117) shows that the Alexandrian (NU) and the Vatican (M) texts leave out the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega.” While not mentioning that this verse is not to be found in the Alexandrian and Vatican texts, Insight on the Scriptures agrees that this verse refers to YEHOVAH God the Father. Notice!    The final occurrence of the title [the Alpha and the Omega] is at Revelation 22:13, which states: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” It is evident that a number of persons are represented as speaking in this chapter of Revelation; verses 8 and 9 show that the angel spoke to John, verse 16 obviously applies to Jesus, the first part of verse 17 is credited to “the spirit and the bride,” and the one speaking in the latter part of verse 20 is manifestly John himself. “The Alpha and the Omega” of verses 12-15, therefore, may properly be identified as the same one who bears the title in the other two occurrences: Jehovah God. The expression, “Look! I am coming quickly,” in verse 12, does not require that these aforementioned verses apply to Jesus, inasmuch as God also speaks of himself as “coming” to execute judgment. (Compare Isaiah 26:21.) Malachi 3:1-6 speaks of a joint coming for judgment on the part of Jehovah and his “messenger of the covenant.” — Volume 1, page 81. Now, you might ask, what DIFFERENCE does it make that this phrase was added to this scripture (Revelation 22:13) — and also to Revelation 1:11? It makes a HUGE difference because it leads people to erroneously believe that Yeshua the Messiah pre-existed in the Godhead before his human birth; because NEVER BEFORE has there been a true understanding of what YEHOVAH God actually said when He identified Himself as “the ALPHA AND THE OMEGA”! Aleph and Tau Since we know that YEHOVAH God said He was “THE ALPHA AND OMEGA” in Revelation 1:8 and Revelation 21:6, let's thoroughly study these verses to learn the truth about each of them. In Revelation 1:8, the Being Who is speaking identifies Himself as “THE ALMIGHTY” — Whom we all know is YEHOVAH. Almost all English versions of the Bible render this verse in the same way as the King James Version —    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. By merely leaving this text as it is written, a tremendous understanding of WHO YEHOVAH is has been lost. All one would read into this translation is that YEHOVAH is “the Alpha and Omega” — or the Beginning and the End. However, if these two Greek letters are researched in detail, we can readily see that YEHOVAH God is revealing much more about Himself than just the “Beginning and the End.” In the Greek alphabet the letter “ALPHA” is the first letter, while “OMEGA” is the last. But in the HEBREW language — in which the New Testament scriptures are now known to have been originally written — the letter “ALEPH” is the first letter, and the letter “TAU” is the last. It is admitted by Bible scholars that Revelation 1:8 should say (in Hebrew):    I am the ALEPH and the TAU instead of    I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA This we find in a number of translations, including the Disciples' New Testament. Notice:    I am the ALAP and TAU, says the Lord God, the One who Is, and the One who Becomes and the One who Comes, the One and Only for all. In a footnote to this verse, the Disciples' New Testament states: “To use 'Omega' here, that is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, is wrong, since the original utterance is in Aramaic and the title the Lord gives Himself must not be changed according to the alphabet of the language in which His title is translated; therefore, 'Tau' should be retained in all other languages. Incidentally, in Hebrew it is 'Tau' also (page 470). The Anchor Bible, Revelation Volume 38, p. 379, gives us another explanation of this phrase, saying —    8. the Alpha and the Omega. The Hebrew would be aleph and taw, probably standing respectively for Urim and Thummin, the sacred lots of the high priest used to determine the will of God and also meaning “all encompassing.” Adam Clarke, in his Commentary, Volume 6, p. 971, confirms that “ALPHA AND OMEGA” is indeed “ALEPH AND TAU” in Hebrew. Notice what he says —    [The beginning and the ending] That is, as aleph or alpha is the beginning of the alphabet, so am I the author and cause of all things; as tau or omega is the end or last letter of the alphabet, so am I the end of all things, the destroyer as well as the establisher of all things. However, we would not be any better off if Revelation 1:8 is properly rendered, “I am the ALEPH and the TAU…” One still would not know what YEHOVAH means when He merely identifies Himself by the FIRST and the LAST letters of the Hebrew alphabet. We need to dig further into this subject. The letters ALEPH and TAU must be researched in depth to ascertain if they have a meaning, or message, to convey. Unity and Perfection What the translators of the Bible did not realize — or simply rejected — is that each individual Hebrew letter can be a word or phrase unto itself — with a specific meaning. This is clearly pointed out by Fabre d'Olivet in his intriguing book, The Hebraic Tongue Restored. Dr. d'Olivet shows clear, precise explanations for the meanings of each individual Hebrew letter — and to what they point out or declare. On page 98 of his book, Dr. d'Olivet explains that knowing that each Hebrew letter has a meaning of its own is the KEY to understanding the Bible —    Twenty-two signs: such are the simple bases upon which reposes the Hebraic tongue, upon which are raised the primitive or derivative tongue which are attached to the same origin. From the perfect understanding of these bases, depends the understanding of their genius: their possession is a key which unlocks the roots. In discussing the letters ALEPH and TAU, Dr. d'Olivet presents clear proof that these two letters make statements in their own right. The FIRST letter in the Hebrew alphabet (ALEPH), according to Dr. d'Olivet, stands for UNITY. Notice:    A. — This first character of the alphabet, in nearly all known idioms, is the sign of power and of stability. The ideas that it expresses are those of unity and of the principle by which it is determined (The Hebraic Tongue Restored, p. 95). Now, going to page 287, he states —    A. First character of the alphabet in nearly all known idioms. As a symbolic image it represents universal man, mankind, the ruling being of the earth. In its hieroglyphic acceptation, it characterizes unity, the central point, the abstract principle of a thing. As a sign, it expresses power, stability, continuity. On both page 98 and page 465 of this book, Dr. d'Olivet succinctly points out that the letter “TAU,” — the LAST letter of the Hebrew alphabet — means and stands for PERFECTION:    TH. — Sign of reciprocity: image of that which is mutual and reciprocal. Sign of signs. Joining to the abundance of the character […], to the force of the resistance and protection of the character […], the idea of perfection and necessity of which it is the emblem. Incredible as it may seem, both single letters: Aleph and Tau, are in themselves Hebrew words that have specific meanings. As we have just seen, Dr. d'Olivet clearly shows in his book that “Aleph” is a word or sign meaning UNITY, and that “TAU ” is a word or sign indicating PERFECTION. As Adam Clarke and the writers of The Anchor Bible, Revelation have shown, “the Alpha and the Omega” should have been written “The Aleph and the Tau.” Now, with the true meanings of these Hebrew letters uncovered, we can see what YEHOVAH is actually saying in the scriptures we are studying. Let's look at Revelation 1:8:    I am the UNITY and PERFECTION, the beginning and the end, says YEHOVAH, Who is, Who was, and Who is coming, the Almighty. Other scriptures verify that YEHOVAH is Unity and Perfection — in Deuteronomy 6:4 YEHOVAH says that He is ONE (UNITY). Notice —    Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. Yeshua the Messiah — the only begotten Son of YEHOVAH — who was the savior selected and anointed by YEHOVAH — clearly taught that YEHOVAH is Perfection, saying in Matthew 19:17:    Why are you asking me about good [perfection]? There is One who is good [perfect]! But if you want to obtain eternal life, observe the mitzvot [commandments]. Then, in Matthew 5:48 —    Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. YEHOVAH God is revealing Himself to be Unity and Perfection. These scriptures that reveal “the Alpha and the Omega” and “the Aleph and the Tau” to be YEHOVAH Almighty (Revelation 1:8 and 21:6) DO NOT point to Yeshua — nor can Revelation 1:11 and 22:13 where this phrase was ADDED in some versions of the Bible to “claim” that Yeshua the Messiah pre-existed! Yeshua the Messiah: First and Last, Beginning and End Having proven that the words “Alpha and Omega” were added to Revelation 1:11 and 22:13, the latter verse should correctly read:    I am the FIRST and the LAST, the BEGINNING and the END. We know that Yeshua said this; we know that it is no contradiction for him to call himself the “last” because he will live forever. We know it is no contradiction for him to call himself the “end” because he is the END RESULT of having kept his Father's laws perfectly. In Romans 10:4 we read —    Christ is the end [result] of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Naturally, the translators tried to distort and misinterpret this verse to try and make you believe that Yeshua ended or “did away” with the law! If you research the meaning of the word translated “end” in this scripture you will find that it means ultimate, prophetic purpose or product — and not “end” as is universally understood in the English context. Religious deceivers also use Romans 10:4 to argue that the apostle Paul taught against YEHOVAH's laws! Nothing could be further from the truth! The apostle Paul NEVER once taught against the laws of YEHOVAH. Now, in Revelation 22:13, Yeshua calls himself the “LAST” because he has been resurrected to eternal life and will never die again. He called himself the “END” because he is the END PRODUCT — the ultimate result of the law of YEHOVAH. But what did he mean when he called himself the “FIRST” in Revelation 22:13? Did he mean that he was the first being to ever exist? Many would have you think so. Did he mean that he was “the Father of all the living”? There are many who would have you think so. Was Yeshua saying that he pre-existed? If you let scripture interpret scripture the meaning will be very clear. Notice, please, Revelation 1:5:    And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth… So therefore, when Yeshua called himself the “FIRST” in Revelation 22:13 — he was not referring to “pre-existence” at all! Yeshua simply meant that he was the first begotten of the dead, which means that he was THE FIRST TO BE RAISED FROM THE DEAD! Because Yeshua is now raised from the dead, he is now immortal — he is the FIRST to be fully created in the whole image of YEHOVAH! This is what Yeshua meant when he said that he was the “FIRST” in Revelation 22:13. What, then, did he mean when he called himself the “BEGINNING” in the same verse? Does this imply that he was in the beginning with YEHOVAH — as many would have you believe? The answer to these questions is found in Revelation 3:14, which says —    And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God [YEHOVAH]: In this scripture Yeshua calls himself the “beginning of the creation of God [YEHOVAH].” Yes, of course! Man — in his present physical state — is only a HALF-CREATED being, because we, mankind, are still corruptible flesh, as Paul says in I Corinthians 15:53:    For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. The fact is, we are still dying in this world. If you do not believe me, just check the obituary section of your local newspaper. Man is only in the LIKENESS of YEHOVAH at this time — man was created to resemble YEHOVAH. Man has a form just like YEHOVAH's: a head, chest, arms, legs, feet, etc. — just as the Bible describes YEHOVAH as having. However, Yeshua the Messiah — because he is the FIRST to be raised from the dead to eternal life — is NOW in the FULL IMAGE of YEHOVAH; he is PERFECTED. He has become the First, or the Beginning — AMONG MEN — to reach the state of PERFECT, completed, whole creation, as YEHOVAH's plan for mankind is. Therefore, he was NOT referring to pre-existence in calling himself the “Beginning” in Revelation 22:13. Yeshua the Messiah simply means that HE was the “Beginning” — the FIRST PERFECTED of YEHOVAH's whole creation plan for mankind. There is no evidence whatsoever that the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” refers to the Messiah — in fact, the exact opposite is apparent when we carefully examine the occurrences of this phrase in the Book of Revelation. SOURCE FRankforyahweh. This is the great mystery that only a handfull have been given the insight,and have discovered,and you obviously are not one of them. Should not try to twist and turn the scriptures and blame the scripters to be in error,infact the reader is in deep error. The same story over again; just blame the translation,it needs changing,we are always right,for we are intelligent. Those people back then are stupid. No; we are blind. Luke 10:22. No man knows who the son is but the father,  and who the father is but the son ; and -HE- whom the son will reveal -HIM-. Seek and you will find. wakeup.

wakeup,

Your still sleeping!

[mikeboll64]

Quote (942767 @ July 22 2012,20:39)

Hi Mike: John the Baptist said what you quoted from the scripture about Jesus.

John 1
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the only begotten, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”

Hi Marty, could you pinpoint the exact place in these verses where John stops writing about “the Word”, and starts writing about “Jesus”?

[Wakeup]

Quote (Frank4YAHWEH @ July 24 2012,09:53)

Quote (Wakeup @ July 24 2012,09:00) Quote (Frank4YAHWEH @ July 24 2012,06:24) Just Who Is — “The Alpha and the Omega”? The old pagan doctrine of a “pre-existent savior,” kept alive and well by religious impostors through the mediums of radio, television and publishing, is much more dangerous than most people realize — because it was actually invented for the purpose of taking away the HEADSHIP and position of YEHOVAH God our Creator, and exalting the Messiah to a position that is not rightfully his! This article uncovers one such attempt to pervert the Scriptures and foist upon the unsuspecting reader the false doctrine of the pre-existence of Yeshua the Messiah. John D. Keyser In a letter we recently received from a man on our mailing list, the following comments were made:    “The following four verses claim that both YHVH and Jesus are both the Alpha and the Omega, which would suggest that Jesus is the Lord of the Old Testament and thus pre-existed according to William Dankenbring's understanding. John records in Revelation the words of God, saying, '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). 'I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it' (Isaiah 44:6). 'I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!' (Rev. 1:17-18). Jesus says, 'And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I AM ALPHA AND OMEGA, THE BEGINNING AND THE END, the first and the last….I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star' (Rev. 22:12-16).” Things are not always what they seem — Dankenbring not withstanding! This article will explain the TRUE meaning of the above verses and show how error crept into the 1611 King James Version of the Bible! The phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” can be found FOUR TIMES in the King James Version of the Bible. However, this phrase should only have been included TWO TIMES! Why? Because it was added to these scriptures in order to infer that it was also Yeshua who was “the Alpha and the Omega” — and not just YEHOVAH the Father! The phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” is first found written in Revelation 1:8 in the King James Version. In this verse it refers to YEHOVAH — notice:    I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. This verse couldn't be any more clearer — this is YEHOVAH God speaking about Himself. The fact that the title “the Alpha and the Omega” in this verse refers to only YEHOVAH God is found confirmed in the reference, Insight on the Scriptures —    While many commentators apply this title [the Alpha and the Omega] both to God and to Christ, a more careful examination of its use restricts its application to Jehovah God. The first verse of Revelation shows that the revelation was given originally by God and through Jesus Christ, hence the one speaking (though an angelic representation) at times is God himself, and at other times it is Christ Jesus. (Re. 22:8) Thus Revelation 1:8 (RS) says: “'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God [“Jehovah God,” NW], who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Although the preceding verse speaks of Christ Jesus, it is clear that in verse 8 the application of the title is to “the Almighty” God. In this regard Barnes' Notes on the New Testament (1974) observes: “It cannot be absolutely certain that the writer meant to refer to the Lord Jesus specifically here…There is no real incongruity in supposing, also, that the writer here meant to refer to God as such.” — Volume 1, page 81. Then, in Revelation 1:11 (KJV), the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” is again found —    …saying, “I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea” (New King James Version). After the apostle John heard this being spoken, he turned around to see WHO said it (verse 12) — but saw Yeshua the Messiah (verses 13-17). However, Yeshua here reassures John that he was NOT the Alpha and the Omega! We can see this for ourselves in Revelation 1:17-18, which states —    And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST. I am he who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” In other words, Yeshua told John NOT to be afraid, for HE WAS NOT THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA! Yeshua simply did NOT identify himself by that title! This is born out in other versions of the New Testament where the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” in Revelation 1:11 is not even included — notice!    …saying, “Write down what you see on a scroll, and send it to the seven Messianic communities — Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea!” (Revelation 1:11, Jewish New Testament). Absolutely no sign of the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” here! In the New International Version — and even the Authorized Catholic Edition — not a trace of the phrase can be found in verse 11. Similarly, The New Testament of the Jerusalem Bible also omits this phrase — notice!    “Write down all that you see in a book, and send it to the seven churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea” (Revelation 1:11). Mention of this is also found in the Bible dictionary Insight on the Scriptures — Volume 1, Page 80. Notice —    The additional occurrence of this phrase in the King James rendering of Revelation 1:11, however, does not receive support from some of the oldest Greek manuscripts, including the Alexandrine, Sinaitic, and Codex Ephraemi rescriptus. It is, therefore, omitted in many modern translations. Moving forward to Revelation 21:6-7 the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” can once again be found (in the KJV):    And he said to me, “It is done! I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” Here it is YEHOVAH God the Father speaking and prophesying. All of this chapter is about the New Jerusalem descending from heaven with YEHOVAH God on the throne. “The title [the Alpha and the Omega] occurs again,” states Insight on the Scriptures, “at Revelation 21:6, and the following verse identifies the speaker by saying: 'Anyone conquering will inherit these things, and I shall be his God and he will be my son.' Inasmuch as Jesus referred to those who are joint heirs with him in his Kingdom as 'brothers,' not 'sons,' the speaker must be Jesus' heavenly Father, Jehovah God. — Mt. 25:40; compare Heb. 2:10-12” (Volume 1, page 81). Now w e come to another scripture in which the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” was ADDED — in order to foist upon the unwary reader the theory that Yeshua was also “the Alpha and the Omega”! This scripture is Revelation 22:13. And Revelation 22:16 undeniably states that these are Yeshua's words —    I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last (New King James Version) In The Holy Bible, New King James Version, 1982, published by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Nashville, TN, there is a footnote to Revelation 22:13 which says —    117. NU-Text and M-Text read the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. This footnote (#117) shows that the Alexandrian (NU) and the Vatican (M) texts leave out the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega.” While not mentioning that this verse is not to be found in the Alexandrian and Vatican texts, Insight on the Scriptures agrees that this verse refers to YEHOVAH God the Father. Notice!    The final occurrence of the title [the Alpha and the Omega] is at Revelation 22:13, which states: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” It is evident that a number of persons are represented as speaking in this chapter of Revelation; verses 8 and 9 show that the angel spoke to John, verse 16 obviously applies to Jesus, the first part of verse 17 is credited to “the spirit and the bride,” and the one speaking in the latter part of verse 20 is manifestly John himself. “The Alpha and the Omega” of verses 12-15, therefore, may properly be identified as the same one who bears the title in the other two occurrences: Jehovah God. The expression, “Look! I am coming quickly,” in verse 12, does not require that these aforementioned verses apply to Jesus, inasmuch as God also speaks of himself as “coming” to execute judgment. (Compare Isaiah 26:21.) Malachi 3:1-6 speaks of a joint coming for judgment on the part of Jehovah and his “messenger of the covenant.” — Volume 1, page 81. Now, you might ask, what DIFFERENCE does it make that this phrase was added to this scripture (Revelation 22:13) — and also to Revelation 1:11? It makes a HUGE difference because it leads people to erroneously believe that Yeshua the Messiah pre-existed in the Godhead before his human birth; because NEVER BEFORE has there been a true understanding of what YEHOVAH God actually said when He identified Himself as “the ALPHA AND THE OMEGA”! Aleph and Tau Since we know that YEHOVAH God said He was “THE ALPHA AND OMEGA” in Revelation 1:8 and Revelation 21:6, let's thoroughly study these verses to learn the truth about each of them. In Revelation 1:8, the Being Who is speaking identifies Himself as “THE ALMIGHTY” — Whom we all know is YEHOVAH. Almost all English versions of the Bible render this verse in the same way as the King James Version —    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. By merely leaving this text as it is written, a tremendous understanding of WHO YEHOVAH is has been lost. All one would read into this translation is that YEHOVAH is “the Alpha and Omega” — or the Beginning and the End. However, if these two Greek letters are researched in detail, we can readily see that YEHOVAH God is revealing much more about Himself than just the “Beginning and the End.” In the Greek alphabet the letter “ALPHA” is the first letter, while “OMEGA” is the last. But in the HEBREW language — in which the New Testament scriptures are now known to have been originally written — the letter “ALEPH” is the first letter, and the letter “TAU” is the last. It is admitted by Bible scholars that Revelation 1:8 should say (in Hebrew):    I am the ALEPH and the TAU instead of    I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA This we find in a number of translations, including the Disciples' New Testament. Notice:    I am the ALAP and TAU, says the Lord God, the One who Is, and the One who Becomes and the One who Comes, the One and Only for all. In a footnote to this verse, the Disciples' New Testament states: “To use 'Omega' here, that is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, is wrong, since the original utterance is in Aramaic and the title the Lord gives Himself must not be changed according to the alphabet of the language in which His title is translated; therefore, 'Tau' should be retained in all other languages. Incidentally, in Hebrew it is 'Tau' also (page 470). The Anchor Bible, Revelation Volume 38, p. 379, gives us another explanation of this phrase, saying —    8. the Alpha and the Omega. The Hebrew would be aleph and taw, probably standing respectively for Urim and Thummin, the sacred lots of the high priest used to determine the will of God and also meaning “all encompassing.” Adam Clarke, in his Commentary, Volume 6, p. 971, confirms that “ALPHA AND OMEGA” is indeed “ALEPH AND TAU” in Hebrew. Notice what he says —    [The beginning and the ending] That is, as aleph or alpha is the beginning of the alphabet, so am I the author and cause of all things; as tau or omega is the end or last letter of the alphabet, so am I the end of all things, the destroyer as well as the establisher of all things. However, we would not be any better off if Revelation 1:8 is properly rendered, “I am the ALEPH and the TAU…” One still would not know what YEHOVAH means when He merely identifies Himself by the FIRST and the LAST letters of the Hebrew alphabet. We need to dig further into this subject. The letters ALEPH and TAU must be researched in depth to ascertain if they have a meaning, or message, to convey. Unity and Perfection What the translators of the Bible did not realize — or simply rejected — is that each individual Hebrew letter can be a word or phrase unto itself — with a specific meaning. This is clearly pointed out by Fabre d'Olivet in his intriguing book, The Hebraic Tongue Restored. Dr. d'Olivet shows clear, precise explanations for the meanings of each individual Hebrew letter — and to what they point out or declare. On page 98 of his book, Dr. d'Olivet explains that knowing that each Hebrew letter has a meaning of its own is the KEY to understanding the Bible —    Twenty-two signs: such are the simple bases upon which reposes the Hebraic tongue, upon which are raised the primitive or derivative tongue which are attached to the same origin. From the perfect understanding of these bases, depends the understanding of their genius: their possession is a key which unlocks the roots. In discussing the letters ALEPH and TAU, Dr. d'Olivet presents clear proof that these two letters make statements in their own right. The FIRST letter in the Hebrew alphabet (ALEPH), according to Dr. d'Olivet, stands for UNITY. Notice:    A. — This first character of the alphabet, in nearly all known idioms, is the sign of power and of stability. The ideas that it expresses are those of unity and of the principle by which it is determined (The Hebraic Tongue Restored, p. 95). Now, going to page 287, he states —    A. First character of the alphabet in nearly all known idioms. As a symbolic image it represents universal man, mankind, the ruling being of the earth. In its hieroglyphic acceptation, it characterizes unity, the central point, the abstract principle of a thing. As a sign, it expresses power, stability, continuity. On both page 98 and page 465 of this book, Dr. d'Olivet succinctly points out that the letter “TAU,” — the LAST letter of the Hebrew alphabet — means and stands for PERFECTION:    TH. — Sign of reciprocity: image of that which is mutual and reciprocal. Sign of signs. Joining to the abundance of the character […], to the force of the resistance and protection of the character […], the idea of perfection and necessity of which it is the emblem. Incredible as it may seem, both single letters: Aleph and Tau, are in themselves Hebrew words that have specific meanings. As we have just seen, Dr. d'Olivet clearly shows in his book that “Aleph” is a word or sign meaning UNITY, and that “TAU” is a word or sign indicating PERFECTION. As Adam Clarke and the writers of The Anchor Bible, Revelation have shown, “the Alpha and the Omega” should have been written “The Aleph and the Tau.” Now, with the true meanings of these Hebrew letters uncovered, we can see what YEHOVAH is actually saying in the scriptures we are studying. Let's look at Revelation 1:8:    I am the UNITY and PERFECTION, the beginning and the end, says YEHOVAH, Who is, Who was, and Who is coming, the Almighty. Other scriptures verify that YEHOVAH is Unity and Perfection — in Deuteronomy 6:4 YEHOVAH says that He is ONE (UNITY). Notice —    Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. Yeshua the Messiah — the only begotten Son of YEHOVAH — who was the savior selected and anointed by YEHOVAH — clearly taught that YEHOVAH is Perfection, saying in Matthew 19:17:    Why are you asking me about good [perfection]? There is One who is good [perfect]! But if you want to obtain eternal life, observe the mitzvot [commandments]. Then, in Matthew 5:48 —    Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. YEHOVAH God is revealing Himself to be Unity and Perfection. These scriptures that reveal “the Alpha and the Omega” and “the Aleph and the Tau” to be YEHOVAH Almighty (Revelation 1:8 and 21:6) DO NOT point to Yeshua — nor can Revelation 1:11 and 22:13 where this phrase was ADDED in some versions of the Bible to “claim” that Yeshua the Messiah pre-existed! Yeshua the Messiah: First and Last, Beginning and End Having proven that the words “Alpha and Omega” were added to Revelation 1:11 and 22:13, the latter verse should correctly read:    I am the FIRST and the LAST, the BEGINNING and the END. We know that Yeshua said this; we know that it is no contradiction for him to call himself the “last” because he will live forever. We know it is no contradiction for him to call himself the “end” because he is the END RESULT of having kept his Father's laws perfectly. In Romans 10:4 we read —    Christ is the end [result] of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Naturally, the translators tried to distort and misinterpret this verse to try and make you believe that Yeshua ended or “did away” with the law! If you research the meaning of the word translated “end” in this scripture you will find that it means ultimate, prophetic purpose or product — and not “end” as is universally understood in the English context. Religious deceivers also use Romans 10:4 to argue that the apostle Paul taught against YEHOVAH's laws! Nothing could be further from the truth! The apostle Paul NEVER once taught against the laws of YEHOVAH. Now, in Revelation 22:13, Yeshua calls himself the “LAST” because he has been resurrected to eternal life and will never die again. He called himself the “END” because he is the END PRODUCT — the ultimate result of the law of YEHOVAH. But what did he mean when he called himself the “FIRST” in Revelation 22:13? Did he mean that he was the first being to ever exist? Many would have you think so. Did he mean that he was “the Father of all the living”? There are many who would have you think so. Was Yeshua saying that he pre-existed? If you let scripture interpret scripture the meaning will be very clear. Notice, please, Revelation 1:5:    And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth… So therefore, when Yeshua called himself the “FIRST” in Revelation 22:13 — he was not referring to “pre-existence” at all! Yeshua simply meant that he was the first begotten of the dead, which means that he was THE FIRST TO BE RAISED FROM THE DEAD! Because Yeshua is now raised from the dead, he is now immortal — he is the FIRST to be fully created in the whole image of YEHOVAH! This is what Yeshua meant when he said that he was the “FIRST” in Revelation 22:13. What, then, did he mean when he called himself the “BEGINNING” in the same verse? Does this imply that he was in the beginning with YEHOVAH — as many would have you believe? The answer to these questions is found in Revelation 3:14, which says —    And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God [YEHOVAH]: In this scripture Yeshua calls himself the “beginning of the creation of God [YEHOVAH].” Yes, of course! Man — in his present physical state — is only a HALF-CREATED being, because we, mankind, are still corruptible flesh, as Paul says in I Corinthians 15:53:    For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. The fact is, we are still dying in this world. If you do not believe me, just check the obituary section of your local newspaper. Man is only in the LIKENESS of YEHOVAH at this time — man was created to resemble YEHOVAH. Man has a form just like YEHOVAH's: a head, chest, arms, legs, feet, etc. — just as the Bible describes YEHOVAH as having. However, Yeshua the Messiah — because he is the FIRST to be raised from the dead to eternal life — is NOW in the FULL IMAGE of YEHOVAH; he is PERFECTED. He has become the First, or the Beginning — AMONG MEN — to reach the state of PERFECT, completed, whole creation, as YEHOVAH's plan for mankind is. Therefore, he was NOT referring to pre-existence in calling himself the “Beginning” in Revelation 22:13. Yeshua the Messiah simply means that HE was the “Beginning” — the FIRST PERFECTED of YEHOVAH's whole creation plan for mankind. There is no evidence whatsoever that the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” refers to the Messiah — in fact, the exact opposite is apparent when we carefully examine the occurrences of this phrase in the Book of Revelation. SOURCE FRankforyahweh. This is the great mystery that only a handfull have been given the insight,and have discovered,and you obviously are not one of them. Should not try to twist and turn the scriptures and blame the scripters to be in error,infact the reader is in deep error. The same story over again; just blame the translation,it needs changing,we are always right,for we are intelligent. Those people back then are stupid. No; we are blind. Luke 10:22. No man knows who the son is but the father,  and who the father is but the son ; and -HE- whom the son will reveal -HIM-. Seek and you will find. wakeup. wakeup, Your still sleeping!

FRankforyahweh.

O,K. Luke 10:22.is written by a man named Jesus.
What say you about that claim? Is it true or false?

wakeup.

[Wakeup]

And you are cloggingup the traffic,with your useless quotes,as if it explains anything usefull.Just a lot of hot air.

wakeup.

[Ed J]

Hi Wakeup,

Sounds like they are inextricably linked.

God bless
Ed J (Joshua 22:34)
http://www.holycitybiblecode.org

[Ed J]

Quote (Wakeup @ July 24 2012,10:29)

And you are cloggingup the traffic,with your useless quotes,as if it explains anything usefull.Just a lot of hot air. wakeup.

Hi Wakeup,

Opinions “are” useful with dialog.

God bless
Ed J (Joshua 22:34)
http://www.holycitybiblecode.org

[mikeboll64]

Quote (Wakeup @ July 23 2012,17:29)

And you are cloggingup the traffic,with your useless quotes,as if it explains anything usefull.Just a lot of hot air. wakeup.

Frank,

I told t8 in a pm today to not worry about your flooding anymore, because you had apparently stopped after hearing how it bothers many of us.

THEN I came to this thread and saw that I was very wrong.

The following is from the Rules Page of Heaven Net:

You agree, through your use of this service, that you will not engage in the following:

1.  Spamming, flooding, or flaming in the forums or the PM service.

2.  Posting false/inaccurate or defamatory posts in the forums.

3.  Being abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, or threatening to others in the forums or PMs.

And as Kerwin recently point out to you:
Flooding is the act of repeatedly making comments in a single area with the obvious intent of overwhelming a single webpage with your commentary. Flooding can also take the form of filling a single comment or small group of comments with a huge amount of text, again with the obvious intent of overwhelming the page in question and possibly with the intent of causing substantial page load difficulties or browser crashes.

You have broken these rules consistently since you joined this site, Frank.

The mods have been lenient up to this point, but enough is enough.  I have personally asked you to PLEASE stop with the useless cut and pastes (which are useless simply because they contain much false information that you NEVER stand and defend).  You have also just recently read the responses from Pierre, Ed, Wakeup, and Kerwin who all seem to agree that those cut and pastes are clogging up the traffic and making it harder for us all to follow the discussions.

And what's worse is that many of these huge posts are DUPLICATES that you've already taken up HN space with before.

Frank, please post only the links to the info for those who may be interested.  If you continue to flood the thread with your imported information, I will have no choice but to give you tiles – and you already have three, so two more and you can no longer post here at all.

None of us want that, Frank.  We want your input in these discussions – just not in the form of a million word post you didn't even write.

I'm asking PLEASE one more time.

mike

[Author]

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