Sometimes it is encouraging for the saint to take a view of God’s purposes in the history of the universe from a “mountaintop” perspective. A mountaintop allows us to see for many miles in one direction, then again in the opposite direction, if we are enjoying it on a clear day. There are many passages in the word of God that help us to enjoy His purposes clearly, and some of these use words that we usually use in order to define periods of time: beginnings and endings.
As we look briefly at a few of these portions, it is of the greatest benefit to our souls to start with the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who speaks of Himself three times in the book of Revelation in this manner: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending . . . which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13). All God’s purposes throughout all ages, and from before time even began, are centered in Him, “for whom are all things, and by whom are all things” (Hebrews 2:10). Any focus or occupation of mind short of Christ’s glory will surely leave us open to the errors of philosophy, ritualism, or worldliness.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3). This “beginning” establishes the eternal existence of God, and if we would take the time to read further in this wonderful passage in John’s gospel, we would catch a glimpse of the eternal relationship of love between the Father and the Son, who is also the eternal Word, the One who perfectly reveals the mind and heart of the triune God.
“We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (II Thessalonians 2:13). Before time began, God the Father and God the Son, together with the Spirit of God, chose for eternal blessing many from among a rebellious and lost human race. We who have the immense privilege of being Christ’s were given to Him by His Father, completely outside of the realm of time (John 6:39-40; 10:29; Ephesians 1:4). What a magnificent view the scriptures give us!
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). In a manner of speaking, this first “beginning” in the Bible happened long after those we have just referenced above. It is when time actually began and matter began to exist, for before that, we believe, there was only spirit, perhaps including the angelic spirits. The “ages of time” began at this juncture (Titus 1:2, Darby).
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us)” (I John 1:1-2). This is another beginning that the apostle John brings before us, but here he is writing of the incarnation of Jesus Christ, God’s gift to a lost world, and the One who along could bring “life unto the world” (John 6:33), that eternal life which is enjoyed by all who believe on Him. The incarnation began a completely new thing in the world, for Jesus also speaks of Himself as “the beginning of the creation of God” (Revelation 3:14). Only by Him could God now begin to bring all of creation, material and spiritual, into harmony with His purposes. What began at the incarnation was formally proclaimed in power by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from among the dead (Romans 1:4): God’s new creation in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17). Its consummation is yet future, as we’ll see in a moment.
There are several distinct endings that we should notice as well.
“He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26 ESV). In the preceding ages, God had created the worlds by His Son, and having created man, He tested Him in various ways over thousands of years. Christ’s death on the cross came at the end of those ages of testing, and is the dividing point of history. God has been propitiated by the death of that perfect Victim, and He can now show mercy to ruined man, who had failed every test that God put him under. What a changing of scenes here!
“Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (Romans 10:4). Here is another ending that occurred at the same time as the one just above, at Christ’s death, but it gives us more of a doctrinal aspect than a historical one. God has made a final end to any thought of man to become righteous before God on the basis of law-keeping.
“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:13-24). This marks the end of the “times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24) and the “great tribulation”. God will then usher in a restoration, or a “regeneration” (Matthew 19:28), which differs from a “beginning” in that He uses as His material that which existed already, bringing it into conformity to His mind and will as another manifestation of the “creation of God”.
“Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (I Corinthians 15:24-27). This final ending marks the termination of time and matter as we who are finite beings know it. It comes at the end of the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ over all things, and is the occasion of the final judgment (Revelation 20). At this point, God will “make all things new” (Revelation 21:5), which is the ultimate goal and result of the “creation of God”, of which the incarnate Son of God is the beginning.
What an amazing view of history we have, and what a glorious future is ours, who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the “Beginning and the Ending”!
GREATER RICHES 