(Editor's Note: Special thanks to Doug Moody for permission to post this article on www.BeyondCreationScience.com.)
In the Beginning was the Word
by Doug Moody
By the logic of covenant creation, "THE BEGINNING" was not the
beginning of the earth, in a physical sense, but the beginning of a
covenantal relationship with people. Conversely, and logically using
the same hermeneutic consistently, THE END would mean the end of a
covenantal relationship with people. At least that is what detractors
might wish to say. I intend in this article to show how covenantally,
the fault with the old covenant was not about God, but about man, but
the reason the NEW covenant lasts forever is because it is not based on
that which is created, but upon the creator Himself!
As shown in BCS, the covenantal relationship was carried through
certain individuals, and later through entire nations. When those
nations rejected the covenantal terms of their agreement with God, He
rejected them too, and brought it [the terms of the old covenant) all
to a final end in 70AD.
But the agreement under the NEW covenant continued past 70AD because it
is an everlasting covenant. How do I know that? Because of the
identification of the time span of the one who IS the covenant, namely
Jesus Christ. Heb. 1:12
says "And as a vesture shall you fold them (the heavens and earth and
the works developed under them through Israel's offerings, washings,
and other obligations of the law) up, and they (the terms of the old
covenant) shall be changed (changed into what? a new covenant), but you
are the same and your years shall not fail." Clearly Jesus Christ,
because He was at the center of the old covenant, but was not at fault
in that original agreement, must be the only unchangeable part of God's
covenant with man. This is why Hebrews makes the statement about Him
enduring forever.
John 1:1 says "In the beginning was the Word."
What beginning was it talking about? I would propose that this was the
beginning of the covenant with man, Adam and Eve. If we suppose that
the "beginning" here in John 1 is talking about a physical beginning,
we have the same conundrum we have with identifying the beginning of
Genesis 1 with a physical creation. Are we to suppose that the old or
new covenant was created PRIOR to the beginning of man? Certainly not.
It is the same principle Jesus expounded about the sabbath when He
declared it was made for man, not man for the sabbath. The terms of any
agreement must have parties who are cognizant of its terms and agree to
them. When there is no man present, there can be no covenant made with
him. Therefore, I believe that "In the beginning was the Word" is a
statement about the Lord walking in the garden of Eden and communing
with His special creation. It is NOT talking about Jesus being present
at the creation of the stars and planets. I am not saying He did not
create those things, but I am saying that "The beginning" mentioned in
John 1 is clear language intended to convey that there is life in Jesus
Christ and no other. Verse 4 says "In Him was life, and the life was
the light of MEN." Again, clearly showing, in proximate context by its
placement in John 1, that we are not discussing the physical, but the
spiritual and eternal aspects of the beginning, and that they are
placed in conjunction with relationship between God and men. That
relationship was begun in only one recorded place in the bible, namely
Genesis.
John 1:9
says, "That was the true light that lights every man that comes into the
world." Are we to extrapolate from this verse that everyone in "the
world" is enlightened by Jesus? In a physical interpretation of John 1,
that would be true. But in a spiritual sense, that is not possible,
because not all people "come into the world." I interpret this to say
that this verse is saying that IF you are in Jesus, you are in HIS
world. Not just a physical world. It can mean no other thing! It is
mind boggling then (at least for me) that there is a world spoken of
here which is a "new creation" world, not made of hands or carved out
by man, but it is an eternal and invisible "world" To say otherwise is
to say that the "lightening" that Christ lights up is only one that is
among many lights. But He is the true light, and those He enlightens
are in HIS world, namely, His kingdom!
Furthermore, John 1:10 says "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
Who, or what, exactly is "the world" spoken of here? If in the first
phrase it means that He was [physically] located someplace in the
"world", then how is it that in the last phrase (of 3 phrases in that
verse referring to "the world") this "world" knew Him not? How is it
possible that a physical creation can even know someone. Rocks and trees
cannot know anything. They are inanimate. Clearly, THIS world in verse
10 is a world of people. It is clarified in verse 11 when it states
that "He came unto his own (covenant people) and they received him not"
They did not recognize who their leader was, and rejected Him, thereby
breaking the old covenant. His offering on the cross, and the end of it
in 70 AD was the final divorce decree.
As an aside, I think the last mention of "the world" in John 1:10 is interesting.
Thereafter, those who are in covenant with Jesus are called "us." It's interesting because the writer here obviously wants to distance himself
from the wording of the first 10 verses and calls the NEW sons of God
"us". No longer does the writer identify himself or other christians as
"of the world" I thin it is intentional and juxtaposed this way so that
there is a comparison and contrast between those of "the world" the old
covenantal people" and "us," the new covenantal people.
Now, all that said, lets tie it together in Revelation. Rev 1:8 "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending."
With what we just saw in John 1, is it not logical and biblically
justifiable, that "In the beginning" was the garden of Eden and the
beginning of a covenantal relationship with mankind, spelled out in old
covenant terms? One might justifiable ask then, what is the end? The
short answer is that there isn't any end. Why? Well, as we shall see,
it is because the new covenant is built on better promises.
"Omega" or Jesus, is BOTH beginning AND ending the covenants. He is
there in the garden, and He is there at the cross. But seeing as the
new covenant is UNI-lateral in its origins, it does not depend on
mankind to either obey or disobey it. That is why the NEW covenant
cannot be broken and why it is eternal - because it does not depend on
a finite thing, like man, to uphold part of the bargain. Jesus paid it
ALL, and as stated in Heb 6:13-20,
God, because He could swear by nothing greater than Himself, started
the terms of the new covenant with Abraham (a covenant of faith, BTW)
by swearing an oath Himself. We who are in the new covenant
(relationship) with Jesus are assured that THIS covenant lasts forever,
because it is not sealed by the will of men, but by the will of God,
who cannot change.
This is such a hopeful message, and to those who are detractors of
preterism, who say that our message is one of no hope because there is
no end to it, I say GOD BE PRAISED THERE IS NO END! Actually, there is
no hope to a theology that places the good things of this earth into
the wastebasket and conjures up a God who made a mistake when He made
it and has to start over and hopefully will get it right this time.
Underneath the hood of futurism that is what is actually being said.
Preterism says the opposite. It says that in the beginning, God
introduced Himself to man and made an agreement with him, which man
broke. God knew he would, and from the foundation of the world (not
the start of the dinosaurs, but the garden of Eden) planned it all out
so that what ONLY is eternal, God Himself, would make a forever
relationship (covenant). That is why it goes on forever. The earth is
part of God's kingdom. Just because we can't [yet] see the invisible
part of the kingdom does not mean we aren't part of it. We are as much
in God's kingdom as we will ever be. The only difference is that at our
death we will have new eyes to see how big it all really is! Now that's
REAL hope!
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