Immanuel: The Word Who Was Before Everything

Today I want to delve into this very deep and, ultimately, the most compelling mystery there is. God - Who always has been and always will be - picture this! - God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, merely speaking the world into existence. This is the startling way the apostle John introduces Jesus Christ as he picks up his pen, now, after Jesus has died, risen, and gone back to heaven:

"In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God."

(John 1:1)

That is an absolutely astounding, jaw-dropping intro! Today, let's dig in and take a closer look - the full reason behind the wonderful tidings of great joy which shall be to all people we are celebrating this Christmas season!

Logos (λόγος) literally means word, speech, or spoken expression. Logos is the Greek term translated as “word,” “speech,” “principle,” or “thought.” In Greek philosophy, it also referred to a universal, divine reason or the mind of God.

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"Immanuel - God with us."

Right there I feel such security and peace, but...

WHO is GOD?

To begin to answer that question we have to go back to the beginning - well...

No! actually, we have to go back to Before the Beginning!

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  

And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness,

and darkness was over the surface of the deep,

and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 

Then God said, “Let there be light”;

and there was light.”

(Genesis 1:1-3)

Here's what we know about "BEFORE the beginning" from this text:

• The earth was a formless and desolate emptiness

• Darkness was over the surface of the deep - so there was water present

• God's Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters

We don't know where "the formless" earth was in proximity to God's dwelling place, but to stop and just picture this is a bit eery to me, isn't it to you? AND, then to think that God - in His three-dimensional Person - had always been - there was no "beginning" of Him. This is the kind of thinking that makes your brain smoke.

The apostle Peter - fast forward (!) - confirms this with his words:

“…the heavens were of old,

and the earth standing out of the water

 and in the water:

By the word of God.”

(2 Peter 3:5)

The writer of Hebrews - again - much later in the New Testament:

“By faith we understand that the worlds 

were prepared by the word of God, 

so that what is seen was not made out of

things which are visible.”

(Hebrews 11:3)

What I really like about that last verse is that it says it is by FAITH we understand these things! Right? It isn't about being able to scientifically put it all together - although, I promise you, it does make perfect scientific sense, and one day, when we are sitting in class with the Master Scientist, we'll get it!

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🔎Let's Zero in on: Creation Begins when God SPEAKS🔎

“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made…

For He spoke, and it came to be.”

Psalm 33: 6, 9

Other scriptures highlight God working through the power of his Words:

• "So My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it." - Isaiah 55:11

• "Then God spoke all these words, saying, 'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 'You shall have no other gods before Me.'" - Exodus 20:1 (God is giving the 10 commandments to Moses directly by speech)

• “For I am the Lord; I will speak the word that I will speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, but in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it, declares the Lord God.”  Ezekiel 12:25

• "But he answered, 'It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 (Jesus speaking)

• “God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.  For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth…” (Job 37:5-6) (And I hope He says that in time for a white Christmas! 😉)

🤓Interesting Factoid: Did you know that "and God said" appears a full ten times in the first chapter of Genesis? Well, it does, and this has even been called "THE TEN UTTERANCES OF GOD."

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Back to John's amazing introduction of Jesus Christ - Immanuel "God With Us" - appearing on the world stage incognito as a human being:

“In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.”

Let's break it down point by point:

• The Word was

• The Word was with God

• The Word was God

Then: "HE" was in the beginning with God.

Question: Who is HE?

Answer: Jesus Christ

"And the Word became flesh,

and dwelt among us,

and we saw His glory,

glory as of the only begotten of the Father,

full of grace and truth."

(John 1:14)

Note: Most people did not "behold His glory" while He was on earth. Peter, James, and John did, when one day Jesus took them to a mountain top and transfigured Himself before them. Isn't that wild? I mean, think about this. They have traipsed mountain after mountain with Him up and down the countryside proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom, and this time, all of a sudden, the human, sweating, eating, drinking, sleeping, laboring Son of Man is turned into the Son of God in all His splendor right before their eyes! For a moment only, then - POOF! - back to Jesus Christ "disguised" as a man! 😲 (Actually, His manhood wasn't a "disguise" per se, as He was fully man and fully God - but you get my point!)

This is one of the lovely things I have noticed in the scriptures about Him. When people have had huge suffering for His sake in their path, God provides inside glimpses of the glory to come. For example:

• Isaiah - who I talked about last time - is taken to the highest heaven - to God's throne - before his tenure as prophet begins. His will be a very difficult path, but he has this vision in his mind the entire time - a glory so great and beautiful he knows where everything is going and where he will end up.

• Stephen - the first New Testament martyr - as he is being stoned to death - is given the vision of stairs to heaven with angels ascending and descending on it; as he is being brutally pelted with rocks, he is actually given the sustaining ability to see God with him and taking him to him.

• The apostle Paul - is taken to the "third heaven" - similar to Isaiah - and sees things he says afterwards that he can't even begin to describe in human terms. In fact, because the vision was so exquisite, God actually imposed on him a physical affliction for the rest of his earthly life to keep his ego in check.

• The apostle John - by the time he receives the vision of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, he has suffered long and hard and is, even at that time, living a painful, difficult existence, exiled on the Isle of Patmos. Here, God gives Him full view of the glory of Jesus Christ and the entire heavenly realm.

  
  

My Takeaway? It is unwise to speculate what suffering may be in my future. God has made it clear that His grace is sufficient, meaning that as high the bar of suffering is raised, the bar of grace is raised even higher.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9

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Wrapping UP!

For today's dig, I think this is enough wonder to think about and chew on! I don't know about you, but the fact that my God is so powerful that all He does is speak and worlds are created is very reassuring and confidence building. And then, that He can devise such an intricately ingenious way to save His creation from hurtling to its death - this intricate, ingenious way we call The Incarnation - Jesus - the Word who was before everything:

"Immanuel - God with Us"

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NEXT TIME!

Stay Tuned - Let's take a "DEEP DIG" into all of this:

"He was in the world,

and the world was made through Him,

and the world did not know Him. 🥺

He came to His own,

and those who were His own

did not receive Him. 😔

But as many as received Him,

to them He gave the right to

become the children of God, even to

those who believe in His name... 🥳" John 1:10-12

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*Interested in knowing how to enter into a personal relationship with God through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Say a Salvation Prayer and Receive Jesus Christ Today.

Of course, the saying of a prayer is the reflection of a monumental and life-changing heart decision, but this is a good guide.

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