The First and the Last

[9Harmony]

Interesting...wouldn't you say?


"They are all the manifestation of the "Beginning" and the "End," the "First" and the "Last," the "Seen" and "Hidden" -- all of which pertain to Him Who is the innermost Spirit of Spirits and eternal Essence of Essences." (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 179)

"22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." (King James Bible, Revelation)

"He is the first and the last; and the outer and the inner; and He all things doth know!" (The Qur'an (E.H. Palmer tr), Sura 57 - Iron)

"Who hath wrought and done it? He that called the generations from the beginning. I, the LORD, who am the first, and with the last am the same." (Nev'im (Prophets), Yeshayahu (Isaiah))

"8. I recognize Thee, O Mazda, in my thought, that Thou the First art (also) the Last -- that
Thou art Father of Vohu Manah; -- when I apprehend Thee with mine eye, that Thou art the
true Creator of Right, and art the Lord to judge the actions of life." (The Zend-Avesta, Avesta - Yasna)

"1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." (King James Bible, Revelation)

"Lord of the Universe, glory to thee! Thou art the Self of All, thou art the maker of All, the enjoyer of All; thou art all life, and the lord of all pleasure and joy. Glory to thee, the tranquil, the deeply hidden, the incomprehensible, the immeasurable, without beginning and without end.'" (Upanishads vol. 2, Maitrayana-Brahmaya-Upanishad)

"He (the sun) is without end or beginning, unmeasured, unlimited, not to be moved by another, self-dependent, without sign, without form, of endless power, the creator, the maker of light." (Upanishads vol. 2, Maitrayana-Brahmaya-Upanishad)

"25. But it is to Allah that the End and the Beginning (of all things) belong." (The Qur'an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 53)

"The Primal One, the Pure Light, without beginning, without end. Throughout all the ages, He is One and the Same." (Shri Guru Granth Sahib, Section 1 - Jup)

"In the beginning, in the middle, and in the end, is God, the most beautiful Guru, the Sustainer of the World." (Shri Guru Granth Sahib, Section 8 - Raag Aasaa)

"In the beginning, in the middle, and in the end, He is all-pervading everywhere; He is in each and every heart." (Shri Guru Granth Sahib, Section 11 - Raag Bihaagra)

"Tao is without beginning, without end." (Tao, Chuangtse (Lin Yutang tr))


"The pillar of God is being erected and hath become manifest by His providence and command. The time of former things is past and a new time has become manifest, and all things are made new by the desire of God. But only a new eye can perceive and a new mind can comprehend this station. The Beginning and the End bore allusion to one blessed Word and that hath come and it become manifest. That Word is the soul of the Divine Books and Epistles, which hath forever been and will be forevermore. That Word is the key to the most great divine Treasury and the supreme hidden Mystery, which hath ever been concealed behind the veil of preservation. That Word is the same Alpha and Omega prophesied of by John. Verily He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden!" (Compilations, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 117)

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

"The pillar of God is being erected and hath become manifest by His providence and command. The time of former things is past and a new time has become manifest, and all things are made new by the desire of God. But only a new eye can perceive and a new mind can comprehend this station. ............... That Word is the same Alpha and Omega prophesied of by John. Verily He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden!" (Compilations, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 117)

I agree and nice post!!!! The Lord Jesus is still the only way in the Bible, but only for those that choose to believe the Bible of course.

I and a lot of others read the Bible as if it is "biblically" fulfilled, but it is also a Living Book to the Ages of Ages. Thoughts?

(Young) Isaiah 43:19 Lo, I am doing a new thing, now it springeth up, Do ye not know it? Yea, I put in a wilderness a Way, In a desolate place--floods.

(Young) 2 Corinthians 5:17 so that if any one [is] in Christ--[he is] a new creature/creation; the old things did pass away, lo, have become new the all things. gegonen kaina ta panta

(Young) Revelation 21:5 And He who is sitting upon the throne said, `Lo, new all things I make; and He saith to me, `Write, because these words are true and stedfast; kaina panta poiw

 

[Arthra]

Thanks Harmonia Niner for your post ..

An excellent referenced list and inclusive too! Did you get some of these off "Ocean"?

- Art

 

[français]

great post, and very intersting.

Hah, i think that although so many of us reject this person, or accept this person, or believe this or that happened, we are really worshipping one God, and if we just strive to be good people, we will go to Heaven.

 

[9Harmony]

Thanks Harmonia Niner for your post ..

An excellent referenced list and inclusive too! Did you get some of these off "Ocean"?

- Art

yep, isn't Ocean great!


and for anyone who's wondering what we're talking about... Ocean is a free downloadable religious library, containing scriptures of many religions.http://bahai-education.org/ocean/

but if you don't want to download it there's also a web based version. http://www.bahairesearch.com/language.aspx

 

[9Harmony]

I agree and nice post!!!! The Lord Jesus is still the only way in the Bible, but only for those that choose to believe the Bible of course.

I and a lot of others read the Bible as if it is "biblically" fulfilled, but it is also a Living Book to the Ages of Ages. Thoughts?

(Young) Isaiah 43:19 Lo, I am doing a new thing, now it springeth up, Do ye not know it? Yea, I put in a wilderness a Way, In a desolate place--floods.

Hi LLJ,

I believe the Bible, I also believe it is mostly fulfilled, but it's still unfolding, and because of that among other things, I believe Jesus is one way, but not the only way. I believe what 'the way' Jesus refers to is the Spirit of His message, not His physical person.

Note: How all of those verses from all of those different religions are saying the exact same thing. God is the beginning and the end. The messenger is simply the voice that relates the message to us. Nothing has changed in that regard. God is, was and will always be the Alpha and the Omega. (imho)

 

[9Harmony]

great post, and very intersting.

Hah, i think that although so many of us reject this person, or accept this person, or believe this or that happened, we are really worshipping one God, and if we just strive to be good people, we will go to Heaven.

thanks kjf,

i think we often get so attached to our own ideas, we in essence blind ourself to anything that doesn't fit within our frame of reference.

"God screens us evermore from premature ideas...our eyes cannot see the things that stare us in the face until the hour arrives when the mind is ripened. Then we behold them, and the time when we saw them not is like a dream." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

[ChildOfGod15]

great post, and very intersting.

Hah, i think that although so many of us reject this person, or accept this person, or believe this or that happened, we are really worshipping one God, and if we just strive to be good people, we will go to Heaven.

Then, may I be as bold to assume that you don't believe everything that is stated in the Bible?

"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

 

[9Harmony]

Then, may I be as bold to assume that you don't believe everything that is stated in the Bible?

"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

CHRISTIANITY, John 14:6
1. I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me.

BUDDHISM, Dhammapada 20:274
2. This is the path. There is no other that leads to vision.

ISLAM, Imam'Ali, Hadith
3. Whoso seeks guidence elsewhere, God will lead him astray.

BAHA'I, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, P.169
4. He that hath Me not is bereft of all things. Turn ye away from
all that is on earth and seek none else but Me.

HINDUISM, Bhagavad Gita 18:66
5. Abandoning all duties, come to Me alone for shelter.

ZOROASTRIANISM, The Teachings of the Magi, P.22
6. There is only one religious way. This one way is that of good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, the way of heaven, of light and of purity, of the infinite Creator.

So to me this points that the Christ spirit is the same spirit of God whom comes to us through all of His messengers. This is what is referred to as the Way. The Spirit of God is the Way. In whatever form He appears.

 

[ChildOfGod15]

So you have not chosen Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

You are content to believe in a God, and that if you believe there is one God who is all-powerful and infinitely good, this will get you into Heaven?

Correct me if I'm wrong... :o

 

[9Harmony]

So you have not chosen Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

You are content to believe in a God, and that if you believe there is one God who is all-powerful and infinitely good, and that this will get you into Heaven?

Correct me if I'm wrong... :o

hmmm...you don't believe there's one God? that's odd. I thought that's what Christianity taught.


Revelations "1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

1:12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

1:14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters." (KJV)



one fold and one shepherd.

 

[ChildOfGod15]

No, I do believe in one God ... Did I type that in a confusing way? ....
**Goes back and looks, confused**

 

[9Harmony]

No, I do believe in one God ... Did I type that in a confusing way? ....
**Goes back and looks, confused**

Hi ChildOfGod,

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you.

What i got from your previous posts was that if I don't accept Jesus as my only Lord and Savior, then i'm lost. (perhaps i was reading things that aren't there)

I believe that Jesus was the voice of God for His age. But i believe there have been other messengers. But all of these are just different chapters in the One religion of the One God.

I often see Christians and others argue that 'our God is the true God and all others are false', but in using that argument I point out that in saying that aren't they really saying that there is more than one?

So, yes I believe in One God. Who is the God of all. But humanity has created divisions where there are none. For we all worship the same God.

The messages just differ in that they were appropriate for the age in which they appeared, and the language used was according to the capacity of the audience of the time. Not due to the capacity of the messenger Himself. They each fulfilled their prescribed mission as Willed by God Himself.

Does that help clarify?

-Amy

 

[ChildOfGod15]

Hehe. :o Yes, that does help. Thanks for clarifying. I understand what you're saying now.

I believe differently, though.

I believe that Jesus was fully God as well as fully man, and that all Scripture (Bible) is God-breathed. I accept no other teachings than those taken from the Bible. So, err, apparently we do believe differently. :o

 

[TricksterWolf]

Interesting...wouldn't you say?


"They are all the manifestation of the "Beginning" and the "End," the "First" and the "Last," the "Seen" and "Hidden" -- all of which pertain to Him Who is the innermost Spirit of Spirits and eternal Essence of Essences." (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 179)

"22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." (King James Bible, Revelation)

"He is the first and the last; and the outer and the inner; and He all things doth know!" (The Qur'an (E.H. Palmer tr), Sura 57 - Iron)

"Who hath wrought and done it? He that called the generations from the beginning. I, the LORD, who am the first, and with the last am the same." (Nev'im (Prophets), Yeshayahu (Isaiah))

"8. I recognize Thee, O Mazda, in my thought, that Thou the First art (also) the Last -- that
Thou art Father of Vohu Manah; -- when I apprehend Thee with mine eye, that Thou art the
true Creator of Right, and art the Lord to judge the actions of life." (The Zend-Avesta, Avesta - Yasna)

"1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." (King James Bible, Revelation)

"Lord of the Universe, glory to thee! Thou art the Self of All, thou art the maker of All, the enjoyer of All; thou art all life, and the lord of all pleasure and joy. Glory to thee, the tranquil, the deeply hidden, the incomprehensible, the immeasurable, without beginning and without end.'" (Upanishads vol. 2, Maitrayana-Brahmaya-Upanishad)

"He (the sun) is without end or beginning, unmeasured, unlimited, not to be moved by another, self-dependent, without sign, without form, of endless power, the creator, the maker of light." (Upanishads vol. 2, Maitrayana-Brahmaya-Upanishad)

"25. But it is to Allah that the End and the Beginning (of all things) belong." (The Qur'an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 53)

"The Primal One, the Pure Light, without beginning, without end. Throughout all the ages, He is One and the Same." (Shri Guru Granth Sahib, Section 1 - Jup)

"In the beginning, in the middle, and in the end, is God, the most beautiful Guru, the Sustainer of the World." (Shri Guru Granth Sahib, Section 8 - Raag Aasaa)

"In the beginning, in the middle, and in the end, He is all-pervading everywhere; He is in each and every heart." (Shri Guru Granth Sahib, Section 11 - Raag Bihaagra)

"Tao is without beginning, without end." (Tao, Chuangtse (Lin Yutang tr))


"The pillar of God is being erected and hath become manifest by His providence and command. The time of former things is past and a new time has become manifest, and all things are made new by the desire of God. But only a new eye can perceive and a new mind can comprehend this station. The Beginning and the End bore allusion to one blessed Word and that hath come and it become manifest. That Word is the soul of the Divine Books and Epistles, which hath forever been and will be forevermore. That Word is the key to the most great divine Treasury and the supreme hidden Mystery, which hath ever been concealed behind the veil of preservation. That Word is the same Alpha and Omega prophesied of by John. Verily He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden!" (Compilations, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 117)

Translation: Generally, religions see deities as existing beyond time and immortal. Otherwise they wouldn't be very deific!

Trickster