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The Importance of Being the Firstborn
Throughout the Bible, we read of the importance of
being the firstborn son. For in
Another unique feature of being the firstborn son
shortly after the Israelites left
So, not only the firstborn humans, but also the
firstborn of their cattle belonged to God. But what did this mean?
Well, in the case of the cattle, they were to be
offered as sacrifices to Jehovah. However, what they were to do to the
firstborn sons and how they were to be offered to Jehovah was originally
unclear. At first, the Israelites had to buy back their firstborn sons, by
contributing at the sacred Tent in the desert. For we are told at Exodus
Abraham had provided the ‘type’ of what was really
needed when he offered to sacrifice his firstborn son Isaac. However, the
thought of killing an innocent person was repulsive to Jehovah, so this is the
reason why firstborn animals were sacrificed in place of humans… their sacrifice pictured the need for
God to sacrifice His firstborn son to buy back humankind from sin and death.
Later on, God made a change that allowed the
Priesthood of Israel to take away the need for all firstborn sons to be bought
back from Jehovah, when he made the descendants of Levi (the Priests) the
firstborn in place of those of the rest of the sons of
So, whereas the special privilege of belonging to Jehovah
was once offered to the firstborn of all
Jesus
Was the Firstborn
If a person believes that Jesus was the same person as
God Jehovah, if they believe that Jesus was just a man, or if they believe that
he came into existence when he was born on earth, that person is missing out on the true meaning and
significance of being the firstborn. For it’s a fact that all the laws and
promises of the firstborn of man, animals, and crops in the field showed how
God was going to offer His most-loved firstborn (created) son. The
Bible is so clear on this, for
notice what we are told in the following scriptures:
John 1:1-3, ‘In an ancient time, there was the
Expression of a thought. This Expression
was with God and the Expression was Powerful. He was with God long ago. Everything
came into existence through him. Life
came into existence through him and the life was the light of men.’
John
John 8:58, ‘I tell you the truth, I existed before Abraham was born.’
John 13:3, 4, ‘And knowing that the Father had put
everything in his hands, and that he
came from God and was returning to God, he got up from the meal and laid
his outer clothing aside.’
John 16:27, 28, ‘The Father
cares for you, because you cared for me and you believed that I came as the Father’s representative.
I am from the Father and I came into the
world. I am also leaving the world and returning to the Father.’
John 17:5, So, now Father, glorify me beside You with the glory that I
had beside You before there was a world.’
Colossians 1:15-17, ‘He’s the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of all creation (gr. protokos pases ktiseos – first/taken all
creation). Through him, everything in
heaven and on the earth was created, both the things that are visible and those
that are invisible. Everything has been created through him and for him,
regardless of whether they are thrones, or rulerships,
or governments, or powers. He was before everything and everything came into existence
through him.’
Revelation
In
What Ways Was Jesus the Firstborn?
Despite all the clear indications of the true meanings
of the scriptures listed above, some choose to argue the interpretation of a
few words, such as the meaning of the Greek words prototokos (found at Colossians
1:15) and monogenea
or monogenes
(as found at John 1:18). They
say that these words speak, not of Jesus being God’s first created in heaven,
but of his being the firstborn human son on earth (through Mary). And for a
fact, they could be interpreted that way, were it not for all the other
scriptures that clarify the meaning of these verses. ( Sbt Note
Learn about entire context of the Bible by Reading AGODagod.htm
Take for example, the rendering of Colossians 1:15,
which read, ‘He’s … the firstborn of
all creation.’ And yes, the word that is translated as firstborn is taken from the Greek word protokos, which literally means first taken, as in birth. In fact,
wherever the word firstborn appears
in its Greek form throughout the Bible, it is translated from some form of prototokos.
However, notice that Jesus was spoken of as ‘the
firstborn of all creation,’ not as
‘the foremost of all creation’ (as some claim it means). And since the Bible
constantly speaks of things in the terms that humans can recognize, speaking of Jesus as having been
‘born’ or ‘taken’ is clearly in line with his being the first creation of
God (not by a human or spiritual mother, but as the first creation by God).
Yet, Jesus was also the first human to be conceived by God. And this is the argument
that some present when it comes to the wording of John
Yet, Jesus was fathered by God:
· As His first-created son in heaven
· As His first-born son on earth
· As the firstborn of God’s Breath (Spirit)
· As the firstborn from the grave (a heavenly
resurrection to immortal life).
For as Paul wrote (at Colossians
1 John 4:9. Only
Created Son
http://www.2001translation.com/FIRST%20JOHN.htm#_Only_Created_Son
Jesus was referred to as
God’s only-created son at 1 John 4:9. However, that isn’t exactly what the
scripture says. The Greek word that is translated only created is monogenea (mono
means only, genea
means generated). So, the verse literally calls him the only generated son of God, but that is a bit confusing
to readers.
In other translations this
word is translated as only begotten,
but begotten isn’t exactly a word you would read in the newspaper today, so,
not everyone understands what it means.
We might have used the term only fathered, or, only conceived, or, only born.
However, none of those words accurately describes the position of Jesus. He was
the only son who was created by God. Everyone else came into existence through
him. So, although the term only created
may not be exactly what was said in a word-for-word translation, it is exactly
what John meant.
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?
What
does In Mean?
The Greek
word en simply means in. However, it
is translates as in, one, in union with,
and as other words, depending on the context. Especially in the book of John do
we find a question that was raised as to whether Jesus was one with (the same
as) the God, because the text at John
This
text is then translates in many Bibles as, ‘I and my father are one.’ So, is Jesus then ‘in’ or ‘one with’ (the
same as) the Father? That could be a correct translation; however, not in the
context of the way the book of John was written. For example, notice how John
‘In
that the day you will know that I in (en) the Father of me and you in (en) me and I in (en) you.’
So, if John
10:38 means that Jesus is the same person as his Father, then John 14:20 means
that all of Jesus followers are the same person, and that they are also the
same person as Jesus and his Father. Is this a logical conclusion? No, because it doesn’t harmonize with
numerous other scriptures that show his followers to be individuals, but at one with (or in unity with) Jesus and God.
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In
other translations, 1 John 5:7 reads, ‘There are three
that bear record in heaven: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and these
three are one.’ However, Bible manuscripts that were written prior to the
Eleventh Century C.E (A.D.) read quite differently. So, it appears as though
this verse was changed about 1,000 years after John penned it by someone who
wanted to provide scriptural backing to the Trinity doctrine.
As you
can see from the context of John the Fifth Chapter, the three witness-bearers
are the water (baptism), the Breath (Gr. pneuma – the Breath of God), and
the (shed) blood (of Jesus). Changing the
water, the Breath, and the blood to
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost would make the rest of what John
wrote illogical; so that rendering is obviously spurious.
Who Are
the Firstborn Today?
Yet, both the later prophecies and the ‘types’ of
ancient
Recognize also that within the tribe of Levi there
were two major divisions. First, there was the line of Aaron who served at
Jehovah’s
Then there was the rest of the tribe of Levi (or
symbolic firstborn), who were also Priests, but they lived near the rest of the
people of Israel where they served as teachers and judges, and they weren’t
allowed to enter the Holy Place or offer sacrifices on God’s altar. They appear
to picture Holy Ones (or firstborn) who will live and rule on the earth. (For
more information, see the linked document, God’s Promise of an Inheritance).
Paul spoke of a heavenly gathering of ‘called ones’ at
Hebrews 12:22-24, where he wrote, ‘What you’ve approached is
So from the above, we can conclude that at least some
of the firstborn will be called to heaven to live with Jesus… but what about
the rest?
The
Promise of a Nation of Kings and Priests
That there will be people who will live on the earth
is confirmed by Jesus’ promise at Matthew 5:5 that ‘the meek will inherit the
earth.’ And that they would be called ‘the twelve tribes of
However, wasn’t it God’s promise that the whole nation
would serve as kings and priests? Yes it was… He promised this in several places
throughout the Bible. For example, we read at Revelation 5:9, 10, ‘You deserve
to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slaughtered and you
bought people for God out of every tribe, language, ethnic group, and country,
with your blood. Then you made them rulers and priests to our God, and they
will rule as kings on (gr. epi) the earth.’
Must
They Be the Firstborn of Men?
Now, at this point we really aren’t sure whether all
the faithful on the earth (symbolic
Does this mean they are literally the firstborn of
family lines? No, for the Bible shows that a person doesn’t literally have to
be the firstborn of men to be the firstborn of God. Take for example, Jacob.
His brother Esau was literally the firstborn, but Jacob was able to buy that
right from his brother for the price of a bowl of stew. So in this case, the
right of firstborn was purchased from another, because one appreciated it and
the other didn’t. And that’s how (by showing appreciation) one can become the
firstborn of God.
And, because of their faithfulness, many others in
Bible history who were not literally the firstborn of their families were given
the right of the firstborn by God, including some who were actually born last.
An example of this was faithful Joseph, who was Jacob’s last son. Yet his
family line was given a double portion of tribes (Ephraim and Manasseh) in
Two
Classes of Firstborn
We know that there is likely to be a heavenly class of
firstborn who will be taken from among all earthly (symbolic)
We know that this likely refers to a heavenly class,
because an earthly class (the large crowd) is referred to as separate from them
in the following verses.
We also know that there is likely
to be an earthly class of firstborn who will become kings and Priests as were
pictured by the rest of the line of Levi. For we read at Revelation 20:4-6,
‘Next, I saw thrones. Those who were executed with axes for testifying about
Jesus and for telling about God, and those who hadn’t worshiped the wild animal
or its image, and who hadn’t received the mark on their foreheads and on their
hands, sat down on them, and they were
appointed judges. They came to life and ruled as kings with the Chosen One for a thousand years. (The rest
of the dead don’t come to life until the end of the thousand years.) This is
the first resurrection. Those that have a part in the first resurrection are
blest and holy, because the second death doesn’t have any power over them. They will be Priests of God and the
How do we know that this is
speaking of earthly firstborn? Well, you might take a look at all the proofs
found in the linked document, The Resurrection.
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C/H to Open Father generator ---- the founder of a family
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Heb
11:17 - [ In Context | Read Chapter | Discuss this Verse ]
[ Original: Greek | Multi-Translation | Make
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By faith
Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the
promises was offering up his only begotten
son;
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2001 Translation---Detailed
Notes –Then ISBE The
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Only Begotten
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