Growing up in a formal Liturgical Church, I’m familiar with several of the doxologies that were sung or recited at the end of each service. For some reason, this one always stays in my mind, “As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.”
Sixteen words that sum up the story from Genesis to Revelation.
In the beginning, God created man, blessed him, gave him dominion over the lower realm of Earth, and walked and talked with him in His garden among the holy angels. Man was designed as a physical and spiritual creature to live on a Holy Mountain with God and to watch over the Earth portion of God’s creation as He descended and ascended on a staircase that connected the two. According to the Revelation of John, God will restore this once-perfect relationship that was interrupted by the intrusion of a powerful unholy guardian cherub who deceived Adam and Eve, stole their allegiance and subsequently their dominion of planet Earth.
God plans the recovery of man and His creation, Earth, in three phases:
The Redemption: The Messiah that takes away the sin nature as one is born into the nature of the second Adam
The Power: The deposit of His Divine Presence by His Holy Spirit in the heart of the redeemed in order to navigate in the fallen world.
The Judgement: The determination of who belongs to God and who refuses to repent. There ensues a battle that eliminates Satan’s presence, his hordes of fallen angels, and those persons aligned with the evil one. The righteous ones are translated to His Holy City that is coming down in the clouds of glory.
It is then that God says:
Everything is finished! I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give water from the life-giving fountain to everyone who is thirsty (Revelation 21:6 CEV).
The end is now like the beginning. All is restored.
