By Editorial Staff
The names and attributes of God include “the First” and “the Last”. The Lord and Creator of this universe should be the First and Last One to exist. There can be none either before or after Him. Even, there can be none that is first or last with Him.
Jesus is a creature who is neither the first nor the last
The First and the Last in Islam
In the Qur’an, God (called “Allah” in Arabic) is described as “the First” and “the Last”. We read:
Whatever is in the heavens and earth exalts Allah, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. His is the dominion of the heavens and earth. He gives life and causes death, and He is over all things competent. He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing. (Al-Hadid 57:1-3)
We also read:
And do not invoke with Allah another deity. There is no deity except Him. Everything will be destroyed except His Face. His is the judgement, and to Him you will be returned. (Al-Qasas 88:28)
We further read:
Everyone upon the earth will perish, and there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor. (Ar-Rahman 55:26-27)
Imran ibn Husain reported that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “God existed and nothing else existed. His throne was on water. Then, He created heavens and earth and wrote everything in the Qur’an.” (Al-Bukhari)
More than once, Prophet Muhammad used those two names, “the First” and “the Last”, in his supplications. Abu Hurairah (may God be pleased with him) reported that Prophet Muhammad said: “O Allah, You are the First and nothing existed before you, and You are the Last, and nothing will exist after You. You are the Most High, nothing is above You and You are the Most Near and nothing is nearer than You. Pay our debts back and enrich us against poverty.” (Muslim, Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi)
The First and the Last in Christianity
In the Old Testament, God is described as “the First” and “the Last”. We read: “For the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts says this, ‘I am the First and I am the Last; and there is no God besides Me.’” (Isaiah 44:6)
We also read: “Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called; I am He, I am the First, I am the Last. My hand founded and established the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together [in obedience to carry out My decrees].” (Isaiah 48:12-13)
As for Jesus, he is described as “the firstborn of all creation” in the Bible. In the New Testament, we read: “Giving thanks unto the Father, who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:12-15)
Jesus is also described as “the beginning of the creation of God”. In the New Testament, we read: “And to the angel of the assembly in Laodicea write: these things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” (Revelation 3:14)
Now, we may ask: if Jesus is a creature, how can he be God? If he is the beginning of the creation of God, how can he be first with God?
God preexisted creation, but Jesus existed after God, upon the beginning of creation according to the New Testament.
As a matter of fact, Jesus was not the beginning of creation simply because the Old Testament mentions that there was no man before the creation of Adam. We read: “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, and before every plant of the field was in the earth, and before every herb of the field grew; for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:4-7)
Where was Jesus upon the creation of Adam? How did he exist though his mother has not been created yet? If he preexisted his mother, why was his mother created though Jesus existed before and without her?
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References:
1- The Glorious Qur’an (Sahih International Translation)
2- Sahih Al-Bukhari
3- Sahih Muslim
4- The Holy Bible (Visit biblegateway.com)