Revelation 3:14 - Is Jesus the Beginning, Ruler or Beginner of Creation?

The Message translation renders Revelation 3:14 as:

"Write to Laodicea, to the Angel of the church. God's Yes, the Faithful and Accurate Witness, the First of God's creation, says:"

The King James Version has:

"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;"

It is claimed by some that "beginning" in Revelation 3:14 is a title meaning source or one who begins, i.e. Creator. It is also claimed that Jesus is called the arche in the sense of "ruler," in Col. 1:18. Some claim that the Greek word *arche* should be translated as "origin" rather than "beginning" in Revelation 3:14. Thus some translations present this verse accordingly: "prime source of all God's creation." (New Enlgish Bible translation) "The source through whom God's creation came." (Knox) "The beginner of God's creation." (Williams, Goodspeed) "The Origin and Beginning and Author of God's creation." (Amplified New Testament) In all these translations, however, it should be pointed out that the one being spoken of still represented as a different person from God, and thus not God himself. In other words, regardless of the meaning given to "arche" in Revelation 3:14, the word "God" refers to only one person, and he who is the "arche" in Revelation 3:14 is not being said to be "God". "God" in Revelation 3:14 is the same one person who is God in Isaiah 61:1,2; Micah 5:4; Ephesians 1:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 1:6; 2:7; 3:2,12. Jesus is not presented as "God" in Revelation 3:14, and there is definitely nothing in Revelation 3:14 that presents God as being more than one person, or that Jesus is a person of his God.

Some have claimed that *arche*, as used in Revelation 3:14, means "ruler" of God's creation. We are given the following scriptures where the plural of arche (archai) is used in sense of rulers (as having principality, or first place over others): Luke 12:11; 20:20; Romans 8:38; 1 Corinthians 15:24; Ephesians 1:21; 3:12; 6:12; Colossians 1:16; 2:10, 15, Titus 3:1. Jude 1:6. We do not deny that the Greek word *arche* can be used figuratively of ones in authority [based on the sense of first position, or the higher positions in the realm being spoken of], but is that what is meant in Revelation 3:14? In Revelation 3:14, what we have is one who is spoken of as "the beginning" of God's creation. It is not a possessive nominative followed by what is possessed, as it should be if it meant "ruler" of God's creation. Similar Greek construction of *arche* can be found in Mark 10:6; 13:19 and 2 Peter 3:4, where beginning refers, not to a person, but a point in time when the creation of the world of mankind started. There is no doubt in these verses that *arche* does not mean "ruler". Usually the word *arche* is translated as "beginning" except in those cases where the context shows that figurative meaning of the word is meant. There is no reason to think that in Revelation 3:14 there should be any different translation, except that one, in keeping with preconceived beliefs, would like for this scripture to say other than what it says, that Jesus is the first creation of God.

Below we present the translations in the King James Version of the Greek arch (arkee, arche) in italics.

The reader may see how the word is used throughout the New Testament. Please note how John 1:1 and Revelation 3:14 use the word "beginning" in common usage. Also note especially Matthew 24:21, Mark 10:6, and 2 Peter 3:4, wherein the beginning of creation is referring to the beginning of the world of mankind. By studying the various uses of the Greek word arch, the reader may be properly informed.

• Mt 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
• Mt 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
• Mt 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
• Mt 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be
• Mr 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
• Mr 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
• Mr 13:8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
• Mr 13:19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
• Lu 1:2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
• Lu 12:11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
• Lu 14:9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. 
• Lu 20:20 And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.
• Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
• Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
• Joh 2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
• Joh 6:64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
• Joh 8:25 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.
• Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
• Joh 15:27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
• Joh 16:4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.
• Ac 10:11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
• Ac 11:5 I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me:
• Ac 11:15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.
• Ac 26:4 My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;
• Ro 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
• 1Co 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
• Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
• Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
• Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
• Php 4:15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.
• 2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth
• Tit 3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
• Heb 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
• Heb 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
• Heb 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
• Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
• Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
• Heb 7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.
• 2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
• 1Jo 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
• 1Jo 2:7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
• 1Jo 2:13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
• 1Jo 2:14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
• 1Jo 2:24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
• 1Jo 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
• 1Jo 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
• 2Jo 1:5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
• 2Jo 1:6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
• Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
• Re 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.
• Re 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
• Re 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
• Re 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Note that *arche* is not used as partitive genitive construction in Luke 12:11; Romans 8:38; 1 Corinthians 15:24; Ephesians 1:21; 3:10; 6:12; Colossians 1:16; 2:10,15; Titus 3:1; Jude 1:6. In each of these verses, the word *arche* is used in the context where words are used describing authority or power (such is not the case in Revelation 3:14), and it is clear from the context that "beginning" of something is not what is meant. Luke 20:20 is genitive, but it is apparent that is not speaking of a beginning of something. Nevertheless, the normal word used for "ruler" is the Greek word *archwn* (Strong's #758). If "ruler" was meant in Revelation 3:14, it would seem likely that this word would have been used rather than *arche*, as it is used in Revelation 1:5.

Despite the fact that the Greek word *arche* is sometimes translated "magistrate", "power", or "ruler", note that in the writings of John, the King James Version consistently translates the Greek word *arche* as "beginning."

Regarding the idea that "arche" in Revelation 3:14 or in any other verse means "originator" or "source", one has to look outside the New Testament Greek for such usage, for in the New Testament one cannot find such usage anywhere. Nevertheless, translators who wish to make arche anywhere in the Bible to mean "origin" (as meaning "originator") or "source", etc., do so in Revelation 3:14 (and some have suggested the same for John 1:1), whereas they usually translate "arche" elsewhere as "beginning" in all the same places where the King James Version does so. Indeed, the same can be said about those translators who wish to translate these verses with anything but "beginning". Therefore, it can be seen that they are translating these two verses to suit their doctrine.  This kind of argument is what is often called circular reasoning. And yet still Jesus could be said to be the originator of his God's creation, since God creates through, by means of, his firstborn son. (John 1:3; Colossians 1:15,16; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 3:9) Such would not call for us to imagine and assume that Jesus is his God, and/or further imagine and assume that God is more than one person and that Jesus is a person of his God, etc.

Regardless, the verse should be viewed in harmony with 1 Corinthians 8:6. Only the Father is the "one God" of whom are all. Jesus is the "one Lord: through whom are all. Jesus is not the absolute source of the creation of the angels and the world of mankind, but the one God who is the source of all created all through, by means of, the one whom He has made the "one Lord through whom are all." The creation spoken of in Colossians 1:16,17 is evidently regarding living beings, and Jesus is the first living being that God created. Thus, it is evident that all the dominions, invisible and visible, earthly and heavenly, that God created through the firstborn creature do not include the firstborn creature himself. -- Colossians 1:15,16.

Of course, by acceptance of man's trinity dogma, which is claimed to be the center of Christian faith, trinitarian scholars cannot accept that Jesus is actually the first of God's creation, thus they seek ways to make Revelation 3:14 as well as Colossians 1:15 mean something else.  Since the Bible does definitely say that Jesus is the firstborn of God's creation (Colossians 1:15), this is the way it should be viewed in Revelation 3:14.

Furthermore, "God" in Revelation 3:14 is only one person. There is absolutely nothing in this verse, or anywhere else in the Bible, that speaks of Jehovah as being more than one person, or that Jesus is a person of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Links to some of our studies related to Colossians 1:15.

Links to some of our studies related to Revelation 3:14.

The following was written by one who states that he is no longer a member of the JW organization:

A check of all the occurrences in NT of arkhe followed by a genitive expression...show that it always denotes a beginning or first part of something. -- Greg Stafford, Jehovah's Witnesses Defended, An Answer to Scolars and Critics, First edition, page 109.

Some comments by Greg Stafford at BGreek:

http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/2001-May/016793.html

http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/2001-May/016795.html

http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/2001-May/016796.html

http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/2001-May/016797.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/test-archives/html4/2001-05/5495.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/test-archives/html4/2001-05/5509.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/test-archives/html4/2001-05/5511.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/test-archives/html4/2001-05/5512.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/test-archives/html4/2001-05/5513.html

The following is written by one of the Jehovah's Witnesses:

In the NT archē occurs 53 times, and 26 of these must have the meaning "beginning," because they are preceeded by a preposition (as "from the beginning"). In 8 instances (123) the word occurs in a genitive construction, where the meaning is also, clearly, "beginning." In 6 instances (124) the meaning "beginning" is also appropriate. In 2 instance (125) it has the meaning "corner." In 11 instances ... archē has the meaning "government" or "ruler." The final uses of this word are in Colossians 1:18 and Revelation 3:14, which are both theologically significant.

 From the above it is clear that archē, in more that 75% of its occurrences, means "beginning." Apart from "corner," which also is a "beginning," the word is used in some sense connected with "government." The word archē, with the meaning "source," is nowhere attested in the NT, and 7 of the instances with the meaning "government" are in the plural. Also, the four singular occurrences with this meaning are qualified, either by "every" (1 Cor 15:24: Eph 1:21; Col 2:10) or by a genitive construction (Luke 20:20).

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Footnote 123: Matthew 24:8; Mark 1:1; 13:8,19; Hebrews 5:12; 6:1; 7:3; 2 Peter 3:4.

Footnote 124: John 8:25; Jude 1:6; Hebrews 2:3; 3:14; Revelation 21:6; 22:13. In several of these texts there is a contrast between the "beginning" and the "end."

Footnote 125: Acts 19:11; 11:15

-----Rolf Furuli, The Role of Theology and Bias in Bible Translation, 1999.