Daniel Gruber

The End from the Beginning: a Midrash on the First Three Verses Daniel Gruber

Publisher Marketing: "Every man's work, whether it be literature or music or pictures or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself." Samuel Butler, though he was not fond of religion or religious people, has provided a wonderful introduction for a study of the Bible. The Bible presents itself as being communication from God to humanity. On the surface, it is about humanity and our various conceits, successes, and failures; but at its core, it is a portrait of its Author. Likewise, the world that God created, and especially the creature He made in His own likeness and image, is "a portrait of Himself." The world in general, and humanity in particular, are theomorphic. They have been formed to describe and reveal who God is. This study focuses on three verses, the first three verses of the Bible, with three things in mind: 1) God knows and declares the end from the beginning. 2) Everything God says and does is connected to who He is and who we are supposed to be. 3) Understanding the beginning will help prepare us for the end. The beginning is a good place to start. Though the time between us and the beginning is continually increasing; the time between us and the end is continually decreasing. We do not know how long that remaining time is, but one day we will find out. So, on to the beginning. Likewise, the world that God created, and especially the creature He made in His own likeness and image, is "a portrait of Himself." The world in general, and humanity in particular, are theomorphic. They have been formed to describe and reveal who God is. This study focuses on three verses, the first three verses of the Bible, with the understanding that 1) God knows and declares the end from the beginning, and 2) everything is connected for Him. The beginning is a good place to start. Though the time between us and the beginning is continually increasing; the time between us and the end is continually decreasing. We do not know how long that remaining time is, but one day we will find out. So, on to the beginning.