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Colossians 1:15-20 19

“That in all things he might be preeminent.”

So what does it all mean? It means that Yeshua, as YEHOVAH’s firstborn in the Messianic
kingdom, holds the preeminent position as our king.

16a. “For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth,

b. the visible and the invisible,

c. whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;

d. all things were created through him and for him.”

Here is the main argument for the deity of Yeshua. Creation. Some people will claim that
this verse means that Yeshua created the universe. As we mentioned earlier, this passage has noth-
ing to do with the creation of the universe. It is about the kingdom of the Son and his role in it.

The key words in this verse are “in him.” Make no mistake, the words are “in him” and not,
as a few translations have it, “by him.” Most translations have it correctly as “in him.” Zondervan’s
Greek and English Interlinear Bible has it, in the Greek, as “in” and not “by”. You can judge your-
self which word it should be by comparing it to 16d which says that all things were created
“THROUGH” -- not “by” him!

This is the same thought that we covered in Hebrews 1:2 in which we proved with very
strong evidence that the author was speaking about the world to come and not the present world.

“Through a Son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the world
(age to come).

Notice that in Hebrews 1:2 we have the mention again of “heir” as in Colossians. We also
have the thought that YEHOVAH God, through Yeshua, has created the world to come. This paral-
lels Colossians 1:16. If Colossians 1:16 is speaking about Yeshua creating the present universe,
then we have a massive contradiction in the Bible. Right off the bat, either Hebrews chapter 1 is
wrong or Colossians chapter 1 is wrong -- but they both cannot be correct!

Once we can see past this false tradition, we can now start to try and understand the true
meaning of this verse. What did Paul mean when he said,

“For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through
him and for him.”

When you are “in Christ,” it means that you believe in and follow the teachings of Christ.
When you are in Christ you are born again (John 3:3). Being born again means that you are a new
creature, not of the flesh (following your own desires) but of the spirit (following the will of
YEHOVAH). It is this new self that is in the image of YEHOVAH.

The Berean Voice November-December 2002