Christ in the Beginning: Unveiling Jesus Hidden in Genesis 1:1

“Christ in the Beginning: Unveiling Jesus Hidden in Genesis 1:1”

by Neil McBride

Genesis 1:1 (KJV):

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

At first glance, this majestic verse opens the Bible with a simple yet profound declaration of divine activity: God created. But beneath the surface of the Hebrew text lies a powerful and often overlooked theological insight—what many Bible scholars, pastors, and theologians have described as a “hidden” reference to Jesus Christ.

The Mystery of the Aleph and Tav (אֵת) – Expanded

Genesis 1:1 (KJV):

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

At first glance, this opening line of the Bible is clear, majestic, and sweeping in scope. It declares that God is the source of all existence; He created both the heavens and the earth, encompassing all above and below, the visible and invisible realms.

But beneath the English translation lies the Hebrew original, which offers even greater theological depth. The Hebrew text reads:

בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ

 B’reishit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve’et ha’aretz

What is striking is the presence of the word “אֵת” (et)—a two-letter Hebrew particle made up of Aleph (א) and Tav (ת), the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Grammatically Functional, Spiritually Significant

In Hebrew grammar, “et” (אֵת) functions as a direct object marker. It tells the reader that the Word following it is the verb’s object. In this case, “et” points to what God created: the heavens (הַשָּׁמַיִם) and the earth (הָאָרֶץ).

Because it is a grammatical tool, “et” is often left untranslated in English versions, as it has no direct equivalent. However, to the Hebrew reader, its alphabetic form, the sum of the first and last letters, has long invited deeper symbolic interpretation.

Aleph and Tav – A Picture of the Eternal Christ

When one sees Aleph and Tav, the beginning and end of the Hebrew alphabet, one cannot help but connect them to Revelation 1:8 (KJV), where Jesus declares:

“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.”

Just as Alpha (Α) and Omega (Ω) are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, so are Aleph and Tav in Hebrew.

Now consider this: Jesus, a Jewish rabbi speaking to Jewish disciples and audiences, would likely have spoken Aramaic or Hebrew most often. His claim to be the Alpha and Omega in Greek is recorded by the Apostle John, but in the Hebraic mindset, this would be equivalent to Jesus saying:

“I am the Aleph and the Tav; “the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

Christ as the Divine Signature in Genesis 1:1

If Christ is indeed the Aleph and the Tav, then we must ask:

Why does this Aleph-Tav (אֵת) appear in Genesis 1:1, right at the beginning of the Bible? And why does it appear twice, once before “the heavens” and once before “the earth”?

The answer may be more than grammatical. It may be typological; a divine fingerprint, pointing us toward Christ as the pre-existent Logos, the very Word of God, present and active in the creation of the universe.

This interpretation is reinforced by John 1:1–3 (KJV):

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

He made all things; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Here, Jesus is described as the Word (Greek: Logos), who was with God and was God and directly involved in creation. This aligns perfectly with the idea that He is also the Aleph-Tav; God’s creative, sustaining presence encoded in the very first sentence of Scripture.

 

A Broader Pattern: The Signature of Christ from Genesis to Revelation

The concept of Jesus as Alpha and Omega, or Aleph and Tav, is not an isolated reference. It appears repeatedly in Revelation, always identifying Christ as the eternal, sovereign, unchanging God:

Revelation 21:6 (KJV):

“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.”

Revelation 22:13 (KJV):

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”

These declarations are bold, authoritative, and divine. Christ is not merely a messenger or mediator; He is the source and the goal of all history, all time, and all Revelation.

So when we return to Genesis 1:1 and see אֵת (Aleph-Tav), it becomes a symbolic foreshadowing of the One who would later reveal Himself as Alpha and Omega. It’s as if the Eternal Son signed His name at the very dawn of creation, both in Word and in Reality.

The Hidden Word That Reveals the Word

There is a rich irony here: the Hebrew word “et” (אֵת) does not have the meaning we typically think; it has no definition or equivalent in English. Yet it may point to the most meaningful truth in all of Scripture: that Jesus Christ, the eternal Word, is present at the beginning and sovereign at the end.

He is the unseen presence in Genesis 1:1 and the revealed glory in Revelation 22. He is there, from the world’s creation to the consummation of all things.

Christ the Creator – The New Testament Witness

John 1:1-3 (KJV):

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

He made all things; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

The Apostle John intentionally echoes Genesis 1:1, identifying Jesus (the Word) as eternal and divine, crucially, as the Creator of all things.

Paul confirms this in Colossians 1:16-17 (KJV):

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible…

And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

Thus, reading Genesis 1:1 with spiritual eyes, we could paraphrase:

“In the beginning, the Aleph and Tav—Jesus, the eternal Word—created the heavens and the earth.”

The “hidden” Aleph-Tav is a subtle yet powerful typological pointer to Jesus, whose role in creation is later revealed more clearly in the New Testament.

Jesus – The Second Adam and the Bride (Genesis 2 and 1 Corinthians 15)

Turning to Genesis 2:21-24, we see the creation of the first Woman, Eve, from Adam’s side—a foundational moment in human history, but also one filled with typological meaning pointing forward to Jesus and the Church.

Genesis 2:21-24 (KJV):

“And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

Here we have the first marriage and the first bride. But this is more than just history—it is prophetic typology.

Typology: Adam and Christ, Eve and the Church

1 Corinthians 15:45, 47 (KJV):

“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit…

The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.”

Paul directly identifies Jesus as the “last Adam”—one who corresponds to Adam not merely in contrast but in purpose just as Eve was created from Adam’s body, so the Church is made from the body of Christ.

In Ephesians 5:30-32 (KJV):

“For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.”

Paul ties the Genesis marriage directly to Christ and the Church, using the physical union between Adam and Eve as a type of the spiritual union between Jesus and His Bride.

The Deep Sleep of Adam – A Foreshadowing of the Cross

• Adam was put into a deep sleep.
• His side was opened.
• From his wounded side, his bride was formed.

This mirrors Christ:

• Jesus “slept” the sleep of death.
• His side was pierced on the cross (John 19:34).
• The Church—His bride—was born from His death and sacrifice.

Marriage as a Picture of Redemption

The language of “one flesh” is not merely about earthly intimacy. It is a spiritual reality for those who are in Christ. When believers are united with Him, they become part of His body (1 Corinthians 12:27), just as Eve was part of Adam.

Thus, the Church is not an organisation but a living organism—the very body of Christ, born from His suffering, cleansed by His blood, and united to Him in covenant love.

Conclusion: From Genesis to Revelation – Jesus is Central

• In Genesis 1:1, Jesus is hidden as the Aleph and Tav, yet revealed as the Creator in the New Testament.
• In Genesis 2, Adam foreshadows Jesus, and the Church is typified in Eve, brought forth from His side.
• In Revelation 19:7, the story culminates in a wedding:

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and honour him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.”

From creation to consummation, Jesus is the thread that ties the entire biblical narrative together. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Second Adam, the Heavenly Bridegroom, and the Eternal Creator; hidden in Genesis, revealed in the Gospels, exalted in Revelation.

“Christ in the Beginning: Unveiling Jesus Hidden in Genesis 1:1”

DTA – Neil McBride

(CEO and founder of Downtown Angels)