Today, the 23rd day of Tishri, is called Simchat Torah or “Rejoicing in the Torah.” Today marks the end of the yearlong Torah reading cycle. In synagogues, our Jewish friends will reverently roll the Torah scroll all the way back to its beginning, to the book of Genesis and prepare to read the portion called, Breshiyt or “In the Beginning.”
This custom serves as a great example how everything in our lives moves and exists in cycles, especially demonstrating the cyclical nature of God’s Word and His Creation. Every where we look in nature we see how the end of one cycle begins a new cycle. The seasons come in cycles; the beginning of one marks the conclusion of another. When we want to know the time, we calculate it in cycles of 60 seconds, which become 60 minute cycles, and so on.
The same is true when we examine the Scripture; there are cycles and repeating patterns. For instance, every seventh day is a Sabbath; every seventh year is a sabbatical year. Seven sabbatical years marks the beginning of a Jubilee year. The different cycles end and begin, always repeating demonstrating that the Word of God and its concepts portray to us the cyclical nature of our Creator. In fact, ending one Torah cycle and initiating another from the beginning speaks to this concept: the end is the beginning and the beginning is the end.
“Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done.” (Isaiah 46:9-10)
On the surface this seems to say that God predicts the end from the beginning but, actually, it is to be understood as saying that the Creator tells us the end by telling us the beginning. When we want to understand what’s going on at the end, we should go and look at the beginning because in the beginning is the “seed” for all things. If you know what type of seed you are planting, then you know what kind of fruit to expect – the seed determines the fruit. Thus, the beginning IS the end.
This is how we apply this concept to our current situation: the Creator has already established the end of days and He did so in the beginning of days. So as we approach the end of this age, in reality, we are approaching the beginning of the next age, which is when the Messiah will rule and reign from Jerusalem. Knowing this we can conclude that, in spite of what politicians and governments do, and in spite of the civil unrest and disturbing developments in the world, God really is in control. The One who declares the end from the beginning in His hand. It’s like the old song that says, “I may not know what tomorrow holds, but I know Who holds tomorrow.”
We can take comfort in the fact that, even though we don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow or the next day, we know who is in control. He has already determined the end; not only that, He ordained our beginning and has already determined our end! The one aspect of our lives we are in control of is whether or not we are going to serve Him willingly and conform to His plan for our life.
Whatever you may be going through and whatever you may be anticipating, remember that the One who created all things in the beginning, has already declared the end. That means, He has declared an end to your trial and has ordained an outcome that brings you closer to Him. What He has begun in each of us, He will see it through to the end.
Shalom!
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