1 Ne 20:12 I
am the first, and I am also the last
This
phrase identifies the God of Israel, or Jehovah, as none other than the
pre-mortal Jesus Christ. This fundamental truth can be proven by a careful
study of the first chapter of Revelation:
I sawˇ¦.one like
unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about
the paps with a golden girdle.
His head and his
hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were
as a flame of fireˇ¦.
And when I saw him, I
fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me,
Fear not; I am the first and the last:
I am he that
liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore (Rev
1: 12-18)
The
term, ˇ°first and the last,ˇ± has reference to the eternal nature of Jehovah and
to the endlessness of His powers.
Bruce R. McConkie
ˇ°Christ
is the First and the Last. (D. & C. 110:4; Isa. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; Rev.
1:8-17; 2:8; 22:13.) These terms are descriptive of his eternal timelessness;
he is God everlastingly. As the First, the thought is conveyed that he is
pre-eminent above all the earth's inhabitants, both from the standpoint of time
(he being the Firstborn in the spirit), and from the standpoint of power and
dominion (he having become a God in the beginning). As the Last, the concept is
revealed that he will go on as God, continuing to enjoy his full pre-eminence,
to all eternity, everlastingly without end.ˇ± (Mormon Doctrine, p 281)