In The Beginning — Amen
Genesis 1:1 — In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Revelation 22:21 — The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
The Bible — the most complete story. From chaos to perfection … Can you hear that word at the end? Amen! Such an amazing word. Such an abused word.
“Amen”. It’s interesting how the word itself has been passed on. The English word sounds very like the Greek word, which sounds very like the Hebrew word. That Hebrew word has a base that means something like “made firm, established”. And that is the story the Bible tells. Through all the ages from primeval chaos to the new heaven and the new earth. God’s plan is made firm, and established.
“Amen”. How often is it no more than a punctuation on the end of a formal perfunctory prayer? It’s interesting that it is hard to find amen used as a way of ending a prayer in the Bible.
Amen has other Biblical uses.
Jesus used it at the beginning of important utterances. What we see translated as “Verily I say to you” could as well be translated as “Amen I say to you” and so “I say to you as a firm and established fact”. In fact Jesus had His own special “super confirmation” — “Amen, amen …”.
The most frequent use of “Amen” is as a response in agreement of a previous statement:
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. (Revelation 5:13-14)
Uniquely, in Isaiah 65:16 we find “the God of truth” which might better be translated “the God of amen” and confirms that God is the one who is “firm and established” — He is absolutely reliable in delivering what He promises.
Lastly, Jesus is the great “Amen”. The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible says “In 2 Corinthians 1:20 ‘amen’ is used almost as an equivalent to ‘yes.’ Jesus is viewed as God’s means of saying ‘yes’ to us, fulfilling his promises. Jesus is also viewed as our means of saving ‘yes’ to God; through Jesus the ‘amen’ response of believers is presented for the glory of God.”
So what am I taking from all this? Please don’t say “Amen” unless you mean it! Are you responding to God, or otherwise agreeing with Him — “Amen” — if not, please pick another word!