the Greek arche. The primary meaning of this word is beginning, in order of time, and

then of dignity, the first place, government. We will not occupy space by recording the

passages which speak of time; there are a number of which Luke 1: 2 is a sample.

Coupled with arche in Eph. 1: 21 and elsewhere, is the word translated power, exousia

which is bettered rendered "authority" and which we shall more fully consider presently.

They occur together in Luke 20: 20, where we read of "the power (arche) and authority

(exousia) of the governor".  In like manner,  Luke 12: 11  translates arche by

"magistrate". Turning our attention now to those heavenly and spiritual spheres with

which Eph. 1: 21 is concerned, we read in Jude 6 that angels kept not their "first estate"

(arche), "abandoned their own domain" (Moffatt); in the book of the Revelation arche is

never used except as a title of Christ.

Here it will be observed the title "beginning and ending" is placed in correspondence

with the great name Jehovah, the name of God in covenant, redemption and purpose,

thereby revealing how it is that a word which primarily indicates time, can be a title of

the Lord, for He gathers all time to Himself, "Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday and today,

and for ever". In the second occurrence, the Lord is called "The beginning of the creation

of God", a title that cannot be ignored when reading Gen. 1: 1.  This takes us to our

epistles and in Col. 1: 18 we read of Christ "He is the Head of the body the church:

Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the

From the way in which these principalities and powers are introduced in the N.T. it

appears that most of them are evil powers, but whether we can say as Dr. Bulllinger does

in his Lexicon,

remains to be seen. The first reference is that of Rom. 8: 38, which arises out of the

fact that there can be no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. "Who is even at

the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us." These principalities and

powers are classed with angels, and are included among those invisible powers like death

itself, which shall not be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus

our Lord. From this it would appear that these principalities and powers may be inimical

to the believer. In I Cor. 15: 24, we are taken to "the end" or to the goal of the ages,

when "all rule and all authority and power" shall be "put down" (a term yet to be

examined), and to continue the quotation from Dr. Bullinger's Lexicon commenced