In Revelation 3:14, Jesus says He is “the beginning of the creation of God.” Was Jesus created first, before anything else?

In Revelation 3:14, the term “beginning” is better rendered “origin” (as in the New Revised Standard Version), or “source” (“prime source” in the New English Bible). Christ was the Origin of the creation of God, not in the sense of “original creation,” but in the sense of “Originator,” or “originating Instrument.” He was the “Beginning” in that He was the Beginner. This concurs fully with John 1:3: “All things were made by [or through] Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” He obviously was not made, for nothing was made without Him. This also agrees with Colossians 1:15,16: “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature [or “firstborn of all creation,” NRSV]: For [i.e., here’s why He is Firstborn of all creation] by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible...” In this passage, “Firstborn” is a title of preeminence. It tells us that Christ has preeminence over all creation because He is Creator—that is, He was the Agent through whom the Father created all things. He is obviously not one of the created “things.”