Rev. 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Rev. 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Rev. 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev. 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Four times in the Book of Revelation (The Revelation of Jesus Christ) Jesus describes Himself as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last. So what was He saying. Remember, the Book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ.
According to Webster's 1913 Dictionary, revelation means: The act of revealing, disclosing, or discovering to others what was before unknown to them; That which is revealed; The act of revealing divine truth; That which is revealed by God to man; esp., the Bible;
So, throughout the Old Testament and all of the New Testament, prophecies which point to Jesus, the stories of the miraculous, the teachings and lessons of Jesus, the Gospels, the Letters of Paul and others and you mean we still have not discovered who Jesus is...the Revelation of Jesus Christ is still unknown to us? Then the Book of Revelation should do just that, reveal to us the divine truth as to who Jesus really is - the Alpha and Omega.
What did Jesus mean when He revealed to John that He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end? What does this all mean in relationship to who Jesus really is?
The best place to start is with the actual meaning of the terms or words "Alpha" and "Omega". I know, I know. This is so elementary. We've heard this all before. Really? Have you really. the Bible speaks about those who have ears but do not hear and eyes but cannot see. Jeremiah 5:21 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not: Romans 11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
Look, it's ok. I have done the same thing. Sat through church service after church service. Listened to more sermons that I care to count. In one ear and out the other. The Church, the Body of Christ, is in a state of slumber! We go to church week after week to do our duty and that's it. I know, I did it! But, at some point, something I heard began to stick. I couldn't shake it. I began to thirst after what I heard. Instead of going in one ear and out the other it went down into my spirit. I began to study, to dig to seek. Jesus said in Matt. 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. See also, Luke 11:9-10. The more i asked, sought and knocked, the more the Holy Spirit opened to me. Now, I love to study and search the Word.
So let's get back to Alpha and Omega. Again, using Webster's 1913 Dictionary: Alpha means: name of the first letter in the alphabet, also meaning ox. The first letter in the Greek alphabet, answering to A, and hence used to denote the beginning. As a numeral, it stands for one. The beginning of a series or sequence; first in order of importance. It means ox or leader.
Omega: The name of the last letter of the Greek alphabet, as Alpha, A, is the first. Hence in Scripture, Alpha and Omega denotes the first and last, the beginning and the ending.
Nothing was before Him and nothing comes after Him. He was the beginning and is the last. Read Revelation 1:8 Jesus describes Himself as: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. He says He is, He was and He is to come. In John 1:1 He was in the beginning: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He, Jesus, the Word, was with God in the beginning and the Word (Jesus) was God. In Genesis 1:1,2, 3(a): In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was[a] on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, . . . The Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) was hovering - waiting for God to speak. So then God said. The Word of God went forth and the Holy Spirit moved, went into action. When the Word (Jesus) is spoken, preached the Holy Spirit moves into action! But, this is for another teaching. Back to Alpha and Omega.
Jesus, the Word, was in the beginning before anything else was. In Job 38 God gives a discourse and reveals His omnipotence to Job stating beginning in verse 4: Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Here, God is asking Job where was he when He (God) laid the foundations of the earth - creation. God was actually before the beginning as we know it. Just a reminder, when I speak of "God" I am speaking of "Jesus" as stated in John 1:1 . . . and the Word (Jesus) was with God and the Word (Jesus) was God... In Job 38, God continues His discourse of creation and continues to ask Job, "where were you . . .". I love this scripture because it always reminds me of my place in creation and how very great God is.
Ecclesiastes 3:15 God states: That which is has already been. And that which is to be has already been . . . That is something to think about. Everything that is currently, has already been! That which is to be or yet to come, has already been! Before the beginning, God had a plan, an image within Himself. Just as we were in Him before the foundations of the earth. He finished everything before it was started. He finished, the ending, the Omega before He began, started, created, Alpha. He was there in the beginning but He was there at the ending. Wait a minute! What do you mean He was there at the ending? The end has not come yet. this is correct but He finished before He began!
In Isaiah 46:10, God says:
"Declaring the end from the beginning,and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. . ."
God declared - spoke forth the Word (Jesus) speaking from the end to the beginning. He finished before He began. That's how we know He has a plan for us. Since we were in Him before the foundations of the earth, He knew what He already had planned for us. He had a plan and purpose for our lives - from ending to beginning! He had already completed those things which are not yet done. He is the beginning and the ending, the first and the last, the Alpha and Omega!
Isaiah 40:21, 22(a), 26, 28 God continues: 21 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? 22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,. . .26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.I love the song "How Great is Our God". The stanza that says, "from age to age He stands, and time is in His hands, the beginning and the end . . ." God was before all things and will be there at the end of all things as we know them. He is the God who is, and was and is to come. We must get a revelation of who Jesus really is. Yes He's our friend, He is our big brother but He is also the King of Kings, Lord of lords, He is the beginning - in Him all things must begin, He is the end... He must be first and must be last in our lives. He is the Alpha and Omega ... Catch the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
© 2008-2010 Kingdom Dominion International Ministries, Inc. - All Rights Reserved