Revelation 22:13

Verse of the Day Devotion: Revelation 22:13

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” – Revelation 22:13

Revelation is the last book in the Bible, God’s Word.  Chapter 21 through 22:5 describe the future abode of the redeemed, starting from the revealing of the new heavens and earth through the declaration that this life will endure forever with no end.  Then we read the following. “And he said to me, these words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” Revelation 22:6-7.  Jesus speaking through the angel, declares that He is coming soon.  And blessed are those who believe the words of this book and keep them, living the life that shows they truly believe.

Then He declares the words of our focus verse.  Before we start, something needs to be clarified.  Any time a word is repeated three times, this denotes something very important, absolute and complete, something that needs to be emphasized.  For example, “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” Revelation 4:8. Holy declared three times denotes His holiness is absolute and complete.  It will remain for He cannot be less then holy.

Ok, now back to the focus verse.  Note the three parts.  He says He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.  For those not familiar with the Greek alphabet, Alpha is the first letter and Omega is the last letter.  This is the same as the Holy, Holy, Holy in that it is the same idea expressed three times: “First letter” to “Last Letter”, “First” to “Last”, and “Beginning” to “End”.  These denote His eternality is absolute and complete, and it will remain that way because He cannot be less then eternal.

Only an eternal being can declare what is our everlasting future with complete accuracy.  Therefore, let us rejoice.  No matter how difficult things get here, or the trials we go through, or the persecution we endure, there is a beautiful life in store for us.  One that is wonderful beyond words, and endless beyond our comprehension.  So, stand strong and uncompromising.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Revelation 1:8

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Revelation 1:8

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” – Revelation 1:8  

This verse in the beginning of the Book of Revelation describes an attribute that is only found with God. “I am the Alpha and the Omega.” This is a powerful statement that describes a being who never was not, and never will not be. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the last.  In the Jewish alphabet, the first is Aleph, with Tau the last. Among the Jewish rabbis, it was common to use the first and the last letters of the Hebrew alphabet to denote the whole of anything, from beginning to end. Jesus as the beginning/first and end/last of all things is a reference to no one but the true God. This statement of eternality could apply only to Him.

One of the meanings of Jesus being the “Alpha and Omega” is that He was at the beginning of all things and will be at the close for all eternity. It is equivalent to saying He always existed and always will exist. It was Christ, as the second person of the Trinity, who brought about the creation of all things. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” John 1:1-3. This denotes that everything that came into existence is here because the “Word” or “Logos” which is the Greek term meaning Word made it happen. So, all things came into existence by way of the Logos, or Word. We know the Word refers to Christ, for it says later on, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14. And in the end, we will live in a new heaven and earth, with Jesus who is the Word, for we will abide in Him and the Father. “As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.” 1 john 2:24.

This idea is not just found in the New Testament. “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.” Isaiah 44:6. And again, “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He; I am the first, I am also the last. Surely My hand founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together.” Isaiah 48:12-13.

The verses in this devotion show that the Christ created everything, therefore He was around before anything else existed. He worked throughout the Old Testament as well as the New Testament and is still with us now. “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20. And all this points to eternally, with no end. “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10.

In closing, Christ, as the Alpha and Omega, is the first and last in so many ways. He is the author and finisher of our faith. “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2. Thus, signifying that He began it and carries it through to completion. He is the totality, the sum and substance of the Scriptures, both of the Law and of the Gospel. He is the fulfilling end of the Law, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.” Matthew 5:17. He is found in the first verse of Genesis and in the last verse of Revelation. He is the first and last, the all-in-all of salvation, from the justification before God to the final sanctification of His people. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the first and last, the beginning and the end. Only God incarnate could make such a statement. Only Jesus Christ is God incarnate.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.