“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Rev. 22:13 (See also Rev. 1:8, 21:6, but also Is.41:4, 44:6, Is. 46:8-10, Is. 48:12)
These last months we have been working our way through the wonderful book of the Revelation finding many things that have been said before so that God lets us know that Revelation isn’t revealing anything “new” but re-stating what has already been said and in some cases simply clarifying things that had been formally hidden from understanding.
This particular phrase above is so well known and in this particular form it is only found in the book of the Revelation but as you can see from the references (also above), which are just from Isaiah, it is a truth found throughout the Scriptures starting in Genesis 1:1- “In the beginning, God…”
Our God always has been and always will be. He was at the beginning because He WAS before the beginning and we will see Him at the end of all things as we know it because He is the One that controls the consummation as He controlled the beginning because He IS and at the same time is over these things. It is at the end of time, as we know it, that Jesus will declare, because He Can… “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” (Rev. 21:6)
There is a lot we don’t “get” yet, and certain things that are hard to “square” with what we believe about God and the way things ought to be. There are events we wish had never happened in world history, and to people we deeply love. That, beloved, is the problem of our hearts. Too often we don’t “get” and “can’t square things” because our heart tells us one truth while the Bible tells us another and we want to believe our truth more.
But this is constantly taught to us so that we will come to know, rest in, and trust that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. He gets the first and last “word” on everything. We don’t live in a world of chance, randomness, and mere possibilities. We live, in Christ, as those who can believe who God says He is, “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” (Is. 44:6) He is Who He says He is. Can we believe that and live accordingly?
Part of my prayer today goes something like this: Jesus, until that wonderful Day, may your peace powerfully rule in my heart and the hearts of your people. May your present-and-coming Kingdom fuel my/our hope and capture my/our allegiance totally. May the Gospel shrink our fears of the unknown and, enlarge our fear of you Who is known by us, which turns us to joy, and frees us to live and love to your glory. To the One who says of Himself, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” In Jesus’ Name,Amen
God Bless y’all today.
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
