◄ What Does Revelation 1:8 Mean? ►

The final book in Holy Scripture is the full and final revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to the risen, ascended Lord Jesus Who in turn gave it to the aging apostle John through an angelic messenger, to show His bond-servants things which must soon take place. And as soon as John had completed his greetings to his readers, we read: "'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty.'"

The exact attribute of the eternal Father of Old Testament Scripture is ascribed to the Lord Jesus Whom John describes as "Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth." God the Father made it clear to Moses, Isaiah, and other holy men of God that He alone is the first and He is the last, the beginning and the end, and that no other God is equal with Him: "Before Me, there was no God formed," is Isaiah's great pronouncement from Yahweh, "and there will be none after Me!" And yet Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, was able to pronounce in this verse, "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty."

Jesus, the virgin-born Seed of the woman and second Person of the Trinity, rightfully claims equality with the Father, for He is the visible image of the invisible, triune God, sent by the Father to shed His perfect, human blood as the single, sacrificial offering for the sin of the world so that whosoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. 

When walking the earth with His disciples, He pronounced His eternal deity by declaring: "Before Abraham was I AM." Jesus could rightfully make this proclamation because He is fully God, with all the perfect attributes of God. Yet during His earthly sojourn, He set aside His glory for a time. During His earthly lifetime the Lord Jesus was limited because he only said and did those things that He heard and saw from the Father. God, the Son came to earth as Jesus, the Man to show the fallen race of humanity how God Almighty wants His servants to live (in total dependence upon Him and His great power, and not relying on our human resources, for His omnipotent power is made perfect in our human weakness).

We are blessed to have a God Who understands what it is to be human, and yet He is God Almighty Who formed us in our mother's womb and is with us always, no matter what we are going through. In this magnificent verse, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who understands our humanity, reminds us of His power and authority: "The Alpha and the Omega, Who was and Who is and Who is to come, the Almighty."

No matter what we face in life, we can be assured that Jesus is always with us and that He is in control. When we are struggling in our walk with Christ, it is important to remember that Jesus is the source of our strength. He is our Rock and our Refuge; He is our Strength and Shield; He is our Defence and our Defender; He is our Good Shepherd; He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Let us not be afraid, but rather let us put our trust in Him and rely on Him for our strength and guidance. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and He will never leave us nor forsake us. Praise His holy name. 

Great are You, O Lord, and greatly to be praised. There is no end to Your greatness and in awe and wonder, I praise You. In Jesus' name, AMEN.