Read Revelation 22:1-21

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

In this last chapter of the last book of the Bible, you find this last description of eternity and the last recorded words of Jesus. Having recorded numerous “I am” statements of Jesus in his gospel, John, here, writes one final declaration of His identity in verse 13 and cited above. Jesus describes Himself with three parallel pairs of words, each conveying the same concept:

• The Alpha and the Omega
• The First and the Last
• The Beginning and the End

Likely, you understand that alpha and omega are letters of the Greek alphabet. In fact, alpha is, not surprisingly, the first letter, while omega is the last. Jesus is essentially saying that He is the A and the Z…and everything in between. He is the full alphabet. As the living Word, He is, even, the One who gives meaning to the letters of life.

As Alpha, He existed at the beginning (Jn. 1:1)…or even, if you can fathom it, before there was a beginning. He is the one who called both the three dimensional world (Gen. 1) and the perpetuity of time and eternity (Heb. 1:2) into existence. From nothing, He made heavens and earth, day and night, sea and dry land, sun and moon, fish and birds, wild animals and livestock, and man and woman. Colossians tells us that “all things have been created through Him and for Him” (Col. 1:16). Indeed, it is “in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 18:28).

As Omega, Jesus has made all provisions for an endless eternity. He is the “who is, and who was, and who is to come” (Rev. 1:8). He will return in the air at the rapture to take believers with Him (1 Thess. 4:13-18). He will return to the earth at His second coming (Rev. 19) to reign for 1000 years (Rev. 20). At the close of that millennium, Jesus, as Omega, will unveil our eternal home in the context of a new heaven and a new earth.

Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, has purpose in your creation and in your destiny. Praise Him!

Steve Kern

Questions to consider:

• What does this name of Jesus mean to you?
• In what way does knowing that He is the beginning and the end bring you peace?
• How can you use the truth of this name of Jesus to reach the lost around you?