Revelation 22:13
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Revelation 22:13
A To Z
Alpha and Omega represent the first and last words in the Greek alphabet, just like in the English alphabet; ‘A’ to ‘Z’ represents ‘the beginning’ to ‘the end’. This concept is commonly understood in our personal lives as well. School begins and ends, jobs begin and end, decades come and go, we are born, and we die. But the special thing is that when Jesus uses them, He is describing Himself as the deity. Jesus puts flesh to the answer God gave Moses in the burning bush, “I AM WHO I AM”. Jesus is expressing the attribute of God that He exists outside the confines of time.
I Am Forever
Around thirty-five hundred years ago, Moses met with God for the first time in the mountains while shepherding. When he asked God who he was and His name. He got a very different answer than he was expecting. God told him, “Say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’…. This is My name forever” (Exodus 3:14-15). This answer was probably a bit confusing to Moses, as it is to some of us. And Jesus also introduces himself like this in John 8:58 “Before Abraham was, I am.”
When Alpha is used in scripture, it has such a deep meaning. It shows that He existed before our beginning. He was there before the earth was formed and before God created the universe (John 1:1). He was also the cause of all that exists, and nothing exists that was not created through Him (John 1:2-3). Therefore, He is not limited by the beginning and the “end”, as we understand it. He was present, and even after, He will continue to exist to the never-ending future. He is eternal, and He is forever. He is the one who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty (Revelation 1:8).
Jesus Is God
This title for the Father is also the title for His Co-equal Son. He is the great I AM whose being is the same through all existence. He alone is self-existing. He was before all time and brought all into existence. He is in control even now as the nations and their demons’ rage. He will bring existence to its conclusion, for He is The Almighty. This name leaves nothing outside His power to control and effect. He can do all that is just and right according to His standard of justice and righteousness, and nothing can stand in His way or hinder the accomplishment of His will and word.
The Perfecter Of Our Faith
Every part of our lives has been and is in the hands of God. (Psalms 139:16) reminds us that God knew exactly how we were made, bit by bit, how we were sculpted from nothing into something. God wrote our names in His Book from our conception to our birth; all the stages of our lives were spread out before Him. It’s almost as if He prepared all the days of our lives before we lived a single day. Jesus is declared to be the Author and the Finisher of our faith because not only did He begin the work of redemption in me, He will finish that work (Hebrews 12:2).
King James Version (KJV)
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”
New International Version (NIV)
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
New American Bible (NASB)
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
The Living Bible (TLB)
“I am the A and the Z, the Beginning and the End, the First and Last.”
