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THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelations 22:13 NIV). These words were spoken to the Apostle John while he was in exile on the Isle of Patmos but they still ring true today. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. “Alpha”, the first letter of the Greek alphabet, means first or beginning while “Omega”, the last letter of the Greek alphabet, means last or ending. The Alpha – Our Life-line Our Lord uses the word “Alpha” to exemplify the fact that He is the Source of all creation, the Author, the Root and the Foundation. As Alpha, Jesus is the Source of all creation. John declares that “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God” (John 1:1 NIV). “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that that has been made” (John 1:3 NIV). There is nothing that was, that is and that will be that does not come from Him. There is nothing that is in existence without Him having said let it be. He is the source of all things, the ‘Lord God’ off all. Jesus is the Author, the originator of all things. He is the Author, the Architect of our lives. The Bible says that He formed us and that even before we were conceived in our mother’s womb, He knew us. He has numbered our days. He knows everything concerning us and He has already assured us that His plans for us are not for evil but for good, to give us a future and an expected end. When we know God as the Author we will understand that He is in total control and that there is nothing that will come our way that He does not already know. What great assurance to know that our lives are in the hands of an awesome God. Knowing this will enable you to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6). The Psalmist David recognized this and declares in Psalm 139:15-16 “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” David knew the omnipotence, omniscient and omnipresent nature of God and it was this knowledge that gave him the confidence and assurance to accomplish great feats. As Alpha, Jesus is the Root of all things. It is from Him that all things spring forth. The Bible says that God is love (1John 4:8) and we are to be “rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:17). Jesus said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches, He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abideth not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned” (John 15:5&6 KJV). We must be connected to the Root so that our life will be full of purpose and bear fruit. The Omega – Faithful and dependable If God were to be known only as “the Alpha”, that would be good enough. But, He goes further and declares that He is also “the Omega”. In other words, He is also “the Last”, “the End”. The Word Omega exemplifies that He is the Faithful One, the Finisher, and the Judge of all things. By calling Himself “the Omega”, Jesus is alluding to the fact that He is faithful. What a consolation that must have been to John who had been secluded on the island. God was saying to him then and to us today, that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is assuring us that He is not just God when things are sweet and rosy but that He remains God in our “valley of the shadow of death”. In Isaiah 43:2 God says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you”. He is indeed “a friend that sticks closer than a brother”. That He is “the Omega” illustrates His Unchangeableness. He says “I AM the Lord thy God, I change not” (Malachi 3:6). There is no shadow of turning with HIM. He is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent. When He says it, HE brings it to pass. This tells us that no matter the length of time that may have transpired, God will bring to pass whatever He has spoken. In other words, “His promises are yea and Amen. By Omega, God is saying that He is “the Finisher”. Whatever He begins, He shall see it through to the end. The Bible says that He who begun a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ (Ephesians 1:6). Like the Potter that He is, He will mold us and make us into the person that He desires us to be. He also assures us that He is able to bring anything whatsoever to an end. With this great assurance, we need not be anxious for anything and we can rejoice knowing that “weeping may endure but for a night but joy comes in the morning.” For us to live a victorious Christian life we need to acknowledge God as the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. This necessitates putting Him as No. 1 in our lives and letting the things of God be priority. We are to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and He will add all other things unto us. We are to be rooted and engrafted in Him so that nothing will separate us from His love. Friends, when we know Jesus as the Alpha and the Omega we will recognize that we are more than conquerors and that in Christ we have the victory. We will come to know that He is Caring, Trustworthy, Dependable, and ever Faithful. We will recognize Him as the Chief Architect, the King of kings and the Lord of lords and that there is no shadow of turning with Him. Purpose today to acknowledge Him as your Alpha and Omega. Click here for Dec.04 focus "Emmanuel - God with us" |
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