The Lord God is the beginning and the end. God the Father is the eternal Lord and Ruler of the past, present, and future (see also 4:8; Isaiah 44:6; 48:12–15). Without him, you have nothing that is eternal, nothing that can change your life, nothing that can save you from sin. Is the Lord your reason for living, "the Alpha and the Omega" of your life? Honor the one who is the beginning and the end of all existence, wisdom, and power.[1]
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The Great Announcement to the
Churches: Christ is the Almighty God 1:8 |
|
|
1.
Grace
&
peace are yours a.
From God: The eternal & unchangeable God b.
From the Holy Spirit c.
From Jesus Christ |
4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which
is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are
before his throne; |
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2.
Christ
is the great Savior, the wonderful Redeemer a.
He is the faithful witness b.
He is the first to arise c.
He is the Prince over all rulers of the
earth d.
He has redeemed us |
5 And from Jesus Christ, who
is the faithful witness, and
the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.
Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, |
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e.
He has exalted us |
6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to
him be glory and dominion for ever
and ever. Amen. |
|
3.
Christ
is coming again a.
He is to be seen by all b.
He is to be seen by those who killed Him:
They will mourn because of Him |
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him,
and they also which pierced him:
and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. |
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4.
Christ is the Almighty God a.
The Alpha & Omega b.
The One who is, was, & is to come c.
The Almighty God |
8 "I am
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending," saith the Lord, "which is, and which was, and which is to come,
the Almighty."[2] |
The Praise in the Preface (Revelation1:8)
• His deity. "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending … which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8). His deity is affirmed in three ways. First, the completeness in Christ. "Alpha" and "Omega" are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. This statement says Christ is everything from first to last and everything in between. He is the Alpha and Omega of man's needs, and He is the Alpha and Omega of deity. Second, the continualness of Christ. "Which is, and which was, and which is to come." Christ is eternal. Only God is eternal, so Christ is God. The last part of this text was already stated in Revelation 1:4 describing God which says Scripture leaves no doubt as to the fact that Jesus is God. Third, the conquering by Christ. "The Almighty." This says Christ is all-powerful. He is omnipotent, the Almighty.[3]
4 (1:8)
Jesus Christ, Person; Deity: Announcement
Four—Jesus Christ is the Almighty God. Three great descriptions are
given of Christ in this verse.
1. Jesus
Christ is the Alpha and Omega. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek
alphabet and Omega is the last letter. That is, Jesus Christ is the beginning
and the ending of all there is. He began all things, and He shall end all
things. All things find their purpose, meaning, and significance in Him. Man,
the world, history—no matter how chaotic and disjointed life may seem—all
things are under the control of Jesus Christ.
The
exhortation is clear: we must put our trust in Jesus Christ and cast our
lives upon Him. When we do, we receive the great gift of God spoken about in
verse four. We receive the grace of God's care and provision and the great gift
of peace, and we become safe and secure for eternity.
V
"And
I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than
all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand" (Jn. 10:28–29).
V
"Peace
I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I
unto you, Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (Jn. 14:27).
V
"These
things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye
shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (Jn. 16:33).
V
"But
God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when
we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are
saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus; that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding
riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Ep. 2:4–7).
2. Jesus
Christ is the Lord who is, who was, and
who is to come. That is, He is eternal and unchangeable. Today He is
the same Person He has always been, and He shall always be the same Person.
This is a
great message for man. Jesus Christ loves
us all; He loves us as much as He loved those who lived when He first came
to earth. His love is unchangeable. But remember: so are His justice and
judgment. If we trust Him, we shall know His love; if we reject Him, we shall
know His wrath.
V
"For
the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then
he shall reward every man according to his works" (Mt. 16:27).
V
"And,
Thou, Lord, in the beginning, hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the
heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish, but thou remainest,
and they all shall wax old as doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold
them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall
not fail" (He. 1:10–12).
V
"Jesus
Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever" (He. 13:8).
V
"Every
good gift and every perfect gift are from above, and cometh down from the
Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning"
(Js. 1:17).
V
"Thy
name, O Lord, endureth forever; and thy memorial, O Lord, throughout all
generations" (Ps. 135:13).
V
"Thy
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all
generations" (Ps. 145:13).
3. Jesus
Christ is the Almighty (pantokrator). The word means the All-Controller,
the All-Ruler. He is the One who controls all things and rules over all things
in the whole universe. This means that Jesus Christ possesses all power: He is
omnipotent, able to do anything. He controls everything: the universe and every
being within the universe. He controls the atoms, protons, neutrons, and
electrons of space and matter. He even controls every circumstance, event, and
happening throughout the universe.
Jesus
Christ is the Almighty. This means a most wonderful thing: no matter what a
person goes through if he belongs to Jesus Christ, all things will be worked
out for his good. Jesus Christ will control the circumstances and twist them for
the good of the believer. Nothing can snatch the believer out from under the
control of Jesus Christ.
V
"And
we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose" (Ro.
8:28).
V
"For
I am persuaded, that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor
any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Ro. 8:38–39).
V
"Who
is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him
were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:
all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and
by him, all things consist" (Col. 1:15–17).
V "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (He. 1:1–3).[4]
The first thought bears repeating, concerning the
eternal nature of our Lord.
The Lord God
is the beginning and the end. God the Father is the eternal Lord and Ruler of
the past, present, and future (see also 4:8;
Isaiah 44:6; 48:12–15).
Without him, you have nothing that is eternal, nothing that can change your
life, nothing that can save you from sin. Is the Lord your reason for living, "the
Alpha and the Omega" of your life? Honor the one who is the beginning and
the end of all existence, wisdom, and power.[5]
Father God, we praise you for your eternal nature. Without knowing who you are and what you can accomplish in our lives, we will fail to live another day; we will seek death on our own because of the sheer weight of being without hope. Without your omnipotence working in our lives, we would cease existing. We cannot think of your eternal nature without a beginning or end. However, we can recognize and understand that a second death exists beyond this fleshly life. The thought of death beyond death for rejecting you, Lord is too much to bear; therefore, help us, Father God, to live lives worthy of being called Christian. We want to live eternally with you, enjoying the promise of heaven and all that it entails. Help us, Lord, we need you, and we cannot live or do or think of anything of value to help you and your Kingdom without your love, grace, and mercy working in our lives. We praise you, Lord, and look forward to the time we will see you face to face. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.
[1] Life Application
Bible Notes. 2007. Tyndale.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
[3] Butler, John G. 2010. Analytical Bible
Expositor: Revelation. Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.
[4] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation.
The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership
Ministries Worldwide.
[5] Life Application
Bible Notes. 2007. Tyndale.
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