Alpha and Omega

“’I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’ says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

Jesus speaks directly to us many times in the Book of Revelation. He gives us messages, warnings, and comforts. He tells us what was and what is coming. He tells us what He did in the past, and what He’ll do in the future.

And somehow, all my life, I have been confused by large portions of Revelation.

Horses. Flames. Lightnings. Dragons. Unimaginable creatures that fly around and declare stuff. Spirits. Stars. Clothing dipped in blood. Battles. Golden lampstands. Keys. Scrolls. Throne rooms. People appearing as gemstones. White robes. Seven horns and seven eyes. Golden bowls of incense. Pregnancy and birth. Crowns. Voices like thunder, like water, like waters.

If you’ve read it, you know what I mean. There is all this, and much more.

One thing I have grasped, though, is this: “I AM.” This, the very name of God in the Old Testament, Jesus calls Himself in Revelation (and elsewhere). Jesus is God.

And one of His many names is Alpha and Omega. This name, too, confused me, until I realized that in the Greek alphabet, Alpha is the first letter and Omega is the last letter. And this only makes sense when I recall that the apostle John, who wrote the Book of Revelation, also said, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

Words are made of letters. And THIS Word, this name of God, is made with the Alpha and Omega, the first and last letter. In between the first and last letters are all the letters of the alphabet with which we can make all the other words. All knowledge and wisdom can be given by using words. All praise can be offered by using words.

The Alpha and Omega—the Beginning and the End. Jesus, God, Pre-existent, Present, and Eternal. The Word of God was with God, and was God, before all that is not-God, and He will forever be God. As God, He is ever with us, yesterday, today, and always.

A mystery among mysteries, but also a happy nugget of truth we find hidden in His name: Alpha and Omega.

“…Surely I will pour out My spirit on you; I will make My words known to you” (Proverbs 1:23).

Father, You are very great, far beyond our imagining, higher, deeper, wider, wiser, more loving, and stronger than we can grasp. Yet You love us and gave us Your Word, Your Son, creating all we see, saving us to the uttermost, in Whom is all knowledge, and for Whom is all praise. Blessed are You!