Near the end of the book of Revelation, Jesus declared, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev. 22:16).  This was the third time this language was used in Revelation to describe both God the Father and God the Son (see 1:8; 21:6).  Alpha and Omega are the first and last characters in the Greek alphabet, so this statement by the Lord contains three different ways of expressing the same truth.  These expressions show that He is the eternal God through whom all things were made, by whom all things are held together, and for whom all things exist (Eph. 4:6; Col. 1:15-18; Heb. 11:1-3).

Corresponding to Alpha, Jesus is the beginning of all things.  At the beginning of time, it was Christ, the pre-incarnate Word of God, through whom the world was created (Gen. 1:1; John 1:1-3).  He is the Creator and part of the Trinity in whose image man was made (Gen. 1:26-27).  Even before the beginning of time, Christ was with God and Christ was God.  When He prayed to the Father in the night before His crucifixion, He said, "Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:5).  He stunned His opponents with such claims, saying, "Before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58).  Indeed, from the beginning of time and even before, Jesus is God.

Corresponding to Omega, Jesus is the end of all things.  At the end of time, it is Christ who will return with the blast of the trumpet of God to receive His people and take them to be with Him forever (1Thess. 4:13-18).  Paul describes this end, beginning with the resurrection, in 1Corinthians 15:22-24, 28:

But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power…When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

As for those who are not disciples of Christ, their end will be eternal destruction.  The Lord will destroy this world (2Pet. 3:7-12) and will cast out the unfaithful and disobedient from His presence forever (Matt. 7:21-23; 25:41, 46; 2Thess. 1:6-10; Rev. 21:8).  So then, Jesus is the end for all souls, whether they are saints or sinners.

Between the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, Jesus is the reason for all things.  Notice Colossians 1:15-17:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

The message of this passage gives importance to everything and everyone because of the connection to Christ.  No one can be insignificant or unimportant who exists for the Christ.  Even the mundane activities of life have significance when they are done in the service of the Lord, which they all should be (Eph. 6:5-9; Col. 3:17).  Especially for Christians, our lives are "hidden with Christ in God,” and He is our life (Col. 3:3-4).

Also between the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, Jesus came to the world to save us all.  His conception was miraculous (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38), but His birth was ordinary, although He was special (Luke 2:1-38).  Even from childhood, His life was hard (Matt. 2:1-23; 8:20; Luke 2:39-52; Phil. 2:5-8), but His ministry was wonderful (Acts 2:22).  His death was inhumane (Ps. 22:1-18; Isa. 53:1-12), but His resurrection was a sign for all times (Matt. 12:39-40; John 2:18-22), a powerful declaration of His identity as the Son of God (Rom. 1:4), and the source of our hope of eternal life (1Cor. 15:12-28).  At the end of His time on earth, Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven where He now rules until the end of time (Acts 1:9-11; 2:33-36).

How profound are the words of Jesus: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”  These words have such depth of meaning that they encompass everything about our Lord.  They also define the meaning of our lives, for if He is the beginning and the end, then He needs to be the center of everything we do, say, and think.  Let us praise Almighty Jesus, our God, our Lord, our Creator, our Sustainer, our Judge, and our Savior.  Praise the Lord!

Stacey E. Durham