The Alpha and the Omega
Today’s passage: Revelation 1:4–8
Focus verse: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)
Having worked our way through John’s short prologue to his book, we move forward with excitement about what we’ll encounter next.
When we realize, however, that the next passage is only a greeting, we’re tempted to skim by it and get to the good stuff. But we shouldn’t do that. Slow down. John packs much into these four verses, and we don’t want to miss what he has to say.
John addresses his writing to the seven churches in Asia (and we’ll soon learn who they are and more about them). To these churches John proclaims grace and peace.
This blessing comes from eternal Father God who exists in time present, time past, and time future as someone who is, was, and is to come.
Also implied as a sender is the Holy Spirit in the form of the sevenfold Spirit who resides in heaven. Jesus, as part of the Trinity, exists as a third sender of this message to the seven churches.
John then gives us three characteristics of Jesus. He is the faithful witness. He is the firstborn from the dead. He is ruler over the kings of the earth. Each one of these traits deserves deep contemplation.
Furthermore, Jesus loves us. He showed his deep, unsurpassed love for us when he died as the ultimate sacrifice to free us from the punishment that our sins (the times when we missed the mark) deserve, according to the Old Testament law.
By doing so he makes us into his kingdom, the kingdom of God.
We see in the Bible’s four biographies of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that he says much about the kingdom of God (synonymous with the kingdom of heaven, as Matthew renders it).
Jesus teaches often on the kingdom of God, whereas he only uses the word church twice. We will do well to study what Jesus says about the kingdom of God and use it to inform our perspective and guide our relationship with him.
Not only does Jesus make us into his kingdom, but he also makes us his priests. Every one of us who follows him as our Savior is a priest. Our lineage doesn’t matter, as it did in the Old Testament.
We also don’t need an advanced education, as our religious institutions require today, or special training. To be Jesus’s priest, we just need to follow him. It’s that simple.
And as his priest our duty is to serve God.
We can do all this because Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. He is the Almighty who exists from eternity past into eternity future.
Questions:
- How should we respond to the eternal nature of God?
- Which person of the Trinity—Father, Son, or Holy Spirit—do we most identify with?
- Which person of the Trinity do we need to give more attention to?
- Do we view ourselves as part of Jesus’s kingdom, the kingdom of God?
- Are we willing to accept our standing as Jesus’s priests and act accordingly?
[Discover more about the kingdom of God in Mark 1:15 and Luke 16:16. Read about us being priests in 1 Peter 2:4–9.]
Tips: Check out our tips to use this online Bible study for your church, small group, Sunday school class, or family discussion. It’s also ideal for personal study. Come back each Monday for a new lesson.
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Read more in Peter’s devotional Bible study, A New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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