Alpha and Omega

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

This name, the Alpha and the Omega, only occurs in the last book of the Bible. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, the beginning and the end. And even though the name is used only in the last book, it’s used both at the beginning and the end of the book. Maybe that’s a Godwink.

John started his gospel, “In the beginning was the Word.” How appropriate that Jesus would tell John He’s not just the Word, He’s the letters. That’s another wink. John, the last disciple left on this side of the veil, must have taken comfort in knowing that even though he might sometimes feel all alone, exiled on Patmos, he’s not. He’s firmly held in the grasp of the beginning and the end, the one who was and is and is to come.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. – Psalm 139-7-8

The name occurs again in the the second to last chapter of the Bible, and again, it’s tied to something significant for John.

Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give water to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life, without cost.” – Revelation 21:6

John’s gospel is the only one to record Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. He offered her water that if you drink of it, you will never thirst again. What a promise. For John, and for us.

The final mention of the name occurs in the final chapter of the final book of the Bible.

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates.  – Revelation 22:12-14

What a promise for those who have the right to the tree of life. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

This year long blog series is inspired by Ann Spangler’s Praying the Names of God for 52 Weeks