Author's Note: The original version of this was written in August 2022 as part of "The Year of the Lion", a collection of 52 devotionals meditating on the names of Christ written by members of Cedar Heights Baptist Church. I recently revisited it as I studied the final judgment.
Rev. 22:12-13
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
There are two parts to this name of Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega. These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and they represent the beginning and the end. Our God and Lord—He whose name is Jesus Christ—is both.
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
There are two parts to this name of Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega. These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and they represent the beginning and the end. Our God and Lord—He whose name is Jesus Christ—is both.
The Alpha
This title, “The Alpha and the Omega” bookends Revelation. In the first chapter, it’s used by God the Father for Himself. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev. 1:8).
Here, God declares His eternal nature (Ps. 90:2; Isa. 57:15). The beginning has its genesis in Him who has no beginning, the present is upheld by Him who is omnipresent, and the end has its consummation in Him who has no end. This all speaks to God’s absolute being (Ex. 3:14), which means He doesn’t just define reality—He is reality! Nothing exists apart from Him, and besides Him there is no god (Isa. 44:6).
Because Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s nature (Heb. 1:3), because He was with God in the beginning (Jn. 1:1-4), and because He is absolute in being (Jn. 8:58), all of this gloriously applies to Him as well. He is the Alpha!
Here, God declares His eternal nature (Ps. 90:2; Isa. 57:15). The beginning has its genesis in Him who has no beginning, the present is upheld by Him who is omnipresent, and the end has its consummation in Him who has no end. This all speaks to God’s absolute being (Ex. 3:14), which means He doesn’t just define reality—He is reality! Nothing exists apart from Him, and besides Him there is no god (Isa. 44:6).
Because Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s nature (Heb. 1:3), because He was with God in the beginning (Jn. 1:1-4), and because He is absolute in being (Jn. 8:58), all of this gloriously applies to Him as well. He is the Alpha!
The Omega
It’s in the last chapter of Revelation that Jesus uses this name for Himself. Our Lord says, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev. 22:12-13).
Jesus will return, and when he does, all things will come to their culmination, their “Omega”, in Him. He will save all those eagerly waiting for Him (Heb. 9:28) under His blood-bought grace. He will give His children the heritage of eternal life and dwell forever with them as their God (Rev. 21:3-7). But for those who have chosen their sin over Him, He will give them their portion in the lake of fire which is the second death (Rev. 21:8), and there they will be forever separated from God.
All will stand before Jesus (Mt. 25:31-46; Rom. 14:10-12; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 20:11-15); there are no exceptions. When He pronounces, “It is done!”, it will be finished (Rev. 21:6-8). He is the Omega!
Jesus will return, and when he does, all things will come to their culmination, their “Omega”, in Him. He will save all those eagerly waiting for Him (Heb. 9:28) under His blood-bought grace. He will give His children the heritage of eternal life and dwell forever with them as their God (Rev. 21:3-7). But for those who have chosen their sin over Him, He will give them their portion in the lake of fire which is the second death (Rev. 21:8), and there they will be forever separated from God.
All will stand before Jesus (Mt. 25:31-46; Rom. 14:10-12; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 20:11-15); there are no exceptions. When He pronounces, “It is done!”, it will be finished (Rev. 21:6-8). He is the Omega!
The Never-Ending End and the Everlasting Beginning
Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega. All have their beginning in Him, and all have their end in Him.
For the one who has not trusted in Jesus, this is a fearful reality as Christ’s “Omega” will end any opportunity to dwell with Him. They will cry out in their torment, “When will this end?” And it won’t.
For the one who has trusted in Jesus as Lord and Savior, this is a hope-giving promise as Christ’s “Alpha” will be the start of fullest relationship with Him. We will rejoice with amazement, “This is only the beginning!” And it will be.
Revelation 22:21
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
For the one who has not trusted in Jesus, this is a fearful reality as Christ’s “Omega” will end any opportunity to dwell with Him. They will cry out in their torment, “When will this end?” And it won’t.
For the one who has trusted in Jesus as Lord and Savior, this is a hope-giving promise as Christ’s “Alpha” will be the start of fullest relationship with Him. We will rejoice with amazement, “This is only the beginning!” And it will be.
Revelation 22:21
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
Doxological Extras:
1) When every mountain is brought low (Isa. 40:4), who’s still standing? When the Earth is shaken from its place (Isa. 13:13), who hasn’t moved? When all flesh would be nothing but dry bones, who gives life (Ezek. 37)? When all the ages come to an end, who continues (Isa. 43:10)? The LORD who does all these things!