The argument with combining these two verses leads many to believe that Jesus must be the Almighty God. In Revelation 1:8 it says:
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Clearly the above verse is speaking of God. But Revelation 17-18 is clearly talking about Jesus because this ‘first and last’ died and then came back to life.
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death
The above verses shows us that God is the Alpha and Omega and Jesus is the First and the Last. Thus the argument is made that Jesus must be God because both are called the First and Last or Alpha and Omega. So what is going on here?
The Alpha and Omega or First and Last is a Jewish idiom that speaks of the ultimate in the category that the context speaks of. While God is clearly the ultimate of all without question, clearly Jesus his son is the firstborn of all creation and everlasting life is through him. Of course we would not say that God was the first and the last in this category because God was not born, rather he always was and is, and is to come as it is written.
I could theoretically use this idiom to describe myself if I was the author of this site and the first and the last to post here. That could make me the ultimate member of this website (category). As you can imagine, this saying can be applicable in many contexts. For example, there is a map in London called the A-Z (think alpha and omega). It covers the streets in London. It is considered by some to be the ultimate London street map. But if God is the A-Z too, then can we say that God is that map as well? Well we need to look at the context we are defining don’t we. In what category could Jesus be first and last? Well there are many, but here are a couple:
- He is the “author and finisher” of our faith (Hebrews 12:2);
- He is the beginning of grace and the fulfillment of the Law (Matthew 5:17).
In Revelation 1:8, it is clearly talking about the Almighty God while in Revelation 1:17-18 it is clearly speaking of Jesus Christ. So what context is the the First and Last speaking with regards to Jesus? Well Revelation 18 actually tells us clearly.
“I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive”.
We know that Jesus rose from the dead, and because of this, many others will also be raised thereafter. He is the firstborn from the dead right? Further, we know that God cannot die and that this is not talking about God here. Satan would love us to believe that God could die. But he is the God of the living not the dead. If God died, then it would be game over for all life. That would be impossible though and we should be very thankful for that. So the God of the Living is not the one who died and became alive. In fact the God of the Living raised Jesus from the dead.
Acts 2:24
But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
Romans 8:11
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Clearly, God is the Alpha and Omega. He is the ultimate and without rival. His son Jesus Christ the Lord is the first and last. He is both the firstborn of all creation and of the dead. And he is alive for ever more and can impart that life to his brethren.
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