In three places in Revelation, Jesus refers to himself as the 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).
And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment” (Revelation 21:6).
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 22:13).
What does this phrase mean? And how can this bring us comfort today?
What Is the Meaning of Alpha and Omega?
You’ve likely heard “alpha” in common language. A guy with a strong type-A personality might be referred to as an “alpha male.” Likewise, we classify the leader of a pack of dogs as the “alpha dogs.” This gives us a bit of a clue as to the meaning.
Another clue is to consider another place where you’ve heard the phrase “alpha.” In the phonetic alphabet, the letter A is represented by alpha. Alpha has come to mean “first”, and this is because it is the first letter in the Greek alphabet.
But what about “omega”? If you are really into science, you might know that an omega is the lowest ranking species in the universe.
It’s also possible that you’ve heard of omega acids (fatty acids) or maybe the luxury Omega watch, but those will not help us with the definition. Just as alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet, omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet.
So, what does it mean when you put “alpha” and “omega” together? It means “beginning and end.” But it means far more than just that he is the “A to Z” this statement is full of meaning.
For Jesus to declare that He is “the beginning” is to say that he was before all things. And to say that he is the “end” means that he will be there at the “end” of all things. It is a declaration of His deity and, specifically, that He is timeless.
Furthermore, this is another way of Jesus saying, “I Am.” It is a declaration of His aseity (self-existence). Jesus is taking upon Himself a title which God attributed to Himself in Isaiah 41:4, 44:6, and 48:12. “He is the first and the last.”
There is more beauty as we unfold what Jesus meant in each of these specific places where he referred to himself as “alpha and omega.” When we look at these, we can understand why Jesus said this.
Why Did Jesus Say He Is the Alpha and Omega?
To put it simply, Jesus said that He is the alpha and omega because this is precisely who He is. He is the beginning and end of all things. He is self-existent.
But what specifically does this do for His hearers? What is He accomplishing by declaring Himself thus? How does this speak to them…to us?
Revelation 1:8 closes out the greeting to the seven churches which are addressed at the beginning of the Book of Revelation. What is he saying when he tells them that he is “the Alpha and Omega”? What comfort would this have given them?
For a persecuted people, knowing that God was before the pain and that God will be after the pain serves as a balm for the soul. It is an anchor to hold onto in the midst of the storms.
This, of course, can also serve as a warning to not only those who are persecuting God’s people but also it serves as a warning to those who might be tempted to let go during the storm. The storm will not last. God will.
In Revelation 21:6, Jesus’ being the Alpha and Omega is connected to giving drink to the thirsty. He is “the end” for the thirsty. What does this mean? It means that in Jesus, the thirsty have finally found full satisfaction.
Jesus is the stream that will never run dry. He is an infinite source of fulfillment for those who are thirsty for Him. I appreciate how John Piper explains it:
For the thirsty (it says in verse 6) he is the end in the sense that he will be the source of their life forever. He will be their God and they will be his children enjoying his inheritance forever and ever. He was the fountain of their life in creation, and he will be the fountain of their life in the consummation.
In Revelation 22:13, the “alpha and omega” seems to be connected more with the judgment mentioned in verse 12: “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.”
It’s not entirely negative — for believers, “bringing recompense” will mean bringing reward. But for those who have not trusted Christ (Revelation 22:11), he will bring judgment.
How is Jesus being the “alpha and omega” fitting with judgment? He is able to be a fitting judge because He has seen everything through all eternity. He was there. He is there. He will be there. Richard Phillips says it well in Revelation: Reformed Expository Commentary:
It is as the eternal and Sovereign God who is there at both beginning and end that Jesus is able to give a recompense for everyone’s life…Christ is able to give the recompense of judgment for unbelief and sin, since he will sit enthroned at the end. Christ is able to receive his people into eternal life, since their salvation is established on his never-ending reign.
Seeing the context of these three verses helps us to see that Jesus being the Alpha and Omega is both a comfort for believers and also a terror to those who are not trusting in Him for refuge.
If He is the source of life and you refuse to drink from this source, the natural outcome is deprivation.
How Can We Apply This Today?
The words of Jesus here can be a deep comfort to us. We need a Savior who is self-existent. We need a Savior who doesn’t need us. He is the source of life. And He is an eternal source of life. This means that Christ is boundless. He is always able to satisfy.
Knowing that Christ is the Alpha and Omega is helpful as we endure trials and suffering in this life. He was who He is before we entered into the fire, and He will be who He is after we go through the furnace.
He is. That is comforting because it means no matter how unstable or shaking and stirring things are in our internal or external world, we always have an anchor.
But there is a message in this as well for us to trust in Christ today. He is the Alpha and Omega also means that you will not withstand His judgment.
There is nothing on the other end of “Omega.” You cannot find something beyond Him. And when He makes a declaration, that declaration is final.
As the Alpha and Omega, He is a fitting judge. This judge is calling us today to trust in Him, to take our thirst to Him. But if we refuse this and instead try to find cisterns for ourselves, we will ultimately be found empty.
For further reading:
What Does the Phrase ‘In the Beginning Was the Word’ Mean?
What Is the Timeline of Revelation?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Voisine
Mike Leake is husband to Nikki and father to Isaiah and Hannah. He is also the lead pastor at Calvary of Neosho, MO. Mike is the author of Torn to Heal and Jesus Is All You Need. His writing home is http://mikeleake.net and you can connect with him on Twitter @mikeleake. Mike has a new writing project at Proverbs4Today.
