| Next | Previous | Index | Tellout Home |
5. Eternal Lord Jesus
Revelation 1.7-11
"Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all earth's peoples 'will mourn because of him.' So shall it be! Amen. 'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is, and was, and is to come, the Almighty.' I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering, kingdom, and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on Patmos island because of God's word and Jesus' testimony. On the Lord's Day, I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud trumpet-like voice, which said: 'Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.'" (Revelation 1.7-11) ✞
Alpha and Omega
This interchange is one of only two places where the Lord God speaks directly. The Lord God says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." He gives us the truth in the three-fold name that the Lord Jesus is the eternal Lord God. Here, God uses in Revelation 1.8 the first letter in the classical Greek alphabet, "Alpha," and the last letter, "Omega," as the Lord Jesus' titles. This truth is further clarified by Revelation 21.6, where the one who is seated on the throne said to John, "I am the beginning and the end." ✞
Christogram
Interestingly, the Alpha and Omega letters are used as Christian symbols and often combined with the Cross, the Chi-Rho sign, and other Christian characters. The Chi-Rho sign is one of the earliest forms of Christogram, formed by superimposing the first two capital letters, Chi and Rho, of the Greek word ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ or Christos in such a way that the vertical stroke of the Rho intersects the center of the Chi. The Chi-Rho sign appeared on Emperor Constantine's (306-337 AD) military standards and was known as the "Labarum." ✞
Repeated Name
"I am the Alpha and the Omega" is found in every early manuscript of Revelation 1.8. Several later manuscripts repeat this phrase in Revelation 1.11, but most of the oldest copies do not support it and therefore omit it. The saying Jesus is "first" and "last" emphasizes his existence for all eternity as "Beginning" and "End." God describes Jesus as the constant one, the past and present "Alpha," and the future "Omega." ✞
First Middle Last
John of Patmos continues, "every eye will see" Jesus Christ. Every tongue will confess Jesus' lordship, including all who reject or persecute him and his servants. God controls all time and all our lives from beginning to end through Jesus Christ. Interestingly, in Hebrew, the term "emet," meaning "truth," is referred to as the "Seal of God." The word "emet" comprises the Hebrew alphabet's first, middle, and last letters. Isaiah 44.6 contains the same truth, "This is what the Lord says, 'Israel's King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first, and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.'" ✞
The Beatles
Surprisingly, a bootleg collection of Beatles records was issued titled "Alpha Omega" and sold on television. The two albums were known as the "Red Album" (1962-1966) and the "Blue Album" (1967-1970.) Print advertising for the two records made a point of declaring them "the only authorized collection of the Beatles." They contained only songs composed by John Lennon (1940-1980) and Paul McCartney (1942-Present) and were maybe a nod to their talents as the Alpha Omega or the originator and the end of the Beatles! Paul records that John's touching last words were, "Think of me now and then, old friend." ✞
Sunday Worship
John of Patmos sees his savior in a Lord's Day vision. The Early Church marked "the Lord's Day" or Jesus' resurrection day on the first day of the week or Sunday. The seventh day was the Jewish Sabbath Day and commemorated creation's completion. Early Christians replaced the Jewish Sabbath on the seventh day with "the Lord's Day" on the week's first day. As important as the Sabbath was, Jesus' resurrection day was considered more meaningful and essential to Christians. "The Beginning" and "the End" and "the Alpha and the Omega" are responsible for causing a significant change in our weekly calendar. ✞
Prochorus
Under the Holy Spirit's direction, John dictated Revelation to his scribe, Prochorus. Saint Prochorus, as he came to be known, was one of seven deacons chosen to care for Jerusalem's poor. Acts 6.5 records, "They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them." Saint Prochorus was also one of the seventy-two disciples sent out by Jesus in Luke 10. ✞
John's Scribe
Prochorus appears in Orthodox iconography as John of Patmos' scribe and the nephew of Stephen the Protomartyr, the first Christian martyr. Prochorus accompanied the Apostle Peter, who ordained him as Bishop of Nicomedia in Bithynia. Tradition says he returned to Antioch and was martyred there in the 1st century AD. John of Patmos and Prochorus lived in a cave on Patmos Island about halfway up the mountain between Chora and Skala. Patmos was one of three Greek coastal islands to which the Romans banished political offenders. Many distinguished leaders, kings, and princes visited John seeking his advice and blessing. John's "Cave of the Apocalypse" is still a sought-out destination for many Christian pilgrims today. ✞
Jesus Loved
In his Revelation vision, John of Patmos recognizes Jesus immediately because he was close to him for over three years. John walked and talked with his friend Jesus in Galilee. He saw the radiant Son of God at the Transfiguration. He even stood at the foot of Jesus' Cross and watched him die. John described himself touchingly as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." However, here in Revelation, Jesus is not just a humble earthly teacher but God's Lamb and the glorious King. John of Patmos sees Jesus in all his honor, glory, and power! Is the Lord Jesus as crucial in your life as he was for those early Christian martyrs? ✞
"Eternal Lord Jesus"
by Ron Meacock © 2021
| ^Top Page | Next | Previous |