ALPHA AND OMEGA

Rev 21:5-8 And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Speaking to John in his heavenly vision we find He that sat upon the throne, which undoubtedly refers to the Messiah, Christ Jesus, as prophetically foretold in Chapter 20, verse 11. What He said to John was,I make all things new. This more than likely refers to a new heaven and a new earth as noted in verse one of this chapter. Here, again, the apostle John is told to write, and record, as a permanent record, the words of the Son of God. He was to write the things that were revealed to him in this heavenly vision. Prior to this, John was also told to write the letters to be sent to the seven churches of Christ in Asia, as found in chapters 2 and 3. In other places in this book, he was also told to write other symbolic prophecies which were revealed to him (See 1:19; 14:13; 19:9). Here he was to record all things which he saw in that vision for all mankind, because these words are true and faithful. What God promises to the world through His Son, Jesus Christ, is scriptural truth. Faithfulness takes place and becomes established in one's heart when His truthful promises are revealed and fulfilled.

The Messiah continues to speak to John telling him: It is done. This represents the conclusion; the fulfillment of all the symbolic prophecies found in the preceding chapters and verses of this book of Revelation. When shown to John in a heavenly vision, and when recorded in this closing book of the New Testament, certainly the things revealed were to take place in the future. The fact that they were prophetic words that were true and faithful means that they would be fulfilled without question. Because of their truthfulness, these prophecies were spoken of here as if they had already taken place.

The statement that follows gives us proof that the speaker referred to here is our Lord, Jesus Christ. He says that I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, in the same manner that He referred to Himself at the beginning of the book of Revelation: 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 (Rev. 1:8, also see 1:11). He was present with God when the universe, as we know it, was spoken into existence, and set in motion. The earth was made to be the sustaining abode of mankind with all other things created to be under his dominion. At this time, the Son of God represented Alpha, ...the beginning. Having established the hope of eternal salvation for mankind, when they were created, the ending is to come when the obedient saints within the kingdom of Christ, His church, are gathered and taken into the eternal bliss of heaven. Just as Alpha Christ ushered in the beginning of time, so Omega Christ will, at the ending, lead his faithful followers out of the earth, which He created, and into heaven to live with Him for eternity. Christ Jesus is, indeed, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending of time, as we know it here on earth.

In order to accomplish His God-given duty to mankind, Christ Jesus told the apostle John to write this affirmation of God's promise to all that obey His will: I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. This is the same scriptural teaching of Jesus as found in John 4:14. There He gave this prophetic promise to the world: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Whenever these, and similar scriptures, are studied, they always refer to the salvation of obedient men and women of the world. We know the term, water of life, is the gospel message of salvation, as revealed in the Holy Spirit-inspired New Testament. It became known as the Gospel of Christ and was proclaimed to the world by His apostles, as well as those whom they chose to also be inspired messengers of God.

The gospel message is free to all, but only He that overcometh the temptations of life will inherit eternal life in heaven - only those that are found in Christ Jesus, who believe His gospel of salvation, accept it, obey its commands, and submit to baptism for the remission of their sins. God has promised that He will add these obedient men and women to the body of Christ, His church. They will become His children and fellow heirs with Christ, to receive eternal life, and live with Him forever. In the following words of Jesus, we learn the fate of all those that disobey the will of God by refusing His plan of salvation: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. And of this death we are assured that there will be no resurrection; it is eternal. He who is Alpha and Omega, Christ Jesus, the beginning and the end, has spoken. To this we can only add, Amen --- so be it!