Titles for Yahweh Applied to Jesus.
“I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA,” SAYS THE LORD GOD, “THE ONE WHO IS AND WHO WAS AND WHO IS TO COME, THE ALMIGHTY.” Revelation 1:8. NLT
CF v8 with v17. In our text, God is the Alpha and Omega (beginning and ending of the Greek alphabet). In v17 Jesus is identified as the “First & the Last.” He is the One who is, was, and is to come (the One in control of the past, the present, and the future), and the Almighty. Jesus and the father are one, equal from eternity. God is the Lord of history. No situation that we encounter could possibly take Him by surprise. He is outside time. Everything that happens to us is part of a larger plan. Jesus was the eternal God walking within the bounds of time. Calvary was a mountain that felt te footsteps of its creator and there saw Him lifted on a rough hewn cross between heaven and earth as if He were not fit for either. But His arms were outstretched in love.
Revelation is filled with God’s judgments on wicked nations and systems. But God’s true people can be found in those same nations and systems. They experience the “side effects” of God’s judgments. Because of the mixed nature of human systems, God’s faithful people should never expect perfect security in this life. Faithfulness is not always rewarded immediately.
“I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus.” Revelation 1:9. NLT
It is all too easy to pontificate about the sufferings of others when you haven’t experienced what they have gone through. John had been through hard times and now he was in a “dry” place for convicts.
Only those who have truly suffered know how to comfort the suffering. John knows what they are going through from experience. Those who share in suffering or persecution are often unified in ways that transcend all other barriers. Race, culture, and denominational differences matter little when experiencing the consequences of opposition to the gospel. No pain is wasted. Knowing that others have felt what we feel has healing power for our own pain. And through suffering, we learn how to minister to those who suffer.
When John received the vision on Patmos, he was not in his usual environment. He was far away from the comfortable routines of his past. And the changes in his life included experiences he called “affliction.” But as difficult as life on Patmos was for him, he knew that God had brought him there.
When life is routine, it is easy to feel as if we are in control, as if we can handle whatever may come. It is easy to lose our sense of need for God. So sometimes God moves us away from our usual round of activities and puts us in places where we must depend more fully on Him. As we approach the end of time, followers of God will find themselves placed in new and challenging circumstances. As a result, they will come to rely on God more consistently and completely than ever before.
Whether we are in the mountains or the valleys of shadows, we must tread the path before us. Both have their difficulties. A pilgrimage, that is for but a lifetime, will open before us the immensity of eternity. Loved ones will be with us once more. The one who revealed mysteries to John will also give us a foretaste of heavenly things if we are diligent searchers for truth.
The follower of Christ should never forget that whenever they find themselves in trying circumstances similar to those of John, they are not left alone. The same Jesus who came to John with words of hope and encouragement during hardship, is still present with His people to sustain and support them in difficult situations today. God Cares for you too.
Amen. Thank you God , Jesus and the Holy Spirit for your unending love, strength and guidance.
amen to that Julie
We are so lucky to have a loving God who is always with us