Alpha and Omega, First and Last, Beginning and End (Rev 1:8; 1:17; 22:13)

When Jesus calls Himself “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,” He is not trying to be poetic for the sake of flair. He is making a claim that reaches into creation’s first breath and stretches to the last page of history. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.

In plain words, Jesus is saying, “I am the One who starts everything, sustains everything, and settles everything.” That is not soft theology. That is a throne claim.

The Old Testament laid the groundwork. In Isaiah 41:4 the Lord says He called the generations from the beginning, He is the first and the last. In Isaiah 44:6 the Lord, Israel’s King and Redeemer, says He is the first and the last and besides Him there is no God.

In Isaiah 48:12 He repeats it, calling His people to listen, because this truth anchors them when everything else shakes. The God of Abraham is not one actor among many. He is the Author. He writes the story, calls the cast, directs the scenes, and owns the stage.

Now listen to the New Testament echo. John opens with a thunderclap: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, all things were made by Him” (John 1:1–3).

John is not inching toward a conclusion. He starts where Genesis starts, and then says the Word who was with God is Himself God, and He made everything. Later, Revelation puts the same Word on center stage. The voice John hears is the voice that spoke light into being. “I am Alpha and Omega,” He says in Revelation 1:8, and again in 1:17 and 22:13. Isaiah’s “first and last” walks into the room with nail-scarred hands.

So what does this reveal about Jesus? First, His deity. When Revelation gives Jesus the Lord’s titles from Isaiah, Scripture is not mixing metaphors.

It is revealing identity. The One who redeems Israel is the One who stood in Galilee. The One who stretched out the heavens is the One who stretched out His arms on the cross.

Second, His sovereignty. If He is the Beginning and the End, then nothing sneaks into history from a side door. No ruler rises and no sparrow falls apart from His knowledge and permission.

Third, His sufficiency. If He brackets all of time, then He is enough for every middle we walk through. I know life often feels like that messy middle. Budgets feel thin. Prayers feel tired. Hearts feel divided. Yet the One who started your story is faithful to finish it.

Hebrews 13:8 pulls this truth into our everyday. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

• The Alpha who spoke in the beginning is the same Jesus who sits with you when the doctor calls.
• The Omega who will close history is the same Jesus who holds your tomorrow.
• He is not moody.
• He does not run out of mercy.
• He does not upgrade like software that leaves you confused.
• He is steady.
• When your feelings dip, He remains.
• When your faith wobbles, He remains.
• When your plans change, He remains.

This title also ties together creation and redemption.

• As Word, He made all things.
• As Lamb, He buys back what sin broke.
• Creation shows His power.
• The cross shows His heart.
• The resurrection shows His victory.
• The return will show His crown.

Beginning and End means He does not just start worlds. He also finishes salvation. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” fits here. The pen of grace is in His hand. He will not drop it halfway through your chapter.

There is also a warning and a comfort. If Jesus is the First and the Last, then idols are pretenders. Isaiah 44 already said it. No other god stands beside Him. In a world that runs after fresh names and new answers, the church does not window shop. We already belong. That frees our hearts. We do not have to scramble for identity. We have it in Christ. It also steadies our mission.

Psalm 67 sings about God’s way being known on earth and all people praising Him. The Alpha who began the nations will gather a people from every nation at the End. Our witness is not a shot in the dark. It is a light in a plan that cannot fail.

FOOTNOTE: Psalm 67 – This psalm, traditionally recited at Shavuot, speaks of God’s way being known among all nations and the earth yielding its increase. It mirrors Pentecost’s outcome: God’s salvation and blessing beginning to spread to “the nations”, and a great spiritual harvest resulting (the earth’s increase). Fittingly, Psalm 67 has 7 verses and in Hebrew 49 words – paralleling the 7 weeks (49 days) leading to Pentecost . It is seen as a poetic hint that the purpose of Pentecost is worldwide praise: “Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You” (Ps. 67:3). 

How does this meet you on a Monday morning? When fear whispers about the future, answer with Revelation 22:13. The End is already taken. When shame brings up your past, answer with John 1. The One who stood before time also stood in your place. When today feels small and unseen, remember Isaiah’s call to listen. The First and the Last knows how to start a new thing and how to carry it to the finish. He called the generations from the beginning, and He has not lost your name in the crowd.

Some of us worry that we will not hold on. The good news is that Alpha and Omega holds us. He started the good work. He will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. He writes the story with wisdom, not guesswork. He edits with mercy, not impatience. He ends with glory, not regret.

So let us worship, not out of vague inspiration, but out of settled truth. Jesus Christ is God, Creator, Redeemer, and King. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is First and Last. He is Beginning and End.

And if He holds the first word and the last word, then you can trust Him with every word in between.