March 23: LIFESTYLE OF PRAISE
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Revelation 22:13
There is absolutely nothing that falls outside of the reach of the powerful and loving hands of our Creator and Redeemer. He is before all things and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17 NIV). Not only does He rightly say that He is the Beginning and the End, He is the center of both history and Scripture, which is everything in between! His written word is meant to lead us back to the perfection and safety of the life He intended for His beloved creatures. Study it diligently, and give Him your worship, your service, and all praise!
Today’s verse employs the teaching method of Hebrew parallelism. Jesus is the Master Teacher and His words have power! The fact is stated three different ways for emphasis. If the original text had been written in English, He would say “A to Z”. These Greek alphabet letters, Alpha and Omega, accompany His identification as The Word of God (John 1:1 Revelation 19:13). The written word was authored by His Holy Spirit, and though there were forty-plus human writers who penned this wonderful gift to mankind, there is but One Author. In studying the Bible, the reader is blessed to learn that this Author knows the future and wants to ensure an unending future for each of us. Give Him praise!
It is Jesus who wrought the Beginning of human history. He knew ahead of time that we would go astray. Thus, He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (13:8). It is He who is bringing about the End of sin – permanently. He is the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18, Revelation 1:5), and He has the Last word. Let Him put an end to your sin, and give Him praise!
This emphasis on the identity of Jesus can help us to recognize Satan’s counterfeit efforts to gain his own following. The book of Revelation tells us about the second coming of Christ, but it also warns us repeatedly about Satan’s brazen trickery and the great lengths that he goes to in order to foist deceptions upon the people. Revelation contains many sets of seven. Our enemy is described as a deceiver in these seven verses: 12:9; 13:14; 18:23; 19:20; 20:3,8,10.
The titles for Jesus in today’s verse are also found in Revelation’s prologue (see 1:8, 17). The Lord Jesus is assuring John (and each of us) that He sees all that is happening and will one day soon set everything aright. It is only because of Him that a glorious, never-ending future is available to each of us. Beloved, answer His call with a lifestyle of praise.
Who has performed and done it, Calling the generations from the beginning? “I, the LORD, am the first; And with the last I am He.” Isaiah 41:4
For further study: Genesis 1:1; Exodus 20:11; Isaiah 46:10; Ecclesiastes 3:11; Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 12:1-2