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Orthodox Outlet for Dogmatic Enquiries | Holy Bible |
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Jesus Christ, the "Alpha" and the "Omega"
From the series of articles titled “JESUS – YAHWE” A hermeneutical analysis of the last chapter of the Book of Revelations
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In a previous study of our series we have shown that Jesus
Christ is also called “Yahwe” in the Holy Bible.
In the present article we intend to show that Jesus
is also referred to as “the
Alpha and the Omega”, as well as “the
Beginning and the End”.
But we are not
going to use as references the translations that the leaders
of various religions utilize to confuse their followers.
We are going to “speak” from within the ancient (and
indeed reviewed) text itself, in which there are no
“illegitimate” verses or falsifications to justify any
distortion of the text, whereby Jesus is supposedly
not “the Alpha
and the Omega”.
In this study, we are going to analyze the last chapter of
the Book of Revelation;
for this purpose, we will quote the entire chapter of
the ancient text, which we would ask the reader to study
CAREFULLY and continuously ask himself: “Who is saying
this?” and “Who does this characterization refer to?”
However, he will have to pose these questions based
on the text itself, and not on his own assumptions.
We shall then explain the chapter - based on the text
- and also point out other, parallel verses and proofs that
pertain to that same point.
Revelation 22: 1-21:
1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, brilliant
as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the
Lamb.
2 In the middle of that broad space and the river was Wood
of Life* which bore twelve
fruits, each yielding its fruit every month, and the leaves
of the wood were for the healing of the nations. :
3 And every curse is no longer there, but the throne of God
and of the Lamb is in it, and His servants shall worship
Him.
4 And they shall see His Person, and His name shall
be on their
foreheads.
5 And there is no night there, and they have no need of lamp
or sunlight, for the Lord God illuminates them and they
shall reign forever and ever.
6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful
and true” and it is the Lord God of the spirits of
the prophets Who sent His angel to show His servants those
things that must take place soon.
7 And behold, I am coming swiftly! Blessed is he
who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.
8 And it was I, John, who saw and heard these things; and
when I heard and saw, I fell down to prostrate myself before
the feet of the angel who showed me these things.
9 And he said to me, “See that you do not (do
that)! For I
am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets,
and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
10 And he said to me, ‘Do not seal the words of the prophecy
of this book: for the time is close at hand.
11 He who wrongs, let him wrong even more, and he who is
sordid, let him be even more sordid, and he who is
righteous, let him do even more righteousness; and he who is
holy, let him become even holier.
12 Behold, I am coming swiftly; and my wages are with me, to
be given to every man according to his work.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the
beginning and the end.
14 Blessed are they who wash their robes, so that their sway
can be over the wood of life, and that they may enter the
city through the gates.
15 Outside are dogs and the wicked, and the whoremongers,
and the murderers, and the idolaters, and all those who love
and practice deceit.
16 I, Jesus, sent My angel, for you to disclose these things
to the churches. I am the root and the generation of David,
and the bright star of the morning.”
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’. And he who
hears let him say, ‘Come! And let the one who thirsts come;
he who wants to, let him receive water of life for free.”
18 For I proclaim to everyone who hears the words of the
prophecy of this book: should anyone add to them, God will
add to him the plagues that are written in this book;
19 and should anyone take away from the words of the book of
this prophecy, God shall take away his portion from the
Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the
things which are written in this book.
20 He who proclaims these things says, “Yes, I am coming
swiftly.”
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, with all the saints,
be with you all. Amen!”
***************************************************
To understand a certain verse, we must first examine its
broader context.
Likewise in this instance:
we must first comprehend Saint John’s “environment”
when he was writing, as it is the only way we can eventually
comprehend with whom he was speaking, in the excerpt that we
are examining.
John’s broader context thus begins at Rev.20: 11:
“ And I saw an
immense white throne, as well as the One seated on it, from
Whose face the earth and the heavens fled away and no place
was found for them.”
We are saying that the context begins at this point, because
upon the appearance of this throne,
THE OLD HEAVEN AND THE OLD EARTH COME TO AN END.
Thus, according to what follows, these are replaced
by the New Heaven and the New Earth: a new environment,
which John witnesses and describes:
“And
I saw a new heaven
and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth
had passed away; and the sea was no longer there.”
(Rev.21: 1).
It was in this new environment that John “saw” (according to
21:2) the New Jerusalem - the Church, the Bride of the Lamb
-descending from the New Heaven to the New Earth.
In the very next verse (21:3), a voice was heard coming from
the throne of God – which he had “seen” earlier – and from
Whose face the earth and the sky had fled.
This was the voice that showed him the New Jerusalem
– the “tabernacle
of God”.
It is obvious that the throne continued to be in the vision,
from the moment it had first appeared:
“ And I heard a great
voice from the throne
saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God
with the people.. ”
Rev.21:5-8 says that the One who was seated on the throne
said (among other things) the following: ““Then
He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all
things new.” And He said to me, ’Write, for these words are
faithful and true.’ And He said to me, ‘They are done! I am
the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will
give to him who thirsts from the source of the water of
life, for free. The winner shall inherit these things, and I
shall be his God and he shall be My son’.”
It is obvious here that it is God speaking to John. He is
the one Who is seated on the throne. Keep in mind, that God
is the One who calls Himself: “the
Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End”. And
He is the One who will also give “from
the source of the water of life” to whoever wins. We
will encounter these points again, later on.
Then, in verse 21:9, one of the seven angels in the previous
chapters of Revelation speaks to John and says: “..Come,
I will show you the bride, the woman of the Lamb […]
and he showed me the
holy city Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God…”
From this point onward, and for several more verses until
the end of chapter 21, John describes the city, the New
Jerusalem being shown to him by the angel.
In these verses, while John is describing the city,
THE THRONE IS STILL THERE, WITHIN SIGHT.
It has not vanished from the vision. This is evident,
in verse 21: 23: “And
the city was not in need of the sun or of the moon to shine
upon it, for the glory of God
illuminated it.”
But this can be seen even more clearly in the first 3 verses
of Chapter 22 being examined, and is the chapter that we are
going to focus on, given that it is our theme: “And
he showed me a pure river of water of life, brilliant as
crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
In the middle
of that broad space and the river was Wood
of Life* which bore twelve
fruits, each yielding its fruit every month, and the leaves
of the wood were for the healing of the nations. And every
curse is no longer there, but the throne of God and of the
Lamb is in it, and His servants shall worship Him.
These first three verses clarify many things for us:
First of all, they assure us that John continues to
see the throne, from the very first moment of its
appearance, when the old earth and the old heaven “fled”;
he also points out that the said throne is found inside that
city, the New Jerusalem that was shown to him by the angel.
More importantly, that the said throne – the same
throne -belongs to God and to the Lamb, Jesus Christ.
Notice also how John phrases verses 3 and 4:
“And every curse is no longer there, but the throne of God
and
of the Lamb is in it, and
His servants shall worship
Him. And they shall see His
Person, and His name shall
be on their
foreheads.”
If God and the Lamb are TWO, why does John then say: “His
servants”, “…shall worship
Him”, “His
face”,
His name”?
Because John here has
“MERGED” GOD AND THE LAMB.
In fact it is important to also note what he writes in
Rev.14:1: “Then
I looked, and behold the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and
with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His
and His Father’s name written on their
foreheads”.
He makes it quite clear here, that both the Lamb and the
Father have
THE SAME NAME.
If he was talking about two separate names, he would
have said: “having
their
names written…”
(using the Plural in the Greek text).
But here he says: “…having
His and His Father’s name
written…”
(two Persons, but “name” is Singular), which signifies that
he is speaking of
ONE NAME
common to both.
John fully assimilates the Father and the Son, as God. The
two verses are obviously linked.
But let’s continue with chapter 22 which we are examining
and in particular verses 6 and 7: “6
And He said to me,
“These words are faithful
and true” and it is the Lord God of the spirits of
the prophets Who sent His angel to show His servants those
things that must take place soon.
And behold, I am
coming swiftly! Blessed is he
who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
It says here:
“…
he said to me…”
So, who is the one speaking to John here? Verse 7
helps us understand that the one speaking here is Jesus
Christ; He
is the One who is “coming
swiftly “. This is evident from the repetitions of
the same phrase by Christ further along – and especially at
the end of the chapter, where He says:
“Yes,
I am coming swiftly.”
To which John
replies: “Amen!
Yes, come, Lord Jesus!”
Nevertheless, there are those who become confused. Even
though EVERYONE agrees that Jesus is the one speaking here,
however, by not paying attention to the context of those
words and by not examining the environment of John’s vision,
they remember the angel only, and they think that those
words were uttered by the angel on Christ’s behalf, because
they imagine that John there saw only the angel who was
showing him the vision.
But if those words were uttered by the angel, John
wouldn’t have written:
“He
sent His angel”
(v.6). The
angel would have said: “I
was sent”.
Neither would the angel be claiming: “behold,
I
am coming swiftly” (v.7). It would have said:
“Behold,
He is coming swiftly”.
Therefore someone else is the One who had “said”
those words to John.
As you may recall, we have already mentioned that (apart
from the angel), the THRONE of God and the Lamb continue to
be within John’s visual field – and that it is NOT ONLY an
angel who speaks to John.
He is also addressed by someone else, from the throne
(also seen in Rev.21:5-8, as noted earlier on); and on that
throne both God and
the Lamb are there!!!
Thus, there is no need for one to make absurd
speculations that Jesus is supposedly speaking to John
through the angel.
Jesus spoke to John directly from the throne.
Besides, the angel mainly SHOWED things to John,
whereas the Throne mainly SPOKE to John, as made evident
further along:
”And it was I, John, who saw and heard these things; and
when I heard and saw, I fell down to prostrate myself before
the feet of the angel who showed me these things. And he
said to me, ‘See that you do not (do
that)! For I
am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets,
and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God’.”
Notice here, that although John states he himself had "heard
and seen…", when referring to the angel he states
"... the
angel who showed me
these things..."
(v.8). John does
ÍÏÔ
say "the
angel who spoke to
me",
because the One who had spoken to him earlier was someone
else, NOT the angel.
In verse 9 however, the angel does in fact speak to John,
but NOT to explain something to him (his job was to “show” -
NOT to explain to John); the angel spoke to John here,
merely to deter him from prostrating himself.
Out of gratitude and wonderment at the things he was
witnessing, John had indeed wanted to HONOUR the angel, by
prostrating himself before him - HONORARILY. Woe betide, if
the Apostle didn’t already know that
only God should
be worshipped!
The angel (out of humility) had merely refused to accept
even that honorary prostration by the Apostle and prophet of
God, because he regarded John as his “fellow
servant” - thus prompting him to worship God, Who
had sent him to John.
But from the pursuant verse (v.10), once again, someone
begins to speak, because this verse begins with the words:
“And
He said to me”.
Here too, it is not the angel who spoke; because as
we have said, the angel ONLY SHOWS what is relevant to the
vision.
The one who always speaks in order to say something
revelatory is someone from the throne.
When we spot the phrase “and
He said to me”, there is either a change in the
speaker, or a change in the natural flow of speech.
But let’s take a look at the verses once again, to
ascertain clearly who is speaking here:
“And He said to me, ‘Do not seal the words of the prophecy
of this book: for the time is close at hand. He who wrongs,
let him wrong even more, and he who is sordid, let him be
even more sordid, and he who is righteous, let him do even
more righteousness; and he who is holy, let him become even
holier. Behold, I am coming swiftly; and my wages are with
Me, to be given to every man according to his work. I am the
Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning
and the end. Blessed are they who wash their robes, so that
their sway can be over the Wood of Life, and that they may
enter the city through the gates. Outside are dogs and the
wicked, and the whoremongers, and the murderers, and the
idolaters, and all those who love and practice deceit.
I, Jesus, sent My angel,
for you to disclose these things to the churches. I am the
root and the generation of David, and the bright star of the
morning.”
Verse 12 again clarifies who is speaking, as Jesus is
saying: “Behold,
I am
coming swiftly”.
He is the one who had spoken previously, and also the one
who says at the end: ““Yes,
I am coming swiftly!”
(v.20) To whom
John replied:
“Amen.
Yes, come, Lord Jesus!”
(v.20) Here there
is no remaining doubt that Jesus is speaking.
And we can see that when the speaker changes, it is
always clarified by the text, with words like: “and
He said to me”.
But this is something we will see even more clearly
further down.
This is because certain heretics who, in their attempt to
escape from the absolute grip of this verse, arbitrarily
claim - WITHOUT ANY INDICATION FROM THE TEXT - that in the
very next verse (13), it is the FATHER who suddenly speaks,
and not the Son.
However, something like this is totally arbitrary,
absurd, and it distorts the natural flow of the text.
If the Father had spoken immediately after the Son,
John would have said: “and
He said to me”, as is always the case when the
speaker changes. But here, IT SAYS NOTHING LIKE THAT! The
text continues, indicating that the same person continues to
be the speaker.
Whoever claims that the speaker changes here, IS INSERTING
IN THE REVELATION TEXT something that does not exist – with
all the consequences that he will face, as described further
down.
But there are more proofs in this verse that it is Jesus
Himself who is speaking, and that He is not interchanged
with the Father. Note the continuous use of the word: “I”.
It is a word that indicates AUTHORITY, and is used in verses
13 to 16 – three times!
The text says: “I
am
the Alpha and the Omega”; “16
I, Jesus,
sent My angel”
and “I
am
the root and the generation of
David”.
The statement:
“I,
Jesus, sent My angel“ is especially a “coup
de grace” for the heretics who pervert the text.
We encountered these same words, in verse 6:
“And
the Lord God of the spirits of the prophets sent His angel
“- except that here, it
says “the
Lord God” sends His angel.
Once again, John is IDENTIFYING God with Jesus here,
so the heretics cannot possibly “escape” by claiming that
the Father is the speaker who supposedly says: “I
am the Alpha and the Omega”. Because the Father and
the Son are unified, when referring to “God” as perceived by
John (cmp also: 1 John 5:20: “ And
we know that the Son of God has come and has given us
understanding, that we may know the true One; and we are in
the true One: in His Son Jesus
Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”
But there is yet more evidence than the text of verse 13
which we have seen. The verse says “I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the
beginning and the end.”
The same words are written at the beginning of the Book of
Revelations about the Son: “….and
He placed His right hand upon me, saying ‘Do not fear! I am
the first and the last, and the One
who lived and became dead, and behold, I am alive,
unto the ages of the ages…” (Rev.1:17-18)
Do you see the similarities? He, who had once died (=the
Son), is now repeating the same words that we encounter in
the verse we are examining (Rev.22:13)!
He again uses the word “I”,
which stresses His authority, and He again refers to Himself
as THE FIRST AND THE LAST.
If the Father is “the
first and the last”, how can the Son also be, at the
same time? The
two of them - the Father AND the Son – cannot be
individually referred to as “the
first and the last” … UNLESS they both comprise the
same God.
It does not say “we
are the first and the last”, nor does it say “we
are of the first and the last”.
The definitive article - THE first
and THE last - is used, which in the original Greek is in
the Singular. Therefore the expression “the first
and the last” applies here to ONE.
Only a blind person or an irreverent fanatic can’t see here
that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega.
But let’s continue with verse 17: “And
the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’. And he who hears let
him say, ‘Come! And let the one who thirsts come; he who
wants to, let him receive water of life for free.”
It is the
"swiftly coming”
Christ who continues to speak here, informing us that the
Spirit and the Bride are beckoning
Him to “Come!”,
and He in turn exhorts those of us who are listening to
likewise beckon Him
(along with the Spirit and the Bride) to “Come!”
For the sake of those who continue to be confused and assert
that John is narrating all those words, we remind them once
again that: for one, John has not interjected the words “and
He said to me”, therefore it is Christ Who continues
with those words; furthermore, He says: “And
let the one who thirsts come”. What does “let
him come” imply? To whom should one “come”?
Of course to Him, who gives the “water
of life for free”, and not to John! John would not
have said: “let
him come”; he would have said “let
him go to”.
Therefore the One speaking here is the One whom those
seeking that “water”
should go to.
And Who is that? Christ, of course!
Elsewhere - according to the Gospel of John, in 4:13-14 -
then with the Samaritan woman: “Jesus
replied, and said to her, ‘All who drink of this water shall
thirst again. Whoever drinks of the
water that I shall give him, shall never thirst
again; for the water
that I shall give him will
become in him a source of water flowing into everlasting
life”. Christ, therefore, is the One who is
speaking, and it is to Him that whoever seeks the “water
of life” must go.
But we are not done yet! There are other “slaps in the face”
for the heretics who misinterpret the text of the Holy
Bible. Remember
how we noted earlier on – at the beginning of this study –
another mention of the “water
of life”?
We located it, in Rev.21:5-8: ““Then
He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all
things new.” And He said to me, ’Write, for these words are
faithful and true.’ And He said to me, ‘They are done! I am
the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
I will give to him who thirsts from
the source of the water of life. The winner shall
inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My
son’.”
So, do you see now, who Christ is?
Do you see now, Who was speaking from the throne?
Do you see now, Who gives the “water
of life”?
Do you see now, Who the “Alpha
and the Omega” is?
It is GOD.
But the Book of Revelations uses the exact same words
elsewhere, in 1:8:
“….’I am the Alpha
and the Omega’, says the Lord
God, ‘He who is, He who was, and
He who is coming – the
Almighty’...”
Do you see that “He
who is coming” is GOD?
Could it be by coincidence that He says “who
is coming”? Who is the “coming”
one we have we been talking about, all this time?
How does the final chapter of Revelations that we are
examining, end?
20 He who proclaims these things says, “Yes,
I am coming swiftly.”
Amen. Yes, come,
Lord Jesus!
But let us again look - more carefully - at verses 18-20 of
the chapter we are examining:
“For I proclaim to everyone who hears the words of the
prophecy of this book: should anyone add to them, God will
add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and
should anyone take away from the words of the book of this
prophecy, God shall take away his portion from the Book of
Life, from the holy city, and from the
things which are written in this book. He
who proclaims these things says, “Yes, I am coming swiftly.” There are many who think that it is John who is speaking here; but HERE ALSO, it is Christ who is speaking. First of all, because we are not told that someone else is speaking, thus, it is still Christ, who was speaking earlier. The “I” mentioned at the beginning ( “I who proclaim these things” ) cannot be attributed to John, for the following reasons:
1.
In verse 20, it clearly indicates who “the
One who proclaims these things” is: it is Christ,
not John. And what are “these
things”?
Naturally the “things” that were had just been
proclaimed in the preceding words.
2.
The “I”
mentioned here cannot possibly be attributed to John,
because it denotes AUTHORITY. John -of course- not only
doesn’t display any tendency to project himself with the
“I”, but on the contrary, earlier on he had attempted to
humbly prostrate himself a second time before the angel.
Wherever John does use the word “I” in Revelations,
he uses it as a clarification: “I,
John…”
(as in v.8 for example).
This means he does NOT use the “I” as a person of
authority, but only as a term of recognition.
He only says “I” on its own in one place without his
name, but there he merely says “I
wept” (Rev.5:4). There was no hint of authority in
that verse, but rather one of weakness – a fact that fully
complies with John’s humble mien when receiving the
Revelations. 3. The “I” in this chapter is encountered with Christ repeatedly stating it throughout the chapter, with the authority that discerns Him, from the throne. This is why the word “I” here should likewise be attributed to Him. The lame “excuse” that Christ supposedly “had no need to proclaim those things” is ridiculous, given that He actually did proclaim them in v.20, and furthermore, the need is OURS, not His. However, the following question is posed here: “If it is Christ who is speaking here, and if Christ relates to God in John’s thought – as we mentioned earlier – then why does he speak of God in the 3rd person? We could likewise ask ourselves the same thing in v.6 that we examined. We mentioned there, that it was NOT the angel who had spoken, because (among other reasons) John refers to “the angel” in the 3rd person. But in that same verse, he also says “God” in the 3rd person. So, why is this so, if Christ is speaking, and Christ is also “God”? The answer lies in verses 22:1 and 3. In there, he speaks of “God and the Lamb”, and as such, the mention of the Lamb implies Christ’s SACRIFICE for us. However, Christ died AS A MAN, and not as God, given that God is immutable and immortal. These verses, therefore, are referring to Christ’s HUMAN AND DIVINE NATURE; that which is presented here is not simply the Father and the Son, but The GOD-MAN Son. This is the reason we notice the Man Christ referring to His Divine nature as God, in the third person. The angel - on the other hand - had only its angelic nature, and so it could not possibly refer to itself in the 3rd person, the way that Christ’s human nature does, with His Divine nature.
We know it is difficult for certain people to grasp this, if
they have learnt to regard Christ only as a man, or only as
God, and not as Godman; however, let those who assert that
after His Resurrection, Christ ceased to be a human, recall
that the Holy Bible says:
“…for,
God is One, and One is the mediator of God and humankind:
the man, Christ Jesus.”
(1 Tim.2:5).Let it be noted, that this was stated AFTER
Christ’s Ascension.
Christ not only WAS a man, but also IS a man.
He preserves His human nature, only now it is
glorified and no longer subject to deterioration.
Given however that this detail is pertinent to our study,
let us check a related verse, which indicates the above very
analytically and descriptively:
Daniel 7:9, 13:
9
“I
watched, until the thrones were put in place and the Old One
of Days was seated, Whose garment was white as snow and the
hairs on His head like pure wool.
His throne was like a flame of fire. Its wheels were
like a burning fire… […]
13 I saw in a night vision and behold, like a Son of man He
came with the clouds of heaven and reached as far as the Old
Ïne
of Days, and they brought Him in before Him. And to Him was
given the authority, and the glory, for all peoples and
nations and tongues to worship Him…”
Notice how this vision of Daniel’s is related to the vision
of John’s that we are examining. First of all, we again have
the heavenly throne here. And we are also informed of Who is
seated upon it. Who was it?
God the Father?
No!!! In
Revelation it is made clearly evident who the Old One of
Days is:
Rev.1:12-15, 17,18:
“And
I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me. And
having turned, I saw seven golden lamps and in the midst of
the lamps was someone who resembled a man, clothed in a
garment down to his feet, and girded with a golden band
across his chest.
His head and the hair were like wool, white as snow,
and his eyes were like a flame of fire, and his feet were
like burnished brass fired in a furnace. And his voice was
like the sound of many waters… and when I saw him, I fell
before his feet like I was dead.
And he placed his right hand towards me and said:
‘Do not fear!
I am the First and the Last, and the One who lives
and had become dead and behold, I live, forever and ever’…”
Icon of the Apocalypse – Christ depicted as the "Old One of
Days"
Angels with the Seven Churches, the Seven Lampstands,
The Vision of St. John the Theologian, from the iconostasis
in the Cave of the Apocalypse, Patmos
Apart from the similar characteristics that we observed, you
will also have noticed that in Daniel, it was the
Son of man
(i.e., Christ’s human nature) who was given the authority
to be WORSHIPPED by
people. But…aren’t we supposed to worship ONLY God?
Obviously, the “Son of man” IS God, who
became
man for our sake.
But then, if the
Son of man in
the Book of Revelations also relates to the
Old One of Days,
why is the
Old One of Days
mentioned separately from the
Son of man in
Daniel? A more
careful look will indicate why:
Notice that the
Son of man “reached
as far as the Old
Ïne
of Days” –
not higher, nor lower. In fact He arrived there
“with the clouds of heaven”; Now, do we remember how
Christ had ascended towards heaven?
Let’s take a look at
Acts 1:9: “And
having said these things, while they watched, He was taken
away, lifted up by a cloud, away from their sight.”
In Acts, we are shown what had taken place, up until the
moment Christ was swept away by a cloud. In Daniel, we are
shown prophetically what took place exactly after what we
read in Acts.
The cloud had taken Christ’s
human nature,
UP
TO THE HEIGHT OF HIS DIVINE NATURE.
This is what is implied by “seated
at the right hand of God”. Christ’s victorious human
nature attained
THE SAME AUTHORITY AS THE DIVINE NATURE OF GOD THE LOGOS.
Thus, when we read that the
Son of Man “reached as far as”
the Old One of Days,
this is exactly what is indicated: that DIVINE AUTHORITY was
given to Christ’s human nature, so that HE BE WORSHIPPED AS
GOD in heaven – the way His divine nature already was. And
this is the reason He is referred to as “the
Son of Man”: it is to stress His human nature. And
now we can finally understand why Christ in the Book of
Revelations speaks of God as if to a third party: it is
because He is speaking as a Man. When He speaks as God, He
does it in the first person, using the word “I”.
We can of course notice this, not only between Jesus
Christ’s Divine and human natures, but also between the
three Persons of the Holy Trinity. Let us take a look at an
example that relates to our topic, in Isaiah 48:12-16 etc.:
“Hear me, O Jacob, and Israel whom I had called. I am He Who
is. I am the first, and I am the
last. And it was My hand
that laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand
that made the span of the heavens; when I call them, they
are present together. Gather together, all of you, and
listen. Who of them declared these things? The Lord
(‘Jahwe’ in Hebrew)
loved Him, therefore He wants to fulfill His will upon
Babylon, and His arm will be upon the Chaldeans. It is I, I
who has spoken; Yes, I called Him, I brought Him, and I wish
to make His path prosperous. Draw near to me. Listen to
this: From the very beginning I did not speak in secret;
ever since this took place I was there, and now the Lord
(Yahwe in Hebrew)
God and His Spirit
has
sent Me.”
Do you see the three Persons of the Holy Trinity in here?
Yahwe the Son is speaking in the first person, as the
“First and the Last” (and repeatedly using the “I” of His
authority), then He refers to Yahwe the Father in the third
person. He then again speaks in the first person about
Himself, and finally ends with something amazing: He says
that “…God
and His Spirit
has
sent Me.”
– in the Singular!
But all of these points are purposely overlooked, by the
perverters of the Sacred Text of the Holy Bible….. as if God
had intentionally inspired, so that it would be written like
that, without a reason.
Nothing in the Holy Bible is perchance. Not even the
narrations! Everything testifies that Jesus Christ is the
Alpha and the Omega.
Let us take a look at one more example, the way that the
Christians of the first and second centuries had understood
it:
As soon as the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, yet another
tribulation awaited them: the armies of the Amalek.
The narration is as follows:
(Exodus 17:10-13):
“And Jesus (Joshua)
did as Moses told him, and went forth in battle array
against Amalek; and Moses and Aaron and Hor went up to the
top of the hill. And it so happened, that whenever Moses
extended his arms, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered
his arms, Amalek prevailed. But
Moses’ arms were heavy, so they took a rock and placed it
under him, and he was seated on it, and Aaron and Hor
supported his arms – one on this side and one the other
side. And the arms of Moses were supported until the
setting of the sun. And Joshua routed out Amalek and all his
people by slaughter of dagger.”
Now, let us see what all the above symbolized, for God to
have made them happen that way:
Just like the Israelites, who emerged out of the water of
the Red Sea had to confront the armies of Amalek, likewise
Christians who emerge from the water of the Baptismal font
have to confront the armies of demons. And just as Joshua
and the Israelites were victorious thanks to the form of the
Cross that Moses made with his outstretched arms, likewise
Christians become victorious with the Cross of the Lord
Jesus Christ – provided they remain loyal to Christ’s
Crucifixional sacrifice to the end, to the sunset of their
lives, just as Moses retained the form of the Cross until
sunset.
However, the most important point for our study is that it
was Aaron (Ááñïí)
standing at Moses’ one side, and Hor (Ùñ)
at the other side, both supporting his outstretched arms,
with Moses between them symbolizing Jesus Christ, according
to the Prophecy of the Holy Bible (Acts 3:22): “…a
prophet such as myself shall the Lord raise…”
The first letter of their names respectively being
Alpha and Omega –
the beginning and the
end (Rev.22:12,13) – symbolized none other than
Jesus Christ Who was to be put on the Cross!
This interpretation of the prophetic narration is not a
chance one. Nor is it a 21st century
interpretation. It is an interpretation of the first
Christians, of the Apostolic era, and can be found in the
proto-Christian text of the Epistle of Barnabas, which had
been written between 90 and 115 AD. In other words, it was a
contemporary of Revelations and it echoed the faith of the
first Christians, both as regards the Cross, as well as
Jesus Christ being the Alpha and Omega. Because the Lord’s
Church does not make arbitrary interpretations that vary
over the centuries, but ALWAYS interprets and teaches the
Holy Bible the way that it was understood during Apostolic
times.
And how can we understand the phrases “the Alpha and Omega”,
“the beginning and the end”, “the first and the last”?
Clearly, these are three parallel expressions, per the
Apostles’ custom of speaking with “Hebrewisms” – that is,
the repetition of the same thing with other words, in the
same sentence. These three phrases likewise seek to stress
the fact that Christ is the FIRST, the Creator, the
Beginning and the End of every single thing. We are not told
that “there was someone in the beginning”, but that HE IS
BOTH THE BEGINNING AND THE END.
He is linked here to Time itself, because, being the
Creator of Time, He is “older” than Time and as such, He is
beginning-less, given that Time has a beginning. Given His
Divine nature, Christ IS the beginning – He Himself does not
HAVE a beginning.
Let us take a look at one last verse, before closing the
subject:
Isaiah 6:1,3,5,9,10 :
1
“In
the year that King Ozias died I saw the Lord (‘Jahwe’
in Hebrew)
seated on a tall and raised throne, and the edge of His
robes filled the temple […]
3 And they
(the Seraphim)
cried out to one
another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord (‘Jahwe’)
Sabaoth; the whole earth is full of his glory.” […]
5 Then I said: “O wretched that I am! I am at a loss; for
[…] I have seen the King, the Lord
(‘Jahwe’)
Sabaoth, with my eyes!” […]
9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: ‘You will hear
by listening, and you will not understand, and by looking
you will see, but you will not perceive.’ […]
10 For the heart of this people has become fat, their ears
have become heavy of hearing. And they have shut their eyes
so that they do not see with their eyes and hear with their
ears and understand with their heart and return and be
healed”.
We again see God seated on a throne. And in fact we are told
clearly that it is Yahwe. So, does that mean the text is
referring to the Father?
Let us allow John himself give us the answer:
John 12:36-43:
“…Jesus
said these things and having departed, He hid Himself from
them. So many signs had He done before them, and yet they
did not believe in Him, so that the word of Isaiah the
prophet might be fulfilled, which he had uttered: ‘Lord, who
has believed us through hearing? and to whom was the arm of
the Lord revealed?’ For this, they were not able to believe,
because Isaiah again had said: ‘He blinded their eyes and
hardened their hearts, so that they would not see with their eyes
and perceive with their hearts and return, and be healed by
Me.’
These
things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke about
Him. However, even though among the rulers many believed in
Him, on account of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest
they be excommunicated from the synagogue; for they loved
the glory of men more than the glory of God.”
Do you see who Isaiah had seen?
It was God the Logos, not the Father!
And yet, there are people who have shut their eyes
and their ears and their heart; they DO NOT WANT to
understand that the glory of Christ is the glory of Yahwe.
They want Christ to be a “creation” and not “Creator”.
And, even if many will see the unshakeable evidence
that has been presented in this study, that Christ is “the
Alpha and the Omega”, they will continue to shut their eyes
and ears and hearts, so that they won’t understand. They may
read what is written, but they will say they saw other
things written – even in places that are more than obvious
to the unbiased reader – because they likewise are afraid
they will be “excommunicated”; that is, be expelled from
their false religion. They likewise
“loved the glory of
men more than the glory of God,” which is why God
will rightly bring upon them “the
seven plagues written in this book” of Revelations,
given that they are perverting “its prophecy”. But for those who open their eyes and their hearts, and who do not fear such human fears, I pray that they will find themselves among those who have accepted the words of the last verse of Revelations:
"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, with all the saints, be
with you all. Amen!”
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