“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.”
(Revelation 1:8)
In this first chapter of Revelation God Himself declares, without qualification, that He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending. He is eternal—the One who is, who was, and who is to come. And He is the Almighty.
And in John 16:15 when Christ says that all things the Father has are His, He is not speaking of created things only. He is also speaking of what belongs to God as God: eternity, sovereignty, divine authority, and power. These are not shared by creatures. They belong to God alone. And yet Christ says they are His because He also affirms, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).
The Old and New Testaments agree fully on this point. The One who comes with the clouds, whom every eye shall see, including those who pierced Him, is the same One who declares Himself Alpha and Omega. The pierced One is the Almighty. The coming Judge is the crucified Christ. Scripture does not divide these identities. It binds them together.[1]
That is to say, Christ does not borrow His divine authority from the Father; He possesses it fully in Himself. He does not act with delegated strength alone. He acts with the fullness of divine power, because He shares the same Majesty as the Father. The Father sends, and the Son speaks as the Lord Almighty. The Son is sent, and yet the sender and the One who is sent are both named Almighty. In truth, Christ does not stand outside God’s eternal authority. He stands within it, sharing fully in it.
Moreover, Christ did not cease to be Almighty when He took on human flesh. He chose to experience the limits and weight of human suffering. He who could command legions of angels allowed Himself to tremble, to sorrow, and to submit. “Not as I will, but as Thou wilt,” demonstrates that Christ wills what the Father wills and does what the Father does.
To adore Christ rightly, therefore, is to bow before Him as the Alpha and Omega. Nothing in heaven or earth stands outside His rule and nothing begins or ends apart from Him. The same Christ who was pierced will come with clouds. The same Christ who prayed in weakness will appear in power. The same Christ who humbled Himself now bears the name Almighty.
Contemplations:
- Christ as the Almighty I adore. I often speak of Jesus as Savior, Shepherd, or Friend, and rightly so. But Revelation 1:8 confronts me with who He truly is. He is not only gentle; He is also Almighty. When I remember this, my worship changes. I come with reverence, awe, and quiet submission, knowing that the One who loves me rules all things without limit.
- The weight of Christ being Alpha and Omega. I tend to think of my life in small segments—past regrets, present struggles, future worries. But Christ stands outside all of that. He is the beginning and the ending. Nothing in my life surprises Him. Nothing escapes His authority. When I remember that my story is held inside His eternal purpose, anxiety and worry turn to peace.
- The glory of Christ’s power in His humility. The One who prayed in agony did not stop being God when He suffered; He chose to suffer. This reality causes me to trust Him even more deeply, knowing He passed through suffering because of obedience.
- Adoring Christ Without Defending Him. I sometimes feel the urge to explain Christ in order to make Him easier to accept. Scripture does not do that. It declares Him. Alpha and Omega. Almighty. Pierced and coming in glory. I am only responsible to bow before Him instead of trying to somehow manage the weight of who He is.
Prayer (Adoration)
Lord Jesus Christ, Alpha and Omega, beginning and ending, I come before You with reverence that feels small compared to who You are. You are the Almighty, and yet You made Yourself known to us in flesh. You are eternal, and yet You stepped into time.
I adore You as the One who is, who was, and who is to come. All authority is already Yours; heaven does not lend it to You. Earth does not grant it to You. You possess it by right, because You are God.
I praise You for the unity of Your power with the Father. There is no rivalry, no division, no strain within the Godhead. What the Father is, You are. What the Father wills, You will. And yet You humbled Yourself, not by losing power, but by choosing obedience. That mystery still overwhelms me. The Almighty bowed. The Eternal entered suffering. The Lord of glory was pierced.
I adore You for creating all things without help and redeeming Your people without assistance. No one stood beside You when You bore sin. No one shared the weight of the cross. No one added anything to the work You finished. You alone are worthy of praise, because You alone accomplished what none else could do.
I worship You as the One who speaks in the Law and stands present in the Gospel. You have never been silent. You have never changed Your purpose. You have never abandoned Your authority. You spoke, and the world was made. You spoke again, and the Word became flesh. And You will speak once more, and every eye will see You.
Teach me to worship You not only for what You give, but for who You are. When I am tempted to think of You as distant, remind me that You are present. When I am tempted to think of You as gentle, remind me that You are also Almighty. And when I forget Your majesty, draw my thoughts back to Your name.
For You are my Lord, my God, my King. Receive my praise, imperfect as it is, and shape my heart to adore You more truly.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Revelation 1:8:
Rev. 22:13; Isa. 41:4; Isa. 9:6; Psalm 45:3; Col. 1:17
[1] Ambrose of Milan, “Exposition of the Christian Faith,” in St. Ambrose: Select Works and Letters, ed. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, trans. H. de Romestin, E. de Romestin, and H. T. F. Duckworth, vol. 10, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1896), 229.
