Revelation 1:8 – Alpha & Omega…The Almighty
To Understand Revelation 1:8 Requires Starting at (Revelation 1:1)
In any passage of scripture, where we have a title (“the Almighty”) being used to identify someone, it is vitally important that we associate the correct individual to the title in reference. In this case, and in order to correctly understand (Revelation 1:8), we must first backup and start from the beginning of this book (Revelation 1:1) because it contains vital information and the necessary keys that will help us correctly identify who this title belongs to and who it does not.
In these last days God has spoken to us by his Son, and concerning his Son (Hebrews 1:1-2). Christ, as the head of his church (Ephesians 5:23), has let his church know by what rules and methods he will proceed in his government; and, as the prophet of the church, he has made known to us the things that shall be hereafter. This is a revelation that God gave unto Christ, as Christ sustains the office of Mediator between God and man, he receives his instructions from God the Father (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 8:6, 9:15, 12:24)
Revelation 1:1
The First Line Proves Jesus is NOT God:
For those that teach Jesus is God, it is hard (if not impossible) to “soundly” explain how (Revelation 1:1) in conjunction with (Hebrews 9:24) could possibly indicate Jesus is God (outside of misreading these passages). What these passages do undisputedly depict is that even in heaven Jesus and God are definitely not the same person (or being).
1. How does Jesus receive a revelation from God if he is GOD?
(Revelation 1:1-2) – The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
2. How Do We Explain Jesus “APPEARING BEFORE GOD” For Us, If Jesus Was God?
(Hebrews 9:24) – For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Revelation 1:1-2 Explained
The (4) Primary Characters involved
Identifying all the individuals mentioned in delivering this revelation to the Church we have:
1. God: Who gave this revelation to Jesus
2. Jesus: Who gave his testimony of God’s revelation to his messenger (an angel)
[This revelation Christ sent and signified by his angel. Observe, God gave it to Christ, and Christ employed an angel to communicate it to the churches. The angels are God’s messengers; they are ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation. They are Christ’s servants: principalities and powers are subject to him; all the angels of God are obliged to worship him.]3. The angel: Who then delivers this revelation to John
[The angels signified it to the apostle John. As the angels are the messengers of Christ, the ministers are the messengers of the churches; what they receive from heaven, they are to communicate to the churches. John was the apostle chosen for this service.]4. John: Who in turn bares record of this revelation to the church at large.
Scripture Verification:
(Revelation 1:1-2) (KJV)– The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 2Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
(Revelation 1:1-2) (CEV) – This is what God showed to Jesus Christ, so that he could tell his servants what must happen soon. Christ then sent his angel with the message to his servant John. And John told everything that he had seen about God’s message and about what Jesus Christ had said and done.
John makes a distinction by dividing Deity i.e. “the word of God” from humanity i.e. “the testimony of Jesus” by the use of the conjunction, “AND.”
We can see throughout the book of Revelation that different individuals speak and are seen by John. The Bible tells us that John was in the Spirit ; whether this was a tangible face-to-face delivery or a vision we have only speculation nonetheless it says John bare record (he was a witness to it/ he saw it, heard it) (Revelation 22:8) and what he bare record of was that of God’s word and the testimony of Jesus. We can prove that God himself spoke to John (Revelation 21:5-7) it reads in part; “And he said unto me“, “I will be their God,” and “he shall be my son”.
Revelation 1:4-6 Explained
God’s Throne or Jesus
(Revelation 1:4) – John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
Unfortunately, this is NOT the throne of Jesus as many have so often mistakenly proclaimed. According to scripture (Hebrews 12:2), this is the throne of God and Jesus is seated [now] at the right hand of God’s throne.
(Hebrews 12:2) – Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Of course as “Oneness” (or Trinitarian) we needed this verse to mean something different; claiming the “right hand” of God is figurative, not literal, that Jesus is not (literally) seated at the right hand of God (of course the scripture says that he is). We say that it is reflective of the “power” of God or “favorite” position, which both are true statements, that, however, does not change the “location” (or position) of where Jesus is “placed” in relation to God his Father; Either way, it denotes Jesus in a position correlated to the position of someone other than himself.
He “Who Is And Who Was And Who Is To Come” Is God
(Revelation 1:4-6 (NAS)) “John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him (God the Father) who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne; AND from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him (Jesus) who loves us, and released us from our sins by his blood, AND he (Jesus) has made us to be a kingdom, priests to his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
Note: John in his writing addresses the “seven churches” in Asia. John gives recognition to God the Father by addressing Him as, “Him who is and who was and who is to come.” (“…Him which is and which was and which is to come – KJV). Many Christians mistake this phrase as referring to Jesus without carefully reading the grammatical structure of the paragraph. The paragraph reads, “…Him who is and who was and who is to come AND from Jesus Christ.” The word, “and,” is a conjunction, which divides and separates. This alone PROVES Jesus is not the same as God, and later, in Revelation 1:8, this is verified.
God the Father, who is also known as Yahweh or Jehovah (LORD in the OT – Ref. The Name of God), is the One, “who is,” because in Exodus 3:14 God says to Moses, “I AM THAT I AM.” which some say is an incomplete translation of the Hebrew wording, “Ehyeh Asshur Ehyeh.” This Hebrew term is more accurately translated as, “I exist {present tense} as what I AM, and what I have always existed as {in the past tense}, and what I will continue to exist as {in the future}.” This Hebrew phrase matches the Greek equivalent description in Revelation 1:4 perfectly as, “Him who is {in the present} and who was {in the past} and who is to come {in the future}.” (God is a Spirit- John 4:24; I change not- Malachi 3:6)
Jesus Cannot Be God If He Is The Firstborn From Among The Dead
Secondly, John writes concerning Jesus by calling him, “the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead,” who, “released us from our sins by his blood.” God cannot die!
Jesus Is Not God If He Made A Kingdom Of Priests To, “HIS God”
Jesus has made his church to be a kingdom, priests, “to his God and Father.” How could Jesus be “God” in heaven if his kingdom belongs to, “his God and Father?” John says that Jesus released us from our sins through his blood, and made us to be “priests” to “his God.” A “priest” is someone that mediates or reconciles men to God; therefore a priest cannot be God.
Revelation 1:5-7 Explained
The paragraph numbering system did not exist in the original scriptures, we must realize that verse (5) is a continuation of verse (4) which begins “AND from Jesus Christ”. Therefore, John is telling us about two individuals, God and Jesus. In this verse John now tell us a little bit about Jesus Christ, the first begotten of the dead, how he has made us (kings and priests) unto God his father, and verse (6) closes with Amen (the end). In verse (7) John tells us who all shall see Jesus (everyone) when he comes (Revelation 1:5-7) and finishes again with Amen (so be it, or the End).
Revelation 1:8 Explained
Why is verse 8, not Jesus?
Verse 7 says that He is coming in the clouds and those who pierced him will see him come. Why is verse 8 not this same Jesus?
(Revelation 1:7) is indeed in reference to Jesus but John’s statement about Jesus starts at verse 5 and ENDS at verse 7 with his last AMEN (so be it, or the End). Both verses (Revelation 1:6 and 7) are separate statements about Jesus. This is not the case with (Revelation 1:8). This is a significantly different statement.
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(Revelation 1:8) refers to God the Father, not Jesus Christ because the words, “Alpha and Omega,” (the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet) are attached to, “the Lord God…the Almighty.” Jesus Christ is NEVER referred to anywhere in scripture as the “Almighty.”
The words, “Alpha and Omega” are different Greek words than “the first and the last.” Alpha and Omega are defined as follows:
Alpha (al’-fah); the first letter of the Greek alphabet, sometimes signifying the value of 1; used as a symbolic letter, with omega (See 5598 meaning the end);
Omega (o’-meg-ah); the last letter of the Greek alphabet, i.e. (figuratively) the finality.
The Greek words for “first and last” spoken by Jesus the son of man are defined as follows:
First – 4413 protos (pro’-tos); contracted superlative of 4253; foremost (in time, place, order or importance): Jesus is foremost in rank or order of importance in the plan of God for man’s redemption. The Father is Supreme and holds no rank because He alone exists as God.
Last – 2078 eschatos (es’-khat-os); a superlative probably from 2192 (in the sense of contiguity); farthest, final (of place or time): Jesus is of foremost importance in the realm of time; even unto the finality of time (as we know it), or the earth and heavens (as we know them). For further reading regarding this concept, read 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 & 38-49.
Further proof is “the Almighty”. The Greek word for Almighty is Pantokrátoor. The Strong’s reference number for Pantokrátoor 3841 is defined as follows:
ALMIGHTY= NT:3841 pantokratoor, pantokratoros, ho; he who holds sway over all things; the ruler of all; almighty: used of God, 2 Corinthians 6:18 (From Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 2000 by Biblesoft)
ALMIGHTY = NT:3841 pantokrátœr; gen. pantokrátoros, masc. noun from pás (3956), all, every, and krátos (2904), power, strength, dominion. Ruler over all, omnipotent, almighty, spoken only of God as in 2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7,14; 19:6,15; 21:22; Sept.: 2 Samuel 5:10; 7:25,27; Job 5:17; 8:5. (From The Complete Word Study Bible and The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1994, 2002 AMG International, Inc.)
NOTE: Revelation 1:4 uses the identical phrase as 1:8, “who is and who was and who is to come,” when referring to God, neither of these applies to Christ Jesus. Remember however, that in Revelation Chp. 1 verses 4 -5 must be read together in order to easily identify and distinguish the conjunction word (“AND”) between that verse which is in reference to God (vs. 4) and the following verse which is in reference to Jesus (vs. 5).
Verses 4-5
Revelation 1:4-5 (KJV)
4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Verse 8
Revelation 1:8 (KJV)
8 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.
Beware: (There are several man-made errors contained in the KJV and this phrase (vs 8) contains one them.)
Warning!
[ Be aware of the RED print in the KJV (started in 1899): The problem you have relying on the Red Print (KJV) is that it is not always the correct reflection of who is speaking. Two things to consider in (Revelation 1:8): 1. the name Jesus is not mentioned; and 2. the word “Lord” in the New Testament can apply to a man or God – (Ref. Are There Two Lords? Prove It! (Jude 1:4) ). A portion of this passage is written in “RED” (KJV-1903); the “RED” print is said to indicate passages where Jesus himself is speaking. Yet Jesus is NOT indicated in RED as being the person calling himself “The Almighty” but the red print in the first part of this verse helps induce this misleading and incorrect thought. There is however a more significant problem for those who blindly rely on the RED print (KJV). The best evidence of this is the following:(Revelation 21:4-7) – “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said [God said] unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I WILL BE HIS GOD, and he shall be MY SON.”
1. This phrase “I will be his God, and he shall be my son” is either an indication of Jesus or God speaking. (We know Jesus never claimed anyone would be “his son” only God made that claim. The only other challenge lies in proving whether or not it was Jesus or God speaking).
2. Revelation 21:6-7 actually reflects undeniable evidence indicating that it was not Jesus speaking (whose spoken words are said to be reflected in RED) but God himself speaking.
3. If you recall John said “he said unto me, ……...” (vs 6) which was followed up by him saying “….I will be his God,” (vs 7) indicating that it was God himself speaking here to John. Jesus is not indicated (in RED) as the person speaking to John claiming to be God. Clearly it was God speaking to John. Only Jehovah (the LORD in the OT – Ref. The Name of God) has ever claimed to be God.]
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The Word Of God & The Testimony Of Jesus
Many Christians today believe that Jesus Christ is the “word” spoken of in the NT. They use John 1:1 as their supposed proof. Yet here in Revelation 1:9 John makes a distinction by dividing Deity i.e. “the word of God” from humanity i.e. “the testimony of Jesus” by the use of the conjunction, “and.” By referring back to Revelation 1:2, we can see that this distinction was made before in the context. Compare Revelation 1:2 and Revelation 1:9 side by side:
Revelation 1:9 – I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. (KJV)
Revelation 1:2 – Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. (KJV)
Word – 3056 logos (log’-os); from 3004; something said (including the thought); by implication a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive; by extension, a computation.
The “word” of God refers to what God said or communicated, to John (Revelation 1:1). God communicated to John through a messenger; the message from God (the Father) was sent by the direction of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ received what God gave him (see Revelation 1:1). That which God “said” (including God’s thoughts and the topics spoken about) is distinguished from the “testimony” of Jesus. The Greek word for “testimony” is defined as follows:
Testimony – 3141 marturia (mar-too-ree’-ah); from 3144; evidence given (judicially or genitive case); here in Revelation 1:9 it is in the genitive case, and therefore means, “a witness.” Marturia comes from the root Greek word martus (mar’-toos); meaning, a witness (literally it is used judicially or figuratively it is used in the genitive case); by analogy, a “martyr.” Our English word for “martyr” is derived from the Greek root martus.
God cannot be a martyr, since God cannot die! Thus we see the exact nature of the distinction between the “word of God” and the “testimony of Jesus.” Furthermore, in Revelation 1:2, 9, “the testimony of Jesus” is the announcement of the gospel; the preaching of Christ as determined by the apostle’s testimony (v. 2, “all things that he saw”). This testimony especially concerns Christ and is based upon personal knowledge of him (Revelation 12:17; 19:10; 20:4).
It is believed that the apostle John was Jesus’ closest friend during his ministry years. Many believe John is the apostle, “whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; 20:2; 21:7, 20). If John was this close to Jesus, don’t you think he would know if Jesus was in fact “God” Almighty? His descriptions of Jesus throughout the Book of Revelation leave no room for doubt that Jesus is a man and not a Deity.
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