Alpha and Omega Bible Verse Meaning and Study

What does the phrase “Alpha and Omega” mean? Why is it important for Christians to know?

The Greek Alphabet

The Greek alphabet has been around since around the 8th century BC and was derived from derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet. The first letter in the Greek alphabet is the letter Alpha or sometimes seen as an upper case A and like the English letter and it makes the very same sound as our letter “A.” Omega can be an upper and lower case “Ω ω” just like we have an upper case A and lower case a. All of the ancient Greek knowledge is contained within that alphabet, just as it is with the English alphabet where all knowledge is contained within A to Z. If you had a dictionary or an encyclopedia, think about the fact that all of our knowledge is basically found within these pages, beginning with the letter A all to the way to Z. That is the first hint at what this verse means in relation to Jesus Christ.

Who is the Alpha and Omega?

Who is this “Alpha and Omega” mentioned in Scriptures? This phrase is only mentioned three times in the entire Bible but clearly it is Jesus Christ. We find all three of these phrases in the Book of Revelation where Jesus Christ says of Himself, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev 22:13) meaning He is the beginning of all things and the end of all things. He is everything, A to Z and all things in between which is why He says He is the Alpha and Omega. When Jesus said that he is the Alpha and Omega, He is saying that He is the consummation of the entire Greek Alphabet meaning that He is all and in all and Creator of all. The Alpha (A) and Omega (to Z) references were used in the New Testament because it was written in the Greek and so Jesus is in fact the Beginner, as Creator, and He is the end of all things, meaning He will bring everything under His judgment (Rev 20:12-15). God has placed Jesus as Judge of all, both the living and the dead.

Who Was, Is, and Is to Come

Jesus, as God, has always existed. The Gospel of John indicates that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3) so He was before all things and the Creator of all things and was with God in the beginning as the Word. The “Word” of course is Jesus Christ “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). We say this in His incarnation as being born of a virgin, coming in the flesh to rescue the flesh He created by living a sinless life and giving His own life for our sins, thus we can make sense of Jesus saying of Himself, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev 1:8). This verse tells us that Jesus was, and still is, and always will be. He is compared to Melchizedek Who “is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever” (Heb 7:3).

The Beginning of the End

After Jesus returns and after having judged the world in righteousness (Rev 20:12-15), He will finally say, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment” (Rev 21:6) but nobody knows the day or the hour of Jesus’ return as He said “concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matt 24:36). He told His disciples just prior to His ascension, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” (Acts 1:7) so we have no business guessing or trying to predict when He will return; we are simply told to be ready before He comes back. I beg you, if you haven’t already been saved, to repent and trust in Christ. The psalmist writes “do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness” (95:8) and “As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” (Heb 3:15). The point is, while it is still called today put your trust in Christ because “In a favorable time I listened to you and in a day of salvation I have helped you” so “now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2) because tomorrow may be too late.

Conclusion

Jesus is most certainly coming back and when He returns, He will either be your King and your Lord or He will be your Judge and executioner. Today is the favorable time to repent and trust in Christ because He could return this very day or you could die because “just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Heb 9:27) and by then, it will be far too late.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.