“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8 NIV). Later, toward the end of Revelation, Jesus says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End,” (Revelation 22:13). Here again, Jesus is claiming to be God. Not instead of God, but because Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one.”
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last. According to Albert Barnes, it was common for Jewish Rabbins “to use the first and last letters of the Hebrew Alphabet to denote the whole of anything, from beginning to end. The language here is that which would properly denote eternity in the being to whom it is applied… he was at the commencement and will be at the close.”(p.46)
In other words, Jesus has always existed and will always exist. He was incarnate (in human flesh) for only 33 years, but His death and resurrection gave credence to his claim to be eternal God.
The language here means he is the beginning and the end of all things; he was at the commencement (In the beginning, God…)(In the beginning was the Word)… and he will be at the close. This obviously refers to God, and to Jesus since he claims the same thing.
Barnes explains about Rev. 22:13: “He originated the whole plan of salvation, and he will determine its close; he formed the world, and he will wind up its affairs. …
The same being—(The Holy Trinity= God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit–) “is presiding over and controlling all.”
I love the song about this subject, so will share it with you now. It is sung by the Gaither Vocal Band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uImq3U1BA0M
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