Identity of the Alpha and the Omega

The title “The Alpha and the Omega,” occurs uniquely in the book of Revelation (1:8; 21:6; 22:13). Its identity should not be debated of whether it refers either to God or to Jesus. The literary contexts suggest that in 1:8 and 21:6 the title refers to God,¹ and in 22:13 it refers to Jesus Christ.² It may be understood that this title refers both to God and to Christ, because the book of Revelation itself is introduced by John as “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him” (Rev 1:1).³ The fact that in 22:13 Jesus calls himself with the titles of God, namely, “the Alpha and the Omega” (1:8) and “the Beginning and the End” (21:6), indicates that Jesus deserves and has the authority and sovereignty that belong to God.⁴ With this, the titles attributed to God are now attributed to Jesus Christ.⁵ This attribution of God’s title to Christ in 22:13 highlights the deity of Christ,⁶ and, at the same time, emphasizes the dominant role of Jesus Christ in Revelation. This study, therefore, assumes that the titles of God presented in 1:8 and 21:6 are also the titles of Jesus.

Since the identity of the Alpha and the Omega is no longer a question, this study focuses on the application of the title in the reading of Revelation. What does the title indicate or imply as far as the reading of Revelation in concerned? After reviewing scholars’ opinions about the application of the title to Revelation, this study explores the significance of a title or a name used in a passage to the understanding of the passage. Next, this study gives possible application of the title the Alpha and the Omega to the reading of Revelation.

Title/Name and Literary Context of a Passage

Suggesting that the Alpha and the Omega must have connection with the reading of Revelation requires justification. After the introduction of the Alpha and the Omega in Rev 1:8, John describes in vv. 12 – 16 the one who speaks to him. In vv. 17 – 18, the one whom John describes now introduces Himself to John. He is Jesus Christ.⁷ Of these twelve descriptions of Jesus Christ,⁸ most of them are repeated in the messages to the seven churches (Chaps 2 and 3), particularly in the messages to the first five churches,⁹ because they are related to the message for these churches.¹⁰ Descriptions of Jesus in the messages to the Philadelphia and Laodicea are not taken from Rev 1:13-18, but from other places.¹¹ These titles are also related to the messages for these two churches.¹² It seems that titles or descriptions of Jesus or God in the Revelation are related with the contexts of the passages where these descriptions appear.

How about the self-introduction of Jesus using egō eimi or egō, “I am,” in Revelation? Not only in Revelation, this kind of first-person-introduction of Jesus appears many times in the Gospels,¹³ mostly in the Gospel of John.¹⁴ Take for example “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35; cf. vv. 41, 48, 51). This self-introduction comes in the context of Jesus feeding the five thousand with five loaves and two fishes (6:1-16). After the miraculous feeding, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee heading for Capernaum (vv. 16-20). To those who followed Him crossing the sea, He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled” (v. 26). From that point of statement Jesus develops His teaching and introduces Himself as “the bread of life.” In this case, Jesus uses self-introduction egō eimi according to the context of the passage.

Another example is the description “I am the way” (14:6). In vv. 4 and 5 the word hodos, “way” appears 2 times in the conversation of Thomas and Jesus, in which Jesus says that the disciples know the way where He goes, and then Thomas asks Jesus to show the way to where Jesus will go. This conversation is triggered by repeated statement of Jesus or explanation about Him in relation to His departure indicated by the verb hypagō, “I go, go away, depart,” in the Upper Room context.¹⁵ This verb occurs six times before 14:6 (13:3; 13:33; 13:36 [2x]; 14:4; 14:5) and four times after it (14:28; 16:5 [2x]; 16:10; 16:17. This indicates that the title “I am the way” is introduced by Jesus to satisfy the curiosity of the disciples to know where He goes. Thus, the self-introduction of Jesus provides a hint to understand the passage.¹⁶ “It unveiled for man something otherwise unknown and inaccessible.”¹⁷

Next to the most significant occurrence of “I am” saying of Jesus in John is its occurrence in Revelation—seven times (1:8; 1:17; 2:23; 21:6; 22:13; 22:16 [2x]).¹⁸ These seven “I am” introductions present ten titles/descriptions of Jesus: 1) the Alpha and the Omega; 2) who is, who was, and who is to come; 3) the Almighty; 4) the First and the Last; 5) the Living; 6) He who searches the minds and hearts; 7) the Beginning and the End; 8) Jesus; 9) the Root and the Offspring of David; and 10) the bright morning star.¹⁹ Of these ten descriptions, the Alpha and the Omega occurs three times (1:8; 21:6; 22:13); who is, who was, and who is to come three times (1:4; 1:8; 4:8);²⁰ the First and the Last three times (1:17; 2:8; 22:13); the Beginning and the End two times (21:6; 22:13); the Almighty seven times (1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 19:6; 21:22). All others appear only once.²¹ As the egō eimi introductions of Jesus is related to a passage where they occur in John, it is also the case with their occurrences in the book of Revelation.

The title the Alpha and the Omega always comes with at least one of the three titles that are used more than once in Revelation: Who Is and Who Was and Who Is to Come (1:8); the Beginning and the End (21:6); and the First and the Last (22:13). In 22:13 it comes with the last two. This indicates that these three titles should be considered in an attempt of interpreting the meaning of the Alpha and the Omega in Revelation. The fact that the Alpha and the Omega occurs only at the beginning and at the end of the book seems to signify that this title is not to be considered in its immediate contexts alone, but throughout the whole literary context of the book, from the prologue up to the epilogue. And the other three titles above must contribute to the understanding of the significance of the Alpha and the Omega.

I limit my discussion only to the three titles of Jesus, namely, the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, and the Beginning and the End, for two reasons: 1) these three titles are presented together 22:13 as the titles of Jesus;²² 2) they are parallel in the sense of containing a set of opposite words.²³ I will begin with “the First and the Last.”

The First and the Last (ho prōtos kai ho eschatos)

This title of Jesus is first introduced in Rev 1:17, “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last.” This title is given following the encouraging imperative of Jesus: “Do not be afraid” (v. 17). Why is John afraid? Because of merely seeing Jesus?

The imperative “do not be afraid” connected to egō eimi of Jesus occurs also in John 6:20 (cf. Matt 14:27; Mark 6:50). In this setting, the disciples were afraid because they “beheld Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat” (John 6:19). The response of John to what he saw is a little different: he fell at the feet of Jesus (Rev 1:17). In addition to its mention in Rev 1:17, the expression “I fell down (epesa) before the feet” occurs two other times (19:10; 22:8), where aorist infinitive proskynēsai, “to worship,” is used to indicate a position or attitude of worship. In these two places, John does not fall down because he is afraid of the divine/angelic being. He falls down to worship.²⁴ However, it is hard to understand that in 1:17 John falls to worship, because he fell “as a dead man.” Moreover, unlike in 19:10 and 22:8, there is no infinitive proskynēsai in 1:17.

In 1:17, John might have fallen “as a dead man,” because he was afraid of having seen Jesus. In addition, to fall down powerlessly after or when receiving a vision is part of the visionary experience itself, especially when vision of a bright divine being is involved.²⁵ This happens also to Daniel who testified, “So I was left alone and saw this great vision; yet no strength was left in me, for my natural color turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength. But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground” (Dan 10:8, 9).²⁶ This situation of Daniel happens also to John described compactly—“as a dead man.” The parallel between Rev 1:9-18 and Dan 10:1-12 demonstrates this.²⁷ Nevertheless, it seems that there is something more frightening to Daniel than simply seeing and hearing the divine being speaking to him. The command “do not be afraid” is followed by the reason not to be afraid: “For from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words” (v. 12). Daniel might have been anxious for not being able to understand what he saw. This had happened before. After receiving the vision of chap 7, Daniel testifies, “my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me” (v. 15). Then the meaning of the vision is explained to him (vv. 17-27). After seeing the vision of chap 8, Daniel witnesses, “I was astounded at the vision, and there was none to explain it” (v. 27). And the meaning is explained also to him (9:20-27). Now, in 10:1 Daniel once again receives a vision whose details are described in 10:4 – 12:13.²⁸ In the vision he saw the divine being (vv. 5-7). Then a voice says to him, “Do not be afraid . . . Now I have come to give you an understanding . . . for the vision pertains to the days yet future” (vv. 12-14). This seems to indicate that what makes Daniel frightened and distressed is not only the visionary experience itself, but also the contents of the visions and the desire of Daniel to know about the future (v. 14). To such situation, an encouragement comes to him, “Do not be afraid” (v. 12).

The same thing could have happened to John in Rev 1:9-19. John introduces himself as “fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, [and] was on the island called Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (v. 9).²⁹ Being in tribulation and exile,³⁰ John might have been searching for explanation about the future. And Revelation was given to show to [through] John “the things which must shortly take place” (1:1; cf. 1:19; 4:1). I would posit, therefore, that the imperative “do not be afraid” of Jesus (1:17) is given to John not only because John was trembling at seeing the bright Jesus, but also to encourage him that Jesus is in control of the future. That is why the egō eimi statement of Jesus follows immediately: “I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore” (vv. 17, 18).

In the OT, God introduces Himself also as “I am the first and I am the last” (Isa 44:6; cf. 41:4; 48:12).³¹ Immediately after introducing His title (44:6), God says, “And who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place” (44:7; cf. 42:9). Thus, this title is mentioned in the context of God encouraging the Israelites not to be afraid (mē phobou) of their future (41:10, 13; 43:1, 5; 44:2).

The imperative mē phobou, “fear not,” occurs only twice in Revelation, in 1:17 and 2:10—the message to the church at Smyrna.³² Significantly, both imperatives occur in similar context. To the church at Smyrna, Christ introduces himself as well as “The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life” (2:8; cf. 1:17, 18). In addition, like John, the church at Smyrna also suffers tribulation. The word thlipsis, “tribulation,” occurs twice (2:9, 10). This suggests that the imperative “fear not” is an encouragement for those in tribulation; the title “the first and the last” is the reason why they should not fear the tribulation.

By connecting His title “the first and the last” with His death and resurrection (2:8; cf. 1:17, 18), Christ encourages the church at Smyrna, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (v. 10). The preposition achri, “until,” indicates “the continuous extent of time up to a point.”³³ In the case of the Christians in Smyrna, they are encouraged to remain faithful from the point they receive the message, through a period of time, up to the point of their death.³⁴ The mention of the crown (of life) for the saints is found only twice in the messages to the seven churches (2:10; 3:11). In both places the same word stephanos is used. To the church of Smyrna stephanos is related to the death of the saints, and to the church of Philadelphia it is related to the coming of Jesus. This parallel suggests that the Christians in Smyrna are encouraged to remain faithful until the coming of Jesus (cf. 2:25).³⁵ In this picture, the title of Jesus as “the first and the last” is mentioned in the framework of a period of continuous time from the first century A.D. up to the coming of Jesus.

The idea of a continuous period of time portrayed in the message to Smyrna is also hinted by the mention of a period of ten days, within which, the Christians will suffer tribulation (v. 10).³⁶ The message is not only concerned about their present life, but the suffering that is going to take place shortly as well (ha melleis paschein). Then Jesus encourages them to remain faithful until His coming. This encouragement is followed by a promise that they will not be injured by the second death (v. 11), something that will take place even after the millennium (20:5, 6).³⁷ It seems that the brief message to the church at Smyrna covers a long period of time: from the present time of the Smyrnan Christians, their immediate future, the Second Coming, and the post-millennial events. The title “the first and the last” fits into this historical timeline. Thus, Jesus as “the first and the last” is concerned not only with what happens at the first and at the last, but from the first to the last, at least in the context of the message to Smyrna.

The idea above is supported by the OT concept of the use of the phrase hoi prōtoi kai hoi eschatoi, “the first and the last” (2 Chron 9:29; 12:15; 16:11; 20:34; 25:26; 26:22; 28:26; 35:27), describing the entire history of a king. Take Solomon as an instance: “Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the records?” (2Chron 9:29). This statement should not be understood that it is only the first and the last parts of his life that are written in the records. The section of 1Chron 28 to 2Chron 9 contains a long history of Solomon. In addition to this record, many more are written in the records of Nathan, Ahijah, and Iddo. In this case, the phrase hoi prōtoi kai hoi eschatoi should be understood as “from the first to the last,” covering historical timeline from the beginning of Solomon’s reign until his death.³⁸

The context of Rev 1:17, 18, its parallel with the message to the church at Smyrna (2:8-11), and the OT concept of the use of hoi prōtoi kai hoi eschatoi, suggest that the introduction of Jesus’ title “the first and the last” at the beginning of the book of Revelation implies historical bearing. The fact that the first mention of the title is related to the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the last mention of the title to the Second Coming (Rev 22:12, 13), indicates that Revelation covers a period of time from the death and resurrection of Jesus until His second coming, even until post-millennial time.

The Beginning and the End (hē archē kai to telos)

Although Christ’s title “the beginning and the end” appears only at the end of Revelation (21:6; 22:13), its concept has been at the beginning of the book. In His message to the church at Laodicea, Christ introduces Himself as hē archē tēs ktiseōs tou theou, “the beginning of the creation of God” (3:14).

The connection of hē archē with creation is not a new concept. Genesis 1:1 puts it clear that “in the beginning God created the heavens and earth.” This concept is repeated by John in his gospel: “In the beginning was the Word . . . All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1:1, 3).³⁹ What follows en archē is a reference to creation (1:3). Next is the incarnation of Jesus (1:14), His baptism (vv. 29-34), and His earthly ministry (1:35 – 21:23). If the gospel of John begins with “in the beginning” one may expect to see what point designates the end of the gospel. The earthly ministry of Jesus brought him to the cross where He completed His mission of salvation, saying “it is finished” (19:30).⁴⁰ What follows the death of Jesus is His burial (19:38-42), His resurrection (20:1-10), and His appearances to His disciples (20:11 – 21:23). It seems that John arranges his Gospel within a time sequence framework, starting from en archē /, “in the beginning” (1:1), and ending up with tetelestai, “it is finished” (19:30).

The fact that the book of Revelation begins with a reference to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1:5, 18) throws an idea that Revelation is a continuation of the gospel of John. Moreover, there seems to be a parallel between John 21:24 and Rev 1:2. John ends his gospel saying, “This is the disciple who bears witness of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his witness (martyria) is true” (John 21:24), and begins the Apocalypse saying, “who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony (martyrian) of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw” (Rev 1:2). The linking key word martyria occurs significantly in Johannine writings. Of 32 occurrences in the NT, 13 times it occurs in the gospel of John, 7 times in his epistles, and 9 times in Revelation.⁴¹

The apocalyptic narrative of Revelation ends with the divine statement gegonan, “they have taken place” (21:6). This statement is made in the setting of the new heavens and the new earth, after a series of eschatological events: the Second Coming, the first resurrection (20:6), the millennium (vv. 5-7), the second death (v. 6), destruction of the wicked and Satan in the lake of fire (v. 9, 10), and down-coming of the New Jerusalem (21:1, 2). Combining his Gospel and the Apocalypse, it seems that John has presented a complete narrative of salvation from “in the beginning” up to the new heaven and the new earth. The title “the beginning and the end” is introduced just at the announcement “it is done” (21:6), after God says, “Behold, I am making all things new” (v. 5). Therefore, the title “the beginning and the end,” connotes a historical understanding of the demonstration of God’s power, from the creation up to the re-creation.⁴² Within this time framework, the apocalyptic events of Revelation are described historically, from the time of the seven churches up to the creation of the new heavens and the new earth.

Exchatological Significance of Alpha and the Omega

The explanation about the titles “the first and the last” and “the beginning and the end” above is enlightening to the implication of the title “the Alpha and the Omega.” It has been discussed above, that the title “the first and the last” signals a historical emphasis on the reading of the book of Revelation. It suggests that the book of Revelation covers a continuous period of time since the time of John up to the Second Coming, even the post-millennial events. The title “the beginning and the end” signifies the power of Jesus Christ as the creator of the heaven and earth and the re-creator of the new heavens and the new earth. The John-Revelation context of the title calls for a historical reading of Jesus’ ministry from creation to re-creation.

In the context of the two titles above, “The title ‘the Alpha and the Omega,’ like the one ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come,’ indicates God’s eternality, that all of history from beginning to end is the same to him.”⁴³ Questions arise: Does the title only indicate God’s eternality and His control over all of history? Or, does it also suggest a reading of Revelation in the framework of the meaning of the title—from the beginning to the end? Could this way of reading be attested in the book of Revelation?

In order to attest the Alpha-Omega reading of Revelation, I discuss below the journey of the church from the time of John up to the eschaton. The recipient of Revelation is stated obviously and directly in the prologue: “John to the seven churches that are in Asia” (Rev 1:4). The reoccurrence of “the churches” in the epilogue (22:16) indicates that the book of Revelation discusses in details Christ’s church from the beginning to the end of the book.⁴⁴ In Revelation, the condition of Christ’s church is first elaborated in Rev 2-3.⁴⁵ Then the church goes through a series of events within period of times since the first century until the Second Coming. This could be seen in the literary structure of the seven seals (Rev 4–7). In 3:21 Jesus promises, “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”⁴⁶ Revelation 4 and 5 portray the enthronement of Jesus after His ascension.⁴⁷ In Rev 7, the 144,000 or the great multitude stand before the throne of God. This is the group that is able to stand before God while the wicked perish at the Second Coming (6:15-17).⁴⁸ This brings to a conclusion that the seals depicted in Rev 6 portray the struggle of the church since the first century up to the coming of Jesus.

Rev 7:15-17 describe further the great multitude: “They are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne shall spread His tabernacle over them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them to springs of the water of life; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes.” These descriptions parallel the descriptions of the saints in Rev 21:3-4 whose timeframe is after the millennium (chap 20). It means the church passes through a period of time from the first century up to the renewal of the heaven and the earth, including the 42 months (Rev 11:2; cf. 13:5) or 1260 days (12:6), and the millennium (chap 20). In this case, the title “the Alpha and the Omega” is not merely “his [God’s] timeless sovereignty for the encouragement of Asian Christians who are facing persecution for their faith.”⁴⁹ It also projects the involvement of the church in the conflict between Satan against God along the timeline of history. In addition, it reveals the final victory of the church together with Jesus (Rev 14:1).

The picture of the continuous journey of Christ’s church along the timeline of history above is only one of some other entities in Revelation whose existence could be traced or identified historically. Let me take one more: Satan. His work is obviously shown in Rev 2 and 3 (2:9, 13, 24; 3:9).⁵⁰ During the period of 1260 days within which the church of God is protected (12:6), Satan works through the sea-beast to persecute God’s people (13:5-7). During the millennium, when the saints reign together with Christ in heaven (20:6), Satan is bound for the same period of time (v. 2). He is released after the one thousand years to face his final fate, namely, be thrown into the lake of fire. Significantly, the first and the last mentions of diabolos, “devil” in Revelation are related with the verb ballō, “to throw, cast.” At the first mention, the devil is about to throw some of God’s people into prison where they would suffer tribulation for ten days (2:10). At the last mention, the devil himself is thrown into the lake of fire forever and ever (20:10). The one throwing him into the lake of fire remains forever and ever. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Living one.

Therefore, the title of Jesus as Alpha and the Omega in Revelation assures the fulfilment of the eschatological events described in Revelation. The assurance is built up on the fact that Jesus Christ is in control of the historical events since the beginning, along the historical timeline, and until the end.

Conclusion and Recommendation

The egō eimi titles of “the Alpha and the Omega,” “the First and the Last,” and “the Beginning and the End” interchangeably refer to Jesus Christ. The last two actually explain the meaning of the first one. As it is in the gospel of John, the egō eimi introductions of Jesus in Revelation enlighten the interpretation or the reading of the passages where the titles are found. The three titles of Jesus are found at the beginning and at the end of Revelation. This suggests that they shed light to the reading of the whole book of Revelation, from the section of the seven churches whose the timeframe is the first century AD (chaps 2-3), up to the section of the new heaven and the new earth whose time setting is after the millennium (chaps 21-22).

The message of these three titles is an encouragement for Christ’s church not to be afraid of their future. The book of Revelation presents the journey of the church from the first century AD up to the second coming, even until the post-millennial time. The devil—the enemy, although have put forth all his effort to destroy the church, will be destroyed at the end. Christ and His church are triumphant. As far as the history of the human being is concerned, the title “the Alpha and the Omega” describes Christ’s sovereignty over history from the creation up to the re-creation. What revealed in Revelation is part of it. With this macro overview, the book of Revelation could be understood from a historical perspective, from the first century AD up to the eschaton. For the original audience, it was a long future before them; for the present audience, it has been a long history, with some eschatological events remain for the future. For the Alpha and the Omega declares: “Behold, the former things have come to pass, now I declare new things; before they spring forth I proclaim them to you” (Isa 42:9).