In a previous study of our series we have shown that Jesus Christ is also called “Yahwe” in the Holy Bible.  In the present article we intend to show that Jesus is also referred to as “the Alpha and the Omega”, as well as “the Beginning and the End”. But we are not going to use as references the translations that the leaders of various religions utilize to confuse their followers.  We are going to “speak” from within the ancient (and indeed reviewed) text itself, in which there are no “illegitimate” verses or falsifications to justify any distortion of the text, whereby Jesus is supposedly not “the Alpha and the Omega”.

In this study, we are going to analyze the last chapter of the Book of Revelation;  for this purpose, we will quote the entire chapter of the ancient text, which we would ask the reader to study CAREFULLY and continuously ask himself: “Who is saying this?” and “Who does this characterization refer to?”  However, he will have to pose these questions based on the text itself, and not on his own assumptions.   We shall then explain the chapter - based on the text - and also point out other, parallel verses and proofs that pertain to that same point.

Revelation 22: 1-21:

1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, brilliant as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

2 In the middle of that broad space and the river was Wood of Life* which bore twelve fruits, each yielding its fruit every month, and the leaves of the wood were for the healing of the nations. :

3 And every curse is no longer there, but the throne of God and of the Lamb is in it, and His servants shall worship Him.

4 And they shall see His Person, and His name shall be on their foreheads.

5 And there is no night there, and they have no need of lamp or sunlight, for the Lord God illuminates them and they shall reign forever and ever.

6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true” and it is the Lord God of the spirits of the prophets Who sent His angel to show His servants those things that must take place soon.

7 And behold, I am coming swiftly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.

8 And it was I, John, who saw and heard these things; and when I heard and saw, I fell down to prostrate myself before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

9 And he said to me, “See that you do not (do that)! For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

10 And he said to me, ‘Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book: for the time is close at hand.

11 He who wrongs, let him wrong even more, and he who is sordid, let him be even more sordid, and he who is righteous, let him do even more righteousness; and he who is holy, let him become even holier.

12 Behold, I am coming swiftly; and my wages are with me, to be given to every man according to his work.

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

14 Blessed are they who wash their robes, so that their sway can be over the wood of life, and that they may enter the city through the gates.

15 Outside are dogs and the wicked, and the whoremongers, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and all those who love and practice deceit.

16 I, Jesus, sent My angel, for you to disclose these things to the churches. I am the root and the generation of David, and the bright star of the morning.”

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’. And he who hears let him say, ‘Come! And let the one who thirsts come; he who wants to, let him receive water of life for free.”

18 For I proclaim to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: should anyone add to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;

19 and should anyone take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his portion from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

20 He who proclaims these things says, “Yes, I am coming swiftly.”  Amen. Yes, come, Lord Jesus!

21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, with all the saints, be with you all. Amen!”

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To understand a certain verse, we must first examine its broader context.  Likewise in this instance:  we must first comprehend Saint John’s “environment” when he was writing, as it is the only way we can eventually comprehend with whom he was speaking, in the excerpt that we are examining.

John’s broader context thus begins at Rev.20: 11: “ And I saw an immense white throne, as well as the One seated on it, from Whose face the earth and the heavens fled away and no place was found for them.”

We are saying that the context begins at this point, because upon the appearance of this throne, THE OLD HEAVEN AND THE OLD EARTH COME TO AN END.  Thus, according to what follows, these are replaced by the New Heaven and the New Earth: a new environment, which John witnesses and describes:  “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away; and the sea was no longer there.”  (Rev.21: 1).

It was in this new environment that John “saw” (according to 21:2) the New Jerusalem - the Church, the Bride of the Lamb - descending from the New Heaven to the New Earth.

In the very next verse (21:3), a voice was heard coming from the throne of God – which he had “seen” earlier – and from Whose face the earth and the sky had fled.   This was the voice that showed him the New Jerusalem – the “tabernacle of God”.

It is obvious that the throne continued to be in the vision, from the moment it had first appeared: “ And I heard a great voice from the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God  with the people.. ”

Rev.21:5-8 says that the One who was seated on the throne said (among other things) the following: ““Then He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, ’Write, for these words are faithful and true.’ And He said to me, ‘They are done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give to him who thirsts from the source of the water of life, for free. The winner shall inherit these things, and I shall be his God and he shall be My son’.”

It is obvious here that it is God speaking to John. He is the one Who is seated on the throne. Keep in mind, that God is the One who calls Himself: “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End”. And He is the One who will also give “from the source of the water of life” to whoever wins. We will encounter these points again, later on.

Then, in verse 21:9, one of the seven angels in the previous chapters of Revelation speaks to John and says: “..Come, I will show you the bride, the woman of the Lamb […] and he showed me the holy city Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God…”

From this point onward, and for several more verses until the end of chapter 21, John describes the city, the New Jerusalem being shown to him by the angel.  In these verses, while John is describing the city, THE THRONE IS STILL THERE, WITHIN SIGHT.  It has not vanished from the vision. This is evident, in verse 21: 23: “And the city was not in need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God illuminated it.”

But this can be seen even more clearly in the first 3 verses of Chapter 22 being examined, and is the chapter that we are going to focus on, given that it is our theme: “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, brilliant as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.  In the middle of that broad space and the river was Wood of Life* which bore twelve fruits, each yielding its fruit every month, and the leaves of the wood were for the healing of the nations. And every curse is no longer there, but the throne of God and of the Lamb is in it, and His servants shall worship Him.

OODE note: * The Greek term “ξύλον” literally means “wood”; however it can be used when denoting a single tree, and elsewhere a group of trees, or even a certain kind of tree.  The same is observed with the English word “wood”, which can be used to mean: the material of a tree, or a grove of trees, or lumber, etc.

These first three verses clarify many things for us:  First of all, they assure us that John continues to see the throne, from the very first moment of its appearance, when the old earth and the old heaven “fled”; he also points out that the said throne is found inside that city, the New Jerusalem that was shown to him by the angel.  More importantly, that the said throne – the same throne -belongs to God and to the Lamb, Jesus Christ.

Notice also how John phrases verses 3 and 4:

“And every curse is no longer there, but the throne of God and of the Lamb is in it, and His servants shall worship Him. And they shall see His Person, and His name shall be on their foreheads.”

If God and the Lamb are TWO, why does John then say: “His servants”, “…shall worship Him”, “His face”, His name”?   Because John here has “MERGED” GOD AND THE LAMB.

In fact it is important to also note what he writes in Rev.14:1:  “Then I looked, and behold the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His and His Father’s name written on their foreheads”.

He makes it quite clear here, that both the Lamb and the Father have THE SAME NAME.  If he was talking about two separate names, he would have said:  “having their names written…” (using the Plural in the Greek text).  But here he says: “…having His and His Father’s name written…” (two Persons, but “name” is Singular), which signifies that he is speaking of ONE NAME common to both.  John fully assimilates the Father and the Son, as God. The two verses are obviously linked.

But let’s continue with chapter 22 which we are examining and in particular verses 6 and 7: “6 And He said to me, “These words are faithful and true” and it is the Lord God of the spirits of the prophets Who sent His angel to show His servants those things that must take place soon.  And behold, I am coming swiftly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

It says here:  “… He said to me…”   So, who is the one speaking to John here? Verse 7 helps us understand that the one speaking here is Jesus Christ; He is the One who is “coming swiftly “. This is evident from the repetitions of the same phrase by Christ further along – and especially at the end of the chapter, where He says: “Yes, I am coming swiftly.”  To which John replies: “Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus!”

Nevertheless, there are those who become confused. Even though EVERYONE agrees that Jesus is the one speaking here, however, by not paying attention to the context of those words and by not examining the environment of John’s vision, they remember the angel only, and they think that those words were uttered by the angel on Christ’s behalf, because they imagine that John there saw only the angel who was showing him the vision.  But if those words were uttered by the angel, John wouldn’t have written:  “He sent His angel” (v.6).  The angel would have said: “I was sent”.  Neither would the angel be claiming: “behold, I am coming swiftly” (v.7). It would have said: “Behold, He is coming swiftly”.  Therefore someone else is the One who had “said” those words to John.

As you may recall, we have already mentioned that (apart from the angel), the THRONE of God and the Lamb continue to be within John’s visual field – and that it is NOT ONLY an angel who speaks to John.  He is also addressed by someone else, from the throne (also seen in Rev.21:5-8, as noted earlier on); and on that throne both God and the Lamb are there!!!   Thus, there is no need for one to make absurd speculations that Jesus is supposedly speaking to John through the angel.  Jesus spoke to John directly from the throne.  Besides, the angel mainly SHOWED things to John, whereas the Throne mainly SPOKE to John, as made evident further along:

”And it was I, John, who saw and heard these things; and when I heard and saw, I fell down to prostrate myself before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. And he said to me, ‘See that you do not (do that)! For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God’.”

Notice here, that although John states he himself had "heard and seen…", when referring to the angel he states "... the angel who showed me these things..." (v.8). John does ΝΟΤ say "the angel who spoke to me", because the One who had spoken to him earlier was someone else, NOT the angel.

In verse 9 however, the angel does in fact speak to John, but NOT to explain something to him (his job was to “show” - NOT to explain to John); the angel spoke to John here, merely to deter him from prostrating himself.  Out of gratitude and wonderment at the things he was witnessing, John had indeed wanted to HONOUR the angel, by prostrating himself before him - HONORARILY. Woe betide, if the Apostle didn’t already know that only God should be worshipped!  The angel (out of humility) had merely refused to accept even that honorary prostration by the Apostle and prophet of God, because he regarded John as his “fellow servant” - thus prompting him to worship God, Who had sent him to John.

But from the pursuant verse (v.10), once again, someone begins to speak, because this verse begins with the words: “And He said to me”.  Here too, it is not the angel who spoke; because as we have said, the angel ONLY SHOWS what is relevant to the vision.

The one who always speaks in order to say something revelatory is someone from the throne.  When we spot the phrase “and He said to me”, there is either a change in the speaker, or a change in the natural flow of speech.  But let’s take a look at the verses once again, to ascertain clearly who is speaking here:

“And He said to me, ‘Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book: for the time is close at hand. He who wrongs, let him wrong even more, and he who is sordid, let him be even more sordid, and he who is righteous, let him do even more righteousness; and he who is holy, let him become even holier. Behold, I am coming swiftly; and my wages are with Me, to be given to every man according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are they who wash their robes, so that their sway can be over the Wood of Life, and that they may enter the city through the gates. Outside are dogs and the wicked, and the whoremongers, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and all those who love and practice deceit. I, Jesus, sent My angel, for you to disclose these things to the churches. I am the root and the generation of David, and the bright star of the morning.”

Verse 12 again clarifies who is speaking, as Jesus is saying: “Behold, I am coming swiftly”. He is the one who had spoken previously, and also the one who says at the end: ““Yes, I am coming swiftly!” (v.20)  To whom John replied:  “Amen. Yes, come, Lord Jesus!” (v.20)  Here there is no remaining doubt that Jesus is speaking.  And we can see that when the speaker changes, it is always clarified by the text, with words like: “and He said to me”.  But this is something we will see even more clearly further down.  This is because certain heretics who, in their attempt to escape from the absolute grip of this verse, arbitrarily claim - WITHOUT ANY INDICATION FROM THE TEXT - that in the very next verse (13), it is the FATHER who suddenly speaks, and not the Son.  However, something like this is totally arbitrary, absurd, and it distorts the natural flow of the text.  If the Father had spoken immediately after the Son, John would have said: “and He said to me”, as is always the case when the speaker changes. But here, IT SAYS NOTHING LIKE THAT! The text continues, indicating that the same person continues to be the speaker.  Whoever claims that the speaker changes here, IS INSERTING IN THE REVELATION TEXT something that does not exist – with all the consequences that he will face, as described further down.

But there are more proofs in this verse that it is Jesus Himself who is speaking, and that He is not interchanged with the Father. Note the continuous use of the word: “I”. It is a word that indicates AUTHORITY, and is used in verses 13 to 16 – three times!  The text says: “I am the Alpha and the Omega”; “16 I, Jesus, sent My angel” and “I am the root and the generation of David”.

The statement: “I, Jesus, sent My angel“ is especially a “coup de grace” for the heretics who pervert the text.  We encountered these same words, in verse 6: “And the Lord God of the spirits of the prophets sent His angel “- except that here, it says “the Lord God” sends His angel.  Once again, John is IDENTIFYING God with Jesus here, so the heretics cannot possibly “escape” by claiming that the Father is the speaker who supposedly says: “I am the Alpha and the Omega”. Because the Father and the Son are unified, when referring to “God” as perceived by John (cmp also: 1 John 5:20: “ And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, that we may know the true One; and we are in the true One: in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”

But there is yet more evidence than the text of verse 13 which we have seen. The verse says “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

The same words are written at the beginning of the Book of Revelations about the Son: “….and He placed His right hand upon me, saying ‘Do not fear! I am the first and the last, and the One who lived and became dead, and behold, I am alive, unto the ages of the ages…” (Rev.1:17-18)

Do you see the similarities? He, who had once died (=the Son), is now repeating the same words that we encounter in the verse we are examining (Rev.22:13)!  He again uses the word “I”, which stresses His authority, and He again refers to Himself as THE FIRST AND THE LAST.  If the Father is “the first and the last”, how can the Son also be, at the same time?  The two of them - the Father AND the Son – cannot be individually referred to as “the first and the last” … UNLESS they both comprise the same God.

It does not say “we are the first and the last”, nor does it say “we are of the first and the last”.  The definitive article - THE first and THE last - is used, which in the original Greek is in the Singular. Therefore the expression “the first and the last” applies here to ONE.

Only a blind person or an irreverent fanatic can’t see here that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega.

But let’s continue with verse 17: “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’. And he who hears let him say, ‘Come! And let the one who thirsts come; he who wants to, let him receive water of life for free.”

It is the "swiftly coming” Christ who continues to speak here, informing us that the Spirit and the Bride are beckoning Him to “Come!”, and He in turn exhorts those of us who are listening to likewise beckon Him  (along with the Spirit and the Bride) to “Come!”

For the sake of those who continue to be confused and assert that John is narrating all those words, we remind them once again that: for one, John has not interjected the words “and He said to me”, therefore it is Christ Who continues with those words; furthermore, He says: “And let the one who thirsts come”. What does “let him come” imply? To whom should one “come”? Of course to Him, who gives the “water of life for free”, and not to John! John would not have said: “let him come”; he would have said “let him go to”.

Therefore the One speaking here is the One whom those seeking that “water” should go to.  And Who is that? Christ, of course!

Elsewhere - according to the Gospel of John, in 4:13-14 - then with the Samaritan woman: “Jesus replied, and said to her, ‘All who drink of this water shall thirst again. Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst again; for the water that I shall give him will become in him a source of water flowing into everlasting life”. Christ, therefore, is the One who is speaking, and it is to Him that whoever seeks the “water of life” must go.

But we are not done yet! There are other “slaps in the face” for the heretics who misinterpret the text of the Holy Bible.  Remember how we noted earlier on – at the beginning of this study – another mention of the “water of life”?  We located it, in Rev.21:5-8: ““Then He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, ’Write, for these words are faithful and true.’ And He said to me, ‘They are done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give to him who thirsts from the source of the water of life. The winner shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son’.”

So, do you see now, who Christ is?

Do you see now, Who was speaking from the throne?

Do you see now, Who gives the “water of life”?

Do you see now, Who the “Alpha and the Omega” is?

It is GOD.

But the Book of Revelations uses the exact same words elsewhere, in 1:8:  “….’I am the Alpha and the Omega’, says the Lord God, ‘He who is, He who was, and He who is coming – the Almighty’...”

Do you see that “He who is coming” is GOD?  Could it be by coincidence that He says “who is coming”? Who is the “coming” one we have we been talking about, all this time?  How does the final chapter of Revelations that we are examining, end?

20 He who proclaims these things says, “Yes, I am coming swiftly.”

Amen. Yes, come, Lord Jesus!

But let us again look - more carefully - at verses 18-20 of the chapter we are examining:

“For I proclaim to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: should anyone add to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and should anyone take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his portion from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He who proclaims these things says, “Yes, I am coming swiftly.”

There are many who think that it is John who is speaking here; but HERE ALSO, it is Christ who is speaking. First of all, because we are not told that someone else is speaking, thus, it is still Christ, who was speaking earlier. The “I” mentioned at the beginning ( “I who proclaim these things” ) cannot be attributed to John, for the following reasons:

1.      In verse 20, it clearly indicates who “the One who proclaims these things” is: it is Christ, not John. And what are “these things”?  Naturally the “things” that were had just been proclaimed in the preceding words.

2.      The “I” mentioned here cannot possibly be attributed to John, because it denotes AUTHORITY. John -of course- not only doesn’t display any tendency to project himself with the “I”, but on the contrary, earlier on he had attempted to humbly prostrate himself a second time before the angel.  Wherever John does use the word “I” in Revelations, he uses it as a clarification: “I, John…”  (as in v.8 for example).  This means he does NOT use the “I” as a person of authority, but only as a term of recognition.  He only says “I” on its own in one place without his name, but there he merely says “I wept” (Rev.5:4). There was no hint of authority in that verse, but rather one of weakness – a fact that fully complies with John’s humble mien when receiving the Revelations.

3.      The “I” in this chapter is encountered with Christ repeatedly stating it throughout the chapter, with the authority that discerns Him, from the throne. This is why the word “I” here should likewise be attributed to Him. The lame “excuse” that Christ supposedly “had no need to proclaim those things” is ridiculous, given that He actually did proclaim them in v.20, and furthermore, the need is OURS, not His. However, the following question is posed here:  “If it is Christ who is speaking here, and if Christ relates to God in John’s thought – as we mentioned earlier – then why does he speak of God in the 3rd person? We could likewise ask ourselves the same thing in v.6 that we examined.  We mentioned there, that it was NOT the angel who had spoken, because (among other reasons) John refers to “the angel” in the 3rd person. But in that same verse, he also says “God” in the 3rd person.  So, why is this so, if Christ is speaking, and Christ is also “God”? The answer lies in verses 22:1 and 3. In there, he speaks of “God and the Lamb”, and as such, the mention of the Lamb implies Christ’s SACRIFICE for us. However, Christ died AS A MAN, and not as God, given that God is immutable and immortal.  These verses, therefore, are referring to Christ’s HUMAN AND DIVINE NATURE; that which is presented here is not simply the Father and the Son, but The GOD-MAN Son. This is the reason we notice the Man Christ referring to His Divine nature as God, in the third person. The angel - on the other hand - had only its angelic nature, and so it could not possibly refer to itself in the 3rd person, the way that Christ’s human nature does, with His Divine nature.

We know it is difficult for certain people to grasp this, if they have learnt to regard Christ only as a man, or only as God, and not as Godman; however, let those who assert that after His Resurrection, Christ ceased to be a human, recall that the Holy Bible says:  “…for, God is One, and One is the mediator of God and humankind: the man, Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim.2:5).Let it be noted, that this was stated AFTER Christ’s Ascension.  Christ not only WAS a man, but also IS a man.  He preserves His human nature, only now it is glorified and no longer subject to deterioration.

Given however that this detail is pertinent to our study, let us check a related verse, which indicates the above very analytically and descriptively:

Daniel 7:9, 13:

9 “I watched, until the thrones were put in place and the Old One of Days was seated, Whose garment was white as snow and the hairs on His head like pure wool.  His throne was like a flame of fire. Its wheels were like a burning fire… […]

13 I saw in a night vision and behold, like a Son of man He came with the clouds of heaven and reached as far as the Old Οne of Days, and they brought Him in before Him. And to Him was given the authority, and the glory, for all peoples and nations and tongues to worship Him…”

Notice how this vision of Daniel’s is related to the vision of John’s that we are examining. First of all, we again have the heavenly throne here. And we are also informed of Who is seated upon it. Who was it?  God the Father?

No!!!  In Revelation it is made clearly evident who the Old One of Days is:

Rev.1:12-15, 17,18:   “And I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lamps and in the midst of the lamps was someone who resembled a man, clothed in a garment down to his feet, and girded with a golden band across his chest.  His head and the hair were like wool, white as snow, and his eyes were like a flame of fire, and his feet were like burnished brass fired in a furnace. And his voice was like the sound of many waters… and when I saw him, I fell before his feet like I was dead.  And he placed his right hand towards me and said:  ‘Do not fear!  I am the First and the Last, and the One who lives and had become dead and behold, I live, forever and ever’…”

 Icon of the Apocalypse – Christ depicted as the "Old One of Days"

  Angels with the Seven Churches, the Seven Lampstands - the Vision of St. John the Theologian, from the iconostasis  in the Cave of the Apocalypse, Patmos

Remember this verse? We saw its last segment, earlier on. But here, it clarifies that the “Son of man” is the “Old One of Days” mentioned in Daniel (as the “First and the Last and the One who is)”. Just compare their characteristics.   We won’t go into the details of these characteristics extensively, as that would require a separate study, equally lengthy as the present one; we will only pause on the following:

Apart from the similar characteristics that we observed, you will also have noticed that in Daniel, it was the Son of man (i.e., Christ’s human nature) who was given the authority to be WORSHIPPED by people. But…aren’t we supposed to worship ONLY God?  Obviously, the “Son of man” IS God, who became man for our sake.

But then, if the Son of man in the Book of Revelations also relates to the Old One of Days, why is the Old One of Days mentioned separately from the Son of man in Daniel?  A more careful look will indicate why:

Notice that the Son of man “reached as far as the Old Οne of Days” – not higher, nor lower. In fact He arrived there “with the clouds of heaven”; Now, do we remember how Christ had ascended towards heaven?  Let’s take a look at Acts 1:9: “And having said these things, while they watched, He was taken away, lifted up by a cloud, away from their sight.”

In Acts, we are shown what had taken place, up until the moment Christ was swept away by a cloud. In Daniel, we are shown prophetically what took place exactly after what we read in Acts.

The cloud had taken Christ’s human nature, UP TO THE HEIGHT OF HIS DIVINE NATURE. This is what is implied by “seated at the right hand of God”. Christ’s victorious human nature attained THE SAME AUTHORITY AS THE DIVINE NATURE OF GOD THE LOGOS.

Thus, when we read that the Son of Man “reached as far as” the Old One of Days, this is exactly what is indicated: that DIVINE AUTHORITY was given to Christ’s human nature, so that HE BE WORSHIPPED AS GOD in heaven – the way His divine nature already was. And this is the reason He is referred to as “the Son of Man”: it is to stress His human nature. And now we can finally understand why Christ in the Book of Revelations speaks of God as if to a third party: it is because He is speaking as a Man. When He speaks as God, He does it in the first person, using the word “I”.

We can of course notice this, not only between Jesus Christ’s Divine and human natures, but also between the three Persons of the Holy Trinity. Let us take a look at an example that relates to our topic, in Isaiah 48:12-16 etc.:

“Hear me, O Jacob, and Israel whom I had called. I am He Who is. I am the first, and I am the last. And it was My hand that laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand that made the span of the heavens; when I call them, they are present together. Gather together, all of you, and listen. Who of them declared these things? The Lord (‘Jahwe’ in Hebrew) loved Him, therefore He wants to fulfill His will upon Babylon, and His arm will be upon the Chaldeans. It is I, I who has spoken; Yes, I called Him, I brought Him, and I wish to make His path prosperous. Draw near to me. Listen to this: From the very beginning I did not speak in secret; ever since this took place I was there, and now the Lord (Yahwe in Hebrew) God and His Spirit has sent Me.”

Do you see the three Persons of the Holy Trinity in here?  Yahwe the Son is speaking in the first person, as the “First and the Last” (and repeatedly using the “I” of His authority), then He refers to Yahwe the Father in the third person. He then again speaks in the first person about Himself, and finally ends with something amazing: He says that “…God and His Spirit has sent Me.” – in the Singular!

But all of these points are purposely overlooked, by the perverters of the Sacred Text of the Holy Bible….. as if God had intentionally inspired, so that it would be written like that, without a reason.

Nothing in the Holy Bible is perchance. Not even the narrations! Everything testifies that Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega.

Let us take a look at one more example, the way that the Christians of the first and second centuries had understood it:

As soon as the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, yet another tribulation awaited them: the armies of the Amalek.        The narration is as follows:

(Exodus 17:10-13):  “And Jesus (Joshua) did as Moses told him, and went forth in battle array against Amalek; and Moses and Aaron and Hor went up to the top of the hill. And it so happened, that whenever Moses extended his arms, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his arms, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ arms were heavy, so they took a rock and placed it under him, and he was seated on it, and Aaron and Hor supported his arms – one on this side and one the other side. And the arms of Moses were supported until the setting of the sun. And Joshua routed out Amalek and all his people by slaughter of dagger.”

Now, let us see what all the above symbolized, for God to have made them happen that way:

Just like the Israelites, who emerged out of the water of the Red Sea had to confront the armies of Amalek, likewise Christians who emerge from the water of the Baptismal font have to confront the armies of demons. And just as Joshua and the Israelites were victorious thanks to the form of the Cross that Moses made with his outstretched arms, likewise Christians become victorious with the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ – provided they remain loyal to Christ’s Crucifixional sacrifice to the end, to the sunset of their lives, just as Moses retained the form of the Cross until sunset.

However, the most important point for our study is that it was Aaron (Ααρον) standing at Moses’ one side, and Hor (Ωρ) at the other side, both supporting his outstretched arms, with Moses between them symbolizing Jesus Christ, according to the Prophecy of the Holy Bible (Acts 3:22): “…a prophet such as myself shall the Lord raise…”  The first letter of their names respectively being Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end (Rev.22:12,13) – symbolized none other than Jesus Christ Who was to be put on the Cross!

This interpretation of the prophetic narration is not a chance one. Nor is it a 21^st century interpretation. It is an interpretation of the first Christians, of the Apostolic era, and can be found in the proto-Christian text of the Epistle of Barnabas, which had been written between 90 and 115 AD. In other words, it was a contemporary of Revelations and it echoed the faith of the first Christians, both as regards the Cross, as well as Jesus Christ being the Alpha and Omega. Because the Lord’s Church does not make arbitrary interpretations that vary over the centuries, but ALWAYS interprets and teaches the Holy Bible the way that it was understood during Apostolic times.

And how can we understand the phrases “the Alpha and Omega”, “the beginning and the end”, “the first and the last”?

Clearly, these are three parallel expressions, per the Apostles’ custom of speaking with “Hebrewisms” – that is, the repetition of the same thing with other words, in the same sentence. These three phrases likewise seek to stress the fact that Christ is the FIRST, the Creator, the Beginning and the End of every single thing. We are not told that “there was someone in the beginning”, but that HE IS BOTH THE BEGINNING AND THE END.  He is linked here to Time itself, because, being the Creator of Time, He is “older” than Time and as such, He is beginning-less, given that Time has a beginning. Given His Divine nature, Christ IS the beginning – He Himself does not HAVE a beginning.

Let us take a look at one last verse, before closing the subject:

Isaiah 6:1,3,5,9,10 :

1 “In the year that King Ozias died I saw the Lord (‘Jahwe’ in Hebrew) seated on a tall and raised throne, and the edge of His robes filled the temple […]

3 And they (the Seraphim) cried out to one another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord (‘Jahwe’) Sabaoth; the whole earth is full of his glory.” […]

5 Then I said: “O wretched one that I am! I am at a loss; for […] I have seen the King, the Lord (‘Jahwe’) Sabaoth, with my eyes!” […]

9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: ‘You will hear by listening, and you will not understand, and by looking you will see, but you will not perceive.’ […]

10 For the heart of this people has become fat, their ears have become heavy of hearing. And they have shut their eyes so that they do not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and return and be healed”.

We again see God seated on a throne. And in fact we are told clearly that it is Yahwe. So, does that mean the text is referring to the Father?  Let us allow John himself give us the answer:

John 12:36-43:

“…Jesus said these things and having departed, He hid Himself from them. So many signs had He done before them, and yet they did not believe in Him, so that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he had uttered: ‘Lord, who has believed us through hearing? and to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed?’ For this, they were not able to believe, because Isaiah again had said: ‘He blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their hearts and return, and be healed by Me.’  These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke about Him. However, even though among the rulers many believed in Him, on account of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they be excommunicated from the synagogue; for they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God.”

Do you see who Isaiah had seen?  It was God the Son-Logos, not the Father!  And yet, there are people who have shut their eyes and their ears and their heart; they DO NOT WANT to understand that the glory of Christ is the glory of Yahwe. They want Christ to be a “creation” and not “Creator”.  And, even if many will see the unshakeable evidence that has been presented in this study, that Christ is “the Alpha and the Omega”, they will continue to shut their eyes and ears and hearts, so that they won’t understand. They may read what is written, but they will say they saw other things written – even in places that are more than obvious to the unbiased reader – because they likewise are afraid they will be “excommunicated”; that is, be expelled from their false religion. They likewise “loved the glory of men more than the glory of God,” which is why God will rightly bring upon them “the seven plagues written in this book” of Revelations, given that they are perverting “its prophecy”.

But for those who open their eyes and their hearts, and who do not fear such human fears, I pray that they will find themselves among those who have accepted the words of the last verse of Revelations: 

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, with all the saints, be with you all. Amen!”

Interior of the cave where John the Apostle received the Revelations from God

 Source: http://www.oodegr.com/oode/theos/aw.htm

Translation:  A.N.