Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet, as Aleph and Tau are in the Hebrew alphabet: the meaning of these is expounded. The best texts read Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς the Lord the God. It is to be noted that the Authorised Version of verse eight both interpolates and omits. The "first-born of every creature" is His name (Colossians 1:15). Always the same; before the dragon, the beast, false prophet, and all foes. Isaiah 48:12), tips the balance ever so slightly to the side of concluding that God the Father speaks in Revelation 1:8.... "God"s declaration in Revelation 1:8 thus ends with a note of authority. evade this word in the Pentateuch, even in Exodus 6:8 and parallel passages; it is never translated by παντοκράτωρ except in the Book of Job. This Name having been proclaimed to Moses, throughout the same vision, and afterwards throughout the whole writing of the Old Testament, the name יהוה is mentioned. His name is "the Almighty;" the Lord God Omnipotent, to whom all power is given in heaven and on earth. In the Apocalypse alone it frequently occurs. saith the Lord; that is, the Lord Jesus Christ; the Alexandrian copy, the Complutensian edition, and the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions, read, "the Lord God"; and the Ethiopic version only God: which is, and which was, and which is to come; who is God over all, "was" God from all eternity, and is to come as such; which he will show by: his omniscience and omnipotence, displayed in the judgment of the world: who "is" now a Saviour of all that come to God by him; "was" so under the Old Testament dispensation, being the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world; and "is to come", as such, and shall appear a second time unto salvation to them that look for him: particularly this phrase is expressive of the eternity of Christ, who is, was, and ever will be; and of his immutability, who is the same he was, and will be for ever the same he is, and was, unchangeable in his person, in his love, and in the virtue of his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice; he is the same today, yesterday, and for ever. Now let us pause, and consider these solemn words as they are. 1. The words are thus highly important as witnessing to the true Divinity of Christ, and in particular to His possessing the same eternity as the Almighty. Besides, a portion of the language used here, “which is, and was, and is to come,” is what would more naturally suggest a reference to God as such, than to the Lord Jesus Christ. Compare Isaiah 41:4; Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 44:6. The Greek word occurs nine (App-10) times in Rev. WORDS OF JESUS IN RED. § 28. He is Almighty in sustaining His people, yet equally Almighty in judgment on His enemies. The Expositor's Greek Testament. Jehovah Elohim, the God of men and of Israel, Who has been pleased to put Himself into moral relationship with both, speaks once again from Heaven. which is, and which was, and which is to come; Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments, George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Light & Truth: Bible Thoughts and Themes on Revelation, E.M. Zerr's Commentary on Selected Books of the New Testament, Hanserd Knollys' Commentary on Revelation, Commentary Critical and Explanatory - Unabridged, Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible, Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures. The name אהיה, afterwards swelling out into the name יהוה, transmitted at the same time the same meaning of the future to the name יהוה, so that in the very form of the name the future might be conspicuous, and from thence there might be an advance to the present with the past. So as the people of God face up to what is to come they can rest in the confidence of the overall power of their protector, the ruler of time and of history and of all that is and will be. "Commentary on Revelation 1:8". Rev., the Lord God. The one, “who is, and who was and who is to come” is clearly identified from the context. He is ‘the Almighty’. II. "Commentary on Revelation 1:8". It may now be asked, in what respect God is here called the Alpha and the Omega? Let the world enlarge itself in the middle as it may, the church knows from the beginning, that the victory at the end must be God's. Hence we find the Lord taking to himself these attributes, as so many standards of character, in confirmation of his Godhead. AR 29. 52. III. REVELATION 1:8. BibliographyPoole, Matthew, "Commentary on Revelation 1:8". And He is the Almighty (compare 2 Corinthians 6:18). BibliographyZerr, E.M. "Commentary on Revelation 1:8". It is fitted to win us. Copyright StatementThese files are a derivative of an electronic edition available at BibleSupport.com. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth." Public Domain. The LXX. He does not say, I will be what I was, I will be what I am; but אהיה אשר אהיה, I will be what I will be: where there is implied the declaration of a benefit to be almost immediately bestowed. c He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 d who bore witness to the word of God and to e the testimony of Jesus Christ, even f to all that he saw. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tsk/revelation-1.html. In ch. If any one finds the end a cause of vexation, let him only lose himself in the beginning; let him dive into the word, "Before the mountains were brought forth, etc." Verse 3 tells us that the dwelling place of God is now with humans. Jeremiah 23:6 God over all blessed for ever. It is a fullness which eye has not seen nor ear heard. The book is about seeing the work of God in the seemingly ordinary, unremarkable moments that fill our lives. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dcc/revelation-1.html. κύριος ὁ θεὸς κ.τ.λ. In which passage ב is prefixed to the word אל, and, as denoting the aspect under which one is regarded, may be befittingly rendered by the French en, as, for instance, they say, Vivre en Chrétien. Let the passage he looked to, Exodus 15:3, and the whole of that song. BibliographyHawker, Robert, D.D. The Old Testament Zabaoth,[Note: Bengel: In the books of Samuel and Kings, in Chronicles and Psalms, in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and most of the minor prophets, before the Babylonish captivity and after it, very frequent mention is made of the Lord God of hosts. It will, however, as Doddridge observes, be difficult to give sufficient proof that the words of this verse were spoken by the Father. The words are explained by the gloss, properly omitted from the text, the beginning and the ending. Used only once outside of Revelation, in 2 Corinthians 6:18, where it is a quotation. “Most of the phrases which are here used concerning this glorious Person, are afterward used concerning our Lord Jesus Christ; and παντοκρατωρ, almighty, though in ecclesiastical writers of the earliest ages it is generally appropriated to the Father, may, according to the Syriac version, be rendered, He who holds; that is, superintends, supports, and governs all; and then it is applied to Christ, Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3. For the epithet ὁ παντοκρά τωρ is never put, without either θεὸ ς or Jehovah immediately preceding. § 19. CHAPTER 1. It is God"s provision for the needy. The Almighty.—The word thus rendered is, with one exception (2 Corinthians 6:18), peculiar to this book in the New Testament. KING JAMES VERSION (KJV) TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT. "Commentary on Revelation 1:8". This is the full name, when its various parts are put together. yea, there is no God; I know not any! Verse 4. The God of the Jews and Gentiles is described by a Greek and Hebrew name. Thus, in the assurance that the Lord will come in His might for the accomplishment of His plans, the Seer is prepared to enter upon a description of the visions which he had enjoyed. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, a 2 who gives witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ by reporting what he saw. And thus the meaning of the future prevailed in אהיה, including both a recapitulation of the revelations and promises of God, which had been given to the fathers, and a declaration of the event now to be exhibited, by the bringing the people out of Egypt. Revelation 4:8; and afterwards, ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν; and finally, ὁ ὤν. On our hands the threads are broken; in His hands they have never been rent. Bible study in Revelation 1:1-8. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/revelation-1.html. John begins His book by reminding his readers of whom and what Christ is, His supremacy, and… Let his enemies boast and rage ever so much in the intermediate time, yet he is both the Alpha, or beginning, and the Omega, or end, of all things. § 23. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/fam/revelation-1.html. 3. "Commentary on Revelation 1:8". He is the end, as he brings all the things which are here revealed to a complete and glorious conclusion. But He is also the end. "Commentary on Revelation 1:8". The word means the all-powerful One, the Omnipotent One. Menachot, c. 8. sect. Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament, Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible. Spiritual Meaning of REVELATION 1:8 previous - next - text - summary - Revelation - BM Home - Full Page. Verse 8. How could eternal life be brought nearer, or made more accessible? 1:17; 2:8). 1905. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pet/revelation-1.html. There follows now in Revelation 1:8 the second introductory statement of what the prophet had to say for the consolation of the church in its faint and distressed condition. God confirmed the preceding forecast with a solemn affirmation of His eternity and omnipotence. BibliographyEllicott, Charles John. But notice Colossians 1:15-16). 70. It should seem, that no sooner had the beloved Apostle ended, as in the verse before, his rapturous expressions, in contemplating the Person of his Lord; but Jesus instantly appeared, and delivered himself in these most precious words, as if confirming all that his servant had said of him. Revelation was written to the Seven Churches of Asia Minor, which is now modern Turkey (Rev. "Commentary on Revelation 1:8". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/foy/revelation-1.html. "Almighty" used singly, or in conjunction with other names, occurs about sixty times, half of these instances in the ancient book of Job. The pronoun I refers to Christ because he is the one who is to come in the clouds. The emphasis is to be laid upon the Omega. BibliographyScott, Walter. And, to confirm it yet more finally, and fully, in the last Chapter of this book of the Revelation, as if to leave the impression in full force upon the minds of his people through all ages of his Church, he repeats those names, and puts the whole together: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, Revelation 22:13. & Bartenora in ib. when all things shall be made subject unto the Son of God, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that made all things subject unto Him, that God may be all in all: Ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, Jehovah of Sabaoth, God of Sabaoth, Jehovah God of Sabaoth, I will bring forth Mine armies, My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt, All the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt, ὁ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ, ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, εὐθὺς τὸ ἔσται καὶ τὸ μέλλεα, I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers. [Note: The section partakes of the character of the whole first vision, which is thus described by Vitringa: "The first vision exhibits the internal state of the universal church through all times under the emblem of the seven churches of Asia, from Revelation 1:9 to the beginning of ch. BibliographyWallace, Foy E. "Commentary on Revelation 1:8". "Hawker's Poor Man's Commentary". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/scn/revelation-1.html. When God appeared to Moses in the bush, He called Himself אהיה, I will be. God's Word ... And this is interesting, because many of us have the feeling that the meaning of Revelation is hidden! This symbolises that Jesus was a human being, "the Son of Man".A significant feature of Jesus’s life on earth was that he lived lowly without earthly wealth (Matthew 8:20).. 2 Third Rider —on Black Horse. But in the Apocalypse the order is inverted by an elegance of construction not to be despised, except by the supercilious; and in ch. "God" after "Lord" is also an important omission. Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible. I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is, and who was, and comes, the Almighty. The unity of the whole passage is only preserved by ascribing them to the exalted and glorified Redeemer. Compare Isaiah 44:6. "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending"--1:8. § 24. "A weighing of evidence, especially in light of the OT "flavor" of the expression and a recollection that the Father in the OT refers to Himself as "I am" (i.e, the Tetragrammaton, Exodus 3:14; cf. ), nor the Alexandrian Codex were available to the translators of our noble Authorised Version. The speaker is not Christ, but neither is it God the Father in contrast to Christ (against this decides, besides the relation to Revelation 1:7, the circumstance of the Alpha and the Omega being also attributed to Christ), but God in the undivided oneness of his being, without respect to the difference of persons. 8. (Witham). The description of the verse applies, with little doubt, to our Lord, and the words are a strong declaration of His divinity. But there may also be the idea that every letter in this revelation comes directly from Him. I am Alpha and Omega, saith the Lord — Alpha. "Foy E. Wallace's Commentary on the Book of Revelation". When God appeared to Abraham, He called Himself אל שדי, Genesis 17:1 : and from this Isaac and Jacob often so called Him. BibliographyTorrey, R. A. An anticipatory consolation to the saints under the coming trials of the Church. Echa Rabbati, fol. Constantly in the Septuagint. § 29. יהוה is the same precisely as ὁ ἐρχόμενος καὶ ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν. As the Creator of the vast universe; as the sustainer of all being; as the Redeemer of His Church; as "the Lord strong in battle;" as "able to save to the uttermost," "mighty to save;" as the binder of Satan; as the destroyer of Antichrist; as the renewer of the earth—He is Almighty. Transcribers probably inserted it from Revelation 21:6. (7:1-8) The Withholding of Judgment (1-3) Immediately after the cry, “who is able to stand,” John sees four angels standing at the four corners of the earth. Is-was-is to come; a description of Christ as Jehovah, self-existent, unchangeable, and eternal. Thus in this verse, omnipotency, eternity, and immutability, are all applied to God, and particularly predicated of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 4. Revelation 1:1-8 New International Version (NIV) Prologue. I am Alpha and Omega. Revelation definition, the act of revealing or disclosing; disclosure. Corresponding to this is "the first and the last" in ch. (a) it is he who is spoken of in the verses preceding, and. § 22. We are not to understand it of simple existence. BibliographyConstable, Thomas. & 12. Revelation 22:13. 'I am the Alpha and the Omega'-the first and last letters of the alphabet. BibliographyBengel, Johann Albrecht. The Almighty—Who speaks here, God or Christ? At this point God is seen as dramatically stepping in to make His declaration over the whole revelation, reinforcing John’s words in Revelation 1:4. From this fullness no one is excluded. BibliographyHaydock, George Leo. Beginning and ending denotes the same idea as the other figure, the particular words being selected because Christ was present at all of the works of God from the beginning ( John 1:1-3; Ephesians 3:9). Revelation 1:8. “The Hebrew idioms in the book, the authority of the author in relation to the churches, the use of distinctively Johannine terms like logos and “Lamb of God,” and the corroboration of Irenaeus, Origen, Tertullian and Clement all affirm that the Apostle John was the author of this book.”20Every New Testament book was written by an apostle or by one who was closely associated with an apostle, i.e., like Luke who was a companion of the Apostle Paul. BibliographyIce, Rhoderick D. "Commentary on Revelation 1:8". 1974. He is the same Jesus, with unchanged heart, and undiminished love, bending in grace and pity over this earth, "His well-beloved world;" as it has been called. These words apply to God, not to Christ. He is "the Alpha and the Omega;" and as these letters form the beginning and ending of the Greek alphabet, we suppose they are meant to denote all that can be contained in the language of man. Revelation 1:8. Alpha and Omega = The Alpha and the Omega. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. 1, 2), but the all-inclusive power of God, which comes fully into play in the new order of things inaugurated by the second advent. Revelation 1:8. It is open on every side, that all may partake. The one in verse 7, and the other in verse 8, appear to be an affirmation and ratification of the things about to be signified as being the irrevocable testimony of Jesus Christ. In Him as the Omega is finished what as the Alpha He began. not be absolutely certain that the writer meant to refer to the Lord Jesus specifically here, this cannot be adduced with propriety as a proof-text to demonstrate his divinity. There is none that comes before, neither any that comes after. BibliographyKnollys, Hanserd. That which man calls space, from its one extremity (if we may use the word) to the other extremity is all in Him. ", All fullness is in Jesus—the fullness of the God-man; divine and human fullness; the fullness of love and power; the fullness of grace and glory. The unconditional supremacy of God over the world, which is placed before our eyes by the Beginning, since God made heaven and earth, since he spake and it was done, commanded and it stood fast, is also brought again into notice by the end. The first word, Apokalypsis (revelation), gives this book its title. the papyrus of Ani (E. B. D. 12): “He leadeth in his train that which is and that which is not yet.… Homage to thee, King of kings, and Lord of lords, who from the womb of Nut hast ruled the world and Akert [the Egyptian Hades]. Commentary on Revelation 11:14-19 (Read Revelation 11:14-19) What can be wider or freer? With this and the following passage, cf. the Beginning and the End, says the Lord, The use of Alpha and Omega with the “first and last” defines its meaning. We think it one of the most trinitarian texts in the New Testament. Angels, who are so prominent in Revelation, are the instruments that God uses to temporarily suspend judgment on the earth. KJV Revelation 1:8 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. Cf. Again, the beginning and end of a thing is, in Scripture, styled the whole thing. "Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers". Minuc. Almighty—Hebrew, "Shaddai," and "Jehovah Sabaoth," that is, "of hosts"; commanding all the hosts or powers in heaven and earth, so able to overcome all His Church's foes. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/sor/revelation-1.html. His glory is the goal. 1, 2. (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. A second is to be added, Exodus 6:3 : I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, באל שדי, as a God abounding in all good things: but under My name Jehovah I was not made known to them. It must be remembered that the excellent and, in general, godly men, who translated the Scriptures in 1611 had not the advantages of their successors in 1881. In this fullness there is something infinitely attractive. For although the noun יהוה itself might be expressed by Greek letters, yet it never was so expressed among the people of God. God is not only Lord of the future. Romans 9:5. Jehovah cannot but answer to the third member, ὁ ὦ ν καὶ ὁ ἦ ν καὶ ὁ ἐ ρχομενος. 1:4, 11). This conclusion is strengthened by the words of the eighth verse, in which the emphasis lies upon the Almighty, thus bringing into prominence that all-powerful might in which Jesus goes forth to be victorious over His enemies. In Christ, Genesis, the Alpha of Scripture, and Revelation, the Omega, meet; the last presenting man and God reconciled in Paradise, as the first presented man at the beginning innocent and in God's favour in Paradise. "Commentary on Revelation 1:8". (8) The beginning and the ending.—These words are of doubtful authority; they are in all probability taken from Revelation 22:13, and interpolated here. 1952. He also applies this term to Jesus (22:13; cf. (s) Misn. Again, it is plain that this revelation was made to Moses, and by the instrumentality of Moses to the Israelites, by which revelation the name Jehovah became known to them in a new way. For here we have the "long-suffering" and the "salvation" of which Paul and James and Peter speak in their epistles—"The Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy;" "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance;" "who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. § 20. In the Septuagint it translates ‘the God of hosts’, the One Who is over all that is ( Hosea 12:5; Amos 3:13; Amos 4:13; Amos 5:14). The beginning is the surety for the end. Being the fullness of Him who is bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, it is altogether suitable, so that no one can say there is not in it provision to suit my need. In verse 4 this name is given to the Father; now it is given to the Son, or rather to Jesus Christ—"the Christ of God," the "Word made flesh.". We listen here not to the voice of Christ as man, but God Himself is the speaker. Bible Toggle Dropdown. Thrice in this Chapter, here, and again at Revelation 1:11; Rev_1:17, the Lord Jesus takes to himself these characters of distinction. The fact that the beginning and the end never occur elsewhere but in connection with Alpha and Omega, while the latter, and the other expression also, the first and the last, are found alone, shews that "the beginning and the end" is only to be regarded as an accompaniment of Alpha and Omega. The Alpha as the first and the Omega as the last letter in the Greek alphabet, denotes the beginning and the end. 147, says, “Adam transgressed the whole law, from Aleph to Tov.”. 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. Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and signify here God"s comprehensive control over all things including time. BibliographySchaff, Philip. In the midst of failed and failing circumstances, and the Church ecclesiastically a ruin amidst the wrecked testimony of the ages, God's voice is heard above the din and strife. He is "the beginning and the ending." Thy body is of bright and shining metal, thy head is of azure blue, and the brilliance of the turquoise encircleth thee.” For the connexion of a presentiment of the end (Revelation 1:7-8) with an impulse to warn contemporaries (9 f.) see 4 Esd. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/heg/revelation-1.html. The meaning of this new world shows why we are full of anticipation. And that the slaying of the witnesses is future, appears to be probable. He is the originator and terminator of all things. BibliographyJamieson, Robert, D.D. And these words are appropriated to this purpose, because they begin with the first and the last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and so fitly indicate in what character the Alpha and Omega here come into consideration—only in respect to their place in the alphabet. "He is the beginning" (Colossians 1:18), as well as "in the beginning" (John 1:1); and as such, He is the Creator of all things in heaven and in earth (Colossians 1:16); the circumference as well as the center of the universe. The Almighty - An appellation often applied to God, meaning that he has all power, and used here to denote that he is able to accomplish what is disclosed in this book.
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