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I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is
and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
This verse couldn't be any more clearer -- this is YEHOVAH God speaking about Himself.
The fact that the title "the Alpha and the Omega" in this verse refers to only YEHOVAH God is
found confirmed in the reference, Insight on the Scriptures --
While many commentators apply this title [the Alpha and the Omega] both to God and to
Christ, a more careful examination of its use restricts its application to Jehovah God. The
first verse of Revelation shows that the revelation was given originally by God and
through Jesus Christ, hence the one speaking (though an angelic representation) at times
is God himself, and at other times it is Christ Jesus. (Re. 22:8) Thus Revelation 1:8 (RS)
says: "'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God ["Jehovah God," NW], who is
and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." Although the preceding verse speaks
of Christ Jesus, it is clear that in verse 8 the application of the title is to "the Almighty"
God. In this regard Barnes' Notes on the New Testament (1974) observes: "It cannot be
absolutely certain that the writer meant to refer to the Lord Jesus specifically here...There
is no real incongruity in supposing, also, that the writer here meant to refer to God as
such." -- Volume 1, page 81.
Then, in Revelation 1:11 (KJV), the phrase "the Alpha and the Omega" is again found --
...saying, "I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the First and the Last," and, "What you
see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to
Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea" (New King
James Version).
After the apostle John heard this being spoken, he turned around to see WHO said it (verse 12)
-- but saw Yeshua the Messiah (verses 13-17). However, Yeshua here reassures John that he was
NOT the Alpha and the Omega! We can see this for ourselves in Revelation 1:17-18, which states --
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying to
me, "Do not be afraid; I AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST. I am he who lives and was
dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of
Death."
In other words, Yeshua told John NOT to be afraid, for HE WAS NOT THE ALPHA AND
THE OMEGA! Yeshua simply did NOT identify himself by that title! This is born out in other versions
of the New Testament where the phrase "the Alpha and the Omega" in Revelation 1:11 is not even in-
cluded -- notice!
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