The Alpha and the Omega
The Spirit of the Lord gave a revelation to His disciple John. We are told that of the Twelve, John was among Christ’s favorite disciples when He walked among them. A statement in the first chapter of the book of Revelations, verse 8 states the following:
“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.”
Though we could have read this particular verse many times before, have we really understood what the Spirit of our Lord was saying to us through John? The Spirit that is in Christ and that was in the Word is the same One that will come in the end times. It is the same God that has been with us throughout. The same God was, IS, and is to come.
This means that God has already been to the end of times and looks back to the beginning. He knows very clear the end as well as the beginning and all that falls in between. So as we are contemplating our lives in a forward motion through time, God can look at them from the end back to before we were born. Not only our lives, but He also can see the world before it was formed. It was the same God that created time and uses it as He wishes. Therefore as would a great story writer, He fills the plot of the story of mankind as needed in order to unfold His divine will, which runs according to His plans for us. God planted certain individuals the annals of time to do what was required in order that we would know Him, and in doing so perhaps, to love Him.
Think of history as recorded in the Holy Bible. You may wonder who was writing the story or how could such a book with intimate details about how the world was formed is written? How could Moses, the writer of the book of Genesis know what happened in the beginning when there was no one there keeping notes of the events. How could all the great prophets write the messages from God to a people about things that were yet to come had they not received them from God? How could the message of the coming of the Messiah be told by the Prophet Isaiah long before it actually happened? Where did they receive such messages of prophecy? Could this all be a well-orchestrated hoax?
Looking at the Bible in its totality you can tell that it is not just one man’s foretelling a message of hope but a string of events where mankind seems to be following a script from the beginning all the way up to current times and beyond. How could this be? Because God is the Alpha and the Omega and has been orchestrating His divine will all the while. He sits on His heavenly throne looking back over time placing necessary events as needed to achieve His divine plan for His creation. Since we see time in a forward motion it is hard for us to imagine looking at it backward. Imagine if we started our lives at our death and lived it backward in time… you could make all the necessary changes to avoid what was to happen before it actually happened. God has seen our lives in their totality and can assist us if we allow and trust in Him. Why can’t man put their complete trust in such an omnipotent God? Hum…
Not only did John write the book of Revelations, but he also wrote the Gospel of John. Remember, John was one of our Lord’s favorite disciples who spent a lot of time with Jesus in the flesh. He was also thereafter His death and resurrection. John’s writings reveal certain things that are unsearchable and could only have come directly from the Spirit of God that was in Christ. Read the first few verses of his Gospel.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and darkness did not comprehend it.”
Was John there in the beginning? No! Was Christ there in the beginning? Yes! Christ was the manifestation of the Word that was there in the beginning with God and told His favorite disciple John such unsearchable knowledge that could not have been otherwise known by a mere mortal.
I have met a lot of people who refute the Bible and even the very notion of God, Christ or the Holy Spirit. What is the reason they claim to refute God? It is mainly because they cannot imagine such an immense, almighty and unlimited power. They claim the Bible is a manmade narrative put together by mortals in order to somehow control people. So if they refute God just because they can’t imagine such a being, they would naturally refute the Bible, because it is all about the same God. However, refuting something just because it can’t be understood or perceived by the mind is exactly what God IS… unimaginable.
The totality of God cannot fit into how our minds were designed to work. God can only be known through faith and not by some sort of physical or logical proof. God is Spirit and not a physical object or thing. So to refute God based upon the exact reason He has made Himself known is actually ludicrous. But, what if unbelievers are wrong in their assumption? If God is all He says He IS and has all the power that IS claimed, what will happen to those who just flat our refuted Him?
If unbelievers use incomprehensible as a reason for their disbelief I would ask a few questions on that same line. When was the earth formed? How was the earth formed? How many stars are there in the heavens? How wide is the universe? What gives the sun its light and gravity? Who designed the eye? How does the heartbeat and give beings life? Where in the body is the storehouse for our countless memories and known things? Most of this is unknown to us but we know them to exist because there are in existence.
Not understanding things is not a good reason to disbelieve in things; they are just simply beyond our ability to grasp. Each of the things that I just mentioned was created by this same God that people refute simply because He is just too much to squeeze into their mental capacity. Saying I do not understand God is like saying I don’t know exactly when the earth was formed, but you know the earth was formed because you are here on it. We are having our beings here on earth only because God created all things and all beings have their existence through the single Source that we refer to as God. To refute God is to refute the source of your own existence.
I admit that I was once such a person that could not accept God because I could not understand the “who, what, where, when or why” about God. I could not begin to understand how God might have done all that was done. Due to my lack of knowledge, I said, ‘this can’t be true.’ God, being my Creator knew what He put in me and what I would go through in life that would make me skeptical. At the proper time, He sprinkled people, experiences, knowledge, wisdom and eventually more understanding along my pathway until belief became more of a certainty rather than disbelief was a possibility. My cup was empty and then it started filling. I once was blind but now I see. God looking back from my end did things in my life that was necessary for me to believe. It was not that I was worthy or righteous, but more because He knew me and loved me before I knew or love myself.
The Spirit of the Lord says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” That was not an invitation for only a few, but it says if anyone hears God’s voice and opens the door He will come to them and dine with them… metaphorically.
As I think about my path from unbelief to belief, I realize that it was the same God that sprinkled spiritual food for me on the wayside. There were human angels as well as heavenly angels encamped along my pathway. Even the message I am writing today is that sort of spiritual food that might be inspiring others, as I was inspired. We cannot discount unbelievers just because they lack the proper motivation or not exposed to the necessary wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. God has a hold card. He is the Alpha and the Omega.
God has seen our entire lives and knows us better than we do ourselves. God did not give us life and being by mistake so it is my belief that before it is all said and done, every knee will bow and have a chance to give an accounting to their Maker and let Him know why they refuted Him. Knowing God, how full of grace and mercy, how quick to forgive and slow to anger, I wouldn’t be surprised that He wouldn’t have a plan for people that you wouldn’t suspect would ever be convinced that God is their Father. After all, He is the Alpha and the Omega so He knows what will be and what is to come.
NOTE: I realize that my opinions and views may be different from others. It is not my position to argue from those who might differ or disagree with me. My message is intended for those who might share a common need. If it can be a help to anyone it is by the grace of God… let those who have ears hear… Selah!
