Today’s devotion is based on Revealed: Week 6 – Forever Revealed! (WATCH HERE)
Beginning and the End.
Revelation 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
With just a few verses left to finish the inspired Bible, Jesus speaks these words to the Apostle John and to his people. Like a parent giving last words of encouragement to a student they are sending off to college, so the Lord Jesus wants his people to be clear on a few things.
First, he’s coming back. His ascension into heaven was not a “Good-bye” but a “See you later.” In the same way he left he will come back. Read through Matthew 24-25 and realize that Jesus took time to teach us all those things that were to serve as reminders to this promise. Wars, rumors of war, earthquakes, famines, false Christs and more would be ongoing reminders that Jesus was coming back. Like parents going on a vacation and telling their children they will be back soon, so Jesus leaves but doesn’t tell the exact time he would return.
Have you ever wondered why? Perhaps it’s just to keep us always ready.
Second, he’s bringing a present with him.
While our works do not give certainty of our right relationship with God, they do give evidence of God working in our hearts. God notices. What those rewards of grace will be, we are not sure. But who can argue that any reward from the Lord Jesus would be a good thing!
Third, he wants us to know that he and his ideas, his work and his teaching are not just a speck on the continuum of time. He is not one that just comes and then vanishes, rather all that is hinges on who he is.
He is the Alpha and the Omega. This first and last letter of the Greek alphabet remind the reader that he has the first word and the last word. Letters make up words that make up sentences. The “Word made flesh” (John 1:14) is the one who began the world with his words and is the one who will bring the world to an end at his command. Many words will be spoken in between, but his words certainly are the ones that matter most.
He is the First and the Last. Quantitatively and numerically he is the prime mover and the one who will be finishing the number of time and days. He existed before all things and will be the one to bring an end to the existence of the world. All that needs prioritization, he comes first. All that needs a finish, he is “author and finisher” of our faith, our life, our purpose and priorities.
He is the Beginning and the End. Before Abraham was, I am,” Jesus said. The counting of time began when the One who was at the beginning spoke the sun, moon, and stars into existence. He will be the one who witnesses the end of all that he created as well. The timeline of history will begin with the Lord Jesus and end when he comes with all his angels.
We sit in the middle waiting.
Why not take in the words of the Alpha and Omega?
Begin your days and end your days with Jesus, the first and last.
Journey each of your days, from the beginning of your life to the end so that you might enjoy all things the Lord Jesus has prepared to give to you!
Apply: What changes in your day when you bring awareness to mind that Jesus is coming soon?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for bringing comfort to our hearts to know that our lives are set in the middle who you are. You are the first and the last, we sit in the middle. You are the beginning and the end, we exist in the middle. You are the Alpha and Omega, we listen to all your Word gives. Keep us ready for your return! AMEN.