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JESUS CHRIST: GOD-MAN - Vital Christianity

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249<br />

Jesus is also appropriately called Alpha and Omega in the last chapter of the Bible:<br />

"Behold I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone<br />

according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and<br />

the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Rev 22:12-13).<br />

The whole context (vv. 7-20) describes Jesus as the One who is coming. He is<br />

unmistakably identified as the Alpha and Omega.<br />

The extraordinary fact is that a title which is the title of God is given unhesitatingly and<br />

without qualification to Jesus Christ. As John saw it, the prerogatives of God are the prerogatives<br />

of Jesus Christ.<br />

The word "beginning" (arche) can mean "beginning in point of time" while the word<br />

"end" (telos) can mean "end in point of time." While these meanings are certainly involved in<br />

these descriptions of God the Father and God the Son since they are the first and the last. This<br />

symbolizes the fact that God the Son was before the world began and will be when the world is<br />

ended. He, therefore, has neither beginning nor end in any human sense of the terms.<br />

But arche can also mean "beginning" in the sense of "source" or "origin." This means that<br />

Jesus Christ is the source and origin from whom life began. The word telos can mean "end" in<br />

the sense of "goal" or "consummation." This means that Jesus Christ is the goal and end to which<br />

all life moves. He is not only the Creator of life, but He is also the one in whom life is<br />

consummated, completed and perfected. Paul put it:<br />

"For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory<br />

forever! Amen" (Ro 11:36).<br />

There can be no title given to Jesus that is higher than Alpha and Omega, the First and<br />

the Last, the Beginning and the End, for the title is the title of God Himself.<br />

LIGHT<br />

Two familiar prophecies designate the coming Messiah as "Light":<br />

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land<br />

of the shadow of death a light has dawned" (Isa 9:2).<br />

The fulfillment of this prophecy takes place 700 years later in the person of Jesus of<br />

Nazareth:<br />

"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan,<br />

Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great light;<br />

on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned" (Mt 4:16).

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