revelation 1:8 meaning

In a few critical helps, after the Alpha and the Omega, there is introduced from the parallel passages: the beginning and the end. 1871-8. 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. Romans 9:5. Amen. The one, “who is, and who was and who is to come” is clearly identified from the context. The beginning of all testimony is in God, and the end, too, centres in Him. John was fully convinced that Christ would triumph over the forces of Satan and his work… ]which corresponds to it, serves along with Elohim to prevent all narrow views respecting Jehovah, all that would shut him up into a limited sphere. 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. Constantly in the Septuagint. John strengthened this point further with present, past, and future references (cf. This is the full name, when its various parts are put together. In some also God is wanting after the Lord; a reading which has proceeded from the idea, that the person who speaks in the verse could be no other than Christ, to whom the title, the Lord God, is not applied. It contains "unsearchable riches." 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. 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. And this is said at a time when the Lord had been using the same language as is here used saying: I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. "Walter Scott's Commentary on Revelation". § 30. The following may be given as the meaning of the above symbols—Christ the fullness of all things, created and uncreated. Rev., the Lord God. See on Revelation 1:4. 'I am the Alpha and the Omega'-the first and last letters of the alphabet. BibliographyKnollys, Hanserd. None is before, none after. The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet used, as in Rabbinical proverbs the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet were, as symbols of “the beginning and the end.” These latter words (ἀρχὴ καὶ τέλος) are not here a part of the genuine text; they come from Revelation 22:13. 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. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’. What a blessed verse is here! https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/foy/revelation-1.html. BibliographyHengstenberg, Ernst. (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. Who is the Lord God? "The Bible Study New Testament". Wisdom beyond that of all Greek philosophy is in Him; "in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.". 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. So suitable was the language of the Old Testament. God's Word ... And this is interesting, because many of us have the feeling that the meaning of Revelation is hidden! Corresponding to this is "the first and the last" in ch. It also presents the triune God as Lord of time (past, present, and future), faithful to His promises, and powerful enough to bring these events to pass. The texts read "LORD God" (see App-4). God confirmed the preceding forecast with a solemn affirmation of His eternity and omnipotence. This whole introduction points to the main event of the following Revelation , the return of Jesus Christ at His second coming ( Revelation 19:11-16). IV. When God appeared to Moses in the bush, He called Himself אהיה, I will be. Revelation 1:8. "Commentary on Revelation 1:8". Here the voice of the Son of God breaks in and interrupts the utterance of the apostle. See more. I am Alpha, and Omega. Sabbat, fol. Menachot, c. 8. sect. Revelation 1:4; Revelation 1:8, both by the pen of John, and by His own mouth, He is styled ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος; and so by a fresh idiom, but one which is founded on the Divine nature itself, the ὢν, as the principal and radical word, is placed first, with a remarkable prelude and token of that change, by which subsequently both the ἐρχόμενος and the ἦν, as we have noticed, § 20, betake themselves to [pass into] the ὢν. 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]. The epithet, Lord God, corresponds to the Old Testament combination, Jehovah Elohim, i.e. § 21. yea, there is no God; I know not any! Which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty: see Revelation 1:4: He addeth the Almighty, to show that he was able to make his words good. These first four seals reveal what has been commonly called, “The four horsemen of the apocalypse.” We read about these horses and riders in Zechariah 1:7-11 and Zechariah 6:1-8. The principle purpose for the writing is to encourage and chastise them for how they were running their churches (Rev. (a) it is he who is spoken of in the verses preceding, and. 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 third creature had a face like a man (Revelation 4:7). 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. God is not only Lord of the future. (6) A confirmation of the greeting earlier, taken from the words of God himself: in which he affirms his operation in every single creature, the immutable eternity that is in himself, and his omnipotence in all things: and concludes in the unity of his own essence, that Trinity of persons which was spoken of before. "George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary". He is the "Almighty.". BibliographyBenson, Joseph. 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. The words, "the beginning and the ending," are right in the text of Revelation 21:6 and Revelation 22:13, but wrong here. Events alone can show the meaning of this. 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. The group of titles represents “the Lord Jehovah the God of Hosts,” a combination of Hosea 12:5 and Amos 9:5. His glory is the goal. WORDS OF JESUS IN RED. 1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God a gave him b to show to his servants 1 the things that must soon take place. & Avoda Zara, fol. BibliographyPoole, Matthew, "Commentary on Revelation 1:8". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ebc/revelation-1.html. Accomplishing finally what I begin. In Christ is the fullness of all SPACE. 2012. 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. 1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He is also powerful enough to bring what John just predicted to pass. And then say, what can be stronger, in proof of eternity, and all divine perfections? 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. Placing them side by side will show this more clearly – “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (NASB et al) Alpha and Omega—The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and so expressing the literal thought “the beginning and the ending,” which by a false reading is wrongly found in this verse, transferred from Revelation 21:6, where it rightly belongs. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tsk/revelation-1.html. The Almighty. Elsewhere in the Septuagint παντοκράτωρ always stands for “Sabaoth.” So in the Athanasian Creed, “Almighty” is coupled with the Divine names “God” and “Lord,” not with the Divine attributes “eternal, incomprehensible, uncreated.”. For the epithet ὁ παντοκρά τωρ is never put, without either θεὸ ς or Jehovah immediately preceding. On the white horse was a rider holding a bow. We may thus set them in order—, I. The first word, Apokalypsis (revelation), gives this book its title. Revelation 1:8. It was such a God, that belonged to the beginning, and such also must necessarily belong to the end; and the church can smile at those who would put themselves in opposition to him. Ernst Hengstenberg on John, Revelation, Ecclesiastes, Ezekiel & Psalms. § 19. What more could you ask or need than this? The description of the verse applies, with little doubt, to our Lord, and the words are a strong declaration of His divinity. LORD. The beginning is the surety for the end. Here the voice of the Eternal, and at once the murmur within and the din without are stilled. In the Divine title which we are considering, the first and second members are put by themselves in Greek; but the third and fourth members, which have the same meaning as the two former, are only used for this purpose, that they may bring to the memory of the reader the Hebrew יהוה צבאות. 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. "Commentary on Revelation 1:8". CHAPTER 1. Cf. See on Matthew 21:3. Revelation 1:8. John had been speaking of Jesus; and now Jesus speaks. The word is nowhere found in the other books of the New Testament, excepting in 2 Corinthians 6:18, with an express reference to a passage in Isaiah. He is also the ever existing One Who is there with His people, the One Who always was, the One Who always will be. Revelation 4:8; and afterwards, ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν; and finally, ὁ ὤν. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cgt/revelation-1.html. Revelation 1:8. 1909-1922. Almost all the other visions have respect to the external state of the church. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/fam/revelation-1.html. BibliographySchaff, Philip. The LXX. Revelation 22:13, we have the whole three, Alpha and Omega, first and last, beginning and end. Which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty: Ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος, Alpha and O, The First and the Last, The Beginning and the End. BibliographyConstable, Thomas. Transcribers probably inserted it from Revelation 21:6. Relig. Now, these are the distinguishing characters of Jehovah. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pmc/revelation-1.html. Ep. It is Christ, ‘the Lord,’ who speaks, and who says that He is the Alpha and the Omega; that He is God (for we are not to read the two words Lord God together); that He is he which is, and which was, and which is to come; and that all culminates in His title the Almighty. κατἡγωρ, κατηγορῶν. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/revelation-1.html. I am Alpha and Omega, saith the Lord — Alpha is the first, Omega the last letter in the Greek alphabet. 1897-1910. 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. 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." The best texts read Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς the Lord the God. Revelation 1:8 KJV 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. It occurs often in Revelation, but nowhere else in the New Testament save 2Co 6:18, a quotation from Isaiah. At a time when local oracles (for the famous one of Apollo near Miletus, see Friedlander, iii, 561 f.), besides those in Greece and Syria and Egypt, were eagerly frequented, it was of moment to lay stress on what had superseded all such media for the faithful. 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. Almighty App-98. : Genesis 4:26; Genesis 13:4; Genesis 14:22; Genesis 15:2; Genesis 15:7, etc. An anticipatory consolation to the saints under the coming trials of the Church. § 22. Transcribers probably inserted the clause from Re 21:6. The Almighty.—The word thus rendered is, with one exception (2Corinthians 6:18), peculiar to this book in the New Testament. (Witham). — "I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." The three clauses form the interpretation of the Name Jehovah. The word means the all-powerful One, the Omnipotent One. "Light & Truth: Bible Thoughts and Themes on Revelation". But if, after all, the words should be understood as spoken by the Father, our Lord’s applying so many of these titles afterward to himself, plainly proves his partaking with the Father in the glory peculiar to the divine nature, and incommunicable to any creature.” See Bishop Pearson on the Creed, p. 175. 4. BibliographyHawker, Robert, D.D. But there may also be the idea that every letter in this revelation comes directly from Him. The very word ‘revelation’ is the opposite of ‘hidden’. Neither the Vatican, Sinaitic (both most ancient of Biblical MSS. "Who was, and who is, and who is to come." Luther follows here a double false reading. It may now be asked, in what respect God is here called the Alpha and the Omega? It is open on every side, that all may partake. All things are in His hands. 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. The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet - the beginning and the end (Isaiah 41:4). It is the unfolding of the one name, Jehovah; for as the sunbeam is composed of many parts and colors, so is this great name "Jehovah" divisible into such parts as the above, which proclaim to us the manifold fullness of God, and reveal to us His divine character and nature as the infinite and eternal Lord. Alpha is the first letter in the Greek Alphabet, and Omega the last. The Lord. The meaning here is, that on the opening of this seal, instead of voices, thunderings, tempests, as perhaps was expected from the character of the sixth seal (Revelation 6:12 ff), and which seemed only to have been suspended for a time Revelation 7:1 - the wrath in respect to the city, which was now suspended for a short time. In Christ, Genesis, the Alpha of the Old Testament, and Revelation, the Omega of the New Testament, meet together: the last book presenting to us man and God reconciled in Paradise, as the first book presented man at the beginning innocent and in God's favor in Paradise. In Christ is the fullness of WISDOM and KNOWLEDGE. I am Alpha and Omega, saith the Lord — Alpha is the first, Omega the last letter in the Greek alphabet. Bible study in Revelation 1:1-8. "Commentary on Revelation 1:8". Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” The scripture says it was the “Lord God” according to most translations, so it is clearly referring to the Father. It is God"s provision for the needy. The omnipotent one will surely implement what His prophet has predicted by way of future judgment." And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write - On the meaning of the word "angel," see the notes on Revelation 1:20.. 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