Revelation 1:8

“I am the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come – the Almighty One.”

Everybody is interested in the future, and the book of Revelation is designed to help us as we prepare ourselves for it. If you were looking for a map or a timetable of events, you will be sadly disappointed. What the book gives us is a vision of God, who is so powerful that however great and fierce the opposition, he will be victorious. The book of Revelation is intended not to scare us or tantalise us but to give us confidence in our God, who has the whole of history in his hands.

Our verse today beautifully describes how history is embraced by God. Using the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, God is described as being the Alpha and the Omega. He was there before the dawn of creation, and he will have the final word. He is described here as the Almighty, a description that is used nine times in this book, and only once in the rest of the New Testament. Writing at a time when the Church was experiencing desperate persecution, John wanted to make it clear that all power and might was in God’s hands. His readers could place their lives in his hands with confidence.

Our society today is racked with fear as it looks to the future. There are multiple layers of fear ranging from climate change, social unrest and economic uncertainty to anxiety about pandemics and the possibility of nuclear war. This world is a precarious place and so it is all the more important that we put our faith and trust in a God who has the whole of history in his hands.

Question

Do you feel fearful or confident as you look to the future?

Prayer

Lord God, I worship you because you are the Alpha and Omega. Thank you for the confidence and peace that I can have as I look to the future. Amen