(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.
What a blessed verse is here! It should seem, that no sooner had the beloved Apostle ended, as in the verse before, his rapturous expressions, in contemplating the Person of his Lord; but Jesus instantly appeared, and delivered himself in these most precious words, as if confirming all that his servant had said of him. I am Alpha and Omega. Thrice in this Chapter, here, and again at Revelation 1:17; Revelation 1:17, the Lord Jesus takes to himself these characters of distinction. 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
Now let us pause, and consider these solemn words as they are. And then say, what can be stronger, in proof of eternity, and all divine perfections? Alpha is the first letter in the Greek Alphabet, and Omega the last. There is none that comes before, neither any that comes after. Now, these are the distinguishing characters of Jehovah. None is before, none after. Hence we find the Lord taking to himself these attributes, as so many standards of character, in confirmation of his Godhead. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any! 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. Let the Reader compare the scriptures, and he must be led to see, that the language is one and the same, and from the same Almighty speaker, Isaiah 44:6-8; see also Isaiah 41:4 and Isaiah 48:12.