\u201cI am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.\u201d\u2014Rev. 22:13<\/p>\n
Exceeding grandeur marks this designation. The crown fits not a mortal head. The jewel sparkles not on human breast. Infinity is its scope. It stretches from everlasting to everlasting. It cannot belong to less than Deity. The ground is evidently hallowed. Let each step now be taken with reverential awe.<\/p>\n
At once the echo of Isaiah\u2019s voice is heard. When the seraphic seer would sing Jehovah\u2019s glory, he sounds this high note, \u201cWho has wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am He.\u201d (Isa. 41:4) No fitter words could proclaim Jehovah the eternal God. We listen, and again like terms describe Jehovah\u2019s majesty. \u201cThus says the Lord the King of Israel, and his Redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and besides Me there is no God.\u201d (Isa. 44:6) Again the prophet strikes his harp, and again Jehovah is the subject. But with all language at his command, with choice of imagery as his handmaid, gifted with all the charms of eloquence, he can employ no terms more suitable or more significant. The same sound still reverberates. \u201cListen to Me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am He; I am the first, I also am the last.\u201d (Isa. 48:12) Such then is Jehovah\u2019s chosen designation.<\/p>\n
Before the Revelation closes, Jesus claims this title as His prerogative. \u201cI am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.\u201d The truth then shines forth, \u201cfair as the moon, clear as the sun, terrible as an army with banners.\u201d Jesus is Jehovah. He who is the truth claims Jehovah\u2019s glories, takes Jehovah\u2019s name, ascends Jehovah\u2019s throne, wields Jehovah\u2019s scepter, assumes Jehovah\u2019s crown, demands the homage which is Jehovah\u2019s due. Thus adoration is due to Him as the Creator and Preserver, by whom, and through whom, and to whom are all things. He stands before us as \u201cI am that I am.\u201d He manifests Himself in all the incomprehensible glory of self-existent and eternal Being.<\/p>\n
Jesus is the \u201cAlpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.\u201d He is the foundation, He is the top-stone. The main parts of it are exclusively His work. He is the Alpha, the beginning, and the first before the foundation of the world. In the counsels of the everlasting Covenant, He presented Himself to be the substitute of His people, to receive all their sins, as truly His own acts, in human form, to make atonement for them, to present satisfaction to every outraged attribute of God, to bear all wrath, to endure the law\u2019s total curse, to pay every debt to justice, to meet truth\u2019s every demand, to render all obedience to the requirements of perfect love, to invest with this robe all the family of faith. To execute this work He came, He lived, He died. He challenged all heaven to bear witness, \u201cIt is finished.\u201d<\/p>\n
He too shall be the Omega, the end, the last. The day shall come when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; and every foe to the eternal reign shall be forever vanquished, and God shall be all in all; and the last stone of salvation\u2019s pyramid shall be brought forth with shouts, \u201cGrace to it, grace to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
In contemplation of this glorious work, faith loudly sings, You are worthy O Jesus, to receive blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and might, for You are \u201cthe Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last\u201d of redemption. Henry Law 1877 (extract from Alpha and Omega)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cI am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.\u201d\u2014Rev. 22:13 Exceeding grandeur marks this designation. The crown fits not a mortal head. The jewel sparkles not on human breast. Infinity is its scope. It stretches from everlasting to everlasting. It cannot belong to less than Deity. The ground […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77,68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-author-henry-law","category-christ-his-person-and-excellencies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2028"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2029,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2028\/revisions\/2029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}