a reiteration of the truth of him who is and who was and who is to come, the Lord God declares himself the Alpha and the Omega in verse 8. These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. God is all in all. There is no other before him or after him. God is in control of all history because he is before history and he is after history. This becomes an important theme for the churches mentioned in Revelation, especially those churches who are suffering. Interestingly, we will see this designation (Alpha and Omega) again, associated with the Lamb of God, Jesus the conquering one. He also, as well as God the Father, is the Alpha and Omega. This is the mystery of the Trinity, the Three in One.
Conclusion
Even in the midst of difficult circumstances in our lives and around the world, we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus is in control. In repenting of our sins, we are called to a more intimate relationship with Jesus. We can be encouraged that though this world is evil, and though we may suffer persecution and pain, we know that Jesus will win and bring us with him. We are encouraged by the hope of heaven, Jesus’ return, and the promise that the world of evil will one day end.
This encouragement should compel us to obey him, to trust and submit to his promises. For there is no one else who deserves our lives as much as the one who freed us. We receive blessing when we give over the control of our lives to Jesus, the central focus of John’s message.
28. Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John, 20.
29. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, 64. See also Aune, Revelation 1–5, 12 and Osborne, Revelation, 52.
30. Beale, The Book of Revelation, 183.
31. Thomas and Macchia, Revelation,73.
32. Osborne, Revelation, 54.
33. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, 64–65.
34. Johnson, Hebrews through Revelation, 417.
35. Beale, The Book of Revelation, 185.
36. Beale, The Book of Revelation, 181–82. See also Ladd (Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John, 22), who says that there is no problem in literally interpreting the “end is near” when we remember that the prophets of the Scriptures did not think chronologically (kronos) but rather were event-oriented (Kairos). The end was near from the perspective that the end had already begun in the death and resurrection of Christ. From the perspective of the throne of God, the end is near and has been near since Jesus rose. We are in the end, and have been since that time.
37. Beale, The Book of Revelation, 183.
38. Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John, 23.
39. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, 65.
40. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, 66 and Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John, 24.
41. Osborne, Revelation, 58.
42. Beale, The Book of Revelation, 185.
43. Beale believes that the concept of seven in Revelation is both literal and figurative. Here, in 1:4, it is literal, but elsewhere it could also be a case of synecdoche, a figure of speech in which the part represents the whole. The seven churches in Asia represent the universal church. Thus, Revelation would be a universal message (Beale, Revelation, 186–7). Aune disagrees. He believes that the concept of seven churches refers to the divine origin and authority of the message of John, not the universality of its recipients (Aune, Revelation 1–5, 29). However, we need to agree that there were seven historical churches in Asia Minor who actually received this letter. These are not symbolic creations in the mind of John.
44. Beale, The Book of Revelation, 188.
45. Aune, Revelation 1–5, 31.
46. Beale, The Book of Revelation, 189. See also Osborne, Revelation, 61; Thomas and Macchia, Revelation, 76; Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John, 25; and Johnson, Hebrews through Revelation, 420–21.
47. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, 70. See also Aune, who considers the seven spirits as “the seven principle angels of God” (Aune, Revelation 1–5, 34–35), although he does admit that in Jewish literature it is rare to find a “spirit” reference to angels. It more often refers to the demonic.
48. Psalm 89:27 reads, “And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.” Beale writes, “John views Jesus as the ideal Davidic king on the escalated eschatological level, whose death and resurrection have resulted in his eternal kingship of his ‘beloved’ children (cf. v.5b), and this idea is developed in v.6.” Beale, The Book of Revelation, 191.
49. Osborne, Revelation, 63.
50. Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John, 25.
51. See 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15.
52. Beale, The Book of Revelation, 194–5.
53. Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John, 27. See Isaiah 61:6.
54. Osborne, Revelation, 72.
Revelation 1:9–20
Opening Vision of Jesus, the Lamb of God
Introduction
A National Geographic photographer told a story of when he was asked to get photos of a forest fire in California. The editors needed the photos fast, so they sent him immediately. He got to the airport, jumped into the plane, and told the pilot to take off. After a while in the air, he told the pilot, “Just fly close to the forest fire and do a couple of circles around it.” The pilot asked, “Why would I want to do that?” The photographer said, “I’m a photographer, and I need to you get close so I can get good pictures.” The pilot said,
