Title Alpha and Omega/Revelation 1:7-8
Contents
(Explanation of Revelation 4)
Alpha and Omega/Revelation 1:7-8
Today's sermon is the last part of the hymn, the introduction to the letter to the seven churches. In blessing in the name of the Triune God, verse 7 refers to the second coming of Jesus and verse 8 refers to the attributes of God again. Although there are two verses, there are many differences of opinion, so I took an hour to examine them in more detail.
Jesus' Second Coming
[7] “Behold, he is coming with clouds, and every eye will see him, and those who pierced him will see him, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.” It is no exaggeration to say that this verse is the subject of the book of Revelation, as the entire book of Revelation focuses on the actual return of Jesus. This verse comes from [Daniel 7:13]. “I also saw in a vision in the night, and one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and was brought before him.” However, the interpretation of this cloud is difficult.
How you interpret “clouds” is a problem. We need to think about the situation when Jesus ascended into heaven. [Acts 1:11] “Men of Galilee, why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, said that he will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” The context setting and the words used are the same. He ascended on the clouds and returns. It is said that people will see the Second Coming just as they saw the Ascension. ‘Cloud’ is a word originally used to express God’s presence in the Bible.
When God led the Israelites out of the wilderness, He led them with a pillar of cloud. [Exodus 13:22] [Exod 24:16] speaks of God coming to Moses from Mount Sinai. “The glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered the mountain for six days, and on the seventh day the LORD called Moses from the cloud.” It is to express the appearance of the Second Coming. It is unnecessary to argue whether scientifically speaking water vapor or not. It is correct to interpret it as a cloud of presence accompanied by a glorious light.
There are different interpretations of this verse. It interprets the clouds as angels, and it is an interpretation that the eyes will never be able to see Jesus because he is surrounded by angels and comes as a holy spirit. These people do not see with their real eyes, but with their spiritual eyes, and hearing the testimony of Jesus is what they see. However, we must not forget the phrase “as we have seen” in [Acts 1:11], where the ascension is recorded. In fact, the disciples saw the ascension. [Mark 13:26] “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming on clouds with great power and glory.” There is no doubt. Not with the spirit, but with the naked eye.
There is also an interpretation that the clouds spiritually refer to the prophets of the Old Testament and the Gospels and epistles that speak of the end times of the New Testament. People who misinterpret them consistently distort that seeing is not actually seeing. The text clearly says, “Every eye will see him.”
See also “the one who pierced him.” Of course, Roman soldiers. But even today, there are countless people who pierce Jesus. [Luke 10:16] “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” This verse is from [Zechariah 12:10] Quotation. “They will look upon him whom he pierced, and they will mourn for him as they mourn for the only one, and weep for him as weeping for the firstborn.” Those who do not believe in God. For them, the second coming of Jesus will be a time of suffering. There is also a false interpretation that “all the peoples of the earth” are the saints who do not know the book of Revelation. But this is speaking of unbelievers.
The importance of the record of this Second Coming should not be overshadowed by matters such as what the clouds are, whether they see them with the naked eye, and who the piercings are. It is central to the fact that the second coming of Jesus will be public and a day of glory for the saints, but a day of suffering for unbelievers. “It will be so, Amen”, John's religious response, and a verse that speaks of the certainty of Jesus' second coming.
God's attributes
[Verse 8] is a verse that goes on to sing and speaks again about the attributes of God. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God, who is, was and was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” It speaks of the perfection, eternity, and omnipotence of God.
1. The perfect God
Be the Alpha and Omega. As the first and last letters of the Greek language, it means that God is the beginning and the end, and the Lord of the beginning and the end of all things. The expression ‘alpha and omega’ is a popular term used by Jews. “God blessed Israel from Aleph to Tau,” expressing a complete blessing. Of course, aleph and tau are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
2. Eternal God
“He is, and was, and is to come,” [verse 4] is repeated as it is. The beginning and the end of history can only be done by God, the Master. God is a living, divine heart. He is eternally unchanging. [Psalm 102:27] “You are eternal, and your days are endless.” He was before time, He is still, and He is after death. Therefore, those who believe in the past, present and future are safe. [Romans 8:38-9] “I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, will ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. can't"
3. Almighty God
“The Almighty” God is all-possible. Almighty (pantocratol) is used when talking about God's dominion and reign. [Rev 19:6] “And I heard the voice of a great multitude, as the voice of many waters, and like a great thunder, saying, Hallelujah, the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.” All things are created and governed by God. And in the last days, he will judge the world with justice, so his wisdom is omnipotent. It is even more meaningful because it came from a time when only the Roman emperors were recognized as omnipotent beings.
[Zep 3:17] “The LORD your God is in your midst, the Almighty to save; he will rejoice over you with joy, he will keep his love over you, he will rejoice over you with singing and rejoicing.”
Dear saints,
Today is a short verse, but through two verses that speak well of the second coming of Jesus and the attributes of God, we shared the grace of God by examining who God is and what will happen in the age of Jesus' second coming. The Bible is not a subject of debate. The Bible is not for understanding. It is not subject to rational thinking. It is an object of faith. It is subject to acceptance. I hope that you will receive today's Word by faith.
The Lord will surely return. It just hasn't been done yet. Everyone will see His Second Coming. It is neither a fantasy nor a dream. It would be real. It is clear and certain. It is the Almighty and Perfect God who makes the Second Coming of Jesus possible. He is the one who worked yesterday, is present, and will work in the future. As John did, I hope that you will become the saints who prepare for the second coming of the Lord with “It will be, Amen.”