"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.
9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea." - Revelation 1:8-11
From Omega Frequency: Episode 8 (0:50):
Jesus is peaking here and calls Himself the Alpha and the Omega. This title here refers the the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. He is in control of all history from the beginning of it to the end of it. He is the almighty one ad there is none like Him.
This is a reference to Isaiah 44:6-8 which says,
"6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
7 And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them.
8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any."
In these next few verses we will begin to see the tribulation of the end times are coming we need not be afraid because He is with us.
Revelation 1:9 says, "I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ."
John wants his fellow Christian to remember that they are not alone in their sufferings and in their tribulations. He reminds them the he is a prisoner an the island of Patmos and that island is a Roman penal colony. He is locked up there and banished there as a result of preaching the word of God and testifying about Jesus Christ. It was the Roman emperor that sent his there after failing to kill him. God saved him from being burnt alive in boiling oil.
Revelation 1:10-11 says,
"10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea."
John is having a spiritual vision on the Lord's day. The term the Lord's day can refer to one of three days. It can be Sunday, the day Christian's say Jesus rose from the dead. It could be on Saturday which is the sabbath day of God's rest. But there is another way to interpret the term the Lord's day. John could be referring to a specific day of the year on the Roman calendar. A reference that anyone reading the prophecy at the time he was writing it would have understood. Once a year everyone in the empire had to appear before the magistrates in order to burn a pinch of incense to Caesar and say 'Caesar is Lord.' To refuse to say 'Caesar is Lord' is treason. This yearly event was known as the Lord's day.
The seven churches he was writing to knew his history with the emperor and how he defied him and survived. They understood the significance of the real Lord giving John this revelation on this specific day. This view of the Lords day is the most likely view because it highlights the theme of the book of Revelation, which can be found over and over again within its pages - stand firm in the faith, even unto death.
When John hears Jesus reaffirm He has everything under control once again by proclaiming He is the Alpha and Omega. He is not just repeating himself. He wants to burn this into your mind that He is the first and the last. He has everything under control. He was there the moment your problem began and He will be there when you gain victory over it in the end. When John hears this proclamation it sounds as if Jesus' voice was a loud trumpet blast. This wasn't some brass horn, it was a shofar blast. A shofar is made out of a ram's horn. It is blown when it is time to assemble the congregation together to worship God. The ram's horn is also symbolic of when Abraham was commanded bu God to sacrifice his son Isaac.
We read in Genesis 22:2, "And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."
Abraham does this. The set off. Isaac carries the wood for the sacrifice all the way up the mountain on his back. When they get to the mountain they build an alter. Isaac asked his father, 'Father where is the offerring?'
Genesis 22:8-13 says,
"8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son."
This is an incredible prophetic picture of Jesus, the Messiah.
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Jesus was like Isaac. He was the Son that the heavenly Father loved and instead of being sacrificed on Mt. Moriah, He was sacrificed for our sins on Mt. Calvary. Like Isaac Jesus carried the wood for the sacrifice on His back in the form of a cross. He was laid out upon that cross and he was to be sacrificed on the wood thereof. Just like the rams head was caught in a thicket of thorns, a crown of thorns was put on Jesus' head.
The shofar, or the rams horn, represents salvation in the midst of suffering. Because of what He did in the work of salvation, victory is won over the enemy. The blast of the shofar represents the shout of God's victory over sin, suffering, the devil and death. When the children of Israel would go into battle they would sound that victory blast.
Numbers 10:9 says, "And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies."
We will see in Revelation 12:10 that Satan is called the accuser of the brethren. He is that enemy that tries to oppress you. He accuses you he says, your sins, your faults, your failings, will keep you from the love of God. He accuses you and says you are no good. He accuses you and says you are not worthy of the blood. When that happens remember the sound of the shofar blast is louder than anything he can say because the blood of Jesus is for you. You will be saved from your enemies.
In Christ Alone!
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