THE SUN GLORY

Jack Davis

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11

We read in I Corinthians 15:41 of the distinct glory of the sun. Having mentioned in the preceding verse the distinguishable glories of the celestial and terrestrial bodies, verse 41 follows with the marvelous statement, “So also is the resurrection of the dead.” I enjoy considering from our text something of what our God is and gives. He would have us realize that everything in the universe comes from Him and revolves around Him and His Son.

Jesus is spoken of prophetically as the “Sun of righteousness” that shall “arise with healing in his wings” – Mal. 4:2. Those are indeed comforting words even though they are spoken first to Israel. We read in Psalm 27:1: “The LORD us my light and my salvation.” Let us be receptive to divine illumination in our spirits, souls and then eventually our bodies. By spiritual enlightenment we may enjoy an illuminated path. “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” – Psalm 16:11.

As we honor God as our Sun, and the Lord as our light, “…the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect (full orbed) day” – Prov. 4:18. As we let our light shine, it will grow and increase unto the glory of God. As Jesus Christ is revealed to us, He is also to be revealed in us (in our hearts, from our lives.) II Cor. 4, “For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Oh yes, it has been fully provided that we see and know the glory of God! “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” – II Cor. 3:18.

GOD GIVES GRACE

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” – John 1:14,16-17. Abundant grace is given by Him that is both our illuminator and protector. “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ” Eph. 43:7. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” – II Cor. 8:9. “…much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” – Rom. 5:17.

HE WILL GIVE GLORY

A certain amount of grace is necessary in order to be able to absorb any of the glory. There is, for the recipients of grace, “glory that excelleth” – II Cor. 3:9-11. There was in the law an awesome glory of God’s holiness and power. There was to fallen man a blinding glory, as Moses put a vail over his face. We think of how Saul, zealous for the law, was blinded on the road to Damascus, Grace is productive in glory, and must have recipients upon which to release, and unleash this glory. Peter was given the privilege to speak of the grace that should come, and the glory that should follow. He was inspired to write of the God of all grace, that has called us unto His eternal glory. God offers glory to those that will simply receive His grace. An abundant revelation of the glory of our dear Lord, demands an abundance of leveling grace.

Knowing His splendor and radiance, necessitates that we also know His protection. We are kept by the power of God; we are held in our Father’s hand, our lives safely hid with Christ in God. Who shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Jesus Christ our Lord?

NOTHING GOOD WITHHELD

As we walk in the light by the enablement of God’s grace, we glorify God with an upright walk. The glory of grace is seen in such a walk. Herein we withhold nothing of ourselves from Him, and are richly rewarded. He will not withhold anything that is good for us. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.”  God, The Father of glory, has begotten, and is bringing many Sons unto glory. Is it possible that some will radiate the “Sun” glory?

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Revelation 21
Verse 2 – “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
Verse 9 – “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
Verses 10-11 – “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;”
 Verses 23-24 - “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

CALLED, CHOSEN & SEPARATED UNTO GOD

Pastor Anita Clark

Grace Chapel, Carbondale, Kasnsas

Throughout the Old Testament God chose men and woman to serve Him in special ways. In the Old Testament God chose Abraham, Jacob, Moses, the Prophets and King David and many others. Many of them were chosen before their births and called by God and then separated to the work God called them to perform. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose.”

In New testament times God chose Apostle Paul. In Romans 1:1 we read, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called an Apostle, separated unto the Gospel of God.” In Galatians 1:15-16 - we read that Apostle Paul was “a delegate, ambassador or sent one,” “separated from his mother’s womb” or from his birth, to be the Apostle of the Church.

In Romans 8:29-30, Apostle Paul gives us a list of God’s profound divine work in His people.

(1.) Vs. 29 - “Whom He did foreknow” - Ephesians 1:4 says, “According as he hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” Yes, before time, God saw the believers in Christ as ones who would be called and chosen. That’s because He is the Almighty God.
(2.) Vs.29 - “He did predestinate.” This means He determined before time and ordained that there would be a group of people of God who would come to Him and experience salvation through believing in Jesus Christ, and become a New Race - a New Creation in Christ Jesus. Those who would believe the message of salvation would “be conformed to the image of His Son.” The word, “conformed” in the Greek means, “fashioned like unto, or profile, a likeness of resemblance.” This is not speaking of our physical appearance, but the inward work God would perform in our lives and hearts. The work of God is going on in our lives today changing us to be like Jesus Christ. He does not work against our will, but as we submit to Him, our lives will become more and more like Jesus.

(3.) Vs. 30 - “Them He also called” - Often in the Gospel Records, we read Jesus telling His disciples, “Come, Follow me.” He speaks to our hearts - He calls us, first to salvation and then to ministry. Each person who comes to salvation has heard His call and has heeded it. This begins a marvelous process. After initial salvation He gives us other important calls, to ministry and other important things He wants us to do, but then we hear a special call to follow Him completely, letting Him work submission in our hearts to be in the company that will make up His bride. (Read II Cor. 11:1-3; Rev. 19:7-9).

(4.) Vs. 30 - “Them He also called, He justified.” “Justified” means “to make righteous.” The Scripture tells us in Romans 3:10, “There is none righteous, no not one.” Jesus provided salvation for us and gave us His righteousness. The word “righteousness” means “just, innocent or righteous.” We have been washed in the blood of the Lamb and made innocent and clean because of what he did on Calvary.

(5.) Vs. 30. - “Them He justified, He glorified.” This statement concludes five profound steps demonstrating God’s marvelous work in the believer in Christ. This fifth step is yet to come. We are looking for His appearing at anytime. The work that He has done in the lives of His called and chosen will come to a divine conclusion. We must recognize that we belong to the Lord God. Jesus said in Mark 9:41, “Ye belong to Christ.”

This brings us to the last part of this message - that is - Separation unto God. Since we belong to the Lord, He desires us to be separated unto Him. The word “separation” in the Greek. means, “to set off by boundaries, divide or exclude.” II Corinthians 6:17 Apostle Paul states. “Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you.” Verses 14-16 lists several things mentioned by Paul that will entangle the believer keeping them from the separation God wants. Vs. 16 speaks of “the temple of God” - We are “the temple of the living God.” Many religions worship literal idols made with hands. God has objected to that from Old Testament times, proclaiming to the Israelites, “Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.” However, many people in our day worship many other things besides literal idols, Any thing that takes God’s first place in our lives can be an idol. Idols are anything in the world that we love more than God and Jesus Christ.

Jesus said in John 15:19, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” Do you feel this? Are you separated from the world enough so that People can tell you are a Christian and different from the majority? Romans 12:2 says, “Be not conformed to the world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The word “conformed” means to be “fashioned like, in our minds, the way we act and etc. patterned after the world and what it does.” Paul says, “ but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds.” The word “transformed” is the Greek. Word “metamorphose.” There’s a song that goes, “There’s been a change.” Every Christian should have changes going on in their lives continually with spiritual work of the Holy Spirit. I Corinthians 7:31 says “They that use this world, as not abusing it, for the fashion of this world passeth away.” The Amplified Version says, “And those who deal with the world overusing the enjoyment of this life, let them live as though they were not absorbed by it, and as if they had no dealings with it. For the outward form of this world - the present world order is passing away.”

Philippians 3:20 says, “For our citizenship is in heaven from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” As the song says, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through, My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.”

Light

“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” John 3:19-21

Light is God’s creation. “And God said , Let there be  light: and there was light.” Genesis 1:3. Light is what moves darkness. Darkness cannot overcome the light, but is always overcome by light. Darkness is, in fact, the absence of light.

Light is the great revealer. It reveals things that cannot be seen without light. More light reveals more. Boeing builds airplanes that must be extremely safe, and as part of that work, it is necessary to inspect metallic parts and assemblies. For much of this, very strong lights are used to make sure even the tiniest flaw can be seen. As I painted inside my house, I had the lights on in the room I was painting, and it appeared that I was doing a great job of covering the walls. However, when I took a very bright work light and scanned the wall, it was very apparent that I was not covering as well as I thought.

God’s Word is a light that shines on our lives. When we look at ourselves under the “normal” light of the world (social norms, philosophies, current cultural expectations, etc) it appears that we are doing fine. However, when we allow the light of God’s Word to shine on our lives, we find we are lacking.

The first shine of God’s Light shows our need of a Savior. “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:4 “For all have sinned , and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23. In that Light we also find the solution for this condition. “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12 “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” John 12:46

God moves us from spiritual darkness to the true light. As God’s children who have seen the light of the Glorious Gospel of Christ, we now have the privilege of walking in the light of God’s Word. “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:” Ephesians 5:8. “Ye are  all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” 1 Thess. 5:5. Our heritage is now light, not darkness. Where there is light, there is visibility of the path. We can see where we need to walk because of the light. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105.

As we walk with our Lord in deeper fellowship, we will be under a more intense light that will show even the smallest thing that He wants to remove from our life. If we are to be prepared to be the bride of Christ, there must be a complete work in our lives, and that requires the full inspection under the light of God’s Word. “That he might sanctify  and cleanse it  with the washing of water by the word,” Ephesians 5:26. You might be able to clean something without any light to see, but you will never know if it is clean or not without the light. The coming of our Lord is so near, and being prepared is so important. Do not miss even one opportunity to spend time in God’s Word. It is readily available today in so many forms, there is no excuse for not studying.

As we allow the light of our Lord to overtake our life, it will inevitably shine out to others that we come in contact with. We are to be lights to those around us. The light of this world will never show them what they need to see. Only the light of the life of Christ shining from our lives will do that. “That ye may be  blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;” Philippians 2:15.

I want to encourage you as you read this to consider letting the light of God’s Word truly shine on your life today. Do not try to hide some parts of your life from the revealing nature of the light. It always brings good.

Gordon Crook

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

Verta Giddings

Chapter 27

SHIPWRECK

The First Ship Vs. 1-5: Paul had appealed unto Caesar. Since Paul was a Roman citizen, the Roman authorities in Caesarea knew he would be allowed to go to Rome. They put Paul, and his friends Luke (note the ‘we’ in V. 1) and Aristarchus on a ship along with other prisoners. Julius, a Roman centurion, was in charge of them. When they touched at Sidon, Julius let the believers go and visit friends. From there, they sailed unto Myra, a city of Lycia.

The Second Ship Started Out Well – Vs. 6-8: There the centurion found a ship which was sailing unto Italy. He put the men for whom he was responsible on this ship which was apparently a ship carrying wheat, which was to sail from Egypt into Italy. Their sailing vessels were far different from the ones used today. They had to depend upon the sails altogether. They also had to look to the sun, moon, and stars to know which direction they were going. They came to a place called “The fair havens.”

The Centurion Took the Wrong Advice – Vs. 9-13: It was getting late in the season and the weather would be getting worse. Paul advised that they should spend the winter in the port of “The fair havens.” He told them that he perceived that the voyage would be with hurt and much damage of the ship and its contents and of their lives. The centurion believed the master and owner of the ship, so he didn’t listen to Paul. Where did Paul get this information? He was in touch with the Lord, and it didn’t matter what he did or didn’t know about ships and weather. He knew God! They figured the haven was not a good place in which to spend the winter, so they planned to make it to Phenice, 40 miles further west, and winter there. When the south wind blew, they started out. Always in those days they stayed as close to land as possible, and did not take to the open sea. We must learn to listen to good advice. When one is walking with the Lord, they know how things should be. Just because it seems right to go a certain path, does not always mean it will be. The south wind was deceitful. It soon changed. Don’s be swayed by the “more part” – V. 12.

The Ship was in Great Danger – Vs. 14-20: Things on the ship went from bad to worse. A great storm overtook them. They swirled in every direction and the sea was whipped into a fury. Sailors called this type of storm “Euroclydon.” It was a storm sailors dreaded. They were driven off course. After about a day they threw grain overboard. After that they even threw overboard some of the ship’s gear. All their hope was taken away. They expected the ship to break apart at any time. They hadn’t seen the sun nor stars in many days.

Hope for the Hopeless – Vs. 21-26: God had promised Paul he would see Rome. Would he, along with the rest, suffer shipwreck and be drowned in the sea? NO! Paul hadn’t eaten for a long time. We are sure the others were too scared, weak, or sick to eat. Anyway in the midst of all this which was taking place, Paul stood up and spoke to the rest. He said they should have listened to him when he said they should stay in The Fair Haven. His message to them at this time was to be of good cheer. Paul told them there would be no loss of life among them. He did say the ship would not be saved. He said he knew this for an angel of God stood by him and reminded him that he would be brought before Caesar, and that was in Rome. He also said, God told him that He had given Paul all those that sailed with him. Paul declared to them they could be of good cheer. He said, “I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.” He said they would be cast on an island.

Things Got Even Worse – Vs. 27-32: The 14th night came and they were driven up and down in Adria. About midnight, the sailors caught the sound of waves pounding on rocks. They let down their measuring line and found it was 120 feet deep. Later it was only 90 feet, so they knew they were near shore. They were afraid they might hit some rocks, so they cast 4 anchors into the sea to hold the ship. Some tried to go off into some little lifeboat. Paul said if they wanted to be saved they must stay in the ship. Then he urged them to eat. First he gave thanks and ate, and the rest ate also. They threw more things overboard. When it was day they found a way to steer the ship close to shore. The ship was broken up. The soldier’s counsel was to kill the prisoners so they wouldn’t escape. Julis, the centurion, stopped them from doing that. He told the ones who could swim, to swim to shore. The others could make it in on pieces of boards. They all escaped to land. God had kept His Word.

Application: Life is like a voyage. We are “sailing” from earth to heaven. Let us be sure to be ready to take the right advice from the right person and not just go with the majority. What blessed truths are found in this chapter! We can depend upon the Word of God. Since He has promised us that we will weather the storm and get to our desired haven, which we call HEAVEN, we will. Many times the storms get really bad, but we can be like Paul and say “I BELIEVE GOD.” God has promised you that you will make it through. Like it says in Isa. 43:2 – “When thou passest through the water, I will be with thee.” You can be in the position of not only believing for yourself, but for all those who are with you. May it be!

Valleys

Pastor Debra Isenbletter

Christian Assembly, Springfield, Missouri

The Valley of Thorns (Song of Solomon 2:1-2): “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.” Two aspects of the child of God, and especially the overcoming saint or the Bride are seen in this description. She is the rose of Sharon, which grown upon the plain, but she is also the lily, which grows in the valley, and not only is the lily found in the valley, but it is found growing and thriving among the thorns! Jamieson, Fausset & Brown comment on this lily saying: “The lily is both scarlet and white, but only the scarlet lily grows wild and delights in the valleys and grown among the thorns.” It is one thing to find ourselves in the valley because of some crisis and know that it is only for a brief time, and it is another to come to a place where we are dwelling in the valley.

What does it mean to dwell in the valley or delight in the valley and have the ability to grow, even among the thorns? It means we have come to a place of absolute acceptance, of utter  submission where our will is swallowed up in the will of our Lord. We have come to a place of delighting in the place the Lord has put us, like Jesus who said, “I delight to do thy will, O God” (Ps. 40:8). When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, which means “oil press,” His cry was “nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Mt. 26:39). There are times when we come to this place where we accept the thorns, as Jesus accepted the cup His Father gave Him to drink, and we surrender our will utterly to the Lord. Absolute surrender and absolute submission is the attitude of the lily of the valley who has chosen to dwell among the thorns.

The overcoming saint is pictured as both a rose and a lily and she is growing in two places, the plain and the valley. Both experiences are necessary, and both flowers have a beauty and fragrance and both are accepted and acknowledged by her, for she begins with, “I am the rose of Sharon (plain) and the lily of the valleys” She knows who she is! So also does her Bridegroom, and in acknowledging her, He comments especially on one aspect of her life, for He says, “As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.”

Notice the plurality of her experiences, valleys are mentioned, it is not just a single valley, but her life is filled with these valley experiences.  And it is not just the valley that brings forth her fragrance and beauty, it is where she is growing in that valley, it is among the “thorns.” Again, it is not a single thorn, but many thorns. It reminds us a little of the crown of thorns that pierced our Savior’s brow. It is one thing to come to a place where we are willing to delight in the valleys, but will we also embrace the thorns? The growth among the thorns shows that we have come to a place where we, as joint-heirs with Christ, are willing to “suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Rom. 8:17). The thorns don’t hinder us, they actually help us, and it is the pain and the pricking that does this.

It is as though the thorns, by their very pricking, help release fragrance that would otherwise be hidden, and it is a fragrance that is unique to this valley and it accumulates so that over the years, each valley experience stores up a sweet fragrance that is always remembered by the Lord. David said to the Lord, “Thou tallest (count my wanderings) put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book” (Ps. 56:8). The Lord knows every experience, every pain, every suffering, and every affliction and he remembers them, He writes them down, and He stores up every tear we have shed. Our experiences as the lily dwelling among thorns in the valleys are precious to the Lord, and remembered and recorded by the Lord. How wonderful to say, “I am the lily of the valleys” and not be ashamed of the valleys but rejoice in the fact that we are the lily, His lily and His love.

There is a wonderful result that is seen from willingness to dwell in the valley and grow among the thorns, and that is fruitfulness. “I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded” (Song 6:11). Solomon came into his garden and it was to see the fruits of the valley, there is the positive side of our suffering, there will be a fruitfulness that will be found by the Lord when He comes, and the fruits He finds are “fruits of the valley,” they are unique to the valley. Both fragrance and fruitfulness is found. The fragrance (our suffering) and the fruitfulness (our growth) will be a testimony of our love and of His work in our lives; it is the testimony of the overcomer!

EXAMPLES FROM THE PAST

By Orville Freestone

Lakewood, Colorado

JOSEPH – ALWAYS TRUE

“You meant evil, but God meant it for good” – Gen. 50:20.

The definitions of the word “true” as referring to human character are: faithful, loyal, constant, reliable, genuine. All of these terms are appropriate in describing Joseph: the scripture finds nothing to fault him. The purity of his life contrasts with “the evil report” of his brothers. (Gen. 37:2) Joseph was the son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel. He was also, until Benjamin’s birth, the youngest son. In this account we see the evils of polygamy. There was jealousy among Jacob’s wives. Jacob’s favoritism for Joseph caused not only the jealousy of his brothers, but also their hatred. It was not a happy home.

It may have been unwise for seventeen year old Joseph to recount his dreams to his father and brothers. That only increased their hatred for him, but the Bible does not fault him and those dreams came to pass. His brothers certainly came to regret their behavior. For the next thirteen years (Gen. 41:46) he endured slavery and imprisonment for a crime he did not commit. When Potiphar’s wife “cast her eyes upon him” intending to seduce him he did not betray his master’s trust. His answer was “how can I do this great wickedness and sin against God.” While he was in prison he soon gained the trust of his keeper. In both circumstances he was trustworthy and reliable while remaining true to his godly heritage. Twice it is written that “God was with him.” (Gen. 39:2 & 21)

When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams he was made second only to Pharaoh in the administration of Egypt. With his elevation to high office came pomp, privilege and wealth, (Gen. 41:37-45) but prosperity did not change Joseph, himself. He was given a princess for a wife and when he named his two sons (Gen. 41:50-52) he showed his sensitive personality and his piety. The name of his firstborn, Mannaseh, means “making to forget” and the name of his second son, Ephraim, means “making to be fruitful.” He could forget the hurts of the past and be thankful for the blessings of the present. This is a worthy achievement indeed! He was also true to Pharaoh and his responsibilities.

It was nine years after he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream before his own dreams began to be fulfilled. He was thirty nine when his brothers came to Egypt to buy food, twenty two years after they sought to do away with him. When he recognized them his heart longed for them. Now he could see God’s hand in all his misfortunes and those many years of exile and privation. He was true to his family freely forgiving them and saved them from disaster. But most of all, he was always true to God and “God was with him.” Nearly two thousand years before Paul wrote Romans 8:28, Joseph had learned the lesson!

Portraits of Christ

E. J. Davis

Jesus Christ said of Himself at least 4 times in the book of Revelation – “I am Alpha and Omega.”

The first is Rev. 1:8 - “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.”

Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Christ is saying, He is the beginning and the ending, nothing before Him or after Him. He encompasses everything. All things would go to pieces if not for Him. Col. 1:15-19 – Jesus Christ “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.  For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.” “By Him all things consist,” in heaven and in earth, visible and invisible, governments and powers, everything.

The last part of V. 8, “Saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Showing His eternal being, He had no beginning and he won’t have an end. Our natural mind cannot grasp that God always was, but “…God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” – I Cor. 2:10. We receive it by faith. Did not Jesus say to the Jews, “Before Abraham was, I am” – Jn. 8:58. Also the prophet Micah said of the coming Messiah, “Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).

Let us compare Isa. 41:4 – “Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.” Thus describing the Father, the eternal “I am,” but it belongs equally to the Son, eternal and unchangeable. So Christ who is the express image of the Father, is “the same, yesterday, today and forever” – Heb. 13:8. He was with the Father before the world was, He is now at the right hand of the  Father - (Jn. 17:5; Eph. 1:20; I Peter 3:22).

The second pronouncement is in verse 11 of this first chapter. “Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last…”. He is the first, because all things took their beginning from Him. He is the last, because in Him shall all things have their consummation. He is the Preeminent One, the Chief One and the culmination. “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him” – Eph. 1:10. He will bring everything into completions. “The kingdoms of this world and the principalities in heaven, shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ” – Rev. 11:15. The Man Christ Jesus will be the supreme Ruler of the universe for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:6).


The third we read this statement is in chapter 21:5-6 – “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.” He will make all things new, never to be old any more. It will always be new. Again the natural mind cannot understand this, but the Lord verifies it, “these words are true and faithful” For they are the words of the “Faithful and true One” as He is called in Chapter 19:11.  We have a faithful God and what He says will come to pass. We can believe it. What is done? Judgment is done, everything is done. The Alpha and Omega is reigning. He is not only the beginning and end, but all in between. He is everything and gives to all who thirsts, the water of life, freely, His gift.

The forth statement is in chapter 22:13 – “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. None can supersede Him in any way. He is the Alpha, the beginning, the first. He will truly be the Omega, the ending, the last. It leaves nothing which is not put under Him.