Revelation 22:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

NIV: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

NASB: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.'

CSB: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

NLT: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.'

KJV: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

NKJV: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

Jesus identifies Himself as the Alpha and the Omega: the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. He explains He is the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Previously in Revelation Jesus employed this same description of Himself (Revelation 1:8; 21:6). As the Alpha and Omega, He existed before creation and was with God in the beginning (John 1:1). He is, therefore, eternal.

Often in John's Gospel Jesus refers to Himself as the "I am;" present tense (John 6:35; 8:12; 11:25). He told His foes He and His father are one (John 10:30). His enemies recognized that Jesus claimed to be equal with God, so they picked up stones in order to stone Him to death (John 10:31). They believed He had committed blasphemy. However, long after the present creation passes away, Jesus will still exist because He is eternal. By grace, the eternal Son of God bestows eternal life on all who believe on Him (John 3:36; Romans 6:23).

Revelation 22:6–13 moves on from the description of life in New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9—22:5) and focuses on Jesus' return. This marks the end of John's visions of the future, returning to more immediate instructions for Christian believers; this is the epilogue to the book of Revelation. Both the beginning and closing of Revelation offer a blessing (Revelation 1:3; 22:7). Both stress the importance of keeping the prophecy being given (Revelation 1:3; 22:7). And both identify Jesus as the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8; 22:13).

John sees additional images of New Jerusalem. The city's depiction stands in contrast to the ruin experienced during the tribulation, and evokes comparisons to the garden of Eden from the book of Genesis. After this, John relates several commands and messages from Jesus Christ. Among these are a dire warning not to manipulate the words of this message. Revelation, along with the canon of Scripture, ends with a benediction and prayer for Jesus to return.

This passage completes the description of New Jerusalem. Earlier chapters in Revelation described the final judgments against sin and death. Genesis chapter 3 described humanity's loss of paradise; Revelation 22 describes paradise regained. Concluding remarks by Jesus begin in verse 6 and continue through verse 20. Verse 21 records the apostle John's benediction, which marks the end of the New Testament canon.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''

Accessed 5/3/2024 12:11:48 AM