natasha levchenko
Member
Who or What Is “the Alpha and the Omega”?
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Who or What Is “the Alpha and the Omega”?
- Thread starter natasha levchenko
- Start date
Colt
Well-Known Member
The Son of God as a divine being could say “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
The alpha is this:
"That weird, unknowable interval is the Planck Epoch that lasted for 10 x 1 raised to power -44 seconds, or 10 million of a trillion of a trillion of a trillionth of a second. Much of what we currently believe about the Planck Epoch eras is theoretical, based largely on a hybrid of general-relativity and quantum theories called quantum gravity. And it's all subject to revision."
The Primordial era
We do not know the Omega. There are various options.
"That weird, unknowable interval is the Planck Epoch that lasted for 10 x 1 raised to power -44 seconds, or 10 million of a trillion of a trillion of a trillionth of a second. Much of what we currently believe about the Planck Epoch eras is theoretical, based largely on a hybrid of general-relativity and quantum theories called quantum gravity. And it's all subject to revision."
The Primordial era
We do not know the Omega. There are various options.
Who is it? What is it? In my tradition it's Sri Krishna, God Himself:
"Of all creations I am the beginning and the end and also the middle... Of letters I am the letter A..." - Bhagavad Gita 10.32-33
"Of all creations I am the beginning and the end and also the middle... Of letters I am the letter A..." - Bhagavad Gita 10.32-33
exchemist
Veteran Member
These are the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet, so it means the beginning and the end - as the verse in Revelation in fact helpfully explains. It refers to God, obviously.
This is one of the very few verses in Revelation to actually have a clear meaning, in my opinion.
Brian2
Veteran Member
Rev 1:4 John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
This can be confusing until we realise that Jesus has a God because He is a man and when He became a man, that is when His Father became His God. (see Ps 22:10)
Jesus also is Almighty, since after becoming a man and a servant (Phil 2) He inherited back all that belonged to Him as the Son (John 16:15), including all Power and authority, (Matt 28:18-20) and God's name (Phil 2:9, Heb 1:4---don't be confused by the work "other" before "name" in the NWT,,,,,,,,,,it is not in the Greek)
Jesus also is sitting on the throne with His Father. (Rev 7:17 and is the King of God's Kingdom.) That makes Him God as John 20:28 and Heb 1: 8 tell us. (Is God a throne on which Jesus sits? That makes God less than Jesus since a King is greater than the throne He sits on).
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.........................................................
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Jehovah is the first and the last (Isa 44:6) and Jesus also is the first and the last according to the following verse.
Rev 1:12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
So the answer to the post is that God is the first and the last, and so that you are not confused this includes Jesus.
You stole the words from my mouth ... I saw this thread and only thought of this verse to myself silently, and 10.20 actually. I did not think I was supposed to post it here, but thank you for opening the door!
and thank you Natasha for posting this in Interfaith Discussion, so here goes ---
This is Shri KRshNa speaking in the Bhagavad Geeta , in addition to the BG 10.32-33 from Jainarayan - who has hit the nail on the head :
[Short Note: Alpha = First, Source , Omega = Last, End, Sink - From Source to Sink, and pervading the middle]
BG 10.20: O Arjun, I am seated in the heart of all living entities. I am the beginning, middle, and end of all beings.
BG 10.42 What need is there for all this detailed knowledge, O Arjun? Simply know that by one fraction of my being, I pervade and support this entire creation.
BG 7.6 Know that all living beings are manifested by these two energies of Mine. I am the source of the entire creation, and into me it again dissolves.
BG 7.7 There is nothing higher than Myself, O Arjun. Everything rests in Me, as beads strung on a thread.
BG 15.15 I am seated in the hearts of all living beings, and from Me come memory, knowledge, as well as forgetfulness...
BG 9.17 I am the Father; I am also the Mother, the Sustainer, and the Grandsire. I am the purifier, the goal of knowledge...
BG 9.18 I am the Supreme Goal of all living beings, and I am also their Sustainer, Master, Witness, Abode, Shelter, and Friend. I am the Origin, End, and Resting Place of creation; I am the Storehouse and Eternal Seed.
BG 15.16 There are two kinds of beings in creation, the kṣhar (perishable) and the akṣhar (imperishable). The perishable are all beings in the material realm. The imperishable are the the liberated beings.
BG 15.17 Besides these, is the Supreme Divine Being, who is the indestructible Supreme Soul. He enters the three worlds as the unchanging controller and supports all living beings.
BG 15.18 I am transcendental to the perishable world of matter, and even to the imperishable soul; hence I am celebrated, both in the Vedas and the Smṛitis, as the Purushottama -- Supreme Divine Person/Being.
BG 13.23 Within the body also resides the Supreme Lord. He is said to be the Witness, the Permitter, the Supporter, Transcendental Enjoyer, the ultimate Controller, and the Paramātmā (Supreme Soul)
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natasha levchenko
Member
The Bible applies this term both to Jehovah God and to his Son, Jesus, but with different meanings. Consider two examples.
- At Isaiah 44:6, Jehovah says: “I am the first and I am the last. There is no God but me.” Here Jehovah highlights that he is the everlasting true God; besides him, there is no other. (Deuteronomy 4:35, 39) In this case, then, the expression “the first and the last” has the same meaning as “the Alpha and the Omega.”
- Additionally, the term “the First [pro’tos, not alpha] and the Last [e’skha·tos, not omega]” occurs at Revelation 1:17, 18 and 2:8. In these verses, the context shows that the one referred to died and later returned to life. Thus, these verses cannot refer to God because he has never died. (Habakkuk 1:12) However, Jesus died and was resurrected. (Acts 3:13-15) He was the first human to be resurrected to immortal spirit life in heaven, where he now lives “forever and ever.” (Revelation 1:18; Colossians 1:18) Jesus is the one who performs all resurrections thereafter. (John 6:40, 44) Therefore, he was the last one to be resurrected directly by Jehovah. (Acts 10:40) In this sense, Jesus can properly be called “the First and the Last.”
natasha levchenko
Member
Thanks for your answer)
Brian2
Veteran Member
Since Jesus is Yahweh, He also is the first and last spoken of in Isaiah 44:6. As the God of Thomas, Jesus is Yahweh. As the one who was not a servant of God but who took on servanthood as a man (Phil 2: 6-8 ), as the one who owned all that the Father has, even as a man (John 16:15 ) as the one who has the name above all names-Yahweh- ( Phil 2:9 ) as the one who was not brought into existence ( John 1:3 ) as the Son who is equal to His Father ( John 5:18 ) as the one who has all power in heaven and on earth etc etc Jesus is the Almighty along with His Father and so is the Alpha and Omega the one who is coming soon.
Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
..................................20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Humans die like the animals do. Their spirit goes from them and their body dies and so the person is dead. That does not mean that Jesus went out of existence. He was alive as a soul even after He died as a man.
( Matt 10:28 ).