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Alpha and Omega

/ˈælfə ænd oʊˈmeɪɡə/
divine title

Etymology & Webster 1828

The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet (Α and Ω). As a title, "Alpha and Omega" is a literary merism — naming two extremes to denote totality ("I know every letter of this story"). The title appears three times in Revelation, always on divine lips (Rev 1:8, 21:6, 22:13), and it is paired in each case with equivalents: "the first and the last," "the beginning and the end."

Biblical Meaning

Alpha and Omega is a claim of unique divine sovereignty over all history. God was before history started (Alpha) and stands beyond its finish (Omega); He speaks the opening word of Genesis and the final "Come, Lord Jesus" of Revelation. Critically, both the Father (Rev 1:8) and the Son (Rev 22:13) use the title of Themselves — a strong Trinitarian datum. In Isaiah 44:6 YHWH declares, "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god." When the risen Christ applies the same formula to Himself, He is not flattering Himself — He is identifying as YHWH. For believers the title is comfort: the Christ who called you is the Christ who will keep you; the story has one author from first syllable to last.

Key Scriptures

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."— Revelation 1:8
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."— Revelation 22:13
"Thus says the LORD... I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god."— Isaiah 44:6

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