Late 20th - early 21st century Graphic object5 The previous chapter ended with the message that an almost fatal blow to Orthodoxy in China was dealt during the Maoist pogrom of the so-called “cultural revolution” in the mid-60s of the last century. Shortly

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end... who is and who was and who is to come...” (Rev. 1:8)

Symbolism surrounds people on all sides. By studying signs, a person expands his consciousness and can look at the world in a new way.

Alpha

Alpha is the symbol of birth in the Greek alphabet. In Syriac, Cretan and Sinai the letter was inverted and looked like a horned bull's head in the shape of a triangle. In various Aramaic, Palestinian and Attic variants it bends to the side and eventually comes to our “A”.

Greek alphabet

Currently, the Greek alphabet is used by Greek diasporas in the Black Sea region of Russia, Southern Italy and Southern Albania, as well as by some Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians, Gypsies, Slavs and Muslim groups of northern Greece.

It is also widely used in science. For example, in chemistry, when designating organic compounds, in physics - many constants, quantities, etc., in astronomy - angles, figures and planes, the symbol alpha is used. In mathematics, they denote, for example, the sine of an angle.

Letters of the Greek alphabet

In ancient times, all letters had a sacred meaning.

Thus, symbols and other letters of the Greek alphabet have different meaning. Let's look at some of them.

Alpha originally meant a bull and meant caring for cattle, increase and proper use of wealth.

Beta meant a violation of unity and even had demonic properties. In some religions it is identified with a challenge to God.

The characters alpha and beta are the first letters of the Greek alphabet. There are twenty-four letters in total. The article discusses only two of them in detail.

Omega means abundance and wealth, apotheosis, successful completion of a task. In its numerical equivalent, it means “faith” and “lord.” Thus, this symbol means regardless of the type of religion.

The roundness of omega is sometimes interpreted as hell opening. Omega is a circle, alpha is a symbol representing a compass that draws this circle.

It is worth noting that compasses and circles are present in both Freemasonry and Taoism.

Why did Christ use the Greek letters of the alphabet when saying “I am Alpha and Omega...”?

The interesting thing is that in the Greek alphabet there is no letter corresponding to “B”. Only “upsilon” (Y) somewhat resembles it in sound, but does not correspond completely.

It is curious that the Aramaic and Greek alphabets are similar. Apparently, they have a certain common proto-language. However, the letters corresponding to each other before and after this are absent in the position with “B”, that is, the Aramaic “Vav” has no counterpart in the same position. Omega stands only for last place, and in the Hebrew (Aramaic) alphabet - on the sixth. I remember that Jesus, speaking Aramaic, for some reason used “Alpha and Omega” in his speech.

The fact is that the Hellenic worldview consisted of a primary reverence for the spiritual. It is “El” (spirit) that is the main thing. Therefore, the most spiritual letter "Alpha", symbolizing the spirit, stood in first place, and the most carnal letter "Omega" may have gradually moved to the end of the alphabet in the language.

Then it becomes clear why Christ used After all, if he had spoken in Aramaic, then the first letter “Aleph” would have meant a bull, that is, what he said would have meant “I am a bull.” An association involuntarily comes with the veneration of the “golden calf”.

Alpha and Omega in banknotes

If you look closely at the designations of banknotes, it becomes clear that they represent certain symbols. What do these signs mean? After all, when inventing currency, the authors probably wanted it to flourish in the future.

Alpha and omega as a symbol are often found in many banknotes. In addition to them, you can find traces of yin and yang, the number Pi and more.

The clear alpha is sterling.

IN American dollar and the Israeli shekel, the lines of yin and yang are drawn, and in the Chinese currency - the number Pi.

Maybe a country that has its own currency symbol in the outline of Omega will have its own special role to play?

Omega - a symbol in magic

Magicians believe that magic appeared when man learned to interrupt infinity.

Space initially consists of threads and their filler, which are constantly in vibration. You can hear them, influence them, changing the sound.

Each item has its own range. When you change it for something, the item may disappear or turn into something else. But this can only be done by those who have freed their Spirit from the challenge that the Omega symbol carries.

Those who study magic with the help of symbols, signs, and sounds feel vibrations within themselves and thus have some possibility of influencing the universe.

The Omega symbol is the most difficult. It is the only one that contains a complete decimal code matrix. Other symbols are intended to destroy the power of this one.

Every person should strive to destroy it in himself or master it.

Omega consists of “O”, meaning the united Spirit and Soul, and “Mega” - challenge. That is, together the symbol denotes the challenge that the Spirit accepted. Its modern meaning may sound like the evolution of personality.

The symbol is the end of everything. Having recognized it, a person must transform the form - bring the ends together and create a ring.

It is always used in conjunction with other symbols.

Alpha - a symbol in magic

Magicians believe that the expression “I am Alpha and Omega” can be said in one word “Alpha,” since Alpha is a symbol of Omega in motion.

Acquiring its direction, the upper part of Omega stretches and sharpens. However, the stable O symbol prevents Omega from shrinking at the bottom. The dividing line caused by internal tension gives impetus to the emergence of Alpha. Only the effort of a person's will can create it.

As long as the magician is committed to something, and his actions are subordinated to this goal, he can control Alpha, and his possibilities become limitless.

“I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last...” is the oath of magicians that they take to themselves and gain the ability to use magic, which can be used for both constructive and destructive purposes.

Magicians believe that in cases where the Alpha symbol is placed next to the Omega, they, contradicting each other, cannot be useful and can even cause harm.

Alpha and Omega - the secret of the symbol

The famous saying of God can be deciphered with the help of Pimander, the magnum opus of the hermetic vault brought by a monk to Florence from Macedonia in the fifteenth century.

It reveals the deep secrets of mind and light.

The basis is taken from some postulates that God is light located in an environment not perceived by our ordinary consciousness, which is why it is called “Nothing” or “External Darkness”. It surrounds God, having neither beginning nor end. God-light, on the contrary, contains all principles and has a beginning and an end.

God-light has a border, a circle that is filled with light and at the same time does not belong either to it or to the outer darkness. This ring contains the secret of the origin of a number with a beginning and an end, and from it Omega emerges.

God-light, making a loop in the Outer Darkness with his rings, opens the circle below. There the word of God will be born.

External darkness penetrates the loop, and two darknesses arise - internal and external. At the same time, the Inner Darkness is Divine and subject to God. Here the mystery of baptism is revealed. John cleansed people while he was in the water. So God, being in Outer Darkness, cleansed himself and baptized. The essence of the cross is that it divides and moves towards God, and any evil spirits are afraid of it, since it will disappear when cleansed.

Two rings, approaching in the Outer Darkness, transform it from boundless to ultimate, and then, touching and partially intersecting when combining the rotational and translational principles, they create a new one - rectilinear movement or the principle of trinity. In Omega it opens up in the form of a spiral.

IN material world The Omega knot is clearly visible in black holes in the Universe. Matter is sucked into them in a spiral, forming either Internal Darkness.

Inside Omega, a moist nature is formed, where countless forms and species are born. Next, energies are formed in chaos (hell), after which equilibrium and constancy occur - the energies fluctuate steadily, leading to the generation of sound. And finally, the dead comes to life.

New living forms emerge from living sounds. Further, no more forms appear, but the remnants of darkness, uniting with the father, give birth to the Holy Spirit.

After Divine light filled the upper space, forming a triangle, the rest of the space he can only illuminate with rays. The figures in the sign formed during the separation of the living from the dead - Alpha, are symbols of Divine light.

Alpha and Omega are a symbol, upon comprehension of which some basic secrets of the universe are revealed. The essence of things and the energies that created them are seen in a new way, and a person, gaining secret knowledge, can discover new abilities.

The words Alpha and Omega give a beautiful, reverent description of God. Long before the stars filled the skies and our universe came into being, there was God. He abides forever and ever. Life 1:1 says, “In the beginning was God.” God alone deserves the titles Alpha (first) and Omega (last).
Thus these names express the eternal nature of God. He is the source and goal of all creation. No created being can claim to be the first and last of all that exists.
In Scripture, Jesus and God are both called Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.

God Jesus (PAY ATTENTION TO THE SUBJECT AND PREDICATE!)
Isaiah 41:4 - “I am the first Lord, and the same am I in the last.”
Revelation. 1:17,18 - " I am First (protos) and Last (eschatos), and living; and he was dead, and behold, he is alive forever and ever..."
Isaiah 48:12 - “I am the same, I am the first and I am the last.”
Revelation. 2:8 - “And write to the angel of the church of Smyrna: Thus says the First and the Last, who was dead, and behold, is alive.”
Revelation. 1:8 - " I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
Revelation. 22:12-16 - “Behold, I am coming quickly... I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, and the First and the Last... I Jesus sent My angel to testify to you this..."
Revelation. 21:6, 7- I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end; To the thirsty I will give freely from the fountain of living water. He who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.”

The significance of these passages in the book of Revelation cannot be underestimated. They are among the strongest and most striking examples of Christ's claim to Divinity. There cannot be two first and last, two Alphas and two Omegas.

Note that in this important part of the Bible it would be more correct to write “I am”, that is, it CANNOT BE A TRANSLATION FROM ANOTHER LANGUAGE! This may mean that the Bible was originally written in Old Russian “Az am” - “I am”!!! . It may even be that a smart translator from Old Russian SPECIFICALLY left us this important detail, which he left for posterity, BUT WHICH WAS NOT NOTICED BY THE SATANISTS, who seized power in religion by rewriting almost the entire Bible in their own way.

These Satanists, with their inherent meanness, once slandered Christ, attributing to him things that he never said or did. He was even executed due to the false testimony of the same Jews! – it is written in their “new testaments”. http://blagin-anton.livejournal.com/133620.html

Thus, a small detail left by the translator reveals a major sabotage carried out on our Holy Books. Before that, in the 16th-17th centuries and earlier, the Bible contained only: the Gospels, Acts, Revelation and the Psalter. Chet'i-Minei, Stoglav Palia and others were separate books; The Prophets were also separate books; there were neither “old” nor “new”, NO COVENANTS AT ALL!

Symbols of God as the beginning and end of all things.

Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his deeds. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the First and the Last.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

I was in the spirit on Sunday, and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet, which said: I am Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last; write what you see in a book and send it to the churches that are in Asia: to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamum, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.

And he said to me: it is done! I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end; To the thirsty I will give freely from the fountain of living water. He who overcomes will inherit everything, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.

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Old Testament origins

The above statements, based on individual verses of the book of the prophet Isaiah, emphasize, according to a number of Christian theologians, the idea of ​​the uniqueness and absolute power of God and His Son Jesus Christ, remind the reader that under the power of God lies both the creation of the Universe and the completion of all human history .

Listen to Me, Jacob and Israel, My called: I am the same, I am the first and I am the last.

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts: I am the first and I am the last, and besides Me there is no God.

Who did and accomplished this? He who causes birth from the beginning; I am the first Lord, and I am the same in the last.

Ancient Greece

The use of the first and last letters of the alphabet, as well as their equivalents "first and last", "beginning and end", to designate something absolute or whole goes back to ancient tradition. IN Greek philosophy this formula conveyed the eternity of the highest principle. The Athenian in Plato's Laws testifies: “God, according to ancient legend, holds the beginning, end and middle of all things.” It was also adopted by Hellenized Jewish writers (Josephus, Philo of Alexandria).

Jewish origin

In rabbinic literature, the first and last letters of the alphabet indicated a certain completeness between them. So, for example, it was argued about Abraham that before the giving of the Law he had already kept the Law from “alef” to “tava” (the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet), that is, Abraham was obedient to the entire Law. The word truth (Heb. אמת - emet), included in God's self-revelation to Moses (Ex. 34:6), consists of three letters: aleph, mem and tav. Aleph and Tav are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which are equivalent to Alpha and Omega. The fact that the word "emet" begins with the first letter of the alphabet and ends with the last forced the ancient Jewish rabbis to see a deep mystical meaning in this word.

The rabbinic commentary calls it "the seal of the essence of God." According to Jewish tradition, God's blessing to Israel in Lev. 26:3-10 is complete and unchangeable because it begins with the letter “aleph” and ends with “tav.”

And the Lord passed before him and cried: The Lord, the Lord, a gracious and merciful God, long-suffering and abounding in mercy, true.

ו וַיַּעֲבֹר יְהוָה עַל-פָּנָיו, וַיִּקְרָא, יְהוָה יְהוָה, אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן--אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם, וְרַב- חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת .

The tradition of expressing the "truth" (from Hebrew - emet) of God by means of the first and last letters of the alphabet seems to have been transmitted from the Jewish synagogue to the early Christian Church through the Book of Revelation, which is accepted by biblical scholars to have been originally written by an author whose first language was either Hebrew or Aramaic. During the translation, Aleph and Tav were replaced in the Greek text by Alpha and Omega, which, in turn, led to the “erosion” of the deep sacredness of meaning and subtle beauty in the designation of God: the Greek letters Alpha and Omega have no relation to the Hebrew word “truth” . Although Alpha is indeed the first letter Greek word Aletheia (Αλήθεια - gr. truth), however Omega is not the last letter in this word, as is the tav in the word "emeth".

Use in liturgy

The expression "Alpha and Omega" is common in the liturgical texts of the Spanish-Mozarabic rite: the Post Nomina prayer at the Sunday Mass before Epiphany begins with the words: "Christe qui es Α et Ω: initium et finis" (Latin - Christ, You are Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end); it appears in many prayers of the Mozarabic Breviary. The prevalence of this expression in the texts of the Spanish-Mozarabic rite may be due to the fact that this is one of the few ancient rites where the Apocalypse is included in the system of lectionary readings. In the liturgical manuscripts of the Celtic rite the sacrament is preserved: “Alpha et Omega ipse, / Christus Dominus, / venit venturus / iudicare homines” (lat. - Alpha and Omega, Christ the Lord, He who is coming to judge people is coming). The use of the expression “Alpha and Omega” in the chant accompanying Communion may be due to the fact that in ancient times the letters A and Ω could be included in the design of prosphora seals. Scientists believe that the appearance in the rank of proskomedia Byzantine rite The Mother of God and nine-order prosphora comes from the more ancient custom of cutting out the letters A and Ω from lamb prosphora.

In the post-Reform (Novus Ordo Missae) worship of the Roman rite, there is an interest in the expression “Alpha and Omega”: in Catholic churches Images of the monogram Α and Ω are often found on church utensils; the rite of blessing an Easter candle includes the act of inscribing the letters A and Ω on it; The rite of opening the doors of the Lateran Basilica in the jubilee year 2000 contains the hymn “Christus heri et hodie, finis et principium, Christus Alpha et Omega, Ipsi gloria in saecula!” (lat. - Christ yesterday and today, the end and the beginning, Christ Alpha and Omega, to Him be glory forever!).

The symbols gained particular popularity after the Second Vatican Council, which recommended the restoration of Α and Ω in their true sense and meaning.

In art

The image of the letters Α and Ω has become one of the most important and ancient symbols of Christian iconography. Initially, it is found mainly in epigraphy as an independent composition or as part of prayer, benevolent and apotropaic texts. The oldest example is a tombstone in the catacombs of Callistus in Rome (1st half of the 3rd century), where the symbol is repeated twice: as a free-standing and under the branches of a cross with a loop-shaped upper branch depicting the letter R. There are a small number of images of Α and Ω outside the Christian context , for example, in the “magic square” from Pompeii (before 192)). In the pre-Constantinian period, the symbol is known mainly from monuments of lapidary epigraphy in Attica, Asia Minor and Roman Africa.

In the IV-V centuries. these images fill literally all sections of epigraphy and penetrate into all geographical areas where Christianity spread: from England, Germany and Spain to the countries of the Maghreb, Nubia and the Middle East. Among the early examples is a coin of Flavius ​​Magna Magnentius with an image on the reverse of Α and Ω on the sides of a chrismon cross and a circular inscription: “SALVS DD NN AVG ET CAES” (Salus Dominorum Nostrum Augusti et Caesari).

Samager ivory casket, ca. 430 (Archaeological Museum, Venice) and others.

Fully formed images of Α and Ω are included in the reliefs of crosses of the earliest sarcophagi of Ravenna with Christian compositions (c. 420) and are widely reproduced on them in the 5th-7th centuries, sometimes repeated several times on one monument. The symbol is also found on the portals and walls of churches, houses, city gates, liturgical utensils, caskets for relics, lamps, coins, measuring devices, seals, rings, etc.

In the Middle Ages, images would become especially numerous in everyday use. catholic church. The wide spread of the symbol is explained not only by the perception of its semantic depth and involvement in Christ, but also by the close iconographic connection with the image of the cross and faith in the symbol’s ability to protect from evil. Already in the first compositions, a tendency is revealed to combine 2 symbols - Α, Ω - and a cross, both in complex monogrammatic versions and in the simplest ones, even tau-shaped ones. There are known compositions where a thrice repeated cross is interspersed with letters (Α and Ω), but more often Α and Ω flank the image of the cross or are connected to its side branches (as if suspended from them, sometimes with the help of additional small crosses). The variety of these combinations, generated by the imagination of Christian artists, is inexhaustible: the letters can be placed outside the wreath in which the chrism is contained, or placed in its circumference; located from right to left or left to right (especially in reproductions - on coins, bulls, all kinds of stamps leading to a mirror image of the composition, but perhaps also in connection with the Eastern tradition of reading from right to left); connect with the upper branch of the cross and with other letters (for example, on the coins of the Frankish kings of the 7th century).

The paleographic composition of the images is arbitrary and corresponds to the general development of the writing of letters, however, they tried to depict Α as capital, while Ω is often lowercase, which may be a “palaeographic reflection” of the Greek text of the Apocalypse. In areas that allowed a more detailed development of the plot, the letters were given additional semantic load, and they took on the form of initials; pictograms, for example, in the 7th century codex Α and Ω are depicted, respectively, in the form of two fish and an anchor suspended on chains from the branches of the cross.

The Russian expression “from alpha to omega” means “completely”, i.e. similar to “from A to Z”.

Iconography

In the actual icon images, Α and Ω are stable symbolic attributes of Jesus Christ and are placed near his figure, directly in the halo or next to it (chest-length image of Jesus Christ with the inscriptions Α and Ω on the right and left sides of the halo in the catacombs of St. Commodilla in Rome, late IV - early V century). The image of A and Ω was also included in the scenes of the earthly life of Jesus Christ.

Literature

The designated biblical symbolism is often found in literature using medieval allegories: an example is its use in Dante's Divine Comedy (Paradise Canto XXVI, 17). The catchphrase “alpha and omega” (“from the first to the last letter”) means “from and to, everything is complete, from beginning to end, comprehensively.”

Revelation 1:1-8
Key Verse 1:8

Key verse of Revelation 22:20: “He who testifies to these things says: Hey, I am coming quickly! Amen. Hey, come, Lord Jesus!” The Revelation of John is a very important book because many theological theories came from it. And it gave inspiration to art and philosophy. This word is important to study because whoever reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it are blessed, as it is written in verse 3.

Revelation 1 is the introduction to the book of Revelation. Author of the book Apostle John. He wrote Revelation from 90 to 95 AD. At that time, the Roman Empire forced everyone to worship the emperor. Christians who preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ faced a grave threat. Disobedience meant death. Many believers became victims. The church was suppressed by the power of the empire and believers lost all hope. The believers looked weak and insignificant before the enormous power. When the most important leader, John, was arrested and sent to hard labor, this was the final blow for the Church. In addition to persecution from the world, they had temptation within them from the Jews. Christians were faced with a choice: bow to the emperor or serve Jesus Christ. They could compromise with the world and lose absolute faith in Jesus, this was a big crisis. God saw their situation in this situation and gave this Revelation through John to reveal to them the true picture that Jesus is the Lord of the kings of the earth. True believers are winners. The churches needed support, consolation and strong faith. God wanted believers to look to the coming Jesus in all circumstances and preserve the Church of God.

We usually think of revelation as something mysterious that only special people see. But that's not true. Revelation means opening the door so that all can see what is hidden. This book reveals the mystery of God's redemption. Especially, it reveals the history of the last days. We live in last days. Satan, defeated by the resurrection of Jesus, knowing that his disastrous end is approaching, tempts the world with all his might. Over the centuries, Satan has acquired a variety of methods and strategies to confuse believers in lately. He attacks the church with his cunning and tempts us so that as many people as possible will be tempted. In times like these, keep God's church pure evangelical faith very difficult. This is why we must study the word Revelation. I thank the Lord for allowing us to study Revelation at such a time. I pray that we can study Revelation with all our hearts, and through the word of Revelation we can preserve the church of God. I pray that each of us will overcome the world through faith and patience until the day when Jesus comes in glory. Amen.

I. “blessed is he who reads and those who hear” (1-3)

Look at verse 1. “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon happen. And He showed it by sending it through His angel to His servant John.” Revelation of Jesus means revelation about Jesus and revelation from Jesus. That is, this word reveals Jesus Christ. Why exactly the revelation of Jesus Christ? Because Jesus is the Creator of the world, the Savior, and the Master of life. The history of the world and the fate of every person depends on Jesus Christ.

How did we receive this revelation? From the beginning, God gave this revelation to Jesus. This suggests that God is the Master of redemptive history. Jesus Christ received this revelation from God and sent His Angel, and through him showed it to His servant John. Here we see that Revelation is not the work of any man. The origin of Revelation is God. It is from God Himself. It has divine authority, unquestionable authority. The second verse tells us that John bore witness to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ and what he saw. Here "the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ and what he saw" this is the entire book of Revelation.

Look at verses 3. “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it; for the time is near.” In this verse, the “reader” in singular, and “listening”, “observing” are in the plural. That is, one reads and many listen. There weren't many Bibles at that time. So one leader read and the whole congregation listened. Then why are the one who reads and those who hear this word blessed? Because they will know what will happen in the future. They will learn the secret of God's Kingdom. Those who don't know God don't know where the world is going, what the end of history will be, or where they are. The time is already close, but people, not discerning the signs of the times, live dissolutely, just as in the time of Noah people drank, ate, got married and were given in marriage. There is no chance of salvation for them. They cannot escape God's judgment and eternal hell. However, those who read and listen to the words of this prophecy will learn the mystery, can prepare for the second coming of Jesus and enter into eternal life. How blessed they are! And how blessed we are, for by the great grace of God we have the privilege of studying this word and preaching it to people! Why does it say at the end of verse 3 "for the time is near" ? This word shows us the correct position before the word of God, because many, after studying, say: “Then I will repent” or “It’s not time yet.” But the time is near. Whoever listens to this word must repent and live by the word immediately. There is no time to put off your repentance. He who despises the word of God cannot be blessed. I invite you to study the word of Revelation with great gratitude, and at the same time, with repentance before the word. May each of us be blessed!

II. “Behold, he is coming with the clouds” (4-8)

John conveys peace and grace from God to the seven churches located in Asia. Who is God? Look at verse 4. “John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.” In his blessing, John described a lot about who God is. First: He who is and who was and who is to come. This is God the Father. God said to Moses: "I Am That I Am" (Ex. 3:14). God Existence and Almighty Creator of the universe. He is from eternity to eternity. He is the Master of history. He will judge the dead and the living, and will close the history of the world. The seven spirits before His throne signify the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that the Holy Spirit has seven parts. The number seven means perfection. The work of the Holy Spirit is perfect. The work of the Holy Spirit is the perfect work of God. Look at verse 5. “and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and ruler of the kings of the earth.” Then who is Jesus the Son of God? Jesus is the faithful witness to the word of God. A witness is not one who testifies in words, but one who lives by the word. Jesus obeyed God's word to the point of dying on the cross and thereby fulfilled God's word completely. Therefore He is a faithful witness. Jesus rose from the dead, defeating the power of death. He has all authority in heaven and on earth. He is the ruler of the kings of the earth. Jesus Lord of Lords. It seems to us that kings do whatever they want, but they are in the hands of Jesus. This Jesus is with us now. The Roman Empire and all earthly power cannot be a threat to believers. Jesus Christ is with us. We are the winners. We do not tolerate damage. If a believer thinks that he suffers a lot of loss because of Jesus, then this is foolishness. Moreover, if someone compromises with the world, this is a complete defeat.

Thus, John reminded the seven churches of who God the Father is, God the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ blessed them in the Name of the Triune God. God is Triune - Lord of peace and blessing. It is only when this God blesses us that we truly have blessing and peace.

When John reminded them of Jesus, he himself was filled with the grace of Jesus. He began to glorify Jesus with the Holy Spirit once again. Look at verses 5b-6. “To Him, who loved us and washed us from our sins with His Blood and made us kings and priests to His God and Father, be glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen.” He glorifies Jesus because, first, He washed us from our sins with His Blood. Blood is life. Jesus was crucified on the cross for us and washed away all our sins with His Blood. The blood of Jesus has set us free from the power of Satan and from every curse of the law. The blood of Jesus has healed us and set us free from eternal hell. The blood of Jesus has made me a new creation. Therefore, when we come across the word “Jesus” or “Lamb” in the book of Revelation, we must always remember that it is the One who shed blood on the cross for me. There is a lot in the world that you can forget about. But a person should not forget about the blood of Jesus Christ. The last word John heard from the cross of Jesus was “It’s finished!” (John 19:30). Jesus atoned for all our sins with His blood and accomplished our salvation. Therefore, we have become free children of God who can cry out to God: "Abba, Father!" (Gal.4:6). We were children of perdition, already dead in darkness. Praise Jesus for His great love! Thanks be to Him for shedding His precious Blood for us.

Second, Jesus made us kings and priests to His God and Father. We are His kingdom. This Kingdom does not belong to the earth like the Roman Empire. It is Eternal, Strong, the Kingdom that God has built. The citizens of this kingdom are the happiest, the most noble, the richest and the most strong people. We are citizens of this Kingdom. And Jesus made us priests. If you combine the words king and priest, you get the kingdom of priests. A priest is one who intercedes for people. The salvation of the whole world depends on them. The power of sin has consumed the entire world. Now we see how all people suffer under the power of sin. But we not only received salvation, but we also intercede for them before God. What a great grace this is. How can you not glorify the Lord Jesus? Can the Roman Empire do this? No! If we had not received salvation from Jesus and had not been called by God, where would I be now? Most likely, I would be a slave to sin, lust and hatred, and every day I would search for perishable things, and I would live in emptiness. But Jesus, with His Blood, washed me from all sins. He showed me the purpose of life and made me a royal priest. Jesus is King and we are the people of His Kingdom. This is the perfect restoration through the cross of Jesus. Our study of the Bible 1:1 with lambs is also a result of the restoration through the cross of Jesus. And this is our privilege as royal priests. Thanks be to Jesus! John also gives glory to Jesus: “To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever, amen.”

John gives glory to Jesus not only for His great grace, but also for the ultimate victory of Jesus and those who believe in Him. Look at verse 7. This word confirms the complete victory of the churches. If we read this word, then we cannot help but hurry. John says “Behold,” “Behold,” “Look!” because he sees Jesus. Here Jesus comes with the clouds. This is in English “he is coming with the cloud”. Jesus is on the way. He has already left and will soon come to earth. The second coming of Jesus is here! Here! Very close. Let's read verse 7 again. “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the families of the earth will mourn before Him. Hey, amen."

On that day every eye will see Him. Anyone who cannot see well even with glasses will see Jesus clearly on that day. All the blind will see Him too. From here we know that the second coming of Jesus will be an event open to everyone and a personal event for everyone. That is, everyone and everyone will see Him personally. And it is written that those who pierced Him will also see Him. Everyone will be resurrected and see Jesus Christ. Those soldiers who nailed Jesus to the cross and those who pierced His side with a spear will see Him. And those who mocked Jesus will also see Him, saying: “Hail, King of the Jews!” (Matt.27:29); and he who put the crown of thorns on His head and struck Him; and the chief priests who condemned Jesus to death; and Pilate, who sentenced him to death on the cross; and the crowd that shouted: “Crucify! crucify! Everyone will see Jesus, the Glorious King, the Judge of all living and dead, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn before Him.

People don't like it when we live purely according to God's word. But on that day they will all mourn before Jesus. On the same day, those who said that the truth is not only Jesus, and there are different ways, will see Jesus. Those who hated us and turned away from Jesus will see Him. Those who served and worshiped the idol every day will also see Him. All the philosophers who taught people many things against Jesus will see Him. Those who boldly blasphemed Jesus and God will see Jesus. One philosopher said that if God is dead, he will also see Him with his own eyes. Those who sinned by saying, “Don’t frighten me, where is God’s judgment?” — they will also see Jesus. Those who have been postponing repentance for later will also see Jesus. Jesus judges everyone fairly according to truth and righteousness. Jesus will quiet down all disputes, all deceptions, and all proud human thoughts and shut all lips. All the tribes of the earth will mourn before Him, knowing that God's judgment is inevitable. For them, Jesus is the King of Terror. But they will no longer have a chance to repent. Why? Because God gave them enough time. However, for believers this will be a day of victory. We will have the victory, purely through Jesus Christ. This day is the greatest day of joy for us and Jesus Christ. The fact that this day of great judgment has already been determined is a great consolation for us. We can rejoice and serve God with great hope because we have this day. Look at the end of verse 7 as John marvels: "Hey, amen" . I pray that by faith we will see Jesus coming. I pray that we will open this word and faithfully participate in the glorious victory. Amen.

Look at verse 8. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” In everything there is an alpha - the beginning and an omega - the end, in history too. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega. Everything began with Him and ends in Him. The origin of everything is Jesus. All people, all affairs and all history are in the hands of Jesus. No one can escape from Jesus or deny Him, and nothing in the world can be outside the power of Jesus. No matter how smart a person is, he cannot escape from Jesus. Each and everyone must stand personally before Jesus. We cannot hide any matter before Jesus. Everything will be revealed before Him. Jesus is Almighty. He still controls the history and life of each of us. This is the reason why we must fear God and walk before Him. I pray that we will have humility before Him, and live only for His Glory. I pray that we will not waste our lives for the perishable and temporary of this world. We need to have faith in the second coming of Jesus Christ and wait for Him. Our life is not about building our kingdom on this earth, but about waiting for His Kingdom. Glory to Jesus, who is the Alpha and Omega. Amen.