Signora Sheila

Christ said that he was the Alpha and the Omega. The first and last letters of the Greek language, in common use at the time. So he was saying that he was both the beginning and the end. Not only that all things begin and end with him, but that they will continue in him for all eternity.

Alpha, Omega and everything in between

But when he said that he was the beginning and the end, his listeners understood much more. To the ancient Eastern mind, this was a symbol of completeness or totality.

They were already familiar with using the first and last letters of an alphabet to express totality. In effect, Christ was saying: I am the beginning, the end and everything in between!

We find an example of this in Leviticus 26. It says that the Lord’s blessing on His people went from Aleph (the first Hebrew letter) to Taw (the last letter). This was God’s way of saying that His blessing was complete. That He would bless His people completely.¹

Conversely, the curses of this chapter only went from Waw to Mem, the 6th and 13th letters! So God completely blessed His people while limiting the curses they would suffer. And what a wonderful thought that is!

All beginnings and endings

Christ has no beginning and no end – he is above and beyond them for he is eternal. The beginning and the end are in him. As Paul says: “By him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together,” Colossians 1:16-17.

This means that He is (and has been) present at every beginning and end – including our own. He brought about our earthly beginning and our spiritual birth. And He will be there at our earthly end and with us throughout eternity.

But what of the present, the here and now?

This in-between time? We know that he is always present. We know that He guides us through each day and in all our endeavors. But do we remember that he is preparing us for the future that awaits us? For our eternal union with him?

Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.

Revelation 19:7

Think back to the early days when you first met your spouse. You couldn’t wait to spend time with them. You wanted to know all about them. Their likes and dislikes and what they thought was important.

Are we like an expectant bride waiting for Christ?

Are we waiting with that kind of eagerness, longing to know Him more?

• Are we anxiously awaiting and watching for our bridegroom to come?
• Are we eagerly reading all the words he’s written for us?
• Do we seek to identify with him and to know him better?

This is what Christ wants from us. Because here and now, in this in-between time, he is courting us in a divine romance.

He calls us to await his return with eager expectation. He urges us to cultivate a true communion with him, and to learn to truly live in him.

Or have we grown apathetic?

Do we feel Christ’s gentle nudge and hear His sweet call? Or do we allow the busyness and pleasures of this life to eclipse Him and allow complacency to creep in?

That’s how complacency sets in. Then the image of our Bridegroom begins to dim and his return seems far away. Until finally the joy and excitement of our relationship with him dwindles.

It is only when we heed the gentle tug of His call that our passion is rekindled, our relationship deepened. Only then do we truly begin to move, live and have our being in him.

Only then can we joyfully look forward to our earthly Omega.

Peaceful in the knowledge that we’re going with Him to a new and eternal Alpha. A new beginning with the One who has been present every second of our lives. The Bridegroom we will have learned to love and worship.

So let’s renew our commitment to deepen our relationship with the Bridegroom. The One in whom we live and will live for all eternity.

For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

Acts 17:28

1. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia 
Images: Bride | Book | Couple | Wedding rings.