Nov 22 2019 Revelation 22: 6-13

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


After weeks of reading through Revelation, I am nearing the end. Side note – one reason I’m glad for appointed readings is that without advice to do so, I would likely avoid certain Scripture, most notably Revelation. I’m still not enamored but there are gems, and I glean something when I wade through.

I am the Alpha and Omega, first and last, beginning and end. These are things that John, the writer of Revelation hears from Jesus in his vision. They harken back to quotes from Isaiah, where God says God is the first and the last. That Jesus said these things - Alpha and Omega, beginning and end – is actually not directly attributable to Jesus, anywhere. Rather, it’s John’s visionary and apocalyptical writing in Revelation, where in his vision, he hears Jesus saying these words.

That may be splitting hairs, but for me, the concrete literalist, there’s something important in this. Revelation was written nearly a century after Jesus’ death, so it’s quite likely the author didn’t actually know Jesus when he lived on earth. But he was a devout follower of Jesus and wrote from his community of Jesus followers and these fantastical writings. That his writings of God’s message to him are included in our Scripture says to me that our understanding of God is living and morphing.

This author had visions of Christ’s reign, in the context of an oppressive Rome. And God spoke to and through him. Writers and singers and dreamers have had visions of Christ’s reign in their context since that time. And while it is true that it’s difficult to tell the difference between a kooky delusion and God’s word, God has clearly spoken to and through people since Jesus roamed the earth, as evidenced by John’s Revelation.

What this says to me is two things. First, God’s word is living. Part of that is because God is the beginning and the end, so God’s already been where I’m going tomorrow. If so, God’s word to me tomorrow is based on a context I don’t yet know. To me, this is the best defense against the argument of biblical literalism. The context in which Scripture was written is very very different than my context today. If God’s word and meaning is stuck in a context 2000 years ago, how is that living? How could John have had a true God-moment, if his writing was at a different time and place? People since Jesus’ time have been understanding Scripture, and hearing God’s word in precisely their own time and space. God’s word is not stuck in the past. It’s living. Beginning and End.

The other thing this tells me is that God does speak to people, Jesus speaks to and through other people. John had visions. Prophets and saints since that time have spoken of their vision of Jesus, of what Jesus said to them. Who am I to suggest that’s not a thing? Why wouldn’t I learn from what people have heard or visioned from Jesus? There are plenty of writings from people who claim that Jesus has spoken to them. I don’t think I can know if that’s really God, or a really good dream. But if God can speak through John, why not? 

  

This morning, I’m thinking about how God has been speaking to and through people since Jesus’ time. I want to learn about God from people who’ve been bold enough to write or compose or speak what they’ve heard from God. I want to learn about a living God, the beginning and the end, from people from differing places and times.