Revelation 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
There is a repeat of the lines in this verse from verse 8. He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. Anytime we have a line in the bible that is repeated, there should be close attention given to it. The eternality, deity, and all-sufficiency of our Lord are in view concerning the Alpha and Omega. The beginning and end, the first and the last, indicate our Lord’s power and authority over time.
What I want us to look at in this verse is the command that is given. John was told to write in a book what he saw and give it to the churches. In a practical sense, what we need to take away from this verse is to capture every word that the Alpha and Omega say to us. There is great power in writing. Habakkuk 2:2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. The purpose of writing down the vision is that whoever reads it may run the race well. So often in the church today, nearly as soon as the preacher is finished, we are so bombarded by the world that we can barely remember what was said. Often the Lord will speak to us in a still, small voice that we need to capture and rehearse not only for our own sake but for the sake of others in our life.
It is the written word that has changed the world. It is through the written word that we come to know the Lord Jesus Christ. This is how God has chosen to share Himself with the world. Consider one of the most precious verses of scripture in all the bible in terms of our relationship with the Father. Hebrews 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. Understanding that we are the journal of God to write His story into our lives is one of the most personal, intimate, and wonderful things we could ever experience. This is how we grow into the mature believers that God intends for us, is for God to write in us His nature and person.
As well we need to consider the Lord Jesus Himself is writing His epistle to these seven churches. How many consider what Paul wrote to the churches as the only thing the church should consider? I believe what Jesus says to these seven churches is important in many ways. It is a prophetic picture of the entire history of the Church. It is filled with practical applications we should appropriate to our lives. It tells of the dangers we will and are facing in our time. I believe that the culmination of these letters spells out plainly Satan’s strategy against the Church. I also read in these letters our victory and reward. You can see the provision and power of Christ manifested in the Church. You can even see the revival we all pray for being breathed out on the Church. All of this and more is captured in the words of our Lord to the Church.
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