The Aleph and the Tav

https://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=YtpgC7bIUpk&index=96&list=PLPhb5GPf3Rfc944An2iDh_kTHkrKhoCED

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdLJAUsWKU4&list=PLPhb5GPf3Rfc944An2iDh_kTHkrKhoCED&index=92&t=0s

The First and the Last

The Alpha and Omega

Rev 22:8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

The Apostle John was writing the Revelation in Greek, so he said the Alpha and Omega. Had he been writing in Hebrew, it would have been the Aleph and the Tav.  Writing in English, it would have been the A and the Z, the first and last letters of the alphabet. The alphabet, the sounds by which we communicate. Letters by which God's truth is conveyed. 

Interestingly, the Hebrew word for truth, Eleph, has both Aleph and Tav. Truth was in the beginning, and truth will flourish in the end.

Before writing the Revelation, John wrote his gospel.  He goes directly to the heart of who Jesus is.  

John 1 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Word Became Flesh

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life,and the life was the light of men.

Word is a translation of the Greek Logos.  See the definition below from the Britannica:

Logos, (Greek: “word,” “reason,” or “plan”) plural logoi, in Greek philosophy and theology, the divine reason implicit in the cosmos, ordering it and giving it form and meaning. Though the concept defined by the term logos is found in Greek, Indian, Egyptian, and Persian philosophical and theological systems, it became particularly significant in Christian writings and doctrines to describe or define the role of Jesus Christ as the principle of God active in the creation and the continuous structuring of the cosmos and in revealing the divine plan of salvation to man. It thus underlies the basic Christian doctrine of the preexistence of Jesus.

So, in the beginning we have God creating the universe, even speaking it into existence, according to His eternal plan and purpose. Christ was there, not counting it robbery to be equal with God, according to Apostle Paul. 

Phil 2:5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.


Yes, we can be part of Him, we can be in the first and the last, the alpha and omega.  But first we must learn about Him, from the Bible, from fellow believers, from the evidence of the universe and history. He is the truth, and the truth will set us free. He will set us free from slavery to sin and fear of death.  He will recreate a right spirit within us.  He will give us the Holy Spirit, once our sins have been washed away.

Peter preached the message on the day of Pentecost, following the resurrection of Jesus. 

'Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,

“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Peter did not have them sign a confirmation card and pray a prayer.  Somehow three thousand were baptized that day, in a pool nearby. 

I am tired of the excuses made about immersion in water, about how it is not that important.  As we read through the book of Acts, when someone comes to the place of faith in Jesus Christ, they are immersed in water.  Philip taught the Eunuch about Jesus, and as they were riding along, the Eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me to be baptized?"

http://rgonce.blogspot.com/2018/02/see-here-is-water.html

Jesus Christ is the first and the last.  The Alpha and the Omega. Here is what He told His disciples at the mountain in Galilee.  He gets the last word.

The Great Commission

Matt 28:16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Alpha and the Omega, the A and the Z, the Aleph and the Tav. He is the beginning and the end. In Him we believers exist and have our being. 



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI1R7bGuwp8&list=PLA6SWXeYAHgFlY5T7-A6HMF8W6GAGOVqZ&index=51&t=0s

The Lamb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9jh0L0wz5M&list=RDQMG_-o41sCwr4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUUjy803VG4&index=12&list=RDmMbGIhSs750





The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  First pictured in the animals who gave their lives to provide the garments for covering the shame of Adam and Eve in the Garden. And the ram caught in the thorn bush, who became the substitute for Isaac, offered on the very hill, Mount Moriah, where Jesus would be crucified. And then the Passover Lamb, whose blood marked the door of the house where the first born were protected from death, when the Death Angel passed over in Egypt.

The wages of sin are death.  The soul that sins will surely die. Someone had to die to satisfy the debt. So Jesus offered His perfect life through suffering on the cross to pay the debt, my debt.  Your debt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opgFgY4rnU4

John the Baptist, "Behold, the Lamb of God"

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

They followed Jesus.  Another John was among those who followed Jesus, and years later, writing from Patmos, John the Apostle revealed this vision of the Lamb of God in His Glory.

Rev 7:13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

The lamb is the shepherd!  Who would know better than the lamb about the needs of the sheep?  The writer of Hebrews tells about the qualification of our Shepherd.  

The Founder of Salvation

Heb 2:5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere,

“What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him?
7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor,
8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.”

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,12 saying,

“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

13 And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again,

“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9oW91Iv8D8&index=32&list=PLA6SWXeYAHgFlY5T7-A6HMF8W6GAGOVqZ&t=0s