Alpha and Omega

Biblical Text

The expression appears three times in Revelation.

• Revelation 1:8: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Here, at the opening of the book, God introduces himself. (Revelation 1:8)
• Revelation 21:6: The One seated on the throne says, "It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end," and promises to give freely of the fountain of the water of life to him that is athirst. In the preceding verse he declares, "Behold, I make all things new." (Revelation 21:5)
• Revelation 22:13: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." The surrounding context ("behold, I come quickly" in 22:12 and "I Jesus" in 22:16) indicates that Jesus is the speaker.

Translations that follow the later manuscript tradition, such as the King James Version, also include the expression at 1:11. The New Korean Revised Version does not include it at 1:11.

Background and Meaning

Alpha (Α) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and omega (Ω) is the last. In the original Greek text of the New Testament, omega is not spelled out as a word but is written as the single letter Ω. Naming the first and the last together is a figure of speech that encompasses everything in between. The phrase therefore means "everything from first to last" and "the One who holds both the beginning and the completion."

The title is rooted in Isaiah. Isaiah 44:6 declares, "I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." Similar declarations appear in 41:4 and 48:12. These passages confess that the God of Israel alone is the one God who begins and concludes history.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

Revelation takes up Isaiah's confession and renders it in Greek letters. For readers living under persecution, the title offered assurance that the beginning and end of history belong to God, not to the Roman emperor. In the same book Jesus calls himself "the first and the last" (Revelation 1:17; 2:8), and in 22:13 he uses the title Alpha and Omega directly. The title is thus applied to both God and Christ.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• The deity of Christ: Most Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions regard the application to Jesus of a title that belonged to God alone in the Old Testament as evidence for the deity of Jesus Christ and for the Trinity. The issue is frequently discussed in Christology.
• Alternative interpretation: Jehovah's Witnesses are known to regard the title as applying only to God the Father and to read the speaker of 22:13 as distinct from Jesus.
• The question of the speaker: Interpreters also differ on whether the speaker in 1:8 is God or Christ. The text identifies the speaker as "the Lord God" (the KJV reads "the Lord").
• Later symbolism: The early church used the letters Α and Ω as a symbol of Christ. In the Catholic Church, these letters are inscribed on the paschal candle during the Easter Vigil. Such uses are customs of the later church and are not stated directly in the text.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, the title is often cited in sermons on God's sovereignty and the consummation of history. It is also frequently used on occasions that reflect on the beginning and end of time, such as the Watch Night service that closes one year and opens the next. The letters Α and Ω can be seen in church decorations and Christian design.