Jesus, The I AM

Jesus, the First and the Last

Rev. 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

The statements made here by Jesus at the end of the Apocalypse, are reminiscent of several statements made by YHVH in Isaiah. We first look at Isaiah 40:10, which says,

Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

In the Isaiah passage above, it is said that, “the Lord God will come” with a strong hand. The actual Hebrew is, Adonai Yahweh, meaning, my Lord Yahweh.

So it is the Lord Yahweh who comes with a strong hand, or mighty power. We see then, that “his arm shall rule for him.” What does his arm point to? It can be none other than the Messiah, for later, Isaiah writes,

Isa. 53:1 Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

In this passage, the Arm of the Lord(YHVH) is revealed to be the Messiah, the suffering servant of the Lord. In Isaiah 40:10, the Arm of the Lord, i.e., the Messiah, shall rule on behalf of the Lord GOD. The Arm is not something other than the Lord GOD, but is an expression of His Power and Authority. The phrase, “his reward is with him,” can be taken in two different ways.

First of all, it can be understood that those who submit to His rule, will have the reward of being with Him. Or it can mean, that His own reward, for the work He has done is with Him, pointing to His exalted glory via the cross and resurrection, which brings the fruit of a multitude of redeemed ones. In His statement of Rev. 22:12, He speaks of His reward being present with Him. I believe this includes all of the above.

Isaiah 40:10 states that, “his work is before him.” The work of the Arm of the Lord is before him, or in front of him. What was His work? His work included the work of redemption (the cross, burial, resurrection, and ascension) as described in Isaiah 53. It also includes the work of ruling, i.e., establishing the Kingdom of God, which includes rendering judgment (cf. Matt. 16:27-28 with Rev. 22:12).

Further, in Rev. 22:13, Jesus the Messiah says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” We can see this is said by YHVH also, in Isaiah 44:6,

Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

Notice that the voice of the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts, speak as one voice. The meaning of the phrase, “I am the first and I am the last,” is commented upon by John Gill, who says,

The first cause and last end, of all things in nature, and providence, and grace; all things are of him, through him, and from him; all things were made by him in creation, and for his pleasure they are and were created; and all things are disposed of in his providence for his own glory; and he is the first in reconciliation, justification, and salvation, and all are to the glory of his grace: or this is a periphrasis of his eternity, who is from everlasting to everlasting, without beginning or end, the Alpha and Omega; the same is said of Christ, ( Revelation 1:8 Revelation 1:11 Revelation 1:17 ) (John Gill on Isaiah 44:6).

Next, is the most important commentary on the phrase, when it is said by the Lord, “beside me there is no God.” It should be understood that the phrase, “I am the first and I am the last,” is the equivalent to being God, the only God.

This phrase, “the first and the last,” is used in both OT and NT to designate the Lord God Almighty (Isa. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; Rev. 1:11, 17; 2:8; 21:6; 22:13).

In Christ’s statement, that He is the “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end,” these are the same as and equivalent to being, “the first and the last.”

All three of these statements are meant to be understood as Jesus Christ’s claim to being Israel’s covenant God. It is He, who as the Arm of the Lord, rules for God. No one can rule for God except the One appointed by Him, who is the Arm of the Lord, the Messiah.

Jesus, the Fulness of God

The Scriptures declare that, "In him (Jesus the Messiah), dwelleth all the fulness of the godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9). The word 'godhead' is the Greek theotes.

 

This is not a code word for trinity, but points to the all that is or can be identified as God, or divine. This likely is also what Paul refers to when he speaks in Phil. 2:6, of Jesus always existing in the form of God. This form of God, is that which the Messiah has eternally existed. Theophilus, the overseer of the Church at Antioch in the last quarter of the second century, describes God or the Godhead in this manner,

You will say then to me, "Do you, who see God, explain to me the appearance of God." Hear, O man. The appearance of God is ineffable and indescribable, and cannot be seen by eyes of flesh.
For in glory He is incomprehensible,
in greatness unfathomable, in height inconceivable,
in power incomparable, in wisdom unrivaled,
in goodness inimitable, in kindness unutterable.
For if I say He is Light, I name but His own work;
if I call Him Word, I name but His sovereignty;
if I call Him Mind, I speak but of His wisdom;
if I say He is Spirit, I speak of His breath;
if I call Him Wisdom, I speak of His offspring;
if I call Him Strength, I speak of His sway;
if I call Him Power, I am mentioning His activity;
if Providence, I but mention His goodness;
if I call Him Kingdom, I but mention His glory;
if I call Him Lord, I mention His being judge;
if I call Him Judge, I speak of Him as being just;
if I call Him Father, I speak of all things as being from Him;
if I call Him Fire, I but mention His anger.
(Ad Autolychum, Book I, Chapter 3, The Nature of God)

 

Notice that Theophilus mentions Word, Spirit and Father among many other aspects of God's character. But He does not make these into distinct persons of the Godhead. He simply views them as an expression of God's totality, or fulness.

Fulness is the Greek word, pleroma, and denotes fullness of contents; full measure in which no part is missing; the whole sum of; totality; entirety (TDNT). Here it is evident, that in Jesus dwells the full measure/the entirety/ the totality of all that God is, in bodily form. Jesus, being the Word in flesh, is not just a divine person.

HE IS GOD. THE GOD THAT WE SEE AND HEAR IN THE FIRST COVENANT,
HAS TAKEN HUMANITY UPON HIMSELF, DWELT AMONG US AND IS CALLED JESUS,
WHO IS THE MESSIAH, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD.

This fulness of God dwells permanently in Christ Jesus, in bodily form. The Greek word translated, dwell, (g2730. κατοικέω katoikeō) means, to house permanently, as opposed to a temporary dwelling as a sojourner. Hence, Christ Jesus will always be the visible, bodily image of the invisible God [Col. 1:15], throughout all eternity. There will always be the man, Christ Jesus, God in flesh, sitting on the throne of glory [Rev. 4:2-3, see Jesus and the Right Hand of God].

Again, Theophilus of Antioch, gives us a good presentation of the Person of God, as revealed through the ancient writings and creation. He says,

God made all things out of nothing; for nothing was coequal with God: but He being His own place, and wanting nothing, and existing before the ages, willed to make man by whom He might be known; for him [man], therefore, He prepared the world. For he that is created is also needy; but he that is uncreated stands in need of nothing. God, then, having His own Word internal within His own bowels, begat Him, emitting Him along with His own wisdom before all things. He had this Word as a helper in the things that were created by Him, and by Him He made all things. He [the Word] is called "governing principle" [ar'chay], because He rules, and is Lord of all things fashioned by Him. He [the Word], then, being Spirit of God, and governing principle, and wisdom, and power of the highest, came down upon the prophets, and through them spoke of the creation of the world and of all other things. For the prophets were not when the world came into existence, but the wisdom of God which was in Him, and His holy Word which was always present with Him.

 

Notice that Theophilus says that The Word, also called Wisdom, being “internal within his own bowels," was sent forth as the helper or power of creation.

Theophilus describes the Word as The Spirit of God (Breath of God). With this, the Psalmist agrees, when he says in Ps. 33:6 By the Word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath (ru'ach/spirit) of his mouth. The Word is called the governing principle and agent of creation, the Wisdom of God, and the Power of the Highest. It is this Word that John the Apostle speaks of in the opening verse of his gospel, "In the beginning was always existing the Word, and the Word was always being with God, and the Word was always being God." Then John declares that this "Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us."

Although John uses, logos, for ‘Word,' it is evident that he is not borrowing from the Platonic concept. John is using the Hebraic concept of the Word of God, as is seen in the Aramaic word, Memra. This we have already discussed.

One may wonder or question how the Fulness of the Godhead could dwell bodily in Jesus. That's understandable, after all, it is a mind-blowing concept.

Knowing that the mind and speech of man are inadequate to express infinite and eternal concepts, we are left using illustrations that we can relate to, in order to try to grasp the idea. Allow me to try with the following illustration, admitting its inadequacy. Most people are familiar with computers. And of course, computers run on programs. If you have a lot of information you want to send to someone else, it is usual to condense it for the purpose of transmitting it over a network, like the internet. This condensing program is referred to as a File Compressor. This compressor allows you to stuff a large number of files into a smaller file size.

The totality and integrity of all the files are still present, they have just been compressed. The information is not compromised. Then on the other end, the one receiving the compressed files, can expand it with an expander program, restoring the files to their original structure and form.

 

Hence, God compressed his being, His Word, into the form of a man, who was called Jesus of Nazareth. The nature and character of this divine Word was not compromised. The resurrection was the expander program. It released and restored the 'files' into their original content, but into a new folder, that new folder being flesh and bone[Lk 24:39], instead of flesh and blood. What is the difference between flesh and blood and flesh and bone? The Scriptures tell us that, 'the life is in the blood'. That is, the life of a man is in his blood, without which, he cannot live. If Jesus is flesh and bone, where is the blood? It is not needed. Jesus left His blood on the altar of Golgotha.

For the life-force of the New Creation is the Life of God, by His Spirit. When the Scriptures refer to the Fulness of God, dwelling bodily in Christ, this I believe is the concept. In His pre-resurrection state, we should not think of the fulness to mean God in all His powers, was on full display. In other words, Jesus in his earthly person, did not exhibit the totality of the powers attributed to God, although they were present. We must not forget, that not only was He God, but He was also man, with all of its limitations. He lived His life in submission to the will of His Father, and only did what He saw the Father doing [Jn 5:19; 12:49]. What fulness he exhibited, was that which the Father determined.

However, His mode of existence drastically changed after the resurrection. For instance, before his death and resurrection, we do not see him walking into locked rooms, or through walls. We do not see him appearing from nowhere, as we do after his resurrection. It is plain, that his resurrected form is on a different level, than his form before the resurrection. But it is the same Jesus. His character/personality did not change, only His mode of being. He changed from flesh and blood, to flesh and bone. It should be obvious that His flesh and bone form, is outside time and space. It exists in a different dimension; the dimension of Eternity. After his resurrection, he was no longer restricted to time and space, i.e., the limitations of earthly man.

I John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.