I am the Alpha and the Omega,

the Beginning and the End,

the First and the Last.

Revelation 22:13

God’s oversees all time—

The past, present and the future—

is a merism, an allusive paradox

He’s using a few words

to represent many.

“Alpha and Omega”

the first and last letters

of the Greek alphabet

“Beginning and End,”

“The First and the Last”

This is God ruling over everything

from first to last and

everything in between.

Three times in Revelation

these phrases are found

in the words of Christ

when describing Himself:

Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13.

Revelation presents an overview

of the culmination of human history

on this earth, these words signify

that Christ is Lord over all

that is yet to come.

He has been Lord over the past,

He is Lord over the present,

He will be Lord over

everything yet to come

This is all

His redemptive plan for us.

Not only is Christ Lord

over human history,

He is Lord over

our future as well—

the things yet to come in our life.

We may not know

what the future holds

but we know

Who holds the future.

Ray Edman notes

Faith makes the uplook good,

the outlook bright,

the inlook favorable,

and the future glorious.