The Son is the first and the last (1:17; 2:8; 22:13), the beginning and the end (22:13), and the Alpha and the Omega (22:13). When I was young, I was bothered by these terms, thinking that they were repetitious and that the beginning, the first, and the Alpha were the same and that the end, the last, and the Omega were the same. But this is not a matter of repetition, but of different aspects. Being the first does not necessarily mean that you are the beginning. Being the first simply means that you are the first and that prior to you there was nothing. However, to be the beginning does not only mean that you are the first, but also that you have begun something. What then is the difference between the Alpha and the beginning? A certain thing may be the beginning, but it may have neither the content nor the continuation. To be the Alpha and the Omega means that you are the complete content and continuation. For Christ to be the Alpha and the Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, indicates that He is also every other letter in the alphabet. The first and the last simply indicate the first and the last without indicating either the beginning or the ending. In order to be the beginning and the ending, you must take a certain action. Christ is not only the first but also the beginning, the beginning of God’s economy and God’s operation. God’s operation began and will end with Christ. This Christ is also the content and continuation of God’s operation, because He is not only the beginning and the ending but also the Alpha and the Omega. In other words, the Son, Jesus Christ, is everything. He is the first and the last, the beginning and the ending of God’s operation, and the content and continuation of whatever God is doing. Because the Greek letters from Alpha to Omega comprise all the letters of the Greek alphabet, we may say that Christ is every letter for us to compose words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, and books. Hallelujah, He is everything!
The Son, the all-inclusive One, is the living One (1:18). He died, became alive, and lives forever.
This living One is the holy One (3:7), the One who has God’s holy nature that sanctifies.
Christ is also the true One (3:7), the One who is genuine and real in every way.
In 19:11 we see that Christ is the faithful One, the One who is worthy of our trust.
The Son is also the Amen (3:14). The title Amen has various meanings: reality, yes, let it be. His being the Amen means more than we can say. Thirteen years ago, I was invited to a meeting in Tyler, Texas. In that meeting I was somewhat cautious, not daring to say, “Amen,” loudly. At the end of some of the prayers, I quietly said, “Amen.” After a while, someone came to me, saying, “Brother Lee, you probably don’t know the custom in this country. In this type of service, you must be silent.” Deep within my heart, I said, “The most silent place is the cemetery. You people are trying to make your church service a cemetery.” What is wrong with our saying, “Amen”? It is equal to calling on the name of the Lord. When we say, “Amen,” we mean, “O Lord Jesus.” Let us all learn to say, “Amen!”