Day 5- "Who is and who was and who is to come..."

"I am the alpha and omega," said the Lord God," who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." [Revelation 1:8]

I love this description of Christ! Love it, love it, LOVE it! Like alpha and omega from our study yesterday, these 10 words cover all ages, seasons, and created time.

"Who is..."
Christ simply is. He is alive right this minute. He is the resurrected, living Son of God, seated this very instant at the right hand of God. He is the Lord NOW.

"...and who was..."
After meditating on this portion of the verse this morning, I see it from two perspectives. First, because Christ is Himself part of the triune God, He has always been. He is not only currently living. He always has been. And for every moment of history, He has always BEEN the Lord.

Also, Jesus Christ has a unique role in the godhead by actually having a season and role where He was wrapped in flesh and blood and lived within the constraints of time and humanity. He sojourned around 33 years on this earth before He was crucified to satisfy the wrath of the Father and cover the sins of the unrighteous enemies of God. In this way, Christ in the role of Word made flesh actually has a "was" in regards to his time walking the dusty roads of Israel proclaiming the good news of the kingdom.

"and who is to come..."
Christ will return. The New testament is littered with promises of Jesus' return. It will be speedy and swift. It will be unexpected. And this time He will not come as a humble infant. He will come in glory with the heavenly host in tow. He will come to retrieve His own and reestablish justice upon the earth. He will usher in judgment of the unbeliever and the final destruction of satan, the prowling lion. It will be an awesome and terrible day. The mountains will quake and the one "who was" undesirable, rejected, betrayed, slandered, and murdered will be seen for who He really is. Knees will bow out of reverence or out of terror. Some will cry out with joyful praise and others will plead desperately for mountains to fall down and cover them. The sheep and the goats will be separated. Everything will change. The victory of the last Adam will be made manifest as the sons of the first Adam are judged and the acts/consequences of sinful man are destroyed forever. Maranatha, Lord Jesus.

How should I respond?

• If I believe that Christ "is", then I want to live knowing that nothing is hidden from His sight. This includes my thoughts, actions, and words. I pray that the Lord would help me to trust Him knowing that He is living this moment to intercede and move on behalf of one like me who is so desperately in need of His intervention.
• If I know that Christ "was", then I know He really did come and accomplish what He said He did. I have hope of resurrection because at one time, Christ Himself "was" and now He "is."
• And if I know that Christ "is to come", I want to be watchful, alert, and prepared. I ask the Lord to remind me that in a flash of lightning, He will return and all will be rectified . May He use that to encourage me to endure until the end.

Tomorrow will be our last day of studying Revelation 1: 8, this time focusing on the last word, "the Almighty."