Alpha and Omega, The First and The Last - Part I

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The Alpha and Omega argument to support Yeshua being deity is surprisingly a weak argument, but nevertheless it must be addressed and the truth be exposed.

The phrase "the Alpha and the Omega" can be found FOUR TIMES in the King James Version of the Bible. However, this phrase should ONLY have been included TWO TIMES! Why? Because it was ADDED to these scriptures in order to infer that it was also Yeshua who was "the Alpha and the Omega" -- and not just YHVH the Father! It was an error crept into the 1611 King James Version of the Bible! The phrase "the Alpha and the Omega" is first found written in Revelation 1:8 in the King James Version. In this verse it refers to the Father YHVH. Note:

I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

This verse couldn't be any more clearer -- this is the Father YHVH speaking about Himself.

Then, in Revelation 1:11 (KJV), the phrase "the Alpha and the Omega" is again found saying,

"I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the First and the Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea" (NKJV).

After the apostle John heard this being spoken, he turned around to see WHO said it (verse 12) -- but saw Yeshua the Messiah (verses 13-17). However, Yeshua here reassures John that he was NOT the Alpha and the Omega! We can see this for ourselves in Revelation 1:17-18, which states,

“And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST. I am he who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."

In other words, Yeshua told John NOT to be afraid, for HE WAS NOT THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA! Yeshua simply did NOT identify himself by that title! This is born out in other versions of the New Testament where the phrase "the Alpha and the Omega" in Revelation 1:11 is not even included -- notice!

The other scripture in which the phrase "the Alpha and the Omega" was ADDED -- in order to foist upon the unwary reader the theory that Yeshua was also "the Alpha and the Omega"! This scripture is Revelation 22:13. And Revelation 22:16 undeniably states that these are Yeshua's words,

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last (NKJV)

The Bible dictionary Insight on the Scriptures states: “The additional occurrence of this phrase in the King James rendering of Revelation 1:11, however, does not appear in some of the oldest Greek manuscripts, including the Alexandrine, Sinaitic, and Codex Ephraemi rescriptus. It is, therefore, omitted in many modern translations.” Additionally, the ancient Alexandrian (NU) and the Vatican (M) texts also leave out the phrase "the Alpha and the Omega."

It should also be noted that virtually all modern translations do NOT include in Rev 1:11 the following words that are in the KJV version of that verse: "Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and," nor is it mentioned, even as a footnote, in any modern translation or in Bruce Metzger's definitive A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, Second Edition (New York: United Bible Societies, 1994, phone: 800-322-4253). He states,

"The New King James Version [NKJV] does include this wording; but the NKJV is not a modern translation; it is only a modern-English rewording of the the original KJV, minus the Aprocrypha, since the Aprocrypha was in the original KJV."

Now, you might ask, what DIFFERENCE does it make that this phrase was added to this scripture (Revelation 22:13) -- and also to Revelation 1:11? It makes a HUGE difference because it leads people to erroneously believe that Yeshua the Messiah pre-existed in the godhead before his human birth; because NEVER BEFORE has there been a true understanding of what the Father YHVH actually said when He identified Himself as "the ALPHA AND THE OMEGA"!

Source: Hope of Israel Ministries
Triumph Prophetic Ministries
Bibletexts.com