“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saithe the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Rev. 1: 8 KJV).
In this statement, Jesus affirms two important things. (1). He is the Almighty God.
(2). All things have their beginning and ending in Him.
With the beginning of a New Year we are reminded once again of just how swiftly time passes. When we were children time seemed to move very slowly. But as we entered adulthood we soon began to notice how each successive year seemed to increase in speed. As we got older the passing of those years seemed to accelerate even more. We wonder in amazement as to where the time went! And we begin to realize just how short life really is (Psalm 39:5). Of course time always moves at the same rate of speed. It never changes. After all, God is the One who created time! His laws of time and space never change. Man can neither create nor control time. He can only measure it.
Although we are aware of the swiftness of time, we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus is “timeless”. He exists outside of time. He exists in eternity. Because we are in Him ad He is in us, we literally have eternity dwelling in our hearts (John 17:23). And each new year is an opportunity to enjoy and savor that eternity as we pass thought this vacuum of time.
One day we will step out of time and step into eternity. At that moment we will see the Eternal One who always has been and always will be (1 John 3:2). We will be in the fullness of His manifest presence! We will behold the wonder of His Person in all of His majesty and glory! Oh, what a day that will be! Until then, let us rejoice in this new year and seek to continually delight in the Eternal One who lives in the heart of the redeemed (Ecc. 3:11 NKJ). His Spirit within us enables us to “taste” the joy of the eternal that awaits us! (Psalm 34:8).
Only Jesus can make such a promise! Because He is the only One who has demonstrated that He has the power to keep such a promise! (John 11:25, Rev. 1:18).
James W. Black
