This is a topic I have been asked to speak on for a very long time and I have always neglected it because of how weak the foundation of the argument is. People often have a vague hint that there are these nebulous titles used of Jesus in Revelation that might mean he’s God, and yet they have no idea what these titles mean. As is usually the case, a simple reading of context is enough to dispel the assumption. However, trinitarians have turned this into a grandiose debate littered with poor assumptions. I am finally addressing these issues, and as you can see, Trinitarians have miserably dropped the ball on this one, as always.
Trinitarian Argument 1
Trinitarians very often use a form of argumentation that is very unstable. A typical example of how they will word this argument is:
“In the Bible, God says he is the first and last and the Alpha and Omega, which means he’s God. So when Jesus calls himself the Alpha and Omega, it means he’s God.”
Essentially, this argument put into a syllogism would be:
- P1. God is called X
- P2. Jesus is called X
- C. Jesus is God.
Or:
- God = X
- Jesus = X
- X = X
- Jesus = God
In these formulations, we can see many problems with this approach. There are many titles for God, which are used of people in the Bible that Trinitarians will never say are God.
- God is called Lord. Abraham is called Lord.
- God is called saviour. Judges are called saviours.
- God is “God.” Moses is called God.
- God is called the King of Israel. David is the king of Israel.
Simply put, saying that God is called X (a certain title), and someone else is called the same X, does not mean the two are identical. This is why I have mostly ignored these “Alpha and Omega, first and last” arguments. They begin on an unsound argument.
Saying that God = X, Jesus = X, Jesus = God, is also another poor argument for two reasons. First, there’s an equivocation fallacy that’s very easy to miss. Really, what Trinitarians are saying by this is:
- The Father = X,
- Jesus = X
- X = X
- Jesus = God
- Jesus =/= the Father
Trinitarian Argument 2
They will look through the Bible and find that the Father is called a certain name. Then, they find the name given to Jesus. But they do not say this makes Jesus the Father, but it makes Jesus the same God as the Father. This is a problem. We are equivocating on the word “God” because in the first instance, it is the Father. In the second instance, it is “the Trinity.” An exact example would be the following:
P1. God called Israel out of Egypt. P2. Jude 5 says that Jesus led Israel out of Egypt. C. Therefore, Jesus is God.
However, if we look at Hosea 11:1, we find, “out of Egypt I called my Son.” Exodus 4:22 says that Israel is God’s firstborn son. Malachi says that Israel has one God and Father. Who is the “God” that led Israel out of Egypt? None of these places can be applied to “the Trinity.” Israel isn’t the son of the Son. The Son isn’t the Father of Israel. So, in premise 1, we have “the Father called Israel out of Egypt.” So if Jesus called them from Egypt, then the conclusion should be, “Jesus is the Father.”
Saying that God the Father is called something, and Jesus is called something, wouldn’t result in Jesus being the same God as the Father necessarily. It would result in Jesus being the Father. We can neither equivocate nor simply write off modalism because it doesn’t fit our Trinitarian perspective.
The second problem is the meaning of “=” or “is.” There is an “is” of identity and an “is” of predication. If I say “God is my Father,” I mean that everything I say about “my Father” will always be true of “my God” because these are identical. To say “Mary” and “the mother of Jesus,” we are speaking about the same identity. Both are identical in every way. If Mary was at the foot of the cross, then the mother of Jesus was at the foot of the cross. However, if we say that Sarah “is” loud, we are not saying that everything loud is the person Sarah. This is a predication, or a description of Sarah. Sarah is showing the trait of being loud. In the Trinitarian argument, they will take, “the Father is X” as a predication, they will take “Jesus is X” as a predication, but they will take “Jesus is God” as an identity. This is inconsistent.
Simply put, these kinds of arguments don’t work. They may be used to underscore a preconception, but they aren’t convincing to anyone who doesn’t already believe it. Stating that Jesus shares the same title as the Father does not flatly prove he is God. Many of these arguments are leveled by Trinitarians. The titles: God, Lord, Saviour, King, redeemer, rock, are all said to be used of both God and Jesus, so Jesus must be God. Yet, every one of these titles are used of some other human somewhere in the Bible. Interestingly enough, there are certain titles never used of any humans in the Bible, but used of God, and these are never used of Jesus. Yahweh, el shaddai (God almighty), Ancient of Days, heavenly Father, Majesty on high, Lord of hosts, all titles used of God and never used of Jesus.
Trinitarians generally like to play on these “Alpha and Omega, first and last” titles because these are among the only titles used of God, used of Jesus, and not used of anyone else. So Trinitarians turn these titles into statements which mean “I am God,” and then use them as arguments against Unitarians to prove that Jesus is God. But is that even what these titles mean?
The Three Titles
There are three sets of titles used together in the Bible:
- First and the Last
- Alpha and Omega
- Beginning and End
In 2 verses, two or three of these titles are used together. There is 1 verse in which “Alpha and Omega” is used on its own. And there are 3 versed which use “first and last” on its own. I will list all the scriptures below.
- First and Last
Isaiah 44:6: Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.
Isaiah 48:12: “Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last.”
Revelation 1:17-18: And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. And He placed His right hand upon me, saying, “Fear not. I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. And I was dead, and behold I am living to the ages of the ages, and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.”
- Alpha and Omega
Revelation 1:8: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says Lord God, the One being, and who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.“
- Alpha and Omega, First and Last, Beginning and End
Revelation 21:6: And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one thirsting I will give of the spring of the water of life freely.”
Revelation 22:13: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
What “the First and the Last” Means
The title “first and last” is used in the OT in Isaiah. In Isaiah 44:6, the statement is: “I am the first and the last, besides me, there is no God.” The phrase “first and last” clearly means the first and last of the gods. This is not to say that Isaiah is pushing monolatry or henotheism. It is to say, out of all the many so called gods (1 Corinthians 8:5), I am the first God before they existed, and in the end, I will be the last God that exists when they are all destroyed. In Isaiah 48:12, the same can be understood by reading verse 13, which speaks about God’s creation of all things. God is the “whole” of creation in this passage. He is the God who made all things, and he is above any other gods that people serve. Notice that it says, “Israel, whom I called.” Note back to Hosea 11:1 and Matthew 2:15, it is the Father who called Israel, his son.
In Revelation 1:17, this phrase is used of Jesus, who called himself “the first and the last.” Trinitarians will often see that Isaiah 44:6 says that “first and last” means that he’s God in this passage, so they just assume that “first and last” means he’s God in this passage as well because the same title is used. But Jesus tells you exactly what he is the first and the last of as God says in Isaiah 44 and 48. Jesus says: “I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. And I was dead, and behold I am living to the ages of the ages, and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.” The first refers to “the living one,” and the last refers to “I was dead.” Is it really plausible to think Jesus is announcing that he’s God in the same title that he’s announcing that he was dead? God is immortal. A trinitarian would wish to say that Jesus died according to his human nature, but he is God according to his divine nature. Jesus is qualifying the phrase, “first and last,” which they think means “God,” with “I was dead.” An honest trinitarian must admit that Jesus is referring to his human nature that was dead as “the first and the last” in this passage.
“First and last” refers to the whole of something. In this case, Jesus is talking about conquering death. He was dead but is alive forever and has the keys of death. This means that he has the power to unlock death, and it has no power over him or anyone he wishes to free. Jesus’ being “the first and last” is about his being the firstborn from the dead. Notice that this is what he is just called in Revelation 1:5 a few verses earlier. Note also that in verses 5, it says that he “freed us by his blood.” Firstborn of the dead, first and last of the dead. Revelation 2:8 reads: “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.'” Again, notice how being “the first and last” is predicated of one who is dead. “God died?” Or was it a man who died?
When Jesus speaks of being the first and last, it is very clear that he is not claiming to be the same first and last as the God who called Israel in the OT. He’s the first and the last of the dead. (See Romans 14:9)
Revelation 1:8
Revelation 1:8 uses the phrase “Alpha and Omega.” Some Trinitarians have mistakenly assumed these words to be about Jesus. Most Trinitarian scholars do not argue that Jesus is speaking the words in. In many red letter Bibles, they do not quote these words in red as if Jesus is the speaker. In many Bibles, they will also begin a new paraphrase with verse 8 to disconnect it from the context because they believe the Father begins to speak here. This is because the passage says: “says the Lord God…. the Almighty.” Even though these Trinitarian translators and scholars typically believe Jesus is the lord God and Almighty, these titles are used often of the Father, and aside from this verse, never used of Jesus. “Lord” is used of Jesus (and, according to some of these Trinitarians, “God” is also used of Jesus), but never the title “the Lord God.” It would be rather incongruous to assert that the one time Jesus is called either of these two titles, both are used of him here in this ambiguous text.
Many Trinitarians are reading Revelation 1:7, which speaks about “his coming with the clouds.” They assume this is Jesus in his second coming, Jesus must be the speaker here, and so Jesus is still the speaker in verse 8. I believe the NKJV translators take this approach because they actually do red letter this verse. However, there are two faulty assumptions made here, beyond the ones we’ve just considered. First, there’s no necessity to assume the same speaker is speaking in verses 7 and 8. This could have easily been the Father beginning to speak in verse 8. This is common in the book of Revelation. Speakers often change quickly and without warning, and it can be very hard to tell who is speaking due to the style of writing. Second, it is a faulty assumption to assume that just because someone is coming in the clouds, it must be Jesus. The NT does say that the Father is coming as well. “And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him” (1 John 2:28-29). We are never said to be born of Jesus, but we are children of the Father, born of him. The appearance of our Father. (See also my article on Titus 2:13)
I do believe verse 7 is about the coming in the clouds of Jesus, but verse 8 is switching to the Father speaking. However, my point is to say that we can not assume that the Father can’t be the speaker in verse 7 just because it speaks of a coming in the clouds, because this is also said of the Father. Trinitarians, in general, will not appeal to this verse. Of the 3 occurrences in Revelation (or the NT for that matter) of “Alpha and Omega,” they usually regard the other two as being about Jesus. It is actually in the Trinitarian’s favour to say that Revelation 1:8 is the Father. Otherwise, you have this title being used only of Jesus. If Jesus only uses this title, then it can’t be argued to be a title exclusive to God or used only of God and Jesus. So they reserve Revelation 1:8 to be of the Father usually.
The textus receptus includes “the beginning and the end” in Revelation 1:8. We know that this is not original to the text, which is why I did not include it here. It is a textual variant. Also, in Revelation 1:11, “the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last,” are also a textual variant that is retained in the KJV and NKJV. It is not contained in the original manuscripts.
Revelation 21:6
Revelation 21:6 is used commonly by Trinitarians to prove that Jesus is called “the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” The beginning and end of what? Trinitarians often like this to be unqualified so that they are allowed to free interpretation of this title and say it means whatever they want. It can mean that he’s God, or eternally existing, or the whole of creation, making him uncreated, etc. Verse 5 tells us what he is the “whole” of.
Revelation 21:5-6: And the One sitting on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He says, “Write this, because these words are faithful and true.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one thirsting I will give of the spring of the water of life freely.”
Verse 1 tells us: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea is no more.” We are speaking about a new heavens and a new earth. Verse 5 says that “I am making all things new.” This is about the new creation. We also see “it is done,” echoing the final words of God after creation is finished. Compare this to Jesus’ final words on the cross as well. The end of the old creation, the beginning of the new creation. So when Revelation 3:14 calls Jesus “the beginning of God’s creation,” what do you think it might be referring to?
But the question still stands, “Who is speaking these words?” Is it Jesus or the Father? Does Jesus call himself the Alpha and Omega in this verse as many trinitarians assume? All we need to do is read the next verse.
Revelation 21:7: The one overcoming will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.
Who is our Father? Whose son are we? Is Jesus ever our Father? No. The speaker here is God the Father.
Revelation 22:13, Who is the Speaker?
Revelation 22:13: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Finally, we come to the final reference of this phrase. This is the verse Trinitarian scholars will most likely attribute to being spoken of by Jesus of the 3 passages we’ve looked at so far. But is Jesus the speaker here? Many Trinitarians assume so because verse 12 says: “I am coming quickly… to give to each as his work.” It sounds like the second coming of Jesus. But as we have seen previously, this does not mean that the Father is excluded. This isn’t a very good reason to assume the Son is the speaker here if this is the only justification. However, if we read this entire passage, some interesting things can be noted.
Revelation 22:1-16: And he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street and of the river, on this side and on that side, was a tree of life, producing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit according to each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. And there will not be any curse any longer. And the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will serve Him. And they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no night there, and they have no need of the light of a lamp and of the light of the sun, because the Lord God will enlighten upon them, and they will reign to the ages of the ages. And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His servants the things that must come to pass in quickness.” “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one keeping the words of the prophecy of this book.” And I, John, am the one hearing and seeing these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel showing these things me. And he says to me, “See that you not do this. I am your fellow servant, and with your brothers the prophets, and with those keeping the words of this book. Worship God!” And he says to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book; for the time is near. The one being unrighteous, let him be unrighteous still; and he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he who is righteous, let him practice righteousness still; and he who is holy, let him be holy still.” “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to each as is his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Blessed are those washing their robes,a that their right will be to the tree of life, and they shall enter into the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the sexually immoral, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and everyone loving and practicing falsehood. “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to all of you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.”
We begin with “the throne of God and the Lamb.” Both the Father and Son are in view (where is the Spirit?). We see that “the Lord God” is the subject in view. They will see his face, have his name, and his light will be their light. Then we read that God sent his angel to testify these things to John. And he says, the angel says, “I am coming quickly.” John bows to worship at the angel’s feet, the one speaking these things, and the angel says to “worship God.” Notice that the angel is not God. But what does he go on to say? Again, he says, “I am coming quickly,” and, “I am the Alpha and the Omega.” We end with Jesus having sent his angel to testify these things. So, who spoke these words? The angel? God? Jesus?
As stated earlier, it is sometimes hard to tell who is the speaker at any given time in this book, as the subject and speaker can change often and with little warning. Though, this book begins in verse one with: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants what things it behooves to take place in quickness. And He signified it through having sent His angel to His servant, John.” God gave a revelation to Jesus (which he would not need to do if he and Jesus share a will and omniscience), whoch Jesus gave to his angel to give to John. This is to say that this revelation is given by an angel. This book ends with what we just read in Revelation 22:16 with: “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you.” In this chapter, we can see very clearly that it is an angel speaking these things.
Trinitarian Arguments Fail
It will not work to say that “Angel just means messenger, and Jesus is the messenger here.” Because the angel explicitly says not to worship himself but to worship God. If Jesus is God, and Jesus is this messenger, he would have no need to say this.
It will also not work to say that the angel says this on behalf of Jesus or quoting Jesus. The reason why this objection will not work is because of the way in which Trinitarians frame this argument. They say that only God can say these words. Only God can declare to be the Alpha and the Omega. So, if an angel speaks these words in the first person, even on behalf of Jesus, this contradicts their argument. More importantly, this contradicts their greater argument from the OT that Jesus is the angel of the Lord because this angel uses divine titles in the first person. If the Trinitarian wishes to say that Revelation 22 is an angel speaking on behalf of Jesus, using divine titles in the first person, and yet this angel isn’t God, then the same argument can be made against them in the OT that the angel uses divine titles in the first person on behalf of the Father.
Alpha and Omega of What?
Some have argued based on what is said at Revelation 22:20: “The One testifying these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” They say that this shows that the one coming quickly who is the Alpha and Omega is in reference to Jesus. The angel is speaking on his behalf, applying the title “Alpha and Omega” to Jesus. This seems to be true. Yes, the angel does apply this title to Jesus here, and only here. But what does the title mean?
We saw in Revelation 21:1-6 that this title is used in reference to new creation. Revelation 22 is still following this same theme. We have reference to the tree of life and mankind having a closeness with God. These are eschatological themes in the Bible directly related to the end times. New creation is still the topic. Jesus is the head of the new creation. He is the “first and the last of the dead” (Revelation 1:17-18, 2:8), he is “the head of the church, the beginning, the firstborn of the dead” (Colossians 1:18, Revelation 1:5), all creation is reconciled to God in Christ (Colossians 1:20), and anything in Christ is a new Creation (1 Corinthians 5:17). Jesus is the beginning of God’s creation (Revelation 3:14) by being his firstborn from the dead (Acts 13:30-33, Hebrews 1:3-5, see my article for more details). God began a new creation in Jesus when he raised him from the dead as Lord and life-giving Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45). He became the second Adam. The second kind of new humanity, a new humanity in which we partake in God’s Spirit (2 Peter 1:4, Hebrews 6:4). Ephesians 1:10 says that God is, quite literally, “bringing all things to a head in Christ.” All creation is being summed up in Christ, being brought to its head in him. Jesus is the head of new creation. It would not be wrong at all to call him the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last of new creation. He is the first creation to be reconciled to God. He is the first creation to be raised in a resurrected body. He was the firstborn of the new creation when he was raised from the dead. He was given the keys to death and the grave to have power over life and death. He breathes the Spirit of life and sends the Spirit to whom he pleases. Everything begins in him, and all things will end with him. It is at the end of his reign when all things are turned back over to the Father so that God may be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:24-28). Jesus is the beginning and the end, the whole of this new creation.
Author and Finisher
A similar title is used of Jesus in Hebrews 12:2. He is said to be “the author and finisher of our faith.” This is sometimes variously translated, but the words “author” and “finisher” both express the idea of the beginning and end of something in totality. In other words, Jesus is the founder and ender of our Christian faith. Why? Because he began the ministry of the Spirit (reference to 2 Corinthians 3), and he is the one who brings us into perfection through his millennial reign. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega of everything from God during these last days. He is God’s word (Revelation 19:13), and God’s word is final. Jesus accomplishes and fulfills all that God has promised.
Conclusion
We should have no problem stating that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, whether he spoke these words of himself or not. Whether the angel stated this or whether it was directly to the Father in these passages, they are still true of Jesus. They are only true of Jesus insofar as he is the “all” of the new creation and our faith, the new covenant arrangement. Trinitarians are making a terrible mistake in conflating these titles to mean that the speaker is God. If Jesus wished to say that he were God, he could have easily done so. However, context has nothing to do with this. “God” is always the one who is next to the lamb. Not including the lamb himself. “To God and the Lamb.” In calling Jesus the Alpha and the Omega, we understand what his role is as king of God’s kingdom. This in no way makes him God. It makes him the head of the body and Lord of the living and the dead (Romans 14:9).