In Rev. 1: 4-8, we read: John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him Who is and Who was and Who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him Who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood, and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen. 'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty.'

Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, is referred to by a number of titles, which we can look at one by one (Rev. 1:5).

"Faithful Witness" refers to the absolute trustworthiness of our Lord in relation to the promises that He has made.

"The firstborn of the dead" refers to Him as the first man to have overcome death and come out of the grave permanently. Others who were raised from the dead before Him, died again. Now that Jesus has permanently conquered death, we need never fear sickness or death anymore.

Jesus is also referred to as "the Ruler of the kings of the earth". Our Lord has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. He controls the hearts of earthly rulers as well. "The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes" ( Prov.21:1).

Our Lord is further referred to as the One "Who ever loves us and has once for all loosed and freed us from our sins by His own blood" (v.5 - Amplified). His love for us is everlasting. And He shed His blood not only to forgive us our sins but also to free us from our sins once and for all. The first promise in the New Testament is that Jesus "will save His people from their sins" (Mt.1:21). To be freed from sin's power is the great theme of the entire New Testament. No sin can now have the mastery over us, if we live under grace (Rom.6:14).

We are told further that the Lord Jesus has formed us into "a kingdom, priests to His God and Father" (v.6). The "kingdom of God" is the sphere in which God exercises absolute authority. The church is a representation of "the kingdom of God" on earth - that is, a group of people who have become "one kingdom", because they have submitted to the authority of God in every area of their lives. The Lord has converted an unruly mob into an orderly kingdom - a people who are now being governed by God. We have also been made priests. Every single believer - man or woman - has been made a priest unto the Lord. In God's eyes, there is no such thing as a special class of people called "priests"in the church. That is an Old Testament concept. Where such a thing exists in any church today, it is leading people back into B.C. conditions !! We are ALL priests. As priests, we are called to offer sacrifices to God. Whereas in the Old Testament they offered the bodies of animals, today we offer our own bodies to God as a living sacrifice (Rom.12:1).

The expression "His God and Father" is similar to the expression that Jesus used after His resurrection, "My Father and your Father, My God and your God" (Jn.20:17). His Father has now become our Father too. We can now find our security in God as our Father, just as Jesus found His security therein. "Amen", says John (v.6). And we too say, "It shall be so". To Him alone "be glory and dominion forever and ever" (v.6).

Then in verse 7, Christ's return to earth is prophesied. The last that this world saw of our Lord was when He hung in shame on the cross of Calvary. But one of these days, the world will see Him coming with the clouds in glory. Every eye will see Him. Those who pierced Him (the nation of Israel) will also see Him. The tribes of the earth will weep when He comes. But we will rejoice. Again John says, "Amen". And we also say, "It shall be so!"

In verse 8, God refers to Himself as the Alpha and the Omega, the Almighty and ever- existing God. He was there right at the beginning, when nothing existed. He will be there right at the end of time. There is nothing that can ever take place anywhere at any time that is going to take God by surprise. Our Father not only knows the end from the beginning, being the Almighty God, He controls everything as well. Therefore we need have no fear whatsoever concerning the future.

At the end of the book of Revelation, God is again referred to as the Almighty and the Alpha and the Omega (ch.19:6; 22:13). We could say that the whole book of Revelation is also sandwiched between these two statements referring to the all-knowing, almighty power of our God and Father. This is what gives us perfect security, as we read here about the trials and tribulations that will befall God's people, and the calamities that will befall the world around us, in the last days.

In the entire New Testament, God is called "Almighty" only 10 times. Nine of those 10 references are in Revelation. The reason for this is that God wants us to be rooted and grounded in the fact that He is Almighty and in control of everything, as we read this book. The only other reference is in 2 Corinthians 6:17 and 18, where God calls His people to be separated from all that is unclean. This shows that it is only to those who desire to be separated from all that is unclean and contrary to the Word of God that God reveals Himself as "ALMIGHTY". It is primarily for such people that the book of Revelation is written.

Some of the greatest truths that we need to be established in, during these days, are those concerning our Lord and our relationship with Him:

(1) The absolute trustworthiness of our Lord's promises;

(2) His triumph over man's greatest enemy (death);

(3) His total authority over everything in heaven and earth;

(4) His everlasting and unchanging love for us;

(5) His freeing us from sin's power;

(6) His Father now being our Father too;

(7) His coming back to establish His kingdom on earth.

We need to be rooted and grounded in these truths if we are to remain steadfast and unmoveable in the times that are going to come.