At the end of every road is God. God has the first word and the last word in history. Is there any historical evidence of Jesus Christ? It is an infinite sin to reject the infinitely valuable God as though something else were more satisfying. For these, too, God is the Omega, but not in the same way. Omega will mean mercy for all in the end, not fire and brimstone. Finally meditate of the picture of the New Jerusalem in verses 22–23. (See also 2:26 and 12:11.). Don't surrender to the thirst for earthly life and security and self reliance. Idolaters: people who thirsted after manageable gods instead of a God who says, "I am Alpha and Omega." God is a fountain of life at the beginning, and he is a fountain of life at the end—forever. God is absolutely the beginning and absolutely the end. (Revelation 22:17). Why did the first humans live for so long — and why are our life spans today so short? He was the fountain of their life in creation, and he will be the fountain of their life in the consummation. You must be thirsty to get it, but thirst never has been considered a price or a merit by anyone. Among the Jewish rabbis, it was common to use the first and the last letters of the Hebrew alphabet to denote the whole of anything, from beginning to end. 5. It is not hard. James White, director, is a professor, having taught Greek, Systematic Theology, and various topics in the field of apologetics for numerous schools. To others he tasted bitter. Notice in verse 6 that the water of life which God gives is free. If our soul thirsts for God the way a deer pants for the flowing streams, if we have tasted enough of the beauty and love and power of Christ that we forget the things which lie behind and pursue him, if we deny our worldly thirst and take up our cross and thirst after Christ, then God will meet us on the other side of the desert as an all-satisfying fountain of life forever. Remember from our text in 21:8 the second death is the lake of fire. He's the oasis at the beginning of our life. Profitez de millions d'applications Android récentes, de jeux, de titres musicaux, de films, de séries, de livres, de magazines, et plus encore. All rights reserved. Omega. Augustana is a selective, private liberal arts and sciences college, founded in 1860 by Swedish settlers. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! while you’re reading the Bible. Revelation 20:10 says, "The devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. He who conquers shall not be hurt by the second death." He is the Alpha. All of life begins with the creative power of God. When God says thirst is a condition of salvation, he doesn't mean that everybody who would like to avoid hell and live for ever will be saved. Introduction June marks a season of endings and beginnings. That's everybody. The book of Genesis records life spans in the hundreds of years. Just think of it! The pottery has no beginning apart from the Potter, and in the end it will all serve the purposes of the Potter. Everything that is originates ultimately in him. You will need to register to be able to join in fellowship with Christians all over the world.. We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless! © Copyright 2002-2021 Got Questions Ministries. These are the people who were not thirsty for God. The other word in verse 7 that describes the person who will meet God as a fountain and not as a fire is the word conquer. He determines all possibilities. He is the first and the last and the all-encompassing reality: "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). Some reject the thought altogether; others say it is a temporary place of purification. In other words God is "the beginning and the end.". John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. God is not a piece of reality that you try to fit in with other pieces. See our full list of more than 400 student organizations for involvement opportunities. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Back in 2:10–11 Jesus had said to the church, "Fear not what you are about to suffer . Why is Jesus often referred to as Jesus of Nazareth? Conquering means getting victory over the forces which tempt us not to be faithful to Christ. He is author of. So when God says that he will give the water of the fountain of life to the thirsty, he means he will give it to those who desire it—those who have a taste for it and long for it and have turned away from the soul-beverages of the world. And so due to the willful cancer of their spiritual tongue they found no satisfaction in Christ. The justice and wisdom and power and goodness and truth of God are eternal reality. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its lights and its lamp is the Lamb.". Just like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, God will welcome us home to his eternal oasis with a bear hug and a kiss; he will put a ring on our finger and a robe on our back and shoes on our feet; he will prepare the most tender cut of beef and seat us at a never ending banquet. But when you pause to think that he never chose to be this way, nor did anyone else choose to make him this way, it staggers the mind. But the truth that I want us to focus on this morning is that God is Omega. What are the different names and titles of Jesus Christ. He is speaking of reality. The apostle Paul wrote that the church is to be the pillar and support of the truth (1 Tim 3:15).. In Revelation 21:6 God identifies himself as "Alpha and Omega." Even if you know you are saved in the raft with the Captain, the lightning and the thunder and the 80 foot waves and darkness and gale winds ought to fill you with shivering awe and a trembling gratitude that you were plucked out of the water. Get our Questions of the Week delivered right to your inbox! "Besides me there is no god!" All just for the thirsting. June 2021 – Be Still … God is the Alpha and Omega. The word "conquer" is used about a dozen times in Revelation to refer to the victory of the saints which brings them into the blessings of eternal life. The statement, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end," comes in a passage dealing with the end of history. In verse 6 it says, "To the thirsty I will give water without price from the fountain of the water of life." The question is not whether pastors have power, but what kind, how much, and how they use it. There never was a time when he was not. The 115-acre wooded campus is in Rock Island, Illinois, … Sorcerers: people who thirsted after magical powers and the "deep things of Satan" (Revelation 2:24). God means that everybody whose soul-thirst is really for God, and not for the praise and power and pleasures of the world, will be saved. The drive and focus of our ministry is to teach the Bible in its entirety with the goal of love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith (1 Tim 1:5). All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. 3. All this just for the thirsting! In other words, if we conquer all the competitors for our thirst and satisfy ourselves with Christ, we will gain the inheritance of eternal life. Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price." For those who conquer, for the thirsty, God is not the beginning and the end the way a river begins with a spring and ends in an ocean. All of us start in the same place. Notice in verse 7 that the water of life is the same as the reward of sonship. Thirst for Christ must conquer thirst for the world and all it offers. And everything will somehow end with him. Nobody can buy and sell with the currency of thirst. God is their end in the sense that they will finally meet God as Judge. Based on proximity and location, College of To some he tasted bland. An ocean is supplied and filled up with the rivers that flow into it. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. "And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. You will meet him as light and life or as fire and torment. A light of revelation to the Gentiles - A lo largo de nuestras vidas,uno llora sufre rie,,pasanmos por muchas cosas,pero les digo olvidemos el pasado y resivamos al manana con amor y con felicidad..fuerzas y esperanzas es lo uniko que nos queda. It is free for the thirsting. The Bible tells us that “God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” God will not give the precious water from the fountain of life to those who never developed a conquering thirst for him. Though the world rages around us, we can rest knowing that he is Lord. . Thirst is not a work. So the special focus in this text is on God as the omega of all things. Right Direction Church International, Columbia, SC. Find some serene moment of your life and let the truth take hold of you that God is the FIRST—the BEGINNING. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.'". I think that is the focus of our text in Revelation 21:6. God did not emerge out of many possibilities. Fornicators: people who thirsted after sexual pleasure in ways forbidden by Christ. Revelation 22:17 is a beautiful invitation to the thirsty: "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' No, for the thirsty, God is the beginning and the end the way a desert caravan begins at an oasis and ends at an oasis. And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price!" The Living Commentary electronic study Bible includes five decades of Andrew Wommack’s personal study notes on over 25,000 scriptures. All causes of depression and anxiety and guilt, and all hindrances to joy and wonder and childlike delight will vanish. God really is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. And we need to know what that division is, because in the end everything depends on it. All other attempts to have the last word will fail. I pray that God will give us the eyes to see the staggering alternatives at the brink of eternity. There are many Christians today, not to mention people who reject Christianity, who do not believe in the eternality of hell. Also he said, 'Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true,' And he said to me, 'It is done! They do not believe that the lake of fire is anybody's omega. One person meets the Omega as a fountain of life, and the other meets him as a lake of fire. For millions and billions and trillions of unending years God existed and never had a beginning. And let him who hears say, 'Come.' The one who is Alpha and Omega, God the Almighty, has pledged himself to take away every pain and every threat of death and everything that makes you cry. Then they take the forbidden southern route by the shallow streams of faithlessness, far from the narrow path of God. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." "He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son." "To the thirsty I will give water without price." To be the child of God is a benefit that nothing in the world can compare to. . When a person crosses a desert and comes gasping to the oasis on the far side, and hears the words, "To the thirsty I will give water,"—no one in that situation says to the oasis owner, "You drive a hard bargain." He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. He is the beginning. If we put the condition of thirst and the condition of conquering together, the picture we get is something like this: There is a battle going on in every one of us. Alpha and Omega Ministries is a Christian apologetics organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. "And he who sat upon the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' If there is any thirst for Christ in you at all, I urge you with all earnestness to stir it up. They have their beginning in God's oasis of life. Everybody is thirsty in that sense. And even though he may seem as far away as moon-cheese for the self-satisfied, in the end he will be utterly real to every man, woman, and child—gloriously real to the thirsty and terrifyingly real to the self-satisfied. The first characteristic of the person who will meet God as a fountain instead of a fire is that he is thirsty. The thirst for this world conquered the thirst for Christ, and so their lot will be in the lake that burns with fire. Look at verse 8. And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever; and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.". It means that you become an heir of all that God owns. Recognize that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you. Reflect on the infinitely sweet truth of verse 4. They were cowardly and faithless. What does it mean that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords? And in their place he will put a never-ending joy that will surpass the happiest vacation you ever had. So the Spirit says, "Come!" It is reality. In other words, since everything comes from God and nothing will outlast God, therefore God has no final competitors. Don't be cowards, have faith! He is never out of reach for the thirsty. And all liars: People who thirsted not for the future God would bring them through the integrity of faith, but for the future they could create through all kinds of deceit. Alpha and Omega Ministries is a Christian apologetics organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. Student Organizations Center for Student Involvement | Find the student organization that’s right for you! But instead of an oasis of eternal life, they find a lake that burns with fire. But the end of every road is God. Revelation 21:6–7 uses two words to describe the person who will meet God as a fountain of life. The statement, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end," comes in a passage dealing with the end of history. People whose thirst has driven them away from the shallow streams of sin to the deep oasis at the far side of the desert—these are the ones to whom God will give to drink of the water of life forever. We might marvel that God is infinite, eternal, and unchanging in his justice, wisdom, power, goodness, and truth. God is a never-ending omega for every man: either as a fountain of eternal life or as a winepress of wrath and a lake of fire.