THE ALPHA

The first alphabets were pictographs in which the object was symbolized by a simple drawing of the object itself. This proved to be difficult to use on three counts: it was hard to portray abstract concepts; the pictograph gave no clue as to pronunciation; and every object needed a separate symbol, producing an alphabet with thousands of letters. Thus, it was helpful to develop symbols which represented distinct sounds. When linked with other letters, words were formed and alphabets became versatile tools for communication.

Stand agape at the crammed shelves upon shelves of a major library. Yet, assuming a common family of languages, every book amongst the multiplied thousands is composed by merely rearranging those few dozen or so letters into words and phrases, clauses, sentences and paragraphs.

All you want to say should be possible by combining the letters of the alphabet. Thus, when God’s Son calls Himself ‘the Alpha’ we know that the living Word is everything God wants to say to humanity. ‘The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth’, John 1.14.

Not limited to one picture, the Father had searched the universe to find ways to bring home to our hearts how complete the Lord Jesus is in His blessed person. He is the water and bread of nourishment; the corner and headstone of architecture; the sparrow and owl of ornithology; the lion and lamb of zoology; the sun and star of astronomy - divine pen portraits are almost innumerable.

The Alpha, like all letter combinations that make words, is the audible expression of a hidden concept. It is the means of transporting an idea, a thought, from one mind to another. But our Lord has done more than transfer one idea from God to man, for ‘Who hath known the mind of the Lord? ... But we have the mind of Christ’, 1 Cor. 2.16.

It is highly appropriate that twice at the beginning of the Revelation and twice at the end the Lord calls Himself Alpha and Omega, 1. 8,11; 21. 6; 22.13. What more can God say?