The first and the last
The Old Testament
Thus says the LORD, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the LORD of Hosts: “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God but Me.”
Isaiah 44:6
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In the New Testament
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.”
Revelation 1:17
BSB
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Read the full text (4 verses)
This is what the LORD, the King of Israel, says: I am the first and I am the last; there is no God besides me.
In Isaiah this is how the one God names himself, over against the idols. In Revelation the risen Jesus uses exactly these words of himself, with an addition that would have been unthinkable in Isaiah: I am he that liveth, and was dead. At the end of the book he adds 'I am Alpha and Omega'.
What Jesus said about it
- The keysDo not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I…Revelation 1:17 and 18
- All things newBehold, I make all things new. … I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To…Revelation 21:5 and 6