God as the “First and the Last” in Isaiah and Revelation

We began by reading Isaiah 44:1-4, emphasizing God’s creation and support of Jacob/Israel. God promises to pour out His Spirit and blessings on Israel, likening them to flourishing plants.

The historical context of Isaiah’s prophecy was that Assyria had invaded and carried away the Israelites of the northern part of Israel. God reminds the remnant of Judah of His omniscience and control over past, present, and future events, challenging all others to foretell as accurately as He has.

We then read Isaiah 46:8-11, which emphasizes God’s ability to foretell and fulfill His purposes. Isaiah explains God’s plan to bring salvation to Zion through “a man from the East,” hinting at Cyrus. In the passage God also warns of the stubbornness of Israel and reminds Judah of His foreknowledge of their actions. He mentions the delay of His wrath for His own name’s sake and the refining of Israel through affliction.

We then read Isaiah 48:1-9, another passage discussing Israel’s stubbornness and God’s foretelling of their actions as well as God’s delay of wrath for His own praise and the testing of Israel’s loyalty.

In that passage Isaiah highlights God’s identity as “the first and the last,” creator of the earth and heavens. He mentions that a man named “Cyrus” would fulfill God’s purpose against Babylon.

We went on to read Revelation 1:8, which identifies God as “the Alpha and Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” John sees in his vision “one like a Son of Man,” wearing what appears to be a priestly garment. He possesses attributes like those attributed to God in Ezekiel’s early visions.

We find Jesus Revelation 2:8-10, identifying Himself as the “First and the Last,” who was dead and now lives forever. He discusses the afflictions and poverty of the Smyrna church and He promises them life as a victor’s crown. This passage is the first place the concept of “the second death” is mentioned in the Bible.

Revelation 22: The Time is Near

In Revelation 22:10, the angel instructs John not to seal up the prophecy because “the time is near.” What time is near? The book of Revelation was written to inform the churches that the time of persecution as the fulfillment of Jesus’ Olivet Prophecy (Matthew 24) was about to begin in earnest and would continue until Jesus’ return.

However, Jesus will bring restoration and the ultimate victory of the faithful at the right time.

Finally, we revisited Isaiah 44:24-28, highlighting God’s prophecy about Cyrus. We noted that Isaiah prophesied about Cyrus 150 years before Cyrus’ birth, foretelling his role in rebuilding Jerusalem.

God has long-term perspective of prophecy and its fulfillment in history. We noted that the prediction of Jerusalem’s destruction and God’s plan to restore it was uttered by Isaiah well before Jerusalem even fell to Babylon. The book of Revelation highlights the role of Jesus Christ, as “First and Last,” in prophesying and ensuring the fulfillment of God’s will.

Understanding the context of Isaiah’s passages of God as “the First and the Last” enables us to see the continuity of the prophetic stream of the Bible. It also gives us a further indication that Jesus Christ is literally God in the flesh. His ability to proclaim “the end from the beginning” is an important attribute of God, as expressed by Jesus Christ in revealing all of the events listed in the Revelation, as recorded by John in the letter by that name.

We can trust Jesus, as the First and the Last, the Alpha and Omega, to deliver everything that He promises to the church if we hold fast to Him, no matter what happens to us.