Beginning and the End

Alpha & Omega

Definition

The term Alpha and Omega comes from the phrase "I am the alpha and the omega" (Koiné Greek: τὸ Α καὶ τὸ Ω), an appellation of Jesus^[2] in the Book of Revelation (verses 1:8, 21:6, and 22:13). The first part of this phrase ("I am the Alpha and Omega") is first found in Chapter 1 verse 8, and is found in every manuscript of Revelation that has 1v8. Several later manuscripts repeat "I am the Alpha and Omega" in 1v11 too, but it does not receive support here from most of the oldest manuscripts, including the Alexandrine, Sinaitic, and Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus. It is, therefore, omitted in some modern translations. Scholar Robert Young stated, with regard to "I am the Alpha and Omega" in 1v11, that the "oldest [manuscripts] omit" it.^[3]Its meaning is found in the fact that alpha (Α) and omega (Ω) are respectively the first and last letters of the Classical (Ionic) Greek alphabet. This would be similar to referring to someone in English as the "A and Z". Thus, twice when the title appears it is further clarified with the additional title "the beginning and the end" (Revelation 21:6, 22:13).

What does the Bible say? 

Revelation 1:8   8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”   
Revelation 21:6  And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 
Isaiah 44:6  Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. 
Isaiah 48:12 “Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last. 

Personally......

Today marks the final entry for the A-Z Challenge. I hope that my posts regarding the attributes of God have been a benefit to you and that you see Him in the light of the Scriptures. There are many things said about God that just aren't true. God is Just, Holy and Perfect. He sacrificed His Son to take on all the sins of the world and pay our penalty. No amount of good deeds can make us right with God. We must acknowledge our rebellion against Him as we have done things our own way. When accept Jesus Christ, follow Him, and turn from our selfish ways we become God's child and live with Him forever. If you have more questions on this topic my ministry website is: www.healingwoundedhearts.net 

Road to Emmaus - Movie

Y is for Yahweh

Definition

yah·weh  

/ˈyäˌwā/

Noun

A form of the Hebrew name of God used in the Bible. The name came to be regarded by Jews (c.300 bc) as too sacred to be spoken,..

What does the Bible say?

The answer is provided by www.gotquestions.org

Question: "What is YHWH? What is the tetragrammaton?"

Answer: The ancient Hebrew language that the Hebrew Scriptures were written in did not have vowels. In the original Hebrew, God’s name is given as "YHWH." This is known as the tetragrammaton. Because of the lack of vowels, Bible scholars debate how the tetragrammaton “YHWH” was pronounced.

Contrary to what some Christians (and at least one cult that uses this name) believe, “Jehovah” is probably not the Divine Name revealed to Israel. Due to the Jewish fear of accidentally taking God’s Name in vain (Leviticus 24:16), they basically quit saying it out-loud altogether. Instead, when reading, they substituted the actual tetragrammaton (which is only the consonants of the Divine Name “YHWH” since Hebrew is not usually written with vowels included) with the word Adonai (Lord). Even in the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament) the translators substituted Kurios (Lord) for the Divine Name. Eventually the vowels from Adonai (“Lord”) or Elohim (“God”) found their way into the consonants YHWH, thus forming “YaHWeH.” But this does not mean that was how God’s Name was originally pronounced.

Any number of vowel combinations are possible, and the Jews are as uncertain of the real pronunciation as are Christians. “Jehovah” is actually a much later (probably 16th century) variant in Latin. Here, the “Y” is substituted with a “J” (Hebrew does not even have a “J” sound), and the “W” with a “V,” plus another vowel combination, resulting in “JeHoVaH.” This vowel combination is composed of the abbreviated forms of the imperfect, the participle, and the perfect of the Hebrew being verb (English “is”) - thus the meaning of Jehovah could be said to be "he who will be, is, and has been."

So, what is God's name and what does it mean? The most likely choice for how the tetragrammaton was pronounced is "Yahweh" or something very similar to that. The name "Yahweh" refers to God's self-existence. "Yahweh" is linked with how God described Himself in Exodus 3:14, "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God's name is a reflection of His being. God is the only self-existent / self-sufficient Being in the universe. Only God has life in and of Himself. That is the essential meaning of the tetragrammaton / YHWH / Yahweh.

If I flee on morning wings (with Lyrics)  performed by Fernando Ortega

X

X is for the Abbreviation X

Definition

X, the twenty fourth letter of the English Alphabet, is borrowed from the Greek. In the middle and at the end of words, it has the sound of ks, as in wax, lax, luxury. At the beginning of a word, it has precisely the sound of z. It is used as an initial, in a few words borrowed from the Greek.

As a numeral, X stands for ten. It represents one V, which stands for five, placed on the top of another. When laid horizontally it stands for a thousand, and with a dash over it, it stands for ten thousand.  

As an abbreviation, X. Stands for Christ, and in Xn. Christian; Xm. Christmas.

What does the Bible say?

Esther 1:1  This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush:

Personally......

According to the 1828 Webster's dictionary there was only 13 words entered at that time. The only word I found in the Bible was the name Xerxes who was King of Persia and husband of Queen Esther. I do have the urge to change up my Christmas Cards and somehow incorporate the abbreviations. How about this?
Merry Xm!     X is born   or maybe not......

"See What A Morning"
Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
As recorded on Irish Hymns 2
Copyright © 2003 Kingsway Thankyou Music

Wrath

W is for Wrath

Definition 

WRATH, n. [L.]

1. Violent anger; vehement exasperation; indignation; as the wrath of Achilles.

When the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased--Esther 2.

O Lord--in wrath remember mercy. Habakkuk 3.

2. The effects of anger. Proverbs 27.

3. The just punishment of an offense or crime. Romans 8.

Gods wrath, in Scripture, is his holy and just indignation against sin. Romans 1.

What does the Bible say? 

John 3:36  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.                                                                          

Hebrews 9:22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.                                                                      

Romans 5:10  For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.                                          

John 15:6  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.                                                          

Galatians 2:16  Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.                             

Romans 3:23  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God                                              

John 14:6  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.                                               

John 20:31  But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Personally.....

 This is a heavy blog today, I know. My goal is simply to share the truth as it is revealed in the Bible. The good thing here is that there is hope in Jesus Christ. It's true that no one can love more than God in that He sent His only Son to die for our sins out of love so that we could share eternity with Him!

 

The Son of God Came Down performed by  Sovereign Grace

 

Victorious

V is for Victorious

Definition

VICTO'RIOUS, a.

1. Having conquered in battle or contest; having overcome an enemy or antagonist; conquering; vanquishing; as a victorious general; victorious troops; a victorious admiral or navy.

2. That produces conquest; as a victorious day.

3. Emblematic of conquest; indicating victory; as brows bound with victorious wreaths.

What does the Bible say? 

Psalm 18:35

 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.

1 Corinthians 15:54-58

  54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

John 6:33  ³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Personally.....

I know that the battles of life are not mine to fight and that I can rest in the fact that God is in control and that the battle against Satan is won.  I may still struggle in life but I can lay them at the cross where the victory lies!

It Is Not Death To Die - Sovereign Grace

 

 

 

Unfathomable

U is for Unfathomable

Definition

UNFATH'OMABLE, a.

1. That cannot be sounded by a line; as an unfathomable lake.

2. So deep or remote that the limit or extent cannot be found. The designs of Providence are often unfathomable.

What does the Bible say?

Romans 11:33  Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
John 1:3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
1John 4:9-10 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Personally.....

What better way to use such a word but in the context of expressing who God is. It's hard for me to wrap my brain around how great He is. This is why I trust Him. He knows me better than I know myself. He cares for me in a way no human being can. I hope you believe this too.

Truth

T is for Truth

Definition

TRUTH, n.

1. Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be. The truth of history constitutes its whole value. We rely on the truth of the scriptural prophecies.

My mouth shall speak truth. Prov.8.

Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth. John. 17.

2. True state of facts or things. The duty of a court of justice is to discover the truth. Witnesses are sworn to declare the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

3. Conformity of words to thoughts, which is called moral truth.

Shall truth fail to keep her word?

4. Veracity; purity from falsehood; practice of speaking truth; habitual disposition to speak truth; as when we say, a man is a man of truth.

5. Correct opinion.

6. Fidelity; constancy.

The thoughts of past pleasure and truth.

7. Honesty; virtue.

It must appear

That malice bears down truth.

8. Exactness; conformity to rule.

Plows, to go true, depend much on the truth of the iron work. [Not in use.]

9. Real fact of just principle; real state of things. There are innumerable truths with which we are not acquainted.
10. Sincerity.

God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4.
 11. The truth of God, is his veracity and faithfulness. Psalm 71.

Or his revealed will.  I have walked in thy truth. Ps.26. 

12. Jesus Christ is called the truth. John 14.
13. It is sometimes used by way of concession. She said, truth, Lord; yet the dogs eat of the crumbs-- Matt 15.

That is, it is a truth; what you have said, I admit to be true.In truth, in reality; in fact.

Of a truth, in reality; certainly.To do truth, is to practice what God commands. John 3.

Personally.....

The definition of truth posted today is taken straight out of Webster's Dictionary (1828). Back in those days scripture was an everyday part of life for the majority of people. Unfortunately, today we don't have such liberty. With so much dysfunction, deception, and immoral activity going on it is hard to even decipher truth. Life's reality can be seen clearly in the pages of the Bible. Every word is God-breathed and can be trusted. 2Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 

There is a Fountain performed by Selah