There Is None Like Him

THERE IS NONE LIKE HIM

TEXT: REVELATION 1:8-20 W. Max Alderman

INTRODUCTION: The intelligent eternality of God is seen in this eighth verse as Christ reveals Himself as the Alpha and Omega. With Him being such, He is qualified to communicate to all people-groups, of all ages, as the Almighty. Every Hebrew event that took place that involved the Almighty One, such as the parting of the Red Sea, the fall of the walls of Jericho, the slaying of Goliath, the preserving of the three Hebrew children, the protection of Daniel while in the den of Lions, and making the sun stand still, are examples that demonstrated that He truly is the Almighty One. The nation of Israel, by their continually witnessing the power of God being displayed, knew that He was the Almighty One.

In our text the Almighty is revealed as being the LORD of the Old Testament even as He is here. We know this to be true because He introduces Himself as the one “which is, and which was, and which is to come, the almighty.” The Jews will one day recognize and accept Christ Jesus as the one whom they pierced.

When He gives His proper name as being Alpha and Omega, He is using the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet. Every word that can be constructed has its origin in its alphabet. He is the Alphabet, and with this being so, He reveals to mankind all that which would have been spoken by the Father. This is a reason that Jesus uses His name Word in John 1:1. This truth is also indicated in the Book of Hebrews when it says, “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;’ (Hebrews 1:2-3).

As the Almighty, God is in control; He has His hands on everything. Look at the meaning of His name Almighty and how it is used in our text. Almighty is pantokrater, "the one who has his hand on everything;" this word is used ten times in the New Testament, and nine of the ten occurrences are found in Revelation. (Guzik).

It very well could be that the Lord wanted the tribulation saints to know from the beginning of Revelation that He is absolutely in control; He has His hands on everything. As we watch our news, we can see how a national or worldwide event can capture our attention for days or even weeks at a time. Such an event can cause panic to grip our hearts, and cause millions of people to sink into deep despair. Such happened when parts of Asia were devastated by the Tsunami. As awful as this may have been, when the tribulation begins, there will have been no past occurrences in history to compare to the events that will be taking place then. Panic and pandemonium will grip the world. With this entire happening, God will still absolutely be in control. The ancient of days has always been in control. Yet He still will allow these events to transpire to perform His ultimate purpose in judging the world and mankind because of sin.

I. THE GREAT COMMENCEMENT OF THE REVELATION PROPHECY. (Vv 8-11).

John was going to show how, where, and when he was commissioned to write the Book of Revelation. As he introduced himself, he was very careful not to exalt himself. Again, this is significant because John wanted to reveal Christ instead of reveal himself.

This first chapter is laying the groundwork to prove to the honest seeker of Truth that this Revelation Book is absolutely reliable. It also is going to identify the change that has taken place when Christ took upon Himself a transfigured, glorified body. His body that is being described here will appear very strange, but keep in mind that each descriptive term is going to reveal something about God’s attitude towards sin and how sinful man is to be judged. This is a very revealing portion of Scripture as it reveals Christ. Also continue to remember that Revelation is the revealing of Christ as the Almighty One. It is He who will be seen having the keys of hell and death.

A. Commenced With John Being Introduced As The Writer. (Vv 8, 9)

Though John was selected to write this Book from the isle of Patmos, which was located southwest of Ephesus on the Aegean Sea, he wanted to make his readers immediately know that he was not the person to be worshiped. He told them that he was John who is also “your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ”. In verse number nine, John made it clear that he was there for the “word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ”.