Jesus Is the Authority

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)
 
We need to focus on four characteristics of Jesus in this verse to better understand the authority that Jesus has in our lives.  
 

1. Alpha and Omega

The Lord describes Himself as the “Alpha and the Omega.” This is a picture of authority. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In essence, He is saying, “I am the beginning. I am the end. I hold the bookends. I am the authority.” 
 

2. Who is, Who was, and Who is to Come 

The second way Jesus describes Himself is the one, “Who is, who was, and who is to come.” In other words, He is describing every aspect of any dimension you have ever lived in, or will ever live in, during the past, present, or future. He is the authority. No government is the authority, no political power or country is the authority. It is Jesus and Jesus alone! When we choose to align ourselves with Him, we are saying, “Lord, I don't want to live separately from your authority. I want to live underneath your authority.” 
 

3. The Almighty

Unless you are familiar with the Greek language, you will miss this next descriptor. There is a small article that is used three different times in the first chapter of Revelation. It is rarely used like this, but in this passage, it is used with great emphasis three times. As you know, “three” is a description of the Trinity. You don't have to know the Greek text here, but if you could read it, you would see this phrase, “ho pantokrator,” which translates as “The Almighty.” To keep it simple, this is the way Jesus is letting us know He is The Almighty. He is Lord. 
 

4. The First and the Last

Once again, Jesus is emphasizing that He is the Lord God. God is totally in charge. He is in total control, regardless of what anyone says and regardless of what is happening around you. If you think this world is out of control and it seems to be haywire (and your life is like that), you need to understand that it is not. He is in total control of everything. Everything and everyone come underneath His authority.