Interesting Questions-01
"Alpha and Omega, Lord of Lords,
King of Kings"
Letter to the Editor:
GOD'S MESSAGE, October 2007, P.4
I WONDER HOW on earth you could teach that
Jesus Christ is a "mere man," when the verses in the Bible clearly
reveal that He has the same names and titles as God the Father.
Revelation 1:8 for instance states that the Almighty God is "Alpha
and Omega" and in chapter 22 verses 12 to 16 of the same book,
Christ is also designated as "Alpha and Omega." Aside from that the
titles "Lord of Lords" and King of Kings" which are attributed to
the Father (I Tim. 6:15) are also ascribed to Christ
(Rev. 17:14). Doesn't all of these show that Christ is God?
Emil S. Rabanal
Georgetown, Grand Cayman Islands
Editor's reply:
Thank you for writing us.
That Christ is also
called "Alpha and Omega," "Lord of Lords," and "King of Kings" like
the Father is indeed used by some theologians, especially the
Trinitarians, as a basis for their belief that Christ is also God.
In subscribing to this line of reasoning, however, Trinitarians
would have to explain why the Holy Spirit, which they believe to be
co-equal to God of the Father and the Son in power and honor, is not
called by such titles. Moreover, if being called by the same title
make two or more persons share the same state of being, then Peter
would qualify to be God in the sane way as Christ is claimed to be
God, for Peter has the same title "Cephas" or
"stone" (John 1:35-42) as Christ (Acts 4:10-11). Not only that, this
line of thinking would also make all Christians God for they too are
called in the Bible as "living stones" (I Pet. 2:4-5).
Others might retort that
Christ's being stone is different from that of Peter and other
Christians. That is correct, and that is precisely the point why
Christ could not be God just because He is called by the same titles
as God--"Alpha and Omega," "Lord of Lords'" and "King of Kings".
Alpha and Omega", the first
and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, signify "first and
last". Such titles are used both of God ad Jesus Christ, in distinct
and dissimilar senses that they are called such.
The Lord God is "Alpha"
because all things came from Him (I Cor.. 8:6). He is "Omega" since
He set the day of Judgment (Act 17:31; I Cor. 15:28) or the "end of
the age" (Mat. 24:3).
On the other hand, Christ is "Alpha" because He is
the "first born of every creature" (Col.1:15, King James Version),
for He was already "foreknown" or in the mind of God even "before
the foundation of the world" (I Peter 1:20, Douay-Confraternity
Version). He is "Omega" because it is through Him that God will
judge the world on Judgment Day (II Cor.5:10).
Why is Christ called
"Lord of Lords" and "King of Kings"? The Bible explains that
when the end comes, Christ will definitely "reign" as He will "put
an end to all rule, authority, and power".:
"Then comes the end, when He
delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end
to all rule and all authority and power. For He
must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet." (I
Cor.15:24-25, New King James Version)
To illustrate that
Christ's
"Lordship' and "Kingship" are subordinate to God
and are thus unlike
that of God who is the Father, the Bible continuous, thus:
"For the scriptures says, 'God
put all things under His feet'. It is clear of course, that the
words 'all things' do not include God himself, who put all things
under Christ. But when all things have been placed under Christ's
rule, then he himself, the Son, will place himself under
God, who placed all things under him; and God will
rule completely overall." (I Cor.15:27-28, Today's English
Version)
Therefore, inasmuch as the use
of "Alpha and Omega," "Lord of Lords," and "King of Kings" for God
and for Christ differ in meaning and in sense, to argue that Christ
is God because He (Christ) holds such titles is to offer a false
argument and an erroneous form of reasoning which logicians call
"fallacy of equivocation."
___________________
Note: Some words and
phrases are in italics for emphasis.