"Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Alpha and Omega"
Letter to the Editor:
GOD'S MESSAGE, October 2007, P.4
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
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."
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