We use the word ‘counselor’ to either mean a legal advisor like a lawyer or one who gives other advice about how to live life. We have marriage counselors, financial counselors or advisors, school counselors and some go to psychiatrists or psychologists who are also counselors. We may have a friend who is a counselor and listens to our troubles and then gives us advice. As helpful as any of these may be they cannot compare with Jesus.

In Isaiah 9:6 a prophecy about Christ is given that supplies several descriptions of the Messiah. Depending on the translation’s punctuation there are 4 or 5. It is said he will be Wonderful/Marvelous Counselor. Some break this into two and some combine it to make 1. Regardless he is a marvelous, wonderful counselor because he doesn’t just advise and counsel us on money or education. He is not even limited to helping repair marriages or overcome life problems. He is the greatest counselor of all because he counsels us spiritually on how to receive and maintain spiritual life and continue that life for ever. Now what other counselor could compare with that?

Psalm 33:11 says “The counsel of the LORD stands forever,...” Psalms 16, 32, 73, 106, and 119 all speak of God and his word counseling us. In Acts 20:27 Paul says that he acting on God’s behalf shared with those from Ephesus the whole counsel of God. These are general and no specific counsel is mentioned, but in the letter to Laodicea in Revelation 3 Jesus gives some very specific counsel. To a church that thought it was rich and prospering and had everything it needed he revealed her true spiritual condition. The church was wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. One of the most important roles of a counselor is to help us see the truth about ourselves and then to help us find the way to improve. Jesus further counseled them to get spiritual gold and clothes and eye salve from him to fix their spiritual condition. 

What advice do you and I need from our wonderful counselor? Will we listen to what he tells us and make the changes necessary to improve our spiritual condition? Peter was correct when he said to Jesus, “To whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life.” Let’s go to Jesus for counsel instead of listening to the worldly advice that comes from Satan.

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In Revelation 19:11-16 there is a vision of Christ riding out on a white horse to make war and conquer Satan’s forces. Of course, it is all just a formality, really, since Jesus defeated Satan through his death and resurrection. It seems odd to think of someone winning by dying, but that was the way God had it planned.

In conquering Satan, Christ saved us from the fear of death and from enslavement to sin. As we remember our country’s military sacrifice on Memorial Day, it seems appropriate to think about how they made it possible for us to live in safety without fear of death or capture at the hands of a human enemy. Of course Christ’s conquering goes far beyond human war and human enemies, to our greatest foe, Satan and his desire to have us spend eternity in Hell with him.

In addition to conquering Jesus does something no human military can do for others. He makes us conquerors as well. Romans 8:37 says that we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Jesus also makes a promise for us if we conquer as he has. In Revelation 3:21 he will allow those who conquer to sit with him on his throne, just like he conquered and sat on the throne of his Father.

Many throughout history have died so that others might live, but only Jesus died so that we can live forever. The battle is not over for us, even though Jesus has already conquered, we are still at war. Revelation 17 paints an image of a battle that had not taken place in John’s day, but is now in the past. The same kind of battle is fought again and again by Satan’s forces against the Lamb of God and his people. Revelation 17:14 says, “They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

Those on the Lord’s side will conquer with him. Whose side are you fighting on? Have you allowed Jesus to conquer your will? Are you conquering Satan with Jesus’ help?

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Revelation 21:6 and 22:13 both say that Christ is the beginning and the end. Of course this is equivalent to what is said in the song, “He Is My Everything”. There is no doubt that Jesus is the beginning of all things. In Hebrews 1:8-12 the Father says of Jesus, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;” We know Jesus created all things and in the physical world he is certainly the beginning of all things. 

1 John 2:13-14 John refers to Jesus twice as the one who is from the beginning. And in John 1:1-3 he makes it clear that Jesus, the Word is God and has been from eternity.

Paul tells the Colossians in 1:18 that he is our beginning in a spiritual sense because he is the firstborn from the dead, in other words, his resurrection will make ours possible. 

In so many ways he is the beginning. He is the beginning for the church and the new law. He is the beginning of all physical life and all spiritual life and hope for eternal life.

On the other hand, he is the end in so many ways. He brought an end to the power of death. He brought an end to Satan’s power. Romans 10:4 tells us Christ is the end of the law (the Law of Moses) for all who believe. He is or will be the end to this world as well when the time comes according to 1 Corinthians 15:24 at that time Christ will end his reign and return the kingdom to the Father.

​Christ is without a doubt both beginning and end in these ways and many other ways that we don’t understand or know about. He can end your old way of life and give you a new life of righteousness. Is Christ your beginning? Is Christ your end?

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​There is some confusion among those who claim to follow Christ and one point of disagreement is his eternal nature. The title above quoted from Revelation 3:14  “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.’” Is one of the verses that some misunderstand. 

As we read this phrase it sounds like Christ was the first thing that God created and some think because of this that Christ is a created being and don’t recognize him as God because of this verse and others like it. Is that what this verse means? Absolutely not! There are too many verses that clearly state that Jesus was born of a woman, but that before that he was known as the Word who was with God and was God and that he has no beginning nor any ending.

If it doesn’t mean that what does it mean? It is similar to what is taught in Colossians 1:16-17 and John 1:3 That Christ began the creation. In fact, “Plummer and many other able scholars declare the second meaning to be the one intended here. ‘The words mean, the one from whom creation took its beginning.’”(Coffman Commentary) So rather than proclaiming him to be a created being himself this verse indicates that he is the source of all created things. We should find the harmony of scriptures with English translations that appear to contradict. God doesn’t contradict himself. When we think there is a contradiction it is our lack of understanding or poor translation or some other problem that has caused it. 

Christ is not only the beginning of the physical creation, but also of the spiritual creation of his kingdom and all of its citizens. Christ created us twice once physically and once spiritually. We await his final creation when we are recreated to live in Heaven with him. 

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​Contrary to what some might believe, “amen” doesn’t mean “the end”, even though we most often hear it at the end of a prayer or at the end of one of the Bible books. Wayne Jackson explains: “The Hebrew word, amen, means “surely, indeed, truly.” It derives from a root form, aman, which signifies “to be firm, steady, trustworthy, faithful” (again, the context can suggest which of these shades of meaning is most appropriate in a particular setting).”  (https://www.christian courier.com/articles/ 376-what-does-amen-mean)

In Revelation 3:14 Jesus calls Himself by this epithet,  “And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;” Many of us don’t know the meaning and significance of our names, but many other cultures are very careful about naming babies and know the meaning of those names. Jesus does not claim names for no reason. Every name or description that we see given to Him is for a reason and Amen is no exception.

Let us look to Jesus the one who is surely firm, indeed steady, and truly trustworthy and faithful. Many could be said to be trustworthy or faithful, but Christ is the definition of trustworthiness and faithfulness. We can depend upon Him and He will never fail us. On the other hand, we are not as trustworthy, but He is our example and we should all make every effort to be more like Him. Are you faithful to the Faithful One, the Amen?

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Four times in Revelation (1:8; 1:11; 21:6; 22:13) Jesus refers to himself as the “Alpha and Omega”. You probably have heard that these are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, in fact our word ‘alphabet’ comes from ‘alpha’ and the second letter ‘beta’ which are also similar to the first 2 letters in Hebrew ‘aleph’ and ‘beth’. When we think of Jesus saying this as he does in Revelation 22:13, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” What do we think he means by this phrase? Obviously Jesus was not two letters of the Greek alphabet and it is clearly a figurative description, but what?

We use a phrase about how something is all-inclusive that is similar to this. When talking about the animals from A to Z or how you can get anything from A to Z from Amazon.com. What we are saying is that this is all of it, everything. That is what Jesus is saying about himself here. There is a song I remember singing, “He Is My Everything”, that expressed this idea and encouraged us to help others see their need for Jesus to be their all as well. 

Just as God is described as the One who gives us all things and in whom we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:25-28), Jesus is described in Colossians 1:16-17 as having all things created by and for him and being the one who holds all things together. Whatever you need from A to Z, Jesus is the one who can provide it. Have you made Jesus your everything. Like the youth song says do you believe and live the words: “You are my strength when I am weak,  You are the treasure that I seek, You are my all in all. Seeking You as a precious jewel, Lord to give up I’d be a fool. You are my all in all.”

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