In this episode of “Offending the Jehovah’s Witnesses,” our response to DefendingJehovahsWitnesses.Blogspot.com, we are going to cover their “explanation” of how both Jehovah and Jesus are referred to as “the First and the Last.”

DefendingJehovahsWitnesses.Blogspot.com is a front of JW.org, the official website of the Watchtower Society. Instead of being honest and admitting that the Governing Body is purposely trying to respond to criticisms of their organization, the website is hosted by “Elijah Daniels” who otherwise cannot be found on Google or contacted. Their website does not allow comments, so we respond here as a means to make people aware of the lies taught by the Governing Body of the organization.

For those unaware of what they say and its immediate context here it is:

Some trinitarians attempt to prove their “Jehovah is Jesus” idea by pointing to Rev. 1:8 where God is clearly called “Alpha and Omega” and then saying that Jesus claims the same title at Rev. 22:13…Since Jehovah is clearly Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:8), they say, and Jesus is Alpha and Omega (Rev. 22:13), then Jesus IS Jehovah!

As you probably know, the original Bible writers didn’t use any punctuation or capitalization and frequently ran the words of one speaker right into those of another speaker without any warning or indication…

John is identified as the speaker in 22:8. The angel speaks in (:9). The angel apparently continues speaking in (:10). The angel may be still speaking in (:11) — or it could be John or even someone else (as implied in verse 10 in the NAB,1970 ed.).

Now is the angel still speaking in (:12) or is it God, or is it Jesus, or even John?

There is simply no way of telling who the speaker is from any of the early Bible manuscripts.

In short their argument amounts to this: Jesus is not being referred to in Rev 22:13 because there is “doubt” as to who is the “I” in the sentence: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Is their argument true? Do we not know with certainty who is the “I” in Rev 22:13.

That’s hogwash! The reader does not even need a whole lot of context to figure it out, simply read the sentence before to know who is speaking:

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega…”(Rev 22:12-13).

Is John coming back quickly to judge? No. Is the Father coming back to judge? Well, on first glance, the answer might be “maybe.”

But here’s the real answer: NO. As we covered in a preceding episode of “Offending the Jehovah’s Witnesses” such an assertion holds no weight and is easily contradicted by the Scripture: “Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead” (2 Tim 4:1).

Further, isn’t the New Testament replete with references to “the second coming of Christ?” In light of all of this, isn’t it patently obvious that it is Christ that is coming back quickly to judge, that His reward is making His enemies His footstool, and He is indeed the Alpha and Omega?

Just in case there is confusion as to who is speaking even still, verse 16 nails it: “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches” (Rev 22:16). This makes the the speakers in Rev 22 the following:

Rev 22:6-11 the angel is speaking.

Rev 22:12-16 Jesus Christ is speaking.

John, the Father, and neither the angel or Jesus Christ speak on top of one another. They are clearly speaking in turn.

The Governing Body, erm, I mean “Elijah Daniels” raises one more objection: Rev 21:5-7 refers to God the Father. If God the Father is the Alpha and Omega, then Jesus Christ cannot be the Alpha and Omega.

The following is the verse in question:

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son (Rev 21:5-7).

Where does the verse say the Father is being addressed? Isn’t it Christ who gives us “the water of life?”  Jesus Christ says in John 4:13: “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Now, here’s the zinger in John 4. Earlier the Gospel of John reports: “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.'” (John 4:10). God is the one who gives the gift of the water in verse 10. Jesus then says “I” give the water in verse 13. Clearly, Christ is the one and only God referred to in verse 10!

“Elijah Daniels” asserts that “My son” in Rev 21:7 is a reference to Jesus, thus showing that the Alpha and Omega is not the Son. However, Christ does not “overcome” the tribulations in Revelation. He is in heaven until His second coming. So, the “son” is a reference to Christian believers being adopted as children of God by faith in Christ (Gal 3:26).

One last passage in Revelation is relevant. See Rev 1:17-18:

Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

The Father was never “dead.” However, Christ was in the tomb for three days. Clearly, Christ was the First and the Last in this sentence. Is 44:6 makes clear this is a reference to God:

Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.

Just like last time, we can see that the Watchtower’s apologetics are totally void of internal consistency and lack evidence to back their claims. It is for this reason the Jehovah’s Witnesses will excommunicate any member that uses anything other than Watchtower materials to do their Bible research. In effect, it keeps them on the plantation.