A rather ignorant Evangelical Protestant made the following "response" to my article The "Mormon Jesus" being a "Spirit Brother" of Satan--what the Bible really says:
Satan is a created being. Christ is the creator if Christ isn't your God then you are not worshipping the true God. Rev 1 v 8 I am the Alpha and the Omega the beginning and the end, says the Lord God. I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty one.
Obviously, this person did not read my article; furthermore, she is clearly ignorant of both biblical and Latter-day Saint Christology. One should pursue my discussions on Christology on this blog, including:
With respect to Rev 1:8, the text reads as follows:
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Firstly, based on Rev 1:4 (cf. 21:6), a good case can be made that the person in view is the Father, not the Son. However, it is clear that Jesus is called "Alpha and Omega" in v.11, so what are we to make of the use of "Alpha and Omega"?
"Alpha and Omega" are often interpreted to mean that Jesus is eternal, something Latter-day Saint Christology accepts (notwithstanding falseclaims that LDS theology is "Arian"). Furthermore, on a related note, "Alpha and Omega" is a translation from a Hebrew concept. In various passages of the Hebrew Bible, God is called "truth." The Hebrew word for truth is אֱמֶת, composed of three letters: aleph, mem, taw. In the Hebrew alphabet, those are the first, middle and last letters, and so the Jewish sages often understood this word mystically. This may well be the background to the Greek expression Alpha and Omega, which is a sort of imperfect translation of this Hebrew mystical concept that God is truth. If this reading is correct, then the point of calling Jesus Alpha and Omega would appear to be to take the position that he is divine, which is consistent with Latter-day Saint Christology.
Secondly, one should read Rev 1:11 in light of 17-18:
Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last; and, What thou seest, write in a book, and sent it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea . . . And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Rev 1:11, 17-18).
Jesus is given the titles "Alpha and Omega" and "first and last" due to being the firstfruits of the resurrection (cf. Col 1:16; 1 Cor 15:23) as well as being our final judge.
As with many arguments against LDS theology, this is just another exegetical failure.
