Delta, Omicron, and My Answer to the Doomsday Prophets

It’s not delta or omicron I’m most concerned with.

First delta, and now omicron. Every time a new covid-19 variant appears on the scene, the doomsday prophets re-emerge from their dark and damp laboratories, dust off their dire predictions, grab another letter from the Greek alphabet, and warn us that the end of the world is imminent. 

I don't walk around shaking in my boots over the coronavirus. I'm not going to put all my hope in a mask and social distancing any more than I put all my hope in humanity's hollow philosophies. My hope and trust are in the one who defeated death — the one I'm fixin' to spend eternity with.

That's why there are two Greek letters I'm especially concerned with, and you can find them in the Bible — the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet — the ALPHA and the OMEGA. These are the letters that the resurrected Jesus used in reference to himself:

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (Revelation 22:12-13)

Here he is — the first and the last. He is the eternal God who had no beginning and no end. He is the creator of all things. He is the Almighty — the God above all gods. 

THE FEAR OF GOD

At one point in my life, I had a real phobia about meeting the Alpha and the Omega mentioned in that passage. Even though I didn’t know about Greek letters, I did have a quiet voice in my brain that told me that there was an eternal, transcendent God who rules the universe.

By intuition, I knew a few things about him (based on what I had observed in creation). He is the infinite Being without beginning or end. He exists and is completely satisfied in himself whether I exist or not. I can’t deceive him, nor can I outwit him.  He is perfectly complete. And I knew two things about my relationship with the Alpha and the Omega: I knew that I was living in open defiance of him, and that I would answer for my actions (as the passage says above).

You talk about “debilitating dread.” That’s where I was. And why not? Meeting God face to face when you’re in the condition I was in is a frightening prospect. Standing defiantly before the God above all gods? Not a good idea! I was more than afraid — I was terrorized by him!

THE FIERCE WARRIOR WHO DISPELS THE FEAR OF THE FAITHFUL

But John had something going for him that I did not at the time — years before this encounter, John had admitted that he was powerless over his sin and had submitted to the authority of Christ. He admitted that the Messiah was enough for him. As a result of his confession, this intimidating, imposing God placed his hand on John’s trembling shoulder and simply said to him, “Don’t be afraid!”

Don’t be afraid? Hey, I’ve seen a thing or two in my long life that would curl your hair.  But I’ve never encountered a being like the one John ran into in his vision. John said:

“I saw … someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” (Revelation 1:12-16)

Who could blame John for being overcome by trembling terror?

But there’s a lot in the simple statement, “Don’t be afraid!” If you read the book of Revelation, you will come away with one very clear thought: Those who oppose the Almighty or his people should tremble in their boots. Hating God and God’s family is an easy way to incur his wrath.  You don’t play around with the Alpha and the Omega. It’s not a wise thing to do. It never ends well — ever!

LIVE FEARLESSLY!

But the Gospel is GOOD NEWS because of one fact — those who put their faith in the Lamb that was slain (Jesus) and was raised from the grave in order to restore hope to the hopeless have no reason to tremble before him. 

The rebellious should tremble, but not those who love him. When you are in Christ, you are clothed with Christ (Galatians 3:27). Your sins have been blotted out (Acts 3:19).  People who are in Christ do not shrink back in fear, not because they are good, but because they believed in the one who is good — Jesus.  They have repented of their acts of treason against God’s kingdom and turned to him for healing. Once you come to him in humility, repenting of your sins and agreeing that he alone is worthy to sit on his throne, you are good to go.  You can approach him with confidence — even though he is the Almighty and you are a sinner, you can come unashamedly before this benevolent and loving God (Hebrews 4:16).

At the end of the day, it is neither delta nor omicron that I’m most concerned with. If you’ve declared your independence from the wisdom, power, and authority of the Alpha and the Omega, fear will consume you. This fear is only natural because you have no connection to the heart of the infinite, holy, loving God who created you. Is America afraid? Well, of course it is. That’s why I gave up cable news — it offers no hope. Because of the information we consume, our nation is quivering in fear.

Instead, I pay much better attention to the news I hear coming out of the kingdom of God. God’s news, the GOOD NEWS, the Gospel — it eradicates fear. That’s because when we believe that God is telling us the truth, he washes us clean, puts his hand on our shoulders, and quietly says, “Don’t be afraid!” And it doesn’t matter one bit what’s going on around us — his message is still the same for those who know him: “DON’T BE AFRAID!”

Therefore, because I believe Jesus, I find great comfort in approaching the Alpha and the Omega. Afraid? Hardly! It’s reassuring to know that the infinite God who created and rules the universe is on my side. If I didn’t know him, I would definitely shudder in fear. But since I do, I walk into his throne room like my daddy owns the place and my big brother is in charge.

Living in Christ is a good way to live — fearless and confident. I highly recommend it.

Photo by Edwin Hooper