Upper Subject: Alpha and Omega
Inscription: “I Am Alpha And Omega, The Beginning And The Ending”
Donor: Wellington and Victoria Stevens Wallace
Maker/Date: Charles Hogeman, Easter, 1909
Upper Description – This is from the book of Revelation 1:8.
God introduces himself as ‘the “Alpha and Omega.” “Alpha” is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. “Omega” is the last letter. The entire quote “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” God gave the revelation to Jesus to show his servants what must soon take place.
Revelation shows us that God is sovereign over human history, that God is both the beginning and the end is particularly appropriate to this book. He is the end of history. He is the Lord of all that comes in between. He is the Lord King of all the ages. No person, no ruler, no country can oppose the Lord King. Nine times in this book, God has the name ‘Almighty’.
This designation of Alpha and Omega is repeated in 21:6, 22:13. Jesus came to earth and died on the cross and he is now exalted at the right hand of God and intercedes for us and he is coming again in power and glory to claim his own. When he returns he will consummate this present age and the righteous will rise from the dead and there will be a new age with a new heaven and new earth.
Techniques – The Wallace windows use similar glass around center symbols arranged in five rows of stone with the central theme in the middle. Surrounding the symbol are two concentric circles of stones. Within each row are different shapes of glass. The effect is traditional without any special treatment of the glass or painting.