The declaration that Christ is the “light… of the world” would have been particularly poignant to people who had endured three days of suffocating darkness. Physically and symbolically, they are in need of light.
Reference: It is unclear what terms appeared on the plate instead of “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” These precise words depend on the Greek alphabet and are found in the New Testament (Rev. 1:8, 11). “Alpha” is the first letter in the Greek alphabet and “omega” the last. Thus, the phrase means that Christ encompasses all our needs. This particular Book of Mormon phrase is obviously Joseph Smith’s translation of the concept using familiar New Testament language.