SPELLING EDITED V-38. John 8:24 IF YOU DO NOT BELIEVE I AM! Then you shall DIE in your SINS!
Does John 8:24 teach us that we MUST BELIEVE that Jesus HIMSELF is the great I AM THAT I AM the one true and only ALMIGHTY God in order to be SAVED? Does John 8:24 teach us that Jesus IS THE ALMIGHTY God? And does John 8:24 teach us that Almighty God is a “TRINITY” Godhead? Let us begin this study in God's word by reading John 8:24.
John 8:24.
“I said, therefore, unto you, that you shall die in your sins: for IF you believe NOT that I am he, you shall die in your sins.”
So then, it is very important that we believe WHO Jesus truly IS, according to what the WHOLE word of God teaches, as opposed to, what incorrect interpretations of select verses taken out of the context teach. So who do Jesus and his disciples say he IS? Clearly, the Scriptures say very plainly that Jesus is the Christ, the SON OF the living God. But yet, some translations of the Bible like the Common English Bible and the Complete Jerusalem Bible CAPITALIZE the words “I Am” or “I AM” to show that Jesus is saying that he himself IS the great I AM THAT I AM in Exodus 3:14 in the Old Testament. Are these “translations” correct? Or are these “translations” BIASED toward the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of Oneness which also teaches that Jesus is Almighty God Himself in the flesh? Here is John 8:24 from the Common English Bible (CEB).
“This is why I told you that you would die in your sins. If you don't believe that I Am, you will die in your sins.”
Here is John 8:24 from the Complete Jerusalem Bible (CJB).
“This is why I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not trust that I AM [who I say I am], you will die in your sins.”
Now, let us read Exodus 3:14 from the Old Testament, which we know is YHWH or YAHWEH speaking saying that HE is I AM THAT I AM, so tell the children of Israel that I AM has sent you.
Exodus 3:14.
“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shall you say unto the children of Israel, I AM has sent me unto you.”
Now when the translators CAPITALIZE the Greek words “EGO EIMI” in John 8:24, which has many meanings such as I exist, I was, I am, it is I, I am he, to only mean I AM, then the reader is left to ASSUME that Jesus is saying that he IS THE ALMIGHTY God YHWH or YAHWEH. For you see, both Trinitarian and Oneness Christians wrongly teach that “I AM” is God’s NAME. However, God’s NAME is not found until Exodus 3:15 which is written in Hebrew as YHWH that many Christians believe should be pronounced as Yahweh. So then, God’s name forever is Yahweh and NOT “I AM” or I AM THAT I AM. So then, with this sound Biblical evidence that the phrase “I AM” is NOT God's NAME, allow the truth to change your way of thinking who Jesus actually is, according to the Bible ITSELF? Let us read John 8:24 out of its context again with the Greek words “ego eimi” right after the translated words “I am he” in the KJV translation of the Bible. John 8:24.
“I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I am he, (EGO EIMI) you shall die in your sins.”
Do the Greek words “ego eimi” mean that Jesus is saying that he himself is THE great I AM THAT I AM in Exodus 3:14 who is the ALMIGHTY God? Does this verse teach us that Almighty God is a “TRINITY”? And most importantly does John 8:24 teach us that we as Christians MUST, WITHOUT FAIL, believe that Jesus IS the great I AM THAT I AM, the one true and only ALMIGHTY God in order to be SAVED? Because this is the way some teachers of the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of the Deity of Jesus dogmatically demand Christians to believe, otherwise, to them, they are not truly a Christian and they are not saved. These two doctrines along with the doctrine of Oneness are taught so dogmatically that FEAR is put in the hearts of some Christians that if they do not believe the doctrine of the Deity of Jesus then they FEAR that they are not truly saved nor can they be saved unless they truly believe that Jesus is Almighty God Himself in the flesh. Now, the doctrine of the Trinity goes on to teach much more than Jesus being fully God and fully man at the same time having two natures, one divine, and one human. One of the principal teachings of the man-made doctrine of the Trinity is that Jesus is CO-EQUAL with Almighty God the Father meaning that Jesus is EQUAL with the Father in every way where neither is GREATER than nor LESS than the other. And the principle teaching of the doctrine of Oneness is that Jesus IS one and the self-same being as the Father and that Jesus is NOT a separate distinct person from the Father. Now, if these three man-made doctrines are proven to be false teachings by the Bible itself then HOW could the Roman Catholic Church and other mainstream Protestant churches humble themselves to admit that the CORE doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church was carried over into many Protestant Churches? How could the Roman Catholic Church openly admit that the doctrine of the Trinity is FALSE teaching after threatening Christians that they would be ACCURSED by God or that Christians are NOT SAVED if they did NOT believe that Almighty God is a “TRINITY” Godhead and that Jesus IS THE Almighty God HIMSELF and also a MAN at the SAME time? The TRUTH of the matter is that these man-made doctrines have absolutely NOTHING whatsoever to do with whether or not a person is SAVED or not. There is not one single verse of Scripture in the whole word of Almighty God where we are taught that we MUST believe that Almighty God is a “TRINITY” Godhead in order to be saved and receive eternal life in the world to come. And there is not one single verse of Scripture in the entire Bible where we are clearly and plainly taught that we must, without fail, believe that Jesus himself IS THE ALMIGHTY God, Yahweh Himself in order to be saved and receive eternal life in the world to come. Now some Christians may want to argue and say, what about John 8:24? They will argue that Jesus is saying that he IS the I AM of the Old Testament and that if we do NOT believe that Jesus is Yahweh Himself then we will remain dead in our sins. But you see, that is THEIR OWN personal INTERPRETATION of John 8:24. But that is NOT what the actual verse states as a fact with no interpretation needed. The Oneness Pentecostal Christians wrongly INTERPRET John 8:24-27 as Jesus saying that he IS the FATHER. And every Trinitarian Christian knows that Jesus is NOT the Father. Now, as I have said many times that ANY verse when it is taken OUT of CONTEXT and it is viewed ALONE and APART from the REST of God's word, then that verse may SEEM to be saying something that it is NOT TRULY saying. Particularly when you have been DOGMATICALLY taught over and over that this is what that verse means and that it is the ONLY thing that it can mean. Again, those who teach the doctrine of the Trinity INTERPRET this verse to DOGMATICALLY mean that Jesus is saying that we MUST believe that Jesus IS THE I AM THAT I AM because Jesus himself said that IF you do NOT believe that I AM, then you shall DIE in you SINS. In other words, some INTERPRET this verse in John 8:24 to dogmatically mean that you will NOT be SAVED unless you believe that Jesus IS THE I AM, the one true and only ALMIGHTY God, YHWH or Yahweh. But an INTERPRETATION of a verse of Scripture does NOT make that interpretation to be the TRUTH. Now, those who teach these doctrines of the Trinity and the Deity of Jesus argue that the pronoun “he” is NOT in the original Greek text which is true in a SENSE. Let me explain what I mean by this. It is true that the actual word “he” is NOT in the original Greek text, BUT the pronoun use is UNDERSTOOD by those who understand the Greek language. For example, when we read in Matthew 24:9-13 where Jesus is speaking to BELIEVERS and begins by actually saying the pronoun “YOU” meaning you my disciples or believers, but then, in the rest of his teaching the pronoun “YOU” is UNDERSTOOD by the reader who UNDERSTANDS the English language. So the translator could have added the pronoun “you” in any or in even all the verses of Scripture where the pronoun “you” is UNDERSTOOD.
Here is Matthew 24:9-13.
“Then shall they deliver YOU (Speaking TO believers) up to be afflicted, and shall kill YOU: and YOU shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10. And then shall many (Of YOU where the YOU is UNDERSTOOD so it could be ADDED without changing the meaning in any way) be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. (Again, the YOU is understood but it is NOT in the Greek text so it could have been added without changing the meaning) 12. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many (Of YOU speaking of believers in Jesus) shall wax cold. 13. But he (Of YOU who BELIEVE in me) that shall endure unto the end, the same (Still speaking of only those who BELIEVE unto the end) shall be saved.”
Now the pronoun “YOU” is NOT actually in the Greek or the ENGLISH text in any of these verses except for the first verse. However, the pronoun “YOU” is CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD even though it is not ACTUALLY in the either text. So in the SAME way, those who UNDERSTAND the Greek language ADD these pronouns and even other words to CLARIFY the actual meaning of the whole CONTEXT of what is being said when such pronouns and other words are not actually in the Greek text. And even if the translators do not add these UNDERSTOOD pronouns they are still none the less UNDERSTOOD. And such is the case in John 8:58 where the translator chose NOT to add the understood pronoun “he”. By the way, to my knowledge, the Complete English Bible and the Complete Jerusalem Bible are the ONLY TWO translations that CAPITALIZE “EGO EIMI” as I AM and OMIT the understood pronoun “he”, which to ME is a very BIAS translation. The first rule to CORRECTLY interpret what a verse is TRULY saying is to KEEP that verse in question IN the CONTEXT of where it is found. So then, let us now read John 8:24 being LEFT in the CONTEXT of where it is found in order to see what this verse is TRULY teaching us. Please read John 8:12-59, the CONTEXT of verse 24, keeping in mind that Jesus and the Father are TWO different and SEPARATE individual persons or beings. Remember that the doctrine of the trinity states that Jesus is NOT the Father and the Father is NOT Jesus. But I also want you to see that only TWO are being spoken of rather than THREE. Now, I realize that this is a long passage of Scripture, but CONTEXT is vital if you desire the TRUTH.
John 8:12-59.
“Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 13. The Pharisees therefore said unto him, You bear record of yourself; your record is not true. (The unbelieving Jews were always judging Jesus BEFORE they heard the WHOLE matter of what Jesus is teaching. They falsely accused Jesus of bearing record of himself. They falsely accused Jesus of having a Devil. And they falsely accused Jesus of making himself equal to God. And Jesus always answered them in his DEFENSE) 14. Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know where I came, and where I go, but you cannot tell where I come, and where I go. 15. You judge after the flesh; I judge no man. 16. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am NOT ALONE, but I AND the Father that SENT me. (Again, we see only TWO persons rather than THREE or a Trinity) 17. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of TWO men is true. (Jesus plainly states that there are TWO that bear witness all the way through this entire passage of Scripture, which teaches us that Jesus is NOT saying that he himself is THE ALMIGHTY God the great I AM, who alone is the FATHER. In other words, IF Jesus was truly saying that he himself IS the I AM, then Jesus would be saying that he is the FATHER Himself and there would be only ONE bearing witness. But Jesus said that he was NOT ALONE and that the Father was WITH him bearing witness of his SON Jesus) 18. I am ONE that bear witness of myself, AND the Father that SENT me bears witness of me. (Again, there are only TWO that bear witness, the Almighty God who sent his SON Jesus to show us the FATHER) 19. Then said they unto him, Where is your Father? Jesus answered, You neither know me, nor my Father: if you had known me, you should have known my Father also. (Here again, we see Jesus speaking of TWO separate persons, himself and his Father) 20. These words spoke Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come. 21. Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and you shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: where I go, you cannot come. 22. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he said, Where I go, you cannot come. 23. And he said unto them, You are from beneath; I am FROM above: you are of this world; I am NOT of this world. (Meaning that you have an earthly father but I, Jesus, have a heavenly Father and I do my Father's will and you do your father's will) 24. I said, THEREFORE, unto you (In verse 21) that you shall die in your sins: for if you believe NOT that I am HE, you shall die in your sins. (This verse 24 is the verse in question that is used by those who teach the doctrine of the Trinity to DOGMATICALLY teach that if you do NOT believe that Jesus is saying that he is the great I AM, Yahweh Himself, then you shall die in your sins and you shall NOT be saved UNLESS you recant and believe that Jesus is THE ALMIGHTY God Himself in the flesh. Again, they argue that the word “he” is NOT in the original Greek. But, as we have just learned, the UNDERSTOOD pronoun “he” is indeed in the text much like the pronoun “you” is often left out of a particular sentence but the context clearly reveals to us that the subject under discussion is the UNDERSTOOD YOU. So in the same way the “HE” here is clearly UNDERSTOOD. This is why the translators added the word “he”, because those who understand the original Greek text clearly UNDERSTAND that the pronoun “he” is clearly UNDERSTOOD. But WHO is Jesus saying that he IS? We must read the CONTEXT and then COMPARE Scripture with Scripture in order to learn WHO Jesus is TRULY saying that he IS. So then, let us continue reading the CONTEXT. And then we will compare Scripture with Scripture after we finish reading the context) 25. Then said they unto him, WHO ARE YOU? (In other words, the Jews were ASKING Jesus, I am he, WHO? WHAT do you MEAN when you say, I AM HE? WHO are you saying that you are when you say I AM HE. Also, please notice that these Jews did NOT understand these words of Jesus to mean that Jesus was saying that he himself is the great I AM, the ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God Himself, because if the Jews understood that Jesus were truly saying that he is the ALMIGHTY God, then the Jews would have stoned Jesus on the spot. The Jews knew of Exodus 3:14 so why did they ask WHO are you saying that you are? The TRUTH of the matter is that these Jews understood these words of Jesus to mean exactly what Jesus was saying, which is simply “I am he”. Again, these Jews thought I am he, WHO? And thus, the Jews asked Jesus WHO are YOU?) And Jesus said unto them, Even the SAME that I said unto you from the BEGINNING. (There is your answer to WHO Jesus was TRULY saying that he IS. Jesus is saying I am the SAME that I told you in the BEGINNING. So then, we need to go back to the BEGINNING of the ministry of Jesus in order to learn WHO Jesus is TRULY saying that he IS. We find in the Gospel of Luke chapter 4 that Jesus said that he was the ANOINTED ONE of Almighty God the Father that was SENT by the Father the preach the gospel of salvation. We will take a look at Luke chapter 4 in a moment, but first, let us finish the CONTEXT to learn even MORE about WHO Jesus truly IS) 26. I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that SENT me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. 27. They understood NOT that he (Jesus) spoke to them of the Father. (Jesus is NOT saying that he IS the Father as the Oneness Pentecostal Christians wrongly INTERPRET this verse to mean) 28. Then said Jesus unto them, When you have lifted up the Son of MAN, then shall you know that I am HE, and that I do NOTHING OF MYSELF; but as MY Father has taught me, I speak these things. (Now IF Jesus was truly saying in verse 24 that he HIMSELF is THE ALMIGHTY God, then there is NO WAY that Jesus would turn around a few verses later and say that he could do NOTHING OF HIMSELF. Think this through for YOURSELF my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ. WHY would an ALMIGHTY God say that he could do NOTHING OF HIMSELF? The answer is quite obvious when you truly stop and THINK. Jesus was never saying that he himself is THE I AM THAT I AM, the ALMIGHTY God. But rather Jesus was saying that he was the SAME one that he said to the Jews that he was in the beginning of his ministry to the Jews. Again we will take a look at Luke chapter 4 shortly) 29. And he that SENT me is WITH me: the Father has NOT left me ALONE; for I do always those things that please him. (Again, we see only TWO separate persons, the Father and the SON. CLEARLY, Jesus was NOT saying that he was THE I AM THAT I AM in verse 24, because the CONTEXT clearly teaches us that Almighty God the FATHER was WITH Jesus the SON and that Jesus was NOT ALONE, because the great I AM THAT I AM was WITH his SON Jesus) 30. As he spoke these words, many believed on him. 31. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If you CONTINUE in my word, then are you my disciples indeed. 32. And you shall know the TRUTH, and the truth shall make you free. 33. They answered him, We are Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how say you, You shall be made free? 34. Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin. (But he that CONTINUES in the words of Jesus shall KNOW the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall FREE them from the bondage of SIN and they will KNOW that sin has NO MORE DOMINION over them and that they can live their lives FREE from any and all sin. Please read the study “HOW YOU CAN LIVE YOUR LIFE FREE FROM SIN!”) 35. And the servant abides not in the house for ever: but the SON abides ever. 36. If the SON, therefore, shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. 37. I know that you are Abraham's seed, but you seek to kill me because my word has no place in you. 38. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: (Speaking of what Jesus saw in a vision or a dream or in the written word of God as the Holy Spirit opened his eyes of understanding and what Jesus heard the Holy Spirit WITHIN him saying to him) and you do that which you have seen with your father. (Or what the devil tempts them to do) 39. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said unto them, If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. (Speaking of works of righteousness and obeying Almighty God as Abraham obeyed God) 40. But now you seek to kill me, a MAN (And NOT that I AM THAT I AM, but rather Jesus was saying that he was a MAN) that has told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. (In other words, Abraham did NOT have hate in his heart to want to KILL another MAN as these Jews had in their heart to want to KILL Jesus the Son of MAN that has told them the TRUTH. No, IF Jesus was truly saying that he is THE ALMIGHTY God you can be assured that the Jews would have taken up stones right then and there and stoned Jesus to death. I mean it was bad enough that Jesus is saying that Almighty God is his FATHER. Remember back in John chapter 5 these Jews THOUGHT that Jesus was making himself EQUAL with God by simply saying that God was his FATHER and they were ready to KILL Jesus then. So IF Jesus was truly saying that he HIMSELF IS THE ALMIGHTY God there would be no doubt that the Jews would have killed Jesus as soon as he spoke those words, OR they would have walked away refusing to hear another single word from Jesus. But yet the Jews did neither. Please keep reading to learn WHO Jesus is truly saying that he is) 41. You do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. (Here the Jews themselves call Almighty God their FATHER, so perhaps it was the AUTHORITY in which Jesus proclaimed to be the SON of Almighty God that set the Jew off on a quest to KILL Jesus) 42. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, you would love me: for (Or because) I proceeded FORTH and came FROM God; (The word “PROCEEDED” here comes from the Greek word “EK”, which means ORIGIN or the SOURCE from which Jesus came OUT FROM and was brought FORTH into being) neither came I OF MYSELF, but HE SENT me. (So again we see that Jesus is NOT identifying himself as BEING the self-same one who sent himself. Jesus is clearly teaching us that he was sent BY the great I AM THAT I AM, who is Almighty God) 43. Why do you not UNDERSTAND my speech? Even because you cannot hear my word. 44. You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it. 45. And because I tell you the TRUTH, you believe me not. 46. Which of you convinces me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do you not believe me? 47. He that is of God hears God's words: you, therefore, hear them not, because you are NOT of God. 48. Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that you are a Samaritan, and have a DEVIL? (Here we see the Jews FALSELY ACCUSING Jesus of having a DEVIL but Jesus DEFENDS himself in the following verses) 49. Jesus answered, I have NOT a devil, but I honor MY Father, and you do dishonor me. 50. And I seek NOT mine OWN glory: there is one that seeks and judges. (Here we see that Jesus does not honor himself, but rather Jesus honors his Father. So again we see two separate persons. And we see that Jesus sought NOT his OWN glory, which teaches us that Jesus had his OWN WILL. But rather, Jesus chose to conform his own will to do the will of his Father) 51. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keeps my saying, he shall never see death. 52. Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that you have a DEVIL. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and you say, If a man keeps my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53. Are you greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? And the prophets are dead: who make you yourself? 54. Jesus answered, If I honor MYSELF, my honor is nothing: it is MY Father that honors me; (Again, please notice again that Jesus is speaking of his Father as being a SEPARATE person from himself that HONORS His human SON) of whom you say, that he is your God: 55. Yet you have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see MY DAY: and he saw it, and was glad. (HOW did Abraham see the DAY of the Messiah, when the Messiah had NOT YET COME? Remember that the prophets desired to look into the salvation that we now have. See 1 Peter 1:9-12) 57. Then said the Jews unto him, You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham? 58. Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, (Or Truly truly) I say unto you, BEFORE Abraham was, I am. (Again, Jesus was NOT saying that he himself is the I AM THAT I AM, the ALMIGHTY God. But rather Jesus is saying that BEFORE Abraham was ever born I the MESSIAH, the ANOINTED ONE of Almighty God the Father, WAS the LAMB that Almighty God had prepared in his mind and plan to one day bring forth into the earth to redeem mankind. And IF you do NOT believe that I am HE then you shall DIE in your SINS. This is what Jesus is truly saying in this ENTIRE CONTEXT) 59. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”
The Jews took up stones to KILL Jesus BECAUSE Jesus was teaching the TRUTH that he was the MESSIAH and that he was the SON OF the living God. Now, that you have noticed that Jesus was NOT ALONE, but rather, that the Father was always WITH His SON Jesus, then it should become clear to you that Jesus was NOT saying that he is the great I AM. But rather, Jesus was saying that BEFORE Abraham was ever born Almighty God thought to have a SON who would be His Messiah. And Jesus was saying, “I am” he or I am that Son of the living God. Jesus was also saying that he was THE CHRIST, the MESSIAH, the ANOINTED ONE that was PROPHESIED to come. For you see, in the BEGINNING, Jesus told the Jews that he is the FULFILLMENT of the prophecy in Isaiah. Remember in John 5:33-47 that Jesus said to the Jews that they search the Scriptures to find eternal life. And then Jesus said the SCRIPTURES that they, the very WORD of Almighty God Himself, testify of ME. Jesus was basically saying to the Jews at that time the same thing that he was telling them from the beginning of his ministry and all along that I am HE that was the PROPHESIED to come. Jesus is saying that Almighty God Himself has SENT ME to you to show you the Father as being the ONLY TRUE God, according to John 17:1-3. Here is John 5:33-47, which AGAIN, clearly shows us that Almighty God was WITH his SON Jesus performing his word with SIGNS and WONDERS bearing WITNESS that Almighty God was DWELLING IN his Son Jesus. Nowhere in the word of TRUTH do we find that Jesus claimed to be THE Almighty God himself, but rather we do find all over the New Testament that Almighty God through his Holy Spirit DWELT IN his Son Jesus to DO the mighty works through the human hands of his Son.
John 5:33-47.
“You sent unto John, and he bares witness unto the truth. 34. But I receive NOT testimony from man: but these things I say, that you might be saved. 35. He was a burning and a shining light: and you were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. 36. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father has given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father has sent me. (Remember that Jesus also said that he could do NOTHING OF HIMSELF and that the works were done by the Father that DWELT IN him by the Holy Spirit OF Almighty God. Also remember that Almighty God the Father IS SPIRIT. In other words the Holy Spirit OF Almighty God and Almighty God himself the great I AM THAT I AM are ONE and the SAME being. But Jesus is the SON OF Almighty God the great I AM THAT I AM and is a SEPARATE being or person from Almighty God the Father, who came OUT FROM God being brought forth into existence. So again we see only TWO and not THREE as the doctrine of the Trinity teaches) 37. And the Father himself, which has SENT me, has borne WITNESS of me. You have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his shape. 38. And you have not his word abiding in you: for whom he has sent, him you believe not. 39. Search the Scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and THEY are THEY which TESTIFY of ME. (This is HOW Abraham SAW the DAY of Jesus the COMING Messiah. Again, see 1 Peter 1:9-12. Also keep in mind that the New Testament is NOT a LIVE broadcast, so to speak, but rather, it was written after the fact. And thus, the writer sometimes INCLUDED things that happened after the resurrection of Jesus is some of these narratives even though, at the placement of the narrative out of order of sequence, the resurrection had not actually taken place as yet. What I mean by this is that Abraham rose from the grave WITH Jesus and the other Old Testament saints and this was another way that Abraham SAW the DAY of Jesus. Please read the study “WHAT AND WHERE IS PARADISE?” for a deeper understanding of how Jesus PREACHED the gospel of SALVATION to the spirits of the Old Testament saints when Jesus first descended into the lower parts of the earth for three full days and three full nights) 40. And you will not come to me, that you might have life. 41. I receive not honor from men. 42. But I know you, that you have not the love of God in you. 43. I have come in my Father's NAME, (Remember that the NAME of Jesus means Yahweh SAVES or the SALVATION of Yahweh. So then, Jesus is the means by which Yahweh chose to save mankind, according to Ephesians 1:4 “According, as He has chosen us IN him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”) and you receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him you will receive. (Just as a side note, I believe that this verse may very well be prophesying the coming of Muhammad, which the seed of Abraham in the lineage of Ishmael received. Please read the study “COULD ISLAM BE THE MARK OF THE BEAST!”) 44. How can you believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that comes from God only? 45. Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuses you, even Moses, in whom you trust. 46. For had you believed Moses, you would have believed me: for he wrote OF ME. 47. But if you believe not his writings, how shall you believe my words?”
We also read that the LAMB was slain BEFORE the foundation of the world, but in all actuality, the LAMB or Jesus was slain ONLY in the MIND and PLAN of God. And what God THOUGHT to BE God then SPOKE forth in his word of PROPHECY that was yet to come. But in TRUTH Almighty God SHALL BECOME, what or who God IS BECOMING as soon as God SPEAKS forth his THOUGHTS or plan in the form of his WORD. I AM THAT I AM. I know we have gotten a little off track so let us get back to the focus of this study, which is to learn the truth of whether or not Jesus was making himself EQUAL with Almighty God the Father. Please read John 10:29,30 where Jesus says that the Father is GREATER than ALL right before Jesus says, I and my Father are ONE. John 10:29.30.
“My Father, which gave them me, is GREATER than ALL; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 30. I and my Father are one.”
Now, we know that Jesus was INCLUDING himself in the ALL here for two reasons. This first reason is that those that the Father gave His Son were in the hands of the Son to keep, but rather than Jesus saying, and no man can take them out of MY hand, Jesus gave ALL the glory to his God and Father saying that his Father is GREATER than ALL. So even though those whom my Father gave me are in my hands, I place them back into my Father's hands because the Father is GREATER than me. If you do not believe that Jesus is including himself in the ALL in which the Father is GREATER, then please read John 14:28, which CLEARLY and PLAINLY spells it out for you. Also, please read the study “JOHN 10:30 - I AND MY FATHER ARE ONE!” for a deeper understanding that Jesus was saying that he was one in AGREEMENT WITH his God and Father who ALONE is the ALMIGHTY.
John 14:28.
“You have heard how I said unto you, I go away and come again unto you. If you loved me, you would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is GREATER than I.”
So then, since Jesus HIMSELF clearly and plainly says that the Father is GREATER than himself, then HOW is it that some Christians DOGMATICALLY teach that John 5:18 means, without fail, that Jesus is making himself EQUAL with God? I mean if this were TRUE, then to ME, Jesus would be LYING where he PLAINLY said that the Father is GREATER than I. There is simply NO WAY for two to be EQUAL with each other and ALSO at the same time for one to be GREATER than the other. The TRUTH of the matter is that the JEWS are FALSELY ACCUSING Jesus of making himself equal with his God and Father the Almighty God. Even the very word “ALMIGHTY” proves that the Father is THE GOD who is OVER ALL or is GREATER than ALL the other gods. Now I know we got a little off track of the main focus of this study, which is to learn the TRUE meaning of John 8:24 where Jesus says “EGO EIMI” which simply means “I am HE”. So let us read the shorter context by reading John 8:24,25 only and then COMPARE Scripture with Scripture to see what Jesus TRULY means by the words, “I am” or “I am he”.
John 8:24,25.
“24. I said, THEREFORE, unto you, (In verse 21) that you shall die in your sins: for if you believe NOT that I am HE, you shall die in your sins. (Again, this verse 24 is the verse in question that is used by those who teach the doctrine of the trinity to DOGMATICALLY teach that if you do NOT believe that Jesus is saying that he is the great I AM, then you shall die in your sins and you shall NOT be saved UNLESS you recant and believe that Jesus is THE ALMIGHTY God himself. Again, they argue that the word “he” is NOT in the original Greek. But as we have just learned the UNDERSTOOD pronoun “he” is indeed in the text much like the pronoun “you” is often left out of a particular sentence but the context clearly reveals to us that the subject under discussion is the UNDERSTOOD YOU. So in the same way the “HE” here is clearly UNDERSTOOD. This is why the translators added the word “he”, because those who understand the original Greek text clearly UNDERSTAND that the pronoun “he” is clearly UNDERSTOOD. But WHO is Jesus saying that he IS? We must read the CONTEXT and then COMPARE Scripture with Scripture in order to learn WHO Jesus is TRULY saying that he IS. So then, let us continue reading the immediate CONTEXT. And then we will compare Scripture with Scripture after we finish reading the very NEXT verse) 25. Then said they unto him, WHO ARE YOU? (In other words, the Jews were saying, I am he, WHO? WHAT do you MEAN when you say I AM HE? WHO are you saying that you are when you say I AM HE) And Jesus said unto them, Even the SAME that I said unto you from the BEGINNING .”
There is your answer to WHO Jesus was TRULY saying that he IS. Jesus is saying I am the SAME that I told you in the BEGINNING. So then, we need to go back to the BEGINNING of the ministry of Jesus in order to learn WHO Jesus is TRULY saying that he IS. We find in the Gospel of Luke chapter 4 that Jesus said that he was the ANOINTED ONE of Almighty God the Father that was SENT by the Father the preach the gospel of salvation. We will now take a close look at Luke 4:1-41, which is again a long passage of Scripture, but if you are TRULY seeking the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God then it is needful to read WHO Jesus said that he was from the very BEGINNING of his ministry.
Luke 4:1-41.
“And Jesus being FULL of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led BY the Spirit into the wilderness, (Speaking of right after the BAPTISM of Jesus in the River Jordan) 2. Being forty days tempted by the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. (Just a side thought to ponder. I cannot imagine going forty days without any food and NOT being hungry until AFTER those forty days. The hunger does seem to lesson after three days of fasting, but I myself have felt hunger during the entire fast although I have never fasted forty days before) 3. And the devil said unto him, If you be the SON OF God, command this stone that it is made bread. (Jesus was tempted to prove that he was the SON OF Almighty God the Father. In other words, Jesus had to BELIEVE the written word of Almighty God that SPOKE OF HIM to be the Christ the SON OF the living God. In other words, as God visited Jesus morning by morning teaching His human Son the Scriptures spoke of him as the one prophesied to come, then Jesus had to BELIEVE that he was indeed the Messiah promised in the Scriptures) 4. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but BY every word of God. (Basically, to ME, Jesus was saying that I do not need to prove to myself that I am the SON OF Almighty God because the word of God testifies of ME. The word of God is all I need to know that I am the CHRIST, the SON OF Almighty God that is PROPHESIED to come) 5. And the devil, taking him up into a high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give you, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever, I will, I give it. 7. If you, therefore, will worship me, all shall be yours. 8. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get you behind me, Satan: for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. (Here, we clearly see that Jesus did NOT consider HIMSELF to be THE ALMIGHTY God, because Jesus is saying to Satan that we are to worship the Lord your God and HIM ONLY shall you serve) 9. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If you be the SON OF God, cast yourself down from hence: (Again, Jesus is being tempted to prove to himself that he is the SON OF Almighty God) 10. For it is written, He (Almighty God) shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you: 11. And in their hands they shall bear you up, lest at any time you dash your foot against a stone. 12. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God. 13. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. 14. And Jesus returned in the POWER of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. (It was at the baptism of Jesus that SON OF Almighty God the Father was ANOINTED or FILLED WITH the Holy Spirit of Almighty God. Jesus did NOT have the Holy Spirit dwelling in him at his virgin birth like some of the Oneness Pentecostal Christians wrongly teach. The FULNESS of the Godhead did not dwell in Jesus until AFTER the cross. Please read the study “WHAT DOS COLOSSIANS 2:9 TRULY MEAN?”) 15. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. 16. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was WRITTEN, (Remember Jesus said that the SCRIPTURES spoke of HIM) 18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he (Almighty God the Father) has ANOINTED ME to preach the gospel to the poor; he (Almighty God the Father) has sent ME to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21. And he began to say unto them, This day is this SCRIPTURE FULFILLED in your ears. (Jesus was reading from Isaiah which was a PROPHECY of Jesus being THE CHRIST or the ANOINTED ONE of Almighty God the chosen one to be the Messiah. We will read Isaiah shortly) 22. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? (They clearly saw Jesus as a MAN, but yet wonder how he knew so much of God's word) 23. And he said unto them, You will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal yourself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in your country. 24. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. (Jesus is referring to himself as a PROPHET OF God like one of the prophets of the Old Testament) 25. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months when great famine was throughout all the land; 26. But unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. 27. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. 28. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29. And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. (The Jews wanted to kill Jesus right from the very BEGINNING of his ministry) 30. But he passing through the midst of them went his way, 31. And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath days. (Even though Jesus was not believed in one area he went to another area and CONTINUED to teach the truth) 32. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power. (In other words, Almighty God confirmed His word that he gave to His Son Jesus to preach with signs following which bore WITNESS that Almighty God was WITH His SON Jesus) 33. And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, 34. Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with you, you Jesus of Nazareth? Are you come to destroy us? (Another gospel account says, “are you come to destroy us BEFORE our TIME”, which teaches us that the devils knew that it was NOT their TIME to be destroyed and they called Jesus on this and commanded Jesus that he had no right to destroy them yet) I know you WHO you are; the Holy One of God. (The devils knew that Jesus was the ANOINTED ONE whom Almighty God had chosen to be the messiah the Holy One who would live without sin) 35. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold your peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him and hurt him not. 36. And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! For with authority and power, he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out. (Remember that Jesus was GIVEN power and authority BY his God and Father when God ANOINTED him with the Holy Spirit and POWER for God was WITH him) 37. And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about. 38. And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever, and they sought him for her. 39. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever, and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them. 40. Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. (Remember that Jesus said that he could do NOTHING in and OF HIMSELF and that it was his Father who DWELT IN Him that was the one who was actually doing these mighty works of healing) 41. And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, You are CHRIST (Meaning the chosen one in whom DWELT the most-high God by way of his Holy Spirit. The word “CHRIST” means the ANOINTED ONE of Almighty God who is the chosen one to be the MESSIAH who is) the SON OF God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was CHRIST.”
Even the devils knew that Jesus was NOT THE ALMIGHTY God HIMSELF, but rather that Jesus was the SON OF the one true and only ALMIGHTY God the Father who ANOINTED his SON with his very own self same Holy Spirit to empower his SON to do the works that his God and Father SENT him to do. Please read the study called “JESUS THE CHRIST!” for a deeper understanding of what it means to be ANOINTED of Almighty God the Father. The entire New Testament bears witness to this TRUTH that Jesus IS THE CHRIST the SON OF the living God, but nowhere do we find any clear plain teaching in the Bible that Jesus HIMSELF IS THE ALMIGHTY God Jehovah the great I AM THAT I AM of the Old Testament. And the Old Testament as well clearly teaches us that the coming Messiah was NOT Almighty God himself, but rather the Messiah was a MAN who God raised up from among the people that he CHOSE and ANOINTED to do all his will that he SENT him to do and with NO OTHER would God share his glory other than his CHRIST, his ANOINTED ONE his only begotten SON Jesus. Please read Isaiah 42:1-9 and notice that Almighty God POSSESSES His servant, His elect, or His chosen one whom He ANOINTED or empowered to do all His will that He sent him to do.
Isaiah 42:1-9.
“Behold MY servant, whom I uphold; MINE elect, in whom MY soul delights; I have put MY spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. 2. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. 3. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. 4. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he has set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. 5. Thus says God the LORD, HE that created the heavens, and stretched them out; HE that spread forth the earth, and that which comes out of it; HE that gives breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: 6. I the LORD have called YOU (My SON whom I have ANOINTED) in righteousness, and will hold YOUR hand, and will keep YOU, and give YOU for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; (This is a PROPHECY of the coming Messiah Jesus the SON OF the living God who does all these things to bring them to pass) 7. To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. 8. I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I NOT give to ANOTHER, (Meaning that Almighty God the Father will not share his glory with any other one than his SON Jesus whom he has elected or CHOSEN to ANOINT or FILL with his very own self same Holy Spirit to empower his SON to do the works that he will send him to do on that day when Almighty God brings into existence his SON. Remember that this is a PROPHECY of the coming child Jesus who at this point in time had NOT YET been BEGOTTEN of Almighty God) neither my praise to graven images. 9. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and NEW THINGS do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
In other words, these verses in Isaiah 43:1-9 that Jesus himself said were FULFILLED in HIMSELF at the very BEGINNING of his ministry, are saying that if we do not believe that Jesus is THE CHRIST, the SON OF the living God whom God himself has CHOSEN to share his glory, then they shall remain in their sins. We are taught in the word of God that if we do NOT have the SON then we do NOT have Almighty God the Father. We must believe in BOTH Almighty God the Father AND in Jesus the SON OF Almighty God. In truth, Almighty God is saying here in Isaiah 42:1-9 that the FORMER days where I Almighty God have always been God ALONE with no one to rule and reign by my right hand are coming to be a thing of the PAST for behold look and see that now I am declaring a NEW THING that I am going to have a SON with whom I am going to SHARE my glory to rule and reign by my side. I tell you these things BEFORE they come to pass. Please read the study “OUR GOD IS ONE!” where you will clearly see that there are many gods, but there is only ONE God who is THE God over all over gods and there is no god that did not come from Almighty God being the SOURCE. Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. Below are some other verses that are used to try and support the doctrine of the trinity and the deity of Jesus. There may be other verses which you may be having trouble seeing any other way than what you were dogmatically taught, but I assure you that each and every verse used by those who teach the doctrine of the trinity does indeed have a different meaning that does NOT CONTRADICT any other part of God's word.
Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
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VERSES USED TO TEACH THAT JESUS PREEXISTED! To me, the best way to know the ONE true God in ONE person is to know who Jesus TRULY IS according to the WHOLE word of Almighty God so please read ALL the studies under the heading >>>WHO IS JESUS ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE?<<< and you will see that the Bible itself teaches us that Jesus was CREATED by his God and Father. And if you have any questions related to the correct meaning of certain verses of Scripture on this subject of who Jesus is please read all the studies under the two headings >>>A LIST OF STUDIES ON THE TRINITY!<<< and >>>VERSES USED TO TEACH THAT JESUS PRE-EXISTED!<<< These two headings have ALL the studies that I have on who Jesus truly is according to what the Bible itself teaches us in simplicity. I compiled these three headings to make it easy for my readers to send just one, two, or three links to those you desire to help understand what the Bible itself teaches concerning who Jesus is in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the truth of the whole word of Almighty God.
Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
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