Deuteronomy 18:18 has YAHWEH saying He would raise up a prophet “like Moses” from among the people (of Israel) etc..
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“I AM” in uppercase is a mistranslation in the 1611 KJV because it changes the common Greek expression “ego eimi” into a proper noun. … Many newer revisions of old translations have corrected the error by translating “ego eimi” as “I am he” or “I am the one.”
MORE PROOF:
“See now that I, I am he (YAHWEH), and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.” Deuteronomy 32: 39
[“I am” in the above verse points to YAHWEH as being the “he”, so it means “I am YAHWEH”]
See Deuteronomy 32: 1-39 for context. It’s all about YAHWEH.
That is who the “he” is in verse 39.
In John 8:58 Jesus is telling the Jews that he is the Messiah that was prophesied to come before Abraham existed. That’s the proper interpretation that respects the immediate and remote contexts without causing conflict with other scriptures. Conflict means someone got it wrong. People who refuse to resolve conflicting interpretations demonstrate their complete lack of reverence for the word of YAHWEH while claiming the opposite. …
[Abraham] knew and understood (spiritually saw with the eyes of his heart and understanding) the prophecies of the coming messiah and he rejoiced over it.
The Greek “ego eimi” in John 8:24 and John 8:58 translates to English as:
- “I am the one” (the Messiah).
- Elsewhere the phrase ego eimi is translated:
- “I am [he]”—Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8; John 13:19; John 18:5-8; John 6:20
- “I am [the one]” who (ho) you are speaking with (John 4:26)
Jesus declares himself to be the Messiah in response to the woman who refers to the coming of Messiah in the previous verse. John 4:25 - “I am” (one who testifies) John 8:18
- “I am” (going away) John 8:21
- Where “I am” (going) John 8:21 and John 8:22
- “I am” (from above) John 8:23
- “I am” (the light of the world) John 8:12
- “I am [he]” or “I am [the one]” meaning:
I am the Messiah John 8:24; John 8:28; John 8:58 - “It is I”—Matt. 14:27; Mark 6:50
- “I am” (not worthy) Matthew 3:11
- “I am” (not alone) John 8:16
- “I am” (generous) Matthew 20:15
The point is: “ego eimi” is a popular Greek expression that means I am something or someone and what the someone or something is relates back to the subject within the context.
In the case of John 8:58 it refers to the Messiah….the anointed one of God who was prophesied to come long before Abraham was born. See Deuteronomy 18:18.
In John 8:58 Jesus is telling the Jews that he was in God’s foreknowledge, plan, and purpose for redeeming mankind before Abraham existed. Jesus is not saying that he pre-existed as a being in heaven before Abraham existed. The view that Jesus preexisted conflicts with the Bible.
Jesus never claimed to be “coequal with God.”
He declared that his Father “is the only one who is truly God”
(John 17:3).
Jesus declared his Father is greater than he is. John 14:28.
Jesus declared his Father is greater than all. John 10:29.
That refutes coequal right there….full stop.
More proof:
Many English translations of John 8:58 no longer parrot the KJV error. They supply the word “he” or “the one” to render the Greek to English properly as “I am he” or “I am the one” and they no longer use uppercase
I AM which was clearly an error.
The entire context for John 8:24 and 8:58 is centered around the Pharisees not believing that Jesus is the Messiah. From John 7:40 to John 8:58 Jesus is providing proof to the Pharisees that he is the Messiah.
Jesus never once said to the Jews that he is YAHWEH.
John 8:56 states:
“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.” The Pharisees misunderstood Jesus. They thought Jesus was declaring to have existed before Abraham.
Why would any Christian want to believe the [nonsense] that came from the mouths of those Pharisees?
“SAW” is being used in the spiritual sense of KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING.
DO YOU SEE IT? Means do you know and understand it now?
“Abraham UNDERSTOOD the prophecies concerning the coming Day of Messiah because God told him it was coming. Abraham accepted the prophecies, he knew and understood them, and he rejoiced.”
We use the words “seen” and “saw” for knowing an understanding all the time, yet for some reason when people read the Bible they think it always refers to physically seeing with the eyes so they believe the Pharisees’ false conclusion and reject the context.
CONCLUSION
In John 8:58 Jesus did not claim the name for YAHWEH that was [revealed] to Moses in Exodus 3:14-15.
Jesus did not claim to exist before Abraham.
Both claims are unbiblical and conflict with the immediate and remote context.
Conflict with other verses and themes in the Bible means someone got it wrong. In the case at hand the trinitarians and oneness believers are wrong.
By drawing attention to the mistranslation “I AM” and connecting it to Exodus 3:14 they are changing the entire focus and meaning of Jesus’ statement.
In the context of YAHWEH’s plan and foreknowledge, from the beginning, the Messiah was prophesied to come, before Abraham existed.
In simple terms, Jesus was in YAHWEH’s mind and in His plan for man’s redemption, long before Abraham lived.
In John 4:25, the woman at the well says to Jesus,
“I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called the Christ); when that one comes, he will declare all things to us.”
In verse 26, Jesus says to her, “I who speak to you am he’ (ego eimi) – I am he: the Messiah; I am the one you are speaking about.
Jesus never declares himself to be YAHWEH. To say otherwise causes conflicts and contradicts the Bible.
Jesus essentially told the Jews that [as the Messiah he] is greater then their father Abraham. To the Jews, this was blasphemy.
Once Jesus said this, the Jews took up stones to stone him.
Age To Come 