"I AM", what do these two words reveal to you?
In Exodus 3:14 we read these words, "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.'
And He said, 'Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me
to you'."
I am, is continually in the present. Here is a God who does
not age as we do! In Exodus 3:15 we learn that He is, "The Lord God of your fathers, the God
of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob..." He does not say
'was'; He states that He is their God.
Why did the Jews have problems believing this? Why is this? Is
it because we live in a Space/Matter/Time universe; but the Eternal God exists
outside of time, in eternity! Eternity does not exist without the true and living
God! Without the true and living God there is no eternity!
Now let's look at Ecclesiastes 3:11, "He has made everything beautiful in
its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find
out the work that God does from beginning to end." God has put eternity
in our hearts; therefore we can grasp the concept of eternity. Eternity is not,
and never will be, endless time! Eternity was present before time began and
eternity will be present when time ceases. God was present when time began for
He created time. God will be present when time ceases, for it will cease at His
decree.
In my own personal experience I know that before I became a
born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, I only had a dim grasp of
eternity. I could only view eternity from my own limited life experience. For me
eternity would start after I died. I knew about heaven and hell; heaven was
where I hoped to end up. So my concept of eternity was I guess based on endless
time. So what changed my concept of eternity; what changed my concept of
forever and ever?
The moment I was saved and became a born again believer in
the Lord Jesus Christ; that very moment the Holy Spirit of God, Himself, came
into my being to seal me for God and live forever in me. Now I could understand
that eternity was outside of time. I was able to grasp that because the Eternal
God was present before time began, that eternity does not depend on time. Time
depends on the eternal God!
So when the Eternal God tells us that His name is "I
AM" He is telling us that He ever was, that He ever is and that He ever
will be. Jesus of Nazareth told the Jews in John 8:58, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before
Abraham was, I AM." Those Jews knew that He was telling them that He was their God! They did not
believe Him and took up stones to stone Him to death; but Jesus hid Himself
from them and left the temple precincts. In Hebrews 13:8 we read these
words, "Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today and forever." His eternal deity has never changed and
will never change.
The "I AM" of the Old Testament is revealed in the
person of the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Do you believe this? If
not, you are missing out on God's revelation of Himself in Jesus, the Messiah
[Christ], the Son of Man, the Son of God, God the Son.
Next blog post I will continue with more thoughts on the
"I AM".
Jon Peasey
Biblical Perspectives blog www.jon-peasey.blogspot.com
Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey
[All
Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted.
Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted
for clarity. Words in bold type
emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are
quoted with ... at the beginning,
ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse,
that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]
[If you have any questions or comments
you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.]
