I've noticed that most preachers teach that there are seven "I AM" statements in The Gospel of John, however there are actually Eight. This can get very lofty and I'm going to try my best to make the significance of this as understandable as I possibly can.
Here are the seven, in which they speak of:
1) And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” - John 6:35 ESV
2) Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12 ESV
3) “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” - John 10:9 ESV
4) “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” - John 10:11 ESV
5) "Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live," - John 11:25 ESV
6) "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6 ESV
7) "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser." - John 15:1 ESV
In all of these I AM statements above, "I AM" is a first person singular pronoun. I is the pronoun used as the subject of the verb am. Therefor, Yeshua is using "I AM" in reference to himself. Obviously, this is very common; however the eighth I AM statement is not so common, not at all.
Now, let's move unto the one that is often overlooked, the eighth, which is my personal favorite and what I feel is the most profound of them all.
"Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” - John 8:58
To understand why Yeshua said this, let's examine the context:
48) The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
49) Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.
50) “But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges.
51) “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.”
52) The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’
53) “Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?”
54) Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’;
55) and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word.
56) “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
57) So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
58) Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”
59) Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. - John 8:48-58
Not only did he tell the Jewish leaders that he was around before Abraham, he also equated himself to G*d, using the holy name in which G*d referred to himself on Mount Sinai. As we all know, Abraham was around a couple thousand years before Yeshua, so this seemed to be an impossible statement to them. Not to mention the fact that he used Sacred Name Eheyeh ( אהיה ) “I AM", which was so holy that the people of his day would not even utter it out loud.
"God said to Moses, “ I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘ I AM has sent me to you." - Exodus 3:14
In Hebrew, this is the Sacred Name Eheyeh ( אהיה ) “I AM"
In order to fulfill his divine plan, G*d manifested himself in human form to fulfill the whole of The Law. He came to be among G*d’s people, and he had no place in the Temple dedicated to the G*d who sent him. Can you imagine how this must have made him feel?
Yeshua is the eternal I AM. He transcends everything. He was and is and is to come. When they threw stones at him he had to leave their temple, but he is eternally present in our temple. He is with his people, those who call upon him in faith are grafted into the Nation of Israel. That's why this eighth “I AM” statement of Jesus establishes him as our Lord and G*d, thus making it my favorite of them all.
So why Eight, and not Seven?
Seven makes sense, it's the number of completion and perfection. In Kabbalah, the lower seven of the ten sefirot, descended while the top three (Kether, Chockmah and Binah) did not descend. These top three illuminate everything below, this can be akin to "The Holy Trinity". A good way to understand this concept is to equate it to how white light refracts into seven colors when it exits a prism. The light that we see is clear and white, but when it passes through a prism, we see that it is actually made up of seven individual colors. Our Creator manifested himself into our physical reality through seven vessels. So seven is the perfection of our physical reality, as The Creator manifested himself through these seven "screens" into physical reality and this can be observed everywhere we look. There are 7 layers of the skin (2 outer and 5 inner), ocean waves roll in sevens, the rainbow has 7 colors, sound has 7 notes, there are 7 directions, The Jewish Menorah has 7 candles, there are 7 holes in your head, the earth was created in 7 days (including a day of rest), a cube has 7 dimensions (including the inside), the male body has 7 parts, the number 7 is used 735 times in the Bible (which is 7 x 105). The word "created" is used 7 times describing God’s creative work (Genesis 1:1, 21, 27 three times; 2:3; 2:4). There are 7 days in a week and the Sabbath is on the 7th day. There are 7 emotions (love, fear, compassion, ambition, humility, bonding and receptiveness). There are 7 deadly sins, 7 virtues, 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit, 7 wonders of the ancient world, etc. G*d created the world and its natural order in seven days and we can observe the proof of this everyday.
So why eight? There must be some definite significance to that number, as nothing in the scripture is random. Every single word in The Bible is the True Inspired Word of G*d, and if we dig in deeper then we can see this proof for ourselves. It's kind of like how if you zoom in on one point of a fractal image, and then then you see how that same fractal image just keeps repeating itself over and over again.
While seven represents the perfection that is achievable via physical means, the number eight symbolizes a higher level of perfection that which is beyond the physical realm. Eight would be symbolic of an entity that is one step above the natural order, higher than nature and its limitations; and no doubt about it, this is Yeshua. Even the symbol for infinity, that we're all familiar with, is the number "8" sideways. This seems to be fitting for the infinite nature of G*d.
There are several instances in which the Bible mentions the Eighth Day, pointing to the ultimate culmination of G*d’s plan, the resurrection and judgment of the world. This day will bring the destruction of death and the fulfillment of G*d’s plan of salvation for all mankind.
The Eighth Day, which is specified as being kept at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles in Leviticus 23:33, is the culmination of all the Holy Days. Following the description of the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, it says: “Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest.” So the Eighth Day here is separate and distinct from the Feast of Tabernacles.
We can refer to the covenant of circumcision with Abraham (Genesis 17:10-11), which is to take place when the baby is eight days old. Being circumcised on the eighth day was symbolic of being in complete submission to G*d. Today, we know physical circumcision is not required for salvation for all people (Acts 15), but it is also true that circumcision is a symbol of our spiritual commitment and focus; so we must circumcise our hearts. Paul wrote, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God” (Romans 2:28-29). Paul is talking about righteousness, and being in complete submission to G*d.
Another example of the number eight is with Noah. In his second book, Peter writes to the Church, warning them about false preachers. He makes the point that each individual will be responsible for their own salvation, and he uses Noah as an example: “And [God] spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:5, KJV). Noah was saved because he was in complete submission to G*d. Seven other people were saved on the ark but not because of their own righteousness; only the eighth was saved because of righteousness. Peter’s point is that in the eternal judgment, each of us will be saved in response to our own righteousness, not anyone else’s, like the other seven in the Ark.
Yet another example of the number eight is in Exodus when G*d told Israel: “You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe produce and your juices. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me” (Exodus 22:29). But when did He say to give these? The next verse reveals: “Likewise you shall do with your oxen and your sheep. It shall be with its mother seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.” The first seven days were for preparation, counting toward and looking forward to the eighth day, when the offering of the firstborn was to be given to G*d. But it was not only on the eighth day that the firstborn offering could be made, it was from there on after (Leviticus 22:26). From eight days onward, the sacrifice could be made. Likewise, the fulfillment of the Eighth Day shows that G*d’s Kingdom will be eternal. It will begin, but never end.
As we know, G*d will build another temple complex in Jerusalem during the Millennium (Ezekiel 40 begins the description of that vision). In that vision, G*d explains what it will take to purify the altar before sacrifices can be made: seven days worth of offerings for sin offerings for the priests and for the altar (Ezekiel 43:18-27). Only then—on the eighth day—will the altar be consecrated and G*d will accept the burnt offerings and peace offerings made there. There is a similar seven-day period of consecration for the priests described in Leviticus 8, where Moses first prepared Aaron and his sons for their service as priests to G*d at the tabernacle. After being washed, clothed in the priestly garments, and sprinkled with blood, they stayed in the tabernacle for seven days. “And you shall not go outside the door of the tabernacle of meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are ended. For seven days he shall consecrate you” (Leviticus 8:33). After this, they came out on the eighth day and made a sin offering for the people. The seven days were the time of preparation so that on the eighth day they could begin to fulfill what they had been prepared to do.
Even the Gematria of HaShem and Yeshua both reduce to the number eight...this is no accident.
יהוה (LORD or HaShem meaning THE NAME) = 26
(when reduced 2+6)
(2+6) = 8
ישוע (Yeshua) = 386
(when reduced 3+8+6 = 17)
(1+7) = 8
HaShem ( יהוה ) is The Father that Yeshua always referred to; or in Hebrew Abba ( אבה ).
אבה (Abba or Father) = 8
There's no doubt it, Yeshua ( ישוע ) truly was The Son of G*d and the human manifestation of the our LORD ( יהוה ).
"Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?" - John 14:9
Yeshua also revealed himself alive eight times after his resurrection from the dead:
1) His first appearance alive was to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9 - 11).
2) He then showed himself to two disciples traveling to Emmaus (Luke 24).
3) Next, he appeared to all the disciples except Thomas (John 20:19 - 24)
4) A week later to all them when Thomas was present (John 20:26 - 29).
5) Yeshua was also was seen by 500 believers at one time (1Corinthians 15:4 - 7).
6) Yeshua also met his disciples at the appointed place in Galilee (Matthew 28:16 - 17)
7) Then and on Galilee's shores (John 21:1 - 24).
8) His final meeting was on the Mount of Olives, where he gave his followers instructions before ascending to heaven (Acts 1).
Ιησούς Χριστός = Jesus Christ
Ιησούς = 888
( 888 = 37 x 24 )
( 24 = 3 x 8 )
Χριστός = 1480
(1480 = 37 x 40 )
( 40 = 5 x 8 )
So, as we see above, when we take out the 37's and the 8's, then all we are left with is 3 and 5, which of course is 8 ( 3 + 5 ) - and I wouldn't expect it any other way.
888 is divisible by the sacred number 37, refer to my earlier post for more details on that:
Know that Yeshua is Salvation and that The Word is The Highest Truth!
The number 8 also corresponds to Baptism, which is required for us to reach the highest level of spiritual perfection. Just as there were 8 people saved from the flood, baptism in water also saves us.
Peter explains this in great detail for us:
"because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.
Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ," - 1 Peter 3:20-21
The ultimate meaning of the eight day is the eternal reign of Yeshua, our LORD and Savior; establishing heaven on earth, with all mankind having the opportunity to have been purified and set apart to live forever. What a "great and terrible day" this will be! Great for the believers who are ready for it and terrible for those who aren't.
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:" - Malachi 4:5
"The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come." - Joel 2:31
"The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:" - Acts 2:20
This mystery goes much deeper, but in order to keep this intuitive, I can only share this much for now.
To all of this I can only say, "Bo Yeshua, Bo!" (Come Jesus, Come!)
Much Love and Blessings!
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