Bismikaallahuma : Regarding I AM WHAT I AM [Part 3]

Our Response

1st Point

We wonder why had the missionary left out the following "I AM" verse:

Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

(John 8:28)

This verse says that Jesus himself can't do anything, so if he was God does it mean that God can't do anything?

Let us analyse the Greek equivalent of the phrase used by Jesus in the above verse:

We can see that the Greek word used by Jesus in John 8:28 is also 'egw eimi or "I am". So again the using of "I am" can not prove that Jesus was God, otherwise he was a weak God who had limitations.

Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out - those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned." John 5:19-29

So Jesus said, When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. John 8:28

And Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me." John 12:44-50 NASB

TAM

2nd Point

If the missionary still believes that the use of the phrase "I am" makes Jesus God, they should also take David as God since David was also using this "I am":

And David said to God, "Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O LORD my God, be against me and my father's house, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.

NKJV (1 Chron. 21:17)

So we see here that David had also used the word "I am". To be sure, let us see in LXX for the equivalent Greek word that he had used in 1 Chron. 21:17:

Clearly, it is "egw eimi" or "I am", so do these words make David God? If the answer is no, what evidence can the missionary show that makes Jesus become God simply by using the phrase, "I am"?

3rd Point

It is clear that saying "I am" can't make somebody to be God. When the Jews were doubtful about the identity of a particular blind beggar who had been healed by Jesus, the blind beggar - who was no more blind, kept saying; "I am (he)" (John 9:9, K.J.V.). please refer to Figure 5 bellow:

Does "I am" or "Egw eimi" make the blind beggar God? Of course not! The same applies to Jesus.

TAM

It is interesting that the referred beggar, when questioned about Jesus who had healed him, replied to Jews as follows:

And he said, "He is a prophet".

(John 9:17)

This is no doubt in accordance with what Qur'an has said:

"Christ the son of Mary was no more than an Apostle; many were the Apostles that passed away before him..." (Qur'an 5:75)

In short, everyone at the time of Jesus knew that he was only a prophet and not God.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men... He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:1-4, 10-11, 14

"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me. I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel. Then John gave this testimony: I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, "The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit." I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." John 1:29-34

"Then Nathanael declared, Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel. Jesus said, YOU BELIEVE because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that. He then added, I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." John 1:49-51

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of Gods one and only Son." John 3:16-18

"For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for Gods wrath remains on him." John 3:34-36

"Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, He told me everything I ever did. So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." John 4:39-42

"So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. Jesus said to them, My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working. For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." John 5:16-18

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Fathers will is that everyone who looks to THE SON and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day... No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life." John 6:38-40, 46-47

"Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if THE SON sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know you are Abrahams descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Fathers presence, and you do what you have heard from your father." John 8:34-38

"Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me? We are not stoning you for any of these, replied the Jews, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your Law, "I have said you are gods"? If he called them "gods," to whom the word of God came - and the Scripture cannot be broken - what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own AND SENT INTO THE WORLD? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, "I am God's Son"? Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father. Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp." John 10:31-39

"Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, Lord, the one you love is sick. When he heard this, Jesus said, This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for Gods glory so that Gods Son may be glorified through it." John 11:1-4

"Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again. Martha answered, I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? Yes, Lord, she told him, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." John 11:23-27

"When he was gone, Jesus said, Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once." John 13:31-32

"After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began... Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world." John 17:1-5, 24

"The Jews insisted, We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God." John 19:7

"Thomas said TO HIM, My Lord and my God! Then Jesus told him, Because you have seen me, YOU HAVE BELIEVED; blessed are those who have not seen AND YET HAVE BELIEVED. Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." John 20:28-31

"Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, Do you believe in the Son of Man? Who is he, sir? the man asked. Tell me so that I may believe in him. Jesus said, You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you. Then the man said, Lord, I believe, and he worshiped him. Jesus said, For judgment I HAVE COME INTO THIS WORLD, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." John 9:35-39

TAM

4th Point

Many Christians have misunderstood about the saying "I AM the Alpha and Omega" in the book of Revelation 1:8. They believe that it is the words of Jesus, when this is actually not true because it was said by the Lord God and not Jesus himself. The New American Bible has proven this:

Figure 6 is showing the passage from the book of Revelation, verse 8. So Jesus never claimed to be "the Alpha and Omega" at all rather that was said by Lord God Himself - please refer to the underlined words in red in Figure 6 above. Almost all the versions have supported this point, please refer to New Revised Standard Version, The Amplified Bible, The New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version and New American Standard Version.

The source of misunderstanding of this verse by Christians is actually due to the King James Version (KJV) which has wrongly translated the Greek words "legei kurios ho Theos" or in Greek "legei kurioV o QeoV". The KJV only translated "legei kurios" or "says the lord" and left out "ho Theos" which mean "the God", this can be easily be understood by referring to Figure 7 as below:

So it is very clear that KJV has thrown out "The God" and only considered "says the Lord" or "says the Master" that means Jesus, so this is not right. Please be informed that the Greek word "Kurios" can be translated as "lord" or "master". So the right translation for these Greek words is given by the New American Bible in Figure 6 above.

Note 5: The picture in Figure 7 is taken from 'Word Study Greek-English New Testament" by Paul R. McReynolds, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois, 1998.

In short, we have given the facts which is supported by visual proofs to show that the words "I am" cannot make Jesus as God, and the idea does not stand to the scrutiny, as the missionaries would like us to believe.

"Behold, I AM COMING SOON! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End... I, JESUS, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star... He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon. Amen. COME, LORD JESUS. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen. Revelation 22:12-13, 16, 20-21

"When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I WAS DEAD, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." Revelation 1:17-18

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, WHO DIED AND CAME TO LIFE AGAIN." Revelation 2:8

"Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord - with THE FIRST of them and with THE LAST - I AM HE." Isaiah 41:4

Who has wrought and done these things? he has called it who called it from the generations of old; I God, the first and to all futurity, I AM (ego eimi). LXX

"This is what the Lord says - Israels King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come-yes, let him foretell what will come. Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one. Isaiah 44:6-8

"Listen to me, O Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I AM HE; I am the first and I am the last." Isaiah 48:12

"He said to me: It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son." Revelation 21:6-7

"He is the First and the Last, and the Outward and the Inward; and He is Knower of all things." S. 57:3 Pickthall

"And verily unto Us (belong) the End and the Beginning." S. 92:13

"For the Son of Man is going to come in his Fathers glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done." Matthew 16:27

"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first... I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I AM HE who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds." Revelation 2:18-19, 23

"then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you ALONE know the hearts of all men)," 1 Kings 8:39

"and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done." Psalm 62:12

"See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him." Isaiah 40:10

"The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: Say to the Daughter of Zion, "See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him."" Isaiah 62:11

"I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." Jeremiah 17:10

"Because that they have done folly in Israel, and commit adultery with the wives of their neighbours, and speak a word in My name falsely that I have not commanded them, and I [AM] HE who knoweth and a witness - an affirmation of Jehovah." Jeremiah 29:23 Youngs Literal Translation

Look, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see him,EVEN THOSE WHO PIERCED HIM; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is, and who was, AND WHO IS TO COME, the Almighty." Revelation 1:7-8

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:" Revelation 2:1

"To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead." Revelation 3:1

"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name." Revelation 3:7-8

"Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth." Revelation 5:6

"On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea... The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches." Revelation 1:10-11, 20

"And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, To Him who sits on the throne, AND TO THE LAMB, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever. And the four living creatures kept saying, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshiped." Revelation 5:13-14 NASB

"Then the angel said to me, Write: "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" And he added, These are the true words of God. At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 19:9-10

"I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!" Revelation 22:8-9

"Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Fathers name written on their foreheads... These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God AND THE LAMB." Revelation 14:1, 4

"Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God AND OF CHRIST and will reign with him for a thousand years." Revelation 20:6

"I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb ARE its TEMPLE. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by ITS LIGHT, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it." Revelation 21:22-24

"You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light." 2 Samuel 22:29

"I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put MY SANCTUARY among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when MY SANCTUARY is among them forever." Ezekiel 37:26-28

"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the THRONE of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The THRONE of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve HIM. They will see HIS face, and HIS name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever." Revelation 22:1-5

"As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened... In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." Daniel 7:9-10

"When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings... Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking." Ezekiel 1:24, 26-28

"God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden." Habakkuk 3:3-4

"I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I WAS DEAD, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." Revelation 1:12-18

"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze." Revelation 2:18

"At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne." Revelation 4:2-3

"To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." Revelation 3:21

"For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Revelation 7:17

"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him." Revelation 22:1-3

"The angel said to me, These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent HIS ANGEL to show his servants the things that must soon take place. Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book." Revelation 22:6-7

"I, JESUS, have sent MY ANGEL to give you (humin) this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star. ... He who testifies to these things says, Yes, I am coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." Revelation 22:16, 20

"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teachings he misleads MY SERVANTS into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols." Revelation 2:18-20

"Let us look next at the apostles word: Whose are the fathers, of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever."(13) This word declares the mystery of the truth rightly and clearly. He who is over all is God; for thus He speaks boldly, All things are delivered unto me of my Father.(14) He who is over all, God blessed, has been born; and having been made man, He is (yet) God for ever. For to this effect John also has said, "Which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."(15) AND WELL HAS HE [JOHN] NAMED CHRIST ALMIGHTY. For in this he has said only what Christ testifies of Himself. For Christ gave this testimony, and said, All things are delivered unto me of my Father;(16) and Christ rules all things, and has been appointed." (source)

BOOK 1

Chapter II

And that you may understand that the omnipotence of Father and Son is one and the same, as God and the Lord are one and the same with the Father, listen to the manner in which John speaks in the Apocalypse: "Thus saith the Lord God, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."50 For who else was "He which is to come" than Christ? And as no one ought to be offended, seeing God is the Father, that the Saviour is also God; so also, since the Father is called omnipotent, no one ought to be offended that the Son of God is also called omnipotent. (source; bold emphasis our)