"I AM"

The below scriptures in Exodus 3:14 and John 8:58 have been used to show that Jesus is God in personality. We know that Jesus is God in nature as the Divine Son but is he the Almighty God?

We do know that it was Jesus as "The Angel of Jehovah" appearing and speaking on behalf of His Father to Moses in the burning bush at Mt. Horeb (verse 2). Remember Jesus is the Word of God (Jehovah). Inspiration says "Jesus is God's voice made audible". Due to our Messiah saying no man has seen the Father, it is likely the preexistent Son of God that appeared to Moses. In verse 4, it says that Jehovah saw Moses turning aside to see him. Remember in Genesis 19:24, there are two Jehovah's that rain down fire and brimstone from heaven in Sodom and Gomorrha. 

Genesis 19:24 (ASV)

24 Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of heaven;

So there is a Jehovah on earth (Jesus) and a Jehovah in heaven (The Father who no man can see and still live). Remember, Jesus has his Father's name in him so he can rightly be called Jehovah. However, this does not mean that he is Jehovah in personality as that is the Father. Jesus is Jehovah in nature. In fact his Hebrew name Jehoshua means "the Salvation of Jehovah".

In the passage below Jesus as the Angel of Jehovah appears and speaks on behalf of his Father who is Jehovah in personality. This makes complete sense when we remind ourselves that Jesus is the Word of God. Read the below passage in Exodus and compare with John 8:58.

Exodus 3:1-15 (ASV)

1  Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb.

2 And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

4 And when Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

7 And Jehovah said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people that are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

8 and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

9 And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: moreover I have seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be the token unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?

14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

Let's look at vers 14 and the meaning of "I AM"

"I AM" - Strongs Hebrew 1961="hayah" which means to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass. He causes to become.

Hayah is the 3 letter root word from which the Divine name "Jehovah" is derived.

Let’s see what the phrase "I AM" means when said by Jesus in the below passage.

John 8:58 (KJV)

58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

The word "was" comes from the greek "ginomai" (Strongs Greek 1096) which means to cause to be, to become (come into being).

The word "am" comes from the greek "eimi" (Strongs 1510) which means I exist, am, have been.

The Greek reads, "Before Abraham came into existence 'I' existed."

John 8:58 does not prove that Jesus is Jehovah in personality hence being the Almighty God. Jesus is stating his pre existence to the Jews.