by Ptr. Art Calaguas
Shalom.
There are actually 4 instances of εγώ εἰμι (“I AM”) declarations present in the Book of Revelation. Three (3) are uttered by the Lord Jesus while a statement comes from God the Father himself (in Revelation 1:8 where the LORD God says that “I AM the Alpha and the Omega”). We will only take up the 3 declarations made by our Lord Jesus. We have actually encountered some of them in our study of the 7 Churches of Revelation.
Revelation 1:17 contains an instance where the image of God the Father is shared with the divine priestly “son of man.” The use of the “I AM” here is the unmistakable proof. John narrates that when he saw this figure, the apostle fell forward toward his feet as a corpse. This “man” then put his right hand on him and said:
…Μὴ φοβοῦ· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος,
…Fear not; I AM the first and the last,
Understandably, John was terrified at the image he was seeing and fell as if dead. But now, a hand reached out to him and comforting words were uttered. This evokes very similar images as in Daniel 10:9-12 where the prophet also “collapsed” at the sight and sound of his vision, a hand touched him and helped set him upright and he heard the words “do not fear.” A parallel account is found in Matthew 17:6-7. Here a similar phenomenon is narrated by Matthew during the Transfiguration; the terrified disciples fell face down to the ground and Jesus came over to them, touched them, asked them to get up and also said to them, “fear not.” In the account of his nighttime walk on the Sea of Galilee (John 6:20; Matthew 14:27; and Mark 6:50), the Lord tells his disciples “fear not;” using the same Greek root word but this time prefixed with the “I AM” self-identification.
The divine “man” says emphatically, “I AM the first and the last,” in Revelation 1:17. This phrase functionally means the same thing as what we saw earlier in Revelation 1:8 when the LORD God emphatically says, “I AM the Alpha and the Omega.” Alpha (Α, α) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega (Ω, ω) is the last. Now Isaiah 44:6 and 48:12 says in the Hebrew that the LORD declares himself to be the first and the last. So we saw that both God the Father (the LORD) saying that he is the first and the last in Isaiah and Revelation and this divine priestly Messiah (the Lord Jesus) saying he is also the first and the last! The sharing of attributes and imagery highlighting the mystery of the nature of the Godhead is quite clear.
Revelation 2:23 is part of the letter to the messenger-leader-pastor of the church in Thyatira. Here is the “I AM” section in Greek followed by my formal translation:
…καὶ γνώσονται πᾶσαι αἱ ἐκκλησίαι ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἐραυνῶν νεφροὺς καὶ καρδίας, καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν.
…and all the churches will know that I AM the One searching inmost minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you (pl) according to your (pl) works.
The Lord Jesus emphatically states in Revelation 2:23 that all the churches will know that He really is the One who searches the deepest thoughts, beliefs, loyalties and actual doings of his people and will give each one what one deserves. It is a warning of righteous judgment not only for the pastor/leader of the church but all its members (as the second person plural forms of the pronoun “you”/”your” are used). The Lord tells the church members of Thyatira who are idolaters and those engaging in sexual immorality that they will be subjected to tribulation. The individualized judgments call to mind the Old Testament (OT) prophets Jeremiah (e.g., Jeremiah 31:29-30) and Ezekiel (e.g., Ezekiel 18:2-4). Revelation 2:23 reminds us all that a stark, undeniable relationship exists between sin and its consequences. And as the Apostle Paul says in Romans 6:23: “the wages of sin is death.” Choose life then, not death (see Deuteronomy 30:19)! Let us realize that the Lord has complete discernment over true and false beliefs, motives and doctrines; our “inmost minds and hearts” and of course, actual deeds (see Hebrews 4:12-13).
The last chapter of the last book of the Bible contains the last εγώ εἰμι (“I AM”) declaration of our Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:16 followed by my formal translation is given below:
Ἐγὼ Ἰησοῦς ἔπεμψα τὸν ἄγγελόν μου μαρτυρῆσαι ὑμῖν ταῦτα ἐπὶ ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ῥίζα καὶ τὸ γένος Δαυίδ, ὁ ἀστὴρ ὁ λαμπρός, ὁ πρωϊνός.
I, Jesus, sent my messenger/angel to testify to you (pl) these things for the churches. I AM the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.
The Lord Jesus reiterates his concern as Shepherd-King-Messiah-Priest to all the churches; the Body of Christ. The entire Book of Revelation may be referred to as an End-Times Manual for all Christian churches. It is proof of the Lord’s everlasting love and care for his people.
The Lord says he is both the root and descendant of David. Revelation 5:5 actually mentions and identifies the Lamb (i.e., the Messiah Jesus) who is “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David.” But it is in Isaiah 11:1 that the prophet says that a “shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse; and a branch from his roots will bear fruit (NASB).” Jesse is the father of David and this verse identifies the Messiah as a descendant/offspring/branch coming from Jesse/David (see Matthew 1:1-10). Then in Isaiah 11:10, it is further prophesied that “in that day the nations will resort to the root of Jesse, who will stand as a signal for the peoples; … (NASB)” thus identifying the Messiah as both root and offspring in that same chapter. This is at the heart of the apparent contradiction that the Lord Jesus said in Mark 12:36-37, quoting Psalm 110:1. If King David calls the Messiah “Lord,” then in what sense can he be David’s son? Recall that in John 8:58, the Lord told the Ἰουδαῖοι and all present that “Amen, amen I say to you, before Abraham came into being, I AM” making plain his claim to deity and identification with the LORD God. Thus, as ever-existing, eternal and timeless, the Lord can certainly be the root as well as a branch of David as Isaiah declares.
The “bright morning star” or “radiant dawn/early morning star” mentioned in Revelation 22:16 had already been promised by the Lord Jesus earlier to the messenger/leader and members of the church in Thyatira (i.e., everyone who overcomes) in Revelation 2:26-28. A close parallel is found in Numbers 24:17 where Balaam of Beor prophesies that a “star shall come forth from Jacob.” The Lord Jesus is the light of salvation to all. He is indeed, the bright morning star that heralds the coming new day of redemption!
This ends our study of all the εγώ εἰμι (“I AM”) declarations of our Lord Jesus. We shall take up new areas of study starting next week.
God bless us all.