by Ptr. Art Calaguas<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shalom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let us review the Greek verse of John 8:58:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u03b5\u1f36\u03c0\u03b5\u03bd \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u1f38\u03b7\u03c3\u03bf\u1fe6\u03c2\u00b7 \u1f08\u03bc\u1f74\u03bd \u1f00\u03bc\u1f74\u03bd \u03bb\u03ad\u03b3\u03c9 \u1f51\u03bc\u1fd6\u03bd, \u03c0\u03c1\u1f76\u03bd \u1f08\u03b2\u03c1\u03b1\u1f70\u03bc \u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03ad\u03c3\u03b8\u03b1\u03b9 \u1f10\u03b3\u1f7c \u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03af<\/mark>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As stated last week, this can formally or quite literally be translated as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus said to them, \u201cAmen, amen I say to you, before Abraham came into being, I AM<\/mark>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u03b5\u03b3\u03ce \u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03b9 (I AM) at the end of the statement is like saying the Lord existed before Abraham and because \u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03b9 is grammatically a present indicative verb with a continuous aspect; it means that he emphatically continues to exist. This is an obvious claim to divinity as it again harks back to Exodus 3:14 as we saw earlier with the other previous \u03b5\u03b3\u03ce \u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03b9 declarations. And if he existed before Abraham, it follows that the Lord Jesus existed also before the descendants of Abraham, namely Isaac and then Jacob and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Old Testament (OT), the identification of and the continuity and faithfulness of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to their descendants is something all Jews know very well. Exodus 3:15 is foundational for this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Hebrew verse of Exodus 3:15 is given as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05b9\u05bc\u05d0\u05de\u05b6\u05e8\u05a9 \u05e2\u05b9\u05a8\u05d5\u05d3 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b4\u059c\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\u05be\u05de\u05b9\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u0597\u05d4 \u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05bd\u05d4\u05be\u05ea\u05b9\u05d0\u05de\u05b7\u05e8\u05ae \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\u05be\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05b5\u05a3\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u0592 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u059e\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05a3\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b2\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea\u05b5\u05d9\u05db\u05b6\u0597\u05dd \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05a8\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b7\u05d1\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u05b8\u059c\u05dd \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05a5\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e6\u05b0\u05d7\u05b8\u059b\u05e7 \u05d5\u05b5\u05d0\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05a5\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e7\u05b9\u0596\u05d1 \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b8\u05d7\u05b7\u05a3\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b2\u05dc\u05b5\u05d9\u05db\u05b6\u0591\u05dd \u05d6\u05b6\u05d4\u05be\u05e9\u05b0\u05bc\u05c1\u05de\u05b4\u05a3\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u0594\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05d6\u05b6\u05a5\u05d4 \u05d6\u05b4\u05db\u05b0\u05e8\u05b4\u0596\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05b9\u05a5\u05e8 \u05d3\u05b9\u05bc\u05bd\u05e8\u05c3<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is my formal\/literal translation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n And God said again to Moses, \u201cthus you will say to the sons of Israel, the LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, sent me to you; this (is) my name forever and this is my memorial\/remembrance for (all) generations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, this self-revelation of the LORD God is imprinted in the innermost being of the Jewish people. As a case in point, the Gospel of Matthew narrates that the Sadducees tried to trap the Lord Jesus about the resurrection (since this Jewish party did not believe in resurrection, unlike the Pharisees). The Lord concluded that they did not know the Scriptures nor the power of God, and asserted that resurrection life was different and the resurrected would then be akin to the \u1f04\u03b3\u03b3\u03b5\u03bb\u03bf\u03b9 (\u201cangeloi\u201d meaning messengers\/angels) of heaven. Then he asked them if they remembered that God had said in the Torah (Matthew 22:32 cf. Mark 12:26-27, Luke 20:37-38): <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u1f18<\/em>\u03b3\u03ce \u03b5<\/em>\u1f30<\/em>\u03bc\u03b9 <\/em>\u1f41<\/em> \u03b8\u03b5<\/em>\u1f78<\/em>\u03c2 <\/em>\u1f08<\/em>\u03b2\u03c1\u03b1<\/em>\u1f70<\/em>\u03bc \u03ba\u03b1<\/em>\u1f76<\/em> <\/em>\u1f41<\/em> \u03b8\u03b5<\/em>\u1f78<\/em>\u03c2 <\/em>\u1f38<\/em>\u03c3\u03b1<\/em>\u1f70<\/em>\u03ba \u03ba\u03b1<\/em>\u1f76<\/em> <\/em>\u1f41<\/em> \u03b8\u03b5<\/em>\u1f78<\/em>\u03c2 <\/em>\u1f38<\/em>\u03b1\u03ba\u03ce\u03b2\u2026 <\/em>which can be translated as: \u201cI AM the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.\u201d<\/em> The Lord then further told them: <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u03bf<\/em>\u1f50<\/em>\u03ba <\/em>\u1f14<\/em>\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9\u03bd <\/em>\u1f41<\/em> \u03b8\u03b5<\/em>\u1f78<\/em>\u03c2 \u03bd\u03b5\u03ba\u03c1<\/em>\u1ff6<\/em>\u03bd <\/em>\u1f00<\/em>\u03bb\u03bb<\/em>\u1f70<\/em> \u03b6\u03ce\u03bd\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd. <\/em>This is translated as \u201cHe is not the God of (the) dead but of (the) living.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are other examples. Acts 3:13 narrates that the Apostle Peter in his sermon at Solomon\u2019s Colonnade (after Pentecost) after the healing of the beggar who was lame from birth declared:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u1f41<\/em> \u03b8\u03b5<\/em>\u1f78<\/em>\u03c2 <\/em>\u1f08<\/em>\u03b2\u03c1\u03b1<\/em>\u1f70<\/em>\u03bc \u03ba\u03b1<\/em>\u1f76<\/em> <\/em>\u1f38<\/em>\u03c3\u03b1<\/em>\u1f70<\/em>\u03ba \u03ba\u03b1<\/em>\u1f76<\/em> <\/em>\u1f38<\/em>\u03b1\u03ba\u03ce\u03b2, <\/em>\u1f41<\/em> \u03b8\u03b5<\/em>\u1f78<\/em>\u03c2 \u03c4<\/em>\u1ff6<\/em>\u03bd \u03c0\u03b1\u03c4\u03ad\u03c1\u03c9\u03bd <\/em>\u1f21<\/em>\u03bc<\/em>\u1ff6<\/em>\u03bd, <\/em>\u1f10<\/em>\u03b4\u03cc\u03be\u03b1\u03c3\u03b5\u03bd \u03c4<\/em>\u1f78<\/em>\u03bd \u03c0\u03b1<\/em>\u1fd6<\/em>\u03b4\u03b1 \u03b1<\/em>\u1f50<\/em>\u03c4\u03bf<\/em>\u1fe6<\/em> <\/em>\u1f38<\/em>\u03b7\u03c3\u03bf<\/em>\u1fe6<\/em>\u03bd,\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This can formally be translated as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus,\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We can see the connection of Exodus 3:14 and 3:15 with the absolute \u03b5\u03b3\u03ce \u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03b9 (I AM) declaration of the Lord Jesus in John 8:58 and its linkages with other Scriptures. This concept of the LORD God as ever-existing, eternal and timeless is also expressed in Revelation 1:4; 4:8; and 16:5 in an eschatological and apocalyptic framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Revelation 1:4 in the Greek and my translation are given as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u1f38\u03c9\u03ac\u03bd\u03bd\u03b7\u03c2 \u03c4\u03b1\u1fd6\u03c2 \u1f11\u03c0\u03c4\u1f70 \u1f10\u03ba\u03ba\u03bb\u03b7\u03c3\u03af\u03b1\u03b9\u03c2 \u03c4\u03b1\u1fd6\u03c2 \u1f10\u03bd \u03c4\u1fc7 \u1f08\u03c3\u03af\u1fb3\u2022 \u03c7\u03ac\u03c1\u03b9\u03c2 \u1f51\u03bc\u1fd6\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03b5\u1f30\u03c1\u03ae\u03bd\u03b7 \u1f00\u03c0\u1f78 \u1f41 \u1f62\u03bd<\/mark> \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f41 \u1f26\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f41 \u1f10\u03c1\u03c7\u03cc\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2, \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f00\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f11\u03c0\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c0\u03bd\u03b5\u03c5\u03bc\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u1f03 \u1f10\u03bd\u03ce\u03c0\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03b8\u03c1\u03cc\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6,\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n John, to the seven assemblies (to the ones) in Asia; grace to you (pl) and peace from (the one) who is<\/mark> and who was and who is coming, and from the seven spirits which (are) before his throne,\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The highlighted portion (\u1f41 \u1f62\u03bd<\/mark> – the one who is) is actually found in Exodus 3:14; in the Greek Septuagint (LXX) translation (ca. 250 BC). It is part of the very famous self-identification of the LORD to Moses (\u201cI AM who I AM\u201d). The LXX renders it this way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03b5\u1f36\u03c0\u03b5\u03bd \u1f41 \u03b8\u03b5\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c0\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2 \u039c\u03c9\u03c5\u03c3\u1fc6\u03bd \u1f18\u03b3\u03ce \u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03b9 \u1f41 \u1f64\u03bd<\/mark>\u00b7 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03b5\u1f36\u03c0\u03b5\u03bd \u039f\u1f55\u03c4\u03c9\u03c2 \u1f10\u03c1\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03c5\u1f31\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u0399\u03c3\u03c1\u03b1\u03b7\u03bb \u1f49 \u1f62\u03bd<\/mark> \u1f00\u03c0\u03ad\u03c3\u03c4\u03b1\u03bb\u03ba\u03ad\u03bd \u03bc\u03b5 \u03c0\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2 \u1f51\u03bc\u1fb6\u03c2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It can be formally\/literally translated this way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n And God said to Moses \u201cI AM the one who is<\/mark>;\u201d and He said, \u201cThus you shall say to the sons of Israel, \u2018The one who is<\/mark> has sent me to you.\u2019<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternatively, the phrase \u201c\u201cI AM the one who is\u201d<\/em> can also be rendered \u201cI AM the existing one\u201d or \u201cI AM the one who exists\u201d<\/em> or \u201cI AM the one being.\u201d It expresses the eternal existence of the LORD God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Part of Revelation 4:8 in the Greek and a translation are given below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u1f0d\u03b3\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 \u1f05\u03b3\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 \u1f05\u03b3\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 \u03ba\u03cd\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2, \u1f41 \u03b8\u03b5\u03cc\u03c2, \u1f41 \u03c0\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03bf\u03ba\u03c1\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03c1, \u1f41 \u1f26\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f41 \u1f62\u03bd<\/mark> \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f41 \u1f10\u03c1\u03c7\u03cc\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHoly, holy, holy LORD, God, the all-ruling, the One having been, and the One being<\/mark>, and the One coming.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, it could also share the language of Revelation 1:4 and be rendered as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHoly, holy, holy LORD, God, the all-ruling, who was, and who is<\/mark>, and who is coming.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A portion of Revelation 16:5 again quotes (partly) the identification of the LORD God. Here is the Greek portion and my translation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u0394\u03af\u03ba\u03b1\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 \u03b5\u1f36, \u1f41 \u1f62\u03bd<\/mark> \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f41 \u1f26\u03bd, \u1f41 \u1f45\u03c3\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2, \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRighteous are (you), the one who is<\/mark>, and who was, the holy One, \u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hence, the Apostle John has not only highlighted the self-identification of the Lord Jesus with the Father. He has made it also clear that the Lord Jesus wanted all believers to remember and understand that the LORD God, the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, is<\/strong> the One who is, the One who was, and the One who is coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lord would also declare in John 10:30, in only six (6) Greek words that \u1f10\u03b3\u1f7c \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f41 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c4\u1f74\u03c1 \u1f15\u03bd \u1f10\u03c3\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd (\u201cI and the Father are one\u201d). And again, as expected, the \u1f38\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03b1\u1fd6\u03bf\u03b9 and their cohorts attempted to stone him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We should note here that the \u1f38\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03b1\u1fd6\u03bf\u03b9 and the crowd fully understood what the Lord Jesus said: he and the Father God were not \u201cone person\u201d but \u201cone (something).\u201d Grammatically, the adjective \u1f15\u03bd (\u201chen\u201d from \u03b5\u1f37\u03c2 \u201cheis\u201d) means simply \u201cone\u201d and is neuter (not masculine, not feminine) and singular. Hence, the claim was not about being one person but rather being one in essence or nature. Truly, it was another way of revealing the \u201cI AM.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n We will continue next week with another \u03b5\u03b3\u03ce \u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03b9 declaration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n God bless us all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Ptr. Art Calaguas Shalom. Let us review the Greek verse of John 8:58: \u03b5\u1f36\u03c0\u03b5\u03bd \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u1f38\u03b7\u03c3\u03bf\u1fe6\u03c2\u00b7 \u1f08\u03bc\u1f74\u03bd \u1f00\u03bc\u1f74\u03bd \u03bb\u03ad\u03b3\u03c9 \u1f51\u03bc\u1fd6\u03bd, \u03c0\u03c1\u1f76\u03bd \u1f08\u03b2\u03c1\u03b1\u1f70\u03bc \u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03ad\u03c3\u03b8\u03b1\u03b9 \u1f10\u03b3\u1f7c \u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03af.\u00a0\u00a0 As stated last week, this can formally or quite literally be translated as: Jesus said to them, \u201cAmen, amen I say to you, before Abraham came into being, I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[6,7,16,18,17,9,8,5],"class_list":["post-161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ptr-art-calaguas","tag-church-of-the-risen-lord","tag-crl","tag-i-am","tag-jesus","tag-john","tag-spiritual-refreshment-of-the-day","tag-upcemi","tag-upcrl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161\/revisions\/162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}