BEFORE ABRAHAM – I AM
Monday – April 29, 2019, Nisan 24,5779
Greetings dear partners and friends of Eastern Gate Ministries International, Inc., and The Three Minute Word publication. As you may know I am doing a verse by verse through the Book of John. If you are seeing this on Facebook please take a moment to hit the “like” and “share” buttons. The featured pictures this week will be from “game camera’s” on the Texas ranch. I thought the one for today was humorous so as to get the week off with a little laughter. Not sure the cow was amused. Now let’s go to our primary Bible test reading it aloud.
John 8:56-59 (KJV)
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
Last Friday I left off talking about how Abraham saw the day of our Lord. Abraham was in Blood Covenant with God and he knew that whatever He was willing to do that God had to be willing to do as well, the law of reciprocity. He also knew that by Isaac the Seed was to come and therefore since God’s Word was true God would raise Isaac from the dead if need be. Of course, this works the other way as well, whatever God is willing to do for us we must be willing to do in like kind for Him. Because Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son and his son Isaac was willing to be sacrificed, God the Father had to be willing to sacrifice His Son, and His Son had to be willing to be sacrificed. Do we understand that we are in Blood Covenant through Christ Jesus with the Father? Do we know what the various components of the Blood Covenant are? Do we understand that in the sight of God this is the same Covenant that is the reality between spouses whether they realize it or not? Because Abraham had faith that God would raise Isaac from the dead, the Father could exercise faith to raise and restore Jesus.
Hebrews 11:17-19 (KJV)
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
Before we move on, I want to point out something that may be helpful to some for your own study purposes and for illuminating this passage. The word ‘seed’ in verse eighteen is singular as pointing to one in number not pleural as pointing to many. The verse before and following have obvious double reference not just to Isaac but to Christ Jesus. The ‘Seed’ the promised One, the Messiah was to come through Isaac (also a child of promise and faith) not through Ismael. Now let’s shift our focus to verse fifty-eight and the great “I AM”.
We first see this phrase “I AM” with reference to God explicitly when Moses is commissioned to go back into Egypt to free the Israelites and bring them into Canaan Land. This term “I AM” is commonly thought of as a name of God however it might be more useful to think of it as an incomplete sentence. With God, the sentence starting with “I AM” would end with whatever you need, want, or imagine. For example, one might accurately say; the I Am is my abundant increase, the I Am is my health, my healer and so on. In short, the I AM, is to us whatever we have Covenant right to have which is every good thing. The following passage is God speaking to Moses from the burning bush.
Exodus 3:13-14 (AMP)
13 And Moses said to God, Behold, when I come to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they say to me, What is His name? What shall I say to them?
14 And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE; and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you!
Another example of the use of the phrase “I AM” is on the day Christ Jesus is crucified. When they came with Judas to seize Him He yielded Himself to them but only after He (Holy Spirit) made it clear that He was surrendering to His purpose they were not taking Him by force.
John 18:6-7 (KJV)
6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.
7 Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
As we finish out this chapter, we see Jesus once again just walk away when they attempted to kill Him for it was not yet His time to go to the Cross. He is our prime example meaning we also can just walk away. If we have not given the devil place we also walk in total protection.
John 14:30 (KJV)
30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
When the devil has something in us, he has legal access and we are red meat for him, let us seek to have nothing of him in us.
Until our next publication, as a Bible Teacher and Prophetic Voice I speak this blessing over each and every one of you, receive it by faith in Jesus name!
Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)
24 The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you;
26 The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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