Let me offer this to you.....
Without argument anyone who has ready the Holy words has read that in John 8:24 Jesus said
24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”
Did you read that at a glance without it resonating? .....
John 8:24 delivers a sober, loving warning: every person stands at a crossroads. Persist in unbelief, and sin remains, bringing eternal death. Believe that Jesus is exactly who He claims—the divine Savior—and His atoning work removes every sin, granting everlasting life.
In Book of Exodus 3:14, God reveals His name to Moses as:
“I AM WHO I AM.”
Now pay attention because this is important.
In Greek (in the Septuagint), this is also rendered with ego eimi (“I am”).
Later in John 8:58, Jesus says:
“Before Abraham was, I am.”
Remember what happened at that statement?????????????
At that statement, the crowd tries to stone Him — suggesting they understood it as a claim to divine identity.
Because of this, many Christians conclude: Jesus was identifying Himself with Yahweh And Therefore, believing He is truly God is essential to salvation.
Before going on ( especially the last 2 references, dont miss)
The greek English Interlinear says.... Blue Letter Bible https://www.blueletterbible.org/tools/interlinear/mgnt/jhn/8/24/
egō eimi
ἐγώ εἰμι
I am[He], (NOTICE THE HE HAS BEEN ADDED BY SOMEONE.)
ALSO
Biblue hubs interlinear.... https://biblehub.com/interlinear/john/8.htm
egō eimi
ἐγώ εἰμι
I am [He] ( Once again the He has been added here also , indicating it was not the original way Jesus said the verse.)
Here is a very in-depth study of "I am" in the bible.... If you choose not to read all or any of this, at least scroll down to the final entries in red.
Just becaue you never saw it before, or because you have not studied Greek that would allow you to see does not make that not so.
And PALEEEZE ... do not tell me you are relying on the word of others without doing your due diligence on possibly something this inmportant....
"I AM" Sayings in the Fourth Gospel
compiled by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.
Overview:
JESUS HIMSELF says "
I Am" ( Greek
eimi) forty–five times in John's Gospel (including when other characters quote Jesus' words). Twenty–four of these are emphatic, explicitly including the pronoun "I" (Greek
ego eimi –
bold references), which would not be necessary in Greek grammar. These emphatic references can also be sub-divided into "Absolute" or "Predicate" statements, as explained below.
OTHER CHARACTERS in the Fourth Gospel only rarely say, "I am" or "I am (something)," mostly in the negative, "I am not":
In all other NEW TESTAMENT books, “I am” occurs a total of eighty–six times (in the present tense; not counting, "I was" or "I will be"), of which only twenty–four are emphatic (Matt 14:27; 22:32; 24:5; 26:22, 25; Mark 6:50; 13:6; 14:62; Luke 1:19; 21:8; 22:70; 24:39; Acts 9:5; 10:21; 18:10; 22:3, 8; 26:15, 29; Rev 1:8, 17; 2:23; 21:6; 22:16). See
below for a list of these texts.
In the HEBREW BIBLE, the meaning of God's name (YHWH) is closely related to "I am" (see Exod 3:14; 6:2; Deut 32:39; Isa 43:25; 48:12; 51:12; etc.). In the LXX, most of these passages are translated with the Greek expression
ego eimi:
Thus, many interpreters believe that the Johannine Jesus is making divine claims with at least some (or most?) of the following statements.
Absolute Emphatic "I AM" Statements of the Johannine Jesus:
There is
no predicate in these sayings (John 4:26; 6:20; 8:24, 28, 58; 13:19; 18:5, 6, 8).
Caution: the RSV and other English Bibles often translate this phrase, "I am
he", but the pronoun "he" is
not explicit in the Greek text.
Predicate Emphatic "I Am" Statements of the Johannine Jesus:
In these sayings, a
metaphorical image completes the thought: John 6:35, 41, 48, 51; 8:12, 18, 23 (twice); 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1, 5
Most of the above images have their roots in the books of the Hebrew Bible, where they are used primary for God:
- Bread of Life / Bread from Heaven - see Exod 16; Num 11:6-9; Ps 78:24; Isa 55:1-3; Neh 9:15; 2 Mac 2:5-8
- Light of the World - Exod 13:21-22; Isa 42:6-7; Ps 97:4
- Good Shepherd - Ezek 34:1-41; Gen 48:15; 49:24; Ps 23:1-4; 80:1; 100:3-4; Micah 7:14
- Resurrection / Life - Dan 12:2; Ps 56:13; 2 Mac 7:1-38
- Way - Exod 33:13; Ps 25:4; 27:11; 86:11; 119:59; Isa 40:3; 62:10
- Truth - 1 Kings 17:4; Ps 25:5; 43:3; 86:11; 119:160; Isa 45:19
- Vine / Vineyard - Isa 5:1-7; Ps 80:9-17; Jer 2:21; Ezek 17:5-10
Non–Emphatic "I am" Statements of the Johannine Jesus:
Other passages of John's Gospel in which Jesus himself, or others quoting Jesus, say "I am" (Greek
eimi, but
without the explicit pronoun
ego for "I").
"I am" Statements (often "I am not") spoken by Other Characters in the Fourth Gospel:
John the Baptist:
The Man Born Blind:
Simon Peter:
Pontius Pilate:
"I am" Statements in the Rest of the New Testament:
- Matt 14:27 – [As Jesus walks on water toward his disciples in the boat]: But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I [lit. ‘I am’]; do not be afraid.” (cf. Mark 6:50; John 6:20)
- Matt 22:32 – [Jesus, quoting Exod 3:6]: “‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.”
- Matt 24:5 – [Jesus]: “For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray.”
- Matt 26:22 – And they [Jesus' disciples] became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?”
- Matt 26:25 – Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.”
- Mark 6:49-50 – [As Jesus walks on water toward his disciples in the boat]: But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; / for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I [lit. ‘I am’]; do not be afraid.” (cf. Matt 14:27; John 6:20)
- Mark 13:6 – [Jesus]: “Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am [he]!’ and they will lead many astray.”
- Mark 14:62 – Jesus said, “I am; and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power,’ and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.’”
- Luke 1:19 – The angel replied [to Zechariah], “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.”
- Luke 21:8 – And he [Jesus, to his disciples] said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am [he]!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them.”
- Luke 22:70 – All of them [chief priests, scribes, and elders, interrogating Jesus] asked, “Are you, then, the Son of God?” He said to them, “You say that I am.”
- Luke 24:39 – [Risen Jesus, to his disciples]: “Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
- Acts 9:5 – He [Paul] asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
- Acts 10:21 – So Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?”
- Acts 18:9-10 – One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; / for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people.”
- Acts 22:3 – [Paul speaking to a Jewish crowd]: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today.”
- Acts 22:8 – [Paul, recounting the appear of Jesus to him]: “I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.’”
- Acts 26:15 – [Paul, again recounting the appear of Jesus]: “I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The Lord answered, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.’”
- Acts 26:29 – Paul replied, “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that not only you but also all who are listening to me today might become such as I am--except for these chains.”
- Rev 1:8 – “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
- Rev 1:17 – [John, seeing a vision of Jesus]: When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,”
- Rev 2:23 – [Jesus, in the letter to the church in Thyatira]: “And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.”
- Rev 21:6 – [John, quoting Jesus]: Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.”
- Rev 22:16 – “It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
Therefore it is with assurance that you can say when Jesus said "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” that he once again claimed the "I am" name of God as himself and therefore you must believe who he is...... IT MATTERS.
And I will finish with some ARAMAIC THAT JESUS WAS ALSO FLUENT IN.
The Aramaic Bible in plain English John 8: 24- 30
24"I said to you that you shall die in your sins, for unless you shall believe that I AM THE LIVING GOD, you shall die in your sins." 25The Judeans were saying, "Who are you?" Yeshua said to them, "Even though I have begun to talk with you, 26There are many things for me to say and judge concerning you, but he who has sent me is true, and those things that I have heard from him, these things I am speaking in the world." 27And they did not know that he spoke to them about The Father. 28Yeshua spoke again to them : "When you have lifted up The Son of Man, then you shall know that I AM THE LIVING GOD, and I do nothing for my own pleasure, but just as my Father has taught me, so I am speaking. 29And he who has sent me is with me, and my Father has not left me alone, because I am doing always what is beautiful to him." 30When he was speaking these things, many trusted in him.
The Peshitta John 8-34
24“I said to you that you shall die in your sins, for unless you shall believe that I AM THE LIVING GOD, you shall die in your sins.” 25The Judeans were saying, “Who are you?” Yeshua said to them, “Even though I have begun to talk with you, 26There are many things for me to say and judge concerning you, but he who has sent me is true, and those things that I have heard from him, these things I am speaking in the world.” 27And they did not know that he spoke to them about The Father. 28Yeshua spoke again to them: “When you have lifted up The Son of Man, then you shall know that I AM THE LIVING GOD, and I do nothing for my own pleasure, but just as my Father has taught me, so I am speaking. 29And he who has sent me is with me, and my Father has not left me alone, because I am doing always what is beautiful to him.” 30When he was speaking these things, many trusted in him.
