What Is The Meaning of John 8:24, Especially The Words "if you do not believe that I am He?"

Joh 8:24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."

The "He" is not in the original Greek. It simply reads: "if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins."

Though it is true that "I am" is an expression of diety, the context of John chapter 8 points to the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

Joh 8:25 Then they said to Him, "Who are You?" And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.

What did He tell them from the beginning?

Joh 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I AM the light of the world...

In the Old Testament, the Messiah is said to be the light of the world or the nations.

The Messiah in the following is called "My Servant" God's Servant:

Isa 49:6 Indeed He says, 'It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles (Goyim in Hebrew or nations), That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.'"

When Simeon saw the baby Jesus, he said of Him:

Lu 2:32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."

What does John 8:24 mean? If they do not trust in Him as the Messiah, the Christ, they will die in their sins. Read the book of Acts. The apostles Paul and Peter emphasized the Christhood of the Lord Jesus in their preaching and that trusting in Him sinners will be saved.

What was the Showbread in the Old Testament?

 It symbolized the spiritual reality that Israel was always before God, in the presence of God, and that He is the One sustaining them. Ultimately, it points to the Lord Jesus Christ as the Bread from Heaven that God would give to Israel. 

Why did the writer of Hebrews included Hebrews 13:8? What's it for?

Hebrews 13:8 says: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." 

Yes, it is true that the Lord Jesus Christ is immutable in His nature, but the point of Hebrews 13:8 is to establish the readers in grace, in the person and priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The best way to understand Hebrews 13:8 is to understand it in the overall point of the book of Hebrews. 

Heb 5:6 As He also says in another place: "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek";

 Heb 6:20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

 Heb 7:17 For He testifies: "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek."

 Heb 7:21 (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: "The LORD has sworn And will not relent, 'You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek'"),

The Hebrews were tempted to go back to the law and the temple worship with all the priests under law. Apparently, they were tempted to think that Christ's priesthood was something like that of the priesthood under the law --- it passes from one person to another since they were prevented by death to live on and continue their ministry. 

They don't need other priests. Christ is the priest that lives on forever and ever to intercede for them. He is the same priest that they need yesterday, the same priest that they need today and the same priest they will be needing tomorrow and forever. 

Heb 7:25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

What Is God's Name?

 A lot of people are hung-up on what the name of God is. They import our modern way of naming certain people back to the question. In most cases, people's names in our day have no particular relevance in terms of revealing what the person is. Our names have no connection to who and what we are.

It is not so in the Bible and it is not so especially with God. In the Bible, when God reveals His name He is actually revealing something about Himself. Names are supposedly for revealing the person bearing the name. When God reveals His name or names, He is letting you know something about Himself. Nagpa-ilaila Siya nimo!

When He says that He is Elohim, He is Elohim because He is the Strong One. Elohim means the Strong One.

When He says that He is Yahweh, He is Yahweh because He is the Self-Existent One or The One Who Causes Things To Be. Yahweh means the Self-Existent One or The One Who Causes Things To Be.

When He says that He is Adonai, He is Adonai because He is the Sovereign Master. Adonai means Sovereign Master.

Some people do not approve of translating God's name in Hebrew into English because they feel and believe that if that is done then God's name would be distorted. Well, when God revealed His name His intention was to reveal who and what He is. If the English translation exactly and accurately reflects who and what He is then there is no problem.

If you translate Elohim in English as The Strong One then that's who and what God is! The Strong One. You now know in English who He is to a degree!

If you translate Yahweh in English as The Self-Existent One or The One Who Causes Things To Be then that's who and what God is! The Self-Existent One or The One Who Causes Things To Be. You now know in English who and what He is to a degree! The point is revelation. If in Hebrew you can reveal to someone who and what God is then go for it. If it is best to do it in English then go for it.

The names of God He revealed in Hebrew have relevant ideas as to who and what God is. He reveals who and what He is through His names because He wants us to adjust our lives accordingly to what He says about Himself.

"No one ascended to heaven per John 3:13?" Then What About Elijah?

 Joh 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

His Authority And His Ability

* First of all, His Authority

Why is the Lord Jesus an authority when it comes to the topic of heavenly things? (John 3 verse 12)

No one is like Him. He alone was the One who ascended to heaven and came back here to earth to tell us about it. All the prophets in the Old Testament never ascended to heaven and got their revelation there. It was God from heaven who told them about it here on earth. But not the Lord Jesus. This implies that the Lord Jesus had been ascending to heaven and descending to earth before His Incarnation. The theophanies in the Old Testament, the appearances of God in the Old Testament, was actually the Second Person of the Trinity appearing to certain people here on earth.

* Secondly, His Ability

He ASCENDED to heaven. Elijah did not ascend to heaven but was TAKEN UP there.

2Ki 2:1 And it came to pass, when the LORD was about to TAKE UP Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

2Ki 2:11 Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah WENT UP BY A WHIRLWIND into heaven. No man ASCENDED to heaven by his own power, only the Lord Jesus. He certainly can tell us about heavenly things for He had the ability to beam Himself up there and fetch revelation from God the Father.

How Can We Trust The New Testament When The Copies Vary On Many Points?

It's not the quantity of these variants and differences that matters. It's the quality of these variants that's crucial.

Most differences and variants of the copies are in the area of spelling. For example, John and Mary are misspelled in this copy and that copy. But the essential message is not changed. You know that they are still talking about John and Mary or some other person or persons.

Is there really an essential difference here?

For example:

In one copy: "And He sent PetHer and JAHN, saying, "Go and prepre the Passover fr us, that we may eat."

In another copy: "And He sent Peter and JoHHn, saying, "Go an prepare the Pasover for us, that we may eat."

Does the quality of the variants and differences here change what the verse is essentially saying? No, not at all. The enemies of the Bible exaggerate these variations as though we are hopelessly lost in trying to figure out what the original actually said.

If The Rapture Takes Place Before The Tribulation Period Then What About The "Last Trumpet" In 1st Corinthians 15?

 1 Corinthians 15:51-52: "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

Here's a Rapture passage and in it, we are told that it will occur at the last trumpet. In Revelation 11 verse 15 (connect with Rev. 8:2) we are told that the seventh trumpet will sound. So does this mean that the Rapture will take place, not before the Tribulation but somewhere in the period when the Tribulation is going on?

Answer:

No, the seventh trumpet is not one and the same with the last trumpet even though the seventh trumpet is the last in the series of seven trumpets in Revelation.

The "last trumpet" in 1 Corinthians 15 is a military trumpet, specifically the last trumpet in the Roman military.

It is very interesting that Paul mentions "trumpet" in 1st Corinthians chapter 15 and then if you look back to chapter 14 of the same book, he mentions a military trumpet. Look:

 1 Corinthians 15:51-52: "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

1Co 14:8 For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare himself for battle?

And it just so happened that in the Roman military, there was what they call the "last trumpet" call.

When the last trumpet is blown with its distinct sound, Roman soldiers would stop fighting. It was a call that says: "Stop fighting! It's time for you to rest and go home."

In addition, the "last trumpet" also signals a guard on duty that his shift is over. That it's now time to go home. Roman guards would watch and watch and watch all night and then the "last trumpet" with its notable sound is called. And then, it's time for him to go home; his watch, his guard duty is over.

Moreover, the last trumpet with its distinct sound was also sounded when the Roman army was about to go. The first trumpet told them to prepare. The second told them to fall in line. And the third and last trumpet, off they go and march.

The apostle Paul did not have to tell them about what this last trumpet is because being under the Roman empire, they very well knew what this last trumpet was.

What's The Bible's Position On Slavery?

Slavery in the Bible is not viewed as the ideal. However, it is permissible under certain conditions.

What does honey in Lev 2:11 represent?

Le 2:11 'No grain offering which you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the LORD made by fire.

Leaven represents any evil influence. The grain offering will undergo a process of decomposition when leaven is present because even a minute portion of leaven is capable of communicating a decomposing action to a large mass of dough, which in this case, is a grain offering. It does it to bread and it will do it to the grain offering.

Now honey contains live yeast. And yeast is a leavening agent. And so, leaven and honey here are prohibited because of their effect on the grain offering. The Lord Jesus' life represented by the grain offering is absolutely holy; without sin or evil.