Yes — Jesus was claiming to be the eternal, self-existent I AM, the same Jehovah who existed before Abraham.
Jesus deliberately applied the divine name 'I AM' to Himself, the name God used when He spoke to Moses from the burning bush. Les Feldick teaches that this statement identified Jesus as the pre-eternal Jehovah of the Old Testament, not a man who only began at Bethlehem. The religious leaders understood exactly what He was claiming, and it infuriated them.
John 8:58 — This is the verse where Jesus uses the divine name 'I AM' to answer the Jewish leaders about Abraham.
Exodus 3:14 — This is the Old Testament revelation of 'I AM THAT I AM' that Les Feldick connects to Jesus' statement in John 8:58.
In John 8:56-58, Jesus told the Jewish leaders, 'Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.' When they objected, saying, 'Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?' Jesus answered, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.' The wording sets Abraham's coming into existence against Jesus' present, continuous self-existence. The same divine name appears in Exodus 3:14, where God says to Moses, 'I AM THAT I AM.' In John 8, Jesus takes that name for Himself, showing that He is not merely a man from Nazareth, but the eternal God who existed long before Abraham.
Les Feldick teaches that when Jesus said 'Before Abraham was, I am,' He was claiming to be Jehovah, the same I AM who has existed from time immemorial (Clip1). He connects this directly to the burning bush, where the voice from the bush told Moses, 'I am that I am' (Clip2, Clip4). Les also stresses that Christ did not first come on the scene at Bethlehem. He was eternal past to eternal future, as shown in Revelation where Jesus says, 'I am Alpha and Omega' (Clip7). Abraham rejoiced to see Jesus' day, and Les points back to Genesis 18, when the Lord appeared to Abraham in human form and shared a meal with him (Clip0). Les shows that the religious leaders understood Jesus to be claiming to be the very God of Abraham, and it infuriated them (Clip3). He also teaches that the seven 'I AM' statements in John's Gospel correspond to seven 'I AM' names of Jehovah in the Old Testament, with an eighth 'bright and morning star' in Revelation (Clip2, Clip5, Clip6).
The religious leaders understood that Jesus was claiming to be God. Les Feldick says they realized Jesus was claiming to be the very God of Abraham, the I AM, and it infuriated them. Their question in John 8:57 — 'Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?' — shows they fully understood what He meant.
Les connects Jesus' answer to Exodus 3, where the voice from the burning bush told Moses, 'I am that I am.' Jesus' words, 'Before Abraham was, I am,' identify Him as the I AM of the burning bush, the I AM of pre-eternity, and the I AM of all Scripture. Les also reminds us that Jesus is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Les says Christ was eternal past to eternal future. Some people think Jesus only came on the scene at Bethlehem, but nothing could be further from the truth. In Revelation 22:13, Jesus says, 'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.'
Les teaches that throughout John's Gospel there are seven 'I AM' statements — bread of life, light of the world, door of the sheep, resurrection and life, true vine, and others — that correspond to seven distinct 'I AM' names of Jehovah in the Old Testament. In Revelation, there is an eighth: 'I am the bright and morning star.' This consistent use of 'I AM' shows Jesus never backed away from claiming to be God.
Abraham's Day and Genesis 18
Les points to Genesis 18, where the Lord appeared to Abraham in human form and shared a meal, as background to Jesus' statement that Abraham rejoiced to see His day.
Jesus Claims to Be Jehovah
Les says 'Before Abraham was, I am' is Jesus claiming to be Jehovah, the I AM who has existed from time immemorial.
The I Am of the Burning Bush
Les teaches that Jesus is the I AM of the burning bush and the I AM of all Scripture, and that John's seven I AM statements correspond to seven Old Testament I AM names.
The Jewish Leaders Understood the Claim
Les shows the religious leaders realized Jesus was claiming to be the very God of Abraham, the I AM, and it infuriated them.
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
Les connects John 8:58 to the burning bush and says Jesus is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — the Jehovah of the Old Testament.
Seven I Am Names in the Old Testament
Les illustrates how the Old Testament uses 'I AM' names, beginning with Jehovah Jireh when Abraham offered Isaac, and sees the same pattern fulfilled in Jesus.
Seven I Am Statements in John
Les lists the I AM statements in John's Gospel — bread of life, light of the world, door, resurrection and life, true vine — as evidence of Christ's claim to deity.
Eternal Past to Eternal Future
Les refutes the idea that Christ began at Bethlehem, saying He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, eternal past to eternal future.
John 8:58: Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
This is Jesus' direct answer to the Jewish leaders who questioned how He could have seen Abraham.
John 8:56: Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
Jesus connects Abraham's joy to His own coming, which Les links to the Lord appearing in Genesis 18.
John 8:57: Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
The Jewish leaders' response shows they understood Jesus to be claiming a personal knowledge of Abraham.
Exodus 3:14: And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
This is the Old Testament revelation of the divine name that Les says Jesus applies to Himself in John 8:58.
Revelation 22:13: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Les uses this verse to show that Christ is eternal past to eternal future, not someone who began at Bethlehem.
Yes. Les Feldick teaches that when Jesus said 'Before Abraham was, I am,' He was claiming to be Jehovah, the same I AM who appeared to Moses in the burning bush.
Jesus meant that He existed before Abraham, because He is the eternal, self-existent God. Les says He is the I AM of pre-eternity and the I AM of all Scripture.
Yes. Les says Christ was eternal past to eternal future. The idea that Jesus began at Bethlehem is false, as shown in Revelation 22:13 where He is called Alpha and Omega.
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