Jesus was claiming to be Jehovah — the 'I AM' of the burning bush and the pre-eternal, self-existent God of Israel.
In John 8:58, Jesus used the exact divine name God gave Moses at the burning bush: 'Before Abraham was, I am.' Les Feldick explains that Jesus was telling the Pharisees that He is the same Jehovah who spoke from the burning bush, the pre-eternal, self-existent I AM of all Scripture.
John 8:58 — This is the most direct verse in John where Jesus applies the divine name 'I AM' to Himself in a confrontation with the Pharisees.
Exodus 3:14 — This gives the Old Testament source of the name, revealing God as 'I AM THAT I AM'; Jesus takes this same name for Himself in John.
In Exodus 3:14, when Moses asks for God's name, God answers, '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 divine name God uses for Himself in the Old Testament. In John's Gospel, Jesus repeatedly speaks with that same self-existing 'I AM.' In John 8:58 He says, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.' He also declares: 'I am the bread of life' (John 6:35), 'I am the light of the world' (John 8:12), 'I am the door of the sheep' (John 10:7), 'I am the resurrection, and the life' (John 11:25), 'I am the way, the truth, and the life' (John 14:6), and 'I am the true vine' (John 15:1). In Revelation 22:16 Jesus again says, 'I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.'
Les Feldick teaches that when Jesus says 'I AM,' He is identifying Himself as the Jehovah of the Old Testament — the same God who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. He explains that Jesus' answer to the Pharisees, 'Before Abraham was, I am,' meant 'I'm the same one that spoke from the burning bush. I'm the Jehovah of the Old Testament.' Les also draws a parallel between the seven 'I AM' statements in John's Gospel and the seven 'Jehovah' names of God in the Old Testament, such as Jehovah-Jireh, which he says means 'I AM your Provider.' He notes that Jesus uses the same 'I AM' seven times in John, pointing to 'I am the bread of life' (John 6:35) as the first. He adds that in Revelation 22 there is an eighth 'I AM' — 'I am the bright and morning star' — which he calls the 'New Beginnings,' because 'night is past, eternal day is coming.' Les repeatedly emphasizes that Jesus never backed away from being the I AM.
Les Feldick teaches that there are seven distinct 'I AM' statements in John's Gospel that parallel seven Old Testament 'Jehovah' names. In the transcripts, he specifically names 'I am the bread of life' (John 6:35), 'I am the light of the world' (John 8:12), 'I am the door of the sheep' (John 10:7), 'I am the resurrection, and the life' (John 11:25), 'I am the way, the truth, and the life' (John 14:6), and 'I am the true vine' (John 15:1). He also mentions that on a prior program he gave six instead of seven and that the one he missed was in John 14.
Scripture records Jesus saying, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am' (John 8:58). Les Feldick explains that Jesus was claiming to be 'the I am of the burning bush,' 'the I am of pre-eternity,' and 'the I am of all of Scripture.' He shows that Jesus was telling the Pharisees He is the same Jehovah who spoke to Moses and gave the law at Sinai.
Les teaches that in the Old Testament seven distinct needs of Israel were fulfilled by a seven-fold operation of Jehovah, using names like Jehovah-Jireh ('I AM your Provider'). He connects this to the Gospel of John, where Jesus uses the same 'I AM' pattern seven times. He points to the example of Abraham naming the place 'Jehovah Jireh' after God provided a ram in place of Isaac, showing how the Old Testament 'I AM' names are fulfilled in Jesus.
Correction of the 'I AM' count
Les corrects himself for having given only six instead of seven 'I AMs' in John's Gospel, confirming that the one he missed is in John 14.
Jesus is the I AM of the burning bush
Les explains that when Jesus said 'Before Abraham was, I am,' He was claiming to be the same 'I AM' who spoke to Moses — the pre-eternal, self-existent God of all Scripture.
Seven I AMs parallel seven Jehovahs
Les draws the parallel between the seven Old Testament 'Jehovah' names (Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah-Rapha) and Jesus' seven 'I AM' statements in John's Gospel.
Jesus is the Jehovah of the Old Testament
Les walks through the burning bush encounter and John 8, showing that Jesus' answer 'Before Abraham was, I am' means He is the same Jehovah who spoke to Moses and gave the Law.
Jehovah-Jireh as an 'I AM' example
Les points to Abraham naming the place 'Jehovah Jireh' — 'I AM your Provider' — as an example of the seven Old Testament 'I AM' names.
Seven I AMs of John and the eighth in Revelation
Les walks through several of Jesus' seven 'I AM' statements in John (bread of life, light of the world, door of the sheep, resurrection and life, true vine) and then identifies the eighth 'I AM' in Revelation: the bright and morning star.
The pre-eternal, self-existent I AM
Les emphasizes that Jesus' 'I AM' claim reaches back before Abraham and reveals Him as the pre-eternal, self-existent God who was progressively revealed through Scripture.
Exodus 3:14 — the name God gives Moses
Les reads Exodus 3:13-14, where God tells Moses His name is 'I AM,' and then turns to John's Gospel to show Jesus taking that same name.
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 divine name God reveals to Moses, the name Jesus later claims for Himself in John's Gospel.
John 8:58: Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
This is the clearest place where Jesus directly applies the Old Testament divine name 'I AM' to Himself.
John 6:35: And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Les identifies this as the first of the seven 'I AM' statements in John's Gospel.
John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Les notes that this 'I AM' in John 14 is the one he nearly missed when counting seven.
John 15:1: I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
This is another of the 'I AM' statements Les mentions in his list of seven.
Revelation 22:16: I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Les describes this as the eighth 'I AM' — the new-beginnings one after the seven in John.
Yes. In John 8:58 Jesus uses the exact 'I AM' name that God revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14. Les Feldick explains that Jesus was telling the Pharisees He is the same Jehovah who spoke from the burning bush.
Les Feldick counts seven distinct 'I AM' statements in the Gospel of John, paralleling the seven Old Testament 'Jehovah' names. He also points to an eighth 'I AM' in Revelation 22: 'I am the bright and morning star.'
The name comes from Exodus 3:14, where God tells Moses, 'I AM THAT I AM.' Les describes Jesus as the pre-eternal, self-existent I AM who revealed Himself in the Old Testament and claimed the same name in John's Gospel.
Watch the Teaching: What Jesus Said From the Cross — 7 Statements Explained