In the Old Testament, Jehovah -- once -- calls Himself "I AM". In Hebrew, the word is אֶהְיֶה , meaning "being", or "coming into being". This naming occurs in Exodus, when God appears to Moses in a burning bush, in the wilderness of Mount Horeb. It is one of the main spiritual turning points in the Bible, and the source of one of its deepest statements about God.

In that story, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had become enslaved in Egypt. They are numerous, but their connection with their forebears and with the land of Canaan is tenuous. The Pharaoh of that time "knew not Joseph". Their spiritual progress had stalled out.

Jehovah chooses Moses, herding sheep in the desert, to go back to Egypt and lead his people to freedom.

"And Moses said to God, 'Behold, I come to the sons of Israel, and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? What shall I say to them?' And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO is I AM'; and He said, 'Thus shalt thou say to the sons of Israel: I AM has sent me to you'." (Exodus 3:13, 14)

"I AM". It goes right to the very core of existence. Bigger than space, beyond time, uncreated.

Then, after many hundreds of years, with some people in Judea and its neighborhood still waiting for the promised Messiah, Jesus -- this maverick teacher and healer -- says the same thing. People sit up and take notice.

Here are the examples...

The disciples are in a small boat in a storm-wracked sea. Jesus comes to them, walking on the water:

"But straightway Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Have confidence; I am; be not afraid'." Matthew 14:27

Jesus is talking with a Samaritan woman at a well:

The woman says to Him, "I know that Messiah comes, who is called Christ; when He has come, He will announce to us all things." Jesus says to her, "I am, who speaks to thee." John 4:25, 26

Jesus is talking with his disciples:

"I said then to you that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am, you shall die in your sins. Therefore they said to Him, Who art thou? And Jesus said to them, The Beginning, who also am speaking to you. John 8:24, 25

Later, in the same chapter, Jesus says again to the disciples,

"Amen, amen, I say to you, Before Abraham was, I am." John 8:58

Near the end of his physical life, Jesus is talking with the disciples at the Last Supper:

"From henceforth I tell you before it come to pass, that when it has come to pass, you may believe that I am." John 13:19

Finally, when Jesus is being arrested, there's this powerful scene:

"Judas then, having received a band of soldiers and attendants from the chief priests and Pharisees, comes thither with lanterns, and lamps, and weapons. Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that were coming on Him, went out and said to them, Whom do you seek? They answered Him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus says to them, 'I am'.

And Judas also, who betrayed Him, stood with them. When therefore He had said to them, I am, they went away backward, and fell on the ground. Again, therefore, He asked them, Whom do you seek? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I told you that I am; if then you seek Me, let these go away, that the word which He said might be fulfilled, Of those whom Thou gavest Me I have lost none. John 18:3-9

These "I am" statements by Jesus are not the same as the seven "I am" statements that are often listed -- those are also very interesting, but on a different track. The ones listed here are places where Jesus is declaring that He is God, that he is "I AM".

This is hugely important.

Isaiah prophesied that the Christ child would be God Himself, in human form:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6.

Jesus is saying that same thing. Internally, He is "I am". And as he gradually puts off or purifies the more external human elements he took on so that He could walk among us, the internal shines through more and more.

3008. The first point - that Christ is the same as Messiah, Anointed, and King - is evident from the following places in the Word: In John,

Andrew found his own brother Simon and said to him, We have found the Messiah, which when interpreted is the Christ. John 1:41.

In the same gospel,

Many from the crowd as they heard this utterance said, This is truly the prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But others said, Surely the Christ is not therefore going to come from Galilee? Does not the Scripture say that the Christ is going to come from the seed of David, and from Bethlehem, the town where David was? John 7:40-42.

'The Christ' plainly stands for the Messiah whom they awaited. In the same gospel,

Do the rulers indeed acknowledge that this is indeed the Christ? Yet we know where this man is from, whereas when the Christ comes no one knows where He is from. John 7:25-27.

'The Christ' stands for the Messiah. No one knew where He was from because He was unacknowledged. In the same gospel,

The Jews gathered round Jesus and said to Him, How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you and you do not believe. John 10:24-25.

Here also 'the Christ' stands for the Messiah whom they awaited. In the same gospel,

The crowd answered, We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains for ever. John 12:34.

'The Christ' stands for 'the Messiah'. In the same gospel,

Martha said, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world. John 11:27.

That is, Martha believed that He was the Messiah. In Luke,

There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. He had received an answer from the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord's Christ. Luke 2:25-26.

This stands for the Messiah or Jehovah's Anointed. In the same gospel,

Jesus said to the disciples, But whom do you say that I am? Peter answered and said, God's Christ. Luke 9:20; Mark 8:29.

And there are other instances besides these, such as Matthew 26:63-64; John 6:68-69; Mark 14:61-62.

[2] Since the names Christ and Messiah are one and the same - Christ in Greek and Messiah in Hebrew meaning the Anointed - it is therefore evident that Christ is one and the same as the Anointed. It is also one and the same as King, for kings were generally called the anointed, as is evident from many places in the Historical sections of the Word, as well as the Prophetical, as in David,

The kings of the earth have set themselves, and the princes have taken counsel together against Jehovah and against His Anointed. Psalms 2:2.

In the same author,

Now I know that Jehovah saves His Anointed. He will answer Him from His holy heaven with the mighty acts of His saving right hand. Psalms 20:6.

In the same author,

Jehovah is their strength, and the saving strength of His Anointed. Psalms 28:8.

In Samuel,

Jehovah will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His Anointed. 1 Samuel 2:10.

In these and many other places elsewhere 'the anointed' stands for the king. The word used in the original language is Messiah. In all these prophetical utterances the subject in the internal sense is the Lord, who is the King, as is also evident from the New Testament, as in Matthew,

The governor asked Jesus, Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus said to him, You say so. Matthew 27:11.

In Luke,

Pilate asked Jesus, saying, Are you the King of the Jews? He answering him said, You say so. Luke 23:3; Mark 15:2.

In John,

They cried, Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel. John 12:13.

In the same gospel,

Nathanael said, Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel! John 1:49.