Tag: god

“I AM WHO I AM” is Jesus Christ: A Mathematical Argument

Dr Jito Vanualailai

In Exodus 3:14, we read:

14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

Theorem: “I AM WHO I AM” in Exodus 3:14 is Jesus Christ.

Proof: In Hebrew, the phrase “I AM WHO I AM” is אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה from the שמות 3:14 Hebrew OT: Westminster Leningrad Codex:

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה וַיֹּ֗אמֶר כֹּ֤ה תֹאמַר֙ לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה שְׁלָחַ֥נִי אֲלֵיכֶֽם׃

Using the standard values of the Hebrew letters, we easily get the following values:

{
{“אהיה” I AM, 21},
{“אשר” WHO, 501},
{“אהיה” I AM, 21}
}

The sum is 543, which is the 442nd composite number. The 442nd even number is 884. But there are exactly 153 prime numbers less than or equal to 884. That is, the Prime Pi function evaluated at 884 is 153.

Since 153 refers to the Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus Christ taught us, we arrived at the conclusion of the theorem.

DISCUSSIONS

Outside of mathematics, we Christians can, of course, argue that the “I AM WHO I AM” statement in Exodus 3:14 refers to Jesus Christ based on several key theological and scriptural connections between the Old and New Testaments. Here are the main points supporting this argument.

The “I AM” Statement in Exodus 3:14

  1. Divine Self-Identification
    • In Exodus 3:14, God reveals Himself to Moses with the name “I AM WHO I AM” (Hebrew: “Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh”), which is understood to mean that God is self-existent, eternal, and unchanging. This name is central to God’s identity and His covenant relationship with Israel.

Jesus’ Use of “I AM” in the New Testament

  1. Jesus’ Explicit Claims
    • In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses the phrase “I AM” (Greek: “Ego Eimi”) multiple times in a way that echoes God’s self-revelation in Exodus. Notable instances include:
      • John 8:58: Jesus says, “Before Abraham was born, I am.” This statement caused a strong reaction from the Jewish leaders, who understood it as a claim to divinity, leading them to attempt to stone Him for blasphemy.
      • John 8:24: Jesus states, “For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
      • John 18:5-6: When the soldiers come to arrest Jesus, He responds with “I am He,” and they fall to the ground, indicating a display of divine authority.
  2. “I AM” Statements and Divine Attributes
    • Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus uses “I AM” in conjunction with metaphors that describe His divine role and mission:
      • John 6:35: “I am the bread of life.”
      • John 8:12: “I am the light of the world.”
      • John 10:11: “I am the good shepherd.”
      • John 11:25: “I am the resurrection and the life.”
      • John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
      • John 15:1: “I am the true vine.”

Theological Implications

  1. Identification with Yahweh
    • By using the “I AM” formula, Jesus identifies Himself with Yahweh, the God of Israel. This is seen as a direct claim to be the same God who spoke to Moses at the burning bush.
  2. Divine Nature of Jesus
    • The early Christian church interpreted these statements as affirmations of Jesus’ divinity. They saw Jesus not just as a prophet or teacher, but as God incarnate, the second person of the Trinity.
  3. Fulfillment of Prophecy
    • Christians believe that Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of God in the flesh to save His people. The “I AM” statements reinforce this belief by directly linking Jesus to the God of Israel.

Scriptural Support

  1. Colossians 1:15-17
    • Paul describes Jesus as “the image of the invisible God,” affirming His divine nature and role in creation.
  2. Philippians 2:6-11
    • Paul speaks of Jesus, who “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage,” further emphasizing Jesus’ divinity and pre-existence.
  3. Hebrews 1:3
    • The writer of Hebrews describes Jesus as “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.”

By connecting Jesus’ “I AM” statements in the New Testament with God’s revelation to Moses in the Old Testament, we Christians understand and argue that Jesus is indeed the “I AM,” the eternal, self-existent God who has come in the flesh to reveal Himself fully and provide salvation.

Importance of Our Words and Their Impact on Others

Dr Jito Vanualailai

In Ephesians 4:29, we read:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Since the Book of Ephesians is the 49th book of the Bible, the identifier for the verse is 49+4+29=82. The four divisors of 82 are in the set of divisors {1, 2, 41, 82}. Hence the arithmetic mean of the divisors is 126/4 = 31.5. This means that we can link Ephesians 4:29 with the Lord’s Prayer, particularly the petition “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Both passages emphasize the importance of our words and their impact on others.

In Ephesians 4:29, Paul instructs believers to speak in a way that is beneficial and edifying to others, avoiding unwholesome talk. This aligns with the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation found in the Lord’s Prayer. By asking for forgiveness and expressing our willingness to forgive others, we acknowledge the power of our words to hurt or heal and strive to use them in a way that builds up rather than tears down.

Additionally, the Lord’s Prayer teaches us to pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). This includes praying for the transformation of our own hearts and the hearts of others, so that our words and actions reflect God’s love and grace.

Conclusion. Both Ephesians 4:29 and the Lord’s Prayer emphasize the importance of our words and the need to use them in a way that reflects God’s character of love, forgiveness, and grace.

The secret of the Lord is with Those who Fear Him (Psalm 25:14)

Dr Jito Vanualailai

There are two verses in the Bible that offer us incredible insights into God’s character and purposes; Psalm 25:14 and Proverbs 8:13.

The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him. And He will show them His covenant. (Psalm 25:14, NKJV)

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate. (Proverbs 8:13, NKJV)

Psalm 25:14 reveals that God shares His intimate counsel with those who revere Him, making His covenant known to them. This covenant signifies the special bond and promises that God extends to individual believers who honor Him and place their trust in His guidance. It encompasses God’s loving care, divine protection, abundant provision, and the privilege of intimate communion with those who faithfully obey His will. Proverbs 8:13 provides guidance on how to cultivate this reverent relationship with God to fully experience His covenant blessings. It emphasizes the importance of distancing ourselves from evil, rejecting pride, arrogance, and corrupt speech, as part of our commitment to honor and reverence the Lord.

In summary, both verses highlight the significance of fearing the Lord, which involves reverence, obedience, and a turning away from evil. They emphasize that those who fear the Lord are granted special privileges and insights into God’s character and purposes.

Next, we will show that mathematically Psalm 25:14 and Proverbs 8:13 are linked with the Lord’s Prayer. Indeed, the alphanumeric analysis of Psalm 25:14 gives the value 1142.

HebrewEnglishValue of Hebrew Word
ס֣וֹד
sō-wḏ		The secret70
יְ֭הוָה
Yah-weh		of Yahweh26
לִירֵאָ֑יו
lî-rê-’āw;		[is] with those who fear Him257
וּ֝בְרִית֗וֹ
ū-ḇə-rî-ṯōw,		and His covenant624
לְהוֹדִיעָֽם׃
lə-hō-w-ḏî-‘ām.		He will show them165
The sum of all the values of the words in Psalm 25:14 is 1142.

The number 1142 is the 952nd composite number. There are 16 divisors of 952, given in the set {1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 14, 17, 28, 34, 56, 68, 119, 136, 238, 476, 952}. The sum of the divisors is 2160; hence the arithmetic mean of the divisors is 2160/16 = 135.

Conclusion. Here we borrow an except from Oswald Chambers’ classic devotional My Utmost for His Highest:

The Secret of the Lord
The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him… PSALM 25:14
What is the sign of a friend? Is it that he tells you his secret sorrows? No, it is that he tells you his secret joys. Many people will confide their secret sorrows to you, but the final mark of intimacy is when they share their secret joys with you. Have we ever let God tell us any of His joys? Or are we continually telling God our secrets, leaving Him no time to talk to us? At the beginning of our Christian life we are full of requests to God. But then we find that God wants to get us into an intimate relationship with Himself— to get us in touch with His purposes. Are we so intimately united to Jesus Christ’s idea of prayer— “Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10 )— that we catch the secrets of God? What makes God so dear to us is not so much His big blessings to us, but the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us— He knows every detail of each of our individual lives.

I desire to do your will, my God (Psalm 40:8-9)

Dr Jito Vanualailai

Psalm 40:8-9 captures the essence of wholehearted devotion and obedience to God:
“I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”
(Psalm 40:8)
“I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, Lord, as you know.”
(Psalm 40:9)

The essence of Psalm 40:8-9 is one of unwavering commitment to God, a fervent desire to follow His will, and a readiness to share His goodness with others. It reflects a heart fully surrendered to God, eager to live in obedience and bear witness to His faithfulness.

To calculate the sum of the identifiers for Psalm 40:8-9, we’ll find the identifier for each verse and then sum them up.

For Psalm 40:8:

Book of Psalms = 19
Chapter 40
Verse 8
Identifier = 19 + 40 + 8 = 67

For Psalm 40:9:

Book of Psalms = 19
Chapter 40
Verse 9
Identifier = 19 + 40 + 9 = 68

Now, let’s sum these identifiers:

For Psalm 40:8-9:
67 + 68 = 135

Therefore, the sum of the identifiers for Psalm 40:8-9 is 135.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10), indicating a desire for God’s perfect will to be fulfilled. Similarly, Psalm 40:8 declares, “I desire to do your will, my God,” reflecting the psalmist’s earnest desire to align their life with God’s purposes.

Conclusion: When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we declare to our Father in Heaven that we desire to do His Will.

Righteousness as a Prerequisite for Peace (Psalm 34:14-15)

Dr Jito Vanualailai

Psalm 34:14 focuses on the individual’s responsibility to turn away from evil and actively do good, emphasizing that seeking and pursuing peace is a personal action. It suggests a moral and ethical lifestyle, guiding people towards righteousness and peace as central virtues in their lives. The journey of seeking and pursuing righteousness and peace, as outlined in Psalm 34:14, is met with God’s unwavering support and attentiveness, as affirmed in Psalm 34:15.

Psalm 34:14-15 (NKJV): 14 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.

The identifiers for the verses are (19+34+14=67) and (19+34+15=68), so that the sum is 135.

Conclusion: When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we petition our Father in Heaven to help us to be righteous and to seek peace and pursue it.

Discussions

In biblical context, righteousness often involves living in a way that is in alignment with God’s will—acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God (Micah 6:8).

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

This ethical and moral conduct creates a foundation for peace. Peace (shalom in Hebrew) in the Bible is a comprehensive term that means more than the absence of conflict; it includes ideas of completeness, wholeness, health, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, fullness, rest, and harmony. The pursuit of righteousness, therefore, is inherently linked to the creation and cultivation of peace because righteousness lays the groundwork for a life that fosters harmony within oneself, with others, and with God.

This relationship – where righteousness is a prerequisite for peace – reflects a broader biblical theme where peace is often seen as the fruit of righteousness. For example, Isaiah 32:17 says, “The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.” This suggests that peace is both a consequence and a condition of righteousness; they feed into each other in a virtuous cycle.