Hosted by TruLight Ministries – The Place of Truth
In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes seven statements beginning with the words I am. Each of these “I am” proclamations furthers our understanding of Jesus’ ministry in the world. They also link Jesus to the Old Testament revelation of God.
In the Old Testament, God revealed His name to Moses: “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14). Thus, in Judaism, “I AM” is unquestionably understood as a name for God. Whenever Jesus made an “I am” statement in which He claimed attributes of deity, He was identifying Himself as God.
Here are the seven metaphorical “I am” statements found in John’s gospel:
“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51). In this chapter, Jesus establishes a pattern that continues through John’s gospel—Jesus makes a statement about who He is, and He backs it up with something He does. In this case, Jesus states that He is the bread of life just after He had fed the 5,000 in the wilderness. At the same time, He contrasts what He can do with what Moses had done for their ancestors: “Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die” (verses 49–50).
“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12; 9:5). This second of Jesus’ “I am” statements in John’s gospel comes right before He heals a man born blind. Jesus not only says He is the light; He proves it. Jesus’ words and actions echo Genesis 1:3, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
“I am the door” (John 10:7 and 9, ESV). This “I am” statement stresses that no one can enter the kingdom of heaven by any other means than Christ Himself. Jesus’ words in this passage are couched in the imagery of a sheepfold. He is the one and only way to enter the fold. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber” (verse 1, ESV).
“I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14). With this “I am” statement, Jesus portrays His great love and care. He is the One who willingly protects His flock even to the point of death (verses 11 and 15). When Jesus called Himself the good shepherd, He unmistakably took for Himself one of God’s titles in the Old Testament: “The Lord is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1).
“I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Jesus made this “I am” statement immediately before raising Lazarus from the dead. Again, we see that Jesus’ teaching was not just empty talk; when He made a claim, He substantiated it with action. He holds “the keys of death and the grave” (Revelation 1:18, NLT). In raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus showed how He can fulfill Yahweh’s promise to ancient Israel: “[God’s] dead shall live; their bodies shall rise” (Isaiah 26:19, ESV). Apart from Jesus, there is neither resurrection nor eternal life.
“I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). This powerful “I am” statement of Christ’s is packed with meaning. Jesus is not merely one way among many ways to God; He is the only way. Scripture said that “The very essence of [God’s] words is truth” (Psalm 119:160, NLT), and here is Jesus proclaiming that He is the truth—confirming His identity as the Word of God (see John 1:1, 14). And Jesus alone is the source of life; He is the Creator and Sustainer of all life and the Giver of eternal life.
“I am the true vine” (John 15:1, 5). The final metaphorical “I am” statement in the Gospel of John emphasizes the sustaining power of Christ. We are the branches, and He is the vine. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit unless it is joined in vital union with the vine, only those who are joined to Christ and receive their power from Him produce fruit in the Christian life.
There are two more “I am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John. These are not metaphors; rather, they are declarations of God’s name, as applied by Jesus to Himself. The first instance comes as Jesus responds to a complaint by the Pharisees. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus says, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58, NLT). The verbs Jesus uses are in stark contrast with each other: Abraham was, but I am. There is no doubt that the Jews understood Jesus’ claim to be the eternal God incarnate, because they took up stones to kill Him (verse 59).
The second instance of Jesus applying to Himself the name I AM comes in the Garden of Gethsemane. When the mob came to arrest Jesus, He asked them whom they sought. They said, “Jesus of Nazareth,” and Jesus replied, “I am he” (John 18:4–5). Then something strange happened: “When Jesus said, ‘I am he,’ they drew back and fell to the ground” (verse 6). Perhaps explaining the mob’s reaction is the fact that the word he has been provided by our English translators. Jesus simply said, “I am.” Applying God’s covenant name to Himself, Jesus demonstrated His power over His foes and showed that His surrender to them was entirely voluntary (see John 10:17–18; 19:11).
In die Evangelie van Johannes maak Jesus sewe stellings wat begin met die woorde Ek is. Elk van hierdie “Ek is”-verkondigings bevorder ons begrip van Jesus se bediening in die wêreld. Hulle verbind Jesus ook met die Ou-Testamentiese openbaring van God.
In die Ou Testament het God Sy naam aan Moses geopenbaar: “EK IS WIE EK IS. Só moet jy vir die Israeliete sê: ‘EK IS het My na julle gestuur'” (Eksodus 3:14). Dus, in Judaïsme, word “EK IS” ongetwyfeld verstaan as ‘n naam vir God. Wanneer Jesus ‘n “Ek is”-stelling gemaak het waarin Hy eienskappe van goddelikheid opgeëis het, het Hy Homself as God geïdentifiseer.
Hier is die sewe metaforiese “Ek is”-stellings wat in Johannes se evangelie gevind word:
“Ek is die brood van die lewe” (Johannes 6:35, 41, 48, 51). In hierdie hoofstuk vestig Jesus ‘n patroon wat deur Johannes se evangelie voortduur – Jesus maak ‘n stelling oor wie Hy is, en Hy staaf dit met iets wat Hy doen. In hierdie geval verklaar Jesus dat Hy die brood van die lewe is net nadat Hy die 5 000 in die woestyn gevoed het. Terselfdertyd kontrasteer Hy wat Hy kan doen met wat Moses vir hulle voorouers gedoen het: “Julle voorouers het die manna in die woestyn geëet en gesterwe. Maar hier is die brood wat uit die hemel neerdaal, wat ‘n mens kan eet en nie sterwe nie” (verse 49–50).
“Ek is die lig van die wêreld” (Johannes 8:12; 9:5). Hierdie tweede van Jesus se “Ek is”-stellings in Johannes se evangelie kom net voordat Hy ‘n man genees wat blind gebore is. Jesus sê nie net Hy is die lig nie; Hy bewys dit. Jesus se woorde en dade weerspieël Genesis 1:3: “En God het gesê: ‘Laat daar lig wees!’ en daar was lig.”
“Ek is die deur” (Johannes 10:7 en 9). Hierdie “Ek is”-stelling beklemtoon dat niemand die koninkryk van die hemele deur enige ander middel as Christus self kan binnegaan nie. Jesus se woorde in hierdie gedeelte is vervat in die beeldspraak van ‘n skaapkraal. Hy is die een en enigste manier om die kraal binne te gaan. “Voorwaar, voorwaar Ek sê vir julle, wie nie deur die deur die skaapkraal binnegaan nie, maar van ‘n ander kant af inklim, hy is ‘n dief en ‘n rower” (vers 1).
“Ek is die goeie herder” (Johannes 10:11, 14). Met hierdie “Ek is”-stelling beeld Jesus Sy groot liefde en sorg uit. Hy is die Een wat Sy kudde gewilliglik beskerm, selfs tot die dood toe (verse 11 en 15). Toe Jesus Homself die goeie herder genoem het, het Hy onmiskenbaar een van God se titels in die Ou Testament vir Homself geneem: “Die Here is my herder” (Psalm 23:1).
“Ek is die opstanding en die lewe” (Johannes 11:25). Jesus het hierdie “Ek is”-stelling gemaak onmiddellik voordat Hy Lasarus uit die dood opgewek het. Weereens sien ons dat Jesus se lering nie net leë praatjies was nie; Toe Hy ‘n bewering gemaak het, het Hy dit met aksie gestaaf. Hy hou “die sleutels van die dood en die graf” (Openbaring 1:18). Deur Lasarus uit die dood op te wek, het Jesus gewys hoe Hy Jahweh se belofte aan antieke Israel kan vervul: “[God se] dooies sal lewe; hulle liggame sal opstaan” (Jesaja 26:19). Sonder Jesus is daar geen opstanding of ewige lewe nie.
“Ek is die weg en die waarheid en die lewe” (Johannes 14:6). Hierdie kragtige “Ek is”-stelling van Christus is vol betekenis. Jesus is nie net een weg onder baie weë na God nie; Hy is die enigste weg. Die Skrif sê dat “Die kern van [God se] woorde is waarheid” (Psalm 119:160), en hier is Jesus wat verkondig dat Hy die waarheid is – en Sy identiteit as die Woord van God bevestig (sien Johannes 1:1, 14). En Jesus alleen is die bron van lewe; Hy is die Skepper en Onderhouer van alle lewe en die Gewer van ewige lewe.
“Ek is die ware wingerdstok” (Johannes 15:1, 5). Die laaste metaforiese “Ek is”-stelling in die Evangelie van Johannes beklemtoon die ondersteunende krag van Christus. Ons is die lote, en Hy is die wingerdstok. Net soos ‘n loot nie vrugte kan dra tensy dit in ‘n lewensbelangrike eenheid met die wingerdstok verenig is nie, dra slegs diegene wat met Christus verenig is en hul krag van Hom ontvang, vrugte in die Christelike lewe.
Daar is nog twee “Ek is”-stellings van Jesus in die Evangelie van Johannes. Hierdie is nie metafore nie; eerder is dit verklarings van God se naam, soos deur Jesus op Homself toegepas. Die eerste geval kom wanneer Jesus reageer op ‘n klagte van die Fariseërs. “Ek sê vir julle die waarheid,” sê Jesus, “voordat Abraham gebore is, is Ek!” (Johannes 8:58, NLT). Die werkwoorde wat Jesus gebruik, staan in skrille kontras met mekaar: Abraham was, maar Ek is. Daar is geen twyfel dat die Jode Jesus se aanspraak dat hy die ewige God in vleesgeworde is, verstaan het nie, want hulle het klippe opgetel om Hom dood te maak (vers 59).
Die tweede geval waar Jesus die naam EK IS op Homself toepas, kom in die tuin van Getsemane. Toe die skare Jesus kom arresteer, het Hy hulle gevra wie hulle soek. Hulle het gesê: “Jesus van Nasaret,” en Jesus het geantwoord: “Dit is Ek” (Johannes 18:4–5). Toe gebeur iets vreemds: “Toe Jesus sê: ‘Dit is Ek,’ het hulle teruggedeins en op die grond geval” (vers 6). Miskien is die feit dat die woord “hy” deur ons Engelse vertalers verskaf is, wat die skare se reaksie verklaar. Jesus het eenvoudig gesê: “Ek is.” Deur God se verbondsnaam op Homself toe te pas, het Jesus Sy mag oor Sy vyande gedemonstreer en getoon dat Sy oorgawe aan hulle heeltemal vrywillig was (sien Johannes 10:17–18; 19:11).
Bible Verse and Prayer for Today
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.
—Romans 14:13
It is so easy to be judgmental of others. We must remember that we don’t know their struggles, circumstances, or discouragements. Most of all, we don’t know their hearts. When we are judgmental, we erect a barrier between others and ourselves as we set ourselves up as superior to a brother or sister for whom Christ Jesus died! If we are not careful, we can spread our judgmental impression of them to others in gossip. Our stubbornness to only view them with a judgmental spirit erects a stumbling block that can lead them to become discouraged and cause them to stumble. Jesus warns us sternly about such a damaging practice (Matthew 18:6-7). Let’s set our minds on being an encouragement and blessing to our brothers and sisters and not put an obstacle in the way of others.
Prayer
Father, I ask you to conform my attitude toward others to match the redemptive grace you have for them. I want to be more patient with the failures of others, just as you are patient with mine. Please forgive me for not being more encouraging to those who are weak and struggling. Open my eyes to the ways I can be a blessing. Forgive me for being a hindrance to others. Open my heart to share your blessings with them. Please use me as your instrument of grace and encouragement, never as a selfish stumbling block to one of your precious children. In Jesus’ name, I ask to grow in these graces. Amen and Amen
Bybel Vers en Gebed vir Vandag
Laat ons dus ophou om mekaar te oordeel. Neem eerder besluit om geen struikelblok of hindernis in die pad van jou broer te lê nie.
—Romeine 14:13
Dit is so maklik om ander te veroordeel. Ons moet onthou dat ons nie hulle stryd, omstandighede of ontmoediging ken nie. Bowenal ken ons nie hulle harte nie. Wanneer ons veroordelend is, rig ons ‘n versperring tussen ander en onsself op deur onsself as beter te beskou as ‘n broer of suster vir wie Christus Jesus gesterf het! As ons nie versigtig is nie, kan ons ons veroordelende indruk van hulle aan ander versprei deur middel van skinderstories. Ons hardkoppigheid om hulle slegs met ‘n veroordelende gees te beskou, rig ‘n struikelblok op wat hulle kan laat ontmoedig en laat struikel. Jesus waarsku ons streng teen so ‘n skadelike praktyk (Matteus 18:6-7). Laat ons ons gedagtes daarop rig om ‘n bemoediging en seën vir ons broers en susters te wees en nie ‘n hindernis in die pad van ander te plaas nie.
Gebed
Vader, ek vra U om my houding teenoor ander aan te pas by die verlossende genade wat U vir hulle het. Ek wil meer geduldig wees met die mislukkings van ander, net soos U geduldig is met myne. Vergewe my asseblief dat ek nie meer bemoedigend is teenoor diegene wat swak is en sukkel nie. Maak my oë oop vir die maniere waarop ek ‘n seën kan wees. Vergewe my dat ek ‘n hindernis vir ander is. Maak my hart oop om u seëninge met hulle te deel. Gebruik my asseblief as u instrument van genade en bemoediging, nooit as ‘n selfsugtige struikelblok vir een van u kosbare kinders nie. In Jesus se Naam vra ek om in hierdie genade te groei. Amen en Amen.
Bible Teaching of the Day
Jesus, in response to the Pharisees’ question “Who do you think you are?” said, “‘Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.’ ‘You are not yet fifty years old,’ the Jews said to him, ‘and you have seen Abraham!’ ‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’ At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds” (John 8:56–59). The violent response of the Jews to Jesus’ “I AM” statement indicates they clearly understood what He was declaring—that He was the eternal God incarnate. Jesus was equating Himself with the “I AM” title God gave Himself in Exodus 3:14.
If Jesus had merely wanted to say He existed before Abraham’s time, He would have said, “Before Abraham, I was.” The Greek words translated “was,” in the case of Abraham, and “am,” in the case of Jesus, are quite different. The words chosen by the Spirit make it clear that Abraham was “brought into being,” but Jesus existed eternally (see John 1:1). There is no doubt that the Jews understood what He was saying because they took up stones to kill Him for making Himself equal with God (John 5:18). Such a statement, if not true, was blasphemy and the punishment prescribed by the Mosaic Law was death (Leviticus 24:11–14). But Jesus committed no blasphemy; He was and is God, the second Person of the Godhead, equal to the Father in every way.
Jesus used the same phrase “I AM” in seven declarations about Himself. In all seven, He combines I AM with tremendous metaphors which express His saving relationship toward the world. All appear in the book of John. They are I AM the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51); I AM the Light of the World (John 8:12); I AM the Door of the Sheep (John 10:7, 9); I AM the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14); 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, 5).
Bybel Lering vir die Dag
Jesus het, in reaksie op die Fariseërs se vraag: “Wie dink julle is julle?”, gesê: “‘Jou vader Abraham was bly dat hy my dag sou sien; hy het dit gesien en was bly.’ ‘Jy is nog nie vyftig jaar oud nie,’ sê die Jode vir hom, ‘en jy het Abraham gesien!’ ‘Ek sê vir julle die waarheid,’ antwoord Jesus: ‘Voor Abraham gebore is, is Ek!’ Toe het hulle klippe opgetel om Hom te stenig, maar Jesus het Homself verberg en van die tempelterrein af weggesluip” (Johannes 8:56–59). Die hewige reaksie van die Jode op Jesus se “EK IS”-stelling dui daarop dat hulle duidelik verstaan het wat Hy verklaar het – dat Hy die ewige God in die vlees was. Jesus het Homself gelykgestel aan die “EK IS”-titel wat God Homself in Eksodus 3:14 gegee het.
As Jesus bloot wou sê Hy het voor Abraham se tyd bestaan, sou Hy gesê het: “Voor Abraham was Ek.” Die Griekse woorde wat vertaal word as “was” in die geval van Abraham, en “is” in die geval van Jesus, is heeltemal anders. Die woorde wat deur die Gees gekies is, maak dit duidelik dat Abraham “in aansyn gebring” is, maar Jesus het vir ewig bestaan (sien Johannes 1:1). Daar is geen twyfel dat die Jode verstaan het wat Hy gesê het nie, want hulle het klippe opgetel om Hom dood te maak omdat Hy Homself gelykgestel het aan God (Johannes 5:18). So ‘n stelling, indien nie waar nie, was godslastering en die straf wat deur die Mosaïese Wet voorgeskryf is, was die dood (Levitikus 24:11–14). Maar Jesus het geen godslastering gepleeg nie; Hy was en is God, die tweede Persoon van die Godheid, in elke opsig gelyk aan die Vader.
Jesus het dieselfde frase “EK IS” in sewe verklarings oor Homself gebruik. In al sewe kombineer Hy EK IS met geweldige metafore wat Sy reddende verhouding met die wêreld uitdruk. Almal verskyn in die boek Johannes. Hulle is EK IS die Brood van die Lewe (Johannes 6:35, 41, 48, 51); EK IS die Lig van die Wêreld (Johannes 8:12); EK IS die Deur van die Skape (Johannes 10:7, 9); EK IS die Goeie Herder (Johannes 10:11,14); EK IS die Opstanding en die Lewe (Johannes 11:25); EK IS die Weg, die Waarheid en die Lewe (Johannes 14:6); en EK IS die Ware Wynstok (Johannes 15:1, 5).
Today’s Devotional
God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and told him to go to Egypt to lead the Israelites out of slavery. In response, Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” (Exodus 3:13).
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14).
The phrase translated “I am who I am” in Hebrew is ehyeh asher ehyeh. The word ehyeh is the first person common singular of the verb to be. It would be used in any number of normal situations: “I am watching the sheep,” “I am walking on the road,” or “I am his father.” However, when used as a stand-alone description, I AM is the ultimate statement of self-sufficiency, self-existence, and immediate presence. God’s existence is not contingent upon anyone else. His plans are not contingent upon any circumstances. He promises that He will be what He will be; that is, He will be the eternally constant God. He stands, ever-present and unchangeable, completely sufficient in Himself to do what He wills to do and to accomplish what He wills to accomplish.
When God identified Himself as I AM WHO I AM, He stated that, no matter when or where, He is there. It is similar to the New Testament expression in Revelation 1:8, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’” This is true of Him for all time, but it would have been especially appropriate for a message in Moses’ day to a people in slavery and who could see no way out. I AM was promising to free them, and they could count on Him!
Moses and Aaron delivered the message to Pharaoh: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’” Pharaoh replied, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5:1–2).
Pharaoh stood in opposition to the LORD. Pharaoh was not willing to concede that there was a power higher than himself. He was not willing to yield his plans to the One who was all-powerful and all-sufficient. In essence, Pharaoh was saying “I am who I am, and therefore I will not yield to another.” This seems to be the besetting sin of humanity. God is “The Great I AM,” but we continually want to be our own “I AM.” We make plans and determine that we will fulfill them no matter what. Even evidence to the contrary does not readily convince us of our weakness and contingency.
One of Frank Sinatra’s signature songs was “I Did It My Way.” The final lines of the song, written by Paul Anka, express a common refrain of mankind:
For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way.
Likewise, the final stanza of the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley expresses much the same sentiment:
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
God is the only One who can accurately describe Himself as “I AM.” Jesus claimed the title I AM for Himself in John 8:58. For the rest of us, “I am” is a false claim to self-sufficiency. We are not eternally constant or ever-present. Our only hope is to abandon claims of our own sovereignty and sufficiency and cast ourselves upon the mercy of I AM.
Vandag se Bemoediging
God het aan Moses in die brandende bos verskyn en hom beveel om na Egipte te gaan om die Israeliete uit slawerny te lei. In reaksie hierop het Moses vir God gesê: “Gestel ek gaan na die Israeliete en sê vir hulle: ‘Die God van julle vaders het my na julle gestuur,’ en hulle vra my: ‘Wat is sy naam?’ Wat moet ek dan vir hulle sê?” (Eksodus 3:13).
God het vir Moses gesê: “EK IS WIE EK IS. Só moet jy vir die Israeliete sê: ‘EK IS het my na julle gestuur’” (Eksodus 3:14).
Die frase wat in Hebreeus as “Ek is wie Ek is” vertaal word, is ehyeh asher ehyeh. Die woord ehyeh is die eerste persoon enkelvoud van die werkwoord om te wees. Dit sou in enige aantal normale situasies gebruik word: “Ek pas die skape op,” “Ek loop op die pad,” of “Ek is sy vader.” Wanneer dit egter as ‘n alleenstaande beskrywing gebruik word, is EK IS die uiteindelike stelling van selfgenoegsaamheid, selfbestaan en onmiddellike teenwoordigheid. God se bestaan is nie afhanklik van enigiemand anders nie. Sy planne is nie afhanklik van enige omstandighede nie. Hy belowe dat Hy sal wees wat Hy sal wees; dit wil sê, Hy sal die ewig konstante God wees. Hy staan, altyd teenwoordig en onveranderlik, heeltemal voldoende in Homself om te doen wat Hy wil doen en om te bereik wat Hy wil bereik.
Toe God Homself geïdentifiseer het as EK IS WIE EK IS, het Hy gesê dat Hy daar is, ongeag wanneer of waar. Dit is soortgelyk aan die Nuwe Testamentiese uitdrukking in Openbaring 1:8: “‘Ek is die Alfa en die Omega,’ sê die Here God, ‘wat is, en wat was, en wat kom, die Almagtige.’” Dit is waar van Hom vir alle tye, maar dit sou veral gepas gewees het vir ‘n boodskap in Moses se tyd aan ‘n volk in slawerny en wat geen uitweg kon sien nie. EK IS het belowe om hulle te bevry, en hulle kon op Hom staatmaak!
Moses en Aäron het die boodskap aan Farao oorgedra: “So sê die HERE, die God van Israel: ‘Laat my volk gaan, sodat hulle vir My ‘n fees in die woestyn kan hou.’” Farao het geantwoord: “Wie is die HERE, dat ek Hom moet gehoorsaam en Israel moet laat gaan? Ek ken die HERE nie en Ek sal Israel nie laat gaan nie” (Eksodus 5:1–2).
Farao het in opposisie teen die HERE gestaan. Farao was nie bereid om te erken dat daar ‘n mag hoër as hyself was nie. Hy was nie bereid om sy planne oor te gee aan die Een wat almagtig en algenoegsaam was nie. In wese het Farao gesê: “Ek is wie Ek is, en daarom sal Ek nie aan ‘n ander swig nie.” Dit lyk asof dit die boesemsonde van die mensdom is. God is “Die Groot EK IS”, maar ons wil voortdurend ons eie “EK IS” wees. Ons maak planne en besluit dat ons dit sal vervul, maak nie saak wat nie. Selfs bewyse van die teendeel oortuig ons nie geredelik van ons swakheid en onvoorwaardelikheid nie.
Een van Frank Sinatra se kenmerkende liedjies was “I Did It My Way”. Die laaste reëls van die liedjie, geskryf deur Paul Anka, druk ‘n algemene refrein van die mensdom uit:
Want wat is ‘n mens, wat het hy?
Indien nie homself nie, dan het hy niks
Om die dinge te sê wat hy werklik voel nie
En nie die woorde van iemand wat kniel nie
Die rekord wys ek het die houe gekry
En dit op my manier gedoen.
Net so druk die laaste strofe van die gedig “Invictus” deur William Ernest Henley dieselfde sentiment uit:
Dit maak nie saak hoe nou die poort is nie,
Hoe belaai met strawwe die boekrol is,
Ek is die meester van my lot,
Ek is die kaptein van my siel.
God is die enigste Een wat Homself akkuraat as “EK IS” kan beskryf. Jesus het die titel EK IS vir Homself in Johannes 8:58 opgeëis. Vir die res van ons is “Ek is” ‘n valse aanspraak op selfgenoegsaamheid. Ons is nie ewig konstant of alomteenwoordig nie. Ons enigste hoop is om eise van ons eie soewereiniteit en genoegsaamheid te laat vaar en onsself aan die genade van EK IS oor te gee.
The Collectors of Manna – Women of the Word // Gaarders van Manna – Vroue van die woord
Dilize Light has Managed a TruLight Ladies Group on Telegram for the Past 6 Years and from Today . she will be Sharing her Manna with the Ladies in The TruLight Daily Manna Platform . Dilize is the only Daughter of Pastor Dirk and has been part of the Ministry since the age of 11 . Dilize is also the Radio Host for the Popular TruLight Top 10 that airs on TruLight Radio XM saturdays at 17h00′
Dilize Light bestuur die afgelope 6 jaar ‘n TruLight Damesgroep op Telegram en van vandag af sal sy haar Manna met die Dames deel op die TruLight Daaglikse Manna-platform. Dilize is die enigste dogter van Pastoor Dirk en is deel van die bediening sedert die ouderdom van 11. Dilize is ook die radio-aanbieder vir die gewilde TruLight Top 10 wat Saterdae om 17:00 op TruLight Radio XM uitgesaai word.
Lewe Elke Dag:
Iemand wat ons ken wat 100 jaar oud geword het. Het gelag, erken en gesê dat die Here haar aan die gang gehou het nog altyd. Sy vind steeds elke dag genot daarin om met mense te gesels, te stap en die Bybel te lees soos sy van kleins af gedoen het. Ek weet nie hoe lank Hy my hier sal laat bly nie, het sy gesê. Ek dank die Here net vir wat Hy my reeds gegee het.
Die meeste van ons sal nie 100 jaar oud word nie, maar ons kan by hierdie Dame leer hoe om elke dag wat ons gegee word, te geniet.
Lag – ‘ N barmhartige hart maak ‘n vrolike aangesig, maar by droefheid van die hart is die gees gebroke (Spr 15:13). Ware geluk begin diep binne en kom op ons gesigte te voorskyn.
Die Here – Die vrees van die Here is die tug van wysheid, en nederigheid kom voor eer (v 33). Wanneer God sentraal in ons harte is, kan Hy ons Sy weg deur elke ervaring van die lewe leer.
Die Klein Dingetjies – ‘N maaltyd van kruie waar liefde in is, is beter as ‘n vetgemaakte kalf met haat (v 17). Om liefdevolle verhoudings te handhaaf en die basiese dinge van die lewe te geniet, is belangriker as rykdom en sukses.
Nie almal van ons sal lank leef nie, maar ons almal kan elke dag goed leef vir die Here en die dinge in die lewe.
Die wêreld is gevul met soveel goeie dingetjies
Klein dingetjies wat ons plesier bring
Maar net Christus kan ons lewens met vreugde vul
Bo alle aardse skatte.
Geluk is nie ‘n bestemming nie, maar ‘n daaglikse reis.
Living Every Day:
Someone we know who turned 100. Laughed, acknowledged, and said that the Lord has always kept her going. She still finds joy every day in talking to people, walking, and reading the Bible as she has since she was a child. I don’t know how long He will let me stay here, she said. I just thank the Lord for what He has already given me.
Most of us will not live to be 100, but we can learn from this Lady how to enjoy each day we are given.
Laughter – A merciful heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed (Prov. 15:13). True happiness begins deep within and is revealed on our faces.
The Lord – The fear of the Lord is the discipline of wisdom, and humility comes before honor (v 33). When God is central to our hearts, He can teach us His way through every experience of life.
The Little Things – A meal of herbs where love is present is better than a fattened calf with hatred (v 17). Maintaining loving relationships and enjoying the basics of life are more important than wealth and success.
Not all of us will live long, but we can all live well each day for the Lord and the things in life.
The world is filled with so many good little things
Little things that bring us pleasure
But only Christ can fill our lives with joy
Above all earthly treasures.
Happiness is not a destination, but a daily journey.
TruLight Ministries Daily Entertainment
TruLight TV – Kingdom Kids Hour – What’s A Manna With You
In this episode of Bugtime Adventures – As Moses leads the children of Israel toward the promised land, he must deal with their constant grumbling. Even after God provides food and water, they continue to complain. Moses encourages the people to trust God, but their lack of faith results in their wandering for many years. and later kids will learn that God can help them change the way they think. He wants to help them catch, check, and change their thoughts! We’re going to take our creativity to the extreme to learn how to think about what is best!
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BIBLE PROPHECY IN THE NEWS
France to assist PA in drafting constitution for Palestinian state
France announced Tuesday it would join forces with the Palestinian Authority to draft a constitution for a potential Palestinian State, Reuters reported.
The decision followed a meeting in Paris between President Emmanuel Macron and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The French leader said the panel would examine legal, constitutional, and institutional questions that he argued must be addressed before any political transition can take place.
Macron framed the move as an opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to “live side by side in peace and security.”
He referred to Abbas as a close partner and said France intends to stay involved in efforts to design what he described as “the day after.”
Several Western governments, including France, formally recognized a Palestinian state earlier this year, a shift driven in part by criticism of Israel’s conduct during the Gaza war and by renewed calls to advance a two-state formula.
Israel, despite accepting a US-mediated ceasefire with Hamas, has continued to reject recognition of Palestinian statehood, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referring to such recognition after the Oct. 7 massacre as a “reward for terror.”
In July 2024, the Knesset voted overwhelmingly 67-8 to reject the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Abbas told Macron that the PA remains committed to creating a democratic, demilitarized state that includes Gaza, and said he is prepared to cooperate with President Donald Trump and additional international actors to move any peace initiatives forward.
Macron stressed that the committee’s mandate would be strictly technical but essential to future diplomacy.
Both leaders said the process could help provide a political track once fighting in Gaza is fully resolved, though neither offered a timetable for when that might occur.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Update and Clarification Regarding the Red Heifer from the Temple Institute and the Sanhedrin
The burning of the red heifer on July 1 marked a significant moment in Jewish tradition, sparking considerable discussion. The Temple Institute, which has long been preparing for this ritual, issued its first official statement on the event, addressing the various claims circulating across media platforms, such as YouTube.
Additionally, the Sanhedrin has issued its own statement regarding the event, lending further clarity and direction to the ongoing process.
Jewish tradition maintains that the red heifer is the most enigmatic and difficult to understand law that God gave us in the Torah. The Jewish sources discuss the multitude of details in depth, covering the laws regarding the requirements and aspects that disqualify the heifer, as well as the performance of the ceremony and how it was conducted during the days the Temple stood in Jerusalem. Few scholars are experts in the red heifer. Over a decade ago, the Temple Institute launched its red heifer project and tasked Rabbi Azariah Ariel with studying the subject in depth.
It should be emphasized that the red heifer is used to purify the nation of Israel from impurity resulting from proximity to or contact with a dead body. This state of purity is necessary for Jews to ascend to the Temple. Non-Jews do not become ritually impure and do not enter the Temple, so the mitzvah of the red heifer is not relevant to them, though the Talmud describes the purchase of a red heifer from a non-Jew to be used to purify Jews for the Temple service.
It should also be emphasized that Jews are currently the only verifiable descendants of Israel. Jewish law explicitly states that Jewish identity is genealogical, passed down from mother to children. Being part of the nation of Israel is not nor has it ever been a result of belief.
On July 1, a red heifer that had been housed at Shiloh by the Boneh Israel organization was prepared and burned on a pyre of wood at an undisclosed location in Samaria. The ceremony was carried out by a Kohen (a Jewish man descended from Aaron the priest). The cow was one of five red calves that were brought from Texas to Israel by Boneh Israel in September 2022
The Temple Institute statement reads as follows:
In light of incorrect information that has been published regarding the red heifer, the Temple Institute would like to announce:
1. For about ten years, the Temple Institute has been engaged in preparations for producing the ashes of the red heifer, both from an educational and practical perspective. The observance of these commandments, the raising of a red heifer according to Torah law, and the production of kosher ashes for the purification of the ritually impure, is very complex and includes thousands (!) of details, which require great knowledge and skill in execution. Therefore, the process also includes a number of practical experiments and exercises.
2. About three months ago, a practice was held in the Samarian mountains, in which a simulation of the making of the ashes of the red heifer was conducted.
3. Of course, ashes of the red heifer that are not made on the Mount of Olives while facing the site of the Holy Temple are completely invalid (Mishnah, Para 4:2; Rambam, Para Aduma 4:5). Therefore, we clarify that the simulation was only an exercise, part of a series of exercises that were and, with G-d’s help, will continue to be conducted, before we are properly prepared to fulfill the mitzvah according to Torah requirements. The act was not kosher for additional reasons, including: a heifer was chosen for the exercise whose overall color was red, but was, nevertheless, the most invalid and unkosher of the heifers in our possession. (Its tail was damaged, and it had a defect.) Likewise, the priestly garments worn by the kohen conducting the practice exercise were not consecrated. The purpose of the exercise was to improve our readiness for producing the ashes, and indeed, the exercise improved our understanding of the process, as well as the kohen’s skill, and also revealed various weak points that we must deal with, such as the proper way to lead the heifer to its destination.
4. For this reason, the ashes were mostly left by us in place without any care on our part. We did collect samples of the ashes by people who are tamei met, (impure due to contact with a corpse), and are therefore rendered ineligible for performing this mitzvah, only for the purpose of checking whether the equipment we have is suitable for the task, and important lessons were learned in this regard as well. In any case, all of the ashes are completely ineligible.
5. Anyone who claims otherwise, that the heifer was kosher and the ashes produced from it are kosher for the purpose of purification, is mistaken and misleading, either intentionally or unintentionally.
6. There are currently four red heifers at the Shiloh site, some of which are owned by Rabbi Ariel, head of the Temple Institute. Their halachic status has not yet been definitively determined, and we are monitoring them.
7. The real red heifer will be made, G-d willing, when we have a kosher red heifer (according to the opinion of the rabbis of the Temple Institute and the rabbis they consult with), and when we are ready in all other aspects of the matter. This is a long process that requires patience and perseverance.
After deliberation, the nascent Sanhedrin released a statement regarding the event:
Building Babies In Silicon Valley: The Pursuit To Engineer The Perfect Child
The investors behind these projects are the same figures driving the artificial intelligence revolution — men who believe technology can and should reengineer every aspect of human life. First, they taught machines to think. Now they want to rewrite the code of humanity itself.
GOG AND MAGOG UPDATE
Magog / Iran Seeking To Revive The ‘Axis of Resistance’ Against Israel
While US President Donald J. Trump and his administration are working hard to bring peace to the Middle East and disarm terror groups in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, the Iranian regime and its proxies are doing their utmost to ensure that their Jihad (holy war) to destroy Israel continues in full force.
The Iranian regime is evidently (and understandably) afraid of losing its terror proxies – Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen. These terror groups, whose primary goal is to eliminate Israel, have suffered severe blows over the past two years as a result of Israeli military operations targeting their leaders and military infrastructure.
Although Iran’s terror proxies have been weakened, they are trying to rise from the ashes with the help of their patrons in Tehran.
As part of their effort to foil Trump’s Gaza peace plan and attempts to persuade more Arab and Islamic countries to join the Abraham Accords with Israel, representatives of the Iran-backed terror groups attended a conference in Beirut in the first week of November organized by a group called the Arab National Conference.
According to Ziad Hafez, the group’s former general secretary:
“The Arab National Conference (ANC) is the prime popular Arab nationalist institution in the Arab world. Over the last three decades it has managed to reframe the Arab nationalist narrative and redefine the concept of Arab nationalism. The positions and statements of the ANC are key to the resurgence of Arab nationalism and to the understanding of events currently taking place in the Arab homeland.”
The conference was attended by more than 250 “Arab political, cultural, and resistance figures” from several Arab and Islamic countries. Key speakers included leaders of Hamas, PIJ, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, who declared that the “resistance [terrorism] remains the central path to confronting Israel and expansionist agendas across Palestine and the Middle East.”
Ma’an Bashour, a prominent Lebanese political figure, said that “resistance” is not merely military but “a political, cultural, and social framework essential for restoring sovereignty.”
ANC Secretary-General Hamdeen Sabahi emphasized the need to counter narratives of Arab defeat. “The nation has won, and the day of Palestine’s liberation is near,” he said.
Sabahi rejected calls by the Trump administration and the Lebanese government to disarm the Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon. These weapons, he added, “represent the dignity of the Arab nation.”
According to Sabahi, one of the outcomes of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel is the victory in New York City’s mayoral election of Zohran Mamdani, “who declared his allegiance to Palestine.”
The October 7 atrocities, Sabahi said, also showed that the process of normalization between Arab countries and Israel was “condemned to death on the [Arab and Islamic] popular level.”
Senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said in a speech before the conference that the October 7 massacres were “a response to attempts to obliterate the Palestinian cause and build a new Middle East.”
Al-Hayya added:
“October 7 registered an epic of heroism inside Palestine and on its borders when the nation participated, each according to its ability, in supporting us. The Al-Aqsa Flood [the name Hamas uses to describe the October 7 atrocities] has placed before us a great duty to develop plans and accumulate capabilities to move towards the liberation of Palestine [a euphemism for the destruction of Israel].”
This statement contradicts recent remarks by White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who said that Hamas officials told him and Jared Kushner that the terror group will disarm. In a speech before the America Business Forum in Miami on November 6, Witkoff said:
“Hamas has always indicated that they would disarm. They’ve said so – they said it to us directly during that famous meeting that Jared had with them. I hope they keep their word…”
If Hamas had any real intention of laying down its weapons, its leaders would not be participating in a conference that has come out in public against disarming terror groups in the Middle East. If Hamas were serious about implementing the Trump plan, it would not be participating in a conference that rejects it.
Ziyad al-Nakhalah, secretary-general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second-largest terror group in the Gaza Strip, and whose members participated in the October 7 attack on Israel, also expressed opposition to any plan to disarm terror groups.
“We are still in the field and we emphasize the need to protect the resistance,” al-Nakhalah told the ANC conference. He claimed that the Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip “fought against an international coalition led by the US” over the past two years.
“We emerged from this battle with our weapons in our hands,” the PIJ leader said. Referring to the possibility that the terror groups would comply with Trump’s plan and lay down their weapons, he said: “Trump’s plan has set many obstacles and conditions that cannot be implemented.”
WATCH: IDF completes extensive three-day military exercise
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