It has been said that “to be absent from the body is to be present before the LORD”. Being a phrase which comes from 2 Corinthians 5:6-8. Which then begs the obvious question: “If the body is absent, what, then, is actually present before the LORD?” Which tells us plainly that WHO we are, and WHAT we are, is primarily a spirit being. For if we were primarily a body, then how would it be possible to be present before the LORD when the body is absent?

So plainly, we are spiritual beings first and foremost. And our spirit has a body. And without the spirit, our body dies. But conversely, if the body dies, the spirit continues to live. For how can we be present before the LORD if what we are is not also alive? So, ultimately, the life force that sustains us, by which we all live by, is not the body, but the spirit. It is “the spirit” that keeps the body alive, not the body that keeps the spirit alive.

So clearly then, the real world, the primary world, is the spiritual world. What we see in the natural is just its embroidery. It’s just the surface layer or outward extremity of a rich world operating behind the scenes. And just like we need to open the hood of a car to see what gives that particular car its life, we likewise need to peel back the layers behind the human body to understand what makes all of mankind tick.

And to help us all with peeling back the hood of the unseen world, we have all been gifted with the priceless treasure chest of the written Word, a Word explained and unlocked by the great Helper and Teacher who inspired and authored its every page.

And of this spiritual world, when it comes to the province of the vast and inspiring world underneath the hood, “7” is the number of perfection in the spiritual. And at the primordial root of this spiritual world, is the great I AM, the alpha Spirit. Being the author and Father of every spirit that lives and breathes in all of man. And of this primordial Spirit, there are 7 attributes to the great I AM that we can find nestled pricelessly in the written Word.

And these 7 “I AM”’s can all be found in John's gospel, being the best friend of our great LORD, the one who inclined himself closer than any other, for he was the one who inclined himself upon the bosom of our King.

     1. John 6:35 - I AM the bread of life.

     2. John 9:5 - I AM the light of the world.

     3. John 10:9 - I AM the door.

     4. John 10:11 - I AM the good shepherd.

     5. John 11:25 - I AM the resurrection and the life.

     6. John 14:6 - I AM the way the truth and the life.

     7. John 15:1 - I AM the true vine.

And for all those who wish to incline themselves against His bosom

That we may also be known as His best friend

The 8th is:

I AM coming...