When I began this series I thought I would simply expound upon Jesus’ many “I AM” statements in the Book of John. As the series progressed I saw more and more how Jesus revealed himself as the Creator of all things and, more specifically, how his statements paralleled the very beginning verses of the Bible. These types of parallel statements have always been proofs for me that God wrote the Bible (through men). Let me tell you a little story.

When I was just turning 21 years old and in my fourth year of college, I dropped out. I was a math major, a chemistry major before that, and had always been a straight A student in Jr. High and High School. I often made A’s and B’s even in my math classes in college and got the highest grade in the class in the course “differential equations.” But, I liked to listen to music and party more than study, so I dropped out my senior year of college. I even worked at a music store in those days.

One day at work I walked across the street to the bookstore and browsed the philosophy section. I had been reading Krishnamurti and liked what I read. I was looking for more of his work, but then saw a book in that section called, “The New English Bible.” I said to myself, “I’ve always heard the truth is in this book. Why don’t I buy it, read it, and see if it is.” So I did. I began reading the New Testament at work, took the book home and read the Old Testament at night, took it back to work and read some more of the New Testament, and so on.

One night at home two or three months later, when I was reading the Book of Deuteronomy, and after reading the New Testament two full times and now reading it again, I realized that the “voice” of the person speaking in the Old Testament was the same as the “voice” I heard previously that day in the New Testament. If you have read many books by one author, like C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia or Agatha Christie novels, you will know what I mean. You learn to recognize a writer. But, I knew that the Old and New Testaments were written hundreds of years apart and could not have been written by the same writer.

So, I said to myself, “This is impossible, unless God wrote the Bible.”

After I spoke those words in my heart the voice of God spoke to me (whether it was audible or not I do not know, but it sounded audible because the voice was so real) and said, “That’s right, Glenn, and I want you to teach my word!”

That was it. That was all God said to me. But, in saying that the LIGHT went on for me, for then I said to myself, “Then I had better do what it says.” That was almost 35 years ago and since then my goal has been to understand this “word” and to seek God’s grace to obey it according to the revelation of it that he gives. But the way, the narrow path, has not been easy, not even after receiving a direct word from the LORD like that. The Word of God has been sweet in my mouth (I love to gain new understandings and get new revelations in his Word), but it has been bitter in my belly (the way of the LORD is hard; it is a narrow way; it is a wilderness walk; it is dying to the lusts of flesh and soul and living to the ways of God; it is understanding truth and denying deception; it is standing for that truth when you see your friends walk against it; it is learning to discern good and evil and choosing the good; it is growing in knowledge of the truth so that you can recognize the great deceptions that continually plague mankind; it is learning mercy so that you can forgive whose who sin against you and the whole world; it is finally becoming Love, becoming one with the Light and the Truth).

Yes, the long walk of faith becomes bitter and hard. Yet, one thing has always sustained me. Whenever I have considered going another way I have thought, like the disciples before me, “Where else could I go. You have the words of truth.” For, after all, isn’t truth the ultimate issue? “What is truth?” asked Pilate, and Jesus answered not, for the truth stood before him!

Yes, 35 years ago the LIGHT of the World was revealed to me, and his goal is to reveal that light to all men so that all people can walk in the illumination thereof and cease walking in darkness.