In this lecture Neville Goddard recounts a vision experienced by a woman in which the phrase “before Abraham, was I am” is revealed, emphasizing the centrality of the divine presence within each individual. He illustrates the power of tradition to obstruct spiritual truth by comparing it to a sentry guarding a violet that bloomed centuries ago. Goddard explains how the original biblical manuscripts contained no punctuation, and how a simple shift in comma placement can transform our understanding of scripture and the nature of God. He teaches the method of assumption—living from the end state of one’s desire—as a means to test and realize the inner ‘I AM.’ Throughout, he stresses that God is not an external being but the very awareness and imagination within us. By embracing this incarnate revelation, one awakens to oneness with the divine and fulfills the purpose of scripture in personal transformation.
Recently I read a book called, Vanished Parts of Yesterday, by Lord Frederick Hamilton. In it he tells the story of Catherine the Great – who, when she found the first violet of spring, ordered a sentry to be placed over it to protect it from being plucked. Forgetting to rescind the order, day and night, summer and winter, a sentry stood where 150 years ago, a violet bloomed. The new generation did not know why the sentry was there and he didn’t either. It was simply a tradition!
Make sure no sentry is now standing on your lawn, keeping you from the word of God; for you void the word of God through the traditions of your fathers which have been handed down from generation to generation.
Now, the spirit of truth comes to all who will accept it. And the incomplete form of the incarnate revelation will continue until the spirit of truth comes! It has come to this lady whose vision I would like to share with you now.
Finding herself on a movie lot with two others, she approaches a man who had the appearance of John Wayne. Calling her by name, he said something to her she could not understand; but upon awakening, these words were clearly heard: It is not Before Abraham was, I am! but Before Abraham, was I am!
Bear in mind the Bible’s original manuscript had no punctuation marks. There were no verses, no paragraphs, no capital letters, chapters, or punctuation until the 16th century. Man has placed the comma after the word was, as though a man was speaking. But in this incarnate revelation, the spirit of truth revealed the source of all life as “I am!” This is the same being who said: “Go to my brothers and say, `I am ascending unto my Father and you Father, unto my God and your God.”‘ In this revelation the incarnate work is not separating himself from you; rather he is telling you that the “I am” has unfolded within him.
Will you believe that revelation? Will you turn to this one presence, this one I am who was before Abraham, knowing it to be the source of everything good, bad, and indifferent?
You may think God could not create wars and conflicts between countries, but I tell you there is no other creator, no other cause. As horrible as the world appears to be, it is like a tapestry whose knots and loose strings appear ugly on one side, while its beauty is revealed on the other.
I know very able imaginists who suggest we look upon the history of man as material for the artistry of God. That’s beautifully said, but I rather think it takes the horrors of experience to transform man into the beautiful being he was in the beginning.
In the Book of Genesis we are told: “He meant it for evil but God meant it for good.” In order to play the part of man, awareness had to fall asleep, and in so doing became the dreamer called Joseph and was sold into slavery. In spite of the horrors of the world, Joseph awoke and was able to save civilization from death. So I believe that regardless of what we do, it is being transformed into the beauty of the promise.
Dwell upon this lady’s revelation, for it came to her through the spirit of truth. Remember: the dreamer in her is also the being in the director’s chair. John Wayne always plays the leading role, never a secondary one, and God is the key actor, always the star. Recognising John (the word means “Jehovah’s favored one”) he calls her name.
Scripture tells us that God numbered the stars and called each by name. Do you know that you are far more precious than the stars or the sands of the sea? Though we seem to be unnumbered, each and every one of us is known in the mind of the Father and each name is recorded in the Book of Life.
Although my friend could not hear the words spoken in her vision, upon awakening she remembered: It is not before Abraham was, I am, but before Abraham, was I am! You will find this statement in the 8th chapter of the Gospel of John. This is a chapter which concerns itself with the identity of the Father. Here he claims: “My Father is he who you call God, but I know my Father and you know not your God.” In this statement he is trying to get you to go beyond a physical state and think of God (your imagination) as the source of all life!
You can test God through the act of assumption. By assuming you are now what you desire to be, and wearing that belief as you would a suit of clothes, you will become it.
I can remember buying a new hat and walking down the streets of New York City thinking everyone knew my hat was new. I was very conscious of my hat and a little embarrassed because of its newness. But when I had worn it long enough to throw it in the closet and unconsciously pick it up again, it was an old hat and I could wear it normally. You may deny this, but if you are honest with yourself you will admit that you are very conscious of a new suit or dress, even though those who meet you may not know or care whether your clothes are old or new. Only you are aware of the clothes you are wearing.
The same thing is true of an assumption. At first your reasoning mind and your outer senses will deny its existence, for your thoughts are new and haven’t been broken in yet. But when you wear your assumption long enough, it becomes comfortable and you feel its naturalness, then it will externalise itself as the world reflects the truth of what you have assumed.
Remember: the source of all life is I AM! We are told that the Lord will speak to man in a dream and make himself known in a vision. The word Lord may cause you to think of another, but the Hebrew word YAD HE VAU HE [pron. “YOD HEY VAV HEY”] means “I AM”! And there is no other when you say, I am!
The spirit of truth made himself known to this lady in a vision and will lead her into all things. Trained in the belief of an external God, she has overcome a great deal to receive him.
Man must overcome the belief in a being outside of self before the spirit of truth can come and make himself known to him. This being is immortal and within. Each time you say I am, you speak his name. When you discover this, you will know that you and God are one!
The world rejects this revelation because they do not know the Father. They call him “Lord” and worship him as someone external to themselves, not knowing He is within.
Although you may believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, when David reveals you as his father you will realise you are Jesus and he is your power-filled son, Christ. Then you will tell those who have been conditioned to believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and God is someone other than self, and they will not believe you; for the conditioned mind must be dissolved in order for that individual to realise he is God.
If David calls me father and he calls you father, are we not one father? If there is only one son, only one God and father of all, and everyone individually has the identical son who calls him father – have we not proved the truth of that wonderful 4th chapter of Ephesians: “There is only one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all?”
Now, what was God’s purpose? Why did He become you and I? So that we could become God. If this is true, how will we ever know it unless God’s son calls us father? I could call you Lord, God, Jehovah, or Jesus and you would deny it; but when God’s son – who was supposed to have lived 3000 [sic] years ago – stands before you who live in the 20th century, and calls you father, you cannot deny the experience. When you see David you know you are his father and he knows he is your son. Having fallen asleep, you have forgotten your true identity. But when David appears your memory will return.
God does not have a memory as we interpret the word. To God everything is actual. God’s son is a youth of indescribable beauty which is self-begotten. The verb beget is always attached to the male, while the verb to bear is attached to the female. Scripture speaks of two forms of birth: one which is attached to the female, whose body is formed by and born of woman, while the other is associated with the father, whose body is spirit and whose birth is from within!
In the 3rd chapter of John, Nicodemus is told that he must be born from above. In this chapter the word “anothin” is translated “from above.” At other times it is translated “anew,” or “again” – but a spiritual birth is a must before you can enter the kingdom of heaven, for it is God the Father who is born.
In the last book of the Old Testament the question is asked: “If I am a father, where is my son?” That question is answered when God’s son stands before you. As a teacher it has been difficult for me to get the mind which has been conditioned to believe in tradition, to believe in this revelation.
The mind has a tendency to continue to stand over that little violet which grew 150 years ago. But in this case, it was unnumbered centuries ag, when the idea that Jesus Christ was the son of God was planted in the mind of man while he – a physical man – was nothing more than a little worm. But I tell you: God sacrificed himself to become you. He is crucified on you and will rise from you.
Man is the only cross God ever wore and his birth takes place from man’s skull, for that is where God is buried. When He awakens in you and emerges from you, it is you who awake and emerge. And his fatherhood is revealed when God’s son calls you father.
Then you will tell the truth you have experienced to the world in the hope they will receive it. But whether they do or not, you will know that the spirit of truth has come. You will know you have finished the race and the crown of righteousness is yours. Although I will be gone, remember: God is still with you because He has appeared among you. And you will take what I have told you, plus what God is going to tell you from within, and experience that which has been so misunderstood throughout the centuries.
I have come to reinterpret the story of Jesus Christ. He who sees me sees the Father. How can you say: “Show me the Father.” Have I been so long with you, yet you do not know the Father? He who has seen me has seen the Father.
In the end everyone will be the Father. And because there is only one Father and only one son, this unity – now fragmented – will once more be gathered together. Without loss of identity I will know you more intimately than is possible in this world. Nothing can compare to the intimacy that we will have when we are raised and once more reunited into that one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one God and father of all.
Dwell on this revelation. It is not before Abraham was, I am, but before Abraham, was I am! Here we see that the fountainhead of everything is I am!
Although the horrors of the world may deny a divine event, remember the story of the tapestry. Scripture calls the unlovely side “below,” while the lovely side is called “above.” The Risen Christ is made to say: “You are from below and I am from above. You are of this world and I am not of this world.” In other words, you who have not experienced scripture are from below, while those who have are from above. You are of this world, while they are no longer a part of this world. But, because we are all one, you will be lifted up as the Risen Christ.
Any desire is yours to fulfill if you will not lose confidence in I am. Attach anything to it and it will grow. If your desire is to be rich, say to yourself: I am rich – and think from that assumption. If you want to be known, claim you already are. You can be anything you want to be by the act of assumption. Wear your desire as though it were true now, and your assumption – though denied by your senses – when persisted in will harden into fact by objectifying itself and becoming a reality.
But that is not the purpose of life. There is only one purpose, which is to fulfill scripture. And when God makes himself known in you – an individual – and you tell your experiences, the world will deny them. But I tell you: you cannot turn to another and say I am; and you cannot divide it, for I am is one!
The revelation given to Moses was I am! He was not speaking to another, whose name was I am. If I said the Lord sent me, you would think of another, but I am saying I sent myself!One day Blake was asked what he thought of Jesus and he replied: “Jesus is the only God, but so am I and so are you.” Nothing could be truer than what Blake said, because there is only God and you are actually he! Having emptied yourself of the being you really are, you deliberately came here to play the part of man.
And when you awaken and you and I are reunited in the one body, we will know what we have done in this adventure. I cannot deny the world’s unpleasantness. Every newspaper tells of something terrible. You rarely read a pleasant headline. If they cannot find something bad in our city, they jump across the ocean to find it. The world is built that way, yet it is moving toward a glorious divine event.
When the Risen Christ said: “I have things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now,” he was speaking to those who were tightly bound in their concept of a God external to themselves to whom they prayed. That mind could not accept a God within who would make himself known in a vision.
I knew such a lady in New York City. She ran a book store, where I bought many books. Knowing my passion for books, when she would see my interest in a certain book she would quickly erase the price and mark a higher one in its place. This she did time and time again. I have paid her as high as $100 for three books. One day she said: “You certainly have vivid dreams,” and I replied: “They are not dreams, but visions, where I commune with myself, the self that you call God.”
Two years ago, while in New York I learned that Mary had been killed. Walking down a dark street one night she stepped off the sidewalk and a car struck her. Her husband found her body four days later in the morgue where they kept it waiting for identification. So Mary is gone, taking all of her beliefs with her.
There is no transforming power in what the world calls death. If you are prejudiced here, you are prejudiced there. If you change the price of books here, you will do it there. You will continue to play your part until you are willing to have the story of Jesus Christ awaken in you.
It is said that God spoke to Moses, making it appear as though God spoke from without; but God always whispers from within. Knowing God to be himself, when the revelation came, Moses spoke to him face to face and no longer in dream, as told us in the 12th chapter of Numbers.
Test my words, for I know the human imagination is God. Call forth your desire by calling it forth with God’s name. Decide what you want and ask yourself what it would be like and how you would feel if it were true. Then dare to assume you have it. Let the people who know you now see you after your assumption. Don’t make them see you; let them see the change!
Think of the world as a sounding box, echoing and reflecting what you have assumed. Listen to your friends comment on your change. See their faces expressing their pleasure on your good fortune. Wear that feeling as you now wear your present body of belief. Continue to wear that new state and in no time at all your desire will objectify itself and become a fact in your world. Then you will know who the cause of the phenomena of life really is.
There is only one source. The world calls it God. That is a lovely name, but don’t forget that God is your awareness! No one can see I am! They see what I tell them that I am. I walk the earth and they see that I am a man wearing a gray suit. I tell them where I live, and they know the names of my father and mother, sister and brothers; but these are only covers for the being that I am, as no one can see my true identity on this level. They only see my metamorphosis.
The lady whose vision I shared saw a metamorphosis that she herself created, in the form of one who seemed to be John Wayne. You see, God is protean and can assume not only one, but many metamorphoses, and more than one at the same time. She came upon her own creation, who spoke seemingly from without, whispering so softly she could hardly hear what he was saying.
Now, when vision breaks forth into speech the presence of deity is affirmed. In the vision of Moses, speech came from a burning bush; and in the vision of Isaiah, one of the seraphim asked: “Whom shall I send?” and Isaiah answered: “Send me, O Lord.”
In this lady’s case, she saw the form of man who she instantly associated with stardom. He was sitting in the director’s chair, directing and whispering a great secret, which upon awakening she remembered. It is not, before Abraham was, I am, but before Abraham, was I am.
Here we see how important the placement of the comma is. Just as it is on that day on the cross: “Behold I say unto you today, thou shalt be with me in paradise.” Placing the comma after the word today, changes the meaning completely from placing it before the word today. What confusion that has made among those who read: “Behold I say to you, today thou shalt be with me in paradise,” when forty days later he is made to say: “Touch me not as I have not yet ascended.” But the statement makes great sense when the comma is changed.
All punctuation is man-made. Change the comma and you will see that no one can be lost. How could God lose himself when he became man? He could not – therefore God has to redeem himself.
When you discover this truth, you cannot hurt another.Rather, you will help everyone, because you will know he is yourself pushed out. In this world we meet what seems to be another and in a sense they are, because we are all individualised. And we will never lose our individuality; yet in heaven there is a unity, an intermingling of being in its one body. There you dwell as the one Lord, the one God and Father of all, yet without loss of identity.
Now let us go into the silence.
In the first paragraph Goddard sets the stage with a parable about a violet guarded by a sentry, illustrating how inherited traditions can obscure the living word of God. This metaphor underscores his broader thesis that spiritual truth must be personally realized rather than merely inherited. By drawing attention to the absence of punctuation in original biblical texts, he challenges conventional interpretations and invites listeners to reexamine familiar passages with fresh eyes.
The second paragraph delves into the woman’s vision of ‘I AM’ spoken before Abraham, repositioning the comma to reveal the primacy of divine consciousness. Goddard uses this grammatical shift to make a theological point: the ‘I AM’ is not a separate deity but the source of all life that dwells within us. He bridges scripture and psychology by identifying the divine presence as the active imagination, capable of creating inner realities that manifest externally.
Next, Goddard introduces the practical technique of assumption, drawing on a personal anecdote about wearing a new hat to illustrate how sustained belief becomes natural and then objective reality. This method exemplifies his teaching that we can test the omnipotence of imagination by embodying the end state of our desires. The act of assumption becomes a form of spiritual experimentation, demonstrating that our inner convictions shape our outward experiences.
The final paragraphs explore the unity of all life through the father–son symbolism in scripture. Goddard argues that when one’s inner son calls one ‘father,’ the illusion of separation dissolves and individual identity reunites with the divine. He concludes by reaffirming that the ultimate purpose of life is to fulfill scripture through personal revelation. By embracing and embodying the ‘I AM,’ practitioners participate in the cosmic process of salvation and transformation, bringing the hidden side of the tapestry into its visible, beautiful form.
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