Before I Was Jesus: Twenty-Five Secret Identities of Jesus

5 Star Review

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Editorial Book Review:

By May Franco

Let me tell you about a question that stopped me cold the moment I read it.

If Jesus is the one who created everything, as the Gospel of John clearly states, but didn't arrive in human form until Bethlehem, then what was he doing during all those thousands of years in between? It sounds simple. It isn't. And the fact that most of us have never paused to ask it is exactly why Gerald Robison wrote this book.

What he uncovers across twenty-five chapters has been sitting in the Bible the whole time, quietly waiting to be noticed. Jesus appearing as Melchizedek, the mysterious priest-king who blesses Abraham and then vanishes from the narrative as suddenly as he arrived. As the Angel of the Lord, showing up at some of the most pivotal moments in Israel's history. As the fourth figure walking unharmed through the fiery furnace alongside Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Each appearance lands like a puzzle piece clicking into place, and by the time you've worked through several of them, you find yourself reading the entire Old Testament differently than you ever have before.

What makes the book genuinely special is the voice Robison chose. Rather than presenting these appearances as academic theology, he wrote as if Jesus himself is narrating his own story directly to the reader. It's a bold choice that requires real biblical authority and pastoral warmth to pull off convincingly. Robison has both, shaped by decades of teaching scripture across more than twenty-five countries, and the voice never once rings false.

This isn't a textbook and it isn't a devotional in the traditional sense. It sits somewhere more interesting than either, an invitation to see the whole sweep of scripture as one unbroken story with the same person at the center from the very first word.

For anyone who thought they knew this story, this book quietly and beautifully proves there is still so much more to discover.

About the Author

Gerald Robison

Gerald Robison has pastored churches on three continents, trained over 1,200 Bible teachers in over twenty-five countries, served as the international training manager for Walk Thru the Bible, and founded and cofounded three ministries.

He has instructed hundreds of mission classes, and has been a favorite speaker for Perspectives, Steeling the Mind conferences, and mission conferences around the nation and the world. He has worked with the Issachar Initiative, Finishing the Task, Perspectives, and City for the Nations. 

Affectionately known as “Dr. G” to many, he has a deep foundation for ministry. He was called to ministry while still in high school and began preparations for it. He achieved his BA in psychology and counseling at Furman and Mercer Universities, his master’s degree and his Doctor of Ministry at Luther Rice Seminary, another master’s degree in education and counseling at Georgia State University, and more graduate studies at the International Institute of Theology and Law sponsored by Simon Greenleaf School of Law and the International Institute of Human Rights sponsored by the University of Strasbourg, France. 

His passion is for helping reach people of every tongue, every tribe, and every nation until representatives from each group is gathered into the throne room of God for worshipping our heavenly Father.