Program 144: Who is the “Word” in John 1? (It’s not what you think!)

The “Word” in John 1 is Yahuwah’s thought, His plan.

Welcome to WLC Radio, a subsidiary of World’s Last Chance Ministries, an online ministry dedicated to learning how to live in constant readiness for the Savior's return.

For two thousand years, believers of every generation have longed to be the last generation. Contrary to popular belief, though, Christ did not give believers “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, he repeatedly warned that his coming would take even the faithful by surprise. Yahushua urgently warned believers to be ready because, he said, “The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” [Matthew 24:44] 

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.

* * *Part 1: Who is the “Word”?

Miles Robey: Have you ever stumbled across a passage of Scripture that contradicts another passage? Or maybe one verse of Scripture contradicts a concept taught elsewhere?

Hello, I’m Miles Robey and today I’ve asked Dave Wright how to reconcile a well-known passage of Scripture that appears to contradict a concept widely taught elsewhere in Scripture. Dave?

Dave Wright: Thanks, Miles. The key phrase here is “appears to.” Scripture doesn’t actually contradict itself because truth will never contradict itself. If one passage, or one concept or doctrine, appears to contradict another passage or text or idea, it’s a red flag telling you: “Dig a little deeper here. There’s something you’re not yet seeing.”

Miles: We’ve spent quite a bit of time in recent programs discussing various aspects of the humanity of Christ. The one thing we haven’t really focused on is how to fit that understanding into the opening statements of John in the first chapter of the Gospel of John. If you could address that, I’m sure I’m not alone in wondering how that fits in to our new understanding on the humanity of Christ.

Dave: I’d be happy to. Before I go on, however, I’d like to clarify for any first-time listeners—or even long-time listeners who’ve missed those programs—that when Miles refers to the “humanity of Christ” he is, literally, referring to the fact that Yahushua is fully 100% human.

Now, some of you might be saying, “Yeah? So? Christ was fully human and fully divine. What’s the problem?”

The problem is that Yahushua was fully human but not divine at all.

Miles: As we’ve always maintained here at WLC, we do not expect any of you to take our word for it. But we do ask you to do your own research; study it out for yourself. We’ve got plenty of articles, videos and radio programs that cover the Biblical evidence for the fact that there is no “God the Son” or “God the Holy Spirit.” Other programs and articles cover the historical evidence.

So, again, study this out for yourself but whatever you do, please don’t just reject it as wrong simply because it goes against what you’ve been brought up to believe. The evidence is there if you’ll just take the time to study it out for yourself.

Dave: Probably the first text that pops into someone’s mind when they’re told that the trinity doctrine is a pagan heresy that was adopted by the church in the fourth century is 1 John, chapter 5, verses 7 to 8.

Miles: Oh, yeah. That one. It goes: “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.”

Dave: And it appears in our Bibles so it must be the inspired word of Yah, right?

Miles: Wrong!

Dave: Wrong. That passage was actually added in the 11^th century! Some scribe, somewhere, over 1,000 years after Christ, decided that since the New Testament does not actually teach a trinity, he would supply the lack and added in those two verses. They can’t be found in any of the manuscripts written before the 11^th century.

Miles: So, that brings us full circle back to John 1. After a lot of study, I am fully convinced that the Bible truly does not teach a triune, three-in-one godhead. The Scriptures teach true monotheism, just like the Jews and Muslims believe.

Dave: But …

Miles: Yeah. But. But John 1:1. If the Bible teaches pure monotheism—and it does—then what is meant by John 1, verse 1?

Dave: Well, let’s take a look at that. First, though, could you read it for us, please? Let’s make sure everyone knows just what we’re talking about here.

Miles: All right. It’s really a beautiful passage.

Dave: It is. And as Miles reads this, I’d like our listeners to ask themselves who this could be talking about. We’ve always assumed it’s talking about Yahushua, but with the overwhelming evidence that Yahushua was fully human and not divine at all, ask yourself who else could this passage be discussing.

Miles?

Miles: Okay, it says, quote:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Dave: Okay. Sounds like it’s describing Yahushua, right?

Miles: Yeah, pretty much!

Dave: All right. Before we go any further, first of all I want you to know that when you see the word “God” in the New Testament, 99.9% percent of the time it is referring to Yahuwah. Out of the thousands of times the word “God” (or “theos” in the Greek) is used in the New Testament, only once—possibly twice—does it refer to someone other than Yahuwah.

Miles: Huh! Good to know.

Dave: The second thing to bear in mind is that, again, Scripture never actually contradicts itself. The confusion arises when we try to apply an incorrect interpretation or impose an unbiblical creed upon any given passage. In this instance, this passage is confusing because you’re remembering all the evidence against a triune godhead. But because that’s how this passage has always been interpreted, you don’t know how else to interpret but as a reference to Yahushua. Am I right?

Miles: Yeah, that’s it.

Dave: All right. The traditional understanding is that this passage is referring to Yahushua. It’s used to support the unbiblical idea of “Jesus” having a pre-existence prior to his birth in Bethlehem. So, read it again but this time, stick in the names of both Yahushua and Yahuwah and let’s see if it makes sense. Because remember, the word “God” in this passage is referring to Yahuwah. Go ahead.

Miles: All of it?

Dave: Just verse 1 is fine. Once verse 1 makes sense, the rest will logically fall into place.

Miles: Okay, uh: “In the beginning was Yahushua, and Yahushua was with Yahuwah, and Yahushua was Yahuwah.”

Ohhh! Interesting.

 
Dave: Suddenly doesn’t make as much sense, does it, when we take out the titles?

Miles: No, it doesn’t. Recently you talked about some Christians believing in Yahuwah having three phases. Yahuwah was the Old Testament phase; Yahushua was the New Testament phase, and now the Holy Spirit is the phase in the post-New Testament age.

Dave: But that still doesn’t make sense. Not only does Scripture deny such an interpretation of the nature of Yah, but if there were truly three phases to Yah, then it could not be truthfully said that phase 2 Yah co-existed with phase 1 Yah. Using their own definitions, it simply doesn’t make sense.

Miles: That’s true. So then, is the “word” spoken of here Yahuwah Himself?

Dave: Well, read it again and insert Yahuwah’s name instead of “word” and insert “the Father” instead of “God,” as that is who it’s talking about anyway.

Miles: All right, uh: “In the beginning was Yahuwah, and Yahuwah was with the Father, and Yahuwah was the Father.” 

Dave: So, what do you think? Does that make more sense?

Miles: Not really. I mean, “In the beginning was Yahuwah” is true. It’s a clear echo of Genesis 1:1 which we all know is, “In the beginning God [or Elohim] created the heavens and the earth.” But the next phrase gets more than a little weird when it says “Yahuwah was with the Father.” That makes it sound like two separate entities.

Dave: Which, as we’ve seen, contradicts the many repeated assurances in Scripture that “Yahuwah is one.” In fact, that statement in Deuteronomy 6:4 actually has a name in Judaism. They call it the Shema and it is considered a very high, holy prayer precisely because it so clearly presents the true nature of Yahuwah. He is only one. Not triune. Not three-in-one. Just . . . one.

So, saying Yahuwah is “the Word” in John 1:1 doesn’t make sense either because you wouldn’t say, “Yesterday I saw Dave. And Dave was with Dave and Dave was Dave.” Doesn’t make sense.

Miles: Yeah, that sounds rather ridiculous. So, if “the word” isn’t Yahushua—and we know it can’t be because, number 1, he did not exist prior to his birth and, number 2, while he may be one in purpose with the Father, Scripture makes it clear that they’re two separate entities. So, if it’s not Yahushua and it’s not Yahuwah, who is “the Word” John’s talking about here?

Dave: Not “who” but “what.” It’s not a person, or being. It’s a what, and that what is: Yah’s thought.

See, one reason a lot of people have assumed the “Word” in John 1:1 refers to Yahushua is because, in many alphabetical languages, that word is capitalized. With it being capitalized, it has been easy to interpret it as a symbol for a person, specifically Yahushua. Then, when missionaries took Christianity to the rest of the world, they carried this concept with them, that “the Word” meant Yahushua. But capitalizing the word is actually misleading. It’s not what the original is saying. It’s simply referring to Yahuwah’s thought. “The word” is Yah’s thoughts made audible. It’s part of His foreknowledge. It refers to His plan, laid from the foundation of the world.

Miles: Hmm. That makes sense. A lot more sense than saying “and Yahushua was Yah” or “and Yah was with Yah.” That really doesn’t make sense.

Dave: It doesn’t! If the Son equals the Father, then John 1:1 would read: “In the beginning was the Son, and the Son was with the Father, and the Son was the Father.”

Miles: That makes about as much sense as saying, “In the beginning was the Father, and the Father was with the Father and the Father was the Father.”

Dave: Right. The “word” has to be something other than either the Father or the son, and that is Yah’s thoughts, His foreknowledge, the plan of redemption. All of that has existed since the very beginning. It has been with Yahuwah and is Him.

I’d like you to pull up Jeremiah 29 and read verse 11 for us. This is a beautiful peek into the mind of the Father.

Miles: All right. Give me just a second here . . . Uh, okay. It says: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says Yahuwah, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Dave: The Father’s thoughts toward us are always thoughts of love. He wants our best good! He wants us to be happy!

Do you still have your tab with John 1 open?

Miles: No, but I can pull it up again really quick.

Dave: All right. Let’s go back there. I’d like you to read verse 14, keeping in mind that “word” here is referring to Yah’s thoughts.

Miles: All right, um: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Wait a minute. This really does sound like it’s referring to Yahushua. “The word became flesh and dwelt among us”? That’s talking about Yahushua.

Dave: Yes, but not Yahushua as “the Word.” Rather, the way Yahushua is referred to in this verse is by the word “flesh.” Yahushua is Yah’s thoughts made physical. He is Yah’s desires made audible.

So, back when Yah laid the foundations of the earth, within the privacy of His own thoughts, He had already figured out a plan of action should Adam and Eve fall. His plan, the word of His thoughts, was to beget a fully human son that could, by being fully human but with the nature of Adam before the fall, be a second Adam, giving humanity another chance.

Miles: And that could only be done by a fully human Messiah, born of a woman—

Dave: Because, ever since Adam and Eve, that is how you must be brought into existence to be fully human.

Miles: Right. But one born with the sinless nature of Adam before the fall.

Dave: Yes, because his mission was to redeem the world by conquering where Adam fell. Paul explains this beautifully. Would you please go to Romans 5 and read verses 12 to 19? This is a very powerful passage and reveals clearly the plan of salvation that was, from the very beginning, the thoughts of Yah that became flesh and dwelt among us.

Miles: All right, uh, it says:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—(For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of him who was to come. 

Dave: Yahushua is the great anti-type of Adam. In order to be so, he had to be fully human because his mission was to obey where Adam disobeyed. And by being obedient, redeem the human race from Adam’s failure.

All right. Go on.

Miles:

But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Yahushua Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 

For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one, Yahushua Christ.)

Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

Dave: Yahushua is the Father’s thoughts begotten into human flesh, enabling humanity to behold the glory of the Father’s character of love. No more were our eyes to be blinded by Satan’s lies. By beholding, in the flesh, the only begotten, human son of Yah, we have been given insights into the Father’s thoughts, which are the “word” spoken of in John 1:1.

* * *Part 2: Who is the “Word”?

Miles: We all know that the devil is the “father” of lies and confusion. Sounds like he really did a masterpiece with applying John 1:1 to Christ.

Dave: Oh, he did! It just creates confusion and covers up the truth. The “word” in the first chapter of John is simply that: the spoken word of Yahuwah. It’s His very thoughts. So the “word” isn’t a person. It is the thoughts of the Creator made audible.

Miles: Okay, I’ve got a question for you. This idea that Yahushua was fully human and not at all divine can be a hard concept to kick. I mean, we’re raised from the cradle believing in the dual nature of the Saviour.

A while ago, I saw a glossy, well-put-together magazine published, if I recall correctly, by Campus Crusade for Christ. In there they had a section that was a defense on the divinity of Christ. They were trying to prove that Yahushua was divine. The reasoning given was . . . well, let’s put it this way: whoever wrote the article was never schooled in logical fallacies.

Dave: Oh? What did it say?

Miles: Well, it was so astonishing, actually, I saved the quote on my laptop. Give me just a second to find it. I’d like to hear your thoughts on it. Okay . . . uh, here it is. It says, quote:

Did Jesus actually claim to be God? This seems to be incontrovertible, as almost everything Jesus said and did points in this direction. For example, consider the miracle of Jesus walking on water. Why not fly or turn himself into a pterodactyl? Here is the reason: ‘He [God] alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea’ (Job 9:8). This verse from the Old Testament would have been common knowledge to Jesus’ audience — God alone treads the seas. So when Jesus chooses to walk on water it is not simply a demonstration of power, but of divinity; this is an object lesson, not a carnival show. Conversely, if you are trying to avoid being given the label of ‘God,’ this is about the last thing you’d attempt to do. 

Unquote. So. Dave. What say you? Is that sound reasoning for establishing the divinity of Christ? And what about Peter? He walked on water, too. Does that make him divine?

Dave: Yeah, but Peter sank! If you’re going to accept that as proof that Yahushua is divine, then you’re going to have to say that Elijah is divine, too.

Miles: Why’s that?

Dave: Well, Deuteronomy 33 says Yah rides through the skies, while Isaiah 19 says He rides a “swift cloud.” Psalm 104 says Yah makes the clouds His chariot while Isaiah likens Yah’s cloud chariots to a whirlwind.

Miles: So?

Dave: These passages are all clearly being used to describe majesty that belongs to Creator alone. And yet, what does 2 Kings, chapter 2 verses 1 and 11 say?

Miles: Uh. I don’t know. Can I just read it off your monitor?

Dave: Sure, go ahead.

Miles: Verse 1 says: “When Yahuwah was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.” And verse 11 is: “As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.”

Dave: So if riding a cloud chariot, or a fire chariot, or traveling by whirlwind into heaven is a sign of divinity, then Elijah must be divine, too, right?

Miles: Good point.

Dave: Back when I was still a church-attending trinitarian, I remember a pastor once commenting in a sermon, “The disciples had a hard time grasping Christ’s divinity. Today, we have a hard time grasping his humanity.”

The truth is, the disciples didn’t “grasp” Yahushua’s divinity because they never believed him to be divine at all. They knew he was fully human. But to suggest that in Christian circles today following all the doctrinal changes in the fourth century, is to get yourself denounced as an infidel. In reality, emphasizing Yahushua’s fully human nature is to return to apostolic Christianity, because that is what the Bible teaches.

Miles: The gospel of John is a favorite of trinitarians, isn’t it?

Dave: It’s been used to shoe-horn in this idea that you can have multiple people be still just “one god.”

But think about it: if you’ve got a god in heaven—that’s Yahuwah—who never becomes a man and never dies, and you’ve got another god who does become a man and who does die, that’s clearly not monotheism! By its very definition, it can’t be!

Miles: That’s true. I think the United Pentecostal Church tries to wiggle around this problem by saying the Father and the son are the “same Person.” But that doesn’t work, either, as Yahushua repeatedly says the Father is greater than he.

Dave: Right. The New Testament emphasizes, over and over, that the Father and the son are two separate and distinct individuals.

The truth that Heaven is trying to restore to modern Christians is that Yahushua was fully human, and he originated in the womb of his mother. Not in Heaven. Not in eternity past. In Mary’s womb.

To have originated before that is to say that Yahushua was not fully human and when we say that, we help perpetrate one of Satan’s best-known lies: the idiotic confusion of a Saviour that is supposedly 100% human and 100% divine. And that’s ridiculous.

Miles: Yeah, I’ve noticed any time we try to force an illogical connection, all we get is incomprehensible confusion and we’re told to just “accept it by faith” because it’s supposedly a “mystery too high for human minds to grasp.”

Dave: And that’s not how Yahuwah operates! He wants us to understand the truth. The humanity of Yahushua comes under attack when we try to give him a pre-existence.

Look at it this way: if the ego—and I don’t mean “pride.” I mean a person’s selfhood—if that is created before birth, then just what, exactly, is conceived in the mother’s womb?

Miles: Hm. It wouldn’t truly be a human being, would it?

Dave: No! It wouldn’t! If your true self, the ego, the conscious essence of who you are as a person existed before you were a zygote in your mummy’s womb, then you wouldn’t be a human at all. You’d simply be a visitor from another world.

I want you to look up the definition of a word for me. Define the word “begotten.”

Miles: Uh . . . past participle of beget.

Dave: All right. What’s the definition of “beget”?

Miles: To procreate or generate. To cause to exist.

Dave: Over and over in the New Testament, Yahushua is referred to as the “only begotten son of Yah.” To fulfill prophecy as a literal descendant of David through Mary, Yahushua’s existence had to begin in her womb, not in eternity past. And this is emphasized when, over and over, he is referred to as “begotten.”

To be begotten means you started at conception, in the womb. And that’s where Yahushua got his start, just like every son and daughter of Adam.

Miles: I know the Jews were expecting a conquering hero for their messiah—someone who would overthrow the Romans. But were they expecting a divine messiah?

Dave: No! Remember “messiah” simply means “anointed one.” So kings were messiahs; prophets were messiahs. The Jews of Christ’s day were used to—and fully expected—any messiah to be fully human. The New Testament writers were the same, so it’s a huge leap to say that Yahushua had some sort of “double beginning,” one in eternity past before the creation of anything, and the second when Mary became pregnant. You just don’t find that in Scripture.

Where you do find it, is in the heretical writings of church “fathers” that were embracing and adapting to pagan beliefs. It’s this changing of the truth that led to massive confusion and centuries of in-fighting. Some people even lost their lives over this issue of the true nature of Christ.

Miles: And it was finally codified into church dogma in the fourth century.

Dave: Yes. Hundreds of years after Christ and the apostles lived. They did not believe, nor did they teach that the son was coequal to Yah.

Now, as you said a minute ago, trinitarians really love the gospel of John. They use John almost exclusively to try to support their argument for a triune godhead.

Miles: And isn’t it interesting that the passage some “doctrinally astute” priest added in the 11^th century to try and “prove” a trinity was added to 1 John?

Dave: Right. Right.

The thing is, using John’s writing almost exclusively suggests a bit of a problem. The true nature of Yahuwah can be found repeatedly throughout the Old and New Testament. Likewise, the true nature of Yahushua—if he were indeed the preexistent, second person of the godhead—should also be able to be found throughout all of the New Testament as well as prophecies in the Old Testament. But you can’t find it. It’s not there.

What is there are certain passages in John that can be twisted to fit the desired paradigm.

Miles: It’s a bit like “proof texting,” isn’t it? Take a text out of context and use it to prove your point.

Dave: That’s exactly what it is. The Old Testament is strictly monotheistic. The Jews have always been unitarian in their beliefs of Yah’s true nature. The synoptic gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—as well as Acts and the writing of Peter don’t contain anything that can be argued to prove a triune godhead. It’s only by twisting certain passages of John that you can come up with verses that appear, when viewed through trinitarian lenses, to support a trinity.

Miles: I remember a couple of years ago, you were talking about . . . something about the Biblical calendar. You said that Moses did not lack the words for describing something. That always stuck with me. The Bible writers had access to a full vocabulary, just like we do. If they had wanted to describe a triune godhead, they certainly had the ability to do so!

Take John 1:1. Instead of using the word, “Word,” John could simply have written, “In the beginning was the Son of God who was with God and was himself God.” But he didn’t write that, did he?

Dave: No. He couldn’t have written that. If he had, he’d have been contradicting Yahushua himself! See, Yahushua was a monotheist. He was a unitarian. John knew this. Why don’t you read it for us? John 17 verse 3.

Miles: All right, uh, it says … “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Yahushua Christ whom You have sent.”

Dave: Obviously, Yahushua here was not calling himself “the only true God.” This is one of the passages in the New Testament that clearly marks a difference between Yahuwah as the one and only true Creator God, and Yahushua, His only begotten, fully human son.

Miles: There’s another verse. Let me do a word search really quickly. It’s not one we use a lot, but it really underscores the nature of Yah as a single entity and not just one-third of a trinity. Let me see …

Okay, here it is. Huh! It’s in John as well. John 5:44. It says: “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?”

Dave: That’s a great verse! Obviously, John believed in the same unitarian monotheism that is taught in the rest of Scripture. Claiming that Christ had a non-human pre-existence is to say that there are two uncreated gods. But this contradicts Yahushua’s own words in Mark 12!

Would you read that for us? It’s Mark 12, verse 28 to 34.

Miles: Yeah, uh…

Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”

Yahushua answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, Yahuwah our God, Yahuwah is one. And you shall love Yahuwah your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

So the scribe said to him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Now when Yahushua saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

Dave: Yahushua is quoting the shema from Deuteronomy here! Yahuwah. Is. One.

Go, to 1 Timothy 6 and read verse 16. It’s giving an important description of Yahuwah.

Miles: Uh, beginning in verse 13 … “I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things … He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power.” [1 Timothy 6:13, 15-16]

Dave: Only Yahuwah has immortality. That’s what it says right there: “who alone has immortality.” Immortality is defined as “endless life or existence.” Yahuwah is immortal. The definition of immortal is, quote: “not subject to death.” Unquote.

Now. Did Yahushua die?

Miles: Of course.

Dave: So, by any stretch of the definition, can he be “God” if God has immortality?

Miles: No.

Dave: Saying Yahushua died while at the same time saying he is part of an immortal, triune godhead creates an oxymoron. The two statements contradict each other.

There may be a lot we don’t know about Yahuwah, His power and wisdom, His immortality and divinity, but what we do know is simple, clear, and easy enough for a child to grasp.

Miles: Yeah, I’ve noticed anytime contradictions arise in Christianity, we tend to dismiss them as divine mysteries rather than studying to resolve them.

There is one passage, though, I’d like to ask you about. John 13:3 says, quote: “Yahushua knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.” Unquote.

Now, wouldn’t this verse, saying he was returning to Yah suggest that Christ had a pre-existence?

Dave: Perhaps—if—that’s what it said in the original. But that’s not what it says in every translation, and it’s not what it says in the original. The original is much more direct. It says Yahushua knew he had come from Yah and was going to Yah. It’s a mistranslation of some versions to use the word “returning.”

Miles: All right. What about John 17 where Yahushua asks Yah to give him the glory he had already had with Yah before? Listen to this. It’s John 17:5. It says: “And now, O Father, glorify me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

How could Yahushua have glory with the Father if he weren’t already in existence?

Dave: That’s a great question and the answer is this is glory that is promised. Just as we have been promised glory for being obedient, so Yah purposed to glorify Yahushua for his obedience. That was part of Yah’s plan from the very beginning.

Miles: What about Paul? I know our focus today was on the writings of John. You’ve said the synoptic gospels, Acts, and Peter were all monotheistic unitarians, but what about Paul?

Dave: Paul wrote more books of the New Testament than any single other writer. He, like every other New Testament writer, was a pure monotheist. In 1 Corinthians he affirms his belief in the sole nature of Yah. Go ahead and read it. It’s 1 Corinthians 8:5 & 6.

Miles:

For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)

But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Yahushua Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

Dave: This is Paul’s creed: “to US there is but one God: the Father.” Then he adds “and one Lord, Yahushua.” This is not “and” as inclusive of the term “God.” This is in addition to. Paul is saying in addition to the one God, Yahuwah, there is one Lord, Yahushua. Lord and God in this context are not equivalent terms.

Unfortunately, the translators of the Bible have been indoctrinated in the trinity heresy, so it has colored their translations of these various passages. There are several different Hebrew words that all appear as “Lord” in English. Yahuwah is just one of them. Adoni is another.

Miles: I think both of them appear in Psalm 110:1: “The Lord said to my lord.” “Yahuwah said to my adoni.”

Dave: Right! The thing that gets lost in translation is that the title adoni never refers to Yahuwah. Adonai does, but that’s a different word altogether. Of the 195 times adoni appears in Scripture, not once does it refer to deity. So, just because Paul uses the Greek equivalent does not mean he believed Yahushua was divine. He’d just said “to us there is one God.”

The question for all of us is: what about us? What about me? What about you? Are we going to cling to a pagan heresy of a three-in-one god? Or are we going to accept the Scriptures that repeatedly state there is one God, and His name is Yahuwah?

Miles: Well, we need to go with Scripture, of course!

Dave: It does not diminish Yahushua to be fully human. Rather, it reveals beautiful truths Satan doesn’t want us to see, which is why he’s promoted this abomination of the trinity.

We need to let Yah be Yah and Yahushua be His only begotten, human son, our Saviour.

* * *

You are listening to World's Last Chance Radio.

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.

* * *Advertisement

Do you know what can crawl or fly, but has no legs or wings?

. . . The answer is: Time! Time can crawl; it can fly, but it obviously hasn’t legs or wings. It is, however, a gift.

As our Creator, Yahuwah is the lord of time. At the very beginning of our world, He created a system of time-keeping which anyone, anywhere in the world, can use with great accuracy. A shepherd in Yemen can tell time using the Creator’s calendar as accurately as a scientist at the world’s largest observatory.

The modern calendar in use by much of the world is a solar calendar named after Pope Gregory the thirteenth. It is an adaption of the solar calendar of Julius Caesar, a pagan.

Yah’s calendar, on the other hand, is luni-solar. While years are based upon the sun, months (and weeks) are calculated by the moon. This was the calendar in use during the life of Yahushua. The true Sabbath of Scripture can be found only by using this calendar. Furthermore, only the luni-solar calendar can reveal the true date of the Saviour’s resurrection.

If the day upon which you worship is important to you, you need to know about the luni-solar calendar of Creation. Visit our website at WorldsLastChance.com to learn more about the Creator’s chosen method of time-keeping. We have books, articles, videos, radio programs and even a software app for calculating time by this method.

WorldsLastChance.com: honoring the Creator on His true Sabbath.

* * *Daily Mailbag

Miles: All right! Today’s Daily Mailbag question is coming from the country that has the largest population of Japanese in the world.

Dave: Japan.

Miles: No, I meant . . . Well, yeah. Obviously, but I mean outside of Japan. Which country—after Japan—has the highest population of Japanese?

Dave: I—pfft! I don’t know. Which?

Miles: Brazil, Dave, Brazil!

Dave: Really?? How’d they get all the way to Brazil?

Miles: “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles”?

Anyway. Emília Paredes has a great question for us. She writes: “Dear Miles and Dave, I want to thank you for your Daily Mailbag segment. I like how you always answer real-life problems with Biblical principles. That’s so helpful because it’s shown me how to apply principles to the struggles I have in my life. Is there one principle in particular that you feel is an underlying, foundational principle for living a godly life?”

Dave: Well, first, I want to say thank you, Emília, for your letter. I do believe that understanding godly principles and how to apply them is the key to knowing Yah’s will in any given situation. Godly principles are the foundation on which the kingdom of Yah is built.

Miles: So, is there one underlying principle that underscores all the rest?

Dave: Yes: don’t judge.

Miles: . . . That’s it?

Dave: That’s it.

Miles: Well, you’re going to need to say a bit more. We are, after all, called to be “fruit inspectors.” That sounds a bit judgy to me. Not in a bad way, but still calls for believers to, I don’t know . . . assess others.

Dave: Actually, the statement in Matthew 7:20 is “by their fruits ye shall know them.”

Miles: Still—

Dave: Still what? It’s not an invitation to go around, judge others and find them wanting. It is simply a statement of fact: by a person’s actions, you have insight into their hearts.

A woman who cheats on her husband, a man who hits his wife, an employee who steals from the boss, a boy who pressures a girl for intimacy and then bad-mouths her around school when she refuses, a “mean” girl who gossips about others and destroys their reputations … all of these are the outward manifestations of what is really in the heart.

Miles: But doesn’t “fruit inspection” let us know who’s a committed Christian and who isn’t?

Dave: It can. But even if it does, what are you going to do with that information? Are you going to show that person the love of Christ? Or are you going to shun him or her? See, the problem for most of us is that, instead of using the fruits to reveal who we need to work extra hard on to draw to Christ, too often we use that as an excuse to judge and withdraw from the person.

I want you to open up two tabs. Could you do that? The first is John 5:22, and the second is John 8:10. Go ahead and read John 5:22 as soon as you’ve done that.

Miles: All right … uh, John 5:22 says: “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the son.” 

Dave: And what does Yahushua do as our judge? What did Yahushua say to the woman caught in adultery in John 8:10?

Miles: Uh, he said, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

Dave: Yahushua. Doesn’t. Condemn. “He knows our frame,” as David said of the Father in Psalm 103. Like the Father, the Saviour “understands that we are but dust.” [Psalm 103:14]

Many people take the statement “by their fruits ye shall know them” to mean we are called to be “fruit inspectors.” I’ll admit I’ve said as much myself. The problem is, we’re human. We’re tainted by our sinful natures so, when we set ourselves up as fruit inspectors, what too often happens is that the line is crossed into judgmentalness of others. And that’s not necessary!

Yahushua is saying we’ll know. We don’t need to go around digging up dirt on others, we don’t need to sit back and, from our remote point of view, judge their motives. We’ll simply know by their fruits and can then act accordingly.

We’re never called to judge another. Not even the Father judges!

Miles: So if the Father doesn’t judge but has committed judgment to Yahushua, and if Yahushua says he doesn’t condemn, how are some people still lost? Because, according to Revelation, there definitely will be some that are lost.

Dave: Our own sense of guilt condemns us. I want you to turn to Romans 14. This is an important point and we need to be clear on this: it is never our place to judge another. We certainly cannot reveal the non-condemnatory, loving acceptance of the Father through Christ if we take it upon ourselves to judge!

Miles: Romans 14. Which verse?

Dave: Uh. Verses 10 and 11.

Miles:

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written:

“As I live, says Yahuwah,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”

Dave: It is their own sense of guilt that condemns the wicked and they finally bow the knee to Yahuwah and confess that He is God. Their characters aren’t suddenly transformed. They don’t suddenly love Him. It’s the sheer compelling force of truth that will cause every knee to bow and every tongue to confess.

Miles: I hear what you’re saying, but what about . . . I don’t know. Aren’t some sins worse than others?

Dave: The sins we judge as worse than others are the sins for which we ourselves are not guilty. Have you ever noticed that? Let’s take a look at some of the things for which people tend to judge others. Take homosexuality. That’s a big one.

Miles: Yeah. So many homes, not to mention hearts, have been broken over that subject.

Dave: Homosexuality’s an easy thing to point fingers at because the “norm” is heterosexual. Most people aren’t gay, so it’s something safe to denounce—even though Scripture spends a lot more time denouncing adultery and fornication than homosexuality.

Miles: Yeah, people don’t preach against adultery or fornication the way they do against homosexuality because adultery hits a bit too close to home for many.

Dave: Right. And yet, if you’re going to pick between the two, adultery is always a choice whereas the latest scientific studies suggest that homosexuality is due to peri or postnatal hormonal development, which isn’t a choice.

Miles: So … he that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.

Dave: Right. What about addiction? Again, something easy to judge because most people don’t struggle with alcohol, nicotine, or drug addiction. And yet, chemical imbalances in the brain are often responsible for these addictions. If you were born with a chemical imbalance through no fault of your own, how would you feel if a Christian judged and condemned you? Would you feel drawn to Christ?

Miles: No. But, okay, what about something like transgenderism? A lot of people say transgender people are just confused.

Dave: Which, again, when you really look at it, is a judgment, one none of us are in a position to make.

A Dr. Swaab in the Netherlands took brains from cadavers and studied them slice by slice. He discovered a tiny structure in the hypothalamus that appears to be linked to gender identity. It differs in size depending on whether the person is male or female.

Now what’s so fascinating is that in female-to-male transgender individuals, this region was the male size, while in male-to-female transgender people, it was the female size.

Miles: Wow! So something in their physical brain structure was different, matching the gender they identified with rather than the sex they were born.

Dave: A friend who is a therapist once commented to me that, in his practice, he has observed that gender dysphoria is very common among individuals who have dissociative identity disorder, which is the result of severe abuse.

So, again, can’t those who claim to be Christian show compassion free of judgment?

Miles: All right, but what about divorce? A lot of people point to the break-up of marriages as a causative factor in the breakdown of society.

Dave: Still not finding anything in Scripture that tells us we should judge someone who has gotten divorced. Maybe she cheated on him. Maybe his abuse is warping the children’s view of Yahuwah as a loving, heavenly Father. We don’t know and even if we did, it’s still not our place to judge.

Go to Matthew 7 and read the first five verses. THIS is the principle seen in Christ’s life and it will be seen in all those who, like Christ, want to reveal Yahuwah in their lives.

Miles:

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Dave: I’m not hearing any exceptions to the rule spelled out here, are you?

Miles: No. It’s pretty straightforward: don’t judge.

Dave: Often, the more light people have, the more conservative they are in their beliefs and practices. Sadly, many conservatives then slip into spiritual pride. They judge anyone who doesn’t agree with their personal definition of a holy lifestyle. But so many times, those are manmade requirements. Let’s look at Yah’s requirement. What does Micah 6:8 say? I know you’ve got that one memorized.

Miles: “He has shown you, O man, what is good, and what doth Yahuwah require of thee but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.”

Dave: That’s it. Three simple things. Yahushua came to reveal the Father, and his message was one of love, acceptance, and non-condemnation. If we want to reveal the Father’s love like Christ did, we will be loving, kind, and accepting of sinners, too, just like he was, and we will leave the convicting up to the spirit of Yah.

Miles: That’s a good point. It’s not our job to convict people of their sins. That’s the holy spirit’s job.

Dave: That’s right. Our job is to reveal Yah and the way we do that is: don’t judge others.

* * *Daily Promise

Hello! This is Elise O’Brien with your daily promise from Yah’s word.

Sometimes in life, we encounter problems that do more than just steal our joy. Some difficulties are so extreme, that life itself can become a burden. Psalm 42 describes the effect such discouraging circumstances can have on a person, saying:

As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O [Yahuwah].
My soul thirsts for Eloah, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before [Yahuwah]?
My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?” [Psalm 42:1-3]

A woman I’ll call Lydia lived in Ontario, Canada. She was suffering from chronic pain. A bone deformity between her ankle and heel first appeared as a lump. Over time, though, the lump had grown to where she could no longer wear shoes. The pain had worsened to the point that she could not put any weight on her foot and had to use crutches.

Finally, the pain got so bad that even strong pain killers were no longer able to block the pain. The doctors were seriously considering whether amputation might be the best option for her. Lydia, naturally, didn’t want to lose her foot, but the pain was so bad that she was beginning to wonder if that was the only option left to her.

About this time, Lydia’s ex-husband, Edmond, sent her a book on prayer. He had enjoyed the book so much that he had purchased 50 copies and sent them out to friends and family. After reading the book, Lydia’s faith was encouraged that there might still be hope and help for her yet.

After all, Psalm 42 verse 5, says:

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in [Yah], for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance.

Lydia phoned Edmond and asked if he could contact the book’s author, whom Edmond knew, and inquire if he would be willing to pray for her and her situation. Edmond agreed to ask and soon the author, along with Edmond and Lydia, were praying that Yah would heal Lydia. Within just a few days, the pain started to diminish and then went away entirely. However, the lump was still there. They kept praying and the lump began to shrink! It wasn’t long before she could wear a shoe again.

It may seem a small thing to bring before the monarch of the universe, but it had been severely impacting Lydia’s life. With full and complete healing, she was once again able to do her own shopping and other things she had previously had to have people help her. Most exciting of all, she was able to travel again to visit her grandchildren.

When we find ourselves in difficult situations—especially if there is pain involved—it can be very easy to get discouraged. But in every situation, we are invited to take our cares and troubles to the Father. His love for you is as strong in your night of difficulty as it is during the sunny prosperity of day.

Psalm 42 verse 11 says:

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in [Yah];
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my Eloah.

We have been given great and precious promises. Go and start claiming!

* * *Part 3: Who is the “Word”?

Miles: I should be past the point of being shocked by any lie of the devil, but I find myself, over and over, shaking my head at the truths he’s managed to obscure and hide.

Dave: Any time the devil hides truth under lies or centuries of assumption and tradition, there’s always a reason. By promoting Yahushua as both divine and human—an incomprehensible, confusing, impossible contradiction!—Satan has managed to shift the focus of our adoration away from the Father who loves us, onto the son.

I’ll tell you, more and more, I’m seeing that Christians have made an idol of the Saviour.

Miles: Yes! We’re grateful for his sacrifice. But how many Christians feel emotionally closer to Yahushua because they feel he “gets” what it’s like to be human? You look at how he’s presented in sermons and hymns:

Yahushua is loving and forgiving.

Yahushua lifts us up and supports us.

Yahushua is our best friend who feels what we’re feeling.

Dave: Exactly. And in all of this, the Father’s love is overlooked, and yet it is His love that will strengthen us to stay faithful through the days ahead.

These aren’t insignificant points of doctrine, folks. They’re real and we need to know the truth, because it is the truth that gives us confidence to trust in Yah no matter what.

Miles: This is true, very true.

Well, our time is up, but we hope you can join us again tomorrow, and until then, remember: Yahuwah loves you . . . and He is safe to trust!

* * *

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This program and past episodes of WLC Radio are available for downloading on our website. They're great for sharing with friends and for use in Bible studies! They're also an excellent resource for those worshipping Yahuwah alone at home. To listen to previously aired programs, visit our website at WorldsLastChance.com. Click on the WLC Radio icon displayed on our homepage. 

In his teachings and parables, the Savior gave no “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, the thrust of his message was constant … vigilance. Join us again tomorrow for another truth-filled message as we explore various topics focused on the Savior's return and how to live in constant readiness to welcome him warmly when he comes.

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.