Program 143: Breaking News! What Bible Scholars really think about the trinity!

Biblical scholars admit the trinity doctrine is a confusing—and unbiblical—doctrine!

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] 

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* * *Part 1: Bible Scholars & the Trinity

Miles Robey: Have you been duped? Do you believe you know the truth but, in reality, you’ve been tricked into accepting a lie? Hello! I’m Miles Robey and today we’re going to be revealing some truths that might be uncomfortable to hear, but you need to hear them anyway. Bible scholars certainly know the truth, but the vast majority of Christians are still ignorantly clinging to old errors.

Dave Wright: Hello! I’m Dave Wright. A lot of people are very dismissive of “conspiracy theories.”

Miles: Well, you have to admit, some of the latest conspiracy theories are quite crazy. There’s often no evidence whatsoever. Just some bloke on YouTube speaking with a great deal of conviction, yet they get followers! People believe them and send them money even though they offer no empirical evidence whatsoever.

Dave: Well, there’s a reason for that, you know.

Miles: What’s that?

Dave: I’ve got a quote here that says it perfectly. Here. Read this for us.

Miles:

In the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses . . . more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously.

Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think that there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying.

Unquote. Wow. Who said that?

Dave: Actually, that’s a quote from Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler. And there’s some real truth in that statement.

Let’s do a little word association game. I’ll say a word and you tell me what word immediately comes to mind. All right?

Miles: Go for it!

Dave: Okay. Um . . . knife.

Miles: Blood.

Dave:. . . Seriously?

Miles: Well, I didn’t say it was your blood!

Dave: All right. Moving right along. Black.

Miles: Jack.

Dave: Not just a murderer, but a gambler as well? I worry about you, Miles. I really do.

All right. Last one: Conspiracy.

Miles: Theory.

Dave: I was hoping you’d say that! Yes. Many people today, when they hear “conspiracy” immediately think “theory.” But once you have enough evidence, your “theory” ceases to be a theory and becomes fact.

In fact, there’ve been quite a number of ideas people dismissed as conspiracy theories that, eventually, were proven to be factual.

Miles: Oh, really? Like what?

Dave: Well, for example, back in 1890 to 1891, a story began circulating about a large group of criminals operating behind the scenes in a very organized manner. The idea seemed so ridiculous most people just dismissed it as a crazy conspiracy theory. It wasn’t until 1962 when famous Mob snitch, Joe Valachi, testified before the United States’ Congress about the existence of the mafia that the “theory” was proven to be true.

Miles: That’s interesting. It’s hard to believe the existence of the mafia was ever considered a conspiracy theory.

Dave: Well, how about this one? In the 20^th-century, the Canadian government hired a university professor to make a machine designed to detect homosexuality.

Miles: Seriously? So how did this . . . this gaydar work precisely?

Dave: Well the “fruit machine,” as they called it—

Miles: That’s awful! It’s both funny and offensive.

Dave: Right. Anyway, it measured pupil dilation when same-sex erotic imagery was shown.

Miles: They didn’t really . . . I mean, they didn’t actually buy into this, did they? That’s just pitiful.

Dave: As ridiculous as it sounds, the sad truth is that they did indeed use it. Over 400 men were either fired or excluded from positions in the military, the Mounties, or other areas of civil service.

Miles: Wow. That’s just . . . wow. Just for the record, I’m very opposed to such discrimination. We’re all sinners in need of a Saviour and to discriminate that way is the very antithesis of Yahuwah’s message of love and acceptance.

Dave: Not to mention all those New Testament passages used to justify discrimination against homosexuals?

Miles: Yeah?

Dave: In the original Greek, what’s denounced is pedophilia. Not homosexuality. Look it up.

Miles: Huh! “He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.” [John 8:7.]

Dave: Right. Anyway, the point I’m wanting to make is that simply because a new idea sounds crazy, doesn’t mean it is. Simply because a new concept is dismissed as nothing more than a “conspiracy theory,” does not mean it’s actually nothing more than a “theory.” With sufficient evidence, theory becomes fact.

So let’s look at some evidence that the theory of a triune godhead cannot be proven from Scripture. We’ve looked at the evidence from Scripture before in earlier programs, so we won’t get into that now. For today, I want to share what Bible scholars have to say about the doctrine of the trinity and the Biblical basis for this teaching.

Miles: Okay, hold on for just a second. I know we’ve already covered the Biblical and historical evidence that proves the trinity is a pagan doctrine unsupported by Scripture. However, just for those tuning in for the first time, I want to cover just one point.

Dave: Certainly. Go ahead.

Miles: When the idea that the trinity doctrine is unscriptural was first presented to me, I’ll be honest: I initially dismissed it. After all, the Bible mentions a “holy spirit,” right? Furthermore, 1 John 5, verses 7 to 8 says: “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.” Unquote.

How can you read that and say there’s no trinity?

Dave: Right. So what convinced you?

Miles: Well, I learned that those verses were added in the 11^th century! They don’t appear in the most ancient copies of 1 John at all. That passage doesn’t belong in the Bible. It was added a thousand years after Christ. So, I just want to make the point for our first-time listeners there’s a lot to this subject that has been hidden from us. Simply because it sounds wrong, doesn’t mean it is wrong. Listen with an open mind then go study it out for yourself.

Dave: Thanks, Miles. It’s true. There are a lot of “winds of doctrine” blowing about. It’s important that we never reject an idea just because it’s new or “sounds wrong.” We’ve got to be Bereans and study truth out for ourselves. So, let’s start with a couple Bible passages.

Would you turn to 1 Corinthians 8? Like I said, we’ve covered this extensively in other programs, but let’s look at a few foundational Bible texts that reveal the true nature of Yah. You have it? Go ahead and read verses 5 and 6 of 1 Corinthians 8.

Miles: All right. It says: “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Yahushua Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”

Dave: This is what the Bible says about the nature of the Creator. He is not “three-in-one.” He is one. One God. Malachi chapter 2, verse 10, asks: “Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us?”

Again: one. Not a trinity. Not a three-in-one god. Just one God.

Miles: Deuteronomy 6, verse 4: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!”

Dave: And, of course, “the Lord” here is Yahuwah. The marginal reading says: “Yahuwah is our God, Yahuwah alone, the only one.” It’s not a unity or a trinity or three phases. It is one God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

After the Council of Nicea in the fourth century, mainline Christianity rejected its monotheistic roots. Instead, under the influence of Pope Sylvester who was Bishop of Rome, and the murderous emperor, Constantine, Christianity as a whole embraced the pagan trinity doctrine and proclaimed their belief in “one God: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

Miles: Which is an oxymoron. It can’t be one and still three.

Dave: No. That’s ridiculous. But any time people try to wrap their brains around the sheer ludicrousness of the concept, they’re lulled back to sleep by being told it’s a “mystery” too high for human minds to comprehend.

Miles: Yahushua also taught that the Father was the one and only true God. In John 17 verse 3 he said: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Yahushua Christ, whom you have sent."

Dave: Actually, if you’ve got an interlinear Bible, it’s even more clear. Augustine, one of the early church fathers that so many Christians revere, actually altered the text by rearranging the order of the words. You rearrange the order of the words, you alter the meaning. The original says: “the Father is the only one who is true God.”

Miles: Wow! Big difference there.

Dave: It is! We’re so blessed in our modern world to have the Bible study aids that we have. Interlinear Bibles, Bible dictionaries, concordances . . . they all help us to dig beneath the accumulated error of centuries of indoctrination and tradition.

Miles: And a lot of that “tradition” came into the church in the fourth century and afterward from paganism. Like we’ve said before, age won’t suddenly, magically transform error into truth. We have to dig for it.

Dave: And we must always remember that truth is consistent. Yahuwah doesn’t need an apologist. He doesn’t need any of us putting a “spin” on His words. Truth stands alone and is convincing, pure and holy. But we do need to dedicate ourselves to studying for it and not just assume we already know everything necessary in order to be saved. What did the True Witness tell the Laodiceans?

Miles: Uhhh . . . let me pull that up. Revelation 3, verses 14 to 19. It says:

These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

Dave: We have the combined light of the ages shining upon us! And Heaven is pouring out still more light. But just as soon as we assume we “know it all” and there’s nothing more we need to learn, just that fast, we fall into the trap of assuming that any new light is wrong by default. And that’s not true.

Miles: Spiritual pride is very dangerous. And I’ve been there! It’s so easy to react emotionally to new ideas and dismiss them as wrong just because they’re new and different, but we can’t afford to do that.

Dave: It’s also important that, when we study Scripture, we lay aside all our preconceived ideas and read the Bible just as it’s written. For example, a trinitarian, reading with trinitarian glasses, is going to see the trinity throughout the New Testament. But it’s not there!

Take the word “theos,” or “God” as it’s translated into English. It clearly refers to Yahuwah about 1,300 times in the New Testament. Now, that’s a lot! One thousand, three hundred times the word “God” refers to Yahuwah, the Father. Take the time to look those verses up and you’ll find that not a single time does that word refer to the Father and the son and the spirit! Not once! It’s just not there.

Miles: That’s interesting. Our preconceptions really slant our interpretations, don’t they?

Dave: They really do. And yet, throughout Scripture, Yahuwah, the “one God,” our Creator, is described consistently as a singular, divine entity. When speaking of Himself, He uses singular personal pronouns: I, Me, My, Myself, Mine, et cetera.

The only hint of plurality you get in the entire Bible is in the Old Testament use of the plural “elohim” when referring to Yahuwah. “Elohim” is the plural form of “eloah” which means “god” or “mighty one.”

Miles: Didn’t you say once that it is just a literary device though? In Hebrew, they would elevate a king, or magistrate or some lofty individual by referring to him in the plural.

Dave: Exactly. But never in the Old Testament does “eloah” describe a triune “God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.” Not once.

So, again. It’s important that we lay aside our preconceived ideas when studying Scripture. And the Bible scholars know this. Modern scholars are well aware that the trinity doctrine cannot be proven from Scripture, that it came in centuries after the Bible was written.

Miles: All right. We’re going to take a quick break and when we come back, let’s get into that. We’ll be right back.

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Advertisement * * *Part 2: Bible Scholars & the Trinity

Miles: Soooo, you were saying that leading Bible scholars know the truth about the trinity?

Dave: Absolutely. Do you know who Cardinal John Henry Newman was?

Miles: Yeah . . . wasn’t he that Anglican priest that converted to Catholicism and later became a Cardinal?

Dave: Yes. He was an English theologian in the 19^th century.

Miles: Wasn’t he part of that so-called “Oxford Movement” to return Catholic ritual and liturgy to the Church of England? Kind of a return to what they’d believed and practiced prior to the English Reformation?

Dave: He was one of the most prominent leaders, actually. A very well-educated man. Anyway, in 1895, he published a book called Select Treatises of Athanasius in Controversy with the Arians. Now remember a large part of that controversy was the nature of Christ. The Arians were not Trinitarian so they were arguing for the Biblical presentation of Yahuwah as one entity, not three-in-one.

On page 515 of his Select Treatises, Newman admitted that the closest anyone can come to explaining or putting the trinity into words is “to say that one thing is two things.”

Miles: Say that again?

Dave: It’s confusing, isn’t it? He said that the best or closest way to articulate the idea of a triune godhead is to, quote: “say that one thing is two things.”

Miles: That doesn’t even make any sense!

Dave: No, it doesn’t! And yet, that’s what Christians are saying when they claim to be monotheists while still claiming to worship a three-in-one godhead. Let’s look at what some other scholars have said. I’ve printed off a number of quotes. Who’s the first one from?

Miles: John Hey?

Dave: Aw, yes. Hey was an English cleric. In 1780, he became the first Norrisian professor of theology at Cambridge University. What did he say?

Miles: Uh, well, this quote is from volume two of his Lectures in Divinity. It says, quote: “It might tend to promote moderation, and, in the end, agreement, if we were industriously on all occasions to represent our own Doctrine [of the Trinity] as wholly unintelligible.” Unquote.

Wow! He really said that? He’s a professor of divinity and he’s admitting the doctrine of the trinity is completely “unintelligible.” Amazing.

Dave: The real question is why this belief has persisted when there is so much evidence against it. I remember for most of my life, I viewed Jehovah’s Witnesses as heretics precisely because they don’t believe in a triune godhead. Now, I’m not saying that they have all truth, but they’re right in that respect, and most of Christendom dismisses them as a cult precisely because of that belief.

Okay, what’s next?

Miles: Um, this next one is by a Dr. Martin Werner. Oh! Listen to this. The subtitle is very telling. The title is The Formation of Christian Doctrine and the subtitle is An Historical Study of Its Problem.

Dave: That’s rather revealing, isn’t it? What does it say?

Miles: Page 241 says . . .

The Church found itself in a dilemma as soon as it tried to harmonize the doctrine of the Deity of Jesus and the Deity of the Father with monotheism. For according to the [New Testament] witnesses, in the teaching of Jesus relative to the monotheism of the [Old Testament] and Judaism, there had been no element of change whatsoever. [Mark] 12:29 . . . recorded the confirmation by Jesus himself, without any reservation, of the supreme monotheistic confession of faith of Israelite religion in its complete form…The means by which the Church sought to demonstrate the agreement of its dogma of the Deity of both Father and Son with monotheism, remained seriously uncertain and contradictory.

Dave: That’s quite the denouncement. He’s stating explicitly that trying to claim both the Father and the son are divine contradicts the very definition of monotheism.

Miles: He says Yahushua himself in Mark 12:29 confirms pure monotheism. What does Mark 12:29 say?

Dave: I don’t know. Why don’t you pull that up and read that for us?

Miles: All right. Give me just a second. Here we go. Ohhhh, interesting. Listen to this. Starting in verse 28, it says:

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, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 

Dave: This is pure monotheism. The Lord, Yahuwah, our God is one. He’s quoting Deuteronomy 6 here. Now, if the Saviour were divine, this would have been the perfect place to teach that concept. But he didn’t. Instead, he quotes from the writings of Moses to affirm that there is only one God, and that’s Yahuwah.

Miles: To be fair, that’s all he could quote. I mean, there are no Old Testament passages that teach a triune godhead any more than there are in the New Testament!

Dave: Right. The concept simply does not exist in Scripture.

Do you still have the tab with 1 Corinthians 8:5 and 6 open?

Miles: Uh, no, but I can go there again really quick.

Dave: Thanks. This is an important passage because here Paul is defining and clarifying that the “one God” is the Father, Yahuwah. It’s not Yahuwah and Yahushua. It’s not Yahuwah, Yahushua, and the Holy Spirit. It’s Yahuwah alone. Go ahead and read that again for us.

Miles:

For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Yahushua Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

Dave: Trinitarians glide past the first part and focus on the part that says there is “one Lord,” Yahushua. But “lord” and “god” are not the same words! We can’t overlook that first part that states clearly “there is one God, the Father.”

Miles: So, basically, the break down in logic comes from the fact that trinitarians are trying to take the use of the title “lord” when referring to Yahushua, and claim that makes him divine.

Dave: That’s right. Yahushua is lord! But he’s not divine.

When the angels announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds, they said: “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is—” What?

Miles: “Christ the lord.” [Luke 2:11]

Dave: Right! So Yahushua is the one “Christ the lord,” but he is not the one “lord God.” Only Yahuwah is divine. Only the Father is the one lord God.

Okay. What’s the next quote?

Miles: Uh, this is from volume 1 of The Dictionary of Christ and the Gospel. Page 807 says, quote:

To the men of the [New Testament], God was the God of the [Old Testament], the Living God, a Person, loving, energizing, seeking the accomplishment of an everlasting purpose of mercy, the satisfaction of his own loving nature…The monotheism of the [Old Testament] was never abstract, because the God of the [Old Testament] was never a conception, or a substance [or a mere essence], but always a Person.

Dave: This is an important point. Who was the “God” of the Old Testament?

Miles: Yahuwah.

Dave: That’s right. There was no “God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit” taught in the Old Testament. There was only Yahuwah, the Lord of hosts. And what does Malachi 3:6 say about the God of the Old Testament?

Miles: Uhhh . . .

Dave: “For I am Yahuwah, I change not.” So, the God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament because we have from His own lips that He. Does. Not. Change.

Miles: That’s true. And not only Yah Himself, but His nature. If He doesn’t change, that means He doesn’t change. So why should we expect Him to transform between the Old Testament and the New?

Dave: We shouldn’t! Again, why are Christians clinging to this outmoded, pagan belief? It should go in the dustbin of history, along with other errors.

Murray Harris is a theological professor of New Testament exegesis. He teaches at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois in the United States. Now what’s interesting about Harris is that he is—to the best of my knowledge—a trinitarian. He teaches at TRINITY Evangelical Divinity School! And yet, he is also aware of the problem with this doctrine.

Go ahead and read that next quote. It’s found in a footnote on page 47 of his book entitled Jesus as God. Go ahead and read that.

Miles: The whole thing?

Dave: Uh . . . yeah. Go ahead.

Miles:

It does not seem illegitimate to pose a question such as this: To whom was the author of Hebrews [1:1] referring when he said . . . ‘At many times and in various ways God spoke in the past to our forefathers through the prophets’? That it was not the Holy Spirit in any ultimate sense is evident from the fact that neither in the [Old Testament] nor in the [New Testament] is the Spirit called ‘God’ explicitly. And, in spite of the fact that the . . . [Septuagint] equivalent of YHVH — kurios [or Lord] — is regularly applied to Jesus in the [New Testament] so that it becomes less a title than a proper name, o theos [God] in Heb. 1:1 denotes Jesus Christ, for the same sentence (in Greek) contains [quote:] ‘(the God who spoke…) in these last days has spoken to us in a Son.’ Since the author is emphasizing the continuity of the two phases of divine speech (‘God having spoken…later spoke’), this reference to a Son shows that o theos [or God] was understood to be ‘God the Father.’

Similarly, the differentiation made between o theos [or God] as the one who speaks in both eras [Old Testament and New Testament] and ‘Son’ as his final means of speaking shows that in the author’s mind it was not the Triune God of Christian theology who spoke to the forefathers by the prophets. That is to say, for the author of Hebrews (as for all [New Testament] writers, one may suggest) ‘the God of our fathers,’ Yahweh, was no other than ‘the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’ . . .

Such a conclusion is entirely consistent with the regular [New Testament] usage of o theos [or God]. It would be inappropriate for Elohim or [Yahuwah] ever to refer to the Trinity in the [Old Testament], when in the [New Testament] theos [or God] regularly refers to the Father alone and apparently never to the Trinity.

Dave: Okay, that’s a lot, so let’s unpack some of that. Harris is talking about Hebrews chapter 1 which starts out by drawing a very clear contrast between the Father and the son. I’m going to read and as I do, I want you to listen to how the author of Hebrews clearly distinguishes between Father and son, Yahuwah and Yahushua.

Miles: All right.

Dave: It says, quote: “God [or theos], who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His son.”

Notice nothing whatsoever is said about the son being equal to and formed of equal substance as the Father.

Miles: Right.

Dave: This would be the perfect place to explain a triune godhead! But he doesn’t.

Miles: No. In fact, he’s emphasizing that there is a difference between the two.

Dave: And what he’s saying is that “God” in Scripture never refers to a triune godhead. Rather, it always refers to Yahuwah Himself. Now later, centuries after Christ as the Church embraced pagan philosophies and dogmas, they enforced the acceptance of the trinity doctrine with the threat of expulsion, torture or death for all who clung to true monotheism.

Dr. Leonard Hodgson was Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford between 1944 and 1958. The next quote you have there is from his Christian Faith and Practice. Would you read it for us?

Miles:

The Athanasian Creed is a very instructive document, for it shows that, when an attempt was made to state the Christian faith in terms of the metaphysic [philosophy] of the time, all that could be done was to set down a series of contradictions and say that you would be damned if you didn’t believe them…The first impression produced on the mind by hearing this Christian doctrine of the Trinity is that it is quite incredible.

That’s a rather humorously wry admission! He’s admitting that the doctrine itself is so inconsistent with Scripture that the only way to enforce it was through threats of eternal damnation if people didn’t accept and believe this new heresy!

Dave: The “Shema” is what Jews call that statement of Yah’s nature in Deuteronomy 6. You know, the one that says “Yahuwah our God, Yahuwah is one.”

Well, Barbara Buzzard, in her article, “Praying Like Jesus: The Shema,” has some interesting things to say. Read that next quote. It’s very good and it shows the contradictions between Scripture and the trinity heresy.

Miles:

The truth is that these creeds violate the Shema. For Jesus, the Shema was the core principle . . . How is it that if one does subscribe to Jesus’ creed, one can be considered a heretic by the established church? How is it that we have neglected/overruled/cancelled the greatest commandment of all? ‘The Lord our God is one Lord’ (Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29).

Professor Les Hardin said: ‘Those of us in the Christian faith have traditionally read this as a Trinitarian statement; we believe that God is three-fold — Father, Son and Spirit — and this verse keeps us from believing that there are three gods…In context, though, that doesn’t make very much sense, and this is the theological controversy over which barrels of printer ink have been spilt.’ (The wasted ink seems to pale by comparison to the blood of the many whose lives have been taken because they stood for God being one and only one, the Father.) 

Hardin is correct in questioning what sense is to be found in saying that God is three-fold. Brave souls through the centuries have had the courage to question this logic. Some lived to write about it . . . Are we saying that the Master Logician, the One from whom all intelligence emanates, actually validates an unintelligible theory about who He is? Really?

Dave: None of this confusion, certainly none of the persecution and martyrdom would have occurred if believers had just clung to the truth of 1 Corinthians 8:6: “To us there is one God, the Father.”

Miles: Or if the Church had just remembered Yahushua’s words in Mark 12 verse 29: “the Lord our God is one Lord.”

Dave: “One Lord” means one God, one Person, one entity. Not three. Not three-in-one. Simply one. It’s a beautiful truth we need to remember. Yahuwah is one. It’s a Biblical truth Satan has successfully hidden for nearly 2,000 years, but it’s time for this truth to be restored.

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* * *Daily Mailbag

Miles: Today’s question from our daily mailbag is coming to us from . . . the “Pink City.” Can you guess where that is?

Dave: Uh, Jaipur, India.

Miles: Nope! Uh, really? Why’d you guess Jaipur?

Dave: Well, it’s known as the Pink City. Apparently, in 1876, the entire city was painted pink to welcome Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, to the city. It’s been known as the Pink City ever since.

Miles: Huh! I didn’t know that. Well, I’m talking about the other “Pink City.” The one in France.

Dave: No idea. Paris? “Gay Paris?”

Miles: No again! That would be Toulouse. A beautiful city, over 2,000 years old, built of pale bricks. That’s where the name comes from. Anyway, Ana-Léa from Toulouse writes, “I only recently discovered your broadcasts and have been listening to them. My comment (and question) has to do with prayers to Mary. I know that many Protestants claim praying to Mary is the same as praying to an idol. But I want to clarify that, as a Catholic, I don’t pray to Mary. I pray to God, but I do ask Mary to pray for me. How is that any different from asking a close friend or family member to join me in prayer?”

Dave: Well, first, let me say thank you, Ana-Léa, for your comment. We should be very careful to always be accurate in any statements made. An excellent example is Christians who claim pagans worship idols and make offerings to images.

Miles: Yeah, as a kid that always seemed odd to me. Even as a child, I knew a block of stone or plaster or metal couldn’t see or hear. So why pray to it?

Dave: But the pagans don’t actually do that: they’re not stupid. They don’t think the plaster statue or carved idol can actually see or hear. It is simply a symbol they use to direct their minds to the god they worship. You could say it’s like pictures of Jesus many people hang in their homes. They know that print isn’t Yahushua, but they like the representation because it reminds them of him.

But Ana-Léa is right and for that I thank her. It’s not going to convince anyone to over-state a situation and then argue against the over-statement.

Miles: Not to mention dishonest. I honestly didn’t know Catholics didn’t pray to Mary. I’ve always been told they did.

Dave: Well, maybe some do, but Ana-Léa’s question is a good one: she’s simply asking Mary to pray for her, just as you’d ask a good friend to join you in prayer. What’s wrong with that?

As it happens, there are a couple of reasons why we don’t ask Mary to pray for us. The first is that she is . . . dead. I know this makes no difference with Catholic theology but, Miles? What does Scripture tell us about the dead?

Miles: Well, Ecclesiastes 9, verses 5 and 6 say: “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.”

Dave: Thank you. There are other Bible verses that make it clear there is no conscious awareness after death, but that’s one of the clearest. We won’t get into all of that now, but there are articles and videos on our website and YouTube that study this in depth. We’ve also done a radio episode or two on it, so look for that.

But there’s more. Scripture makes it clear that only Yahushua is the mediator between Yah and man. Now Mary was obviously a very devout woman. She wouldn’t have been selected to bear Yah’s son otherwise! She loved and honored Yah and Yah honored her by making her the mother of His son.

But she was still human.

Miles: Would you say Mary was closer to Yahushua than anyone else?

Dave: She was his mother. It’s clear they shared a loving relationship from the few exchanges recorded in Scripture after he became an adult. But the thing we have to remember is that Yahushua’s relationship to Mary had two aspects. First, the biological, familial link. She was his mother; he was her son. However, the second aspect reveals a much closer link. He was her Saviour. Just because she was his mother, does not change the fact that he was still her Saviour. The closest tie between them was that of Yahushua being her Saviour rather than her being his mother.

Turn to Mark chapter 3, would you, and let’s take a look at how Yahushua clarified his relationship with Mary. Scroll down to the end of the chapter and read verses 31 through 35. This is an important passage because it clarifies on what level anyone—including Mary—can have a close relationship with the Saviour. You have it? Go ahead.

Miles:

There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.

And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.

And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?

And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

For whosoever shall do the will of [Yahuwah], the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

Dave: So here we have the foundation on which rests anyone’s relationship with Yahushua. Those who do the will of Yah are his brothers, his sisters, and his mother. It is cooperating with him in fulfilling the divine will that links us to the Saviour.

Now, I’d like you to turn to Hebrews 1. This is another reason why we don’t need to pray to, or through Mary, or ask her to pray for us. Yahushua’s sacrifice gives us immediate access to the Father. Read verses 19 through 23 of Hebrews 1. Go ahead.

Miles:

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Yahushua,

By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

And having an high priest over the house of [Yah];

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised.)

Dave: Through Yahushua’s atoning death on the cross, every single one of us now has immediate access to the Father. While our sins separated us from Him, His love for us never wavered. Through faith in the blood of Yahushua, even the worst sinner can now approach Yah just for himself, just for herself. We don’t have to ask someone else to pray for us.

Miles: Okay. Maybe we don’t “need” to pray through Mary, but is it so wrong to ask someone to pray for you? I mean, you have to admit, some people seem to get more answers to their prayers than other people.

Dave: The people who get the most answers to their prayers are those who have learned to pray very specifically, rather than always leaving things general. There is a science to prayer, and those who want to learn more, can read our articles about it, watch our videos, or listen to our previous programs on the subject. But even then, Yahuwah loves us so much, He has taken into account that we’re just human. We’re weak, flawed—

Miles: Dust.

Dave: We’re dust! Right. But the Father takes that into account. Pull up Romans 8 for us and read verses 26 and 27. I love this whole chapter but these two verses in particular are especially encouraging.

Miles: All right. It says,

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of Yah.

Dave: In other words, Yahuwah Himself prompts us how to pray in a way that will free Him to answer our prayers. That’s how much He loves us and is willing to hear and answer our prayers.

Miles: That’s good. I like that. It’s so encouraging! I know, for myself, I’ve felt at times my prayers weren’t getting through because I just wasn’t saying the right words or begging hard enough. You said that people whose prayers are answered the most have learned to pray . . . what did you say?

Dave: Specifically. Too often people are so afraid of asking for anything that might not be Yah’s will, that they pray so broadly and make such open-ended requests that, even when Yah does answer, they’ve no way of knowing it!

Miles: Yeah, but come on! It’s a scary thing to go against the will of Yah.

Dave: But don’t you think Yah knows what is in the heart? He’s not going to reward the faith of His children by giving them something that would harm them! Go to Matthew 7. I want you to read verses 8 to 11. If that doesn’t give you the confidence to pray specifically, I don’t know what will!

Miles: Okay, uh . . .

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Dave: Ask the Father for what you need. Ask Him for what you want. He’s not some giant vending machine in the sky, but He does want what is best for you and He wants your happiness. He’s given us every indication that He wants us to come to Him with our problems, our fears, our struggles and our joys and victories. He wants a relationship with us, individually.

So go to Him! You can’t over-burden Him. You can’t perplex Him. He’s waiting for you. He’s not going to force Himself where He isn’t wanted, but He does want a personal relationship with each one of His children.

Miles: That’s beautiful and very faith inspiring.

Keep sending us your questions and comments, folks. We love hearing from our listeners, whether that’s over shortwave or our website or on YouTube. Just go to WorldsLastChance.com and click on contact us.
 

* * *Daily Promise

This is Elise O’Brien with your Daily Promise from Yah’s word.

Aiden Wilson Tozer was an American pastor, author, and magazine editor. He once wrote, quote: “The goodness of [Yah] is infinitely more wonderful than we will ever be able to comprehend.” Unquote.

Yahuwah’s goodness and love for His earthly children is so great that He is waiting with longing and eagerness to help wherever He can. While He never forces His presence where He isn’t wanted, the Father is always present to help when called upon. As Psalm 46 says, “Eloah is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Roger Morneau worked in advertising. Because he sold ad space, his work required a lot of field time visiting clients. One winter evening, as he drove home on slick roads, he passed the time memorizing 2 Chronicles chapter 16, verse 9: “For the eyes of Yahuwah run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

The slush that had melted during the day had frozen again once the winter sun had set early and the roads were icy. Coming around a blind corner, Roger found himself headed straight for a large horse standing in the middle of the road. There was no way to avoid a crash. In fact, there wasn’t even time to pray a full prayer. All Roger had time to do was cry out, “Dear Yahuwah!”

Immediately, a force he forever after believed to be the spirit of Yah, took control of the steering wheel and drove straight toward the front legs of the horse. At the last possible instant, the horse reared up on its hind legs. Roger, cringed as low as he could get, fully expecting the hooves to break through the windshield, but he cleared the hooves by a bare margin.

Shaking at the close call, Roger took a moment to get his racing heart under control then gave a heart-felt prayer of thanks. Pulling back onto the road, he realized the horse was a danger to other drivers, so he drove to the nearest farmhouse. He described the horse to the man who immediately recognized it as belonging to a neighbor. He called the farmer who was puzzled. While doing chores just a few minutes before, the horse was safely locked in his stall. However, he would go check again anyway.

A few minutes later, the neighbor called back. Somehow, he didn’t know how, his horse had managed to get out. Both the stall and barn doors were wide open. He didn’t know how it could have happened. It was all very strange, he said.

Roger knew that however the horse had escaped, there was only one explanation for his safe deliverance. Yahuwah had heard the cry of his heart and had answered.

Romans 8, verse 26 says, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

If you’re in danger and need help, if you’re in such trouble you don’t even know what to pray for, know that the very first reaching out of the heart to Yah will be heard and answered.

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

* * *Part 3: Bible Scholars & the Trinity

Miles: It never ceases to amaze me at the ridiculous errors we’ve believed. I mean, some of this stuff even kids will ask about. But when the adults don’t have answers, these very insightful questions are dismissed, natural inquiry is suppressed, and we’re told that’s it’s a mystery we must just accept on faith.

Dave: Well, the real pity is that while the truth is there and available, the vast majority of us find it all too easy to become complacent and proud of what we think we know.

“One Lord” has always referred to one person. Not three, not two: one only. To say that Yahuwah is three persons in one contradicts Scripture.

Miles: Well, what it really boils down to I’m seeing is this: are we going to take Yah’s word just as it’s written, just as His spirit inspired the Bible writers? Or are we going to impose our own pagan-influenced perspective on the words of Scripture? You can’t get more clear in Scripture than there is only one true God, Yahuwah.

Dave: Like Paul said in 1 Corinthians 8 verse 6: “For us [Christians] there is one God: the Father.” It would have been the logical place to explain a triune godhead, but he didn’t!

See, the truths of Scripture are multi-layered. Yes, they’re for teaching us the truths we need to know to be saved. But more than that, they’re to prepare us for the days ahead. Knowing the true nature of Yah and the true, human nature of the Saviour is vital. It reveals in a whole new way the love of the Father as well as nuances of the plan of salvation that we miss if we assume Yahushua was divine.

Miles: Another reason I believe it’s important to study for ourselves and know the truth is that Satan’s delusions are built on the lies he’s gotten everyone to believe. He’s built this whole giant edifice of error on the lies he’s been propagating for the last 6,000 years. So, if we want to be safe, we need to humble ourselves, admit we don’t know everything, and start studying.

Dave: Mmm, yes. Humbling ourselves. We don’t like to do that much, do we? We like the assurance we feel when we think we know everything. We like that subtle sense of superiority. But most of all we like that feeling of security when we tell ourselves we know all the truth necessary for salvation.

But we really don’t, and that’s why Heaven is pouring out light. I know this subject is a touchy one in Christian circles. We’ve been raised from childhood to believe in a trinity. We pray to “Jesus.” As a child, our first prayers are spoken to him. We sing about his love and his sacrifice. The timeless words of the doxology end with “Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.”

And yet, in all of this, the truth about Yahuwah, His infinite love for sinners, the sacrifices He has made, get lost in all the adoration showered upon the son. And that misunderstanding of the role of Yahushua, as well as his nature, sets us up for Satan’s delusions.

Miles: Would you say that Christians commit idolatry in their . . . veneration of the Saviour?

Dave: Absolutely. Because it’s not just showing respect and love and gratitude. It’s giving him the worship that is due Yahuwah alone. “Idolatry” is defined as more than just the worship of idols. It also includes in its definition “blind or excessive devotion to something.” Well, when you shift your focus and your devotion from the one true God, Yahuwah, what are you doing?

Miles: Committing idolatry.

Dave: Right. I don’t care who you’re shifting your focus to; that’s what you’re doing.

To close, I’d like you to read Paul’s charge to Timothy. While it was written to Timothy, the words apply equally to all of us. And, as you read it, I want you to notice the description of Yahuwah given here. This applies to Yah alone, never Yahushua. It underscores the nature of Yahuwah as the one true God.

Miles: Which verse is that?

Dave: 1 Timothy, chapter 6, verses 12 to 16. Go ahead and read it as soon as you’ve got it.

Miles: It says, uh . . .

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Yahushua, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;

That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Yahushua Christ:

Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

Dave: This is our charge. To fight the good fight of faith, laying hold on eternal life. And we do that when we accept by faith Yah’s word to us, just as it’s written.

Miles: Amen. Amen.

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.