Program 164: Does Proverbs 8 Prove a Pre-incarnate Christ?

Many trinitarians point to Proverbs 8 as Old Testament proof of Christ’s pre-existence. A careful review, however, reveals that this is a false claim.

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: Proverbs 8

Miles Robey: Have you ever made an assumption? Was your assumption correct? Orrrr … as so many of us do, did you just end up embarrassing yourself because your assumption was wrong?

Hi, I’m Miles Robey and today Dave Wright is going to be taking us through Proverbs 8. It’s a passage that many Christians believe proves a pre-incarnate existence of the Saviour. Are they right? Wrong? Keep listening and find out!

Later, we’re going to be talking about specific ways the Holy Spirit speaks to us and finally, Elise O’Brien will be sharing with us the story of a baby, abandoned at birth, and what became of her so stay tuned for today’s program.

Dave Wright: You asked our listeners if they’ve ever made an assumption but now tell us, Miles … have you ever made an assumption?

Miles: Oh, sure. Made some rather embarrassingly erroneous assumptions more than once. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned not to be so quick to make assumptions, but yeah. I’ve done it. How about you?

Dave: I think we all have. I certainly have. I was just reading about an assumption this one blogger made. She posted under the name Rosa. I don’t know if that’s her real name or if, due to sheer embarrassment, whether she made up a name.

Miles: That bad, huh?

Dave: Well, I’ll let you be the judge. This Twitter user—goes by the name of SixthFormPoet—tweeted an experience he’d had where he’d made an assumption. Apparently, his father had died and was buried in a small village in Sussex, England. He’d been very close to his father, so he visited the grave a lot and always took flowers when he went. His mum visited a lot and she always took flowers; his grandparents, likewise, were frequent visitors and always took flowers. He said that his father’s grave, quote: “Frequently resembled a solid third place at the Chelsea Flower Show.”

Miles: So lots of flowers.

Dave: Lots of flowers. It didn’t take too long before he noticed that the grave next to his father’s never had any flowers. He could read from the tombstone that the chap died on Christmas day when he was only 37 years old. No one ever brought him any flowers and now there’s like this florist shop right next door. He felt sorry for the guy. So, SixthFormPoet starts bringing him flowers, too! He’s buying flowers for a deceased man he’d never met.

Miles: Well, that’s—okay. That’s unusual, but it sounds quite nice of him, really: bringing flowers for someone who never had any.

Dave: Sounds that way, doesn’t it?

Miles: Uh-oh. Shouldn’t he have?

Dave: Well, he did this for quite some time and never told anyone what he was doing. It was his own private little joke: he was making the world better, one bouquet at a time.

Miles: Well, there are worse things one could do.

Dave: I don’t know how long he brought flowers to this other man’s grave, but long enough that after a while he began to view him as sort of a friend. He wondered if perhaps they’d gone to the same school, or perhaps played for the same football club. Whatever. He felt a connection.

Finally, his curiosity got the better of him and he decides there’s one easy way to find out: he Googles the man’s name. Within seconds, he found him.

Miles: And? Don’t leave us in suspense! Was he a long-lost relative or something?

Dave: Noooo. The man’s widow didn’t leave him any flowers because he’d murdered her. On Christmas day!

Miles: Oh, no! Seriously?

Dave: What’s more, none of the extended family left him any flowers either because after murdering his wife, he murdered her parents!

Miles: Oh, noooo! It just keeps getting worse and worse!

Dave: And then after murdering his wife and her parents—on Christmas day—he finally killed himself by jumping in front of a train.

Miles: And he’d been leaving flowers on this bloke’s grave all this time??

Dave: Yes! That’s why no one ever left him any flowers!

… Except SixthFormPoet. He left him flowers every couple of weeks for two and a half years!

Miles: That’s terrible! So, what did he do? Leave flowers on the graves of the victims for five years to atone?

Dave: No, but … he did feel guilty for the assumption he’d made and felt that he owed somebody some sort of apology.

Miles: So what’d he do?

Dave: He found out where they were buried, bought some flowers and drove them there. So he’s standing at their graves, holding the biggest bouquet of flowers he could get, mumbling his apologies when … a woman shows up and asks who he is and why he’s leaving flowers for her aunt and her grandparents!

Miles: Oh, no, no! Talk about awkward!

Dave: Right?? So, feeling horribly embarrassed and remorseful, he explains.

Miles: How’d she take it?

Dave: She was quite nice about it, actually. She said, all right. That’s weird … but kind of sweet. He agreed that it was weird … and then he asked her out for a drink!

Miles: Are you serious?? What’d she say?

Dave: She said yes! And two years later they were married. And that’s the story of how he met his wife … all based on an assumption he’d made, an erroneous assumption.

Miles: That’s incredible! And it just goes to prove we should never make assumptions.

Dave: Unfortunately, I think it’s part of the human condition to make assumptions. We shouldn’t … but we do. His story had a happy ending, but when it comes to matters of spiritual truth, making assumptions can be dangerous because they lead us into error.

I want to take a look at a passage of Scripture a lot of people use to support the theory that the Saviour had a pre-incarnate existence. Now, in other programs, we’ve covered the Biblical evidence for the fact that not only is the Saviour fully human, but he did not “come into being” prior to his conception. There was no “pre-incarnate Christ.” He didn’t exist yet.

Miles: Right. He’s the only “begotten” son of Yah.

Dave: Let’s take a look at the word “begotten.” This is significant. Could you look it up and tell us what it means?

Miles: Uhhh … past participle of “beget.”

Dave: Funny. Okay. What’s the definition of “beget”?

Miles: Ummm … it says: “To cause to exist or occur.”

Dave: When did Yahushua “come into existence”?

Miles: Uh, well, at conception. I think the Jews believe it’s at birth rather than conception. Either way, that’s when he came into existence.

Dave: Right. It wasn’t before then. It couldn’t have been. Trying to force onto the Biblical record a pre-existence for Christ is not only illogical, but it’s inconsistent with the very definition of “beget.” And Yahushua’s repeatedly referred to as the “only begotten son of Yah”! You can’t have an eternal pre-existence and be “begotten.”

Miles: I’ve done enough study on the pagan origins of the trinity to agree with you. But couldn’t Yahushua have both a pre-existence and been begotten? You know, like sometime in the far distant past?

Dave: And what? Once it’s time for Mary to get pregnant he simply transmogrifies from his original form into a splitting cell in Mary’s uterus?

Miles: Well, when you put it like that, it does sound kind of ridiculous.

Dave: Whenever we try to reconcile error with truth we have to bend them both to the point of the ridiculous.

Miles: Okay, but … there are people who believe that. I remember reading once something along the lines of “through a process mysterious to the angels, Christ entered Mary’s womb.” Or something like that. That’s why I asked you to take us through Proverbs 8 today. If any passage of Scripture supports a pre-existent Christ, it’s that one.

Dave: All right. Let’s jump into that. Would you read that passage for us first, please, so everyone knows what we’re talking about?

Miles: Sure, uh … it’s Proverbs 8 and verses 22 to 31. It says:

Yahuwah possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.
I have been established from everlasting,
From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was brought forth;
While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields,
Or the primal dust of the world.
When He prepared the heavens, I was there,
When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
When He established the clouds above,
When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
When He assigned to the sea its limit,
So that the waters would not transgress His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth,
Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman;
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
Rejoicing in His inhabited world,
And my delight was with the sons of men.

Dave: So here we have a passage that is describing—something—that existed with the Father before anything else was created. And what’s interesting is that it appears to be describing something that was “begotten” in eternity past. I’d like you to read the first two verses of this passage, verses 22 and 23, in a different translation. Here. Try, uh, this one.

Miles: All right, um: “Yahuwah brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be.”

Dave: You can see how some readers might assume this is talking about a pre-incarnate Christ, can’t you?

Miles: Sure! It sounds—yeah. It sounds like that’s exactly what’s being talked about here.

Dave: All right. But what’s the cardinal rule we must always observe any time we study a passage of Scripture?

Miles: Read it in context?

Dave: Bingo! You started at verse 22. Now, let’s go back to the beginning of the chapter and read it in context. Start at verse 1. What does it say leading up to this passage? Keep reading through verse 23 so we can see how the passage that trinitarians apply to Christ fits into the greater context in which it was written.

Miles:

Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
At the highest point along the way,
where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
beside the gate leading into the city,
at the entrance, she cries aloud:

“To you, O people, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.
You who are simple, gain prudence;
you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.
Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say;
I open my lips to speak what is right.
My mouth speaks what is true,
for my lips detest wickedness.
All the words of my mouth are just;
none of them is crooked or perverse.
To the discerning all of them are right;
they are upright to those who have found knowledge.
Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,
for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.

“I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.
To fear Yahuwah is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.
Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
I have insight, I have power.
By me kings reign
and rulers issue decrees that are just;
by me princes govern,
and nobles—all who rule on earth.
I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me.
With me are riches and honor,
enduring wealth and prosperity.
My fruit is better than fine gold;
what I yield surpasses choice silver.
I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,
bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me
and making their treasuries full.

“Yahuwah brought me forth as the first of his works,
before his deeds of old;

I was formed long ages ago,
at the very beginning, when the world came to be.”

Dave: So who is speaking here? Is it Christ?

Miles: Well, in context, it’s “Wisdom.”

Dave: All right. Now read over the rest of the verses that people take out of context to try and prove a pre-existent Christ. And as you read over them again, ask yourself if this fits as applies to “Wisdom.” Go ahead.

Miles:

When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
when there were no springs overflowing with water;
before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was given birth,
before he made the world or its fields
or any of the dust of the earth.
I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
when he established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
when he gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
Then I was constantly at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind. [Proverbs 8:24-31]

Dave: Can you see how this whole passage fits when the “I” that is speaking is “Wisdom”?

Miles: Oh, yeah. Like verse 27: “I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep.” If this is wisdom speaking, then it totally fits. Yahuwah’s unsearchable, infinite wisdom has been entwined through everything He’s done from eternity past and on.

But I’ve got to ask you something. We know that Scripture can have more than one application. Why can’t this passage apply both, as written to Wisdom, and have a secondary application to Christ?

Dave: That’s a great question, Miles. We’re going to take a quick break but as soon as we return, let’s get into that.

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* * *Part 2: Proverbs 8

Miles: Okay. My question. Proverbs 8 is clearly talking about “Wisdom.” But we all know that various passages of Scripture can have more than one application. Why can’t you say that a pre-incarnate Christ is being personified here as “Wisdom”?

Dave: For the simple reason that something else is being personified here … not to mention all of the other Biblical evidence that proves Yahushua did not exist until his birth, or conception, whichever one you count as his starting point.

Miles: Huh? Who is it?

Dave: It’s not a who, but a what. Wisdom itself—specifically, divine wisdom—is here being personified as a woman. Read the first three verses of chapter 8 again and notice that in these three short verses there are four personal pronouns and they’re all feminine. Go ahead. Read it.

Miles:

Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
At the highest point along the way,
where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
beside the gate leading into the city,
at the entrance, she cries aloud:

Dave: So the rest of the chapter, verses 4 through 36, is everything that Wisdom—personified as a woman—says. And yet, we’re supposed to ignore the entire rest of the chapter and take verses 22 through 31 and say it’s speaking of Christ? It doesn’t fit the context.

Miles: No, that’s true. You’re right.

Dave: But that’s what happens when we take things out of context, when we try to twist them to fit our pet theory or preferred paradigm. We’ll always get off into error.

What? I see the wheels turning in your brain. You’ve got a question.

Miles: As long as you don’t say “The wheel is turning, but the hamster is dead.”

But, yeah. I do have a question. I can see how verses 22 to 31 have been taken out of context. However, aren’t there some passages in the New Testament that support this as the correct interpretation of Proverbs 8?

Dave: Like what?

Miles: Well, uh, give me just a second here …

There are a couple. Here’s one: 1 Corinthians 1, verses 22 to 30. It says:

Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom [Yahuwah] has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of [Yahuwah] and the wisdom of [Yahuwah]. For the foolishness of [Yahuwah] is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of [Yahuwah] is stronger than human strength.

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But [Yahuwah] chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; [Yahuwah] chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. [Yahuwah] chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Yahushua, who has become for us wisdom from [Yahuwah]—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

So right there in verse 24 it says Christ is the power and wisdom of Yahuwah. Doesn’t this indicate that we should interpret Proverbs 8 as referring to a pre-incarnate Christ?

Dave: I’m glad you brought it up. Before I answer, let’s look at one more passage that might also suggest this same thing. Let’s look at them together. Read Colossians 2 verses 1 to 3 for us and then we’ll answer your question.

Miles: All right. Uh …

I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of [Yahuwah], namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Dave: So here we’ve got two passages that refer to Yahushua as possessing the wisdom of Yahuwah, or who is the wisdom of Yahuwah. And your question is …?

Miles: Well, you’ve always said that we should always bring all passages on a certain topic together in order to arrive at the truth. Wouldn’t these New Testament passages suggest that Provers 8, verses 22 to 31, can be properly interpreted as applying to a pre-incarnate Christ?

Dave: A surface reading would suggest that, yes. However, when we dig a little deeper and look a little closer, we’ll see that making such a claim is inconsistent. For example, turn back to 1 Corinthians 1 and read verse 30 again. What does that say?

Miles: Uh … “It is because of him that you are in Christ Yahushua, who has become for us wisdom from Yahuwah—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”

Dave: So in this verse, the “Wisdom” of Yahuwah is being defined and expanded to include righteousness, holiness, and redemption; specifically as applies to our salvation.

Now, if we’re going to say that some Old Testament passage proves the pre-existence of Christ because it refers to Wisdom, and this New Testament passage applies the word “wisdom” to Christ, are we to also say that any time we see the words “righteousness, holiness, and redemption” in Scripture they’re always applying to Yahushua?

Miles: No.

Dave: And yet, in order to be consistent, that’s what we’d need to do. We don’t automatically assume that every time we see the word “wisdom” in Scripture that it’s talking about Yahushua. So why, when Wisdom is personified as a woman in Proverbs 8, do we take out part of what she says and say it’s talking about Yahushua?

Miles: Yeah, that’s quite inconsistent, isn’t it?

Dave: It always is when we take things out of context.

There’s another point, though, we need to remember and that is that when Scripture speaks of Yahuwah’s wisdom, it’s not referring to a second person. Instead, it’s referring to Yahuwah Himself.

Miles: Um, okaaaay. Do you have an example to demonstrate what you mean?

Dave: Sure! There are two parallel accounts of a talk Yahushua gave in Matthew 23 and in Luke 11. Let’s go to Matthew 23 first and read verse 34.

Miles: All right. It says: “Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.”

Dave: He’s speaking to the Pharisees here. Now turn to Luke 11 and read verse 49. Let’s see how it’s phrased here.

Miles: “Because of this, [Yahuwah] in His wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’”

Dave: Again. Wisdom is not some separate person. It’s Yahuwah Himself. Luke says that “Yahuwah in His wisdom said …” Matthew, in his parallel account simply says, “I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers.” Who is the “I” that is speaking here?

Miles: Yahuwah.

Dave: Correct.

I recently looked up this passage in The New American Commentary. Volume 14 discusses Proverbs and in there I found still more reasons why 1 Corinthians 1:22 to 30 shouldn’t be used to support the traditional interpretation of Proverbs 8 as referring to a pre-incarnate Christ. I brought the book with me because I wanted you to read a quote from it. Let me turn there really quickly …

All right. Go ahead and read where I bracketed it there in pencil.

Miles: All right. This is from page 112. It says:

Perhaps the strongest argument for taking Prov. 8 to be an Old Testament portrait of Christ is 1 Cor. 1:24, where Paul calls Christ ‘The wisdom of Yahuwah.’ Close examination of the text, however, reveals that Paul’s description of Christ is not an allusion to Prov. 8 and that it provides no basis for interpreting Proverbs in this way.

“First, Paul’s purpose in 1 Cor. 1:24 is not to point to Old Testament texts that relate to Christ but to address the scandal of the cross. In particular he faces the issue of the offense created when he proclaims that the crucified Yahushua is the Son of Yahuwah and Savior of the World. To the Greeks this is sheer folly. When he says that Christ is the wisdom of Yahuwah, he means it functionally in the sense that the crucified Christ is Yahuwah’s profound way of salvation despite whatever human reason might think of the idea. He also calls Christ the Power of Yahuwah in the same verse in response to Jews who expect the Messiah to come in overwhelming power.

“Second, it is not appropriate to take Paul’ s comment and make it the interpretive grid for an Old Testament text to which Paul made no allusion whatsoever. Similarly, one should not take a text that describes the power of Yahuwah … and claim that it is really a description of Christ on the basis of 1 Cor. 1:24. It would be as if one were to take 1 John 4:8 (“Yahuwah is love”) and on that basis claim that 1 Cor. 13 is really intended to be read as a description of Yahuwah.”

Dave: All right. There’s a lot to unpack here. Basically, the first point is: don’t take things out of context. In the first chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul isn’t talking about a pre-incarnate Christ. He’s not even bringing in Old Testament passages that relate to the Saviour.

The point of his message is to address how foolish the pagans found the gospel to be. Remember: Paul was the apostle to the gentiles. When he’d go around and talk about the Saviour being both Yahuwah’s son and being crucified, the pagans thought he’d lost his mind. They saw no sense in what he was saying. To the pagans, it was sheer foolishness.

So, when he talks about Christ being the wisdom of Yah, he’s contrasting Yah’s planned method of salvation in contrast to the assessment of human reasoning that dismissed it as foolishness.

Miles: Yeah. This sentence right here: “When he says that Christ is the wisdom of Yahuwah, he means it functionally in the sense that the crucified Christ is Yahuwah’s profound way of salvation despite whatever human reason might think of the idea.”

Dave: Right. That sums it up really well.

The second point is powerful, too. You can’t take one passage in Paul’s writings and arbitrarily decide to use it as a template for interpreting other passages of Scripture that use the same word. The example is 1 John 4:8: “[Yah] is love.” If we want to be consistent, then we’d have to take this short verse and apply it to the “love chapter,” 1 Corinthians 13, and say the chapter is really talking about Yahuwah. But it’s not.

Miles: Yeah, okay. That makes sense.

Dave: There’s another reason that Proverbs 8 can’t be applied to Yahushua. In Proverbs 8, Wisdom is said to have been from the very beginning with Yahuwah, shaping all His actions. But turn to Luke chapter 2 and read verse 52. What does it say about Yahushua in relation to wisdom there?

Miles: Luke 2:52 … Luke 2:52. Ah! It says: “And Yahushua increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with [Yah] and men.”

Dave: So let me ask you: how can a person who is the full embodiment of all of Yah’s divine wisdom ever be in a position to increase in wisdom?

Miles: Yeah, that doesn’t make sense, does it?

Dave: No! Obviously, Yahushua could not have been meant as the object of Proverbs 8:22-31, which is only a section taken out of the middle of what the personification of Wisdom is quoted as saying.

Miles: Okay, but … hold on just a second. What about verses 22 to 24. Listen to this. It says: “Yahuwah brought me forth as the first of his works,
before his deeds of old;
I was formed long ages ago,
at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
When there were no watery depths, I was given birth.”

So if this is Yah’s wisdom, how can it be said that Wisdom was “formed long ages ago” and “given birth”? Yahuwah has always been wise, so I’m not seeing how wisdom came to be at a certain point in time. That kind of would suggest that there was a time before Yahuwah was wise, but that can’t be.

Dave: No, you’re right. Yahuwah has always been wise. But that’s a good question. I’m glad you’re fleshing out all the nuances here. The New American Commentary actually addresses that. Let me see the book again and see if I can find it really quickly … thank you.

Um …. Here we go. Read that paragraph right there.

Miles: “Finally, Woman Wisdom of Proverbs 8 does not personify an attribute of Yahuwah but personifies an attribute of creation. She is a personification of the structure, plan, or rationality that Yahuwah built into the world. She is created by Yahuwah and fundamentally an attribute of Yahuwah’s universe.” Unquote.

Ooooh. Okay. That makes more sense. Huh! Interesting.

Dave: So let’s get specific. The “wisdom” described in Proverbs 8 is presented in the context of creation. Specifically, this Wisdom, personified as a woman, is Yahuwah’s creative purpose. His plan for us and the world. This plan was “brought forth” or came into being at some point in time in the distant past. It’s Yah’s wise purposes. His plan for all that was bought forth.

Miles: I see that. All right. By contrast, Yahushua was only “brought forth” when he was born in Bethlehem.

Dave: So he could not have been personified as Wisdom centuries before in Proverbs 8.

Miles: Well, let me ask you this, then. I was always taught that “God the Son” was the one who was the actual Creator. I remember being told that the Father acted through the Son in the creation of the world. But if Yahushua did not have a pre-existence, just who was it that created the world?

Dave: The Father did! It says so, right here in Proverbs 8. Read verses 26 to 29 again.

Miles: Um …

Before he—

Dave: That’s Yahuwah.

Miles:

—made the world or its fields
or any of the dust of the earth.
I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
when he established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
when he gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

Dave: The “He” being referred to here is Yahuwah Himself and we know this by cross referencing with Psalm 33. Read Psalm 33 verses 6 to 9, would you please? The whole psalm is great, but these verses mirror the language of Proverbs 8 and remove all doubt as to just who the Creator is.

Miles:

By the word of Yahuwah the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;
He lays up the deep in storehouses.

Let all the earth fear Yahuwah;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.

Dave: Yahuwah is our Creator and our Re-Creator. All things come into being by Him and are sustained by His wisdom and knowledge. He is deserving of our praise and throughout all eternity, it will be our joy and pleasure to delve into the depths of divine wisdom.

Miles: That’s going to be wonderful. Learning all the things we’ve ever wondered about and never had answers to.

Up next: How the Holy Spirit communicates with us personally and directly. Stay tuned!

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

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Changing even just one belief can have very far-reaching effects. Like ripples on a pond, the impact of newly revealed truth reaches on and on and on! A new, deeper understanding of the book of Hebrews provides additional evidence that Yahushua is fully human. Yes, he’s still the son of Yah, the Saviour of mankind. But nevertheless … fully human. Not fully human and fully divine. Simply … human.

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* * *Daily Mailbag

Miles: Today’s question from our daily mailbag is coming from the country that gave us the antibiotic, erythromycin. Can you guess where that is?

Dave: Hmmmm. An antibiotic I, personally, am very grateful for as I’m allergic to penicillin.

Miles: I see you trying to weasel out of giving an answer. So which country is it?

Dave: Uhh … I’m going to go with, um, Germany.

Miles: Germany! Why?

Dave: It’s the world’s leading exporter of pharmaceuticals. Did I get it right?

Miles: Not even close! It’s the country that has given the world the largest pearl ever found, weighing in at 14 pounds, or 6.35 kilograms.

Dave: That’s just gigantic! Uhhh … Japan? They produce a lot of pearls.

Miles: No, although you’re getting closer. It’s the Philippines! A Filipino doctor by the name of Dr. Abelardo Aguilar invented erythromycin.

Dave: Very interesting. So what’s today’s question?

Miles: Well, Melchor Ramil from … Meycauayan … am I saying that right? Meycauayan? Anyway. He writes: “Dear brothers, Could you please explain, clearly and specifically, how the Holy Spirit communicates with us?”

Dave: Hmmm. Thank you for asking, Melchor. Based on careful study of the Scriptures, we know that the “Holy Spirit,” of course, is the spirit of Yah. It’s not some disembodied third person of some mystical, pagan “godhead.” It is, quite literally, the breath of Yahuwah. So when we speak of the Holy Spirit communicating with us, we’re actually talking about how Yahuwah Himself communicates with us.

I’m glad to have a chance to answer this question because there are some specific ways Yahuwah communicates with us via the Holy Spirit, His breath, but many people get confused.

Miles: Well, Scripture does promise the Holy Spirit will teach us, right?

Give me just a second to find this … it’s John 16. This is shortly before his betrayal in Gethsemane. It’s like the Saviour is just packing in as much teaching as possible before his death but he realizes he’s out of time. Listen to this. It’s verses 12 and 13 of John 16.

It says: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

Dave: This is a fantastic promise we can all claim. You want to know more truth? Claim this promise! Yah’s spirit will be your own teacher!

Miles: So how do people get confused over this?

Dave: Well, the ways Yahuwah communicates with us via His spirit are typically quite subtle. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned and the voice of Yah’s spirit is often very soft. Then, Satan comes along and tries to get us to ignore those soft subtle promptings of the Holy Spirit by getting us to take a text or a passage out of context.

There’s one text in particular that is too often misapplied and causes people to miss the Holy Spirit’s promptings. Let’s take a look at it.

Turn to Jeremiah 17 and read verse 9 for us, would you please?

Miles: All right, it says: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”

Dave: Does a verse like this instill confidence in you that you can trust that inner knowing?

Miles: Not at all!

Dave: And yet that “inner knowing” is the spirit of Yahuwah, what Scripture calls the “still, small voice.”

The next verse says, “I, Yahuwah, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.” Unquote.

So in context, this is talking about the hidden, buried motives of the heart. And yet Satan comes a long and uses this verse to make us question whatever it is the spirit of Yah is trying to impress on our hearts.

Miles: Huh! Brilliant. Diabolical, but brilliant. So how do we know it’s the Holy Spirit communicating with us? How does Yah communicate with us that way?

Dave: There are several ways. The first, as we just said, is by that still small voice.

Miles: Okay, what does that sound like? Let’s get specific. Is that a voice you can hear audibly?

Dave: It can be; sometimes is, but not always. Usually, it’s simply a quiet, inner knowing. Some people dismiss the divine element and simply refer to it as their gut instinct or call it a “sixth sense.” The Bible calls it the still, small voice. You have to listen for it and, unfortunately, too many people ignore it or explain it away.

Miles: You know, I once read a book … can’t remember the bloke’s name. He was a retired, American police detective. The whole point of his book was to tell his readers to listen to their “sixth sense.” He said that in interviewing the victims of various crimes, the one thing that popped out at him over and over again was that at some point, every single one of them had had the sense that they were in danger or that something wasn’t quite right. But every single one of them dismissed those fears as illogical and either explained them away or ignored them.

Dave: The still, small voice—whether you want to call it intuition, or gut instinct, or whatever—will never lead you astray. That’s Yah speaking to you, impressing you. But because of that one little verse in Jeremiah, Christians tend to dismiss that still small voice, which is a shame.

Another way Yah’s spirit communicates with us is through Yah’s word. And I’m not just speaking of theology, either. If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t know what to do, go to Yah’s word for the answer!

Miles: Can you tell us, practically speaking, what that looks like? You go to Yah’s word … but if it’s not for theology or doctrine, how do you apply that in a real-world situation? Can you really get answers like, “Should I accept this job offer or not”?

Dave: Yes, you can. There are two ways to use Scripture to get answers you need.

As we often bring out when answering questions our listeners send to us, one way is by applying Biblical principles. As we’ve said before, “morals” and “morality” are shaped by your culture. Biblical principles, however, transcend culturally shaped morals. So, look for Biblical principles that address your situation.

But there’s another way that works, too, and that is simply reading Yah’s word with a specific question in mind.

Miles: How do you know where to start reading?

Dave: You don’t. The way I do it is, I say a quick prayer, claiming the promise of John 16:13 you just read that the Comforter will lead me into all truth. It doesn’t have to be a very long prayer but be very specific in claiming that promise.

Next, have a specific question in mind. I can’t stress this enough: be specific! Don’t ask a multiple-choice question. Don’t ask, “Should I … uh, for example, should I move to New Zealand or Argentina?” Instead, just ask one question: “Should I move?” After you get an answer for that, then you can refine it further.

Again, don’t ask, “Where shall I move?” Be specific. “Should I move to … Singapore?” Whatever.

Miles: How does reading Scripture answer a question like that? And how do you know when you’ve found your answer?

Dave: You will know. Yahuwah speaks to our minds through words. When you have a specific question in mind, you can let the Bible fall open and start reading. Start at the top of the page on one side and read through to the bottom of the page on the opposite side. It might take several tries. That’s okay. Don’t give up. Because when you have your answer, you will know. You will read a verse that perfectly answers your question and the spirit of Yah will settle it home to your mind: This is it. This is your answer.

Miles: I would think one of the benefits of learning Yah’s will this way is that, no matter what problems may arise in the future, you’d have the assurance of knowing you’re in the path He wants you to be.

Dave: Oh! Yes! It gives you great assurance, and it’s always nice to have that—knowing you’re doing what Yah wants you to do.

Miles: Visions. Dreams. Prophecy. Those are other ways Yahuwah speaks to us.

Dave: Sure. For most of us, though, Yahuwah uses other methods. Sometimes, someone will say something and there will be … how do I describe this? Almost like a … check in our spirit, warning us to be cautious, or that something isn’t right. It’s very important to stay attuned to such things and not dismiss them or explain them away.

Other times there will be almost like a … a quickening in your spirit. A word or a statement will jump out at you and you’ll know that statement is meant for you. There’s really no way to explain it other than to say that when it happens, there’s no doubt. You know. Again, this is on a subtle, internal basis that we need to learn to pay attention to.

Miles: One way I’ve found helpful is by paying attention to the leadings of Providence. It’s really easy, when a door gets slammed shut in our face, to gripe and complain and think it’s a bad thing. But that can be one very powerful and obvious way Yahuwah leads, too.

I’ve learned a lot from watching my father-in-law over the years I’ve known him. He’s a very soft-spoken man; doesn’t say a whole lot. But the thing that has always impressed me about him is that the man literally never complains about anything.

Dave: That’s—wow. I could learn from that!

Miles: Right? Me, too! When something doesn’t go as planned, he chooses to see it as a good thing. He was born just before the end of the Second World War and had a tough childhood. But the way he expresses his faith is by acknowledging that when a door closes, it’s Yah’s will just as much as when a door opens. It’s a really beautiful thing to see and it’s given him a calmness to his spirit that you rarely find in today’s world.

Dave: That’s really inspiring and a good lesson for all of us. It’s easy to rejoice in the Father’s leading when a door opens. We focus on the exciting possibilities. But when a door gets, as you say, “slammed in our face,” it can have a completely different feel to it.

Miles: Yeah. It can feel like our dreams have been dashed.

Dave: To handle it the way your father-in-law does, choosing to trust even when, emotionally, it can feel like our dreams are dashed, is what we want to do. To trust in all matters. To see Yah’s guiding hand in all things.

Miles: And what peace that brings!

If you’ve got questions you’d like answered, you can get a message to us through our website. Just click on Contact Us on WorldsLastChance.com.

Up next is Elise O’Brien with a daily promise and an amazing story of Yah’s plan for one abandoned child’s life.

* * *Daily Promise

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

On November 5, 1984, Patrick Coughlan was doing laundry in his dorm at San Francisco State University when he heard a faint rustling sound. Curious to know what was causing it, he tracked the sound to a box. Upon opening the box, he was horrified to discover a newborn infant swathed in towels. The baby’s skin was taking on a blue tinge. Patrick called to the only other student around.

“Hey! Did you know there’s a baby in a box in here?”

Twenty-one-year-old Esther Wannenmacher hurried over. A nursing student, she had just been tested on newborn care and she recognized the signs of approaching hypothermia. She quickly made sure the baby’s airway was clear, then cuddled her to share body heat while Patrick called paramedics.

The baby was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital where she was given a clean bill of health and called “Baby Jane Doe,” a name commonly given unidentified females. The story of the little girl found abandoned in the laundry room of a university dormitory soon hit the newspapers and dozens of people reached out, expressing an interest in adopting the baby. Yahuwah had something special in mind, however.

Sam Sobol was a doctor practicing in San Francisco. He and his wife, Helene, had adopted a baby boy three years before and had put their names on a waiting list again, hoping to be approved for another adoption. Helene followed the story of Baby Jane Doe. The first time she saw the infant’s photos, she had a visceral reaction. “This is our baby!” She thought.

Helene will always remember the thrilling moment when San Francisco’s social services department phoned her to inform her that she and her husband had been selected as the couple to adopt the baby.

“I was shivering and in tears,” she remembers. “This was our baby!”

But before the baby could be adopted, the authorities had to track down the birth parents to see if they would relinquish legal right to the child. Eventually, they were able to learn who the birth parents were: two young students at the university. The mother immediately signed over rights to the child. The father, who hadn’t even known about the pregnancy, struggled to decide but eventually he signed over rights as well.

The Sobols named the little girl Jillian and provided a warm, loving home for her, making sure she always felt wanted and loved. Although she was raised knowing she was adopted, it wasn’t until she was 16 years old that they told her the precise circumstances of her birth. It was shocking, but the Sobols shared the information with compassion, not judging the young woman who had been so frightened she saw no other way to provide for her child but to leave it where she knew it would be found.

Jillian tracked down Esther, the nursing student who had warmed her little body the day she’d been found. Esther was now working as a pediatric nurse. It was a tearful reunion as Jillian thanked Esther for her part in saving her life. She was also able to eventually track down her biological parents. Recalling the letter she sent her biological mother, Jillian recalls: “The biggest thing I needed her to know was that I didn't hate her. I wrote her a letter to thank her for giving me the gift of life. And letting her know . . . that I had grown up with a wonderful family.”

Jillian eventually graduated from the very same university where she’d been abandoned as an infant. It may not have been the most promising start in life, but she’s not bitter. "That's a horrible spot to be in for a woman, where the only choice she had was to abandon her child in a box," Jillian states. "I've faced it by not letting it dictate my life. The love and support I've been raised with has allowed me to embrace it and not run from it or be scared by it."

Whatever problems confront us in life, Yahuwah has a plan for our good.

Psalm 138 says:

I will praise You with my whole heart;
. . . I will worship toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.
Yahuwah will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O Yahuwah, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands. [Psalm 138:1-2, 7-8]

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

* * *Part 3: Proverbs 8

Dave: As we’ve said in previous programs, I’ll say it again: truth is consistent. It’s harmonious. We know from many, many passages of Scripture that Yahuwah is a single entity. It’s just Him. He’s not “three-in-one” or a triune godhead. Muslims are right when they accuse trinitarian Christians of not being monotheistic.

Miles: Right. Christians try to do this little dance around it by claiming to worship a three-in-one god, but as we’ve covered in other programs, that comes from heathenism, not Scripture.

Dave: It’s the proper understanding of the nature of Yahuwah that lets us know Yahushua “came into being” precisely when Scripture says he did: when he was “begotten” in Mary’s womb and not before. And it’s the context of Proverbs 8 that lets us know this is not a pre-existent Yahushua being personified as Wisdom. Rather, it’s Wisdom being personified as a woman. We’ve always got to take everything in context. Otherwise, assumptions, errors, confusion. That all creeps in.

Miles: We want truth and truth alone. This is why it’s so important to study to know the truth, because we’ve all inherited errors and traditions that aren’t Biblical. At World’s Last Chance, we’re committed to following truth and taking it to the world. Keep tuning in to learn more truths from Yah’s word.

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.