Program 274
In Christ, all promises are “Yes!”

Yahushua fulfills every Old Testament promise, making it possible for believers to claim Yahuwah’s promises.

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

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

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

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Part 1:
(Miles & Dave)

Miles Robey: In years past, there was a saying in the western world that “a man’s word was as good as his bond.” To put it another way, a person of high character, someone who had integrity and was principled, someone who was honorable – if someone like that made a promise, it was as good as if they’d signed a legally enforceable agreement. This is why, back then, many business transactions were completed with nothing more than a handshake. Children were taught that a promise must never be broken because keeping—or breaking—a promise reflected that person’s character.

Promises are important! Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the 18^th-century Swiss philosopher, once said, “Those that are most slow in making a promise are the most faithful in the performance of it.”

I saw this in my dad when I was growing up. As a child, it frustrated me that he’d never make a promise! I’d try really hard to get him to promise something and he never would. He’d say he would try his best, but he wouldn’t promise. One day when I was about 8 or so, I asked him: “Why don’t you ever make promises?” His answer has always stuck with me. He said: “I don’t want to lie. Maybe something might come up that will prevent me from doing what I said I would do. So, I’ll do my very best to do something, but I’m not going to promise it because I may not be able to keep that promise. If you make a promise, it’s important to always keep it.”

Hello. My name is Miles Robey and you’re listening to World’s Last Chance Radio where we cover a variety of topics related to Scripture, prophecy, practical piety, Biblical beliefs, and living in constant readiness for the Savior’s unexpected return, whenever that might be.

Today, Dave Wright will be leading us in a fascinating study that explores four distinct ways in which Yahuwah’s promises are fulfilled in Yahushua. Later, during our Daily Mailbag segment, we’ll be discussing what to do about addiction. Now, when we hear the word “addiction,” it’s often easy to think of drugs, or even smoking or alcohol. But there are many different kinds of addiction. What can a believer do to break free? Then, Jane Lamb will share a promise of Yahuwah’s faithfulness to those in need.

But first … Dave Wright.

Dave?

Dave Wright: Thank you, Miles.

Yahuwah’s promises are precious to believers. It’s what gives us comfort, courage; it’s what keeps us strong when the entire world seems against us. And the more we trust in Yahuwah’s promises, the more we start to see huge changes in our lives. Not just in material blessings, but in spiritual growth, in stronger faith, in confidence in Yahuwah.

The element I don’t think we’ve given enough thought to, however, is that all of Yahuwah’s promises are available to us … because of Yahushua. Yes, Yahuwah has given us promises to claim because He loves us, but in a very real, very practical sense, these promises are ours to claim because of Yahushua.

Turn to the first chapter of 2 Corinthians. There’s a fascinating verse there I’d like to start with. And for our listeners at home, you might want to grab a pen and notebook. We’re going to be looking at a lot of Bible verses today, so you might want to jot these down for your own study later.

You have it?

Miles: Which verse?

Dave: Verse 20 of 2 Corinthians chapter 1. Paul is speaking of Christ here.

Miles: “For all the promises of [Yahuwah] in him are Yes, and in him Amen, to the glory of [Yah] through us.”

Dave: What Paul is explaining here is that the reason we sinners have the right to claim Yahuwah’s promises and be answered every time, is due to Christ. It’s because of him that every promise has been, is, and will be fulfilled.

The way it’s phrased is a little odd. Do you have another translation there? Why don’t you read it again in another translation. Sometimes it’s helpful to hear the same thought phrased a little differently.

Miles: Okay, uh … this is the New International Version. It says: “For no matter how many promises [Yahuwah] has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of [Yahuwah].”

Dave: Perfect. Thank you.

We know that Yahushua fulfilled all of the Old Testament prophecies pointing toward the Messiah. He fulfilled the system of types or symbols that foreshadowed the Messiah’s mission. But there are other promises made to Abraham, to Moses and the Children of Israel, to David, that are … realized, I guess you could say, in Christ. Yahuwah had made predictions, and these were made reality in Yahushua.

Would you please read Matthew 5 verse 17 for us? Matthew 5:17.

Miles: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

Dave: The evening after his resurrection, the Savior appeared to most of the disciples. We know that Thomas wasn’t there, but the rest of the disciples were. Obviously, they were overjoyed to see him, but then Yahushua did something very revealing. Would you read it for us? Luke 24 verses 44 and 45.

Miles:

Then he said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning me.” And he opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

Dave: Why? Because the Old Testament promises were all fulfilled, they were realized, in him. This is important for us to understand. It’s because of Yahushua that Yahuwah is able to fulfill His promises to believers.

Paul clearly grasped this. I’d like you to read his explanation in Galatians 3 verse 14.

Miles: “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Yahushua, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”

Dave: And Ephesians 1 verse 3?

Miles: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Yahushua Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

Dave: I think it’s clear that we have the great and precious promises because of Yahushua. But there’s more to it. There are four distinct ways in which Yahushua fulfills the Old Testament promises. I want to spend the rest of our time looking at these four different ways because what this means is that we can’t approach all the Old Testament promises in the same way.

The reason this is important is that, sometimes, non-believers will point to what they claim are failed promises. What they’re not understanding is that these promises were indeed fulfilled, but they were fulfilled in Christ. So we’re going to look at that today because it’s important that when we find and claim a promise, we approach it from a perspective that understands the historical background in which the promise was given. And as we look at this, we’ll see that Yahushua is at the center of every single one of these promises.

Miles: Before we dive in, could you just, really briefly, list what those four ways are?

Dave: Sure. And, to give credit where credit is due, I’m drawing on the research of Jason DeRouchie. He’s done some fascinating study into this.

So, the first way that Yahushua makes every Old Testament promise “yes” to believers is that he maintains some of the promises without extension to others. I’ll explain what I mean by this when we get to it, so just bear with me.

The second way is that he maintains some of the promises—and—extends those promises on to believers.

Third, many of the Old Testament promises have been completely fulfilled in Christ.

And fourth, some of the Old Testament promises are actually transformed by Yahushua.

Miles: Okaaaay … I don’t know what any of that means.

Dave: All right. I’ll explain as we go along and I’ve got a lot of Bible verses to illustrate, so you’ll soon see what I mean.

Okay. Yahushua “maintains” certain promises which are not extended to other recipients. A lot of this type of promise come from promises of restoration. I’ll show you what I mean. Please turn to Daniel 12 and read verse 2.

Miles: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

Dave: We find an allusion to this verse in John 5. Would you please turn there and read verses 28 and 29?

Miles: “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”

Dave: Again, in Yahushua’s conversation with Martha after the death of Lazarus, we find references to the resurrection when Yahushua returns. Please read verse 11 of John 11.

Miles: All right, uh … “After he had said this, he went on to tell them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.’”

Dave: And verses 23 to 25?

Miles:

Yahushua said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Yahushua said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Dave: Paul also speaks about the resurrection that will occur when Yahushua returns. Would you please read 1 Corinthians 15, verses 51 and 52.

Miles: “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

Dave: So this promise of the resurrection, that is the hope of every Christian, Christ applies to himself in his conversation with Martha. He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.”

Christ himself is the fulfillment of this promise.

Miles: How does that work? What do you mean?

Dave: If Christ had sinned, even once, he would not have been the perfect sacrifice so Yahuwah could not have resurrected him. It is precisely because he is the perfect sacrifice that Yahuwah could raise him back to life. And his resurrection is what guarantees our own.

Turn to Luke 24. This is the evening after his resurrection and he’s explaining to the disciples why he’d had to die. Read verses 45 to 47.

Miles:

Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,  and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Dave: Paul reinforces this in 1 Corinthians 15. Would you please read verses 3 to 5?

Miles: Sure. Uh …

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.

Dave: In Hebrews 6, the author lists six doctrines that he says are elementary principles: they’re teachings for beginners. Two of these are the resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment. Now, believers can, of course, claim the promise of the resurrection in Daniel 12:2, but when we do so, we should always remember that this promise can be claimed only because Yahushua rose first.

Miles: That makes sense. Our resurrection is made possible by his resurrection.

Dave: It is in that sense that the promise of the resurrection is fulfilled in Christ. It’s already been fulfilled.

Paul understood this, too. Would you please turn to 1 Corinthians 15 and read verses 20 to 23 for us? 1 Corinthians 15, verses 20 to 23.

Miles:

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

Dave: This is why, in John 11, Yahushua could tell Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live.” Paul concurs. Read Romans 6 verse 5 next.

Miles: “For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection.”

It’s almost like our resurrection has an already-but-not-yet dimension to it. Christ has already been resurrected; we’re just waiting for our own.

Dave: Yes. And believers from both before Christ and after Christ reap the rewards of this promise by faith. This is what I meant by saying that Yahushua maintains the Old Testament promise and he does this without changing those who benefit from it.

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* * *Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: We just looked at how Yahushua maintains Old Testament promises without extension. He doesn’t change those who benefit from the promise. I’m interested in hearing how he maintains the promises but with extension. What does that mean?

Dave: Some of the Old Testament promises that were fulfilled in Christ, he then extended to believers.

Miles: Can you give us an example?

Dave: Sure. Isaiah spells out what the Messiah’s mission was to be. Let’s read it. Isaiah 49 and start with verse 1.

Miles: “Listen to me, you islands;
    hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born Yahuwah called me;
    from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.”

Dave: Drop down to verse 3. He’s going to give his name here.

Miles:

He said to me, “You are my servant,
    Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.”

Dave: So here, the name “Israel” is being applied symbolically to the Messiah.

Now, in verse 6, I want you to see how the Messiah’s mission is defined.

Miles:

“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
    to restore the tribes of Jacob
    and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
    that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

Dave: Who else has that same mission?

Miles: Believers. The church.

Dave: Correct. Not a particular denomination, but “church” in the sense of the body of true believers. The “called-out ones,” as the original Greek says. We translate it as “church,” but the original is “called-out ones.” And that’s our mission, too: to take the gospel to the world.

In this way, a promise that had its fulfillment in Christ, is extended to those associated with him: to believers. This is how Yahuwah fulfills His promises to Abraham made centuries earlier.

Please read Genesis 12 verse 3.

Miles:

I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.

Dave: How are people today blessed through Abraham? By the promise of the Messiah, his mission, being extended to the church. We are the mouthpiece that speaks truth to the world. We now work in Christ’s stead to bless people living today.

What did Yahuwah tell Abraham in Genesis 22:18?

Miles: Uhhh … “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Dave: Again, the very real, practical way this is done is by the Messiah’s mission now being performed by believers. Yahushua maintained the promises by extending them to the church.

We find this same thought in Isaiah 51. Would you please read the first four verses of Isaiah 51?

Miles:

Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness
    and who seek Yahuwah:
Look to the rock from which you were cut
    and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
look to Abraham, your father,
    and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
When I called him he was only one man,
    and I blessed him and made him many.
Yahuwah will surely comfort Zion
    and will look with compassion on all her ruins;
he will make her deserts like Eden,
    her wastelands like the garden of Yahuwah.
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
    thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

Listen to me, my people;
    hear me, my nation:
Instruction will go out from me;
    my justice will become a light to the nations.

Dave: Paul understood that the “servant” Isaiah was referring to was primarily referring to Yahushua. But, as the apostle to the gentiles, he also clearly understood that the Old Testament promises reach through and beyond Christ to include believers who are in Christ by faith. What does he say in Acts 13? Read verses 46 to 48, please. This was in Antioch where the Jews once again rejected Paul’s teaching.

Go ahead.

Miles:

Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
    that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

Dave: They’re quoting Isaiah 49 verse 6 there! That’s taking the promise that had already been fulfilled in Christ and extending it to believers, to the body of called-out ones.

So this promise of the Messiah’s mission is now a commission for all believers. It’s been extended to them.

Miles: Okay. I’m understanding this better now. At first, I was kind of confused. I’m not used to promises being “extended,” but you’re right, that’s exactly what’s happening here. It reminds me of Yahushua’s words in … I think it’s John 20 where he says, “As the Father has sent me, so I also am sending you.”

Extension.

Dave: Extension, that’s right.

Okay, the third thing is that some of the Old Testament promises apply only to Yahushua, so these have already been fulfilled or, as Jason DeRouchie phrases it, “uniquely realized” in Christ. The value of this kind of promise is that when we see how Yahuwah has fulfilled these promises, down to the very letter, it gives us confidence that He will keep the rest of His promises.

This is a principle developed in Scripture: the test of a true prophet as given in Deuteronomy 18:22 is whether or not what he says comes to pass. If what he predicts does not happen, you can know he’s a false prophet. But if what he says does happen, you can trust that he’s a true prophet. Read Ezekiel 33 verses 33, would you please?

Miles: Uh, yeah … It says: “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Dave: This same principle can be applied to Yahuwah. When any of His promises are fulfilled, it inspires us to trust that He’ll keep His word and fulfill the rest of His promises.

What logical conclusion does Paul draw in Romans 8 verse 32?

Miles: “He who did not spare His own son, but gave him up for us all—how will He not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

Dave: Another example can be found in Micah’s prophesy that the long-expected Messiah—the “ruler who was to come”—would arise out of Bethlehem. Would you turn there really quickly? It’s Micah 5 verse 2.

Miles:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.

Dave: This is an excellent illustration. Mary and Joseph were living in Nazareth. But the sure word of Yah declared that the Messiah would arise out of Bethlehem. So that’s where he was born! And, again, that gives us confidence in Yahuwah. We can know that He will fulfill His promises to us, too, because of His track record: He always fulfills His promises!

Miles: It’s like fulfilled prophecies validate Yahuwah’s trustworthiness.

Dave: I like that. Yes. That’s a good way to put it.

Now, obviously, this was a promise that only Christ could fulfill. Even if you happened to be born in Bethlehem, your birth there wouldn’t fulfill that promise. This prophecy was exclusively of and for the Savior. The promise is realized and fulfilled only in him. But our confidence in Yahuwah is strengthened as we see that even in this detail, His promise was fulfilled.

The fourth way all promises are “yes” in Yahushua is that he actually transforms some of the promises.

Miles: How so?

Dave: These tend to be promises that deal with the system of types that pointed forward to the Messiah. A type is a symbol. Yahushua was the great anti-type that the symbols were pointing forward to. For four thousand years, ever since the fall, the sacrificial animals were types of Yahushua who, as John the Baptist described him, was the Lamb of Yah that takes away the sins of the world.

Let’s look at some examples. Now, to save time, I’ve just printed off some of these verses. Go ahead and just start at the top.

Miles: All right, this is Genesis 13, verses 14 and 15. It says:

“Yahuwah said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, ‘Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.’”

Dave: This promise is repeated in Genesis 17 verse 8. Read that next.

Miles: “The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”

Dave: This same promise was repeated to Jacob. We can read about it in Genesis 48:4.

Miles: Uh, it’s actually verses three and four. It says:

Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’”

Dave: It’s because this promise has been transformed and extended that we know the true fulfillment will be when Yahushua returns and sets up Yahuwah’s kingdom on earth. The earth made new is the true “Promised Land” that we all look for.

But we see this in other ways, too. Abraham was the founding father, the patriarch of the Israelite nation which did indeed a few hundred years later dwell in Canaan. So, the initial fulfillment of the promise was to the Jewish nation.

What’s next on your list there?

Miles: Exodus 2:24. It says: “Elohim heard their groaning and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.”

Deuteronomy 1 verse 8 says: “See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that Yahuwah swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.”

Next is Deuteronomy 6:10. It says: “When Yahuwah your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build.”

Dave: He keeps repeating that the Israelite possession of Canaan was a fulfillment of a promise made to their forefathers. This next one is interesting. It’s kind of a negative statement, but the emphasis on the fact that it’s a fulfillment of the promise is still there.

Miles: Deuteronomy 9:5. It says: “It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, Yahuwah your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Dave: He’s telling the Children of Israel, it’s not because you’re any better than those who came before you that you get to go in. It’s because the Canaanites are so wicked and must be stopped.

Miles: Deuteronomy 30:20 says: “For Yahuwah is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

The last one is Deuteronomy 34:4. “Then Yahuwah said to him, ‘This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, “I will give it to your descendants.” I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.’”

Dave: This was at the death of Moses when Yahuwah showed him the land of Canaan just before his death. So, again, the initial fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was when the Children of Israel took possession of the land at the end of their wilderness wandering.

Read Joshua 11:23 and chapter 21 verse 43.

Miles: Joshua 11:23 says: “So Joshua took the entire land, just as Yahuwah had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war.” Chapter 21 verse 43 says: “So Yahuwah gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there.”

Dave: This was a literal, physical fulfillment of the promises. But it was also a limited fulfillment. We can see in the original promises as recorded in Genesis that the promises had an expanded version. What does Genesis 17 verses 4 to 6 say?

Miles:

As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.

Dave: He tells Abraham he’ll be the father of … what? One nation?

Miles: No.

Dave: Many nationssss. Plural.

This is repeated to Isaac in Genesis 26 verses 3 to 4.

Miles:

Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.

Dave: Notice how the emphasis shifts from land—singular—to landssss, plural.

This greater fulfillment would happen in and through Christ and his followers. Paul refers to these promises recorded in Genesis in his letter to the Galatians. He clearly understood that the complete fulfillment of these promises was in Christ.

Would you please read Galatians 3:16.

Miles:

The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.

Dave: Yahushua is the offspring of David, the seed of Abraham, that would fulfill these promises. Then he goes on to say that everyone who believes in him can also inherit these promises. Read verses 26 to 29.

Miles:

 So in Christ Yahushua you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Yahushua. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Dave: In Galatians 4, 24 to 26, Paul emphasizes that the believer’s inheritance wasn’t the then-present-day Jerusalem that was going to be destroyed in a few more years, but rather the heavenly Jerusalem that will be brought down here at Christ’s return.

This is how these promises are transformed to apply to many. Yes, they apply to Christ. They also apply to all who believe in his name.

* * *

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

* * *Daily Mailbag (Miles & Dave)

Miles: We’ve got a great question coming to us today from Jamie Harris in Brisbane, Australia. He writes: “I think I may have a problem with addiction. Not alcohol or drugs, but gaming. I get so involved in the world of gaming, I have a hard time keeping my mind on the real world and it’s starting to impact my relationship with my wife. Any help or ideas you can give me would be greatly appreciated.”

Dave: Thank you for your question, Jamie. First, I want to encourage you that you are not alone. More and more people are spending time gaming as their preferred method of escape.

Miles: Well, yeah. It lets you enter a world of your own making and be in control. What’s not to like when your daily life is filled with stress?

It’s becoming a real issue. I don’t know the statistics in other countries, but I looked it up really quick for Australia, since that’s where he’s from. Just a really brief check on line turned up an article from the Sydney Morning Herald that said that the average age of gamers is older than ever—at the time of the article, the average age was 32. It also said that gamers are almost evenly split between men and women.

So, yeah. It’s a growing problem all over. What tips can you suggest for someone finding that they’re spending too much time in the alternate reality of the gaming world?

Dave: Let’s broaden this out. This isn’t simply an addiction to gaming. This is an addiction to escapism. And, frankly, a lot of people struggle with that, so the things I have to share that will help someone addicted to gaming, also applies to any form of escape addiction. Of course, if there is a chemical dependency involved, that makes it more complicated, but the principles remain the same.

Miles: All right. I’m all ears. What’s the first thing that can help?

Dave: First thing, of course, is to get your priorities straight. Would you read Mark 12, verses 30 and 31 for us? This is coming straight from the Saviour, and lets us know what our priorities should be.

Miles: “And you shall love Yahuwah your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Dave: Anything that impinges on these as your top two priorities is a red flag. Now, the first thing to do when realizing you have a problem, of course, is to pray. Get divine help. That will always be the answer to every problem. Claim the merits of the blood of Yahushua. Claim the merits of his perfect life, and ask for help in overcoming the addiction.

Secondly, is Christian accountability.

Miles: What’s that? What do you mean?

Dave: Christian accountability encompasses a couple of different things. First of all, as with that godly list of priorities, is to realize that we are indeed accountable to Yah for the use of our time. It’s not simply ours to squander however we wish.

Miles: That’s a good point. I don’t think we typically consider “time” as something we’re held accountable for, but it’s true. In 1 Corinthians 6, verse 20, Paul says, quote: “You were bought at a price; therefore glorify Yahuwah in your body and in your spirit, which are Yah’s.” Unquote.

As Christians, we were bought with a price! We owe Yahuwah the best of our hours.

Dave: Christian accountability can also mean having a partner—someone who understands and can encourage you when you’re tempted to waste your time in whatever is your preferred method of escape.

Miles: Basically, you confide in a spiritual partner for validation, to help boost your resolve.

Dave: Right! There can be a lot of strength and encouragement in having a prayer partner; having someone who understands to encourage you.

Miles: Sure! I think that’s why we’re not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. [Hebrews 10:25] There is strength in having prayer partners and being encouraged by a brother or sister in the faith who understands the struggle.

Dave: Another thing that helps, regardless of the addictive behavior, is to occupy the mind with something else.

It’s true that, in today’s world, we’re surrounded by stressors that generations past didn’t have to deal with. It’s all right to need some “down time.” The more stress with which we must deal, the more we need to decompress. But if the temptation is strongest when you’re stressed and tired, learn how to pace yourself. Get the rest and exercise you need. Occupy your mind with something else.

Miles: Helping someone else, doing something for others—that can occupy your mind, make you feel better, and actually accomplish some good.

Dave: Absolutely! There are so many ways we can use spare time to help others.

And don’t forget: spend time in Yah’s word. I guarantee you, the more you study, the more you’ll want to study and things like gaming, movies, fiction … you’ll lose your taste for it. They won’t be able to compare to the sheer thrill of discovering new truths in the word of Yah.

Miles: Amen. Well, that’s all we’ve time for today, but keep sending in your questions and comments. Just go to our website at WorldsLastChance.com and click on Contact Us. We really enjoy hearing from our listeners.

* * *Daily Promise:

Hello! This is Jane Lamb with your daily promise from Yah’s Word.

Proverbs 22 verse 9 says, “He who has a generous eye will be blessed,
For he gives of his bread to the poor.”

Josue Diaz was traveling through India when he received an invitation from a good friend to visit him at his home in a small, rather remote village. The trip was an overnight one, and Josue traveled there by Indian Railways. On his return trip, his hosts kindly offered to prepare some food for him to take with him on the journey. Josue assumed there would be plenty to purchase along the way so, despite their repeated urging, he politely declined their gracious offer.

A few hours later, however, Josue was silently berating himself for not accepting his hosts’ kind offer. They clearly knew more than he did. There had been no food or water available to purchase anywhere during his trip. Finally, at close to midnight, the next train entered the train station. Parched and starving, Josue was relieved to finally see it thinking that there would at least be something to purchase on the train . . . but, once again, his hopes were dashed.

He was exhausted, hungry, thirsty, and feeling utterly miserable. Sitting on a fold out bed on the train, he was feeling incredibly frustrated with himself. Across from him, on another fold out bed, sat a middle-aged couple. They began taking out simply wrapped packages of food. The delicious aroma of Indian cuisine made Josue feel even more wild with hunger. After glancing at him, the woman whispered to her husband who shook his head at what his wife was saying. Finally, at her urging, the husband, with a great deal of embarrassment, offered Josue two pieces of flat bread and some spiced potatoes.

The man spoke some English and apologized to Josue for the humble offerings. Apparently, the couple had seen him at the train station, noting that he hadn’t had anything to eat or drink. The man apologized profusely that they didn’t have any more to offer. They had only brought enough for themselves, and it wasn’t anything fancy. He was worried that the simple food and small portions—splitting food meant for two people among three—weren’t worthy of a guest to their country.

In sharing his experience later, Josue said, quote: “I was speechless at their compassion as I choked for words. I took this offering of food, which for me was more precious than anything else that night. I remember looking away as my eyes filled with tears at their kindness. I eventually found words to thank them. They just smiled and were simply delighted that I accepted their offering of food. . . . That is the India I admire so much.” Unquote.

Psalm 112 verses 4 to 6 tells us:

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
    for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,
    who conduct their affairs with justice.

Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
    they will be remembered forever.

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

* * *Part 3: (Miles & Dave)

Dave: When we take a step back and think of Yahuwah’s promises in the abstract, many of them are linked to very serious, life-and-death situations. Part of this is due to the fact that we need these sorts of promises, and part of it due to the fact that we tend to try to handle things on our own, only turning to Yahuwah when the situation is dire and we can’t save ourselves.

Miles: Isn’t that the truth! I think it’s part of our fallen nature. We keep trying and trying to resolve problems, or extricate ourselves, or seek a solution, or … whatever. All on our own. It’s only when we can’t save ourselves in whatever way is needed that we turn to Yahuwah.

Dave: You’re right. It shouldn’t be that way, but it often is.

Another thing about Yahuwah’s promises that we have to keep in mind is that they are always conditional. Yes, as Christ said in his sermon on the mount, Yahuwah blesses the wicked as well as the good. But Yahuwah’s special blessings are always conditional upon obedience.

Miles: Well, sure. That’s part of entering into a covenant agreement with Yahuwah, isn’t it? If we disobey, we break that covenant agreement. And I’m not talking about the sin we stumble into due to our fallen natures. I’m talking about willful sin.

Dave: That’s a good distinction because, no matter how we may try, we’re never going to be perfect as long as we have fallen natures and Yahuwah knows this.

The old Mosaic covenant was conditional, and we know the Israelites broke it. It was also revocable. It was revoked when they rebelled.

This is different from the Abrahamic covenant. That was also conditional but Yahuwah’s covenant with Abraham was different from His covenant with Israel in that His agreement with Abraham was irrevocable.

Miles: What do you mean by that? How can that both be conditional, but the Abrahamic covenant be irrevocable? How does that work? We’ve still got fallen natures. We’re still going to sin.

Dave: It works because Yahuwah’s promises to Abraham were fulfilled in Christ, Abraham’s descendant. He was perfectly obedient to Yahuwah, so while Yahuwah’s promises to Abraham were still conditional, they were irrevocable because they were fulfilled in the sinless Messiah who was Abraham’s seed.

Turn to Genesis 12 and read the first three verses. You’ll see here a reference to Christ.

Miles: All right, uhhh …

Yahuwah had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

“I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”

Dave: All peoples of the earth are blessed through Abraham because it was through Abraham’s lineage, through his descendants, that the Savior was born.

This promise was repeated some years later when Yahuwah told Abraham that Sarah would give birth to a son the next year. This was just before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Let’s read it: Genesis 18 verses 17 to 19.

Miles:

Then Yahuwah said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of Yahuwah by doing what is right and just, so that Yahuwah will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

Dave: And finally, Genesis 22 verses 15 to 18. This is where an angel stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac.

Go ahead.

Miles:

The angel of Yahuwah called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares Yahuwah, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed Me.”

Dave: As Abraham’s seed, Yahushua perfectly kept the terms of the covenant with Yah. As a result, he secured for everyone who believes in him, all the Old Testament promises. It’s a beautiful and even elegant way to save sinners.

Miles: Could you just repeat again the four ways Yahushua fulfills the promises for us?

Dave: Sure.

• Number 1: Some of the promises Yahushua maintains without extending them on to other recipients.
• Number 2: Some of the promises Yahushua maintains are extended on to believers.
• Number 3: Some of the Old Testament promises are completed in Christ himself.
• And, number 4: Yahushua transforms some Old Testament promises by what he did, the work he accomplished, as the Messiah. Again, these are the promises that deal with types pointing forward to Christ who was the great anti-type. He fulfilled them by being the anti-type.

Turn to Isaiah 64, please, and read verse 4. This is an incredibly encouraging promise we should all memorize.

Miles: Okay, it says:

Since ancient times no one has heard,
    no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
    who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

Dave: Yahuwah wants us to trust Him. Over and over again, in His dealings with mankind, we can see that He’s trying to show that He is trustworthy. Just like you end every program by reminding us that He is safe to trust. He is! Sin has made us fear our Creator, so in a multitude of ways, He tries to win our trust.

Turn again to 2 Corinthians chapter 1. Earlier you read how every promise is “Yes!” in Yahushua. I’d like you to read it again, but this time I want you to read the verses leading up to that. Read verses 18 to 20 of 2 Corinthians 1.

Miles:

But as surely as [Yahuwah] is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” For the son of God, Yahushua Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” 

Dave: All promises are “Yes” in Christ, but what is the foundation on which Paul is basing that claim? What’s the first thing he says there in verse 18?

Miles: “Yahuwah” is faithful.”

Dave: Yahuwah … is … faithful. That’s right. He’s faithful to keep all the promises He makes. What’s more, His heart is full of compassion toward us. Truly, He is safe to trust!

I’ve printed off a few passages I’d like you to read that emphasize this point. Here … what’s the first one there?

Miles: Psalm 145:13. It says:

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures through all generations.

Yahuwah is trustworthy in all He promises
    and faithful in all He does.

Dave: Trustworthy and faithful. That’s who He is. That’s the kind of being He is.

What’s next?

Miles: Second Thessalonians 3 verse 3. It says: “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”

Next is 2 Timothy 2, verses 11 to 13:

Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him,
    we will also live with him;
if we endure,
    we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
    he will also disown us;
if we are faithless,
    he remains faithful,
    for he cannot disown himself.

Dave: Notice that Yahuwah’s faithfulness is mirrored in Yahushua’s faithfulness, because Yahushua is Yahuwah’s duly appointed agent. He acts in place of Yahuwah.

Miles: First Peter 4:19 says: “So then, those who suffer according to [Yahuwah’s] will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”

And, finally, 1 John 1:9. Oh! I know this one. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Dave: We see over and over that in all things Yahuwah is faithful. He is trustworthy. He allowed the Children of Israel to have trials just so that they could learn to trust Him when He, over and over, rescued them. And He’ll do the same for us.

We can rest our entire weight on the promises. None of them have ever failed. Someday, when Yahushua returns, all of Yahuwah’s promises will be fulfilled. I’d like to close with one final promise. Would you please read Isaiah 25, verses 8 and 9?

Miles:

He will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Yahuwah will wipe away the tears
    from all faces;
He will remove His people’s disgrace
    from all the earth.
Yahuwah has spoken.

In that day they will say,

“Surely this is our God;
    we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is Yahuwah, we trusted in Him;
    let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

Miles: Thank you, Miles. And thank you for joining us. If you enjoyed today’s program and would like to share it with others, you can find it on our website. Look for Program 274 called “In Christ, all promises are ‘yes!’” 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.