Program 107: Living (and dying) by the ever-lasting burnings

The “ever-lasting burnings” referred to in Scripture do not refer to an ever-burning hell but the immediate presence of Yahuwah.

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

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

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

* * *Part 1: (Miles & Dave)

Miles Robey: Hello! Welcome to WLC Radio. I am Miles Robey, your host, and with me is Dave Wright!

Dave Wright: Hello! Thanks for making us a part of your day.

Miles: You know how, online, it’s easy to “fall down the rabbit hole”?

Dave: Oh, yeah! You click on this link, and scroll through … Oh! That looks interesting, and you click on that link—

Miles: And pretty soon you’re way off topic, don’t know how you ended up there—

Dave: But it sure was an interesting ride getting there!

Miles laughs: You do know what I’m talking about!

Dave: Yes. It’s really easy to waste a lot of time clicking on link, after link, after link—

Miles: That’s what I ended up doing last night and I stumbled across an interesting click-bait article. You know, they seduce you into clicking on the next page by only giving you a couple of sentences per page.

Dave: Yeah, I hate that.

Miles: Well, it was about history’s most expensive funerals. When Pope John Paul II died, it was reported it was the largest gathering of heads of state in history, with four kings, five queens, and 70 presidents and prime ministers attending. The funeral itself cost 11.9 million dollars.

Dave: Wow!

Miles: Oh, that’s nothing! When Kim Jong-Il of North Korea died in 2011, the cost of the funeral and change-over was forty million.

Dave: Incredible! I’ve told my wife when it’s my time to go, just dig a hole and toss me in. Don’t bankrupt the family with some huge, fancy memorial.

Miles laughs: What did she say?

Dave deadpans: She hit me.

Miles laughs: Not a fan of your money-saving measures, huh?

Well, today I’ve asked Dave to talk about a memorial. A very specific, heavenly memorial.

Before we get into that, though, let me just explain to anyone joining us for the first time about some terminology you’ll hear on WLC that may be new to you. On both our website, as well as WLC Radio, you will hear us refer to the Creator by His personal name of Yahuwah, or Yah.

You’ve probably come across verses in the Bible that talk about “calling upon the name of the Lord,” but “lord” is simply a generic title. Hindus have Lord Krishna. In England, Sir Winston Churchill was the son of Lord Randolph Churchill.

Dave: So, just saying “lord” doesn’t reveal who you’re talking about.

Miles: No. And, in the original Hebrew, it doesn’t say that, either. It actually says “Call upon the name of Yahuwah.”

Dave: The reason we’re to “call upon the name of Yahuwah” is that His name contains a very powerful promise.

The name “Yahuwah” actually comes from the Hebrew verb of being, hayah. This is what was repeated throughout Creation week: “Light … be! Light was.”

Miles: “Light … hayah. Light … hayah.”

Dave: Right! So when you combine your need with the verb of being that is the divine name, you have a powerful, powerful promise! BE protected; BE wise; BE comforted. This is what it really means to “Call upon the name of Yahuwah.”

Miles: The Saviour’s name incorporates the divine name, too. “Jesus” comes from the Greek attempt to transliterate the name, Yahushua.

Yahushua means “Yahuwah’s salvation.” It’s what he is.

Dave: Hebrew has titles, too. “El” and “elohim” are the Hebrew equivalents for lord, or god, so you’ll hear that used in some of the Bible passages we read because we like to use the actual names and titles, rather than the generic tiles we have in English.

Miles: Okay. Memorials. What do you have planned for us today, Dave?

Dave chuckles: Well, I’m not sure if “memorial” is the word I’d use … but I suppose it could fit, depending upon your perspective. We’ll go with that.

Have you heard of any memorials that have an “eternal flame”? You know, they’ll have a fire there that never goes out?

Miles: Yeah, uh … well, there’s an “eternal flame” at the Australian War Memorial. I’ve heard that the grave of US president, John F. Kennedy also has one.

Dave: Right. A flame that never goes out symbolizes eternal life. So, to have one at a memorial or grave site symbolizes that they will never be forgotten.

The Bible speaks of “ever-lasting burnings” as well, and that’s what I’m wanting to discuss today.

Miles: You’re talking about hell.

Dave: Uh, well, yeah. I suppose so.

Miles: But you don’t believe in an ever-burning hell.

Dave: Well, I’ve changed my mind. Sort of. Let’s say the subject is one of the most misunderstood subjects in Scripture, and that’s why I want to talk about it.

Miles: How’s it misunderstood? Either there is an eternally burning hell, or there’s not.

Dave: That’s what I always thought, too. The fact is, that’s an oversimplification which Satan has used to hide a very beautiful truth.

The truths of Scripture are vast. Profound. But they are harmonious. Sometimes, some passage of Scripture can appear to contradict other passages. When this happens, it is always due to one of two problems:

EITHER: the person has some belief that is incorrect or based on a faulty assumption;

OR: the person has insufficient knowledge.

Miles: I always look at contradictions in Scripture as Yahuwah’s way of saying: “You need to dig a little deeper here.”

Dave: That’s how you should view it! Because, again, truth is harmonious. It will never contradict itself.

The reward of the wicked is one doctrine that Christians argue over.

Would you turn to Ecclesiastes 9 and read verses 5 and 6 for us? This is a really clear statement regarding the state of the soul after death. Go ahead and read that as soon as you have it.

Miles: All right. It says, uh …

“For the living know that they will die;
But the dead know nothing,
And they have no more reward,
For the memory of them is forgotten.
Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished;
Nevermore will they have a share
In anything done under the sun.”

Dave: So. Is there consciousness after death? Clearly, Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, did not think so, and Yahuwah made sure his writings were preserved in Scripture.

But, the apparent contradiction—and the point Christians argue over—arises from the fact that other passages of Scripture teach about an eternally burning fire that never goes out.

Miles: Yeah. Revelation 14:11: “And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Dave: Actually, you’re talking about something else, and we’re going to get to that, because you’re right: this is where a lot of confusion comes in. There’s a difference between “smoke” and “fire.”

Isaiah holds the key to understanding this conundrum. Would you turn to Isaiah 33:14? Here, Isaiah is asking a question.

Miles: All right. It says:

The sinners in Zion are afraid;
Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites:
“Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”

Dave: The next verse contains the answer. What does it say?

Miles:

He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
He who despises the gain of oppressions,
Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes,
Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed,
And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:

He will dwell on high;
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks;
Bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.

Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;
They will see the land that is very far off. [Isaiah 33:15-16]

Dave: This is who gets to live with … not die from … the devouring fire and the everlasting burnings of the divine presence.

Miles: Hmmm. That puts a different spin on it, doesn’t it? But I can see that. Hebrews 12:29 describes Yahuwah as a, quote, “consuming fire.”

Dave: Only holy beings can live with a holy god. It’s the righteous who will live and rejoice in everlasting burnings!

Miles: So, what does that even mean? What are “everlasting burnings”?

Dave: Yahuwah is the source of all life. Paul told the men of Athens that in Yah, “we live, and move, and have our being.” [Acts 17:28] Pure, life-giving energy flows from Yah. He is the origin of pure light-energy.

There aren’t many times in Scripture where the presence of Yahuwah Himself is described but in every single instance, the energy flowing from Him is described as “fire.”

Created beings can be in the immediate presence of such indescribable power and not be consumed, but only if they are pure and holy.

Miles: This reminds me of the description of Lucifer in Ezekiel 28. Before his fall, he was the covering cherub. He was right there! He was continually bathed in that omnipotent, pure energy.

Listen to this. It’s Ezekiel 28, verses 14 and 15. It says, quote:

Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of Yah; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Dave: He could live there because he hadn’t yet fallen. Holy beings are perfectly at home in the presence of the eternal fire of the divine presence.

Daniel saw something similar. Turn to Daniel 7. This is a really fascinating passage because it gives us a physical description of Yahuwah and the impression you’re left with is one of such incredible brightness, it’s like gazing directly at the sun, if you could.

Go ahead. Daniel 7, verses 9 and 10.

Miles:

I watched till thrones were put in place,
And the Ancient of Days was seated;
His garment was white as snow,
And the hair of His head was like pure wool.
His throne was a fiery flame,
Its wheels a burning fire;
A fiery stream issued
And came forth from before Him.
A thousand thousands ministered to Him;
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated,
And the books were opened.

Dave: What an incredible glimpse into the heavenly courtroom!

Miles: There’s also the burning bush. When Moses was tending his father-in-law’s sheep, remember?

Dave: Yeah, I see you’ve got that. Go ahead and read it.

Miles: All right. It’s Exodus 3, verses 1 and 2. It says, quote:

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of Yah. And the Angel of Yahuwah appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.

Dave: Obviously, this wasn’t Yahuwah Himself, but it underscores the glory that continually surrounds Him when an angel, direct from His presence, radiates the same brilliant energy that surrounds the Father.

Now, go to Exodus 19. After the Exodus, Yahuwah came down to Mt. Sinai to personally speak His law. He came in such a brilliant display of light-energy that, to the on-looking Israelites, it looked as though the entire mountain were on fire! Read verse 18.

Miles: “Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because Yahuwah descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.”

Dave: The closer you get to Yah, the closer you get to the eternal burnings—that pure energy that is the source of all life in the universe.

Now, what’s really interesting is when you learn the effect this has on those who have the opportunity to get close, but not so close as to be destroyed.

According to Exodus 34, Moses spent 40 days in the divine presence on Mount Sinai. He had spent that time communing with Yah in His immediate presence! So, at the end of those 40 days, Moses’ face reflected Yah’s divine glory.

Let’s read it. Exodus 34. Start at verse 29.

Miles:

Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai … that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Yah. So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them.

Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that Yahuwah had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.

But whenever Moses went in before Yahuwah to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him. [Exodus 34:29-35]

Dave: Over and over, Scripture makes the point: the very presence of Yahuwah is “eternal fire” in which only the righteous and holy can survive.

* * *

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* * *Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: All right, we’ve talked about how the “everlasting burnings” are the very presence of Yahuwah Himself. Only holy beings can survive in the pure energy that flows from His presence.

Let’s talk about the effect on sinners, now. What happens?

Dave: Sin cannot survive the presence of pure, divine energy. This is why, when Moses asked to see the face of Yah, what did Yahuwah say?

Miles: Well, He said no.

Dave: Why?

Miles: Because no one can see His face and live.

Dave: Why?

Miles: Because we’re sinners and He’s holy?

Dave: Right. Yah loved Moses! He didn’t want to destroy him so He could not allow Moses to see His face.

Miles: Well, this really gives force to the concept that sin separates us from Yah.

Dave: It does. Because He loves sinners, Yahuwah had to withdraw in order to give us time to repent and choose to turn to Him.

When your heart is unsanctified, you don’t find joy in the divine presence. You’re terrified! And that’s what happened at Sinai. Moses was in the divine presence and his face glowed.

The people were at the base of the mountain—much further away—and they had a much different response. Let’s read it: Exodus 20, verses 18 and 19.

Miles: All right. It says:

Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not Elohim speak with us, lest we die.”

Dave: This will always be the response of unsanctified hearts: fear; trembling; a desire to get away.

Yahuwah’s fire is a consuming fire: it consumes sin. And sinners, if sinners choose to cling to their sin.

This is what happened in the story of Nadab and Abihu. Turn to Leviticus 10 and let’s take a look at that.

Nadab and Abihu were the sons of Aaron. They had been selected to serve Yahuwah directly as priests. But they didn’t value this privilege.

Read Leviticus 10:1-2. What does it say?

Miles:

Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before Yahuwah, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from Yahuwah and devoured them, and they died before Yahuwah.

Dave: You’d think they would have felt humbled and honored, but they didn’t. So, for disrespecting Yahuwah, they were killed by fire which came out from Yah.

But we’ve got here an interesting detail I think most of us have missed in reading the story. This detail reveals a lot about the fires of eternal burning.

Read verses 4 and 5 and let’s see if you catch it.

Miles: All right, uh …

Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.” So they went near and carried them by their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said.

Dave: Did you catch it?

Miles: Uhmm … Oh! They carried them out by their tunics!

That’s weird. How did they still have tunics if they burned to death?

Dave: You caught it. They still had their clothes intact. Now, if someone were to point a flame-thrower at you long enough to kill you, what do you think is going to burn up first? Your body or your clothes?

Miles: Clothes, of course. It takes a lot to burn a body, seeing as we’re mostly water.

Dave: Right! This little, overlooked detail gives us a fascinating clue about the fires of Yah’s presence. It tells us that Yah’s fire is not a fire of combustion.

You remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.

Miles: Yeah, the “three worthies.” They were sentenced to be cast into a fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to worship the idol Nebuchadnezzar had set up on the plain of Dura.

Dave: According to Scripture, they were cast in fully clothed. In fact, Daniel 3:21 lists everything they were wearing!

Miles: Let me see … uh: “Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.”

Dave: So they’re cast, fully clothed, into this burning furnace and what happens?

Well, they get up and start walking around. Not screaming in agony. Just strolling around. They’re in the fire, but they’re not consumed.

Something was consumed though.

Miles: The ropes that tied them.

Dave: Right! Read verses 26 and 27 now, of Daniel 3.

Miles:

Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.

Dave: Their clothes didn’t even smell of fire!

The reason is simple: they were standing in the presence of the Most High God. Let’s back up a few verses. Read verses 23 to 25.

Miles:

And these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisors, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” [Daniel 3:23-25]

Dave: This is a great story. It teaches us that all who have surrendered their wills to the divine will and live in harmony with the divine law can live, unhurt, in the consuming fires of the presence of the Almighty.

The three worthies were obedient to the Law of Yah. They could live in the presence of eternal “holy burnings,” and the fire of combustion had no power over them.

Miles: So what you’re saying is, the eternal burnings of Yah’s presence consume away all sin and selfishness.

Dave: Yes. Sin consists of two things: 1) Falsehood. And, 2) Force.

Satan is the father of lies, but the truth that comes from Yah destroys falsehood.

Force is conquered by divine love. In essence, the fiery presence of holiness destroys all sin. Always.

Miles: Isn’t it interesting that when the spirit of Yah was poured out on Pentecost, the believers were allowed to see part of that holy fire? The fire of the divine presence?

Listen while I read Acts 2, verses 3 and 4:

Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Dave: Hair is flammable, but none of the believers were consumed by the divine fire! Why? Because, through faith in the blood of Yahushua, they were justified and stood before Yah as though they had never sinned. They could stand with the “eternal burnings” and not be consumed because the merits of Yahushua’s righteousness had been credited to their accounts.

Miles: Hmmm. Beautiful.

Let’s talk for just a moment about the doctrine of an eternally burning hell. Now, obviously, the “eternal burnings” of Yahuwah’s presence are something different. So, what can you tell us about hell?

Dave: The doctrine of an eternally burning hell is based on a false premise: that Adam and Eve were given eternal life at Creation. Therefore, the reasoning goes, when they sinned and had to be punished, Yahuwah had no choice but to consign them to eternal life in torment.

This belief is not based on Scripture.

Miles: Well, no. I think it’s 1 Timothy 6:16 that states, unequivocally, that only Yahuwah has immortality.

Dave: Go ahead and read that if you’ve got it.

Miles: All right. It’s describing Yahuwah here: “He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power.” [1 Timothy 6:15-16]

Dave: According to 1 John 4, verse 8, “Yahuwah is love.” But He is more. He is also just. As a god of pure love and complete justice, Yahuwah did not want to give eternal life to anyone who had not yet made the choice of whom to serve: Him, or Satan.

Miles: Yeah, that’s been the biggest problem I’ve had with the doctrine of an eternally burning hell. How is it loving or just to consign even the worst sinner to an eternity of torture? At some point, that is no longer “just.”

Dave: It’s not. Eternal life is a gift. It’s given only to those who overcome through faith in the merits of Yahushua.

Miles: Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of Yah is eternal life through Yahushua Christ, our Lord.”

Dave: The punishment for those who choose to cling to sin is not eternal life in torment. It’s death. That’s it.

Miles: You had said in our first segment that the doctrine of an eternally burning hell confuses the subject of the eternal burnings of Yahuwah’s presence …?

Dave: Yes. People start viewing this as an either/or situation. Either there are eternal fires (those who believe in an eternally burning hell) or there are not (those who don’t believe in an eternally burning hell.)

The truth is more nuanced. There is only one eternally burning fire, and that is the pure energy radiating from the personal presence of the Almighty. The righteous—those who have allowed the spirit of Yah to cleanse them—will dwell forever in the eternal burnings of the presence of Yah.

This is the same fire that will utterly consume the wicked—those who have chosen to cling to their sins and refused purification.

Isaiah 33 explains this the best. Would you turn there and read verses 10 to 16?

Miles: Sure … it says:

“Now I will rise,” says Yahuwah;
“Now I will be exalted,
Now I will lift Myself up.
You shall conceive chaff,
You shall bring forth stubble;
Your breath, as fire, shall devour you.
And the people shall be like the burnings of lime;
Like thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire.
Hear, you who are afar off, what I have done;
And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”

The sinners in Zion are afraid;
Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites:

“Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”

He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
He who despises the gain of oppressions,
Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes,
Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed,
And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:

He will dwell on high;
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks;
Bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.

Dave: The pure energy of Yahuwah’s presence is a consuming fire: it consumes sin wherever sin exists. Again, this is why sin separates us from Yahuwah. It literally separates us because if He didn’t withdraw, we would be destroyed.

So, in His love for us, He withdraws His immediate presence and, in its stead, sends His breath, His “spirit” into the world to consume away the dross of everyone who is willing to be cleansed. Then, when Yahushua comes, everyone who has submitted to being purified will live, unconsumed, in the eternal fires of Yahuwah’s presence.

Miles: And everyone who refuses to be separated from sin are consumed.

Dave: In 2 Thessalonians 2:8, Paul refers to when, quote: “The lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.”

That is the true “fires of hell” and it will destroy all who refuse to be purified and choose to cling to sin instead.

Miles: What do you do with Revelation 14:11 that says, “The smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever?”

Dave: The smoke of their torment; not the flames. Have you ever been around a super-hot fire? It doesn’t smoke. However, you throw a bucket of water on that fire, you put the fire out, and what happens?

Miles: You get a roomful of smoke.

Dave: Right. The smoke means that they’ve been consumed. It’s over. It doesn’t mean that they’re suffering eternally. It means the fires of the divine presence has consumed all evil, and sin and sinners are no more.

* * *

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* * *Daily Mailbag (Miles & Dave)

Miles: Today’s question is coming to us from Portugal. Hey, did you know that Portuguese is the sixth most commonly spoken language in the world?

Dave: That’s interesting, coming from such a small country. But I suppose, they’ve got Brazil, too.

Miles: More than that. Portuguese is spoken in a total of nine countries worldwide.

Dave: Huh! You learn something new every day!

So, what’s the question?

Miles: Jaco Mendes of Amadora writes: “What is your stance on corporal punishment? What does the Bible say and why?”

Dave: Hmmm. That’s not as easy to answer as you might imagine. First, the Biblical principle is best summarized in Proverbs 22, verse 6, which says: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Our responsibility as parents is to train up our children to have characters fit for living in the presence of Yah.

Miles: Does that include spanking, though? Proverbs 13:24 says, quote:

“He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.”

Dave: Yes, and Proverbs 22:15, says: “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”

The thing that makes this a bit more complicated is the fact that there are countries in which corporal punishment is illegal.

Miles: Last I heard, there were over 50 countries worldwide that have outlawed spanking.

Dave: I want to focus on principles here. I don’t want to get into the nitty-gritty of the pros and cons of spanking. Each parent will need to decide that for themselves.

Miles: Did you spank your kids?

Dave: Actually … we did. Rarely, and for one thing only: defiant disobedience of clearly understood parameters.

But, again, let’s focus on principles. The principle being taught in Scripture is that parents are responsible for training their kids.

Miles: In other words, for disciplining them.

Dave: How do you define discipline?

Miles: Well, it’s not a bad thing. I mean, soldiers and athletes, musicians, they’re all very disciplined.

Dave: Right. Why don’t you look up the definition in your dictionary there? What does it say?

Miles: Uh, it says, quote: “To instruct or educate; to inform the mind; to prepare by instruction in correct principles and habits; as to discipline youth for a profession, or for future usefulness.” Unquote.

That’s interesting. It also means: “To correct; to chastise; to punish.”

Dave: We generally focus on the narrow definition of, “to punish,” but discipline is so much more than that. Discipline, in the truest sense of the word, is training.

As parents, we’re to do far more than train the child to say, “Yes, ma’am” and “No, sir.” We’re wanting to cooperate with Yahuwah and train their characters to be men and women of Yah.

Miles: I was just scanning up the page. Above the word “Discipline” is the word “Disciple.” One of the definitions of disciple is, interestingly enough, “to discipline.”

Dave: That is interesting. Discipling our children, drawing their hearts to Yah, is one of the most sacred tasks we have as parents.

Miles: So, how do we do this? Any practical pointers?

Dave: Well, again, Proverbs 22:6 says it best: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

This is important. Being a parent, discipling our children, means that we do more than punish for misdeeds. We must also instill the good traits of character we wish to see: honesty, kindness, a good work ethic—

Miles: Following truth regardless of the cost …

Dave: That’s a really important one. And the way this is done is through godly discipline. You start training them from the cradle to be self-disciplined and self-controlled. The best way to do that is to teach them to obey the very first time Mum or Dad ask. Otherwise, you’re giving the child tacit permission to disobey until the adult’s voice reaches a certain decibel.

Miles chuckles: Yeah … I’ve seen that type of parenting before.

Dave: Discipline isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s a very important thing, and vital for our Christian walk. The manner in which a child is disciplined is less important than the spirit in which it is done.

Miles: What do you mean?

Dave: Never, ever discipline a child in anger. All that teaches is that whoever is the biggest or strongest gets his way. It produces a bully or a child who obeys just because he’s too afraid not to. That is not how we win their hearts for Yah.

Miles: More than that: if a child is afraid of his earthly parent, and then he’s told that Yah is his “father,” he’s going to be afraid of Yahuwah! And that’s a disservice, both to the child and to Yah.

Dave: Turn to Luke, chapter 18. Read the first six verses. It’s the sixth verse that I want to focus on, but we need it in context.

Miles: Okay, give me just a second … It says:

At that time the disciples came to Yahushua, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Then Yahushua called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in my name receives me.

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Dave: We cause our children to sin when we misrepresent the character of the Father, and we misrepresent the character of the Father as the kind, loving, just being He is, when we discipline in anger.

Miles: Wise words. That’s good.

All right! We’ve got time for one more question. This one’s from Lola and Elías in Choloma, Honduras. They write: “We are members of a small Bible study group that meets weekly. We’ve been going through the writings of Paul. Could you please explain what Paul is referring to when he talks about rest in Hebrews 4?”

Dave: Certainly! Hebrews 4 is a continuation of the themes Paul is discussing in chapter three. He outlines three “rests” here.

The first “rest,” of course, is found in Yahushua. He’s our High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Because of his death, we can stand before Yah as though we had never sinned; because his merits are applied to our life’s record.

Miles: Not to mention the merits of his life: the merits of his sinless life are also credited to us, as though we had always made right choices and honored Yah.

Dave: That’s justification by faith: righteousness by faith. That’s the first rest. When we invite him to live in our hearts by faith, we can rest from our own efforts at self-righteousness.

The second rest is the one believers have looked forward to since the promise was given at the fall, and that is the ultimate rest we’ll experience in the New Jerusalem.

A handful of humans have experienced that, of course.

Miles: Those who were raised with Yahushua at his resurrection. Obviously, it’s a promised rest, so not every believer goes there immediately upon death.

Dave: Right. The third rest is that of the seventh-day Sabbath. This is a weekly reminder that if we will continue throughout our life on earth to accept the gift of justification by faith, we will one day enter into the ultimate rest when Yahushyua returns to set up Yahuwah’s divine kingdom earth.

Miles: Now, a lot of people that have been taught the law was “nailed to the cross,” or that the Sabbath was “done away with at the cross” point to Hebrews four to support their beliefs.

Give me just a second to turn there … It’s, uh …

Here it is. Hebrews 4, verses 9 and 10. It says, quote: “There remains therefore a rest for the people of Yah. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as Yah did from His.” Unquote.

So, what would you say to someone who claims that this passage is proving that the Sabbath commandment is no longer binding?

Dave: Actually, I find it rather ironic that this passage is being used this way. In these verses, we’re being urged to enter the very rest which Yahuwah entered. And what rest was that? What rest did Yahuwah do when His work was finished?

Miles: Uh, well … the Sabbath!

Dave: Exactly! These verses are saying the exact opposite of doing away with the weekly Sabbath. Instead, they are urging us to enter the same rest Yahuwah did when His labors were over, which was the weekly Sabbath.

Paul isn’t nailing the Sabbath to the cross. Just the opposite. He is establishing the continuing nature of the Sabbath as a rest that is available for the people of Yah throughout all time. This is the rest that awaits us if we’re faithful.

Miles: That actually makes sense. Especially when you remember Isaiah 66:23 which says we’ll be keeping Sabbaths and New Moons—even in the earth made new!

Dave: The thing we always have to remember is that Yah’s law is a transcript of His perfect character. To do away with part of the law would be to say He is not perfect, and therefore not God.

Miles: Not to mention the inconsistency of getting rid of one commandment while saying the other nine are still binding.

I’m so thankful we can rely on Yahushua’s righteousness, aren’t you? He kept the law perfectly!

Well, keep sending us your questions, comments, and prayer requests. Just go to WorldsLastChance.com and click on Contact Us. We always enjoy hearing from our listeners.

* * *Daily Promise

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

Blair Jacobson had graduated high school and signed up for a term of study in England. His mother, Brenda, decided to travel to England with him and spend a few days exploring London before returning home.

After several days pleasant exploration, mother and son went to Hyde Park. Blair wanted to find a quiet spot and lose himself in a book, so they both agreed to meet back at a certain time. As Blair sauntered off to find himself a quiet park bench, Brenda decided to find a quiet spot for herself and soon found a bench near some softly rustling bushes. She lay down, enjoying the peace and quiet.

A few minutes later, an unexpected thought intruded. “Open your eyes.”

Brenda’s eyes popped open. Walking across a small hill directly toward her was a tall, slender man. His clothing was in muted colors that let him blend in with the autumn colors of the park surrounding him. He was looking down at a length of red rope that was wrapped around each hand.

“Why on earth does he have a rope?” Brenda wondered, but just as soon as she wondered, she knew the answer. The nearby bushes no longer seemed so peaceful and serene. If she were dragged in there, no one would be able to see or hear her. The man was even closer and still coming.

Another thought came to Brenda with force and clarity: “Get up and walk quickly down the hill.”

She wasn’t panicked or necessarily anxious, but the mental prompts were strong and clear. Her movement startled the man who looked up. Their eyes met and Brenda felt a chill at how cold the man’s eyes were. She strode away projecting self-confidence and didn’t see him again.

The next few days passed swiftly and soon Brenda found herself home again. A couple of days later, Brenda received a phone call from her friend, Sheri.

Sheri got straight to the point: “Brenda, what happened to you while you were in England?”

“Uhh, what do you mean?” Brenda asked.

“Last Wednesday,” Sheri explained, “the Lord woke me up to pray for you because you were about to be murdered.”

Brenda immediately thought of the encounter in Hyde Park. The women compared the time Sheri was awakened to pray for her and, taking into account the difference in time zones, learned it was the exact same time Brenda was lying alone on a park bench while a man with a rope walked toward her.

Brenda often thinks back to the miraculous way in which her life was preserved. She says, quote: “What I remember is not so much the man or the rope or the fear of what might have happened. What I remember is how God protected me. I now know that those words I heard were his voice, carried to me through the prayers of a friend.”

First Peter chapter 3, verses 12 and 13 say: “For the eyes of Yahuwah are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of Yah is against those who do evil. And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?”

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

* * *Part 3: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: This has been a really interesting discussion. I have a new understanding of the eternal burnings. It’s not just an ever-burning hell. It’s the presence of Yah itself.

Dave: We were talking about memorials that have “eternal flames”? Well, the eternal burnings will be an everlasting memorial of the power of divine love.

Eternal life is for all who choose to have their sins consumed by the fires of eternal love. James 4 tells us how that’s done. Would you read James 4:7, 8 and 10?

Miles:

Therefore submit to Yah. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to Yah and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Dave: The way we cleanse our hands and purify our hearts is to surrender. When Yahuwah reveals something in us that is out of line with His will, we choose to surrender, rather than cling to sin.

We’re not cleansed through our efforts. We can’t do it. It’s Yah that purifies us. And all who are purified get to live in Yahuwah’s presence for eternity!

The fires of His presence will burn throughout eternity. That’s a promise.

Revelation 21:23 says: “The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of Yahuwah did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”

Like the three worthies, like Moses on Sinai, the redeemed will be able to live in the presence of consuming fire because they have surrendered their wills to Yah. They’ve allowed their sin to be consumed so they can live unscathed in the presence of holiness.

Miles: This reminds me of a story I read recently. Apparently, there was this ladies’ Bible study group that was reading through the book of Malachi. When they got to chapter 3, they were really intrigued by verses 2 to 3. It says:

But who can endure the day of His coming?
And who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner’s fire
And like launderers’ soap.
He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And purge them as gold and silver,
That they may offer to Yahuwah
An offering in righteousness.

The women wanted to understand the illustration so they could really grasp the process being described in Scripture.

One woman made arrangements to observe a silversmith at work, so she could report back to the group just what he did.

Dave: Yeah? What did she learn?

Miles: Well, it was really interesting. The silversmith explained that in order to refine silver, he had to hold it in the middle of the fire where the flames were the hottest. That’s the only way he could burn away any impurities.

The woman asked if it were true that he had to stay there, by the fire, the entire time the silver was being refined in the flames.

He said: “Yes. Not only do I have to stay here holding the silver, but I have to keep my eyes on it the entire time. If the silver is left in a moment too long, it will be destroyed.”

The woman watched him in silence awhile, then asked: “How do you know when it’s fully refined?”

“That’s simple,” he said. “I know it’s fully refined when I can see my image in it.”

Dave: That’s our inspiration: to have the image of Yahuwah fully reproduced in us so that when people look at us, they see the Father. When they hear our words, it will be the voice of the Father they hear.

Isaiah 55 tells us how. It says: “Seek ye Yahuwah while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto Yahuwah, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God for he will abundantly pardon.” [Isaiah 55:6-7]

Miles: The reward for total surrendering to the purifying fires is huge! Daniel 12:2-3 promises:

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
Some to everlasting life,
Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Those who are wise shall shine
Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever.

Please join us again tomorrow, and until then, remember: Yahuwah loves you . . . and He is safe to trust!

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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.