Program 140: Messiahs in Scripture:
The true humanity of Christ

Scripture contains many human messiahs. A “messiah” is a person anointed by Yahuwah for a special work.

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: True Humanity of Christ

Miles Robey: Scripture is full of messiahs. And I don’t mean false messiahs. I mean the Real Deal. Or so I’m told …

Hello! This is Miles Robey.

Dave Wright: And Dave Wright.

Miles: And you’re listening to WLC Radio. We’ve got an interesting program planned for you today, but I think we need to lay a foundation first so you understand that what we’re saying truly is Biblical.

Dave, very briefly, what can you tell us about the doctrine of a triune godhead.

Dave: Well, the trinity is widely viewed as the very foundation to Christian beliefs, but it’s not Biblical. In fact, a three-in-one godhead didn’t become part of Christian orthodoxy until the fourth century!

Miles: That’s a long time after Christ!

Dave: It is. And Christian theologians know this. Even Roman Catholics will admit this.

Here. I’ve got a quote from the New Catholic Encyclopedia I’d like you to read. It’s from the 1967 edition, Vol. 16, page 295. What does that say?

Miles:

One should not speak of Trinitarianism in the New Testament without serious qualification . . . when one does speak of an unqualified Trinitarianism, one has moved from the period of Christian origins to, say, the last quadrant of the 4th century. It was only then that what might be called the definitive Trinitarian dogma “one God in three Persons” became thoroughly assimilated into Christian life and thought.

Dave: The modern version of the trinity, as it is understood today, is pagan through and through. It’s actually drawn almost in its entirety from the pagan Greek philosopher, Plato.

Miles: Before we get into today’s topic, one point that needs to be clarified is that you cannot find the doctrine of the trinity in Scripture. It’s simply not there.

A lot of people will point to 1 John 5:7 and 8 as proof, but that passage doesn’t prove anything because those verses were added much later.

Dave: Why don’t I read that really quickly so they know which verses we’re talking about?

Miles: Sure! You have it? Go ahead.

Dave: 1 John 5, verses 7 and 8 is the one that says, quote: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” Unquote.

Miles: This sounds like John is here teaching a triune godhead, but he’s not. New Testament scholar, Bart Erhman, explains that the doctrine of the trinity, quote, “cannot be found explicitly stated in the earliest Christian writings. The only passage of the New Testament that declares the doctrine (1 John 5:7-8) was not originally part of the text but was added by doctrinally astute scribes at a later date (it is not found in any Greek manuscripts until the 11th century.)”

Dave: That’s a thousand years later, folks. One thousand years after Christ some Catholic monks decided they needed Biblical proof for their doctrine, so they just wrote it in!

We won’t take more time on this discussion right now. We’ve covered it plenty in articles and videos on our website as well as previous radio broadcasts. If you’ve missed those, we encourage you to go read, watch, listen to them and study it out for yourself. Suffice it to say, the doctrine of the trinity is not Biblical.

Miles: Furthermore, careful study of Scripture reveals that the belief Yahushua had a preexistence is an extrapolation of the trinity doctrine that has been imposed onto Scripture. It can’t actually be proven from the Bible itself. Yahushua was not created, but neither was he divine and preexistent. He was the fully human, only begotten son of Yahuwah.

So, with that said … Dave? Tell us about the many messiahs in Scripture. Christ was just one of many?

Dave: Well, hold on a minute. Don’t go too far. Yes, there were many messiahs recorded in the Bible, but Yahushua was not just “one of many.” Yahushua was the—only—begotten son of Yah. While he is fully human, being born to a human girl, Yahuwah is also Yah’s literal son, having been born to a virgin.

Miles: Okay. Fair enough. And, I’ll be honest here, I’ll admit I was pushing you on that point just a bit to see how far you’d go. Speaking for myself, this idea that there are many “messiahs” in the Bible just sounds, I don’t know … blasphemous? You know what I mean?

Dave: I do. I think it’s because whenever we speak of the Messiah—did you see what I did there? The Messiah. We never refer to him simply as “messiah.” We always preface it with an identifier: the Messiah. Like a title. So, if that’s the only time you’ve ever heard the word used, it’s easy to conclude that it is a title applicable to the Saviour alone.

Miles: So how is it that there are many messiahs in the Bible? Is this kind of like 1 Corinthians 8:5 and 6? “For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father.” Is it that there are lots of false messiahs, but to us there is only one: Yahushua?

Dave: No, not at all. I mean, I suppose there could have been false messiahs. I haven’t really looked up every single use of the word. But there were certainly true messiahs beyond Yahushua.

The word translated into English as “messiah” comes from the Hebrew word, mâshîyach. It comes from the word mâshach which means “to rub with oil.” So, a messiah, a mâshîyach, was anyone who had been anointed. The literal translation of mâshîyach is “anointed one.”

Anyone who was specially consecrated to Yahuwah, who was anointed, was a mâshîyach, a messiah.

Miles: So. High priest Aaron and his sons. They were, technically, messiahs.

Dave: Yes! Because they were anointed. Let’s look at some other uses of this word.

Would you turn to Leviticus chapter 4, and read verse 3 for us? This is the first use of the word mâshîyach.

Miles: “If the priest that is anointed—”

Dave: Mâshîyach.

Miles: “—do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto Yahuwah for a sin offering.”

Dave: Now turn to 1 Samuel, chapter 2, verse 10. This is from the prayer of Hannah when she was rejoicing that Yahuwah had answered her prayer and gifted her with a son, Samuel.

Miles: “Yahuwah shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

Dave: Turn now to 1 Samuel chapter 24. This is a very fascinating and very revealing use of the word “messiah.”

Miles: Which verse?

Dave: Uhhh, start at verse 1.

Miles: All right, let’s see … it says:

And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.

Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.

And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.

And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which Yahuwah said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.

And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.

And he said unto his men, Yahuwah forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, Yahuwah's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of Yahuwah. [1 Samuel 24:1-6]

Dave: David’s feeling guilty here because, to make a point—that he was not trying to kill Saul—he had crept close and cut off a piece of Saul’s robe. And why was he feeling guilty? Because Saul was Yah’s anointed. He was Yahuwah’s messiah.

David had tremendous respect for Yahuwah’s messiah. Two chapters further on, 1 Samuel chapter 26, we have the story of how Saul again tracked down David and again, David’s men urged him to kill Saul. Read verses 8 to 11 of 1 Samuel, chapter 26, would you please.

Miles:

Then Abishai said to David, “Eloah has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please, let me strike him at once with the spear, right to the earth; and I will not have to strike him a second time!”

But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against Yahuwah’s anointed, and be guiltless?” David said furthermore, “As Yahuwah lives, Yah shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish. Yahuwah forbid that I should stretch out my hand against Yahuwah’s anointed. But please, take now the spear and the jug of water that are by his head, and let us go.”

Dave: Abishai had a point, you have to admit. Their lives would have been so much easier if Saul were dead. But David had so much respect for the office of Yahuwah’s anointed, His messiah, that he was willing to leave Saul’s fate up to Yah. Either he’d get old and die, he’d perish in battle, or Yah would remove him. Either way, David wasn’t going to do it.

Miles: I remember when Saul fell on his sword in his last battle. He was trying to commit suicide but it didn’t actually kill him. When a young man finished him off and went and told David, David was horrified. Let me find it really quickly . . .

Here it is: 2 Samuel 1:14 and 15. It says: “So David said to him, ‘How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy Yahuwah’s anointed?’ Then David called one of the young men and said, ‘Go near, and execute him!’ And he struck him so that he died.”

Dave: Right! Again, “anointed” is actually “messiah.” Yahuwah had anointed Saul, appointing him to be king, and only Yah should remove him.

Miles: I like the illustration of Saul because it really demonstrates that the word “messiah” is really a title given those, given anyone, who has been anointed or consecrated.

Dave: Correct. In fact, mâshîyach is translated as “messiah” only twice in all of Scripture.

Miles: That’s it?

Dave: Most of the time it’s translated as simply “anointed.” Turn to Daniel, chapter 9, and read verses 25 and 26.

Miles: Daniel … Daniel … okay.

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

Dave: These two verses are the only times the word “Messiah” appears in Scripture.

Miles: What about the New Testament?

Dave: Well, the New Testament was written in Greek. The Greek equivalent of Messiah is christos which also means anointed. It’s used 569 times in the New Testament and it’s where we get our word, “Christ.” This is how the Israelites understood the Messiah: someone anointed by or consecrated to Yah, set apart for a special work.

Now, one word that has caused some confusion is the word “divine.” Was Yahushua “divine”?

Miles: Well, no.

Dave: You’re sure?

Miles: Yes! He’s not God. He’s human. What are you trying to do here?

Dave: Like a lot of words, “divine” has more than one definition. The first definition of divine is, quote: “of, relating to, or proceeding directly from God or a god.” Unquote.

Did Yahushua proceed directly from Yahuwah?

Miles: Of course.

Dave: So in that limited sense, he was divine. The other definition of divine, though, is “being a deity.” Is Yahushua a deity?

Miles: No. No.

Dave: So in that sense, he is not “divine.” He did “proceed forth” from Yahuwah; but he is not a deity. Instead, he is the word of Yahuwah made flesh. Being fully human, he didn’t exist prior to his miraculous conception in Mary’s womb.

Miles: I’ve always liked John’s explanation. There’s such poetry in the way he describes it. John, chapter 1, verse 14, says: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Dave: An inspired description. This idea of Yahushua proceeding and coming forth from Yahuwah appears elsewhere in Scripture, too. Pull up John chapter 8.

Here, Yahushua was teaching in the temple and the Pharisees, as always, were giving him a bad time, actually taunting him for being born a bastard. Read verses 41 and 42.

Miles: “Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Yahushua said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.”

Dave: Yahushua is not a deity. He is fully human. But he did “proceed and come forth” from Yahuwah. He was the promised descendant of David, a human being born of a virgin through the miraculous work of Yahuwah’s spirit. There is no question as to his origins. Read Luke 1, verse 35. Here, the angel is explaining to Mary just how she, a young virgin, will be able to have a child.

Miles: “And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the son of God.’”

Dave: Paul, in the first chapter of Romans, basically says the same thing. Read the first five verses of Romans 1, would you please?

Miles: Uhhh …

Paul, a bondservant of Yahushua Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His son Yahushua Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

Dave: Yahushua was the prophesied human messiah, born from David’s lineage, that divinely proceeded forth from Yahuwah. Paul repeats this teaching in Acts 13. Here, he’s preaching to Jews in the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia. Acts 13, and read verses 21 to 23.

Miles:

Afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Yahushua.

Dave: It is only in this limited sense—proceeding forth from Yahuwah—that Yahushua can be considered “divine.” But he is not a deity. He is fully human.

* * *Part 2: True Humanity of Christ

Miles: I remember having a conversation with a friend several years ago. At the time, we both believed in a trinity, so we both believed that Yahushua was “God the Son,” the second person of the triune godhead. Anyway, he said something that was actually very perceptive and he was more right than we knew at the time.

He said, “The disciples and early Christians struggled to accept Christ’s divinity. Today, we struggle to accept his humanity. It’s easy for us to see him as divine, but it’s much harder to view him as human.”

Dave: It’s true! And the reason is because the disciples knew he wasn’t divine! He was human! We just haven’t known that. When the Bible calls Yahushua a “man,” it means just what it says: he was human.

Miles: A lot of people try to straddle the fence by saying he was 100% divine and 100% human—

Dave: Which is 100% nonsense. The terms are mutually exclusive! You can’t be both god and human at the same time.

Yahushua had to be fully human in order to die for us. 1 Timothy 6, verse 16, clearly states that only Yahuwah has immortality. The word “immortality” comes from the Greek word, athanasia. It literally means “deathlessness.”

Yahushua died! He had to be human in order to do so because, by the sure word of Scripture, only Yahuwah possesses “deathlessness.”

Miles: I’ve noticed that Yahushua’s favorite way to refer to himself was as the “son of man.”

Dave: Yes, and both Paul and Luke emphasize that he was human. Turn to Romans 5 and read verse 15. Notice the use of the word “man.” It’s the same Greek work that is used when Yahushua refers to himself as the “son of man.”

Go ahead. Romans 5:15.

Miles: “But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Yahushua Christ, abounded to many.”

Dave: The word here and elsewhere translated “man” comes from the Greek word, anthrōpos. It literally means “human being” without specifying which gender.

Miles: Really! Huh. So throughout the New Testament, any time the word “man” appears, it’s actually “human being”?

Dave: Well, not every time, but 559 times, yes. Let’s go to 1 Timothy, chapter 2 and read verse 5. Notice here that a distinct separation is being drawn between Yahushua and the Father.

Miles: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Yahushua.”

Dave: To put it another way, inserting a more direct translation, it would say, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and human beings, the human being, the anointed Yahushua.”

Miles: Yeah, that really leaves no doubt that Yahushua was a human being!

Dave: Let’s take a look at Acts 17:30 and 31. Here, a different word is being used. It’s not human being, but it means literally “man” as opposed to “woman.” Go ahead.

Miles:

Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

Dave: Turn now to Acts 2:22. This is Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost and he is describing the person and work of the Messiah. Acts 2:22.

Miles: “Men of Israel, hear these words: Yahushua of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know.”

Dave: So Paul, in Acts 17, states that Yahushua is a man ordained by Yah. And here, in Acts 2, Peter says that Yahushua is a man “approved of Yahuwah.” Notice Peter does not say that he is Yahuwah or that he is a deity. In the context, this being his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, the absence is noticeable. If Yahushua had truly been divine in the sense that he was also a deity, Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost would have been the perfect time to say so, but he didn’t. He merely said that Yahushua was approved of Yah.

Miles: That’s a good point. I hadn’t really noticed that before.

Dave: Well, no. When we think of Yahushua as “God the Son,” we don’t notice these nuances of meaning because we impose our own paradigm on the Bible, but that’s not what it says.

Miles: And it’s past time we stop imposing meaning on Scripture and read it just as it says!

Dave: Very well said. Now, a lot of people recognize that Scripture differentiates between the Father and the son. They’ll admit they are separate beings, but united in purpose. They cling to the idea that Yahushua is still divine (in the sense of being a deity) and believe that he pre-existed in Heaven prior to his birth in Bethlehem.

Miles: I was always taught that it was Yahushua who did the actual work of Creation.

Dave: I was, too. But that belief cannot be found in Scripture. The Bible repeatedly states that Yahuwah is “one.” It says that Yahuwah is the Creator and the only true God. Yahushua repeats that teaching. In fact, Yahushua quoted the Old Testament to prove his point that there is only one God, and that’s Yahuwah.

Let’s read it. Mark 12:2-31.

Miles: All right, uhhh …

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

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

Dave: You can’t get a higher accolade than this, and Yahushua is using the opportunity to underscore that Yahuwah is the only God. He could have included himself, but he didn’t because Yahushua isn’t God!

Miles: There’s a verse in Isaiah—give me just a moment to find it here—that clearly states Yahuwah is the Creator, not Yahushua. It’s … here it is. Isaiah 44:24. It says:

Thus says Yahuwah, your Redeemer,
And He who formed you from the womb:
“I am Yahuwah, who makes all things,
Who stretches out the heavens all alone,
Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself.

Dave: That’s a great verse! It explicitly states that Yahuwah is not only our Creator, but He is also our Redeemer by providing Yahushua to die for us. You can’t express this truth any more clearly than it has been.

And yet, sadly, it is because most Christians deny this truth that the majority of Jews and Muslims reject the Gospel. They know there is only one God who is also the Creator, and they very rightly reject the heresy of a triune godhead.

I don’t care how you spin it, or say they are “joined in purpose.” That’s not what the Bible says. The Bible says Yahuwah is one. He alone is God. He alone is the Creator. Not “three-in-one.” One.

Miles: It’s really sad that the error of the trinity has, really, destroyed Christians’ ability to win Jews and Muslims to the truth. They are true monotheists and they can see that Christians, in reality, aren’t. So they reject the life-giving truth as it is in Yahushua and aren’t able to comprehend the gospel of Yah’s grace and mercy. That’s really sad.

Dave: It is. But praise Yah for restoring this truth to Christendom. Maybe now we will be able to present truth in a way that our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters can accept.

Miles: That would be wonderful.

Okay. For the rest of our time, let’s look at some specific Bible verses that trinitarians use to try and prove that Yah and Yahushua are one, however they define that. Whether that is as the standard trinitarian “three-in-one” belief, or the belief that Yahuwah and Yahushua are one and the same person. If Yah is one, how do you interpret these verses?

Dave: Sounds good. What have you got?

Miles: Well, uh … John 10. Verses 27 to 36 say, quote:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Yahushua answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?”

The Jews answered him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, and because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

Yahushua answered them, “ … do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the son of God’?”

Dave: All right, let’s go through this. In verse 29, Yahushua says his Father is “greater than all.” This corresponds with John 14:28 where Yahushua says, quote: “My Father is greater than I.”

Yahushua is saying that the Father is greater than he is. He’s not claiming equality. He is saying the Father is greater than he.

Miles: Those who teach that Yahushua and his Father are literally the same being must interpret this to mean that Yahuwah is greater than Himself. That makes no sense.

Dave: No, it doesn’t. Yahushua unequivocally places himself beneath the Father.

In verses 33 and 36, the Jews accuse Yahushua of making himself “God,” or claiming to be “God.” Yahushua promptly refutes this by saying that his Father has sent him into the world and repeats that he is claiming to be the son of God, not God Himself. Read verse 36 again.

Miles: “Do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?”

Interesting. Yeah, he’s not claiming equality with Yah there, is he? But what about John 17? He even uses the word “one” there. Let me pull it up … verse 11 says … “Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given me, that they may be one as we are.”

Then verses 22 and 23 say: “And the glory which You gave me I have given them, that they may be one just as we are one: I in them, and You in me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent me, and have loved them as You have loved me.”

What do you do with these passages?

Dave: Again, Yahushua is not claiming to be a god here. Instead, he is praying that his disciples would be “one” just as he and the Father are one. Was he praying that we would all become one literal being, like those who believe in Oneness theology teach? They say the Father and the son are literally one being. Is that what Yahushua is praying for here?

Miles: No!

Dave: Of course not. He was praying that we would all be of one mind, one accord, one purpose, working with him and the Father to save souls. Both Paul and Peter say the same thing.

Romans 15, verses 5 and 6 says, “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Yahushua, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Yahushua Christ.”

This is the oneness Yahushua was praying for. This is actually a favorite theme in Paul’s writings. Let’s look at a few more verses.

What does 2 Corinthians 13:11 say?

Miles: “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”

Dave: Philippians 1:27?

Miles: Ummm … “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

Dave: And chapter 2 verse 2?

Miles: “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”

Dave: And finally, what does Peter say? 1 Peter 3:8.

Miles: Give me just a second … “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous.”

Okay, so I can see how this is all referring to being united and of one purpose. But what about John 17:5? It says: “And now, O Father, glorify me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

How is this not referring to preexistence?? It’s literally saying “I had glory with You before the world existed!”

Dave: I can see why it would be interpreted that way, but that’s not what he’s saying. Yahushua is referring to the glory Yahuwah had foreordained for him before the world was created, before he was ever born.

You look skeptical.

Miles: Weeeelll … Prove it.

Dave: All right. Turn to 1 Peter chapter 1. Peter here is expressing the same concept of the foreknowledge of Yah preordaining that something should happen. Go ahead and read verses 18 to 21 of 1 Peter, chapter 1.

Miles:

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in Yahuwah, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in Yahuwah.

Dave: This idea of preordination is communicated regularly throughout the New Testament. Yahuwah’s plan for salvation was established before the foundation of the world, but was not manifested until the birth, death, and resurrection of His son.

Miles: All right, so that’s what it’s saying in John 1:1, then, too. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Dave: Exactly. Yahushua, the “Word,” was Yah’s thought, fore-ordained before the world was spoken into existence, and brought into literal being in Mary’s womb.

Probably the clearest passage that expresses this thought is Ephesians 1, verses 3 to 5. Could you read that for us, please?

Miles:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yahushua Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Yahushua Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.

Dave: There are so many verses throughout the New Testament that support this interpretation. Take a look at 2 Timothy 1, verses 8 to 10. Read that.

Miles:

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, … but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Yahushua before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Yahushua Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Dave: Paul, in Titus 1:2, says that he is “in hope of eternal life, which [Yah], that cannot lie, promised before the world began.”

It is Yahuwah’s infinite might and foreknowledge that allowed Him to foresee the emergency of sin and plan out, in advance, a way of escape. That is the only “preexistence” Yahushua had. It’s the same preexistence you and I had: in the mind and heart of Yah.

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You are listening to World's Last Chance Radio.

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

* * *

Satan’s most effective deceptions are those in which he entwines truth and error together. He has done this on:

• The nature of Christ,
• What happens to the soul at death,
• The divine law,
• The Sabbath, and a whole host of other topics.

But the problem is that when truth is entwined with error, you don’t get diluted truth. Instead, all you get is error.

On World’s Last Chance website, we have dozens of articles and videos focusing on popular beliefs in Christianity which, when studied in the light of Scripture, are shown to be in error.

But don’t take our word for it. Come! Consider the evidence, then study it out for yourself. Heaven is pouring out spiritual truths for these last days. It’s important to know the truth and be able to share that truth with others.

James 1, verse 5 says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of Yah, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

You don’t need a pastor, priest, rabbi, or imam to tell you the truth. Study for yourself and let Yahuwah be your teacher. He knows your beliefs, He knows your past, and He will lead you into all truth.

Visit us at WorldsLastChance.com and start studying today!

* * *Daily Mailbag

Miles: All right! Today’s question from our Daily Mailbag is coming from a country that boasts possibly the safest place on earth.

Dave: Uhhh . . . Antarctica? I’m going to go with where there’s not a lot of people!

Miles: Actually, this country is the most populous in the world, but it has a town by the name of Shani Shingnapur that is famous for not having any locks on their homes. In fact, the last recorded criminal act in their town was almost 400 years ago!

Dave: That’s impressive!

Miles: A lot of people think the shared vulnerability of no locks has created an environment of neighborly trust that has made the place so safe to live. Can you guess where it is?

Dave: Most populous country . . . India??

Miles: That’s it! Naveen from Akola writes: “Greetings, dear brothers. May Yahuwah bless your work. Is it ever acceptable for a Christian to refuse medical treatment? Or, if medical treatment is rejected and sure death will result, is that similar to committing suicide?”

Dave: Hmmm. What an interesting question!

Miles: It is, isn’t it? It’s a question that comes up all the time in the area of Christian ethics and there’s a lot of debate over if and when-if-ever it is acceptable for a Christian to refuse medical intervention. So. Any thoughts?

Dave: Well, I don’t think this is a question that can be answered categorically with either a “yes” or a “no.” The individual situation should always be taken into account.

I think we’d all agree that life is very precious. It’s a gift. That said, there are certain situations where quality of life versus quantity of days should be taken into account.

Miles: But don’t we have a responsibility to do whatever we can to prolong our lives as long as possible? You don’t think that refusing medical treatment that would prolong your life is, I don’t know, tantamount to committing suicide?

Dave: No, I don’t. And even if I did, suicide is not the unpardonable sin. Rejecting the Holy Spirit to the point of no longer being able to sense its drawing is the unpardonable sin, not suicide.

You remember Hebrews 11.

Miles: Uhh … right! Right. The “faith chapter.” If the Bible had a “hall of fame” filled with faith warriors, it would be Hebrews 11.

Dave: Exactly. Hebrews 11, verse 32 says: “And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets.”

Any name in particular pop out at you?

Miles: Ummm. Oh! Samson! He committed suicide when he pulled the temple down on himself, didn’t he?

Dave: Yes, he did. But he’s still listed in the Bible’s “hall of fame” faith chapter as a mighty warrior for Yah.

My father passed away a few years ago from cancer. When he was diagnosed, it was a shock, of course, but he had a rather blunt question to ask the doctor. He asked her, “Will this treatment regimen you’re suggesting practically offer me another four to six years? Or are we talking another four to six months? If my chances are good that I might get a few more years of life, I’ll gladly do the regimen. But if it’s only months, I’d rather have a higher quality of life in the little time I have left.”

Miles: That makes sense.

Dave: The truth is, there is no right or wrong answer here. Every person must decide for himself what the right course of action is in his or her individual situation. With all the advances that have been made in medical science, people are living longer than in previous generations. This increase in knowledge has, in many ways, been a blessing. But it does not mean that you are somehow obligated to take extraordinary measures to extend life under any and all circumstances.

A Christian has the right to die with dignity and can certainly choose to do so without violating any Biblical principle. What the rest of us need to do is provide loving, mindful, prayerful support and not judge or find fault with whatever decision he or she makes.

Miles: I think sometimes a hard-and-fast answer is what people want—

Dave: Sure! It lets you not think about it for yourself. But every situation is different. If you don’t know what the right course of action is:

• Pray
• Gather information, and
• Walk forward.

That’s all any of us can do.

Miles: That’s good advice for any situation!

All right! Time for one more question. Vanessa, from the Land Down Under—

Dave: The land where everything wants to kill you, even if it looks cute and cuddly and can’t actually kill you, it still wants to?

Miles: So you’ve been to Australia before!

Dave: Yes. It’s a beautiful country but it does take a special brand of courage to live there when everything from the animals, to the birds and insects wants to obliterate you.

Miles: Well, in the time she has left, Vanessa is looking for some advice. She says, “I would like to help my children learn to memorize Scripture. They range in age from 5 to 12. Do you have any suggestions on the easiest way to memorize and retain Scripture?”

Dave: What a wonderful thing to do! I’m afraid I wasn’t taught very many memory verses as a child and I’ve always regretted it because the ones I did learn, I still remember! What a wonderful gift to give her children.

Yes, there are several ways that help a person of any age memorize Scripture. Probably the easiest way is to learn it in song.

Miles: Oh, that’s right! The book of Psalms is actually songs the Israelites sang, isn’t it?

Dave: Yes, and there’s a reason it was put to music: it’s the easiest way to not only learn it, but to retain it in your memory, too. Ask at your local Christian book store, if there is one in your area; look online, or just put the words to a tune you already know. Singing the promises is the fastest and easiest way to learn Scripture.

For someone older, who has learned to read, one way to help learn a memory verse is by writing the first letter of each word onto a small piece of paper. The first letters of each line are written close together as a word. You can learn entire chapters this way.

Miles: You’ve lost me. What do you mean?

Dave: Well, let’s use John 3:16 as an example. It’s probably the most well-known verse in the Bible.

Miles: “For Yah so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him might not perish but have everlasting life.”

Dave: Good! So. Write the first letters of each line as though it’s a word. The first line is “For Yah so loved the world.” F-Y-S-L-T-W. That’s the first “word” you write down.

Next line is your next word: “That He gave His only begotten son.” T-H-G-H-O-B-S.

Next line: “That whosoever believeth in him.” T-W-B-I-H, and so on. It’s surprising how easy it is to memorize even long passages of Scripture when you have just a short little prompt like that, such as the first letter of each word. It really speeds the process of learning along.

Miles: These are really great tips and I’m going to remember them for myself.

Dave: Is there some way that has worked for you?

Miles: Yeah, actually. I read it through a couple of times, preferably out loud if I can, then I go through silently and focus on the main words. For myself, I like to compare various translations. For deep Bible study, I have my preferred version, but for memorizing, I don’t mind comparing different versions and looking for the clearest, most succinct version that communicates the thought.

For example, take Proverbs 18:13. It says—see? I’ve memorized it!—it says: “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” Another version says the same thing but more succinctly. It says: “To answer before listening—that is folly and shame.”

See how easy it is to pick out the main words? Answer. Listening. Folly. Shame.

I focus on those main words, skimming over the little words, and once I have those down, the little words just fill in very easily: “To answer before listening—that is folly and shame.”

Dave: That’s a nice, compact way to learn!

Miles: Works for me! It may not be the way the purist prefers, but I think the most important thing is to get the concepts buried in our minds and hearts. If worrying about getting it absolutely precise and perfect is overwhelming you and keeping you from even trying, that’s a shame. Don’t let it stop you. It’s far more important to memorize the thought than to not even try because you might not remember it precisely word-for-word.

Just look at where Paul quotes the Old Testament in his letters. A few times he’s obviously putting it into his own words a little bit. But he got the main idea, and that’s what counts.

Dave: Any effort we put in to memorizing Scripture, Yahuwah will bless. Psalm 119, verse 11 says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee.” When we have put forth the effort to learn and memorize Scripture, Yah will not only bless our efforts, but the Holy Spirit can bring to our minds the words we need right when we need them most.

Miles: Yeah, I’ve had that happen before. It’s a real encouragement when that happens.

All right! That’s all we’ve time for today. Keep sending us your comments, questions, even topics you’d like to see covered. We enjoy hearing from our listeners. Just go to WorldsLastChance.com and click on Contact Us. You can also check out our Questions & Answers on our website. There’s a lot of great information there, too.

* * *Daily Promise

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

Dawson was born with no fingers on his left hand. This happens in about one out of a thousand births when the umbilical cord gets wrapped around the hand before birth and prevents the fingers from developing normally. Obviously, this makes the simplest tasks extremely difficult. While the little boy learned to work around his handicap, other things remained hard, if not impossible for him to do.

When he was five years old, Dawson went to his mother and said, “Mama, I want a hand like everyone else. Why won’t my hand grow?”

How do you answer a question like that? All his mother could do was hold her little boy close and cry with him.

Dawson’s parents took their son to doctor after doctor, and many different specialists. The family next researched the possibility of getting Dawson a high-tech prosthetic hand. The problem was, such advanced technology cost thousands of dollars the family didn’t have. Furthermore, even if the family could somehow come up with the money to buy such a device, it wouldn’t be good for long because Dawson was still growing,

Although Dawson was a healthy, growing boy, lacking a hand still took an emotional toll on him. Other children would stare or ask uncomfortable questions; even tease. Dawson would keep that limb hidden from anyone but family.

Dawson’s mom prayed earnestly that somehow, some way, Yahuwah would provide a way for her son to have two hands. She prayed and looked for answers for seven years.

Then, one day, a conversation with Dawson’s teacher gave the family a ray of hope. The teacher knew of a husband and wife, Jen and Ivan Owen, who owned a 3-D printer! Could a 3-D printer really be able to provide Dawson a working hand at last?

Dawson and his parents traveled to see the Owens who graciously opened their home to the family. It took about 10 hours to print all the parts for Dawson’s new hand, and another three hours to assemble the parts, but the results were outstanding! For the first time in his life, Dawson had two working hands. He could ride a bike, catch a ball, hold a baseball bat. Basically, he could live life like any other kid without having to always figure out an alternative to movements everyone else takes for granted.

The family’s gratitude could not be expressed. They asked Jen and Ivan how much they owed them for the new hand, but the couple said: “You don’t owe us anything.” Instead, the Owens suggested that they go to their website, EnablingTheFuture.org, and leave a donation so other children born without hands from around the world could be given a chance at a normal life, too.

Dawson’s mother says, quote:

I believe God inspired the inventors of 3-D printing. Dawson is only one of potentially millions of people whose lives will be drastically improved by these prosthetics. Not only did God answer our prayer for providing two complete hands for Dawson, but He has also given Dawson an opportunity to make a big impact by making prosthetics for children in other countries.

Unquote. It had taken years of earnest praying and diligent research on her part, but today Dawson has two working hands and lives life as a normal teen.

Psalm 66 urges us:

Come and hear, all you who fear Eloah,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled with my tongue.
… Certainly Eloah has heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Blessed be Eloah,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me! [Psalm 66:16-17, 19-20]

If you have a problem and no solution; if you have questions, but no answers, turn to Yahuwah.

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

* * *Part 3: True Humanity of Christ

Miles: Thank you for taking the time to go over these different passages of Scripture. You know, you get a certain understanding or interpretation of Scripture stuck in your head, then when you learn that you’ve been wrong, it takes a while to understand all the pertinent passages of Scripture with your new understanding.

Dave: It does. But always remember that truth will never contradict itself. And there is tremendous assurance in knowing that Yahuwah’s foreknowledge was such that He knew ahead of time that sin would erupt. And He planned for that. From eternity past, it was in His plan to bring forth Yahushua at the right time and in the right place to redeem humanity.

He didn’t foreordain sin. But He did plan for the emergency, should it occur.

Miles: That makes sense. It reminds me of the description of Yahushua in Revelation 13:8. He’s described there as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

Dave: Exactly!

Miles: And that assurance is for all of us. There is nothing in your life that can happen, no problem too perplexing, no catastrophe too overwhelming, no disaster too dangerous that Yah hasn’t already planned for. He’s got it all under control.

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.