Program 156: The Gospel of Silly

Truth is not too complex for human minds to comprehend. Yahuwah wants believers to have an intelligent understanding of truth.

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: If someone said you were being silly, how would you react? Would you take that as a compliment? Would you feel accused? Disrespected? Hi, I’m Miles Robey and today Dave Wright is going to be talking about the Gospel of Silly.

Dave Wright: Being told you’re silly really isn’t a compliment, is it? I mean, we’ll say it to kids. Usually when a child is having a fit of the giggles, we’ll indulgently tell them that they’re being silly. But as adults, that’s not something we like to be told.

Miles: No. It’s infantilizing, isn’t it? If I made a statement and was told I was being “silly,” I’d probably take offense. It’s a really dismissive thing to say to an adult.

Dave: Well, we like to view ourselves as intelligent people with good judgment. Being silly is more than just not being serious. Being silly includes lacking common sense and sound judgment. It’s fine when you’re a kid. No one expects a young child with no life experience to have sound judgment—

Miles: Or common sense!

Dave: Or common sense, but once you’re an adult, we expect a bit more of ourselves and others.

Miles: Sometimes, the silly things kids say can be actually quite profound. One seven-year-old said, quote: “My brother wants to be a marine biologist when he grows up so I want to be a dolphin then we’ll be together forever.”

Dave: That’s cute.

Actually, I should qualify that it’s cute when coming from the mouth of a child. But if a grownup said that, we’d be wondering if there was something wrong with the adult.

Miles: It’s true. Now, you’d told me that you’d prepared today to talk about the “Gospel of silly.” But the gospel is good news. What’s the good news about silliness? How can the gospel be silly?

Dave: Well, it’s a false gospel, that’s for sure. But, unfortunately, we see it a lot in many of the doctrines clung to by modern-day Christians. It’s this mindset, this propensity to cling to the ridiculous that I want to discuss today. Typically, we discuss a specific truth or a particular prophecy. Today we need to talk about a certain mindset, because you can see it all through Christian theology today and it’s a dangerous mindset to fall into.

Miles: Now you’ve piqued my curiosity! What mindset is that?

Dave: The idea that something is profound and must have merit just because it’s difficult to understand.

Let me give you an example to illustrate. Years ago, my wife shared with me a conversation she’d had with a friend of hers. This friend, whom I’ll call Jennifer, was looking for truth and had started attending a particular church, which shall remain nameless. Jennifer was having a hard time grasping what was being preached at this church.

She told my wife, “I know there’s just got to be something there, but I’m having a hard time understanding what it is.” My wife went to church with her just so that she could have an opening to invite her friend to our church.

Miles laughs: Because that’s what you do when you’re in Babylon. You work hard to steal sheep from other folds!

Dave chuckles: Of course! Anyway, after returning from attending church with Jennifer, my wife could see why Jennifer was finding it so hard to understand. Unlike Jennifer, however, my wife did not agree that something “just had to be there.” She told me there was nothing profound there. It was all nonsensical gobbledygook. And yet, they still had people returning every Sunday, convinced there just had to be something deep there, just because it sounded profound.

Miles: Like the sound of one hand clapping.

Dave: Huh?

Miles: It’s supposedly a philosophical question: “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” And people bend their minds, trying to figure out what this means when, in reality, it’s stupid. It’s foolish. By the very definition of the word, “clap,” it’s impossible for one hand to clap by itself. And yet you’ve got people trying to wrap their brains around something that is nothing more than foolishness.

Dave: Okay, that is what we see in a lot of modern theology. But just because something sounds profound, doesn’t mean it actually is profound. You’d think this would be self-evident, but it’s not. We find this in one of the bedrock doctrines of Christianity, and that’s the doctrine of a three-in-one godhead.

It is beyond all reason and rationality to make, as your fundamental belief, an idea that can’t be clearly grasped or even explained. It violates all logic! And when you sit down and actually try to parse out what it means and how it works, it becomes even more incomprehensible!

Miles: Yeah, ‘cause if “God the Father” is God, and “God the Son” is God, too, then—logically—you’ve got two gods. You add in “God the Holy Spirit” and you’ve got three!

Dave: And that’s where you get this utterly ridiculous and confusing idea of a “triune godhead.” But Scripture only and ever says there is ONE God, and that’s Yahuwah.

What does Deuteronomy 6:4 say?

Miles: Isn’t that the Shema? It says: “Hear, O Israel: Yahuwah our God, Yahuwah is one.”

Dave: The marginal reading says, quote: “Yahuwah our God is one Yahuwah.” One Yahuwah. Not two. There’s a second marginal reading that’s even more clear. It says, quote: “Yahuwah is our God, Yahuwah alone.” Unquote. It’s not “Yahuwah and Yahushua.” It’s not “Yahuwah and Yahushua and the Holy Spirit.” It’s Yahuwah alone.

Miles: For anyone tuning in for the first time, I just want to say that in past radio episodes we have covered extensively the Biblical evidence for the true nature of Yahuwah being one, not three. On our website, we’ve got lots of articles and videos about it, too. I know that the idea of a triune godhead is so foundational to modern Christian theology, that it’s easy to have a knee-jerk reaction against anyone saying there’s no such thing as a trinity, but the proof is there. Right in Scripture. So, if you missed those programs, check it out. It’s very clear that the doctrine of a trinity came from paganism several hundred years after Christ.

Scripture itself doesn’t teach a triune godhead and the one passage that seems to teach a trinity, 1 John 5:7, was added over a thousand years after Christ. That’s well-documented.

Dave: Well, the very fact that trinitarians have to say “godhead” rather than simply “God” (singular) proves that, in reality, there’s more than one “god” in their understanding. They can claim all they want that it is a three-in-one god, but that makes no logical sense whatsoever. And the more you try to wrap your brain around it, the less sense it makes.

Miles: It’s truly incomprehensible. Even the so-called “Church Fathers,” the ones who changed apostolic Christianity to make it more attractive to the pagans—

Dave: By adopting paganism!

Miles: Right. Even they admitted it was a concept that was impossible to grasp logically. You know Tertullian? He was an early Christian theologian who lived in the late second and early third centuries. I read quite a bit of him in my 20s. He had a rather acerbic wit I enjoyed. Anyway, he said, and I quote: “I believe because it is absurd.” Unquote.

Dave: Yeah! See? This is the idea we’ve all grown up with. When something is impossible to grasp, we’re supposed to take that as proof of how deep and profound it is. We’re told that our mortal minds simply can’t grasp such high, divine truths so take it on faith. But that’s absurd.

Most of us know Sir Isaac Newton as the 17^th century chap that came up with the idea of gravity after supposedly getting bonked on the head with an apple while sitting under an apple tree.

Miles: Yeah, he’s considered one of the greatest physicists and mathematicians of all time.

Dave: Since we learn about him in science class, what many people don’t know is that he was also a theologian. In fact—don’t quote me on this, but—I believe he wrote more on theological topics than any other subject.

Referring to the doctrine of the trinity, Newton said, quote: “The human race is prone to mysteries and holds nothing so holy and perfect as that which cannot be understood.”

Miles: Yep! If it’s advanced technology we can’t explain, it’s automatically “witchcraft.” But if it’s theology we can’t explain, then it’s a “divine mystery” too deep for our human understanding.

Dave: But there is not the least bit of logic to such a thing. It’s actually tending to superstition to impute significance to something that defies all logic and is impossible to explain in simple, clear language.

Newton said that when it came to correctly interpreting the Bible, it should be done by, quote, “without straining reduce things to the greatest simplicity…Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.” Unquote.

It is never a Yah-approved explanation to dismiss someone’s legitimate questions by claiming it’s a mystery too great for human minds to comprehend.

Miles: Why do you think we do that? Where does this come from?

Dave: Well, I’d say it comes from doing what Scripture strictly warns us not to do, which is to hold other humans in awe, putting them on such a high pedestal that we take their opinions as Yah’s holy word. We’re not supposed to do that. Turn to Matthew 23 and read verses, uh … verses 8 to 12. Go ahead.

Miles:

But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Dave: This is the attitude we are to take towards others and ourselves. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. We’re to learn individually for ourselves from Yah. We’re not to put others up on pedestals and bow before their advanced degrees.

Miles: A good thing to remember is that the Bible was written for the common person. We can, of course, be open to learning things from Bible scholars, but since it was written for the commoner, the interpretation of the common person is more likely to be in keeping with the original intent, rather than some esoteric interpretation extrapolated by someone with a doctor of divinity degree.

Dave: Here’s the thing we all need to understand. Whenever we accept a proposition or idea—or doctrine—that is impossible to explain clearly, it has an impact on our brains. Yahuwah has given us the ability to think logically, but when we just accept something we can’t even verbalize, by that very act, we suspend our critical thinking abilities. Once we’ve suspended critical thinking, we now advance to the next step of silliness by assuming we can hold deep discussions about things we tell ourselves have deep meaning. We imagine that we can even resolve conflicting ideas when, all the time, it’s just in our heads. It’s nothing but pure foolishness. Silliness.

Miles: Reminds me of something the late Peter Berger said. He was a Protestant theologian that died just a few years ago. Anyway, he made a very astute observation. He said, “The capacity of people to accept evident nonsense increases, rather than decreases, with advanced education.”

Dave: That’s a strange phenomenon, isn’t it? You’d expect it to be the opposite. That it increases with less education.

Miles: Right? But I think the reason is what you touched on earlier: someone’s got an advanced degree and all of a sudden we like to impute—not just knowledge, book learning—but wisdom to them that, quite frankly, they might not have. And yet, because they are widely respected, their articles appear in scholarly journals or church publications, their sermons are televised, we tend to just accept without question whatever they tell us. And that’s dangerous!

Dave: Fear of being the odd-man-out has an influence on people, too. Intellectual honesty can take a back seat when you’re standing alone and everyone you know insists that you’re wrong.

Miles: The French philosopher, Voltaire, was a staunch defender of freedom of religion and the separation of church and state. He was also very critical of the mindless superstition he saw often displayed in Christianity. He said, quote: “It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.”

Dave: But that’s what we’re called to do! We’re to be independent thinkers, studying for ourselves, learning directly from Yahuwah for ourselves. Not fearing the disapproval of men and certainly not accepting foolish doctrines of a silly gospel that has no logical rhyme or reason. Yah doesn’t ask that of us. Instead, He asks us to go to Him for knowledge and He will enlighten us.

Turn to Ezekiel 14. In this chapter, Yah is denouncing idolatrous leaders. This applies to spiritual leaders especially. Read verse 20 as soon as you’ve got it. This is an important statement Yah is making about the vital necessity of studying—and thinking—for yourself.

Miles: “Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness.”

Dave: It is possible to know the truth. In fact, understanding truth is the foundation you need in order to build faith that can withstand any attack. Don’t accept silly doctrines just because they’ve been believed for centuries.

Miles: Age will never make error into truth.

Dave: We need a solid foundation for our beliefs and the way we get that is by going to Yah for ourselves and asking Him to teach us.

* * *

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* * *Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Dave: Of all the silly doctrines of men clung to by modern Christians, the doctrine of a three-in-one god is the most foolish. It lacks logical sense and even its staunchest advocates admit it’s impossible to explain. That, right there, should be a huge red flag, warning us that something is very wrong.

I’ve got a quote here I’d like you to read. And, as you read, I want you to apply this statement to the doctrine of the trinity. We’ve seen in previous programs, the overwhelming Biblical support for the Almighty being only one; that is, Yahuwah. But people still cling to this ridiculous idea of a triune godhead even when their own scholars admit it can’t be logically explained.

Okay. Here it. I printed it off for you.

Miles: All right, it says, quote:

In the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods.

It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying.

Unquote. Wow! That’s quite the statement.

Dave: Do you know where that’s from?

Miles: No.

Dave: That was Adolf Hitler in Mein Kampf. And the idea didn’t originate with him. He simply put it into words very eloquently. But you can see it. You can see it in, for example, so-called conspiracy theories that latter are proven to be true. At first, everyone ridicules the idea—and I’m not saying all conspiracy theories are legit; many of them are ridiculous—but then later, with more evidence, it comes to be accepted as truth.

Miles: Reminds me of something a 19^th-century German philosopher said. His name was Arthur Schopenhauer. It’s always stuck with me. He said, quote: “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”

Dave: That’s a great quote, and it’s true, too. Take our example of a triune godhead. There are other examples of silly doctrines, but we’ll stick with the one we’ve been using. There are a handful of Christian denominations that reject the trinity. But what is the response of mainstream Christianity to these few denominations?

Miles: Well, they ridicule them. Call them cults.

Dave: Right. That’s step one. But we owe it to ourselves and, quite frankly, we owe it to Yah to have the courage to think for ourselves. To refuse to accept silly doctrines simply because they’re supposedly “too deep for mere mortals” to understand.

In fact, let’s take a minute to look at a few Bible verses. Turn to James chapter 1. Let’s see what Scripture has to say about knowledge: James 1 verse 5. Go ahead.

Miles: “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.”

Dave: We don’t honor Yahuwah when we accept silly superstitions. When we do that, we can’t give an answer for the faith that is within us. Yahuwah is the source of all knowledge and He wants to share that with us! Let’s read 2 Peter 1, verses 2 to 4. Again, Yahuwah wants us to share His knowledge with us. In fact, it’s vital to our growth in the Christian walk.

Miles: All right, it says:

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of [Yah] and of Yahushua our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Dave: You don’t find anywhere in Scripture Yah telling us that some fundamental truth is beyond our understanding. In fact, spiritual leaders are charged with passing knowledge from Yahuwah. Read Malachi 2 verse 7. This is a solemn charge. What does that say?

Miles: “For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of Yahuwah of hosts.”

Dave: Spiritual leaders fail Yahuwah, not to mention the sheep when they convince people to believe impossible fallacies by claiming the ridiculous, confusing, contradictory ideas are just “too deep” for mortal understanding.

Miles: Christ certainly didn’t say that! Instead, he said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” [John 8:32]

Dave: The idea that some fundamental doctrine is too difficult for us to grasp is not Scriptural in the slightest. It came in as a way to dismiss legitimate concerns over ridiculous ideas adopted from paganism. Let’s take a look at a few more Bible texts really quickly. Turn to Colossians 2 and read verse 8.

Miles: “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”

Dave: Silly, ridiculous doctrines that can’t be rationally, logically explained have taken the Christian world captive. But it’s empty deceit! In the Old Testament, Yahuwah mourned that His people were destroyed for lack of knowledge. [Hosea 4:8] He’s certainly not going to withhold truth and understanding from us!

Turn now to 1 Timothy 2 and read verses 3 and 4. What does that say?

Miles: “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Dave: Did you catch that? Yahuwah “desires all men to be saved” and that desire is manifested in how He makes every effort to make known to all a “knowledge of the truth.” Now, what could be more important than knowledge of the true nature of our Maker and of the Saviour? He’s not going to make it impossible for us to understand. Only error, in all its ridiculous silliness is impossible to understand.

Miles: This is true. Take, for example, the Saviour’s prayer just before his betrayal. In John 17 he prays, “This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Yahushua Christ whom you have sent.” [John 17:3] Before paganized Christians brought in the concept of a trinity, no one would have misunderstood that statement for anything but what it clearly says: there is only one God, Yahuwah, AND Yahushua whom He sent. “And” is a connector. It’s not including him as part of God.

Dave: It’s amazing how tightly Christians cling to this error that makes absolutely no sense. Millard Erickson is a Protestant theologian and professor. He’s also an apologist. An apologist, of course, is someone who tries to argue in defense of something.

Miles: Basically making excuses for something.

Dave: Uh … yeah. You could say that. Anyway, with regards to the trinity doctrine, Erickson says, quote, “Try to understand it and you will lose your mind.”

Miles: Wow! Seriously? Reminds me of Moses’s assurance in Deuteronomy. He said: “The secret things belong to Yahuwah our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever.” [Deuteronomy 29:29]

Dave: So the question we each need to ask ourselves is this: Are our beliefs “revealed”? Or are they some nonsensical admixture of pagan and Biblical beliefs?

We’re living in the last days. If we wish to inherit the kingdom of Yah when Yahushua returns, we need to know what we believe, and we need to be so firmly grounded that nothing the devil will throw at us will cause us to waver, stumble and fall. And the only foundation that strong is the knowledge Yah has made available to us to give us that strong of a foundation.

Miles: One thing I find truly compelling is that, when you take the time to dig really deep, you find that none of the prophets, none of the apostles, and not even Christ himself mentioned a triune god. It’s not there. The trinity is the foundation on which modern Christian doctrine is built. If it were truly so important, don’t you think it would have been covered in the Bible? And yet it’s not.

Dave: I know it’s tough to give up long-held beliefs, but if we really want to get the truth, we need to lay aside assumptions and silly doctrines.

Winston Churchill, the UK’s prime minister during World War II had quite the sense of humor. He once observed, quote, “Most people, sometime in their lives, stumble across truth. Most jump up, brush themselves off, and hurry on about their business as if nothing had happened.”

Miles laughs: That’s good! But it’s true! Arthur Schopenhauer I mentioned a few minutes ago said something else. His observations are so astute, I’ve memorized several of them. He said, “There is no opinion, however absurd, which men will not readily embrace as soon as they can be brought to the conviction that it is generally adopted.”

Dave: You can see it at work! You try and share a new concept with someone and, no matter how much Biblical, and even historical and archeological evidence you give to back it up, what do they do? They rush off to their priest or pastor to double check with him or her if it’s true. They don’t study for themselves. They want to be spoon-fed by their pastor.

But that’s not what we’re to do. We’re to be Bereans. The Bereans didn’t take even Paul’s word for it! Acts 17:11 tells us that they searched the Scriptures daily to see if what he said was true and then, because of this (verse 12), because of their own study, they accepted what Paul had to say and were saved.

Miles: We’ve noticed before how Heaven is just pouring out increased knowledge and understanding. Truths that have been covered up by centuries of error is being restored. I think we need to all be prepared to be shocked as we study the truth for ourselves. We’re not going to get to the kingdom from here without having some of our false beliefs shown to us.

Dave: No, and it’s not a pleasant experience. But it is an important one and so worth it. It doesn’t matter what we have to go through. Inheriting the kingdom of Yah will be worth it. But first, we have to decide what’s more important. Is clinging to error, which is comforting because it’s traditional—

Miles: Not to mention that you can surround yourself with others of like minds.

Dave: Right. Error has a lot of supporters. You don’t have to stand alone when you believe error. So is that what’s most important to you? Or is the truth most important? Will you be like the merchantman who went and sold all that he had so he could obtain the pearl of great price? Laying aside every cherished belief and tradition is the reality for those who would follow the lamb whithersoever he goeth. It’s going to require a full surrender and that includes surrendering our attachment to convenient lies and cherished but erroneous traditions.

Miles: And we can’t assume that just because a belief is old, that it’s true. I think it was Vladimir Lenin that said, “A lie told often enough becomes the truth.” Now, obviously, it doesn’t really become the truth, but the point is that if an error is repeated often enough, it comes to be accepted as the truth, which, for all practical purposes, is largely the same thing.

Dave: And that’s the danger of being spoon-fed your beliefs rather than studying them out for yourself, letting Yah be your personal tutor. We all face a choice. Are we going to put the knowledge that comes from Yah alone above church and social connections? Are we going to put truth before every convenient lie?

Abraham Lincoln was America’s president during a terrible civil war. He was known to be both very kind and very wise. He said, “When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth he will either quit being mistaken or cease being honest.”

So, my question to listeners today is, are you going to quit being mistaken? Or are you going to cease being honest?

* * *

You are listening to World's Last Chance Radio.

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

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* * *Daily Mailbag (Miles & Dave)

Dave: So what question do you have for today’s Daily Mailbag, Miles?

Miles: We’ve got a fascinating question coming to us from . . . the Land Down Under.

Dave: Aww, yes. Australia: where the people are friendly and all the wildlife wants to kill you in truly horrifying ways.

Miles laughs: Sounds about right. One thing they don’t have, though, is an active volcano. You might have to worry about walking barefoot in Australia, but you won’t have to worry about getting covered in ash or lava.

Dave: The Australians I’ve known tend to be quite the rugged individualists. Very nice people.

Miles: Hey, did you know that in 2006, some bloke in Australia actually tried to sell New Zealand on E-bay?

Dave: Seriously?

Miles: Yeah! I don’t know what people were thinking, but bidding actually got up to $3,000 before E-bay figured out what was going on and shut it down.

Dave: Oh, that’s funny! See? It takes a rugged individualist to even come up with an idea like that!

So what’s today’s question?

Miles: Well, it’s one we haven’t had before but I think it touches on a number of points a lot of people can relate to. Jessica writes:

My sister and I have always been close. Growing up, our father justified his abuse by being head of the home, just as Christ is head of the Church. Now that we’re grown and on our own, my sister and I have reacted quite differently. I’ve studied the Bible for myself and, although it took a while, I have come to see Yahuwah as the loving Father I always wanted but never had. I know now the Christianity we were taught growing up was not Biblical truth.

My sister, on the other hand, has thrown it all out. She says she doesn’t believe in God who, she claims, is just like our Father: cold, angry, racist, abusive, and a misogynist. She has embraced neo-Paganism and has told me she worships “the Goddess Creatrix” instead.

The rest of the family has cut my sister off but I’m torn. In many ways, my sister is the same loving, kind person she’s always been. At the same time, I’m heart-broken that she’s thrown out the truth and has gone so far the other way. Is there hope for my sister? Is there anything I can say to win her back to the truth? Or has she committed the unpardonable sin?

Dave: Hmmm. What a tragic situation. First, let me just say that yes, there is hope for your sister.

Miles: Even if she’s a goddess-worshipping pagan? That just sounds so sacrilegious, you know?

Dave: I understand. It’s certainly not what we’re used to hearing. There’s one principle, though, we’ve been preaching for a long time and I think this is the perfect time to apply it.

What have we been saying? All religions have some—?

Miles: Truth.

Dave: And all religions have some—?

Miles: Error.

Dave: Yahuwah, as our kind, loving parent, has insured that all religions have some truth. It wouldn’t be fair otherwise, but every religion has some degree of truth so that, if followed, it can lead the sincere seeker for truth to salvation.

Think about it: will someone raised with the truths and errors in Christianity be led along the same path to Yah as someone raised with the truths and errors in Islam, or Hinduism, or . . . I don’t know, Bahá’í?

Miles: No.

Dave: Of course not. It wouldn’t be fair because some would have an advantage over others. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. Yahuwah has made sure of it.

Miles: I hear you, and I’m sure this is all very comforting to Jessica, but … well, I’ve got to ask: isn’t this the unpardonable sin? The sister’s rejected the truths of the Bible. Turned her back on them. If that isn’t the unpardonable sin, I don’t know what is.

Dave: All right. That’s a fair question. Let’s take a look at just what she’s rejected and what she’s accepted.

We know from Jessica’s letter that the image of Yah presented in their childhood home was one of abusive anger and emotional distance. This created fear in the hearts of the children, not love. It also destroyed trust.

Now, to compound the situation, Jessica said that their father used Scripture to justify his abusive dominance. This isn’t just emotional and mental—and possible physical—abuse. This is spiritual abuse as well. Any time anyone, whether it’s a spouse, a parent, a teacher, or spiritual leader, justifies abuse from Scripture, that is spiritual abuse and it’s blasphemy as well, because it misrepresents the Father’s true character of love.

Miles: That’s true. You know, some parents say, “Don’t look to me; look to Christ. Don’t follow me; follow Christ.” But that’s really just shrugging aside our responsibility as Yah’s representatives. Paul himself said, “Imitate me as I also imitate Christ.” [1 Corinthians 11:1]

Dave: Right. So, then, just what has Jessica’s sister rejected when she rejected what she’d been taught?

Miles: A false representation of Yahuwah?

Dave: Right! She was brought up viewing the Creator as harsh, vindictive, cold, angry, and unforgiving. Is this really what the Father’s like?

Miles: Of course not.

Dave: So what she really rejected was Satan’s lies about the character of Yah. Sure, Jessica stayed a Christian. But she admits herself that she had to learn the truth for herself. It wasn’t taught in their childhood home even though their home was ostensibly “Christian.”

We don’t know everything Jessica’s sister has gone through. Every individual must walk an individual path. The one thing we can do is trust that Yahuwah will lead all who want to know truth. We can also trust that He knows the intents of the heart.

Miles: But what about worshipping a “goddess”? I’ll be honest. That makes me feel uncomfortable. It just seems to be edging over the line a bit.

Dave: I agree. Personally, I don’t feel comfortable with that, either. That said, I can certainly see how a person who has been hurt and abused and traumatized would have a more extreme reaction. And the truth is, there are plenty of female names as well as female analogies for Yahuwah in the Bible. He’s called the “Rose of Sharon,” the “lily of the valley.”

Miles: As a mother hen that gathers her chicks under her wings.

Dave: That’s another one, yes. There’s even one verse that talks about the Creator giving birth. Why don’t you look it up? Deuteronomy chapter 32 verse 18.

Miles: Now this I’ve got to see! Let’s see, it says: “You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.”

Dave: The word here translated into English as “God” is actually “Elohim,” which is not only the plural for “God,” but includes the connotation of “Goddess” as well. In fact, it is translated “Goddess” in 1 Kings chapter 11, verses 5 and 33.

Miles: Huh! I suppose it makes sense. Even though the majority of Scripture refers to Yahuwah in the masculine gender, Gensis 1 does say that women were created in the image of Yah every bit as much as men were.

Dave: In Isaiah 42:14, the Creator goes so far as to say He (She?) is like a woman in labor.

Assigning a gender to our Creator is to help us understand the divine. It doesn’t diminish the Almighty to use female analogies when the Bible itself does and women were also created in the divine image.

The point I want to make is that both Jessica and her sister rejected the false view of Yahuwah that was crammed down their throats in an abusive home environment. Jessica can trust Yah to continue to lead her sister to Him. If, emotionally right now, it is too difficult for Sister to feel close to the Creator when He’s presented as male, Yah understands! Perhaps that’s why He made sure to include plenty of feminine imagery in Scripture.

Miles: And, when you think about it, there’s only one Creator anyway, so if that’s who you’re directing your worship to …

Dave: Right. Scripture certainly allows for a feminine view of the Creator. We’re just leery of it and uncomfortable because most instances were weeded out when it was translated into our modern versions. But if someone’s view of Yah as a loving heavenly Father has been so damaged that such an analogy only fills her with fear and loathing, Yah’s not going to reject her—especially when what she’s rejected is actually Satan’s misrepresentation of Yah’s character.

Miles: Yeah, I can see that. Someone close to me was severely abused by her father. To this day, she can’t call Yahuwah her “Father.” I still remember how excited she was when she discovered that the word for Holy Spirit is actually feminine. Honestly? I didn’t pay close attention. It just sounded … weird somehow.

Dave: But who are we to say that she’s wrong? For all we know, Yahuwah, in His infinite wisdom, specifically included feminine names and imagery in the Bible just to reach people like her.

A more troublesome point I wish to address is what the rest of the family has done, and that is to cut the sister off. I see Christians, especially conservative Christians, cutting off those with whom they disagree entirely too often. If a woman gets divorced—cut her off! She’s a sinner! If your brother marries a man—cut him off! He’s a sinner! If your child comes out as transgender—cut them off! They’re a sinner!

This is not how Yahuwah treats people. Sin separates us from Yahuwah, but He doesn’t stay away. He draws close to us through His spirit, through angels, through other people. Through Christ! And, really, if someone is truly that bad off, do you really think they’re going to be drawn to Yah by being pushed away still further by those who claim to be His followers?

What? You’re looking skeptical. What is it?

Miles: Well … I’m just thinking of what Yahushua said in Matthew. I think it’s Matthew 18. All right. Here we go. It says:

If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. [Matthew 18:15-17]

That doesn’t sound like to me that he’s saying you’re supposed to just embrace them with open arms, go socialize with them, whatever. That’s sounding like cutting them off.

Dave: Does it? Turn to Luke 19 and read verses 1 to 7.

Miles:

Yahushua entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Yahushua was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Yahushua was coming that way.

When Yahushua reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

Dave: So how did Yahushua treat this tax collector?

Miles: Well … with kindness and acceptance.

Dave: And how did the people react? Keep reading.

Miles: “All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’”

Dave: This was always the main gripe against Yahushua. “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

But what was the Saviour’s response? Luke 19:9 and 10.

Miles: “Yahushua said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’”

Dave: This is how we show people—tax collectors, sinners—the love of the Father: we accept them. We love them. We draw close to them and through our acceptance of them, warts and all, we demonstrate the Father’s love. The fastest way to drive someone away from Yah? Denounce them. Criticize them. Tell them you “love the sinner but hate their sin.” That’s a great way to drive them away.

Let’s leave the job of convicting of sin to the spirit of Yah. That’s Yah’s job, not ours.

Miles: That’s true. Whenever we try, we simply end up causing hurt since we can’t read their hearts.

Dave: I just want to close with one final thought. If you have a friend or a loved one you’re worried about because he or she is starting down a path you believe is wrong, pray for them! But love them while you’re doing it. Don’t push them further away from Yah by your rejection of them.

I promise you: Yahuwah loves them more than you could ever imagine, and He will save all He possibly can. Yah reads the heart and He can tell if it is in the heart to rebel or to know and do what is right.

Miles: And I’m so glad, aren’t you?

Keep sending us your questions and comments. I enjoy reading them as I learn from them, too. Just go to our website at WorldsLastChance.com and click on Contact Us. We always enjoy hearing from you.

* * *Daily Promise

Hello! This is Elise O’Brien with today’s Daily Promise from Yah’s word.

British historian and specialist an international affairs, Arnold Toynbee, once said, quote: “Compassion is the desire that moves the individual self to widen the scope of its self-concern to embrace the whole of the universal self.” Unquote.

Compassion for the offender when one has been wronged is truly a divine attribute. This was recently demonstrated in the life of one very kind Brazilian man. In November of 2021, 10-year-old Haghatta, was playing with a ball when it bounced away from her. The little girl dashed after it and, without looking for cars, chased her ball into the street. Everything happened so fast! Her father didn’t have time to yell a warning and a man driving past didn’t have time to stop. His car struck Haghatta and the little girl was seriously injured.

The next few minutes were chaotic as police and first responders arrived to help. Haghatta’s father was, understandably, very worried for his little girl. No one would have blamed him for focusing entirely on the child, ignoring the man who had hit her. But that’s not what he did. Seeing the driver and how inconsolable he was, Haghatta’s father walked over to him, telling him the little girl was going to be all right. A video I watched of it showed the driver bend over, weeping uncontrollably. The father drew the man up, cupping his face, meeting his eyes, and speaking directly to him. As the driver continued to weep, Haghatta’s father drew him in for a comforting hug. He wrapped one arm around the driver’s shoulders and with the other, patted the back of his head, holding him cradled to his chest, all the while murmuring reassurances that everything was going to be all right. He comforted the man who had accidentally injured his child.

But that’s not all he did. Haghatta spent a week in the hospital but later, when she was home again, her father invited the driver over to his house so he could see the child for himself and be fully reassured that she really was all right. It takes true compassion to look beyond one’s own pain and fear to comfort another.

Psalm 103 tell us:

Yahuwah is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,
so Yahuwah has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust. [Psalm 103:10, 11-14]

The compassion shown by Haghatta’s father for the man that had nearly killed his little girl is a beautiful example of the compassion our heavenly Father has for each one of us. Yahuwah doesn’t bear grudges. He knows our weaknesses and failings and never treats us as we deserve. His love is immeasurable, and He is ever ready to help, comfort, and accept those who come to Him.

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

* * *Part 3: (Miles & Dave)

Dave: 1 Corinthians chapter 13 is widely known as the love chapter. But there’s a verse in there, near the end of the chapter, that I think is very applicable to today’s discussion. Would you read it for us, please? It’s 1 Corinthians 13 verse 11. What does that say?

Miles: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

Dave: In Isaiah, Yahuwah invites, “Come now, let us reason together.” [Isaiah 1:18] The word translated into English as “reason,” comes from the Hebrew word, yâkach. According the Strong’s Dictionary of Bible Words, it means, “to decide, prove, convince, judge.” Often, when it’s used, it includes a value judgment.

The point is this: Yahuwah gave us brains.

Miles: He wants us to use them.

Dave: Right! Furthermore, He’s inviting us to ask Him for proof, for reason, for logic on which to base our beliefs. We talk about faith and, yeah. There are times in a “dark night of the soul” experience like Christ had on the cross where we cling by faith and faith alone. But as a foundation for our beliefs, Yahuwah wants to provide us with a very solid grounding. All through Scripture, He urges us to gain knowledge, wisdom and understanding.

In his second epistle, Peter urged his readers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Yahushua Christ.” [2 Peter 3:18]

Miles: He doesn’t want us being gullible fools, assuming something is deep and profound just because we don’t understand it.

Dave: This is the philosophy of men, the gospel of silly, to attribute value and meaning to something just because it’s impossible to understand. It’s not the truth.

To close, there’s one more passage I’d like you to read. It’s found in Colossians chapter 2.

Uh, start at verse 1 and read through, uh … verse 8. Let’s read the whole thing in context. Go ahead whenever you’ve got it.

Miles: All right. It says:

For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of [Yah], both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

As you therefore have received Christ Yahushua the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

Dave: As believers we are Laodiceans. But we don’t have to remain in that condition! We’re invited to attain to all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, and to the knowledge of the mystery of Yahuwah.

The truth is not something too complex for human minds to grasp. Yes, it’s profound, but Yahuwah wants us to understand, and if we ask Him, He will be our own personal teacher.

Miles: This reminds me of 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 7. It says: “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”

Dave: That’s perfect. That’s really good. Faith is for times when we are tried, for when we’re suffering and don’t know why. But as a foundation for our faith? Yahuwah wants us to have knowledge and solid logic.

Miles: And best of all? He’s our Creator! He knows just how our brains are individually hard-wired. What may convince me may not convince you, but that’s okay! He’s got plenty of other evidence for you. When He’s our personal teacher, He knows just what logic and evidence is best to convict us individually.

Dave: That’s true.

Miles: Well, our time is up. Thank you for joining us today. 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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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.

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