Program 35: The Sabbath

Worshiping the Creator on His designated day is an honor, privilege, and a blessing.

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

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

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

Part 1: (Miles & Dave)

Miles Robey: Hello! Welcome to WLC Radio where we bring you truth-filled messages straight from Scripture. I’m your host, Miles Robey.

Dave Wright: And I’m Dave Wright. Thanks for making us a part of your day. If this is your first time joining us, you’ll notice right away that we don’t use titles to refer to the Creator. “God” and “Lord” are simply titles that are frequently used to describe false deities. We prefer to use the actual name of the Father, which is Yahuwah, or Yah. The Son’s name is similar, and that’s Yahushua.

Miles: You might hear us occasionally say el, or eloah. Those are Hebrew titles that refer to Yahuwah. Elohim is the plural and refers to the Father. It’s a way, in ancient Hebrew, of emphasizing His importance.

Okay. That explanation out of the way, let’s jump into today’s topic. It’s on a topic that a lot of Christians dismiss as unimportant and, well, irrelevant really. If that’s your attitude, I’m just going to ask you to bear with us. Listen to what we have to say because once you see the Biblical evidence, I honestly believe you will realize that this topic is not irrelevant to Christians today and is, in fact, very important. And that is the subject of the Sabbath.

Wait! Wait! Don’t roll your eyes! It really is an important topic.

Dave: It really is, Miles. It’s not just for the Jews. In fact, the seventh-day Sabbath, as part of the divine law, is binding upon all peoples throughout all time. Of all the commandments, no other commandment is broken so frequently and with such boldness as the fourth commandment.

Miles: Christians who wouldn’t dream of worshipping idols, swearing, lying, stealing, murdering or committing adultery, don’t hesitate to break the Sabbath commandment.

Dave: In fairness, I think most people do it in ignorance. Satan has deceived multitudes into believing that the Sabbath was “only for the Jews” and that it was somehow “nailed to the cross.”

Miles: Yeah, I think you’re right. As a kid growing up, I was taught that we were to worship on Sunday in order to honor the day on which Yahushua was resurrected. Or, at least, in celebration of it.

Dave: I think a lot of Christians are taught that. The problem is, such reasoning contradicts Scripture! Hebrews tells us that Yah is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. He never changes!

Miles: And that’s not the only place. Malachi 3 says: “I am Yahuwah, I change not.” [Malachi 3:6]

Dave: There’s a point I’d like to bring out here, Miles, that I think is too frequently overlooked. And that is this: Scripture teaches that no matter how carefully a person keeps the law, if he breaks even one part of it, he is guilty of breaking the entire law.

The divine law is all encompassing and reaches way beyond the externals to the hidden heart within each of us. As Hebrews 4 says: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” [Hebrews 4:12]

Miles: It’s true. David, in Psalm 119 said: “I have seen an end of all perfection: but thy commandment is exceeding broad.” [Psalm 119:96] He understood that the divine law is very far reaching. It’s all encompassing, really.

Dave: It certainly is and that, I believe, is the mistake too many people make when they assume the Sabbath was somehow nailed to the cross. They’ll argue that all the other commandments are still binding, but not that one. But that’s dividing the law of Yah! Deciding, in our human wisdom, what part is essential and what part isn’t.

I think no one says it quite so clearly as James. Would turn over to James, chapter 2 and read verses 10 and 11 for us?

Miles: “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.” [James 2:10, 11]

Dave: In other words, what this is telling us is that if we keep nine out of ten commandments, but we break just one, we’re still guilty of breaking the divine law!

Miles: That’s serious. You never hear any sermons preached on James 2—at least I haven’t—but yeah, that’s serious!

Dave: Yahuwah expects everyone to keep His law, not just the Jews. The Sabbath was part of the eternal law over 2,000 years before there was an Israelite nation!

Miles: Where do you get that from? I think that’s something a lot of people would be interested in knowing. Christians who worship on Sunday aren’t doing it to defy Yahuwah. They really believe that is when they’re to worship. So, if the Sabbath was around before the law was given at Sinai, where do you get that?

Dave: Well, as with many points in Scripture, it takes careful comparison of Scripture with Scripture. There is no one clear verse or passage, such as you find in Exodus 20, that spells out: “Work six days, but rest on the seventh.” However, the principle of resting on the seventh-day is there.

Would you read Genesis 2, verses 1 to three for us?

Miles: “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day Elohim ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then Elohim blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which Elohim had created and made.” [Genesis 2:1-3]

Dave: The Sabbath was instituted at Creation, not the Exodus. It’s a memorial of Creation because its establishment on earth was linked to the completion of Creation week.

Because it was established at Creation, the Sabbath couldn’t have been “nailed to the cross”!

Miles: Hm. True. Nor could it be the exclusive “property” of the Jews since there was no such thing as a Hebrew race yet.

Dave: Now, after the flood, it wasn’t long before people had apostatized away from the worship of Yahuwah and, again, embraced idolatry. There weren’t very many who remained faithful to Yah.

These were the days of Nimrod and Semiramis. The idolatry established under their influence is still seen in the world today in the continued existence of ancient practices such as lent, hot cross buns, crucifixes, etc.

It was at this time, with apostasy running rampant, that Yah selected Abram to be the forefather of the race through whom the Messiah would be born.

Let’s take a look at that. Would you read these verses from Genesis 12?

Miles: “Now Yahuwah had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” [Genesis 12:1-3]

Dave: The Israelite nation, as the descendants of Abraham, was honored above all other nations of the earth who had rebelled against Heaven.

Miles: I think it’s important to insert here really quickly that they weren’t better than anybody else. In fact, in many ways the Israelites were worse. You read the stories in the Bible, and time after time, the peoples of other nations were far more receptive to the truth than the stony hearted Israelites.

Dave: That’s an excellent point, Miles. Thanks for bringing that out. They were the worst of the worst: always inclined to rebellion, always resistant to instruction from Heaven, be it in the person of prophets or the Messiah Himself.

Miles: But that’s precisely why the Saviour was born of that lineage! He was sent to the worst of the worst, to show that divine love and grace could reach the lowest of the low.

Dave: Yes. And as the ones most in need of it, the Israelites were entrusted with the divine law as its guardians.

Now, during their years as slaves in Egypt, they couldn’t observe the Sabbath. But when Moses returned from Midian, he taught them that the prerequisite for deliverance was obedience to the law of Yah.

Miles: Where do you get that from?

Dave: It’s why Pharaoh accused Moses and Aaron of influencing his slaves to stop work. Why don’t you read it for us? It’s in Exodus chapter five, verses 4 and five.

Miles: “And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? . . . And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.” [Exodus 5:4, 5]

Huh! You’re right. I’ve read that before, but I’d never picked up on the significance of it.

Dave: The word that is translated as “rest” comes from the same root word that the word Sabbath is taken. Basically, according to Strong’s Expanded Dictionary of Bible Words, it is the verb form of the noun: Sabbath.

To translate it more directly, Pharaoh is saying, “You make them Sabbath from their labors.”

Miles: That’s fascinating! I guess I’ve never really looked up the words before.

Dave: The thing people don’t realize is that the Sabbath was not presented as some “new requirement” at the Exodus. It was reinstituted as a perpetually binding requirement of the divine law.

Would you please turn over to Exodus 31 and read verses 12 to 17 for us?

Miles: Sure … um. “And Yahuwah spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations that you may know that I am Yahuwah who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. . . . Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to Yahuwah. . . . Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days Yahuwah made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’” [Exodus 31:12-17]

Dave: In a previous program, we talked about how the Sabbath was given because the Father wanted to spend time with us. He wants our company!

But hidden in what you just read is another purpose for Sabbath observance and it is this other purpose that establishes the Sabbath was not nailed to the cross.

Can you find it? What does it say?

Miles: Uh, let’s see … Oh! Right here. “It is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations that you may know that I am Yahuwah who sanctifies you.”

Dave: That’s it. The Sabbath is a sign that the Creator is also our re-Creator. It is something we’ll celebrate throughout eternity!

Miles: All right. Hold that thought. We’re going to take a quick break and when we come back, I’d like to hear the Biblical evidence for why you believe the Sabbath will be celebrated even in eternity.

Be right back!

* * *

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* * *Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: All right, here we are. Dave was just sharing with us that the Sabbath not only was not nailed to the cross, but that, in fact, it will be observed throughout eternity. Dave?

Dave: Thanks, Miles. In our last segment, we saw how Yahuwah selected those most needing His grace to be the ones who safeguarded His law.

Now, it wasn’t His intent that they’d hoard it all to themselves! They were to be His representatives, His emissaries to the world.

Miles: His missionaries.

Dave: Exactly. His missionaries. Have you ever thought about the significance of the location of the Promised Land?

Miles: Uhhh … no? Never really thought about it.

Dave: If you look at a map of the Middle East, the location of Palestine is very important. To the left is the Mediterranean Sea. To the right is desert. The Land of Promise was situated right in that corridor which connected north to south. Yahuwah deliberately positioned their nation there so that they could teach all the surrounding nations the binding requirements of the divine law.

Now, you know how well that turned out.

Miles: Yeah! They jealously kept for themselves what Yah intended for them to teach others!

Dave: To this day, Jews pride themselves on being “children of Abraham” and “heirs of the promise.”

Miles: And, unfortunately, they’ve hoodwinked the Christian world into believing that this sets them apart as special, with more insights into divine truth, than anyone else. Saying anything at all negative about the Jews results in instantaneous accusations of anti-semitism. And they use this to their political advantage around the world! They’ve got everyone thinking that when you do what the Jews want, you’re somehow “blessing” them, and in turn, Yah will bless you!

Dave: You’re right, but Paul emphatically rejected such reasoning. He was very blunt about it. Here. I printed out some verses from Romans. Would you read it for us?

Miles: “For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; . . . those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of Yahuwah; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. . . . For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Elohim over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of Yahuwah shall be saved.’” [Romans 9:6-8, 10:12, 13]

Whew! Yeah, I’d say that’s quite blunt.

Dave: Those of Israelite blood who do not keep the law, will be lost with all who reject the divine law.

On the other hand, all who keep the law are considered children of Abraham and they inherit the promise of eternal life.

Paul was just as blunt that all who accept Yahushua in faith, will be saved regardless of their lineage. It’s not the blood running through your veins that counts with Yah. It’s whether you believe in and accept the Saviour. Period. That’s it.

Turn to Galatians 3 and start reading at verse 26, please.

Miles: “For ye are all the children of Yah by faith in Yahushua the Christ. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Yahushua the Christ. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” [Galatians 3:26-29]

Dave: The seventh-day Sabbath is part of the divine law and, like all of the divine law, it’s perpetually binding upon mankind. We’re going to be worshiping on the Sabbath throughout all eternity. It’s a privilege because it’s when we spend time, one-on-one, with our Maker.

Miles: And no amount of “But I worship every day” is quite the same as setting aside all work and just focusing on Him for one day.

Dave: Think how wonderful it would be if we could do that with our spouses every week! Just time to do nothing but invest into our relationship with them.

Miles: It would be fantastic!

Dave: And that’s the purpose of the Sabbath, now, and in eternity. Would you read Isaiah 66, verse 23 for us?

Miles: “‘And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,’ saith Yahuwah.” [Isaiah 66:23]

Dave: This is a really intriguing verse because it couples new moons with Sabbaths and it puts it in the future. “Shall come to pass.” That’s future tense.

The reference to New Moons indicates which calendar will be used to count to the seventh-day Sabbath: the luni-solar calendar established at Creation.

Miles: So, basically, it’s saying that both Sabbaths and New Moons will be observed throughout all eternity. And, yeah. New Moons don’t exist in today’s modern, Gregorian calendar, so that’s not going to be the calendar used for calculating the Sabbath.

Dave: But the thing we mustn’t forget is the need to honor our Maker by worshipping Him on His holy days, now.

Miles: And the only way we’re going to know when they occur is by using the right calendar.

Dave: Exactly. But there’s more. This is a lot bigger than simply what day you choose to worship on right this moment. Instead, it has eternal consequences.

Miles: How so?

Dave: Joshua told Israel: “Choose ye this day whom ye will serve.” The choices we make reveal who has our loyalty. Is it Yah? If so, then we will demonstrate our loyalty by obeying His law.

If it’s Satan, Lucifer, we’ll join with him in his rebellious flouting of the divine law.

Miles: And, really, those are our only options. One or the other. And if you don’t choose, by default, you’re choosing the devil because Yah will never force your will.

Dave: This is how our loyalty is demonstrated. Who are you going to worship?

Once you know the truth, when you worship reveals whom you worship, because either you’re honoring Yah by living in accordance with His revealed will, or … you’re not.

Miles: It’s as simple as that.

Dave: Well … yeah. Once a person knows the truth, it is.

The issues at stake are spelled out clearly in Revelation 13. Why don’t you turn over and read that for us? And while you do, I want you to notice the repetitious use of the word “worship.” It’s all through there.

Miles: “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.”

Dave: Notice the intriguing use of the word “blasphemies.” This puts it squarely in the realm of religion, of true versus false worship, because the very definition of the word blasphemy is, quote: “An irreverent or impious act, attitude, or utterance in regard to something considered inviolable or sacrosanct.” It’s a “A contemptuous or profane act, utterance, or writing concerning God or a sacred entity. The act of claiming for oneself the attributes and rights of God.”

Okay. Go on.

Miles: “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” [Revelation 13:11-15]

Huh. You’re right. Worship is all through there.

Dave: Because who you worship reveals who has your loyalty.

Miles: This really reminds me of Isaiah, in chapter 58. It says, quote: And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”

And then, it brings the Sabbath into the discussion by saying, quote: “If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of Yahuwah, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in Yahuwah; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of Yah hath spoken it.” [Isaiah 58:12, 13]

Those are some powerful promises there! And all just for faithful obedience!

Dave: Well, the promise for all who love and obey Yah is that those who honor Him will, in turn, by honored by Him.

I know we’re quickly running out of time here, but I want to close with just one more Bible verse. It’s found in Revelation, chapter 14, verse 12.

Miles: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of Yahuwah and the faith of Yahushua.”

Dave: They’re not joining with the rebels who are breaking the law of Yah. They’ know that word of Scripture that declares if you break part of the law, you’ve broken it all. So, they show their loyalty to their Maker by worshipping on His Sabbath.

The Sabbath will be kept by all of Yahuwah’s faithful people, throughout all eternity. It will forever remain the sign of their loyalty to their Creator and Redeemer. That’s how important it is.

Miles: Don’t go away folks. When we return, we’ll be answering your questions sent in to our Daily Mailbag. Stay tuned.

* * *

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

* * *Advertisement * * *Daily Mailbag (Miles & Dave)

Miles: Welcome back to our daily mailbag. We’ve got a question coming today from Taneisha Jackson of Montgomery, Alabama in the United States. She says: “I am confused about the two covenants. I’ve tried looking it up on line, but what I find is contradictory. Could you explain about the two covenants? Thanks in advance!”

Dave: A covenant is a legal agreement. There are a number of covenants in Scripture but the “old” and “new” covenants Taneisha is talking about have to do with our salvation.

Hebrews, chapter 8 talks about these two covenants. It says: “For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. . . . In that he saith, a new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.” [Hebrews 8:7, 10]

Miles: What, specifically, was the old covenant? I’ve heard a lot of people say it’s the 10 commandments … ?

Dave: It’s a common misconception. A lot of people say the old covenant was a physical, earthbound agreement made at Sinai, while the “new” covenant, they say, is a spiritual one.

Again, what we must remember is that, by definition, a “covenant” is a legal agreement between two or more parties. This is why the old covenant is not the Ten Commandments. It is, however, an agreement with Yahuwah. It is between the Father and every individual soul.

The Ten Commandments were the basis of the covenant, but they weren’t the covenant itself.

Miles: I’m not sure I follow.

Dave: All right, uh … let’s read Exodus 19, verses 5 and 6.

Miles: Okay … it says: “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”

Dave: The agreement was what it’s always been: obey and live; disobey and die. There was nothing wrong with the covenant as Yah presented it. The fault lay with the people and here is where it went awry.

When Yah presented the covenant to the people, they were united in their response. Why don’t you read it? Exodus 19, verse 8.

Miles: “All that Yahuwah hath spoken we will do.”

Dave: “All that Yahuwah hath spoken we will do.” That was their self-confident response. “Just tell us what you want us to do and we will do it!”

Miles: Oh, I get it. It was a works trip, wasn’t it?

Dave: All the way.

Miles: And, since your own works can’t save you, it was doomed to failure.

Dave: Yes, but what I want to make clear is that the fault lay not with the original covenant. Yahuwah knew all along that a sinful person had no hope of keeping the law in his or her own strength, and He never intended for them to do so. Salvation is now and ever has been by His grace, through faith in the promised Messiah.

The weakness of the old covenant was that the people declared they could keep the divine law in their own strength and arrogantly promised to do so. And, maybe they truly believed they could, but obviously they were wrong.

Miles: So you’re saying the weakness of the Old Covenant lay in the fact that it was dependent on the promises of people.

Dave: Yes. They were unwilling to depend on divine help to keep Yahuwah’s law. They wanted to rely on their own strength. And, of course, just as soon as they broke the law, they broke the covenant they themselves had made! It, therefore, became null and void.

Miles: So that’s why a new covenant had to be made.

Dave: Exactly. Yahuwah never breaks His covenant agreements. It was broken by the people. They placed the covenant on the basis of their ability to keep the law and since, naturally, they couldn’t hold up their end of the agreement, the covenant was broken.

But the Father is always understanding and forgiving! He gave them another chance! Read Hebrews 8, verses 8 to 10.

Miles: “For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith Yahuwah, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith Yahuwah.”

Dave: See, they continued not in the covenant – the covenant they had put in terms of obeying in their own strength.

But, again, Yah doesn’t give up. He offered them a new covenant agreement. What does the next verse say?

Miles: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Yahuwah; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.”

Dave: The old covenant could have been kept if the people had put their faith in the merits of the coming Messiah, but they wanted to keep the law in their own strength. In the new covenant, Yahushua has fulfilled the law for us, if we receive Him by faith as a personal Saviour.

Miles: "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of Yahuwah." [John 1:12]

Dave: Exactly. Mercy and forgiveness are the reward of all who come to Yahushua trusting in His merits to take away their sins. In the new covenant we are cleansed from sin by the shed blood of Yahushua.

Then, by faith, the grace of Yahuwah renews the heart, and brings it into harmony with the principles of His law. As Paul explained to the Colossians, under the New Covenant it is not the works of the flesh, but “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” [Colossians 1:27]

Miles: The old covenant could have been by faith in the promises of Yah, but it became works oriented.

Dave: Yes. There is something in the fallen human heart that likes salvation by works. We like the sense of accomplishment we get when we can point to what we’ve done—or what we’ve abstained from doing. It makes us feel, emotionally, that we’re committed and doing well.

Miles: It reassures us that we are saved, rather than relying on the promises of Yah for our assurance of salvation.

Dave: It’s crazy, but yeah. Under the new covenant, the 10 Commandments are still the basis. As always, the conditions of eternal life are perfect obedience.

Miles: I think some people miss this point. In the joy and sheer relief that comes from knowing we’re saved through faith in the merits of Yahushua, some people go too far and say the law has been done away with. But it’s still just as binding as ever.

Dave: It is, and Scripture makes that clear. Paul asked “Do we then make void the law through faith? Yahuwah forbid: yea, we establish the law.” [Romans 3:31]

The new covenant doesn’t change Yahuwah’s law, but it again gives us the chance to obey it through the sacrifice of the Saviour. Yahushua is the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” [Revelation 13:8] Salvation has always been offered through faith in His merits but the Israelites didn’t want salvation by faith. They wanted salvation by works, and that is always doomed to failure.

There’s no salvation in an old covenant, righteousness by works, experience. It is only through the new covenant experience of faith in Yahushua that we have salvation.

Miles: Righteousness by faith.

Dave: If we allow Yahushua to come live in our hearts, He will write the divine law on our hearts. Then, when obeying the law, we will simply be doing what we want to do in the first place!

Miles: I like that. And when this happens, we’ll be “one” with both the Father and the Son, just like Yahushua prayed for.

Dave: That’s right. It’s a beautiful transaction based entirely on divine grace.

Miles: Thanks for a great question, Taneisha.

We enjoy hearing from our listeners. If you’ve got questions or comments, we want to hear from you. Go to our website at WorldsLastChance.com and click on Contact Us. We may not be able to address everything on air, but we’ll at least try to get it addressed in the Q&As on our website.

* * *Daily Promise

Hello! This is Elise O’Brien with your Daily Promise from Yah’s Word.

Recent digitized census data from the 19^th century has revealed that the number of lives lost during the American Civil War was a shocking 20% higher than previously thought. Fully 750,000 lives were lost between 1860 and 1865. It is, by far, the greatest number of American lives lost in any war.

William Tecumseh Sherman is notorious in American history as one of the most ferocious generals of the Civil War. He left total destruction in his wake. And yet, this same man, in a speech after the war, could say: “Some of you young men think that war is all glamour and glory, but let me tell you, boys: it is all hell!”

War is hell and nowhere was this seen as clearly as in Eilenberg, Germany. During the Thirty Years’ War, this small, walled city became crowded with refugees as people from the countryside flocked to the protection of the town.

Eilenberg was besieged. With too many people, and too little food, famine and plague soon began decimating the population. Martin Rinkart and three other clergymen were kept busy conducting multiple funerals every day.

But it wasn’t long before things got worse. Two of the four pastors died. The third managed to escape. Martin was left alone, conducting 40 to 50 funerals every single day. Before the siege was over, people were buried in trenches with no funeral service at all. Then, his own wife, got sick and died, leaving him alone with their children. Nearly 4,500 people lost their lives in Eilenberg.

Through it all, Martin Rinkart maintained his faith and trust in the goodness of the Heavenly Father. When the war was finally over, Martin wrote a poem in celebration of Yahuwah’s goodness. Eleven years later, in 1647, his words were set to music and became a hymn that has encouraged multitudes the world over. His words of faith which resound to this day say, in part:

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.Oh, may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And guard us through all ills in this world, till the next!

Friends, no one can, in his own strength, witness the horrors Martin Rinkart saw and still have a heart full of faith and at peace. Such peace is a gift! And it can be yours, too.

Life is hard. It never turns out quite the way we expect it to when we’re young. And yet, through it all, you can have Heaven’s own peace filling your heart.

Just before His betrayal in Gethsemane, Yahushua said: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” [John 14:27]

If you’re hurting, if you’re feeling afraid or troubled, turn to Yahuwah. He is at your side and will give you the strength, the wisdom, the courage to meet every trial. You can rest all on Him.

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

* * *Part 3: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: There are a lot of different denominations within Christianity, a lot of variations in belief, as each church, each group, each individual tries to do what they believe to be right. The one thing that unites us all is the belief in the return of Yahushua.

Dave: It’s the deepest desire of every Christian, every believer since Adam, that one day sin and sinners would be no more, and Yah would again be ruler of all.

Miles: Take Job. He knew Yahushua would not come in his day, and yet he still expressed faith that he would come. In fact, one of my favorite passages of Scripture is Job’s statement of faith. Listen while I read it, it’s very powerful. He said:

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see Yah: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” [Job 19:25-27]

That’s powerful!

Dave: It really is. The sort of faith every one of us needs to get through the days ahead.

Miles: But what struck me, listening to you today, is that we’re so focused on the end: that too often, we forget that after Yahushua returns, after we’ve been reunited with the Father, after sin, and sinners, and even Death itself is destroyed, after all that is past us, we’ll have the reality of a life without end, spent with our Maker. We don’t think about what that reality will be like.

Dave: Probably because our minds can’t grasp it. For myself, I fall back on Paul’s statement: “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which Yah hath prepared for them that love him.” [1 Corinthians 2:9]

Miles: True, true. But I don’t think it would hurt us to put some thought into contemplating the promised reward. And what struck me in our discussion today was that the Sabbath, in a very real way, gives a glimpse of what that eternal life holds! And what it holds is sheer joy. Happiness, yes, but it’s even going to be fun!

Think about it, it’s fun to spend time with those you love. Well, eternity is going to be so much more than the boring existence most people assume it will be. It’s not sitting on a cloud, strumming a harp and intoning: “Ho-ly. Ho-ly. Ho-ly.”

We may not know much about life in eternity, but one thing we can know is that worshipping Yah, in His very presence, and on His holy Sabbath day of rest, will be a part of that experience.

Dave: And if we’re going to be spending time enjoying His presence then, don’t you think we are to start doing so now?

Miles: Oh, absolutely! Because our characters: our thoughts and feelings, our likes and dislikes, don’t change. Who we are on the inside is transformed here or not at all. If we don’t enjoy worshipping Yah here, we wouldn’t enjoy it there. If we don’t enjoy spending time with Him here, getting to know Him now, we’re certainly not going to want to spend time with Him there!

Dave: Isaiah 66 is one of the places that give us that glimpse into the future. Verses 22 and 23 say: “ For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith Yahuwah, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith Yahuwah.”

I like how you said that because it’s so true: if we don’t enjoy worshipping Him here and now, we’re not going to there and then.

Miles: Right! So, in a very real sense, the Sabbath prepares us. The time we spend getting to know Yah, letting Him write His law on our hearts, settling us into the truth so we can’t be shaken. That’s so important, so … necessary in order to have the faith to get through the days ahead.

Dave: It really is, Miles.

Miles: Now is the time to prepare. Now is the time to get used to spending time with Him on His Sabbaths. Now is the time to hide Yah’s word in your heart so that you might not sin against Him, so that you’ll be protected from the delusions Satan has planned to deceive, if possible, the very elect!

Choose you this day whom you will serve and worship Him who made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that in them is.

Don’t wait to get ready. Don’t wait to clean yourself up and get better. You can’t do it without Him. And besides, He loves you anyway, just as you are. If you’ll make a full surrender, He will get you ready so that you’ve nothing to fear.

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

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This program and past episodes of WLC Radio are available for downloading on our website. They're great for sharing with friends and for use in Bible studies! They're also an excellent resource for those worshipping Yahuwah alone at home. To listen to previously aired programs, visit our website at WorldsLastChance.com. Click on the WLC Radio icon displayed on our homepage.

In his teachings and parables, the Savior gave no “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, the thrust of his message was constant … vigilance. Join us again tomorrow for another truth-filled message as we explore various topics focused on the Savior's return and how to live in constant readiness to welcome him warmly when he comes.

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