Program 75: The surprising meaning of “Even.”

In Scripture, the day begins with the coming of dawn, not at midnight or sunset. This is important when calculating the Sabbath.

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: Greetings! And welcome to World’s Last Chance Radio. We’re glad you could join us! I’m your host, Miles Robey.

Dave Wright: And I’m Dave Wright. Thanks for tuning in.

Miles: At WLC, we’re committed to sharing the truths we’ve learned with the world. One of those truths is the Creator’s personal name. It’s not “God” or “Lord.” Those are simply titles that can also refer to heathen entities.

His name is actually Yahuwah, or Yah. It comes from a verb of being. Which, when you think about it, is perfect for a self-existent being who always has been, and always shall be.

The name of the Son is similar to His Father’s. The Saviour’s name is Yahushua and means “Yahuwah saves.”

Dave: El, eloah, and elohim are Hebrew titles you’ll find throughout Scripture. These refer to the Father and are often used in combination with His name.

Miles: Using the actual name of the Father is important since Scripture repeatedly urges us to “Call upon the name of Yahuwah.” So, when reading quotes by other authors, we take the liberty of replacing the inaccurate titles with the Father’s or Son’s actual names.

So. Just wanted to make that clear for any first time listeners before we go on. Dave? What have you got for us today?

Dave: Well, I know my kids are a bit older than yours, but have your kids ever said or done anything that made you feel old?

Miles laughs: Oh, yeah. I think all parents encounter that sooner or later. The other day, my daughter was explaining something to me and I felt this odd sense of déjà vu. I remember being the one explaining things to my parents not so long ago, and now my kids find it necessary to explain pop culture to me? Yeah, that made me feel old.

Dave: I’ve experienced that, too. The generational gap really shows up when you combine modern technology with slang.

Take, for example, texting. I have to admit, I really don’t care for the condensed way the kids write when they text me. I tend to spell it all out. They’ll type in just a few letters and I’m supposed to know that B-R-B means “be right back”? It’s confusing.

Miles: Yeah. Sometimes that makes for some really hilarious texts between parents and kids.

Dave: It does. In fact, I read one particularly funny exchange between an American teen and his mother. The text from the mum said something along the lines of: “Your Aunt Linda was just killed in a car accident. LOL”

Miles laughs: “L-O-L”? She actually typed “L-O-L”?

Dave: Yes and that’s how her son reacted, too. He typed back. “Why is that funny?!”

His mum was horrified and said, “It’s not funny! That’s horrible! Why would you ask me that?”

Miles: What did her son say?

Dave: Well, he very patiently explained: “Mom, L-O-L means “laughing out loud.”

Miles: So, what did she say?

Dave: As you can imagine, she was horrified. She said: “Oh, no! I’ve been adding LOL to everyone I texted about her death because I thought it meant ‘lots of love’!”

Miles: That’s awful!

Dave: And this misunderstanding occurred between two people who speak the same language! You can imagine the sorts of confusion that can arise when translating between two different languages.

Miles: Oh, yeah. I was talking to one of our WLC team members. Native English speaker. Moved to Spain. She goes to the vet and asks for some flea powder for their cat.

At least, she thought she was asking for powder to kill fleas: polvo para pulgas. Instead, what she actually asked for was polvo para putas, or powder to kill prostitutes.

She didn’t realize her mistake until the guy started laughing.

Dave: A lot of meaning can be lost in translation, either accidentally, or because some words just don’t have an equivalent translation. And that’s what I want to talk about today.

Recently, we did a program about what constitutes a “day” in Scripture. We learned that the Biblical day begins with the dawning of light, and ends when the light is gone, and night has come.

Miles: If you missed that program, you can still listen to it. Just go to WorldsLastChance.com and click on the WLC Radio icon. Scroll through the titles listed and look for the program entitled “When Does the Day Begin in the Bible?”

You can also listen to past radio episodes on YouTube as we’ve uploaded the audios there as well.

Dave: We’ve been getting quite a few people asking for more information about this.

Miles: Well, it’s a brand new concept. On our modern calendar, “days” begin at midnight. And, since Jews begin their Sabbath observance at sundown on Friday, I think we’ve all assumed that the Biblical day always started at sunset.

Dave: But it didn’t. There’s only one verse in the entire Bible that refers to a sabbath beginning at sunset, and it’s not the weekly Sabbath at all. It’s one day out of the entire year: Day of Atonement.

Let’s take a quick look at that. Leviticus 23, verse 7.

Miles: “On the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement. It shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto Yahuwah.”

Dave: Yah then goes on to explain precisely when they are to start their observance. He’s already given the date: the tenth day of the seventh month, but there’s something a bit different about Day of Atonement. Read verses 31 and 32.

Miles: “Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.”

Dave: This is Day of Atonement! He’s not talking about the weekly seventh-day Sabbath. If Yah had been speaking of the seventh-day Sabbath, He wouldn’t have needed to tell them that no work was to be done on that day.

And in the context of explaining Day of Atonement, Yah says that they are to start their observance the evening before.

Miles: A thought just struck me: it’s not necessary to explain what is normal practice. It’s only exceptions to the rules that need to be explained. He’s explaining an exception here!

Dave: Exactly! Now, if every single day started at “even” why would Yah have to tell them that Day of Atonement started at “even”?

Miles: He wouldn’t need to, would He?

Dave: No! But this brings us to a troublesome little word that I want to spend the rest of our time talking about. That’s the word “even.” Based on how this word is translated into English, Christians commonly assume that the word “even” refers to sunset or any time thereafter. That’s where the confusion arises because we’ve got, apparently, the same word in Genesis 1. And this is where most people stumble over the idea of the day beginning at dawn.

Let’s turn there and read verses three to five.

Miles: Genesis 1:3-5. It says:

“And Elohim said, Let there be light: and there was light. And Elohim saw the light, that it was good: and Elohim divided the light from the darkness. And Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”

Dave: That last phrase, “and the evening and the morning were the first day,” is repeated throughout the rest of the chapter:

“The evening and the morning were the second day.”
“The evening and the morning were the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day.”

What assumption do we make when we hear this phrase?

Miles: Well … that he’s speaking of a complete 24-hour period.

Dave: Right! But the truth is, he’s not. The original meaning has been lost in translation. What Moses is talking about here is the daylight hours only. He is defining what constitutes a “day.”

Miles: How can you tell?

Dave: By looking at the original Hebrew words. We’re going to do that in just a moment, but before we do, I want you to read Genesis 1, verse 5 again. Just the first sentence, and tell me what you notice.

Miles: “And Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.”

Dave: What did He call the darkness?

Miles: Night.

Dave: So, in describing it, Moses had the word for night. He used it right in that same verse! Our mistake has been assuming that the word “evening” and the word “night” meant the same thing, but they don’t.

The word translated “night” comes from the Hebrew word layil. It’s the same word we find in Isaiah 21:11 where it says, quote: “He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night?”

Miles: Obviously, we’re talking about nighttime there.

Dave: Yes, and it’s a different word from the one used in the phrase: “And the evening and the morning were the first day.”

That word comes from the Hebrew ereb and the definition is dusk, or evening.

So the first thing we need to understand is that the Hebrew word for night, layil, is not synonymous with the word ereb.

Now, let’s take a look at two more Hebrew words. The first is “yome” it means, quite literally, “to be hot.”

Miles: Or, what we would call the daylight hours.

Dave: Yes. So “day” is a good translation of “yome.” The next is the Hebrew word “boker”. It’s translated as “morning” and refers only to the earliest part of the day, or yome.

Miles: Okay, so then if boker is “morning”, and yome is “day”, what’s “afternoon”?

Dave: That is the word ereb that we translate as evening.

Miles: But that’s not sunset!

Dave: No. See, “sunset” is a point in time. Ereb is not a specific point in time anymore than “afternoon” is. Rather, it is a section of the day.

We tend to get overly specific when we apply our assumptions to Scripture. When it says, “even” or “evening” we think “sunset.” But that’s not what it’s saying. In fact, Moses had the word for sunset. It’s shemesh bow which means “sun down” or sunset.”

Ereb, however, refers to mid-afternoon on to dark. Some sources say it includes anytime between noon and dark.

Miles: In other words, what we call “afternoon.”

Dave: Right. Shemesh bow, on the other hand, can refer to:

• Just before sunset
• Just as the sun is setting, and
• Right after sundown while it’s still dark, but getting close to nighttime.

Miles: Uh, not to doubt you or anything, but can you give us some examples of each of those?

Dave: Sure! Genesis 15, verse 12 is an example of shemesh bow being used prior to the sun setting. Why don’t you read that for us?

Miles: “And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.”

Dave: Here, the sun had not yet set. It was probably getting late in the day, but it was before sunset.

Now turn to Exodus 17:12. This use of shemesh bow refers to the sun actually being in the process of setting.

Miles: “But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”

Dave: Okay, now turn back to Genesis 28:11. This time, shemesh bow is used to refer to that period of early evening when the sun has set and it is drawing on toward night, but is still light enough to see.

Miles: “And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.”

Dave: Here’s my point: if the Hebrew word, ereb, means sunset as we’ve always assumed, why didn’t Moses use the word ereb in these three verses? Because he didn’t. Instead, he used the word for sunset.

Miles: Which also begs the question: why didn’t Moses use the Hebrew for sunset, shemesh bow, in all the places where he uses “evening” instead?

Dave: That’s a good question. The point we haven’t understood is that ereb, translated into English as “even” or “evening” is not a fixed point in time like we’ve assumed. It’s not a point when something begins or ends.

There are some places in Scripture where the word “even” refers to the middle of the day! Others, midafternoon. Still other places it refers to roughly the time where the sun starts to set. Some verses use the word to describe when the sun is just below the horizon. It can even refer to dusk.

Miles: Huh! Yeah, that’s different from what I was always taught or, more accurately, assumed. We’re going to take a quick break and when we return, I’d like to hear some examples of this.

* * *

Advertisement

Is there someone in your life for whom you are concerned? A friend? Perhaps it’s your spouse. Maybe it’s a grown child who is not living up to all the light he or she knows.

If you would like to learn more about the science of intercessory prayer, visit our website at WorldsLastChance.com. Your prayers can be blessed to the salvation of others! Through prayer, you can cooperate with heavenly agencies to be a blessing to everyone with whom you come in contact.

To learn more, go to WorldsLastChance.com. Look for the article, “Praying for Others.” Read it today! Yahuwah is waiting with a longing heart to answer your prayers.

* * *Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: When you take the time to actually look up the words in the original Hebrew, it’s surprising how much meaning has been lost in translation. Really, “even” or “evening” is a poor choice of the word. It creates in our minds the expectation of the beginning of night. But really, “afternoon” would be a more accurate translation of the Hebrew word, ereb, wouldn’t it?

Dave: It would. The important point to remember when dealing with a Biblical day is, that as long as there is sunlight, it is considered part of the day.

Miles: Even after the sun has set.

Dave: Yes, twilight, or dusk, is still part of the day, because what did he say in Genesis 1? What was the purpose of the sun?

Miles: Uh … let me read it here, starting in verse 16:

And Elohim made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And Elohim set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and Elohim saw that it was good.

So, the sun was made to rule over the day, and to divide the light from the darkness.

Dave: Correct. So as long as there is light in the sky, the sun is still ruling the day.

Miles: This may be a little off-topic here, and I don’t want to go too far off on a tangent, but when the day is the daylight hours, it begins before sunrise and ends after sunset, doesn’t it? This means that there really is no specific point in time at which the Sabbath begins or ends.

Dave: I’m glad you’ve brought that out. See, our fallen human natures like the sense of satisfaction we get when we do things. We like to feel like we’re earning our salvation. We may give lip service to being saved by grace through faith, but we find it reassuring to think that we’re doing all the right things the law requires.

Miles: There’s that burden Paul referred to: the idea that we’re saved by righteous works.

Dave: And having a specific point in time, a precise moment the sun slips below the horizon, gives us that self-satisfied assurance that we’re doing everything we’re supposed to do to keep the Sabbath.

Miles: It really makes the Sabbath works-oriented, doesn’t it? You can work right up to the last instant there is a ray of light still above the horizon, and start to party the instant the sun slips entirely below the horizon.

Dave: And still feel you’re saved, because you’re keeping the letter of the law. But when we do that, we entirely miss the spirit of the law, which is one-on-one communion with our Maker during a time that He has set apart and blessed.

The main point that causes confusion in Genesis one is that it describes two different segments of time, but because of our assumptions on what the word “evening” means, we’ve been confused. Genesis 1 gives us the definition of a “day—“

Miles: All the hours that are light.

Dave: And it also defines “night.”

Miles: When there is no light.

Dave: Right. Genesis 1:5. “And the light he called day, and the darkness he called night.” He’s defining what’s day, and what’s night. The hours of light are day; the hours of darkness are night.

Evening and morning are the parts that comprise a day. Night is simply the interval between two different days.

We need to understand that Genesis one describes not only the creation of our world, but it also describes the establishment of the Creator’s specific method of time-calculation: the luni-solar calendar. That was established at Creation.

So, after Moses goes through and describes that day’s work, whether it’s causing dry land to appear, or filling the seas with fish, he ends with a phrase that he repeats over, and over, and over again.

Miles: “And the evening and the morning were the first day.”

Dave: Correct.

Miles: But that sounds like it supports a day beginning at evening!

Dave: Does it? You’re looking at it as though the word meant “sunset.” Remember, the word here translated “evening” can refer to any time from midday on to dark.

Miles: So, what’s it saying than?

Dave: It’s repeating what two parts make up a day. That’s all.

I know this is confusing, but let’s go to the first day of creation. When did the first day of Creation week begin? Remember, there were no luminaries in the sky yet. So at what point in time did the first day begin?

Miles: Uhhh … when He said, “Let there be light”?

Dave: Precisely! Before Yah said, “Let there be light,” time as we know it with days, and weeks, and months, did not exist. The first day of Creation week began when Yah said, “Let there be light.”

Now, that’s a problem if you think the “day” starts with darkness. Before there was light, while it was still dark, did Yahuwah make some grand announcement? Did He say, “Okay, listen up! Day 1 is staaaarting….NOW!” And then did He wait 12 hours before He said “Let there be light”?

Miles: No! That’s ridiculous.

Dave: So than, after He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, did He have to explain, “This isn’t actually part of the first day yet. Hold on for a few more hours, and then it will be the first day after it gets dark again”?

Miles: No, no.

Dave: Of course not. The first weekday on earth began the moment Elohim declared: “Let there be light.”

Therefore, the next day/night cycle began, when the first day/night cycle ended.

Miles: At dawn the next morning.

Dave: Correct. Day two of Creation week began when the first day/night cycle ended. And it ended with the coming of light at dawn on the second day of the week.

Miles: That actually makes sense.

Dave: We’ve been taught that the day began in the evening, but if that were so, than the day/night cycle would also end at evening. Do you see what I’m saying?

A complete 24-hour period encompasses both a day and a night. Both the hours of light and the hours of darkness comprise one complete, 24-hour period. Correct?

Miles: Right.

Dave: So, if that complete 24-hour segment of time started at, say, sunset, it would, by definition, have to end when the next 24-hour segment began at the next sunset. Still with me?

Miles: Okay.

Dave: But that’s not what it says in Genesis one. The day/night cycle begins at dawn of the first day of the week. That same day/night cycle ends, when the second day/night cycle begins: at dawn on the second day of the week. That is what is meant when it keeps repeating all through that chapter:

And the evening and the morning were the first day.

The evening and the morning were the … second day.

The evening and the morning were the … third day.

You have to circle back around to the next morning to complete that one 24-hour, day/night cycle. Nighttime is the interval that connects two different days.

Miles: Oooh! I get it. The light is beginning to dawn!

Dave: “Let there be light!”

Miles laughs: So when it says, “the evening and the morning were the first day,” it’s not saying the day began at night. It’s saying that the day was comprised of morning and evening.

Dave: Correct. Morning is when the sun is rising in the sky. It lasts until noon. Evening is where the sun is descending and lasts until dark.

Again, night was simply the interval between two days. Remember: He already defined the light as “day” and the darkness as “night.” So, a day is always associated with light, whether that’s the growing light of dawn, or the fading light of dusk. Night is the absence of light.

Miles: Okay, could you shed some light on Exodus 12? The story of the Passover has always troubled me. If the day starts at sunset, than the Angel of Death passed over Egypt on the Sabbath! That’s a problem. Scripture itself refers to Judgment and retribution as “work.”

And I don’t subscribe to the belief that Yahuwah can break His own laws with impunity.

Dave: You’re right. Yahuwah always keeps His own laws.

Yahuwah didn’t send the Angel of Death during the Sabbath, because the sacred hours of the Sabbath didn’t start until the next dawn! And I can prove it.

For those unfamiliar with the finer details of the story, let’s recap. Moses was told that the Children of Israel were to select a lamb or a kid goat. They were to kill, paint the doorposts and lintels with the animals blood, and then stay in their homes until morning. Why?

Miles: Because the Angel of Death was to pass over Egypt at midnight.

Dave: Right. And when he saw the blood on the doorways, he would “pass over” the homes covered with the blood of the lamb. It was all very symbolic, very beautiful, pointing forward to the death of the Saviour on the Passover, when His blood would cover sinners.

This story does not make any sense if the day starts at sunset. We know that Yahushua, the “Lamb of Yah that taketh away the sins of the world” died right at the time of the evening sacrifice.

Miles: In this instance, “evening” referring to mid-afternoon, right?

Dave: Yes. Literally, it’s “between the evenings.” So: afternoon.

Exodus 29, verses 38 and 39 say: “Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even.”

Every day there was a morning sacrifice, and an “evening” sacrifice. That’s when Yahushua died. It’s called the “evening” sacrifice, but it occurred mid-afternoon.

We know the Passover was the day before the weekly Sabbath. We also know it couldn’t have occurred the night before because that’s not when Yahushua died. That’s when He was being rushed from the High Priest, to Pilate, to Herod, and back again. So, the Passover in Egypt, which pointed to the death of the Messiah, could not have occurred after sundown that ended the fifth day of the week and supposedly started the sixth. The timeline doesn’t work out.

The Passover meal was killed and eaten on the sixth day of the week.

Now, for it to be the sixth day of the week, and still the night of Passover when the Angel of Death went forth, the day had to have started at dawn on the sixth day of the week, not sunset the night before.

Miles: There’s another problem with this story when you assume the “evening to evening” timing of the day, and that is, the people were to stay in their homes until morning. It says so right here in … uh, Exodus 12, verses 22 and 23. It says:

“None of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For Yahuwah will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, Yahuwah will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.”

People who promote a sunset beginning of the day miss this point. They assume that after the Angel of Death passed over Egypt at midnight, they all got busy and hurried out of Egypt, but that’s wrong. All were supposed to stay in their homes until morning.

Dave: At dawn, the Sabbath began. They rested over the sacred hours of the Sabbath, and then that night, after the sacred hours had passed, but still on the 15^th of the month, they left Egypt. The Bible’s very clear on that.

In fact, let’s read it. Would you read Numbers 33, verse 3?

Miles: “And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians.”

Dave: Now read Deuteronomy 16:1.

Miles: “Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the Yahuwah thy Eloah: for in the month of Abib Yahuwah thy Eloah brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.”

Dave: This couldn’t have been the night following the Passover, because they were to stay in their homes until morning. This was the next night, the night of the 15^th because the night always follows the day. It doesn’t precede it.

Miles: In other words, when you’re assigning a date to nighttime, the night belongs to the day that went before it.

Dave: Yes. You can see an example of this in Numbers 11. This is when the Israelites were complaining about not having any meat to eat, so Yah sent flocks of quails to the camp. Read verse 32 of Numbers 11, would you please?

Miles: “And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails.”

Dave: Notice the wording. The people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day.

Now, if a new “day” started at evening, it would have said, The people stood up all that day, and all the next night, and all the next day. But that’s not what it says.

Miles: You start looking at this from a different perspective and all these details start to leap out at you!

Dave: And it all establishes two things:

First: the day starts with the dawning of light. Secondly, the word “even” in Scripture, applies to the second part of the day, from noon to dark. Remember: Moses had a word for “night” and he used it.

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

* * *

You are listening to World's Last Chance Radio.

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

* * *Advertisement

In recent years, a surprising teaching has been spreading throughout Christianity. Many sincere believers have begun to question whether the apostle Paul was a true follower of Yahushua or an apostate.

If Paul truly were an apostate, the ramifications of this are huge! Christian theology is based largely upon the writings of Paul. For a careful analysis of whether Paul was, or was not, an apostate, look for “Paul: False Prophet? Or True Apostle?” on our website at WorldsLastChance.com. That’s “Paul: False Prophet? Or True Apostle?” on WorldsLastChance.com.

* * *Daily Mailbag (Miles & Dave)

Miles: Brett Sullivan from Calgary, Canada writes: “Have you heard of hyper-grace? What is it? Is it a good thing?”

Dave: First, let’s define the term. We know what hyper is. Kids get hyper right before bedtime. In fact, I’ve seen you get hyper, Miles!

Miles laughs: Oh, yeah! One too many energy drinks gets me hyper, too.

Dave: Grace is Yah’s undeserved favor that He bestows on sinners. You link the two and you get what is referred to as “hyper-grace.” Basically, it refers to an extreme form of grace.

Miles: What do you mean? Grace is good. It’s how we’re saved! Ephesians 2:8 to 9 says: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of Yah: not of works, lest any man should boast.”

I’m not seeing what’s so bad about this.

Dave: The problem with this idea of hyper-grace is that it focuses on one thing only to the exclusion of other Biblical doctrines.

For example: it’s true that we’re not saved by works. However, we are saved to do good works in Yahushua. When He lives out His life in us, through faith, we will do good works.

This idea of “hyper-grace” is really spreading and it’s dangerous simply because when we focus on hyper-grace to the exclusion of everything else, we lose focus on the daily need to surrender and repent. That’s something we need to do every single day.

As Christians, we know that Yah’s grace is sufficient to cover our sins. But under hyper-grace, people can start to abuse that grace.

Miles: Ooo. That’s wandering onto dangerous ground.

Dave: Many who enthusiastically tout hyper-grace live like they’re taking advantage of divine grace and sin all the more. And yet, that’s exactly what Paul was fighting against! Would you read Romans 6:1-2?

Miles: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? Yah forbid.”

Dave: Yah forbid! Verses 14 and 15 say: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? Yah forbid.”

“Hyper-grace” focuses on the gift of divine grace, but that does not give license to sin. That’s not what the Bible teaches at all.

Miles: This reminds me of Matthew 21. I think it contains a warning for those who promote hyper-grace. It says:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Dave: Grace doesn’t give us permission to sin. Instead, it forgives our past sin and gives us power to obey in the present, through faith in Yahushua.

Miles: If you’ve got questions, send us a message. Just go to WorldsLastChance.com and click on Contact Us. We always enjoy hearing from our listeners.

* * *Daily Promise

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

There are few things more guaranteed to instill terror than the danger of imminent death.

Sir Wilfred Grenfell was an English medical missionary to Labrador. The Encyclopedia Britannica states that “While still a medical student at London University in 1887, Grenfell was impressed by the sermons of the American evangelist Dwight L. Moody. … in 1892 he initiated missionary service to the fishermen of Labrador. He soon became absorbed in improving the living conditions of the inhabitants of the Labrador coast.”

Grenfell established the International Grenfell Association to help improve the lives of those who lived in Labrador. By the time he retired in 1932, the Association had helped found six hospitals, four hospital ships to serve people that otherwise had no access to medical care, seven nursing stations, two orphanages, two large schools, fourteen industrial centers, and even a cooperative lumber mill.

In this bitterly cold region of northern Canada, it was a difficult—and at times dangerous—place to live.

At one time, Sir Grenfell found himself adrift on an ice flow, headed out to sea. In mercy to his dogs, he killed them and made a coat out of their hides for warmth. Then, he put up a distress flag. Incredibly, he than lay down and went to sleep!

Later, in recalling the incident, he said, quote: "There was nothing to fear. I had done all I could, the rest lay in [Yah’s] hands."

Grenfell was able to fall asleep in the face of imminent danger because he trusted that whatever would happen was Yah’s will. Proverbs 14, verse 32 declares, quote: “The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.”

When you know Yahuwah as it is your privilege to know Him, you’re going to trust Him even when walking through “the valley of the shadow of death.”

Psalm 49, verse 15 states: “Eloah will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me.”

Trusting in Yahuwah’s promises, you can have every confidence that no matter what happens, He is in control and He will lead you exactly as you would choose to be lead if you could see the end from the beginning just as He can.

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

* * *Part 3: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: This has been an eye-opening discussion. Who knew that the word “even” could have such a completely different meaning in the original Hebrew!

Dave: When you understand what the original words mean, it firmly establishes that the day begins at dawn. Not sunset. Not sunrise. Not midnight. Dawn.

Miles: Okay. It’s all very interesting, but I’ve got one question for you. How would you answer if someone were to say: “Isn’t it all just semantics? Even/evening. What’s the big difference? Does it really matter?”

Dave: That’s a good question. The answer is, yes. It does matter. And the reason is simple: any time we accept error, any time we believe Satan’s counterfeit, rather than the truth, it opens the door to his delusions. It’s much easier for him to deceive us and lead us astray when we’ve accepted error.

Miles: Yes, but, when a day begins? The definition of “even”? Does it really make that big a difference?

Dave: I believe so, yes.

Earlier, we were talking about how, having a specific moment of time to begin the Sabbath—the instant the last ray of light slips over the horizon—how that can lead to a legalistic observance of the Sabbath.

Protestant churches that keep a Friday sundown-to-Saturday sundown observance will even print up pamphlets to let their church members know sunset times throughout the year.

You can work right up to sunset Friday evening, and start to party right at sunset Saturday night, and still tell yourself you’re keeping the Sabbath.

Miles: But you’re not really entering into the true spirit of Sabbath-keeping, which is resting in Yahuwah.

Dave: Exactly. A legalistic observance of the Sabbath is a burden! It really is! And as that weight drags you down, and drags you down, eventually it becomes too much to carry. People start looking for relief and they find it in a misinterpretation of Paul’s writings. And what’s the first thing they do upon misinterpreting Paul’s writings?

Miles: Well, they quit keeping the Sabbath. Say it’s no longer binding.

Dave: Because that’s what they want to believe. The Sabbath has become such a burden, that they’re looking for any logical-sounding reason to set it aside.

Miles: What a difference from the experience described in Isaiah 58. Give me just a second to turn there…

Here we go. Verses 13 and 14 say:

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 Yahuwah hath spoken it.

Dave: When the Sabbath is a legalistic burden, you’re not delighting in it! And yet it’s this experience, the joy that comes from true Sabbath observance, from entering into Yah’s rest, that enables the righteous to “ride upon the high places of the earth” and to be fed with the heritage of Jacob.

Now, back to “even.” Satan deceives by twining together truth and error; light and darkness. This is what he’s done with when the day begins. Yah called the light “day.” He called the darkness “night.”

What are we doing when we say a “day” starts at “night”?

Miles: Well, we’re, in effect, calling “light” darkness.

Dave: Yes. It’s a perfect metaphor for what Satan does with truth and error. Turn to Isaiah chapter 5 and read verses 20 to 21. In this passage, Yahuwah gives a clear warning against doing that.

You have it? Go ahead.

Miles: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”

Wow. You know, I’ve read those verses before, but in this context, that’s really powerful. That’s exactly what we do when we claim the day begins with darkness when Yahuwah Himself defined day as being “light”!

I remember reading once a statement that said character is not developed in a crisis. It’s developed on a day-by-day basis as we make decisions whether or not we’ll obey the truths that have been revealed to us.

Something as simple as what constitutes “evening” and when a day begins can have really far reaching effects.

If we want to dwell in the secret place of the Most High, if we want to abide under the shadow of the Almighty, we must determine in our own hearts to follow truth regardless of the cost.

Then, Yah will get us ready. He knows we can’t get ourselves ready, but if we make a full surrender to Him, He has pledged to get us ready for what lies ahead.

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

* * *

You have been listening to WLC Radio.

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.