Program 10: The True Meaning of Roman’s 13

Romans 13 does not mean believers should break the divine law in order to keep human laws.

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: The True Meaning of Roman’s 13

Miles Robey: Hello there! Welcome to today’s program. I’m your host, Miles Robey.

Dave Wright: And I’m Dave Wright. Thanks for joining us today. We’re glad you’ve tuned in.

Miles: I’ve got a question for you, Dave.

Dave: All right. What’s that? Is there going to be a test later?

Miles: This is the test.

Dave: Okay. What’s your question?

Miles: Who is the greatest Bible scholar ever?

Dave: Hmmm. I’m thinking this is going to be a trick question, so I’m going to go with . . . uh. Yahushua. Yahushua’s the greatest Bible scholar ever.

Miles: You got me there, but that’s not who I was thinking of. Let me rephrase: of any one who has sinned, who’s the greatest Bible scholar?

Dave: Well, I—I really don’t know. I couldn’t say.

Miles: Well, you were right. It is something of a trick question, but it’s also true. The devil is the greatest Bible scholar in the world.

Dave: That’s true. He knows the Scriptures backward and forward. He’s studied it like no one else ever has.

Miles: Yep. He knows the truth and he takes that truth, and entwines it through and through with error, because he knows that is the best way to deceive! Today, I want to talk about a passage of Scripture that, probably more than any other single passage of the Bible, has been used by the devil to get good people to do wrong.

Dave: Sounds like something about which we all need to be leery!

Before we get into that, though, I want to offer a quick explanation to our first time listeners. Here on WLC Radio, you won’t hear us referring to God, the Lord, or Jesus, even though we’re a Christian shortwave radio station.

The Bible repeatedly tells us to “call upon the name of the Lord” and you can’t really do that if you don’t know His name!

Miles: That’s right, Dave. The word “god” simply means “mighty one.” The Hebrew equivalent is “el”. It’s certainly not a personal name and it can apply to false gods, as well. And “lord” is just a title. The Father’s actual name is “Yahuwah” or “Yah” while the Saviour’s name is Yahushua.

Dave: One of the beautiful things about knowing Yahuwah’s real name is that other names in Scripture come alive. Often, a lot of parents today just pick names for a pleasing sound, but the Israelites gave their babies names with real meaning.

Miles: Can you give us a few examples?

Dave: Sure! For example, you’ve got Isaiah, or IsaYAH. Do you hear the “Yah” in there?

Miles: Well, yeah. When you say it like that, I do. What does it mean?

Dave: IsaYAH means Yah has saved. Then there’s Azariah, or AzariYAH, which means “Yah has helped” and Zechariah, or ZechariYAH: “Yah has remembered.”

Jedidiah means “Beloved of Yah,” while Azaziah is “Yahuwah has helped.” Then there are all the names that incorporate “El.” There’s Daniel, Danny-EL, which means “Judge of El” and Samuel: “Heard of El.” Elizabeth means “El of the oath.”

Then you’ve got names that combine El and Yah, such as Elijah, or Eli-YAH, which means “El of Yah” or “Mighty One of Yahuwah.”

Joel or YAH-el: Yah is his El, his Mighty One.

Miles: Wow! I had no idea all these weird names had such beautiful meanings!

Dave: They really do. These names are incredibly faith inspiring when you know what they mean. But the devil’s hidden it from our understanding, and that’s a shame.

Miles: It really is.

Dave: And he’s good at it! He’ll take the clearest passages of Scripture, mix in a bit of error, and all of a sudden, what was clear, is now confusing.

Miles: You’re right, and Romans 13 is one passage of Scripture where this happens. A lot of people get confused over this passage, so I’m hoping you can shed some light on it for us today. Just what is Paul meaning here.

Dave: Sure! Let’s take a look at it. Could you read it for us first?

Miles: Yes, it’s Romans 13, verses 1 to 5. It says:

“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from Yah, and the authorities that exist are appointed by Yahuwah. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of Yah, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is Yahuwah’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is Yahuwah’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake.”

Is this really saying that we’re to break Yahuwah’s law in order to keep human laws?

Dave: The short answer is no. Never. However, I want to explain why because the fact is, governments have used this passage before to try to compel Christians to go along with things they otherwise would protest.

Peter urged believers to “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.” And anyone who is going to stand firm for Yahuwah, even if it means breaking manmade laws, needs to know why.

Miles: Well, yeah! If you’re going to be breaking laws, you’ll be facing fines, possibly imprisonment . . .

Dave: If your very life is at stake, you will need to have the assurance of knowing that what you are doing is in accordance with Yah’s will.

Miles: That’s true, because if I’m in court accused of breaking the law, no offense, but I’m going to need more than the Word of Dave to keep me faithful.

I’m going to need to know that I’m standing upon the Word of Yah.

Dave: Exactly. Well, the first thing you need to understand about Romans 13 is the reason it confuses so many people. Satan has confused a lot of people with this passage because they don’t know how far to take it. Do you apply it in all circumstances? Or only in certain situations? It’s an excellent example of the devil quoting Scripture for his own purpose.

The devil does that, you know. When he tempted Yahushua in the wilderness, he tried to get the Saviour to commit the sin of presumption.

You remember, the devil carried Him to a pinnacle of the temple and told Him: “If You are the Son of Yah, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ “

Miles: I remember that. In quoting Psalm 91, the devil left out a phrase. It actually says: “He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all thy ways.” In other words, as you do the will of Yah. But the devil left that phrase out.

Dave: That’s right. Satan twisted Scripture to get it to say something it really wasn’t saying at all.

Remember: the devil is smart. He’s not going to deceive anyone with out right lies and he knows it. Ten percent of truth, mingled with 90% lies isn’t going to trick anyone! But, you take 90% truth, and mix in only a little error, the deception is much more subtle. All of a sudden, people are more likely to be deluded into believing error, because 90% truth mingled with 10% error is still error even if it looks like, and sounds like, truth.

Miles: Makes sense. It’s how he gets good people to do bad things.

Dave: Right. Steven Weinberg is a Nobel laureate. He said something that is very insightful. He said without religion, “you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.”

Miles: Hmm. At first, that sounds a bit shocking, but you think about it, it starts to make sense. “Religion” by definition is simply an institutionalized or organized system of belief. If the beliefs being taught by the organization are wrong, then yeah. You are going to get good people convinced to do evil things.

Dave: A lot of people may not be aware of this, but a number of leading Nazi party members made statements that sound very Christian.

Miles: Seriously? Like what?

Dave: Well, take Joseph Goebbles, for instance. He was Hitler’s Propaganda Minister you’ll recall. He wrote: “I take the Bible, and all evening long I read the simplest and greatest sermon that has ever been given to mankind: The Sermon on the Mount! 'Blessed are they who suffer persecution for the sake of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven'!”

Miles: Sounds very Christian.

Dave: Sure! But than, this is the same man that could turn around and also state: “Christ is the genius of love, as such the most diametrical opposite of Judaism, which is the incarnation of hate. The Jew is a non-race among the races of the earth…. Christ is the first great enemy of the Jews…. that is why Judaism had to get rid of him. For he was shaking the very foundations of its future international power. The Jew is the lie personified. When he crucified Christ, he crucified everlasting truth for the first time in history.”

Do you see how, in that statement, he twisted truth and error together? Crypto-Jews—the politically motivated Zionists most of whom are not actually descended from Abraham—may fit that statement, but it certainly is NOT true when applied to ANY race as a whole, including the descendants of Abraham.

Miles: So by twisting truth and error, evil people justify their evil, and otherwise good people can be deluded into participating in evil.

Dave: Or at least turning a blind eye to it. William Benton Clulow was an English minister who died in 1882. He was also known for being a dissenter. He wrote: “Error is sometimes so nearly allied to truth, that it blends with it as imperceptibly as the colours of the rainbow fade into each other.” And that’s what is going on with this passage in Romans. We are to respect civil authorities but never if what they are requiring of us breaks the law of Yah.

Miles: Makes sense.

Dave: Chuck Baldwin, a pastor and radio host, brings out another interesting point. He says Paul makes it clear that our submission to civil authority must be based on more than fear of governmental retaliation.

Miles: How so?

Dave: Well, notice where Paul says you must “be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.”

In other words, obedience to any civil authority is based on more than just “because they said so.” As Baldwin says, quote: “It is also a matter of conscience. This means we must think and reason for ourselves regarding the justness and rightness of our government’s laws. Obedience is not automatic or robotic. It is a result of both rational deliberation and moral approbation.” Unquote.

Miles: Excellent point. We’re going to take a quick break but when we get back Dave’s going to show us from Scripture the correct way to interpret Romans 13. Be right back!

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* * *Part 2: The True Meaning of Roman’s 13

Miles: Today, we’ve been discussing believers’ responsibility to obey civil authorities. Romans 13 clearly states: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from Yah, and the authorities that exist are appointed by Yahuwah.”

This passage has been used to try to compel believers to violate their conscience.

Dave: And, sadly, it’s worked at times. Edmund Burke, a British member of parliament in the 18^th century noted, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” And Romans 13 has been a weapon in the hands of the unscrupulous to get good men to rationalize away evil.

Miles: Okay, so then how is Romans 13 supposed to be interpreted? It is in Scripture after all.

Dave: Well, as with most passages of Scripture that are misinterpreted, it’s been taken out of context. People who use Romans 13, verses 1 to 5, to compel the conscience tend to gloss over the next two verses. And it’s in the context of verses 6 and 7 that verses 1 to 5 must be interpreted.

Miles: Hold on a second. Let me read it really quickly so we know what we’re talking about.

Romans 13:6 and 7: “ For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are Yah's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”

Dave: Yes, this is the context in which the first verses must be understood. Another translation says: “This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are Yah’s servants, who give their full time to governing.”

You obey human laws when they don’t conflict with the divine law. And no one has the authority to tell you to do anything that violates the divine law!

Yahushua said it best in Matthew 10. He was explaining that following truth, loving truth, and loving Yah, must come first, before any other human relationship. He said: “He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

So this is the key. This, right here, is the context in which man’s laws are to be obeyed. As long as the authority figures act in accordance with the divine law they are Yah’s servants.

However, just as soon as they go beyond that, just as soon as they pass any law that violates in any way the divine law, we have a divine mandate to put the law of Yah FIRST.

Miles: That makes sense. Just, righteous laws, don’t need to compel the conscience. It reminds me of a quote by Thomas Jefferson. He was one of America’s founding fathers and wrote their Declaration of Independence from, well, us.

Anyway, he said: “It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.”

Dave: Exactly! No government that’s a true servant of Yah, will pass laws requiring believers to violate their conscience.

Miles: Okay, but what do you do if you’re in a situation where the governing authority requires you to do something that violates Yah’s law?

Dave: Under those circumstances you have a divine mandate to put the law of Yah first.

This was a point the Pharisees tested the Saviour on. In Matthew 22, the Pharisees asked Him: “Tell us: Is it lawful to pay tribute to Caesar or not?”

Now, obviously, if He said it were lawful, they could denounce Him to the people as a Roman-lover and, hopefully, the people would turn against Him.

However, if He said it were not lawful, they could denounce Him to the Romans as a rebel.

Miles: A win-win for the Pharisees, huh?

Dave: Ha! That’s what they thought! I love the Saviour’s response. They gave Him a multiple-choice answer: A? Or B? And He didn’t choose either one. He came up with His own answer . . . and it was correct!

I love it! It’s great. Here, would you read it for us? Start at verse 18.

Miles: “But Yahushua perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto Him a penny. And He saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto Him, Caesar's. Then saith He unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto Yah the things that are Yah's.”

Dave: Isn’t that great? They thought they had Him trapped, but they didn’t. He came up with a completely different, utterly brilliant, and inspired answer: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to Yah the things that are Yah’s.”

Miles: Yeah, the Jews were impressed, too. The very next verse says: “When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left Him, and went their way.”

Dave: So that’s the principle. We obey human laws as long as they are in accordance with the divine law. Now, I have to admit, women tend to figure this out faster than we men sometimes. Take, for example, Shiphrah and Puah.

Miles: Who?

Dave: Midwives. Pharaoh didn’t like how many Children of Israel were in Egypt, so he called in the Hebrew midwives and told them to commit infanticide. They were to kill any little boys that were born to Hebrew women.

Miles: Oh, right. I knew the story, just not their names. They didn’t do it, did they?

Dave: More than that, they actually lied to Pharaoh about it! Exodus 1:17 says: “But the midwives feared Yahuwah, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them but saved the male children alive.” Now the word translated “save” means to keep alive; to give life; to preserve life and to recover life. The original word means to revive.

When a little Hebrew boy was born and was not doing well, these women went beyond disobeying the king’s command – they did everything in their power to insure the little boy lived! They cleaned out the nose and mouth of the baby, they rubbed his little chest, they did mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Whatever was required to preserve the life of the child, they did.

The Bible doesn’t say how long they defied Pharaoh’s orders, but eventually he figured out that his orders weren’t being followed and ordered them to the palace.

Miles: I’m sure they were scared. We’re talking about an absolute monarch after all.

Dave: Oh, yeah! I’m sure they were terrified! They knew people had been killed for displeasing Pharaoh. But true courage doesn’t mean the absence of fear. True courage means doing what is right because it IS right.

So picture this. Two Hebrew women, poor slaves, standing before a rich, angry, powerful Pharaoh. He demands to know why they’ve disobeyed him and you want to know what the women said?

Miles: What?

Dave: It took incredible courage. They said, “Well, the Hebrew women aren’t like your Egyptian women. Hebrew women are strong and healthy! They’re full of life and vigor. They don’t struggle in labor the way your Egyptian women do. Their babies have already been born by the time we can get there!”

Miles: What an answer! Took a lot of nerve to say that. They basically said: “Well, our women are just stronger and more healthy than your puny Egyptians!”

Dave: I know, right? And yet, their answer pleased Yahuwah. Pharaoh dismissed them without punishment and Yah rewarded them for their bravery. Scripture says: “Yah dealt well with the midwives, . . . And so it was, because the midwives feared Yahuwah, that He provided households for them.”

Miles: Hmmm. So even though they broke the law of Pharaoh, and even went so far as to lie to him, their course of action was honored by Yahuwah because it was in compliance with HIS law.

Dave: Precisely. And the Bible is filled with stories like this. You’ve got the three worthies. King Nebuchadnezzar tells everyone to bow and worship the idol on the plains of Dura or be burned alive. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood straight and tall. They didn’t even bend down and pretend to fasten their shoes!

Miles: There’s Rahab, saving the lives of the spies sent to Jericho and lying to protect them.

Dave: Right! You’ve also got Obadiah.

Miles: Who’s that?

Dave: Oh, this is great! This guy was incredible. I love this story. Obadiah’s name meant “Serving Yah” and he definitely served! He was the “governor,” or official, in charge of the palace under wicked king Ahab.

Miles: Now that would be a precarious job to have. To serve Yah under one of the most wicked kings Israel ever had!

Dave: Absolutely. And it was a position of power and influence, too. So, here’s what happened. You’ll recall Queen Jezebel was high priestess of Baal. She ordered all the prophets of Yahuwah to be killed. Listen to what the Bible says. 1 Kings 18: “Now Obadiah feared Yahuwah greatly. For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of Yahuwah, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.”

So now, tell me, Miles. Where did Obadiah get the bread and water he fed the prophets?

Miles: Where’d he get it?

Dave: Yeah! The country’s in the midst of a drought-induced famine. There’s hardly any food and very little water, so where did he get it?

Miles: Well, uh—

Dave: I’ll tell you! He took it from the king’s supplies! From the king’s own household!

Miles laughs: That’s more than courage! That’s chutzpah! Obadiah had nerves of solid steel!

Dave: Totally. But see, the queen declared the prophets were worthy of death. The word of Yah, however, said otherwise. So Obadiah, in sustaining the lives of Yah’s prophets, was keeping the law of Yah, even while he was breaking a command of the queen. And Yahuwah protected him as a result.

Miles: That reminds me of the story of Jael.

Dave: Oh, yeah! Jael and her nail!

Miles: It’s a great story, recorded in Judges 4. Israel had been oppressed by Jabin, a Cannaanite king. Yahuwah raised up the prophetess, Deborah, to deliver Israel. In the battle, Jabin’s general, Sisera, fled.

Dave: And he fled right into the clutches of Jael!

Miles: Right! Jael and her husband were Israelites. Even so, her husband, Heber, was friends with King Jabin. But she didn’t let that stop her from doing the right thing. The Bible says that she went out to greet Sisera and actually invited him in to her tent and covered him, as though helping him hide from the Israelite army. Then, after he fell asleep, she took a tent peg and a hammer, crept in and hammered the tent peg through his head into the ground. Obviously killing him.

Now, a lot of people would say she did the wrong thing. She killed a man.

But she killed a man who was oppressing Yah’s people. In fact, the prophetess, Deborah, had even foretold that Sisera would be delivered into the hands of a woman. It took great courage for Jael to do the right thing.

Dave: It really did, and I’m glad you brought out this story. It brings up a related point, and that is this: many very sincere women believe that Yahuwah expects them to “obey” their husbands even when their husbands are asking them to do something wrong.

They think, “Scripture tells me to obey my husband. It is my duty to obey regardless of what he asks.”

Miles: Seriously?

Dave: I kid you not. There are some very sincere Christians who believe and teach this. They say that if the husband tells the wife to do something illegal or immoral she still must obey, but Yah will hold the husband responsible.

Miles: That doesn’t make the slightest bit of sense! We learn from Ezekiel 14 that each soul must stand before Yah for himself. One cannot “cover” for another.

Dave: I know. But they very sincerely believe this.

Miles: That is really sad. And yes, anyone trying to force his spouse to violate her conscience will be held accountable.

Dave: I agree. Yahuwah does not give anyone the right to compel another’s conscience or curtail their religious liberty. Everyone is, first and foremost, answerable to Yahuwah for his or her own soul.

We are to obey human authority—of whatever sort it is—only if and when what they are requiring is in agreement with the divine law.

In Acts 5, we have the story of the early apostles preaching the good news of salvation. The high priest had them arrested and thrown into jail but during the night, Yahuwah sent an angel to free them. The apostles immediately went back to the temple to continue preaching.

Miles: I remember that! The next morning, as the soldiers were telling the priests that the prison was locked up but all the prisoners had disappeared, someone else came and said, “Hey! Those men you arrested yesterday? They’re back in the temple preaching again!”

Dave: It’s a great story and it teaches an important lesson. When the apostles were brought back before the council, the high priest demanded: “Didn’t we command you not to preach in the name of Yahushua? And now here, you’ve gone and filled Jerusalem with your doctrine. And, you’re blaming us for this man’s death!”

Peter answered first.

Miles: Good old Peter! Never afraid to speak up!

Dave: That’s right! His response was absolutely inspired. He said: “We ought to obey Yah rather than men.” And that’s what it gets down to for all of us. Who are you going to obey? Yahuwah? Or man-made laws?

Whenever a government–

Miles: –or a spouse—

Dave: –or a spouse—violates the divine law, we are under no obligation to obey because whenever an authority violates Yahuwah’s law, that authority, be it king, president, employer, spouse, or whomever, is no longer acting as Yah’s servant.

Miles: That makes perfect sense. When any system or individual becomes ungodly or unChristian, they no longer properly represent Yahuwah.

Dave: And when that happens, we are under no obligation to obey.

Miles: Thank you, Dave. That really does make sense. The principle is Yah in everything.

Dave: Yes. First, and last, and best in everything. Martin Luther King, Junior, was a civil rights activist in the United States. Before he was assassinated in 1968, he made a very insightful statement. He said: “Cowardice asks the question: is it safe? Expediency asks the question: is it politic? Vanity asks the question: is it popular? But conscience asks the question: is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.”

Miles: Very good. That’s very good. May Yahuwah strengthen us all to always choose the right for no other reason than because it IS right.

Dave: Amen.

Miles: Don’t go away folks. When we return, we’ll be answering a question from Clara in Munich, Germany. Stay tuned.

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What would you say if I tried to tell you that your salvation was not based on the death of the Saviour, it was not based on the love of the Father, and that your faith (or lack thereof) had nothing whatsoever to do with your salvation? How would you react if I told you that your salvation was determined by some cosmic game of chance, a divine luck-of-the-draw?

Well. If you didn’t laugh me out of the room, I hope you would say: “You’re crazy!”

And yet, shocking as it may seem, many sincere Christians believe this very thing! To learn more, check out our website: WorldsLastChance.com. Watch the video: “Predestination: Lottery for Your Soul.”

Once again, that’s “Predestination: Lottery for Your Soul” on WorldsLastChance.com or, look for WLC Videos on Youtube!

* * *Daily Mailbag

Miles: Welcome back to WLC Radio’s Daily Mailbag.

Dave: You know, I really enjoy this part of our program.

Miles: I do, too. It’s fun to hear from our listeners and the questions show a lot of deep thought. Heaven is waking people up.

Dave: I agree. People are tired of being lied to. They’re looking for truth and Heaven is blessing. There are so many more avenues by which truth is being spread: the Internet, shortwave radio. Modern technology can be used for disseminating lies, but it can also be used for spreading truth.

Miles: Very true. Okay, our first question today comes from Clara in Munich, Germany. She writes: “Hi, WLC. Are you anti-Israel? Some of the comments I’ve read on your site have made me wonder.”

Dave: Thank you, Clara, for asking. At World’s Last Chance, we’re not “anti-Israel” any more than we are anti-Bolivia, or anti-Zimbabwe, or anti-India. There are sincere hearted people living in Israel that want nothing more to do than live their lives in peace with their Jewish and Palestinian neighbors alike.

However, the Zionist government of Israel with its frequent war-mongering is another matter entirely. Yahushua’s life and teachings declare that all stand on equal footing before Yahuwah. Modern Israel, despite its many claims to the contrary, does not hold some special, exalted position that automatically excuses its aggressive actions. Aggressive actions that frequently break the divine command to “Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Yah.”

Israel, as a nation, rejected Yah millennia ago.

Miles: Millennia ago? What do you base that on, Dave? I know, for myself and many others, we grew up viewing the Jews as Yahuwah’s special people. Zechariah said: “He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye.” So, why do you say that the Jews have rejected Yahuwah. Not just the Saviour, but Yahuwah Himself?

Dave: Well, first, Yahuwah’s blessings and promises are always given on condition of obedience. Secondly, I said that Israel as a nation rejected Yahuwah millennia ago. The individual who loves Yah and who seeks to know and do His will is still cherished by the Father, as are all who seek His face. DNA, blood-lineage, has no standing with the Father.

But as to the nation of Israel rejecting Yah, I have it on the authority of Yahuwah Himself. When Israel demanded a king so they could be “like other nations” Samuel knew it would be disastrous and tried to talk them out of it. But they insisted on having a king. So Yahuwah told Samuel: “Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.”

Miles: Okay. So they did reject Him. But that doesn’t mean Yahuwah rejected them as His special people, does it? I mean, as a god of love, Yahuwah bears long with us, right?

Dave: Yeah. And Israel’s history is one long record of Yahuwah bearing long with the Israelite people! The thing you have to remember, though, is that Yah is polite. He’s never going to force Himself where He isn’t wanted. He bears long with the stony heart, but He’ll never force the individual to accept Him.

Miles: That’s true.

Dave: The heart, hardened by repeatedly rejecting Heaven’s appeals, eventually becomes so hard, that it’s no longer even aware of the Spirit of Yah’s attempts to reach it. This is what happened with the nation of Israel when they were finally rejected by Yah.

And He did bear long with them! He didn’t reject them at the time they rejected Him. His love, rejected, responded by sending more love, more prophets to warn, more entreaties to repent and return to Him. Not even the murder of His own Son could staunch the flow of divine love.

But finally, He had to accept their rejection as final.

Miles: When?

Dave: When Israel rejected the Messiah in the person of the early believers, specifically at the stoning of Stephen.

Just a few days before His death, during the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Yahushua foretold this very event. With a breaking heart, He said: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the Prophets, and stonest them that are sent to thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, as the hen gathered her brood under her wings, and ye would not. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I tell you, ye shall not see me until the time come that ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of Yahuwah.”

Miles: Why do you believe it was at the stoning of Stephen that probation for Israel as a nation was closed and they ceased to be Yah’s special people?

Dave: There are a number of reasons. To briefly cover just one of them, though, it would be Stephen’s own words at his trial. Remember, there is one sin that is unpardonable. Which is it?

Miles: Well the-the sin against the Spirit of Yah.

Dave: Right. And Stephen’s final words before his death prove that this is exactly what was happening at that time. He said: “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you! Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

Miles: I see. Yeah, once the Spirit of Yah has been rejected, what else is there? There’s really no other way Yah can reach you.

Dave: Right. So after that, spiritual Israel took the place of literal, physical Israel. Paul said as much in Galatians 3! He said: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Yahushua the Annointed. And if you are Yahushua’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Miles: Interesting. That makes sense.

Okay. We’ve got time for one more, quick question. This one’s coming from . . . okay. “Anonymous” in “Somewhere in Australia.” He writes: “I’m a 28 year old man. I have a beautiful wife with a baby on the way. I’m also a porn addict. I got into it as a teenager and, no matter what I do, I can’t stop. I’m addicted to it. I don’t want to mess up what I’ve got with my wife but it is impacting our marriage. Can you help?”

Dave: Well, first of all, I want to say thank you for writing. It took a lot of courage even admitting you’ve got a problem. Secondly, I want to say that there IS hope for you. Remember, Yahushua was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. That means that even in this area, He was tempted. And because He overcame, His victory, His purity of thought, is yours. All you have to do is accept it by faith.

But there are some other things you can do to cooperate with Heaven in overcoming this addiction.

Miles: Can you share some of those with us? Because problems with porn are sky-rocketing. Not just among grown men, but among boys and even women!

Dave: There are a number of articles and even a couple of videos on our website that can help, but very briefly, here are four things you can do:

1. Call upon the name of Yahuwah. Claim a promise applicable to your situation and pray. Pray very specifically and with confidence, fully expecting an answer.
2. State your intent with great firmness and determination. Again, be very specific. Put it into words.
3. Have friends help hold you accountable.
4. And finally, ask Yahuwah to make you aware of when are in danger of wandering onto enchanted ground. This is a very important point. Ask Him to remind you to pray and ask for help before your emotions are enticed into lusting after the desired sin.

Miles: That’s good advice and one that can apply to any area in which we repeatedly stumble and fall into sin.

Dave: Absolutely. Because whatever the sin is, it’s addictive.

Miles: Again, like Dave already said, we have a number of articles and videos on this subject, so go to our website and check it out.

If any of you have questions, comments, concerns, a topic you’d like to see discussed, let us know! We always enjoy hearing from you.

Go to our website at WorldsLastChance.com and click on Contact Us. Even if we aren’t able to address it on air, we’ll do our best to answer in the Q&A on our website.

Again, go to WorldsLastChance.com and click on Contact Us.

* * *Daily Promise

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

What do you want to do with your life? I don’t mean your job. I am talking much bigger than that. What are your goals? What do you want to accomplish with the life given you? What do you desire your life’s legacy to be?

Rock singer Rod Stewart had a friend named George who was killed on the streets of New York City in a robbery gone bad. After his death, Rod Stewart described George as, “The kindest guy I ever knew. . . . Everybody loved Georgie-boy.”

This is a far different legacy than that left by a friend’s grandmother. After her grandmother died, my friend commented, “It’s a sad thing when a person dies and the only legacy she leaves behind is the sincere desire in the heart of all who knew her to not be like her!”

Either legacy is open to you. You’re never too young, or too old, to change your life’s pathway. And Yahuwah is just waiting for you to turn to Him. The very first reaching of your heart after Him will be instantly met with a tidal wave of love, joy, and forgiveness. He’s the best friend you’ll ever have! Through His Son, the Father tells us in John 6: “He that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.”

Turn to Him today!

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

* * *Part 3: The True Meaning of Roman’s 13

Miles: Well, looks like our time is about up for another day. Thanks for joining us today. The topic of a believer’s civil duty—what our responsibility is as Christians, is one that’s only going to get more important to understand.

Dave: You’re absolutely right about that, Miles. Good people can be induced to do bad things if they are convinced that it is Yahuwah’s will.

Miles: Oh! Yeah! You see that all the time. Take, for example, these otherwise loving, kind, Christian parents who kick their kids out of the home for being gay. Sometimes literally! These young people will end up literally homeless because of their sexual orientation.

Dave: It’s tragic. Because the Bible teaches that homosexual acts of intimacy are a sin—

Miles: –same as adultery, fornication and a whole list of other sins that no one ever severs all parental contact over.

Dave: Right. Because the Bible does teach that homosexual intimate acts are a sin, Satan inspires otherwise loving Christians to act in extremely judgmental, un-Christlike ways. They forget that while Scripture condemns homosexuality as an act, it never condemns it as a state-of-being. As a result, Satan can inspire people to act in ways Yahushua Himself would never do.

And that’s the thing. As we said earlier, the devil will quote—and twist, and warp—Scripture for his own ends. It is the duty of every believer to know and understand Scripture for himself. Each one needs to spend time in the Word of Yah, letting the Spirit of Yah be our own personal tutor as to what is truth. Only then will we be safe, as individuals.

Miles: I’m glad you said that: safe as individuals. That’s something we need to remember because Satan has different lies, different delusions prepared for different minds.

Dave: Yep! And the only way we’ll be safe, individually, is if we have made that individual surrender to Yah.

And one area in which people are being deceived is by preaching that to be a good Christian you must obey whatever the government dictates, and they’re quoting Romans 13 as the reason why Christians should do this!

Miles: I remember reading a few years back about a pastor in the United States that blew the whistle on a FEMA program. FEMA is the federal agency in the United States that deals with disasters.

Anyway, this pastor was claiming that FEMA was training pastors and religious representatives to be secret police enforcers, teaching their congregations that they were to obey the government. Apparently this was to prepare for some future declaration of martial law, property and gun confiscations, and forced relocation.

Dave: Let me guess: he said they were told to preach on Romans 13.

Miles: You guessed it. He said FEMA directors told the pastors that it was their job to cooperate with the government and the first order of business was to prepare people to obey by preaching on Romans 13.

Dave: Well, there you go. It is imperative that you have a clear understanding of what Yah requires and what He doesn’t. And what He does not require is that you ever break His law just to keep a human law.

Miles: We’re used to equating being a “good Christian” with being a good, law-abiding citizen, but whenever these two are in conflict, Yahuwah’s law must come first.

Dave: Henry David Thoreau was a 19^th century philosopher, essayist, naturalist, tax protestor. He was a lot of things. He wrote an essay entitled “Civil Disobedience” in which he addressed this very issue.

He asked: “Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward.”

Miles: Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights activist we mentioned earlier, put it bluntly. He said: “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”

Dave: It’s not what governments like to hear because it holds them accountable to their citizens, but it’s true.

Miles: And, you’ve got Yahuwah’s permission to put His law first. And He’ll watch over you as you obey Him. The promise in Proverbs 3 is yours: “Trust in Yahuwah with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

That’s it for today, friends! 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.