Program 101: Who (or what) is Elohim?

To show supreme respect, the Israelites would refer to Yahuwah as Elohim, a plural word that meant “gods.” This was a literary device that was used for magistrates, too.

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

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

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* * *Part 1: (Miles & Dave)

Miles Robey: Hello! And welcome to another WLC Radio program where we bring you the latest on advancing light directly from Scripture. I’m your host, Miles Robey.

Dave Wright: And I’m Dave Wright. Thank you for tuning in and making us a part of your day.

Miles: Today we’re going to be talking about titles.

Dave: You know, I recently read the results of an online survey conducted by the BBC. They compiled a list of the most ridiculous job titles submitted by readers.

Miles: Yeah? Like what?

Dave: Well, apparently in Ceredigion County, Wales, there are no lifeguards. Rather, they’re called “wet leisure assistants.”

Miles: “Wet leisure—”!

Dave: Oh, it gets better. “Information advisor” was the title given a librarian, while a museum guide was called a “Coordinator of Interpretive Teaching.”

Can you guess what “Field Force Agent” is?

Miles: Uhhh, no. Sounds rather Sci-fi: field force. Force field. What is it?

Dave: Apparently, a “Field Force Agent” is what some are now calling a tax collector!

Miles laughs: Of course, then you’ve got all the various titles given nobility.

Dave: Right. If a king or queen was known for military conquest, they’ll often have “the great” appended to their names. Like: Catherine the Great of Russia; Alexander the Great.

Miles: Oh, those are boring. What about Æthelred "The Unready," king of England in the 10^th century. Or there was Louis II of France also known as Louis the Stammerer.

More recently, Kim Jong-Il of North Korea had over 1200 different titles when he died in 2011.

Dave: Like what? Do you remember any?

Miles: Sure! He was called “Leader with Extraordinary Personality.” He was deemed “World’s Greatest Writer” and “Humankind’s Greatest Musical Genius.” He was “Master of the Computer Who Surprised the World” and also “Eternal Bosom of Hot Love.”

Dave laughs: You’ve got to be making that one up!

Miles: What? You don’t think a man called “Greatest Saint Who Rules with Extensive Magnanimity” could also be called “Eternal Bosom of Hot Love”?

I’m serious! These were all his titles, plus thousands more.

Dave: Well, I suppose if you’re going to give someone that many titles, some of them are going to be a little … out there.

Miles: Scripture has titles, too. For example, throughout the Bible, there are repeated admonitions to “call upon the name of the Lord.” Now, we’ve learned that the original doesn’t actually say that. “Lord” is a generic title that actually shouldn’t be there. The original Hebrew is much more specific. It actually uses the Creator’s personal name and says to “call upon the name of Yahuwah.”

Dave: There are a couple of places, like Psalm 68 verse 4, and Isaiah 26:4, where it uses the shortened version of the name: Yah.

Miles: But that’s about it. The rest of the time the divine name is hidden under the generic titles of lord or god.

Dave: I really believe Satan has had a hand in that, Miles.

Miles: Of course. How are believers to “call upon the name of Yahuwah” when they don’t know the name of Yahuwah!

Dave: They can’t. But there’s more to it. There is real power in the divine name. I’d like to take just a few minutes to go over this for anyone joining us for the first time.

Yahuwah’s name is very unusual. Now, most names are nouns.

When your wife was pregnant, did you have a hard time agreeing on the name for the baby?

Miles: Welllll … because she was the one who had to carry the baby and go through labor and delivery, I told her she could come up with a name as long as I had veto power.

Dave: Seems fair!

Miles: But yeah. She had baby name books and spent months making lists of different names and name combinations. She wanted to find just the right name, the perfect combination of meaning with a pleasant sound.

Dave: Sure! That’s what you do. Again, typically, these are nouns. The name of the Creator is different. Would you grab your Bible there and turn over to Exodus 3?

This is where Moses is at the burning bush and being told to return to Egypt.

Would you read verses 13 and 14, please.

Miles:

Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

Dave: “I AM WHO I AM” or “I AM THAT I AM” is the definition of Yahuwah, but it actually comes from the word, hayah, which is a verb of being. In other words, each and every single verb of being that exists is true and useable as the name of the Creator: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been. They all perfectly describe the only being that is or ever shall be eternally self-existent.

Miles: I looked up the word hayah once and noticed that it was used repeatedly throughout Genesis 1. In fact, if you look up Genesis 1 in an Interlinear Bible which shows the English translation right under the original Hebrew characters, the account is a lot less wordy than in English.

For example, in English we say “Let there be light, and there was light.” But in the Hebrew it’s simply “Light hayah; light hayah.” Light be. Light was.

What I thought was so beautiful and so meaningful was that when Yahuwah spoke the world into existence, He did it using His own name!

Dave: Yes! And there’s a reason for that. I know we’ve talked about it before, but for our first-time listeners, this is a crucially important, foundational truth you all need to know: there is divine power in the name of Yahuwah. Titles simply do not contain the same power!

Isaiah 55—

Miles: Yeah, I’m just now turning there.

Dave: Isaiah 55, verses 10 and 11 should be memorized by every believer. This is powerful! Using the illustration of how precipitation itself is the active agent that makes plants grow, Yahuwah says that His word acts the same way. His word itself contains the power to do what it says!

Miles: I’ve got that. Let me read it here. It says:

For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. [Isaiah 55:10-11]

Dave: Yah’s word itself contains the power to do what it says. So. How do you access it?

Well, you call upon His name. His name, said in combination with your need, then becomes a powerful promise.

Miles: I love that. It’s so faith inspiring. You’re sick and need healing? His word to you is: BE healed.

You’re in danger and need saving? His word to you is: BE saved.

Dave: This is precisely why you don’t find the name “Yahuwah” in our modern Bibles. You find lord, you find god, but you don’t find Yahuwah. Satan has hidden the divine name because he knows there is power there. He’s hidden the name under the generic titles of lord or god and that should not be.

Miles: And there’s really no reason for it, other than, as you say, to keep from us the power that is inherent in the name of Yah. I mean, you think about some of the other names in the Bible—Mahershalalhasbaz, Meshillemoth …

Dave: Nergalsharezer the Rabmag.

Miles laughs: Bless you! But yeah. Yahuwah is a lot easier to say than any of those. It was hidden just to hide the meaning and power of the divine name.

But let’s talk about titles. Scripture—in the original Hebrew—uses titles, too. Are we supposed to? What do they mean? Do we use them only in the Hebrew form, or can we use them in our own language, too?

What do you think?

Dave: Titles are useful. They convey information. For example, in the United States, any time someone refers to “His Honor,” they know the person is referring to a judge or magistrate. Here, we say Milord, but you get the idea. Titles convey information.

They’re also useful for drawing a comparison. This is how Scripture uses them. Turn to Exodus 20 and read the very first commandment, would you please?

Miles: Uhhh … “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” [Exodus 20:1-2]

Dave: Of course, it doesn’t actually say “the Lord” in the original, but the title of god is there. It says: “I am Yahuwah thy god … thou shalt have no other gods before Me.”

This isn’t saying there aren’t other gods—

Miles: False gods.

Dave: False gods to be sure, but they do exist in the minds and belief systems of others. What this is saying is that the god Yahuwah is first and foremost above all other gods because He is the only one that has life, self-derived and eternal.

Paul uses titles, too. Would you read 1 Corinthians 8 verses 4 to 6 for us?

Miles:

We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.

For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)

But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things …

Dave: How are you going to convey this concept without the use of titles? There is only one true god, and that’s Yahuwah. There aren’t “Yahs many, and Yahuwahs many.” There is only one Yahuwah, and He is the only true and living god.

Miles: Well, what I’ve been doing, and what we’ve largely been doing here on WLC, is just to use the titles in Hebrew.

Dave: That’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with that …

Miles: I hear a “but” in your voice.

Dave: It’s fine to use the Hebrew titles … as long as the person with whom you are speaking knows them, too.

Look at it this way: communication is defined as …??

Miles: Uh, well, it’s a process. Information is exchanged.

Dave: It’s a two-way street. If one person is speaking, but the other isn’t understanding, communication hasn’t occurred. What’s the point of using Biblical titles if no one understands what you’re saying?

Miles: True. That’s true.

Dave: Remember, also, Yah purposely confounded the languages at Babel. Words aren’t inherently sinful. They’re just sounds. Yahuwah is the master linguist behind every language.

Prior to the tower of Babel, everyone spoke the same language. Yahuwah mixed up the languages on purpose. So, we have the title “god.” Maoris say “atua.” In Swahili it’s “mungu,” but the source of each can be traced back to Yahuwah confounding the languages at Babel.

What I’m trying to explain is, there is nothing inherently sinful about using a title. In fact, they’re used in Scripture, too. Titles can be descriptive. They can give respect.

Miles: They can be used to draw comparisons.

Dave: Right. The main thing we want to remember is you don’t call upon the name of Yahuwah by using a title that can apply to false gods as well. You want to be specific when you pray!

Miles: Very good.

We’re going to take a quick break, but when we return, let’s talk about what titles, specifically, are used in the Bible.

We’ll be right back!

* * *

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* * *Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: Aaaaand we’re back!

So. Titles. It’s not necessarily a sin to use them. But we want to be specific when we pray. We want to use Yahuwah’s personal name.

Dave: It’s a privilege to use the personal name of the Most High! And, once you know what the name means, that it contains the power that called the universe into existence, why wouldn’t you want to use it? Why wouldn’t you want to “Call upon the name of Yahuwah”?

Miles: Good points.

I want to spend a little time now talking about the titles that are used in Hebrew. We may touch on Greek titles if we’ve the time, but in Hebrew, there are three titles that are repeatedly used.

Dave: Yes. El, which is a singular word, literally means “strength” or, when used as an adjective, “mighty.” It’s the equivalent of our English word, “god.”

Miles: It can also mean “almighty” as in, “the Almighty,” can’t it?

Dave: Right. The thing to remember, however, is that while this was used to apply to Yahuwah, it was also used to refer to false gods. Again, it’s just a title. It does not contain the power that Yahuwah’s personal name has but it’s often used in conjunction with Yah’s name.

Eloah is similar to el. Again, it means “god” or “deity.” You don’t find this form used all that often in Scripture, though.

Finally, you have the word, elohim. Now, this is one I want to spend a bit of time on.

Miles: Elohim is the plural form. It’s what is used in Genesis 1. “In the beginning, Elohim created the heaven and the earth … and the spirit of Elohim moved upon the surface of the waters. And Elohim said, Let there be light …” [Genesis 1:1-3]

Dave: It’s all through Genesis 1. In fact, Yahuwah’s name doesn’t appear until the second chapter of Genesis when it is paired with the title, Elohim.

Miles: Oh, yeah. I see it here. Genesis 2, verse 4: “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God [or Yahuwah Elohim] made the earth and the heavens.”

Dave: Before we go on, I’d like you to read the definition of the word “elohim” from the New Strong’s Expanded Dictionary of Bible Words. It’s, uh … number 430. Could you read that for us please?

Miles: All right. It says, quote:

“El-o-heem; plural of 433” which is, uh, eloah. It means: “gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used in the plural thus, especially with the article of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative. … Plural in number refers to rulers, judges … divine ones, superhuman beings including God and angels …” Unquote.

… Oh, now that’s interesting. Just glancing further down I see it’s used at least twice to refer to goddesses.

I have to say, though, you’ve just confused me more than ever. It refers to Yahuwah, but it doesn’t just refer to Yahuwah.

Dave: It’s just a title. Just like “god” or “lord.”

Miles: Right. But … it’s plural. And yet, I don’t believe in a triune godhead, and I know you don’t either. And recently, we learned that the Saviour isn’t divine, either. He’s certainly Yahuwah’s only begotten son, but he’s not divine. Sooo … how do you reconcile this?

Dave: This is why I wanted to talk about this today. Most modern Christians have been indoctrinated into this heresy of a triune godhead: an eternal, self-existing Father; and equally divine, equally self-existent Son; and a mysterious, disembodied (though still divine and self-existent) Holy Spirit.

Miles: Well, yeah. We were all baptized in the “name of the Father, and the name of the Son, and the name of the Holy Ghost”—which, we’re never actually told what His name is, but whatever!

Dave: And there are the hymns. As a boy, every time we went to church, they always started the church service with the doxology. What’s the last line of that?

Miles: “Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”

Dave: But this contradicts Scripture! Turn to Deuteronomy and read chapter 6, verse 4 for us. Or, just say it, if you know it.

Miles: By now, I know it. It says: “Hear, O Israel: Yahuwah our God, Yahuwah is one!”

I find the marginal reading is even better. It says: “Hear, O Israel: Yahuwah is our God, Yahuwah alone” or, “the only one.”

That makes it clearer.

Dave: There is only one true god, and that is Yahuwah. Out of the 66 books that comprise the Bible, you’d think that if there were actuality a trinity, you’d find it explained somewhere in there, but you don’t!

Miles: Hold on a second. For any of our listeners who haven’t had a chance to study this out, I want to add a quick word of explanation. Dave’s right: the heresy of a triune godhead came in a lot later and it came from paganism.

Now, some of you might be thinking: “How can you say it’s not in Scripture? 1 John 5:7 says ‘there are three that bear witness in heave: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.’”

Yes, that’s in the Bible: in today’s Bible. But you need to understand that it was added a good thousand years later! It’s in none of the early manuscripts. It was added later, after the church had already apostatized on this point.

So, Dave’s right. It doesn’t appear in Scripture.

But, circling back around, I’ve got a question I’m hoping you can explain for us. I understand that the trinity is a pagan concept. It’s not in Scripture. I’ve studied that out and I believe that.

I’ve also studied out the evidence that the Messiah, while Yah’s son, was fully human. I get that, too. So then, why would the Hebrew refer to Yahuwah using a plural term? I can see the Bible writers using “el” or “eloah” but why elohim?

It just—it doesn’t make sense to me. Yahuwah is one god. So why refer to Him in the plural? That’s a bit of a stumbling point for me.

Dave: I’ll tell you, and the answer is so simple it will surprise you: it was a Hebrew literary device.

Miles: A literary device. That’s it?

Dave: That’s it.

Miles: A Hebrew literary device.

Dave: Yep.

They would do this, when they wanted to, uh, magnify or emphasize the importance of someone. That’s all. There’s no big theological significance to it.

Remember, the term could also be used to apply to magistrates. So, maybe you’d refer to your local magistrate as “el”, but the chief magistrate in Jerusalem—I don’t know if they had these, but for the sake of argument, let’s say they did—the head magistrate over all the other judges, could properly be referred to using the plural “elohim” because he was more important than anyone else. He was over all.

Miles: Well, that makes sense, then. Yahuwah, as the “god of gods”, the head over all other gods, would be referred to in the superlative as “elohim.”

Dave: Right.

Miles: All right. Let’s move to the New Testament now. There are a number of places in the New Testament that the word “lord” appears, usually—though not always—in conjunction with the name of the Saviour. What does the word “lord” mean in the Greek? I’m guessing it’s not Yahwuah.

Dave: No. It comes from the Greek word kurios. In the Bible dictionary, there’s a long explanation. We won’t read all of it, but I’ve copied off the page and would like you to read the highlighted parts. They’re most applicable to our discussion.

Miles: This is from Strong’s Expanded Dictionary?

Dave: Yes. Read just the highlighted parts.

Miles: It means supreme in authority; lord, master, sir, God.

The kurios wielded a limited moral authority which took into consideration the good of those over whom it is exercised. Kurios … signifying “having power” or “authority,” is … variously translated in the New Testament, Lord, master, owner, Sir, a title of wide significance. It is used … as a title of respect addressed to a father, a husband, a master, a ruler, an angel … [It’s] a title of courtesy addressed to a stranger.

Dave: So, just like “el” in the Old Testament, it’s just a title.

Miles: What about “god”?

Dave: Again, just a title. It comes from the Greek theos. It means “deity,” especially the Supreme Deity. The Greeks used it in their polytheistic religion. Again, it’s just a title. Our English “god” is a good, accurate translation of the Greek.

Miles: Jesus is simply our Anglicized version of the Greek attempt to transliterate the name. Greek didn’t have the Y sound, so they couldn’t say or spell his actual name, which is Yahushua.

Dave: I love the Saviour’s name! Yahuwah named him, not Mary and Joseph. You remember when Mary was pregnant, an angel appeared to Joseph and reassured him that the baby was to be the Messiah. Joseph was told “You shall call his name Yahushua for he shall save his people from their sins.” [Matthew 1:21] And that’s, quite literally, what his name means!

Miles: Saviour?

Dave: Actually, it’s “Yahuwah saves,” or, more properly, “Yahuwah’s salvation.” His very name is a statement that he is the means by which Yahuwah will save everyone who accepts His gift of salvation.

His name isn't "Yahuwah-plus-my-efforts-saves" or "Yahuwah-and-I-save-me". His name is “Yahuwah’s salvation” because Yahuwah saves.

Miles: I like how Yahuwah’s name, as a verb of being, explains what He is: the self-existent source of all life. Yahushua’s name explains who and what he is, too. He is, literally, “Yahuwah’s salvation.” It’s beautiful!

Dave: And the purpose of these divine names is to inspire faith in our hearts. Like Paul says in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of Yah is eternal life through Yahushua the anointed, our lord.” It’s not something we have to earn. It’s a gift and it’s already yours. All you have to do is accept it.

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

Dave: Amen! What a god we serve! The only true, the only living god!

Miles: The only god that is a perfect blend of justice and mercy.

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.

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* * *Daily Mailbag (Miles & Dave)

Miles: Today’s question from our Daily Mailbag is coming to us from Juneau, Alaska, that cold corner of the United States that’s kind of squished in there between Canada and Siberia.

Dave: Hmmm. It’s not actually “squished” though. It’s a huge state. The coastline of Alaska is actually longer than all the other states put together.

Miles: Really!

Dave: And Juneau? You said the question’s from someone in Juneau?

Miles: Yeah.

Dave: The land area of the city has something like 7,000 square kilometers within its boundaries.

Miles: That can’t be right.

Dave: I know. Sounds crazy, but I’ve read it from multiple sources. The land area of Juneau is actually larger than some US states.

Miles: Wow. Okay, then. You’ve blown my mind today! Uh … Brenda has a question for us. She writes: “I know that Yahuwah is love, but to be honest I have a really hard time seeing it in the Old Testament. Did He change or something between the Old Testament and the New? He just seems so harsh in the Old Testament, while so loving in the New.”

Dave: That’s a good question and it’s troubled a lot of people, so I’m glad to have the chance to answer it here. Let’s start by reading Malachi, chapter 3, verse 6. Could you turn there and read that for us?

This is foundational to understanding the answer to Brenda’s question.

Miles: Malachi 3 verse 6. It says: “For I am Yahuwah, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”

Dave: Yahuwah does not change. That is a Scripturally established fact and it’s where we need to start our investigation.

Miles: In looking at this passage, I find it interesting that the reason Yah gives for not destroying rebellious Israel is precisely because He does not change.

Dave: Which tells you what?

Miles: Uh, well, like 1 John 4:8 says, “Yah is love.” It’s why He forgives and did not destroy Israel in their rebellion.

Dave: Exactly. Turn now to Numbers 23 and read verse 19. This is where Balaam, under the command of Yahuwah, is blessing Israel. Go ahead and read it as soon as you’ve got it.

Miles: “Yah is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”

Dave: So, when the New Testament says that Yah is love, and the Old Testament concurs by showing that proof of His forbearance is found in the fact that He continued to forgive Israel their trespasses, we can reasonably conclude that the god of the Old Testament is the same as the god of the New.

Miles: I can see why people would question it, though. I mean, in the Old Testament you’ve got all these commands to go and strike this country or that city and kill every man, woman, and child. It’s quite horrific, actually. Very violent.

Dave: It is, but there was a reason for that. The lineages that Yahuwah had the Israelites wipe out were those corrupt lines where the people were wholly given over to evil. You could say He was … excising a tumor in order to save the whole body.

Miles: Okay.

Dave: But the truth is, Yahuwah is our Saviour. As soon as there was sin, there was a Saviour. He purposed to provide a Messiah to come and save mankind. It was this that allowed Him to give Adam and Eve—and every single one of their descendants—a second chance.

The god of the Old Testament is the exact same god as the god of the New Testament. Read Jeremiah 31 verse 3. Here, Jeremiah is quoting Yahuwah.

Miles: It says: “Yahuwah hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”

Dave: That is pure love. That’s the god of the Old Testament. Now. Turn over to Revelation 18 and read verses 4 through 8.

Got it?

Miles: Yeah. It says:

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

For her sins have reached unto heaven, and Yah hath remembered her iniquities.

Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is Yahuwah Eloah who judgeth her. [Revelation 18:4-8]

Dave: That is the god of the New Testament. Same as the god of the Old Testament.

Miles: So how do you reconcile two such disparate facets to His divine character? We all can see His love in the New Testament and His justice in the Old. Now, you’ve pointed out His love in the Old Testament, and His justice in the New, but those are still polar opposites. How do you reconcile such extremes?

Dave: Yahuwah explains that, too. Let’s look at Exodus 34. Here, Moses has asked to see Yah’s face and Yahuwah told him that wouldn’t be possible, but He would let Moses see His back after Yah passed by, and He told Moses that He would “proclaim His name” while passing by. This is a very illuminating passage.

Miles: Exodus 34, verses …??

Dave: Uh … let me look … verses 5 to 7.

Miles:

Now Yahuwah descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of Yahuwah. And Yahuwah passed before him and proclaimed, “Yahuwah, Yahuwah El, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

Dave: Yahuwah in the Old Testament is the exact same loving, just Creator as He is in the New: merciful and gracious; abounding in goodness and truth; forgiving all who come to Him, but holding accountable those who wish to reject His offer of salvation.

And that offer is available to us the same today, as it was to Adam and Eve at the fall. Just as Adam and Eve, and Abraham and Sarah, and all the righteous people who lived before the Messiah’s birth looked forward to the coming Saviour and claimed the merits of his blood by faith, we can look back and claim those same merits by faith.

Miles: Amen! Yahushua was a perfect atonement, folks! And Yahuwah has made it so simple; so straight forward. I love the response Paul and Silas gave the Philippian jailer when he asked what he needed to do to be saved.

They said, “Believe on the lord, Yahushua Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Dave: Salvation is a free gift and it’s yours and mine simply by accepting it by faith. It’s not salvation by works. It’s not salvation by abstinence, or salvation by determination. It’s salvation by faith.

Miles: 1 John 3: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” [1 John 3:1-3]

Dave: Yes, but the purification comes after salvation, as another gift. Not before. And it’s the god of the Old Testament that, before we were ever born, planned out a way to save us and presented it to Adam and Eve. So, as soon as there was sin, He stepped in to save us. That is the god of the Old Testament. The same god as the New who loved us so much that He would beget and bring forth a son through Mary in order to save all who call upon Him.

Miles: Amen. It’s beautiful. He never changes. He loved us then just as He loves us now.

That’s all we’ve time to answer today. If you’ve got questions or comments, we’d like to hear from you, too. 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

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

Cancer. The very word is enough to make people afraid. The National Cancer Institute reports that in 2012, there were 8.2 million cancer-related deaths world wide, with 14.1 million new cases reported. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

Naturally, when Deb Meyers’ husband, Ed, was diagnosed with cancer, the primary emotion she felt was fear. Even though the cancer was slow growing, it was still cancer.

Ed wanted to wait awhile before letting friends and loved ones know about his diagnosis. He wanted to research their options and meet with specialists before having to discuss it with anyone else.

Deb respected her husband’s wishes but inside she felt paralyzed with fear. What would she do if he died? How would she be able to go on?

Around this time, she was given a little devotional book. The message of the book was one of hope. Both the book and the Bible study groups she attended all focused on one thing: Yahuwah’s commands to not fear, but instead trust in Him.

Deb recalls, quote:

These messages started coming on a weekly basis. It seemed as if everywhere I went, [Yah] was telling me, ‘Do not worry; do not fear; trust Me.’ Then they started coming even more frequently as the weeks turned into months, and Ed and I grew closer to having to make decisions about his treatment. I shared these God-incidences with my husband each time they happened, and we took courage in them.

However, the stress and tension of an uncertain future always brought the fear back.

One day, Deb received a phone call from a close friend.

“I know this is going to sound strange,” she said, “but you keep popping into my mind. I keep hearing the words, ‘Don’t be worried or afraid.’ I feel weird about calling you, but is there something going on that I don’t know of and about which you should stop worrying?”

Deb tearfully laughed and said that there was indeed something going on. Although she couldn’t talk about it yet, she would really appreciate her friend joining them in prayer.

Deb realized that the heavenly Father, in love, had been sending her message after message, repeatedly encouraging her to trust in Him and not worry. She decided that she needed to obey.

The words: “Do not worry; do not be afraid; I am with you,” became her mantra. Ed still had cancer, but Deb understood that Yahuwah was transforming the way she viewed the entire situation.

She says, quote: “I was learning to trust in the reality and presence of [Yah] in my daily life—in His ability to guide, strengthen, and speak to me through His Word, prayer, and friends of faith.”

The repeated commands to not worry were not a promise that Ed would be miraculously healed, but that Yahuwah would be with them, through thick and thin, regardless of the outcome.

Ed’s treatment turned out to be a success. It was a difficult trial to go through, but Deb is grateful for the lessons she learned. Through her own experience, she now knows and has assurance that no matter what happens, Yahuwah will be by her side, giving her strength to overcome.

Life isn’t easy for anyone. We all have various trials and fears on a daily basis. So, on a daily basis, it’s important that we surrender to Yah and trust in Him.

Joshua 31 verse 8 says: “Yahuwah, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

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

* * *Part 3: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: You know, I have to admit, when I first started learning about the divine name, what … ten years or so ago? I was appalled to see how the devil had hidden so much truth under generic titles. I had this sort of knee-jerk reaction. If Satan was trying to hide truth under titles, I’d make sure I never used such titles again to refer to the Creator.

Dave: I think a lot of us have had that same reaction. We’re shocked to see how Satan has hidden truth under our very noses and we over-compensate. I have, myself, even here on WLC Radio.

Miles: I have, too. In fact, I know this chap; a Canadian. Now, in English, you know we use pagan names for the days of the week. So, “Saturday” is quite literally “Saturn’s day.”

Anyway, this fellow is a lunar Sabbatarian. Worships on the Biblical Sabbath. Any time he tries to share about the true Sabbath, though, he runs into difficulties. I mean, how can you talk about the Gregorian calendar in English and Satan’s counterfeit Sabbath and not say Saturday?

Dave: Rather difficult, I would say. What does he do?

Miles: Well, he’ll say it. Then he kind of stops and says, “Forgive me, Father,” before going on. It’s a bit distracting, but there are actually quite a lot of people who do this. They refuse to use any words of pagan origin.

Dave: The problem with that, as I see it, is that all of our words have pagan origins. All of our ancestors were, at one point, pagan.

Miles: What about Hebrew? Some people say Hebrew was the language of Heaven.

Dave: There’s no way to know. All we can do is speculate, but Genesis 15 tells us Yah called Abram out of “Ur of the Chaldees.”

Miles laughs: That’s right! You could say Abraham was Babylonian, couldn’t you? Ur of the Chaldees was in Babylonia.

Dave: Right. It was only about 240 kilometers southeast of Babylon.

My point is, when we get so focused on the minutia of what words to use and which words to omit from our working vocabulary, we’re no different than the Pharisees quibbling over which brother will get to claim the widow as wife in the resurrection!

Satan obscures truth. He hides it. Yah’s work—and ours in cooperating with Him—is to shine the light of truth onto the darkness of error. Now, if we suddenly decide we won’t or can’t use some words, we’re effectually limiting our ability to communicate. That’s what Satan wants. Yahuwah has never asked us to take such an extreme position.

And I’m speaking of myself here. I’ve done it in the past. Personally, I choose not to use generic titles in prayer. I want to be very specific then. But in attempting to communicate heavenly truths, we shouldn’t feel as though we have to limit our vocabulary. All this does is make it harder to communicate truth and then Satan wins.

Miles: Well, hold on. Aren’t you dismissing this issue a bit too quickly?

Dave: How so?

Miles: Well, there’s a verse … give me just a second to find it here, and it basically says Yah will take the pagan names out of our mouths.

Um … here we go. Hosea chapter two. Listen while I read verses 16 and 17. It says:

“And it shall be at that day, saith Yahuwah, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali. For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.”

Unquote. Seems to me that if this is something Yahuwah is “taking away” then, if we want to be in agreement with Him, we should quit using these “names of Baalim.”

Dave: I understand. The thing is, that’s not what is being said here. This passage is very rich in meaning and symbolism and you’re making it too literal.

Miles: All right. How do you interpret it, then?

Dave: This is Hosea, right? His wife was unfaithful to him, and Yahuwah used that as an illustration of Israel’s unfaithfulness to her divine husband: Yah. Let’s go back and read those verses again, but let’s read it in context.

Here, Yahuwah is saying that despite Israel being an unfaithful wife to Him, He will not divorce her. Instead, He will woo her back and their relationship will be closer than it’s ever been before!

Last time you read the King James version. This time I’d like you to read from the New King James version because it translates these titles.

Miles: Where do you want me to start?

Dave: Uh … let’s read verses 14, and 16 through 20.

Miles: All right. It says:

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
Will bring her into the wilderness,
And speak comfort to her.

“And it shall be, in that day,”
Says Yahuwah, “That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’
And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’

“For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals,
And they shall be remembered by their name no more.

“In that day I will make a covenant for them
… To make them lie down safely.

“I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me
In righteousness and justice,
In lovingkindness and mercy;

“I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,
And you shall know Yahuwah.” [Hosea 2:14, 16-20]

Dave: Israel’s unfaithfulness flowed out of an unfaithful heart. When Yahuwah says that He will remove from her mouth the names of the Baals, He’s talking about a heart cleansing here.

Turn to Luke chapter 6 and read verse 45.

Miles: Okay. Uh …

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”

Dave: Sin separates us from Yah. In order to truly have the names of the Baals removed from our mouths, they need to be removed from our hearts. And here’s the thing: we can’t do it!

Miles: It’s got to be a gift!

Dave: It does. We can’t do it.

Miles: Philippians 2, verse 13: “For it is Yah which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

Dave: Salvation, full and complete, is available to every single one of us. We just have to choose whether or not we accept it. In closing, would you please read Ezekiel 36, verses 25 to 27?

Miles: It says:

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

Dave: Salvation is a gift. It’s not a gift if you have to “earn” it. Then, it’s wages. Salvation, on the other hand, is just waiting for you to accept it by faith.

Miles: Yah knows our weakness. He knows we’re but dust. He’s made it possible so that everyone who wants to, may be saved.

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.