Program 281
Yahushua’s miracles: Proof of divinity?

Yahushua’s many miracles are widely accepted as proof of a divine nature, but Yahushua himself denied such a correlation.

Welcome to WLC Radio, a subsidiary of WLC Radio Ministry, 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: Yahushua performed more miracles than anyone else in Scripture. In fact, his “mighty works” were the main reason his fame spread all around that area. No one in recorded history has performed the miracles Christ did. So now the question is: are his miracles proof of his divinity?

Hi, I’m Miles Robey and you’re listening to World’s Last Chance Radio where we cover a variety of topics related to Scripture, prophecy, practical piety, Biblical beliefs, and living in constant readiness for the Savior’s unexpected return, whenever that might be.

Many Christians point to Christ’s miracles as proof of his divinity. Certainly, Scripture points to Christ’s miracles as proof that he’s the Messiah. So, does the record of Yahushua’s public ministry provide solid evidence of his divinity? That’s what we’re going to be delving into today: the significance of Yahushua’s miracles and what that means in terms of his nature.

Later, during our Daily Mailbag, Dave will be looking at what it means to be “woke” and whether or not this is something a Christian should be. Then, Jane Lamb has another true story illustrating a promise for anyone who has ever felt “less than” or somehow lacking. Have you ever felt that you weren’t good enough? That you weren’t worthy of being loved and accepted? Today’s promise is for you.

Dave? Do Yahushua’s many miracles provide proof of his divinity?

Dave Wright: No. I do not believe so, no. But to understand why, let’s look at what miracles are. I printed off the Cambridge Dictionary’s definition of miracle. Here … would you read that for us, please?

Miles: “An unusual and mysterious event that is thought to have been caused by a god because it does not follow the usual laws of nature: Jesus Christ was said to have performed miracles like turning water into wine.” There’s one more definition here. You want me to read it, too?

Dave: Hold on just a second for that one. Languages change, and I think the definition of a miracle is undergoing something of a change.

I’ve printed a few quotes with the word “miracle.” You’ll see what I mean.

Miles: Okay, uh …

The Philippines first female president, Corazón Aquino, said: “I am not embarrassed to tell you that I believe in miracles.” American naturalist and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau, said: “All change is a miracle to contemplate; but it is a miracle which is taking place every second.”

Thích Nhất Hạnh? I’m not sure I’m saying that correctly. Anyway! A Vietnamese author and Buddhist monk said: “The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.” American rockstar Jon Bon Jovi has said, “Miracles happen every day, change your perception of what a miracle is and you’ll see them all around you.”

Dave: So, while these are all interesting quotes, they’re subtly changing how we view miracles.

Okay. Go ahead now and read that second dictionary definition of “miracle” and let’s compare that with these quotes.

Miles: This one’s from Dictionary of the Bible. It says: “Modern theology defines a miracle as a phenomenon in nature that transcends the capacity of natural causes to such a degree that it must be attributed to the direct intervention of God.”

Dave: Trinitarians believe that Yahushua performed miracles because he was God the Son. On the website AnswersInGenesis.org, there’s an article by Dr. Ron Rhodes that asks the question “Is Jesus God?” I’d like you to read how he answers the question.

Here, just … right there.

Miles: “Jesus’ deity is also proved by His miracles. His miracles are often called ‘signs’ in the New Testament. Signs always signify something—in this case, that Jesus is the divine Messiah.”

Dave: Herbert Lockyer was a British minister. He was also an extremely prolific author with over 50 books to his credit. In 1961 he published a book called All the Miracles of the Bible. It’s an incredibly deep dive into the miracles recorded in Scripture but even he views Christ’s miracles as proof of divinity.

Miles: Why do you say “even he”?

Dave: Because Christ wasn’t the only one that performed miracles. Moses and Aaron did. Elijah. Elisha. Uh … Isaiah.

Miles: Isaiah? What miracle did he perform?

Dave: King Hezekiah asked Isaiah for a sign that what he’d told him would come true. That sign was causing the sun to go backward on the sundial of Ahaz several degrees.

Miles: Wow.

Dave: And then there are all the miracles performed by the apostles. So, just being used by Yahuwah to work miracles is clearly not a sign of divinity. Where is the consistency in saying that Yahushua performing miracles proves he’s divine, but Isaiah or Paul or Peter aren’t?

But people don’t seem to see this. I have here another quote I’d like you to read. This one’s from Bernard Ramm. He was a Baptist theologian and apologist. He was also a prolific author. I have here a copy of his book, An Evangelical Christology. Would you please turn to page 45 and read the marked paragraph?

Miles:

The ability to perform miracles from his own sovereign will is another indirect evidence for the deity of Christ. The Old Testament prophets and the New Apostles could not perform the miraculous on their own but were dependent upon God. [On the other hand,] Jesus is presented in the Gospels as acting freely, personally, and sovereignly in performing miracles.

Dave: “The ability … to perform miracles … from his own sovereign will is another indirect evidence for the deity of Christ.”

Really? And just how does that work if, as trinitarians believe, Christ “laid aside” his divinity?

Miles: Hmmm. You’re right. If “laying aside his divinity” was more than just play-acting, then he wouldn’t have had the power to perform miracles from, as Ramm says, “his own sovereign will.”

Dave: This is a real problem. If he did lay aside his divine nature, then he was no longer divine. But if he did not lay aside his divine nature, if he actually relied on his divinity during his life on earth, then he was just … I hate to say it, but … he was just a poser!

Miles: Disingenuous.

Dave: Dishonest!

Miles: It would make him a liar. Yahushua’s favorite way to refer to himself was as the “son of man.” That phrase comes from the Greek word for human being. I looked it up once and, depending upon the translation you’re using, Yahushua called himself “son of man” (human being) anywhere from 80 to 82 times in the gospels!

Dave: You bring out a good point: Yahushua’s own words deny that he was relying on intrinsic divine power. Grab your Bible there and let’s look up some passages.

Let’s start with John 14 verse 28. This is one of the most powerful statements showing Yahushua’s reliance on the Father.

Miles: Uhh … “You have heard me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for my Father is greater than I.”

Wow. “My Father is greater than I.” You can’t get any clearer than that!

Dave: Turn now to John 5 and read verses 16 to 20. This passage is interesting because in verse 18 the Jews assumed that Yahushua was claiming divinity. So, in verse 19, Yahushua clarified that that’s not what he was doing because he’s not equal with Yah.

Go ahead.

Miles:

So, because Yahushua was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. In his defense Yahushua said to them, “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

Yahushua gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the son also does. For the Father loves the son and shows him all he does. Yes, and He will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.

Dave: As we covered in Program 280, the phrase “Son of God” does not equate with the phrase “God the Son.” Scripture reveals that there are many “sons of God.” You are a son of Yah; so am I. So was Adam. So just because Yahushua referred to Yahuwah as his Father, was not a claim to divinity.

Then, in verse 19 he just flat-out states: “I can’t do anything by myself. My Father has to show me.” In other words, the Father teaches him what he’s supposed to know, and teach, and say, and do.

We see this repeated in John 8. Would you turn there, please, and read verses 25 to 28?

Miles:

“Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Yahushua replied. “I have much to say in judgment of you. But He who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from Him I tell the world.”

They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. So Yahushua said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.

Dave: This is such a powerful passage. They’re asking him: Who are you? If he were one-third of a triune godhead, this would have been the logical place to explain that. But he didn’t. Instead, he just said, “I am just what I’ve been saying all along.” And what had he been calling himself all along?

Miles: “Son of man.” Human being.

Dave: Right! And he then repeats that in verse 28! “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own.”

Right there, in one sentence, you’ve got Yahushua calling himself a human being and adding that he could do nothing on his own. Skip down to verse 42. What does that say?

Miles: “Yahushua said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me.”

Dave: Another version says: “I have not even come on my own initiative but He sent me.”

Miles: I noticed, too, the use of the title “God” in this verse. If Yahushua were “God” as trinitarians claim, this verse would be very awkward. “I, God, have not come on my own; God sent God”? That’s crazy.

Dave: In all things, Yahushua was dependent upon the Father. Yahuwah sent Yahushua; He taught him what he needed to know. It was Yahuwah’s power that performed the miracles through Christ. Yahushua stated this over and over again. So, to try and point to his miracles as some sort of proof of his divinity contradicts Christ’s own very clear statements to the contrary: all the power came from Yahuwah. Even the initiative to bring forth an only begotten son to be the Messiah. It all came from Yahuwah, so none of it can be taken as proof of Yahushua’s divinity.

Miles: You know, a thought that just struck me is, if you try to use Yahushua’s miracles as proof that he’s God, it’s a form of a logical fallacy.

Dave: Oh? Which one?

Miles: Mmmm … Maybe affirming the consequent? It’s saying, if it’s true Yahushua performed miracles, it must also be true that he’s divine.

Dave: That’s good. It could also be the fallacy of hasty generalization: concluding Yahushua is divine without sufficient evidence to prove that he is. Certainly Scripture denies his divinity. And if Scripture denies it, where else are you going to get “proof”?

Miles: That’s true. And thinking of those quotes you had me read from various trinitarian authors, you could almost say it’s an example of circular reasoning: “Jesus works miracles because he’s divine and he’s divine because he works miracles.”

Dave: When you stop and analyze this belief logically, it really doesn’t hold up to scrutiny at all.

Miles: You’re right. It’s amazing we ever fell for it at all.

Oh! Oh! Here’s another problem with this belief: it violates the law of identity.

Dave: For those who may be unfamiliar with the term, could you explain what you mean? What are you seeing?

Miles: Well, the “law of identity” is one of the most basic, fundamental principles of logic. To put it in mathematical terms, it’s saying: “X = X.” Or, to put it another way, everything is identical to itself. But, in a triune godhead, clearly the Father is not the Son; the Son is not the Spirit; the Spirit is not the Father. No matter how much you want to try and claim they’re all one, they’re clearly not identical because the Son was crucified. The Father wasn’t. The Holy Spirit wasn’t.

Dave: That’s a good point. And truth is logical. Yahuwah Himself invites, “Come now, let us reason together.” That’s a promise to provide all the evidence you need to be convinced. You don’t need to do mental gymnastics. You don’t need to accept things on “blind faith.” Truth is incontrovertible precisely because it’s logical and it never, ever contradicts itself.

Miles: Amen. We’re going to take a quick break, but when we come back, Dave will share with us some more on what Yahushua himself had to say about where his power came from. We’ll be right back.

* * *

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* * *Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: This whole argument that Yahushua’s miracles prove he’s God is just so illogical to me. Elijah performed eight distinct miracles. Elisha, who asked for a double portion of the spirit of Yah that was on Elijah, is recorded as performing 32 different miracles.

Dave: That many? Wow. I knew he’d done more miracles than anyone other than Christ but didn’t know it was that many. But you’re right: we don’t claim Elijah or Elisha were “God” just because they performed miracles because we know they performed them by the power of Yahuwah. Not their own. So to then, all of a sudden, decide that Yahushua is divine because he worked miracles is both inconsistent with the fact that humans can and do work miracles by the power of Yah, and the Savior’s own words.

Yahushua repeatedly stated that the miracles he performed, the works he did, were by the power of Yahuwah. Not his own. You’ve already read John 14:28 where Yahushua clearly stated that the Father is greater than he. Let’s read verse 10 now of John 14. Actually, let’s start with verse 8 and get it in context.

This was just before Yahushua’s arrest, and Philip and Yahushua were having a conversation about Yahuwah. Yahushua emphasizes that whoever has seen him—his life, the work he did, the words he spoke—had, in effect, already seen the Father. But even in this conversation Yahushua didn’t claim any extra-human power. It all came from Yahuwah as you’ll see.

Go ahead.

Miles:

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Yahushua answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

Dave: Again: this is the perfect place for Yahushua to explain that He is God just like Yahuwah is God. But he doesn’t. Read verse 10.

Miles: “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing His work.”

Dave: Who’s working?

Miles: Yahuwah.

Dave: If Yahushua were calling upon his intrinsic divine power to work miracles, this would be a lie. And if he’d actually laid aside his divinity, he’d no longer be God.

Yahushua was Yahuwah’s agent. We’ve talked about this in a previous episode. As Yahuwah’s agent, he was God’s legally designated representative. He could act and speak on Yahuwah’s behalf as though he were Yahuwah. This is a legal designation. It doesn’t make Yahushua divine.

Once you understand “agency” and how it applies to Yahushua, you start seeing it crop up here and there as a topic of discussion. I have here a quote from The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Would you read that for us please?

Miles: “A miracle is an extraordinary event, perceived to result from the direct, purposeful action of a God or the agent of a God.”

Dave: This is a very enlightening quote. An agent of a god can perform miracles. We see this most clearly in the story of Moses and Aaron before Pharoah. Yahuwah Himself told Moses that he would be “God” to Pharoah, speaking on Yahuwah’s behalf.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines agent as someone who’s been, quote, “authorized to act for or in the place of another.” The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary says an agent is, quote, “a person whose job is to act for, or manage the affairs of, other people in business, politics, etc.”

Now, in Hebrew, the word is shaliah. It means “the one sent.” It comes from an action verb: shelach, which means “to send.”

Miles: So, obviously implying some other entity who has taken it upon him- or herself to send or appoint someone to go in their behalf.

Dave: Right! James McGrath is well-known for his studies in early Christianity. He’s the Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University. He’s written a fascinating book called The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in its Jewish Context. I brought my copy because there’s a quote on page 14 I’d like you to read.

Here … would you please turn there and read where it’s marked?

Miles: Sure, uh … it says:

Agency was a vital part of everyday life in the ancient world. The prophets and angels mentioned in the Jewish Scriptures were considered ‘agents’ of God. The key idea regarding agency in the ancient world appears to be summarized in the phrase from rabbinic literature so often quoted in these contexts: “The one sent is like the one who sent him.”

That’s interesting. I know we covered agency in a recent program, but I find it interesting that this was such a widely understood concept—he calls it a “vital part of everyday life in the ancient world”—and yet until that recent program, I’d never even heard of it!

Dave: Most Christians haven’t. Today, we have technology to fill the void. The internet let’s people in different hemispheres hold face-to-face conversations. Retinal scans and thumb prints give verification of identity. We typically don’t need agents working for us in the same manner they did back then.

But this is how early Christians viewed Yahushua. He was Yahuwah’s agent. And we can find this in Scripture!

Miles: Are you saying that, instead of proof of divinity, Yahushua’s miracles were proof of being Yahuwah’s agent?

Dave: I’m not saying it; Scripture’s saying it! Turn to John 5 and read verses 36 to 38.

Miles:

I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has Himself testified concerning me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form, nor does His word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one He sent.

Dave: Like Yahushua would later tell Philip: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Why? “Because I’m His agent.”

This idea is repeated in John 10. Would you turn there next? Read verses 24 to 30. Verse 22 tells us this exchange took place in Jerusalem in the winter during the “Festival of Dedication.” You might know that better as Hanukkah.

Miles: Oh, interesting! Yeah, I guess that would make sense. Hanukkah was established during the intertestamental time period. It’s cool to see it mentioned in the Bible.

Okay. It says:

The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

Yahushua answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Dave: Now, don’t take verse 30—“I and the Father are one”—to mean “We’re both united in one godhead” because he just said, in verse 29, “My Father is greater than all.” Yahuwah gifted to Yahushua the power to act as His agent. That’s where the power always comes from when you’re acting as someone’s agent.

In England, you can legally bestow on someone else “lasting power of attorney.” I think in Brazil they call it “public power of attorney.” In China, there’s a “delegation document” which gives someone dài lǐ quán or “agency power.” [代理权] In India, the person who gives the power of attorney is called the “principal.” The person who receives the authority is known as either “attorney-in-fact” or … the agent.

Again, the originating source of power is the one granting legal permission for someone else to act on his or her behalf. The agent’s power is secondary. It’s power that is received from someone else.

Miles: So, obviously, the primary source of power has greater power. He or she can grant permission as well as withdraw permission for someone to act as an agent, a representative.

Dave: Correct. A minister, Ken Collins, has a website. It’s KenCollins.com. On there, he’s got an interesting article called “What does it mean to do things in Jesus’ name?” It’s got some very good insights. I copied off a quote from that article. Would you read it for us, please?

Miles: “Doing something in someone else’s name has a distinct legal meaning that is the same under our law as well as Hebrew, Greek, and Roman law … If you appoint someone to act in your name, they can act as your agent within the restrictions you impose.”

Dave: So, like you just pointed out, the person grating permission for someone else to act as an agent is the person with the greater power. But more than that, when Yahushua said that he was doing what he was doing in his Father’s name, he was making a clear statement as to who had given him the authority to do what he did.

Miles: As well as the power to do it.

Dave: Exactly. So, the miracles he performed were to be accepted as proof. Not that he was God, but that he was Yahuwah’s agent, acting on His behalf and by His authority.

This may be new to us, but it wasn’t to the Jews of Christ’s day, and once we understand this, various passages of Scripture take on new significance. Turn to John chapter 3. This is the story of when Nicodemus came to Yahushua by night, to speak to him privately. Read the first two verses of John 3 and as you do, I want you to pay particular attention to what Nicodemus is acknowledging here. What are his first words to Christ?

Miles: “Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Yahushua at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.’”

Dave: Again, interesting affirmation of Christ’s humanity by using the title “God” to refer to Yahuwah. That excludes Yahushua from coming under that umbrella title. First because, as a Jew, Nicodemus was a strict monotheist. Secondly, Yahushua confirmed his statement by not correcting him. And finally, as a Pharisee, Nicodemus would have considered the sacred name too holy to pronounce.

But what’s so interesting is that, right from the start, Nicodemus acknowledges that no one could do such mighty works unless he’d been appointed directly by Yahuwah to do them.

Miles: I noticed Nicodemus isn’t saying Yahushua is God because only God can do such works. Instead, he’s simply acknowledging that Yahushua was “sent by” Yah; he’s Yah’s agent.

Dave: Yahushua is Yahuwah’s agent, having been duly authorized and empowered to do works that no human being can do on their own.

But this is no different from the mighty works of Old Testament prophets and, later, the apostles. Both Elijah and Elisha, as well as Peter and Paul, all raised the dead. And they weren’t divine!

Miles: Could it be argued that Nicodemus simply didn’t know Yahushua was God?

Dave: Sure, you can try. But the evidence doesn’t support that argument. For one thing, Nicodemus was coming to Yahushua in order to learn the truth. If Yahushua were truly divine, why didn’t he correct him? It seems disingenuous if not outright dishonest to let that slide.

But there’s more. Turn to Acts chapter 2. This is the record of Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost. Now he was obviously duly appointed by Yahuwah to speak on His behalf! And this appointment was confirmed by the fact that Yah’s spirit had descended upon Peter and the other believers just a little bit before.

So, let’s read what Peter had to say. Acts 2 and verses 22 to 24.

Miles:

Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Yahushua of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Dave: There’s a lot packed into these three little verses.

First, notice that Peter uses the generally accepted title for Yahuwah: God. By using this title and not using it to refer to Yahushua, he is effectively excluding Yahushua. The title doesn’t belong to him.

Secondly, Peter keeps emphasizing that Yahushua is a human being. Far from including him as part of a triune godhead, Peter describes him, verse 22, as “a man accredited by God.” To be “accredited” means to be officially recognized or authorized. How was he officially recognized?

Miles: Uhhh … “by miracles, wonders and signs.”

Dave: Which God did through him.

If “God” is working through this man, it means this man isn’t “God”!

Peter repeats this same point when he’s speaking with Cornelius, the Roman centurion. Let’s read it. Acts 10 verses 36 to 40.

Miles:

You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Yahushua Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—how God anointed Yahushua of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.

Dave: He says right there, verse 36, that Yahuwah—sent—Yahushua. And again, the title “God” is obviously being used exclusively in reference to Yahuwah. It excludes Yahushua from that title.

Miles: Not to mention that 1 Timothy 6:16 states that only Yahuwah has immortality. “God” can’t die. Therefore, Yahushua can’t be God.

Dave: Over and over we see that the works Yahushua performed were because Yahuwah was with him, working through him; not because he was divine. The miracles Yahushua performed was the proof that he had been sent by Yahuwah to act as His agent.

We see this in Matthew 11. Why don’t you turn there? John the Baptist was imprisoned and had sent his disciples to ask Yahushua a rather insulting question. I want you to notice what Yahushua’s answer was. Matthew 11 verses 2 to 6.

Miles:

When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Yahushua replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

Dave: John’s faith had stumbled a little bit because Yahushua wasn’t riling up the masses to fight against the Romans. But that wasn’t the work of the Messiah. And in answering the question, Yahushua pointed to the mighty works he was doing as proof that he was indeed acting as Yahuwah’s agent.

One more example. Turn to John 7. This was during the Feast of Tabernacles. The multitudes who, we’re told, heard him gladly, were convinced that Yahushua was the Messiah. But the leaders didn’t want him to be. They were arguing that he couldn’t be. Let’s see why the multitudes believed Yahushua to be the Messiah. John 7 verse 31.

Miles: “Many in the crowd believed in him. They said, ‘When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?’”

Dave: The works Yahushua did were widely accepted as proof that he was the Christ, the Messiah, not that he was divine.

After the Council of Nicea, those promoting a trinitarian orthodoxy triumphed. It was then that the idea that Christ’s miracles proved his divinity gained ground. In fact, many Christians today claim that John’s gospel was written to prove that Yahushua was divine. But you can see from the passages we’ve looked at that, on the contrary, John’s gospel was written so we might believe that Yahushua was the long-awaited Messiah. Not that he was God incarnate in human flesh.

Miles: I think there’s even a Bible verse to that effect. Give me a sec just to find it … Here it is. John 20 verses 30 and 31. It says: “Yahushua performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Yahushua is the Messiah, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Dave: There you go. Are we going to cling to paganized error? Or are we going to accept Yahushua’s miracles as proof that he was sent by Yahuwah?

* * *

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* * *Daily Mailbag (Miles & Dave)

Miles: Today’s question from our Daily Mailbag is coming from the only country in the world to have all five major climate zones: tropical, dry, temperate, continental, and polar.

Dave: Hmm. Well, what countries stretch between such extremes as polar and tropical? There can’t be that many. Russia? Chile? United States?

Miles: United States it is! Did you know that the first time the word “America” appeared on a map was in 1507 and it actually referred to what is today known as South America?

Dave: Huh! No, I didn’t.

So, what’s today’s question?

Miles: Justin from Fresno, California writes: “Should Christians be ‘woke’ or is that something no true Christian will be? My wife and I recently visited family in the Mid-West. They’re conservative Christians, as are we, so we were surprised when a couple of conversations devolved into arguments where they accused us of being ‘woke.’ I’ve even heard news commentators describe various public figures as woke and it’s clearly being used in a negative sense. What’s woke and why is it so bad?”

Dave: I’ve noticed this as well, particularly in the west. Because we broadcast around the world, let’s take a moment to explain what the term means and how it’s typically being used before we get to Justin’s question.

Miles: Sounds good.

Dave: It’s a good question because, again, the term is spreading and it’s usually used in a disapproving, or even contemptuous way. People who are described as “woke” have their beliefs often dismissed as extreme and unrealistic; altruistic to the point of the ridiculous.

Miles: I’ll tell you, you know you’re old when the young people start using words and terms you don’t recognize and need explained!

Dave: I hear you! But that actually doesn’t apply to this term. The term “woke” has actually been around for almost a hundred years.

Miles: Really?? See, I thought it was some new slang.

Dave: I know, but it’s actually been around quite a while, at least since the 1930s.

I’d say Yahushua was the “most woke” person who’s ever lived and if we want to be like him, we’ll be woke, too.

Miles: Seriously? About the only times I ever hear the term used, it’s always negatively.

Dave: Well, let’s look up the definition. Could you just type that into your computer there? And let’s see what the definition is.

Miles: Sure, uhh … The Cambridge Dictionary defines woke as: “Aware, especially of social problems such as racism and inequality.”

Um, let’s look at one more … the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines woke as: “aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).”

Dave: Is any of that bad?

Miles: No. No. But scrolling down, there’s another definition. It says: “Disapproving: politically liberal or progressive (as in matters of racial and social justice) especially in a way that is considered unreasonable or extreme.”

Dave: More and more, this is how the term is being used. But that’s not the original definition of the word. The word actually refers to someone who is aware of racism and social inequalities and wants to make life better for others.

How is that a bad thing? Is that not what Christ did?

Miles: Absolutely.

Dave: And he was criticized for it, too. See, anytime the current social structure benefits one class, or one race over another, those benefitting from the current social structure naturally don’t want anything to change. They don’t see anything wrong with it, so they’re naturally going to denounce as extreme anyone who speaks up and says, “Hey. This isn’t right. Something needs to change.”

Miles: Yeah, that makes sense.

I think often the term is used to apply to, say, people who advocate for gay marriage or trans rights or things like that.

Dave: Sure. That’s where those who, for example, benefit from tax breaks some countries give to married couples but not singles, or … I don’t know. Any human rights that are readily available to straight white men but aren’t as ubiquitously available to minorities, or women, or …

Miles: Anyone who isn’t a straight white male.

Dave: You get the idea. If you’re benefitting, why would you want the social structure to change? But I want you to turn now to Matthew 10 and read verses 34 to 36. In very surprising language, Yahushua is setting forth his mission.

Go ahead.

Miles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.”

Dave: This is more than just a difference in theology. He’s describing social upheaval here, and that happens when the normal—AKA “traditional”—social order is disrupted.

And Christ did that! What did it look like in his day? Well, let’s read it. What does Luke 15, the first two verses say?

Miles: “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.’”

Dave: Tax collectors, prostitutes, women, Samaritans, gentiles, the mentally ill, uh … those considered “unclean” due to illness or some assumed sin: these were the social outcasts of Christ’s day. And he welcomed every one of them.

Keep reading in Luke 15. The Pharisees and scribes didn’t like how Christ welcomed the social outcasts. He was too “woke” for them. And so, he’s going to tell them a parable to explain his actions. Pick up the story at verse 3.

Miles:

So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

Dave: The good shepherd goes after the one that is lost. And when he finds it, when he catches up to it, what does he do? Does he scold it? Does he tell it, “You’re a Very Bad Sheep. Don’t you know the Bible says you’re supposed to follow the Good Shepherd? And look at you now! Your own choices have led you here!”

Does he tell it, “I love you, but I really hate your lifestyle choices?”

Miles laughs: No!

Dave: No. The sheep is scared. It’s shying away from him. The sheep knows it’s messed up. Is scolding it going to get it to let the shepherd rescue it? Or will it respond to kindness? Gentleness? To compassionate understanding?

Miles: Well, kindness and gentleness. Forgiveness.

Dave: And that’s what the parable shows. The shepherd rejoices! He’s happy that he’s found his lost sheep. He goes home and celebrates! He doesn’t scold or punish the sheep by listing all the ways it’s done wrong.

In both his parable and his life, Christ teaches us how to win sinners and it’s by befriending them. It’s by being kind and not judgmental. Criticism simply pushes people away. Kindness, friendliness draws.

So. How does this apply to Justin’s question? Well, Christ was “woke.” We don’t see that today because in today’s world, we don’t reject tax collectors. We don’t assume someone with cancer is some huge sinner worthy of being shunned.

But that doesn’t mean Christians today aren’t guilty of the same sort of judgmental shunning the Pharisees did. Who gets shunned today?

Miles: Immigrants. Legal and otherwise.

Dave: People with different religious or political beliefs.

Miles: Depending upon the culture, it could be women, other races, lower castes, uh …

Dave: Individuals in the LGBTQ community. And the use of “woke” as a negative, using it as a pejorative term to attack those who agitate for equality – that’s how the Pharisees treated Christ! They didn’t like the disruption to the social order because they were the ones benefitting from it!

So. Should Christians be “woke”? Absolutely. Psalm 89:14 gives us the principles by which the divine government operates. Would you read it for us? Psalm 89 verse 14.

Miles: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.”

Dave: Righteousness—right doing; doing right by others—and justice is the foundation of Yahuwah’s government. When we see people suffering, when they don’t have the same civil liberties we have, we have a duty to do everything in our power to make things right. Is that going to make us popular? Eh, about as popular as it made Christ!

Miles: Sooo … no.

Dave: But that is the Christian’s duty. Micah 6 verse 8 says,

He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does Yahuwah require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

So, no. Being “woke” isn’t bad. Unpopular? Sure. Any time society normalizes injustice, anyone trying to change how things have always been done is going to be considered, like Elijah, a “troubler of the people.” But that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

Miles: “The servant is not greater than his master.” If they denounced Christ for being kind to social outcasts, we can’t expect any better today.

Dave: No. But we are to do what is right anyway because it is right.

Miles: That’s true.

Do you have a question or a comment? Prayer request? Send us a message! Just go to WorldsLastChance.com and click on Contact Us. We always enjoy hearing from you.

Up next is Jane Lamb with today’s Daily Promise.

* * *Daily Promise:

Hello! This is Jane Lamb with your daily promise from Yah’s word.

Eighteen-year-old Rosemary was kind, hardworking, and very responsible. She lived with Mr. and Mrs. Richard Starnes and looked after 2-year-old Bonnie and 3-year-old Billy while the couple worked at their business.

One thing that set Rosemary apart, however, was the fact that, ever since she’d gotten dangerously ill ten years before, she was completely deaf. There were times she struggled to feel as good as her friends. It was hard not to feel somewhat “less than,” when accommodations had to be made for her disability. Be that as it may, Rosemary was a sweet young woman who had worked hard to develop her other senses.

One morning, after the Starnes had left for work, Rosemary woke up with an intense feeling of dread. She wondered if something was wrong. She went into Billy’s room to check on him, but the little boy was sleeping soundly. Next, she checked on little Bonnie, but the baby was snuggled with her stuffed bunny under her covers, the perfect picture of slumbering innocence.

Rosemary glanced in the other rooms but could see nothing wrong. She then went to the kitchen and sniffed the air, wondering if there were a gas leak, but no. The still air smelled faintly of the Starnes’ early breakfast, but there was no rotten-egg smell of leaking propane. Rosemary then became aware that her entire body seemed to be vibrating. Was it an earthquake? No. They didn’t get earthquakes in Michigan. She decided to investigate the basement, a place she rarely went. Downstairs, she quickly saw that the door to the furnace room was closed, but when she went to open it, she snatched her hand back. The door was too hot to touch!

Panicked, Rosemary raced upstairs. Quickly gathering Bonnie into her arms, she rushed into Billy’s room. “Wake up, sweetheart! Wake up.” She pulled back the covers and shook him awake.

Although she tried not to frighten the children, they didn’t enjoy being abruptly awakened. “Come on,” she encouraged. “We’re going on an adventure!”

Without stopping even for shoes, she hustled Billy outside, Bonnie clutched in her arms. The intense cold burning his bare feet made Billy start to cry. Gasping at the numbingly cold air, Bonnie cried, too, but Rosemary wouldn’t turn back. Hurrying as fast as she could—bare feet are very slippery in the snow—Rosemary hurried to the nearest neighbors. When the astonished couple opened the door, Rosemary was near tears herself. Seeing the scantily clad threesome standing in the snow, the neighbors drew them inside.

“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” They wanted to know. Rosemary was thankful for her lessons in lipreading at the school for the deaf. She quickly explained what had happened, adding, “I think the furnace is about to explode!”

The neighbor hurried to call emergency services when suddenly there was an immense explosion. Rosemary couldn’t hear it, but she could feel it! Dashing to the window, she and the neighbors peered outside to what was left of the Starnes home, now engulfed in flames. Rosemary slid to the floor, for the first time, giving way to tears. In her mind, over and over, all she could say was “Thank you, Father! Thank you for getting us out.”

When the Starnes, alerted by the neighbor, returned home, they were so incredibly thankful for Rosemary’s vigilance. Yes, they had lost their home, but that loss was not compounded by the loss of their children. Homes can be replaced; lives can’t.

As Rosemary helped the Starnes move forward, for the first time in a long time, she felt worthy. Despite her disability, she had been able to save two precious lives. When I read what had happened to the Starnes and how Rosemary had saved the children’s lives, I thought of a passage from Zechariah. It’s easy for all of us at times to feel “less than” or unworthy. We may not all have a physical handicap, but most of us are insecure for one reason or another.

When you feel as though you lack worth, I want you to remember just how much Yahuwah values you. He loves you so much, He places such a high value on you, that He would have provided Yahushua even if not another person on earth chose to accept salvation. Zechariah 2 verse 8 tells us, “He who touches you, touches the apple of [Yah’s] eye.” That’s how much you are loved, how much you are treasured, and how much you are cherished.

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

* * *Part 3: (Miles)

Miles: I want to thank you tuning into today’s program called “Yahushua’s miracles: Proof of divinity?” If you’d like to share it with a friend, you can find it on WorldsLastChance.com. It’s Program 281 called “Yahushua’s miracles: Proof of divinity?”

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.