Program 95: What it means to “fear” Yahuwah

To “fear” Yahuwah means to learn of Him and know Him on a deeply personal level.

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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.

Part 1: (Miles & Dave)

Miles Robey: Welcome to another program on World’s Last Chance Radio. I’m your host, Miles Robey.

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

Miles: If this is your first time joining us, you may hear some words with which you’re not all that familiar. At WLC, we prefer to use the personal name of the Creator which is Yahuwah, or Yah.

I’m sure most—if not all of us—have read Bible verses that encourage believers to “call upon the name of the Lord,” but that’s just what it says in our modern translations. “Lord” isn’t His name, neither is “God.” Those are just generic titles. The original Hebrew says to call upon the name of Yahuwah.

Dave: There’s a good reason for it, too, and that is that the divine name contains a promise. “Yahuwah” comes from the Hebrew verb-of-being, Hayah. That’s what was repeated throughout Genesis 1 in the creation of the world:

Light … hayah (be).

Light … hayah (was).

So, His name, said in combination with your need, becomes a promise you can claim: Be safe; be forgiven.

Miles: The Saviour’s name contains a promise as well. His name is Yahushua and mean’s “Yahuwah saves.” Once we know the meaning of the divine names, there’s so much more reason to actually use them, rather than common titles.

Dave: I know I’ve been really inspired to use the divine names more since learning what the words actually mean. When reading quotes from other writers that are clearly referring to the Father or the Son, we take the liberty of substituting the divine names instead.

Miles: You might also hear us use the term “eloah.” That’s a Hebrew title—very similar to “god”—that refers to the Father.

Dave? What have you got for us today?

Dave: Well, for you I have a question.

Miles: Should I be worried?

Dave: Well, I don’t know. You want to confess?

Miles laughs: I’ll pass. What’s your question?

Dave: Have you ever yelled at your kids?

Miles: So, you are after a confession! Uh, well, frankly, yeah. They’re my kids; I’m Dad. There’ve been a few times I’ve raised my voice at them.

Dave: How about your wife? Ever yelled at her?

Miles: Um, yeah. Once. We’d been married about a month.

Dave: And?

Miles: Well, I’m here, aren’t I? Still alive and well. I never did it again.

Dave: Why is that?

Miles: Well, to be honest, she can yell louder than I can.

Dave: Okay. Let’s back up a bit. Why did you yell at your kids? Just tired of dealing with the little rug-rats? Cross? Angry?

Miles: No. No, it actually hasn’t happened all that often but in retrospect I’d have to say that each time I’ve yelled at them, they were in danger. I wasn’t angry per se, but I was afraid for their safety.

Dave: How did they react?

Miles: Well, you know, I don’t make a habit of yelling at them. It kind of upset them, to be honest. They were scared I was angry at them or something. Had to reassure them that no, Daddy wasn’t angry. Daddy just didn’t want them dying: running in front of that big truck, or falling off that ledge, or whatever.

Dave: So, yelling at them came from a place of fear mixed with love. You wanted to protect them and save them from harm because you love them.

Miles: Yeah. Yeah, that’s it. Seeing a huge lorry race toward my five-year old, I knew I had only a split second to save his life. Saying, “Oh, darling! Would you be so kind as to stop running for a moment and let this nice gentleman drive past first?” wouldn’t have saved him. He’d have been hit before I finished speaking.

Dave: Dangerous times call for drastic measures.

Miles: Right.

Dave: That’s what I want to talk about today. Warnings. If you’ve got your Bible close there, I’d like you to read Revelation 14, verses six and seven. Go ahead and read that as soon as you’ve got it.

Miles:

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

Saying with a loud voice, “Fear Yah, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

Dave: This is a message from Heaven so important, it is depicted as an angel flying in the midst of Heaven. And what does he say?

Miles: “Fear Yah.”

Dave: Fear Yah. It’s a rather strange message when you think about it. The Bible is full of promises designed to inspire faith and trust and here’s a message that tells us to fear Him.

Miles: It does seem a bit strange. We typically see fear as a negative emotion. Even the definition sounds negative. Fear is defined as: “a feeling of anxiety and agitation caused by the presence or nearness of danger, evil, pain, etc.”

So, yeah. Why would we be told to “fear” Yah? It seems to contradict His character as revealed in 1 John 4:8, which says, “Yah is love.”

Dave: Not all fear is bad, though. There’s a healthy sense of fear. Without fear, you might happily waltz your way into danger, completely ignorant that something’s about to hurt you or even kill you.

Miles: Hmm … like my son and that big delivery lorry. Kids not only lack a sense of self-preservation, but they also have no life experience.

Dave: Tell me about it! That’s what earns us our gray hairs!

So, as loving parents, we’re going to instill a healthy sense of danger in our children. We’ll yell when we see him running into the street; we’ll shout when we see her about to slip off a ledge. It’s our responsibility as loving parents to keep our kids safe.

Well, that’s what Yahuwah is doing. He’s a loving parent, too. He’s our Father. And He’s yelling … screaming. Not in anger, but in fear. Fear for you; fear for me.

Dave: Just like you yelled at your son when he was in danger of being run over, so Yahuwah is yelling, pleading, begging to get our attention now. He wants to warn us of the danger we’re in.

Miles: Oh, yeah. There are so many distractions for our time and attention: work, family needs, the Internet … modern entertainment is so easily available. It’s all so distracting.

Dave: Not only that, but the political upheaval, the chaos if you’re living in an area hit by some natural disaster—it all occupies our mind and takes our attention from spending time in the word of Yah.

Miles: I think Satan has planned it that way. He deliberately keeps us occupied with the cares of life so that we’ll be “too busy” to make that all-important spiritual preparation.

Dave: I agree. But that’s not the only reason. The Internet is great. But it can also be a danger. Daniel 12 prophesied that knowledge would be increased—and it is! Knowledge is increasing exponentially.

Miles: Oh, it is! Buckminster Fuller was an American designer, inventor, and architect. He referred to what he called the “knowledge Doubling Curve.” Basically, he’d noticed that until 1900, the body of human knowledge seemed to double every century.

By the end of World War II, however, knowledge was doubling every 25 years.

Dave: What is it now? Every decade?

Miles: It’s a bit more complicated because there are so many different areas of knowledge that have different rates of growth. For example, take nanotechnology. It doubles about every two years. Clinical knowledge about every year and a half.

On average, though, the body of human knowledge doubles every 13 months. And, according to IBM, the Internet will result eventually in this doubling of knowledge every 12 hours.

Dave: That’s incredible. Kind of makes your mind start to wobble, trying to grasp such an explosion of knowledge. But that is part of the problem and danger. Yes, knowledge is being increased, but with its increase also comes the increase of counterfeits, frauds, and hoaxes. There are conspiracy theories galore and it’s hard to tell which is true, and which is simply made up.

Miles: The sheer glut of information makes it hard to keep up.

Dave: And Satan uses what is a good thing—the increase of knowledge—to confuse minds and entwine truth with error. That’s where our greatest danger is coming from.

Miles: Before you go on, there’s one last danger I see as very serious and that’s the danger of warped values.

“Political correctness” has created an environment in which people are afraid to take a firm stand on any moral issue. Or, if they do, they’re afraid to speak up in defense of unpopular beliefs.

Dave: You’re absolutely right. You know, we broadcast around the world on shortwave radio, but our website is available around the world, too, and there’ve been times we’ve run into issues. An article or video will be discussing some important truth but this country or that won’t allow it to be played. Why? Political correctness.

The main problem when a culture becomes saturated with political correctness, is that it takes root in the mind and heart.

Miles: Yeah. You end up with a wishy-washy, accept-all-evil-as-good mentality; sort of an “I’m OK, you’re OK” attitude that permeates everywhere.

Dave: And suddenly, moral absolutes are out of style or, at the very least, “politically incorrect.” The apostle Paul clearly foresaw the dangers to our generation. Would you please turn to Ephesians 4?

Here, Paul is telling the believers in Ephesus that their only safety—and ours as well—is found in a knowledge of Yah. That’s it! There’s nothing else that will keep us safe but the power of Yah through that personal knowledge of Him.

Miles: All right, I’ve got Ephesians 4. Which verse?

Dave: Verses 13 and 14, please. Paul’s explaining that Yahuwah has given everyone his or her own special work: some apostles, some evangelists some teachers, etc., then he goes on to explain for what purpose.

Miles: “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of Yahuwah, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”

Dave: It’s knowledge, knowledge of Yahuwah and His son that preserves every soul from dangers. That knowledge is found in the fear of Yahuwah. Proverbs 9 verse 10 says: “The fear of Yahuwah is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”

That should be our focus. This is a good fear, and it’s the kind of fear we all need.

* * *

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* * *Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: Just before our break, Dave quoted Proverbs 9:10 that says “The fear of Yahuwah is the beginning of wisdom.”

You were saying, this is the sort of fear we all need to have. My question for you is: What does it mean to fear someone you love?

Dave: That’s a good question, Miles. As adults, we tend to avoid dangerous situations or people we fear.

Miles: Well, yeah. If we’re afraid of someone, chances are good we’re not going to like him and we’re certainly not going to willingly choose to spend time together.

Dave: What you need to do is think back to when you were a kid. Children grow up with an inbred understanding of what it means to fear someone you love. They understand what it means to have a healthy respect, tinged with fear, for someone you know loves you.

When your son was dashing towards the street and you yelled at him, “STOP!”

What did he do?

Miles: He stopped!

Dave: Why?

Miles: Well, we taught our kids to obey. He knew he’d be in trouble if he didn’t.

Dave: So, you could say your son had a healthy fear of disobeying Dad even though he knew Dad still loved him.

Miles: Yeah.

Dave: I printed off the definition of “fear” from Strong’s Concordance. Could you read that for us, please?

Miles: All right. It says: “Fear: (phobia) from the Greek phobeo. To frighten, to be alarmed; to be in awe of, or revere. To be afraid of or show reverential fear.”

Dave: A well-behaved child can love his father—and know that he’s loved in return—while still holding a healthy respect, and even “fear” of Daddy’s power.

Miles: This is true! This sort of fear can even impel a child to obey when Daddy isn’t around.

Dave: Remembering our own childhood, are we?

Miles: Absolutely!

Dave: Well, this is the same parent/child relationship that exists between Yahuwah and us. Paul expounded upon this theme in Galatians three and four. We don’t have time to delve into those chapters now, but remember it and you can read it on your own later.

We love our heavenly Father and we hold Him in awe and reverence. We know He loves us with a love that will never let us go. But due to His omnipotence, there’s room for a healthy amount of fear.

Let’s take a look at Matthew chapter 10, verse 28. Here, Yahushua is explaining godly fear. You have it? Go ahead.

Miles: “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Dave: Yahushua knew believers would face slander and violence, even death. He encouraged them not to be afraid of dying for truth’s sake because the life that was taken in violence, the Life-giver would give again. So, don’t be afraid of those who can kill the body.

However, He said, what you should fear is the power of the Life-giver. What He gave, He will take away from anyone who persists in rebellion and sin.

Miles: Makes sense. The one who has the power to destroy the body isn’t as powerful as the One who’s got the power to destroy body and soul in the lake of fire at the end of the judgment.

Remember, folks: eternal death, not “eternal life in torment” is the reward of all who continue to rebel. So, to completely annihilate the soul? Yeah. That takes power.

Dave: Right! Life is temporary anyway. The one thing guaranteed when you’re born is that someday you’re going to die. So, don’t be afraid of losing this life. It’s temporary anyway.

However, there is one thing of which you should be afraid. You should be very afraid. Not of Yahuwah, of course, because He loves you.

Be afraid of losing eternal life by continuing to commit known sin.

Miles: Be afraid of clinging to pet sins to the point that sin loses its sinfulness. Because it will. We can’t live with cognitive dissonance. If we continue to do what we know to be wrong, we eventually get to the point where it no longer seems wrong.

Dave: That’s right in line with my next point: be afraid of hardening your heart to the entreaties of Yah’s spirit, because that is the unpardonable sin. Be afraid that, through a stubborn lack of surrender to Yahuwah, you’ll fail to know Him as it’s your privilege to know Him. These are what we should fear.

Miles: I like that. Be afraid of failing to know Yahuwah as it’s our privilege to know Him. The word “know” in Scripture is a very interesting word.

It really implies a much deeper level of intimacy than the surface acquaintance we typically use to define the word.

For example, Genesis 4 verse 1 says: “Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and bare Cain.”

Dave: That’s a much more intimate knowledge than that of just being a casual acquaintance.

Miles: Yeah! And only those who fear Yah will have this level of intimate knowing of the Creator. And, of course, when you know Him, He in turn knows you.

Dave: Good point.

There are several Hebrew words translated into the “fear.” However, I want to share with you something I learned recently. There’s a group in Canada that has pioneered a new way of translating the Bible. It’s called self-defining Hebrew. They do a tremendous amount of cross checking and, as the name states, they let the Bible define itself. It’s called the Chronicle Project. You should check it out.

Anyway, when the original, ancient Hebrew glyphs are translated using this system, some surprising nuances come to light that have been lost in translation.

Miles: Sounds interesting.

Dave: It really is. Anyway, the glyphs translated “fear” can also be translated “to learn.” So let’s take that and apply it to Proverbs 1:7. Read the first phrase of that verse, would you please?

Miles: “The fear of Yahuwah is the beginning of knowledge.”

Dave: Doesn’t make much sense to our modern ear, does it? But look what happens when the phrase “to learn” is inserted in verse 7. I’ve written it out, verses 2 through 7 so we can read it in context. Would you read that for us now?

Miles:

To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

To learn of Yahuwah is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. [Proverbs 1:2-7]

Dave: Do you see how that phrase fits with the preceding verses a lot better?

Miles: Oh, yeah! The whole passage is talking about learning. So “to learn of Yahuwah is the beginning of knowledge” makes more sense than “to fear Yahuwah.”

Dave: To fear Yahuwah means to constantly learn of Him and from Him.

Read Job 28 verse 28 for us. Read it the way it’s translated, then insert “to learn of Yahwuah” and read it again.

Miles: Okay, uh … “Behold, the fear of Yahuwah, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”

Dave: And the other way?

Miles: “[To learn of Yahuwah], that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”

Dave: Solomon said: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear Yahuwah, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” [Ecclesiastes 12:13] In other words: Learn and keep learning of Yahuwah, and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Miles: So, how do we apply this in our day-to-day life?

Dave: It actually has a very practical impact on the day-to-day life. The fear of Yahuwah is a safeguard, keeping you from evil. In a very real sense, the fear of Yah cleanses the soul.

Miles: How do you mean?

Dave: When you realize the degree to which you are loved, when fear of Yah’s power is combined with awe of His goodness, it will occupy your thoughts. And, whatever we think about, has the power to transform us.

Miles: By beholding we become changed.

Dave: And that’s how our hearts are readied for the kingdom of Yah.

Remember, those who are saved, are those who have “known” the Father here! It’s this knowing, this intimate relationship, that gets us ready for the kingdom of Yah.

Miles: Psalm 25, verse 14 is another “fear Yahuwah” verse. It says: “The secret of Yahuwah is with them that fear Him; and He will show them His covenant.”

Dave: This has got to be one of the greatest promises recorded in Scripture! Yahuwah will show His covenant to those who fear Him! This is what transforms them into His image.

I’d like you to turn to Jeremiah 31, and read verses 31 to 34. I know I refer to it a lot on here, but it’s one of my favorite passages of Scripture. It spells out so clearly how we are transformed into the divine image. And it’s nothing we do! It’s all a gift.

Miles:

Behold, the days are coming, says Yahuwah, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel…says Yahuwah. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahuwah: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their Eloah, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahuwah,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says Yahuwah. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.

Dave: Those that fear Yahuwah are those that know Him. They’re intimately acquainted with His goodness, His compassion, His love and forgiveness—

Miles: They love Him, because they know Him.

Dave: Precisely. And when we know Him on that level, we will love just as He loves. We’ll put forth our best efforts to share the truths we know with others so they can be saved, too.

Would you read Revelation 14 verse 6, please?

Miles:

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, “Fear Yahuwah, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

Dave: Does the wording of that message remind you of anything?

Miles: Yeah! The fourth commandment: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” And then the reason is given in verse 11: “For in six days Yahuwah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Yahuwah blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

It’s identical to the reason given in Revelation 14 as to why we should “fear” Yah.

Dave: The fourth commandment tells us to worship Yahuwah because He is the Creator. It repeats in the first angel’s message. The world is invited to return to true worship of Yahuwah.

And, the only way to truly worship the Creator is to do so on the ancient lunar Sabbath, calculated by the calendar established at Creation.

Again, the reasoning given in the first angel’s message is the same as in the fourth commandment: because He’s the Creator of the Heavens and the earth.

Only those who fear Yahuwah, can worship Him “in spirit and in truth.” [John 4:24]

You can render acceptable worship and homage only when you have that intimate knowing of the Creator that comes with fearing Him and which, in turn, is the prerequisite for inheriting eternal life.

Miles: Another truth that’s spreading is the true shape of the earth. It’s gone from something everyone mocks, to a topic that’s being discussed all over.

Dave: These two falsehoods—the false Sabbath, and an incorrect understanding of the shape of the earth—prepare the world for Satan’s delusions. If you will accept and believe the truth, Yah will protect your mind from these delusions.

But it starts with a full surrender: being willing to give up long-held beliefs and study with an open mind.

Miles: Don’t go away folks. Up next is our Daily Mailbag. Stay tuned.

* * *

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* * *Daily Mailbag (Miles & Dave)

Miles: A listener from Japan has sent us a question for our Daily Mailbag.

Hey! I recently learned that Japan is one of only four countries that were never colonized by Europe.

Dave: Really! Only four?

Miles: Yep! Japan, Korea, Thailand and … I think Liberia was the other one. None of them were ever colonized by a European nation.

Dave: Good for them! So, what question do we have from Japan?

Miles: Chinen Hiroki from Okinawa, Japan, says: “Christ told His followers ‘seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.’ My question is: how is that even possible in today’s world? It feels like I am constantly scrambling just to stay on top of all my responsibilities and obligations. How do I make God the center of my life while still not neglecting everything else in my life?”

Dave: Thanks for a great question, Chinen. One I think we all can relate to because it’s true: life in the world today is getting more intense.

Miles: Not just life in the world, but I’ve noticed, too, the older I get, the more stressors I find in my life. It’s easy as a young adult to think you’ll have it all figured out by the time you reach a certain age, but it doesn’t work like that.

Dave: It really doesn’t. The American Medical Association says that stress is the cause of more than 60% of all human diseases and illnesses.

I do believe, though, that it is possible to “seek first the kingdom of Yah” and lead a Yah-centered life even in the midst of the stress and intensity of the modern world.

The first thing to do is to simply sit down and consider what your values and goals are in life. Open a blank document on your computer and start typing. Be honest with yourself. What is coming first in your life?

If Yah isn’t, why not? What could you do to change things so that He is?

Miles: I’ve always looked at it this way: when I am seeking first the kingdom of Yah, I’m bringing my priorities into alignment with His. So, obviously, the first step is to find out what Yahuwah’s priorities are. What does He want to see me do with my life?

Dave: That’s good. I think a lot of people get nervous at this point. They’re afraid to pursue this line of thought because they’re worried Yah might ask them to do something they can’t—or don’t want to—do.

Miles: Kind of like Captain Naaman getting offended when the Prophet Elisha told him to go wash in the River Jordan. He headed back to Damascus in a huff. It took his men riding alongside before he came to his senses. They told him, “Look, if the prophet had asked you to go perform some big task, wouldn’t you have done it? How much simpler to wash and be clean?” So, then, he finally did what the prophet said, and, as we all know, was then healed.

Dave: Perfect illustration! The truth is, Yahuwah’s requirements are very simple and straightforward. It’s the manmade rules and the manmade standards of righteousness that are so onerous and difficult to live by.

Miles: Good old “traditions of the elders!”

Dave: It’s really the old, Pharisaical mindset that’s the burden. Would you read Micah 6, verses 6 to 8 for us, please? Here, Micah is addressing this very issue and revealing that Yah’s requirements are actually very simple.

Miles: Sure, I’ve got that right here. It says:

With what shall I come before Yahuwah,
And bow myself before the High Eloah?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
With calves a year old?

Will Yahuwah be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

Dave: See, he’s putting into words the same fears believers have today. He’s spelling out all the ways Satan tries to make us afraid to make a full surrender. Now read the next verse where he answers the question.

Miles:

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does Yahuwah require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?

Dave: Now turn over to Galatians chapter 5. While you’re turning there, I’m going to read 1 John 5, verses 2 and 3. It says: “By this we know that we love the children of Yah, when we love Yah and keep His commandments. For this is the love of Yah, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”

Yahuwah’s commandments, His will for our lives, are not burdensome!

Okay. You’ve got Galatians 5? Read verse 14.

Miles: All right. It says: “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Hmm. I like that. Reminds me of something Yahushua told the Pharisees. Give me just a second to look this up. The Sadducees had just tried to trick him and he’d shut them down, so then the Pharisees took a go at Christ.

Here we go. Matthew 22, verses 34 to 40. It says:

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

Yahushua said to him, “‘You shall love Yahuwah your Eloah with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Dave: Exactly! The entirety of the law and the prophets hangs upon love to Yah and love to your fellow man. That’s it!

The burden comes from the Pharisaical traditions that add to the divine law and carry with it a heavy burden. Read Matthew 23 verse 4. Here, Yahushua was speaking of the Pharisees but it summarizes the Pharisaical spirit we still see today. Matthew 23, verse 4.

Miles: Got it. It says: “They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.”

I see a few verses further on, verse 13, it says: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”

Dave: It’s the Pharisaical spirit that makes us afraid to fully surrender. It’s this fear of being asked to do the impossible that keeps us from seeking first the kingdom of Yah and His righteousness, but the very next phrase is a promise: “And all these things will be added unto you.”

We don’t need to be afraid to make that full surrender, to prioritize Yah first, to seek His kingdom first. Any sacrifices we make will be more than repaid.

Would you flip over to Luke 6 and read verse 38 for us? This is what is promised if we will surrender all, making Yah first in our priorities.

Miles: “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Dave: If we make Yahuwah first and give Him all, He will return all to us.

Now, one point I want to address. There’s this idea that Yah is against material success and supposedly that’s why so many people struggle financially.

Yahuwah is not opposed to material success. Sure, the Bible doesn’t define “success” in terms of material wealth, but Yah isn’t opposed to it on principle.

Miles: Well, yeah. You’ve got Job. He was extremely wealthy. Joseph of Arimathea, who stepped in to help at Christ’s death, was also very wealthy. Nicodemus: same.

But … wait a minute. Doesn’t the Bible say money is the root of all evil?

Dave: The Bible is frequently misquoted as saying that, but no. It doesn’t say that.

Let’s read what it actually does say: 1 Timothy 6:10

Miles: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Aw! Okay. It’s the love of money that’s the root of evil.

Dave: The Father loves to make His children happy. He has no problem blessing us with material wealth if we’ll use those gifts to “do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly” with Him. We also need to love our neighbor as our self.

Miles: I’m going to take this point one step further and say that the Father would like to bless us with material prosperity. Psalm 37:4 says: “Delight yourself also in Yahuwah, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

The question is: will we stay faithful to Him if He does bless us with “worldly” success? It’s easy to pray in an emergency, but how many of us stay as faithful when times are good and we have relatively few problems?

Dave: Very true. Psalm 84 verse 11 says: “No good thing will He withhold
from those who walk uprightly.” Obviously, what is most important to us is our eternal salvation. Yahuwah will withhold no good thing from us, but the most important thing of all is that, in the end, we be saved.

Yahuwah wants to give us so much more than temporal prosperity. He wants to give us eternal life, as well. When you prioritize and put Him first, when you align your values with His, you will find that you are doing what you want to do when you seek first His kingdom and righteousness. You’ll be following the desires of your heart! It’s beautiful.

Miles: It really is a wonderful transformation.

If you’ve got questions or comments, know we’d like to hear from you, too. Go to our website at WorldsLastChance.com and click on Contact Us.

* * *Daily Promise

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

An unexpected phone call in the wee hours of the morning is every parent’s worst nightmare but that’s exactly what happened to Jim and his wife, Julie.

A stranger’s voice informed them that their son, Jay, on a camping trip with friends, had been gravely injured. Apparently, the young men had heard deer moving about above their campground and decided to go take a look. For whatever reason, Jay was carrying a .22-caliber handgun one of his friends had brought.

While hiking up to see the deer, Jay had slipped and dropped the gun. The gun then discharged, a bullet hitting Jay. Although .22-caliber guns aren’t powerful, the location of the injury was serious. The bullet entered Jay’s groin, missing the femoral artery by just a few millimeters. If the artery had been severed, Jay would have bled out and died within minutes.

As it was, the young men had a long, bumpy drive to get out to a main road where they could call for help. Even so, the nearest hospital was 45 minutes away.

Jim called the hospital, requesting that his son be transported on to Denver, a larger city where he believed Jay could receive better care.

“We don’t have time for that,” the surgeon replied. “We need to do a workup and operate immediately or we might lose him.”

Jim and Julie were a two and a half hour drive away. They drove as fast as they dared, praying all the way. They arrived at the hospital just as Jay was being wheeled out of surgery. The road to complete recovery might be long, but he was going to make it.

Jim and Julie felt as though their hearts were bursting with gratitude. First thing, they decided to call their daughter, Jessica, who was in India to let her know what was happening. It was difficult getting through to her, but when Jessica finally came to the phone, she was crying: “Is Jay dead?” She asked.

Jim was shocked, wondering how she could have known the danger her brother had been in. Jessica explained that a few days before, she’d received a strong impression that her brother was going to die. She had asked all her friends to join her in praying for his protection.

Jim hastily reassured his daughter that her brother, though injured, was fine and would make a full recovery.

“Dad,” a tearful Jessica said, “it was our prayers and the hand of [Yah] that stopped that bullet.”

In Jeremiah chapter 32, verse 27, Yahuwah says: “Behold, I am Yahuwah, the Eloah of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?”

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

* * *Part 3: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: Today, we’ve been talking about fear: what it means to truly “fear” Yahuwah. But it struck me, while listening to you today, Dave, that Yahuwah Himself is afraid. He’s afraid for us.

We may not know when Yahushua is going to return, but He does. He knows how near the end is and His urgency stems from seeing us go about our daily lives, all: “where is the promise of his coming?”

We need to wake up and be afraid ourselves. We need to study our lives and our hidden hearts. We need to ask ourselves: Is there anything that’s not in total agreement, in total surrender, to Yahuwah?

Dave: I agree. Just remember, though: the fear of Yahuwah isn’t something that you can conjure up through sheer force of will. It’s a gift.

What was the Saviour’s plea to the Laodicean church? “I counsel thee to …” What?

Miles: “Buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”

Dave: And then he adds the encouraging words: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” [Revelation 3:18-19]

If we’re fearing Yah, if we’re constantly learning of and from Him, we’re never going to boast that we’re rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing.

Miles: No! The closer you get to Yah, the more clearly you see yourself for what you really are and Him for what He really is.

Dave: It’s that very contrast which drives us to the Saviour as we see that there is no way we could ever make ourselves “good enough,” or “pure enough” to be saved.

When I realize how truly pure Yahuwah is, I will recognize how truly depraved I am and then I’ll realize my only hope is to go to Him and ask for the gold, tried in the fire; the white raiment of righteousness, and the eye-salve of spiritual discernment.

Miles: But we’re running out of time. Satan is busy keeping us distracted with the cares of this world.

Do you have any practical advice on how we can make that full surrender and be gifted with the gold, the white raiment … the eye salve?

Dave: Take Yah at His word! He wouldn’t offer all that, if He weren’t willing and able to provide it. So, ask for the promised blessing, believe in the promise, and receive it.

Miles: I think this is an important point: only those who accept these promised gifts by faith will fear Yahuwah. They’re the only ones who will continue to learn of Him and get to know Him.

Dave: It’s a very important point. Let me read you Matthew 7, verses 21 to 23. It says:

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

The only ones Yahuwah knows, are those that “fear” Him; those that continue to learn of Him.

Miles: We can’t just decide we know everything essential for salvation, can we? We have to keep learning and studying.

So, practically speaking, how do we get to know the Father?

Dave: Well, how do you get to know anyone?

You spend time with Him. You study His character as revealed through His law of love. You visit with Him in prayer. Don’t just rattle off your wish list. Pray, but then in the silence, listen for the still, small voice to speak to you. That’s how we get to know Him. It’s how He writes His law on our hearts. It’s how we get that one-on-one connection with Him.

Miles: That is so important. It’s all well-and-good to know prophecy, but if you don’t have that one-on-one, personal relationship with Yah, all the knowledge in the universe won’t save you.

When the trumpets of Revelation 8 and 9 are being poured out, our safety is going to depend on being able to listen for His guidance to us individually. And that starts now. Are we making it a habit to ask Him to reveal His will to us? Are we learning to listen for His voice? We need to learn how now, so that in the days ahead, it will be the most natural thing in the world to go to the Father for help, guidance, and protection.

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.