Program 123: What happens after death?

No one goes to Heaven or hell at death. Scripture clearly states souls “sleep” in the grave awaiting the resurrection.

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

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

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

* * *Part 1: What happens after death?

Miles Robey: Hello! Welcome to WLC Radio. I’m your host, Miles Robey, and with me is Dave Wright!

Dave Wright: Hello! Thanks for tuning in. We’re glad you could join us.

You’ve heard about Columbanus, haven’t you?

Miles: Wasn’t he that Irish missionary from the sixth century?

Dave: Yes. And, for living such an austere lifestyle, he had quite a sense of humor. One time, he wrote a letter to Pope Gregory the Great. Columbanus was unhappy with some things put into place by an earlier pope, Pope Leo the Great. He wanted Pope Gregory to make some changes and not be bound by what Pope Leo had decreed.

Miles: So, what happened?

Dave: Well, Columbanus wrote to Pope Gregory. Now remember, in those days, Latin was the language of the educated. That’s likely what the letter was written in.

Anyway, to encourage the pope to think and act independently of past precedence, Columbanus quoted Ecclesiastes 9:4.

Miles: Ecclesiastes 9:4? What does that say?

Dave: Well, why don’t you read it for us?

Miles: All right, uh … it says … “Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!”

Oh, that’s great. I love puns. The Latin for “lion” is leo, so he’s telling the pope that a live dog is better than a dead leo!

Dave: Not exactly complimentary of Pope Gregory, but it made his point. A lion may be the “king of beasts,” but even a dog is more powerful than a dead lion. People instinctively know this, and that’s why there’s this preoccupation with death. The one sure thing facing everyone at birth is that eventually he or she will face death.

Miles: I think it’s fear, too. People aren’t always sure what happens at death, so it’s easy to be preoccupied worrying about something we know so little about. Different religions have come up with different explanations as to what happens after death.

Hindus, for example, believe in reincarnation. The kind of person you were in this life, determines what you’ll be reincarnated as in the next life.

Dave: Muslims have a completely different belief when it comes to death.

Miles: I know they believe martyrs go directly to the Garden of Eden, but most people aren’t martyred. What about people who are killed in car accidents, or die of cancer, or old age? What do they believe happens to them?

Dave: It really depends. Islam teaches that at the moment of death, the spirit of the deceased goes to Heaven and then Hell, where it is shown both the bliss and the torture awaiting souls at the end of days. The spirit then returns to the body where it encounters two angels.

These angels are really terrifying in appearance. They hold a quick trial to test a Muslim’s faith. If the spirit of the dead Muslim can answer their questions properly and—this is key—if he has a sinless record, then he’s got nothing to worry about. His grave is transformed into a luxurious place that makes the long wait until the final judgment more comfortable.

Miles: What happens if his faith isn’t perfect or if he’s a sinner?

Dave: Well, that’s not so good. The grave awaiting sinners is oppressive and constricting. The filled in grave presses down on the sentient corpse. As the body decays and the rib cage collapses, worms start to nibble away at the decomposing body, causing horrible pain.

Miles: Euuw. That’s grisly. And since everyone has sinned at some point or other, that’s basically the fate that awaits all Muslims, right?

Dave: They don’t believe the torture lasts indefinitely. It’s more intermittent suffering that ends at the resurrection. If they’ve suffered enough, Allah may forgive them.

Miles: That’s awful. I can’t imagine losing a loved one in death, and believing that they’re suffering so horribly.

Dave: It would be terrible. A psychologist by the name of Ahmed Abdel-Khalek has studied anxiety about death among Arab young people. He polled some Egyptians and Kuwaitis and discovered that they worried more about the torture of the grave than they did about losing a close relative or being diagnosed with some fatal disease.

So, yeah. Their beliefs are hardly comforting.

Miles: What do Jews believe about what happens after death?

Dave: Jews don’t have a set doctrine for what happens after death.

Miles: They like to debate, don’t they?

Dave: Yes, and a lot of them believe it’s more important to focus on this life, rather than worry about what happens afterward. So, Judaism really has no consensus on what happens after death.

Happily for us, however, Scripture is not silent on the subject. Do you still have Ecclesiastes chapter 9?

Miles: I do.

Dave: All right, let’s pick up right where we left off.

Miles: Right after the dead “leo”?

Dave: Yes, verses 5 and 6, please.

Miles: All right. It says:

For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even their name is forgotten.
Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun.

Dave: This is what Scripture has to say about death. “The living know that they will die.” They have a conscious awareness of their current existence and a logical expectation that someday they shall die. The dead have no such conscious awareness. They aren’t even ethereal spirits. They have no emotion: no love, no hate, no jealousy.

That’s it. Their lives are over. Fini. Done. No more.

Miles: That’s actually … not bad. I mean, I’d rather think there was nothing after death than to think of a loved one suffering.

Dave: Not only that, but the very theology that suggests a person can inherit eternal life after being punished for their sins negates, in a very real way, the Saviour’s death on the cross.

Yahushua died for our sins! We don’t need to do penance or somehow “earn” our way to forgiveness. We are forgiven. We just need to accept it.

Miles: Amen. Romans 6:23 says that, while the wages of sin is death, the gift of Yah is eternal life through Yahushua the Christ, our Lord. If you have to do something to earn it, it’s not a gift.

Dave: No. But there’s something else. People who have suffered intense physical pain, as well having gone through psychological trauma, will tell you that emotional agony is far worse than any physical pain ever could be.

Miles: That’s true. Having experienced some rather intense pain, both physical and emotional, I’d have to agree with that.

Dave: A total lack of consciousness in death is one of Yahuwah’s most loving gifts!

Miles: And not only for the dead! I remember a woman wrote into an advice columnist. Apparently, in the previous year, her mother-in-law had died. Her husband was, naturally, very upset at the loss of his mother, but what his wife was asking advice about was his belief that his mum was in Heaven.

Dave: She didn’t agree?

Miles: No. Apparently, the mother-in-law had been a very lovely woman. The problem was this couple, like most Christians, had been taught that when a good person dies, his or her soul goes to Heaven. Now, the man was convinced that his mother was floating around, watching everything he did. As in … everything.

Dave: Hm.

Miles: This was really bothering him. He didn’t even want to have relations with his wife for fear that his mother was there, seeing everything.

Dave: Yeah, that would be … euw. Just … yuck.

Miles: You can see why he’d think that. If you’ve been taught that your dead loved ones are up in Heaven watching over you, that would be a logical conclusion to draw.

Dave: Hardly a comforting thought! But, see: error is like that. It may seem nice on the surface, but dig down a bit and you soon discover that it’s not so nice after all. The allure is surface only.

But the truth is so much better, so much more comforting. Let’s take a look at John 11. Ecclesiastes tells us the dead lack conscious awareness, but this story from the life of Christ puts it even better. Why don’t you start at verse 1 and we’ll go from there?

Miles: All right, uh …

Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, behold, he who you love is sick.”

When Yahushua heard that, he said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of Yah, that the son of Yah may be glorified through it.” [John 11:1-4]

Dave: You can see the level of trust this family had in Yahushua. They were friends! They believed that all they needed to do was let Yahushua know their brother was sick, and he would come heal him right away.

Now read verses 6 and 7.

Miles: “So when [Yahushua] heard that [Lazarus] was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’”

Dave: So, Yahushua is deliberately prolonging his stay, wherever he was. He tarried, he lingered there for two more days and then finally decides to go to Judea.

The disciples were startled. Not too long before, the Jews in Judea had tried to stone him to death, so naturally they wanted to know why he’d risk his life by returning to Judea so soon. Read Yahushua’s answer; verse 11.

Miles: “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

Dave: The disciples didn’t get it. Read verses 12 to 14 now.

Miles:

Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” However, Yahushua spoke of his death, but they thought that he was speaking about taking rest in sleep.

Then Yahushua said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.”

Dave: I love this way of looking at death! Yahushua said it was like being asleep. No suffering. No physical torture. No sadness at seeing the pain of your loved ones left behind.

Miles: No spying on loved ones still living.

Dave: No. Just a complete and total lack of awareness. It is, quite literally, like being asleep. When you were little, did you ever go to sleep at someone’s house, only to wake up in your own bed the next morning?

Miles: I actually do remember that happening a couple of times. It was always quite startling. My father had carried me to the car while I was still asleep, so I went to sleep in one location, only to wake up in another.

Dave: All right. That’s what death is like. Say someone is killed in a train accident in the late-19^th century. One moment, the carriage is tipping over and he’s in this horrific accident before a blow to the head knocks him out. He never regains consciousness. The next thing he knows—if he died loving Yahuwah and trusting in the merits of the Saviour—the next thing he knows is waking up at the resurrection. It’s as if no time has elapsed. He fell asleep. Now he’s awake, hearing the angelic choir rejoicing, looking up to see the Saviour.

That is what the Saviour himself says death is like. It’s not going to hell or purgatory. It’s not going to Heaven. It’s simply falling asleep, waiting for the resurrection.

Miles: Okay, we’re going to take a really short break, but when we return, I’d like you to explain about the soul. A lot of Christians believe the soul doesn’t die, even though the body does. It sounds like Muslims believe the same. What does Scripture say, though? Does it say anything?

Dave: Actually, it does. It’s quite clear, as a matter of fact, and this is consistent with death being like sleep.

Miles: All right. Hold that thought. I want to hear about that as soon as we return. We’ll be right back.

* * *

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* * *Part 2: What happens after death?

Miles: I’d like to hear what the Bible says about the soul. Soul sleep versus an immortal soul. You can’t have both and the majority of Christians believe we have immortal souls.

Dave: Yes, but, the majority is rarely—if ever—right. Let’s see what the Bible has to say. Turn to 1 Timothy, chapter 6. This is a foundational principle that absolutely contradicts the idea that any created being has an immortal soul.

Miles: Got it. Which verses?

Dave: Read verses 13 to 16. This is a rather long, run-on sentence.

Miles: Typical of Paul!

Dave: Indeed. But this is an important passage. Paul’s giving a description of Yahuwah here. Listen for the word “immortality” and let’s see what it says.

Go ahead.

Miles:

I urge you in the sight of Yahuwah who gives life to all things, and before Christ Yahushua who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Yahushua Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power.

Dave: Don’t get distracted by Paul’s reference to Yahushua here. That’s not who he’s talking about. He’s talking about Yahuwah who dwells in “unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see.” That’s who we’re talking about here.

Did you hear the reference to immortality?

Miles: Yeah. It’s saying Yahuwah is the “King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality.” You can’t get any clearer than that.

Dave: You can’t. Yahuwah is our Creator. He is the originating life force of everything in the universe. This is not saying Yahuwah is self-existent. He is, but that’s not the point being made here. The point being made is that only Yahuwah has immortality.

And that means … what?

Miles: No one else does.

Dave: No one else does. That, right there, is enough to establish that the human soul is not immortal because Scripture says Yahuwah alone has immortality.

What did the serpent tell Eve?

Miles: “You shall not surely die.”

Dave: Even though Yahuwah had said they would if they sinned. Saying a human has an immortal soul is simply repeating what Satan told Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Miles: So, then, what is the “soul”?

Dave: All right. Let’s take a look at it. Turn to Genesis 2.

Genesis 1 simply states that Yahuwah created the human race, but here in Genesis 2 we get a more detailed explanation of just how it was done. Read verse 7.

Miles: “And Yahuwah Elohim formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

Dave: The word here translated “breath” comes from a Hebrew word that means a puff of wind, vital breath or even divine inspiration. Job 37:10 says that by the “breath” of Yah, frost is given. It’s the same word.

Now, it’s sometimes used interchangeably (at least in English) with another Hebrew word that is also translated “breath”. Look up Genesis 7 verse 15, and while you do that, I’m going to read Genesis 6, verse 17. Listen for the word “breath.”

It says: “And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.”

Okay, now read Genesis 7:15.

Miles: “And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.”

Dave: So, breath. Yahuwah breathed into man’s nostrils His breath and man became a living soul.

Now, I want you to read one more verse that has this same word as was used in Genesis 6 and 7 to describe the “breath of life.” Read Genesis 1, verses 1 and 2.

Miles: Oh, I’ve got that memorized. I think every Christian does. The opening words of Scripture. It says: “In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of Elohim moved upon the face of the waters.”

Wait a minute. There’s no “breath” there.

Dave: Not in English, no. But there is in the Hebrew. It’s the word “spirit.” The “spirit of Elohim” moved upon the face of the waters. “Spirit” and “breath” in Scripture are interchangeable.

Miles: That’s really beautiful because in, what is it? Isaiah 55? You’ve got this beautiful explanation of the power that is contained in the word of Yah. He says it’s like rain, which has the power to cause the earth to blossom and bring forth.

Dave: Why don’t you read it for us?

Miles: All right. Give me just a second to find it …

Here we go. It’s Isaiah 55, verses 8 to 11. Listen to this, it says:

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith Yahuwah.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Unquote. So what this is saying is that the word of Yah itself contains the power to do what it says.

Dave: And do you know why? Because His word is carried forward by His breath. The same breath that was breathed into man’s nostrils so that he became a living being. This is why, in the flood account, it speaks of everything in whose nostrils is the breath of life.

It takes a corporeal body plus Yah’s “breath” to form conscious awareness. Without that combination, you do not have conscious thought. You do not have a living soul.

Miles: So what’s the Hebrew for the word “soul”? Is there any correlation there?

Dave: That’s a good question and the answer is, yes, there is. Where it says that man became a living soul? The word “soul” comes from the Hebrew word nephesh.

Miles: What does that mean?

Dave: It means, literally, a “breathing creature.” In fact, why don’t you read it. I’ve got Strong’s Expanded Dictionary of Bible Words here. It’s number 5315. Go ahead and look it up.

Miles: All right … It says, quote:

Nephesh means soul; self; life; person; heart. The basic meaning comes from its verbal form, naphash, which refers to the essence of life, the act of breathing, taking breath.

Dave: That’s good. So, the basic meaning refers to the act of breathing. Are we breathing when we’re dead?

Miles: No.

Dave: So, not only does Yah alone have immortality, but our “souls” exist only when that breath of Yah is within a corporeal body. There is no “life after death” until Yah returns His breath to the individual at resurrection.

Miles: So what, precisely, happens at death, then?

Dave: Well, let’s let the Bible answer that, too. Turn to Ecclesiastes 12. This is the last chapter in Ecclesiastes, written at the end of Solomon’s life. Start with verse 1.

Miles: “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the difficult days come,
And the years draw near when you say,
‘I have no pleasure in them.’”

Dave: This is the sum total of Solomon’s life experience: remember Yahuwah when you are young.

Now read verses 6 and 7. It’s going to tell you what happens at death.

Miles:

Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed,
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.
Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to Yahuwah who gave it.

Dave: So what happens to the “spirit” when a person dies?

Miles: It returns to Yahuwah who gave it.

Dave: That is the exact same word used in Genesis 1 verse 2 that says the “spirit” of Elohim moved over the surface of the waters.

Without Yahuwah’s “spirit” or breath, there is no conscious awareness. Full stop.

Miles: That’s actually a very comforting thought. When you die, there’s no suffering. When your loved ones die, they’re no longer in pain. It’s like they’re just sleeping.

Dave: And the life once given is again restored when Yahushua returns. Everyone who has died trusting in the merits of the Saviour’s blood will be resurrected when he returns to set up Yahuwah’s everlasting kingdom on the earth.

Miles: So, are we given spirit bodies, are the same bodies returned to us?

Dave: It doesn’t really matter. Paul calls it a mystery. The point is that our character, our personality, the core essence of who we are is restored to us.

Let’s read it: 1 Corinthians 15, verses 51 to 53.

Miles: It says …

Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Dave: Notice that immortality is a gift given the redeemed. It’s not something they inherently have.

Miles: I noticed, too, that Paul also refers to death as a sleep. He said, “We shall not all sleep.” That’s interesting.

Dave: Again, immortality is a gift that is not given until Yahushua returns.

This was something that Job understood clearly. You recall how when his friends came to “cheer” him up—

Miles: Miserable comforters that they were—

Dave: Yep, they didn’t do a good job of it, did they? Job longed for death. But even as he longed for his life of suffering to be over, he did not expect to go to Heaven immediately. In fact, let’s go to Job 19 and read verses 25 to 27. Job states rather explicitly that his body will decay in the grave.

Go ahead and read it as soon as you’ve got it.

Miles: Oh, yes. I remember this passage. Such an incredible statement of strong faith. It says, quote:

I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see Yah: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

That’s beautiful.

Dave: Notice that while Job trusted Yahuwah to resurrect him to live once again on the earth, he did not expect that it would be immediately at death. In fact, he didn’t expect it to happen at all until much later, long after his body had returned to dust.

All who have died trusting in the merits of Yahushua’s blood, will be resurrected.

Miles: All right. Let’s talk for a minute about those who persist in rebellion. If we don’t have an immortal soul, then, that would mean there’s no eternally burning hell.

Dave: Right. Such a heresy is diametrically opposed to a character of love, and the Bible clearly states in 1 John 4, verse 8 that Yahuwah is love. But more than that, eternally burning in hell is still eternal life. It may not be an eternal life anyone would want, but it still is eternal life.

Earlier you mentioned Romans 6:23, remember?

Miles: Yeah. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of Yah is eternal life through Yahushua the Christ, our Lord.”

Dave: The wages of sin is death. It’s not “eternal life in torment.” Furthermore, the “gift of Yah” is eternal life. Eternal life in torment isn’t a “gift!” It’s sadistic. It’s cruel and evil. It’s what Satan would try and do, never Yah.

Turn now to Revelation 20. Following Yahushua’s return to earth, all who have obstinately persisted in rebellion will face the judgment throne of Yah. Let’s read about it. Revelation 20, verses 11 to 15.

Miles:

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away … And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before Yah, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Dave: Again, eternal life is the reward given the overcomers. The lost are not given this gift, not even in torment. Death is the reward of all who reject Yah’s mercy.

Yahuwah does the only thing a merciful Father can do: He allows those who would be miserable in the Kingdom of Love to cease to exist.

Miles: It’s a powerful statement that at the end, even Death and Hades are destroyed. That’s a promise! No more sin, so no more death; no more suffering.

Dave: Satan’s lies always bring only pain. In every act of Yahuwah, His eternal love for sinners is revealed and in death it’s no different. Death is merely a sleep and even sinners, once they are destroyed in the lake of fire, they’re dead. No more suffering, certainly not eternal suffering.

Miles: No. That’s something dreamed up by the devil and attributed to Yah. It’s amazing that even when it comes to death, Yah’s love shines through. How can you help but love a God like that?

Stay tuned, folks. Up next is our Daily Mailbag.

* * *

You are listening to World's Last Chance Radio.

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

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From Genesis to Revelation, the one over-arching theme of Scripture is Yahuwah’s love for mankind. Divine love is the strongest force in the universe and this is why Satan has tried so hard to twist Scripture so people will fear the very One they should love the most.

One area that Satan has used to misrepresent Yah’s character of love is in the Old Testament stories where Yahuwah commanded the Israelites to completely wipe out various enemies. Such mass genocide appears to conflict with other passages of Scripture that present the heavenly Father as kind, just, and infinitely loving.

There is a reason for it, though, and this reason is consistent Yahuwah’s character of love.

To learn the truth, go to WorldsLastChance.com. Look for the documentary, “Nephilim in the Bible.” You can also look for it on YouTube! Don’t believe Satan’s lies. Yahuwah loves everyone and there is always a reason for every one of His commands.

* * *Daily Mailbag

Miles: All right, today’s Daily Mailbag question comes all the way from … Shimoga, India! Did you know calculus, trigonometry, and algebra were all invented in India?

Dave: I didn’t know that. Makes sense, though. India has the second largest pool of engineers and scientists in the world.

Miles: Very smart people.

Okay, Kabir has a question I think a lot of us can benefit from, particularly in a world that is growing ever more secular. He says: “I am one of only two Christians at my work. One thing the other man and I have been talking about lately is how Christian values should impact business ethics at work. Any advice?”

Dave: Well, “ethics” has to do with what’s right. Now, obviously, when it comes to etiquette each culture has its own set of behavioral standards that are expected in the professional world.

That said, there are certain absolutes that transcend all cultures. The ultimate standard of what is right, of course, is Yahuwah Himself. Biblical principles, then, are going to be very relevant to the business world.

Miles: Can you give us a specific example?

Dave: Sure! Take, for example, Micah 6, verse 8. It summarizes in a single verse how Christians are to act at all times. It says, “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what doth Yahuwah require of thee but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.”

Okay, now apply that to business. If you act in a just manner, you’re never going to cheat someone else. You’re not going to take advantage of someone just because you can: not financially, not by taking advantage of their ignorance, not in any way.

Miles: The golden rule: You’ll treat them as you would want to be treated.

Dave: Precisely. This means that if you’re an employer, you’ll pay your employees a living wage.

Miles: 1 Timothy 5:18 – “The workman is worthy of his hire.”

Dave: Right. We don’t honor Yah when we take advantage of those working for us. Likewise, if you’re the employee, you’ll give your employer an honest day’s work in exchange for your wages.

You’ll treat clients and co-workers with consideration, courtesy, respect.

If you make an agreement or sign a contract, you’ll honor that agreement.

Miles: I remember reading a number of places in Scripture where the Bible talks about false weights and measures.

Dave: Yeah! Who wants to be cheated out of a fair price? That’s what false weights and measures are talking about. If you bought something, how do you feel if you get home and discover that you were cheated and not given all you paid for?

Not only is that cheating, but it’s not good business practices. Honesty. Integrity. Honoring contracts. Hard work. All of these are practical principles that very much have a bearing in the workplace.

Miles: As Christians, we also need to remember that we’re representing Yahuwah to the world. Are we really honoring Him when we “drive a hard bargain” and take advantage of others just because we can?

Dave: That’s a good point. Don’t forget that, for many people, you will be the only face of Yahuwah they will ever see. The way you treat employees and co-workers, the way you speak to others, reveals your ethics.

Turn to Philippians chapter 4 and read verse 8. This contains principles that can apply to every area of life. Go ahead and read it once you’ve got it.

Miles: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Dave: Honesty, integrity, justice, being positive, all of these are things that should be character qualities of the Christian and are also good qualities to have in business, as well. It just makes good business sense to not take advantage of others just because you can; to be honest and fair. That’s what will build your reputation in business and what also reflects Yah’s image in you.

Miles: Okay, one more very short question: Daniel in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe wants to know: “What are the apocryphal books? Should Christians read them?”

Dave: There are actually a lot of apocryphal books. Some of them are quite good, some are full of heresy. Now, if you’re speaking strictly about the “apocrypha,” those books actually used to be considered part of Scripture. You look at Bibles published in the 1800s and before, the apocrypha was often included. I know Luther included them in his translation, and all King James bibles published prior to 1666 included the apocrypha.

Miles: By “the apocrypha” you mean … ?

Dave: Books like 1 and 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Ecclesiasticus, 1 and 2 Maccabees. Many of them were written in the intertestamental time period, or the period of time between when the Old Testament was written and the New Testament began.

Miles: So, do you think that’s something Christians should read?

Dave: I think some of them are very good, yes. The Book of Jasher (which is mentioned several times in Scripture), is very interesting; the Book of Enoch has some fascinating material, too. I’m not going to put any of it on a par with the Bible, but that’s what the holy spirit is for. Take what is good and lay aside the rest.

Miles: I’ve read the Book of Jasher and I really liked it. There’s so much more included in Jasher that was left out of Moses’ accounts. Jasher rounds out the stories of Genesis and the early history of the Children of Israel and makes them come alive.

Dave: Again, I wouldn’t put them in the same category as the Bible, but certainly Yahuwah could well have inspired the writers of some of those books, just like He inspires spiritual writers today.

Listen to that still small voice. If it doesn’t contradict Scripture, if it edifies your understanding and draws you closer to Yahuwah, read and enjoy. Again, take what’s good and lay aside the rest.

Miles: That’s always a good principle to keep in mind.

If you’ve got questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. Go to WorldsLastChance.com and click on Contact Us. That’s WorldsLastChance.com, and click on Contact Us.

* * *Daily Promise

Hello! This is Elise O’Brien with today’s Daily Promise.

Donald Seybold was no stranger to emergencies. As a pilot with a thousand hours flying time, it’s impossible not to have experienced emergencies at some point or other.

The day began routinely. Donald was supposed to fly a P-3 Orion from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, to a Naval Support Facility called Diego Garcia, in the Middle of the Indian Ocean. The plan was to spend the night in Thailand, something Donald and his crew of 12 were looking forward to as a reward for the long, boring flight.

Just one hour after leaving Okinawa, a green warning sign appeared. It was nothing life-threateningly serious, but indicated that one of their engines might have contaminated fuel, or clogged fuel filters. It would need to be checked out once the aircraft landed.

Since the airbase in Thailand lacked the facilities to do the required maintenance, Donald decided the best thing to do was to divert the flight to a navy airfield in the Philippines. The flight went well with no further issues. Donald wondered if perhaps it was nothing more than a malfunctioning sensor. The approach to the runway in the Philippines, likewise, was without incident. The plane touched down on the runway … and that’s when it all spiraled out of control.

The moment their plane made contact with the tarmac, their number three engine shut down. A P-3 Orion is typically traveling at 130 miles an hour when it lands. To come to a stop, the propellers blow air in front of the plane. With one engine out, there would be less air flow, thus taking longer to come to a stop. Donald wasn’t worried, though. They still had three working engines. It would simply take them longer to stop.

Then, the number two engine shut down, and just that fast, the number four engine also shut down. With only one working engine and no way to stop the plane, Donald knew that it was only a matter of seconds before the plane veered off the side of the runway, down a 30-foot embankment, and into the ocean below.

He and his co-pilot applied the brakes that were left, but with no reverse thrust, and no ground steering, the rushing plane started to leave the runway.

Suddenly, Donald heard a voice telling him to add more power. This was insane! None of their emergency procedures called for adding power and there was certainly no way they could lift off again! Donald shrugged it aside as nothing more than panic.

… But the voice came again: Add power!

Suddenly, Donald realized it was the voice of Yah telling him to add more power. He immediately flipped the power lever to full power on their single, remaining engine. As soon as he did this, the aircraft returned to the runway, the brakes engaged, and the plane came to a stop just 400 yards from the end of the runway.

Recalling the incident later, Donald said, quote:

Thirteen of us were saved that day, and I know it was [Yahuwah] who lifted my airplane back onto the runway. Like many Christians, I wanted to be in control and fix the problem myself. I wanted to keep the power. Only when I gave up and submitted to the Lord were we truly back in control again. Adding power was not about engines and fuel; it was [Yah’s] power that made the difference. Surrendering to Him, choosing to trust and obey Him, was all it took.

Unquote.

Psalm 37 verse 39 says: “But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahuwah;
He is their strength in the time of trouble.”

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

* * *Part 3: What happens after death?

Miles: I think anyone who has been afraid of what happens after death—especially those who have been taught that the grave involves immense suffering—will be relieved to hear that death is, just as Yahushua said, a “sleep.”

But people aren’t idiots. There’s usually a reason why they hold the beliefs they do. People who teach an eternally burning hell, quote Scripture, too.

Now, I know that truth is harmonious.

Dave: Right. Truth will never contradict itself.

Miles: So, what do you do about these passages of Scripture that other people use as proof of an eternally burning hell?

Dave: Well, you have to take it in context. Always read things in context. Next, you have to take everything the Bible says on a certain subject. When you find an explanation that harmoniously explains it all, there is your answer.

Miles: All right … do you mind if we take a look at a couple of these passages?

Dave: Let’s do it. Which one would you like to discuss?

Miles: Well, uh … what about Revelation 14? Revelation 14, verse 11, I think is probably the clearest reference to the lost suffering.

Dave: All right. If you’ve got it, why don’t you go ahead and read it for us?

Miles: Okay. It’s said in the context of the three angels’ messages. These are earth’s final warnings to return to the worship of the Creator. Let’s start back at verse 9 in order to read it in context. It’s describing what happens to those who refuse to worship Yah.

It says:

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of Yah, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Dave: Okay. This is actually not a correct interpretation of Revelation 14 since it’s already been fulfilled, but you’re right: most people assume this chapter is talking about the final generation and describing what happens to the lost. So, just for the sake of argument, let’s assume that this passage is describing the suffering of the lost: that those who worship the beast and his image and receive his mark will, indeed, burn “forever and ever.”

But in order to impose that interpretation on the verse, you’d have to ignore Ecclesiastes 9 which unequivocally states, “the dead know not anything.” You’d also have to ignore Romans 6:23 that states the wages of sin is death, not eternal life in torment.

Miles: Not to mention Revelation 20 where it says that, eventually, even Death and Hades are destroyed.

Dave: Right!

Miles: So then, what do we do with this statement that the smoke of their … torment … ascends up forever and ever?

Dave: You’re emphasizing the wrong word.

Miles: What do you mean?

Dave: The key word here is “smoke,” not “torment.” The smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever.

Miles: You’ve lost me.

Dave: A really hot burning fire doesn’t smoke. It’s only when the flames are dying, or have already gone out, that it smokes really bad.

Do you remember that verse, I don’t remember where it is, that talks about the Messiah’s mission? It says “A bruised reed shall he not break; and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.”

Miles: Yeah. Isaiah 42, verse 3.

Dave: A smoking flax is one that is going out. In his mission to reveal Yah to the world, Yahushua strengthened the weak. He healed the sick, encouraged the faint-hearted. He didn’t kick those who were down. He didn’t tromp on their dimly flickering light.

Again, something that is smoking is something that is going out or has gone out already.

When you think about the worst crimes that can be committed against one’s fellow man, what has traditionally been the punishment? Again, we’re talking about the worst of the worst. What punishment has always been reserved for the worst crimes?

Miles: Well, the death penalty.

Dave: Correct. Now, most of the world’s countries have outlawed it but at last count a little over 50 countries still have a death penalty on their books.

The death penalty has always been viewed as the worst punishment possible because of what is taken away. Life is taken away. Most death sentences anymore are quick and fairly painless. It’s not the dying itself that is the punishment. It’s what is taken away.

For those who persist in rebelling against Yahuwah, the same holds true. They lose out on eternal life. That’s why the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. The lake of fire mentioned in Revelation 20 verse 15 doesn’t burn forever and ever. But the results last forever.

Why don’t you read that again once more? Revelation 20, verses 14 and 15.

Miles: “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Dave: “This is the second death.” In other words, this is the death from which there is no resurrection—ever.

A woman who died in childbirth 1,000 years ago will be resurrected. A warrior who was killed in battle 3,000 years ago, the same.

But everyone who dies in the lake of fire are dead forever. There will be no future resurrection. That’s why John calls it the “second death.”

Miles: That’s beautiful. I mean … it’s not beautiful to talk about death, but—

Dave: No, no! I know what you mean. What’s beautiful is how Yahuwah’s love is still expressed, even to those who remain impenitent. Those who join willingly with the devil in his rebellion.

Miles: Well, yeah. Think about the worst person you know. You can even think about the worst people in history. People that were evil incarnate and caused the suffering of many, many more. At what point, throughout the ceaseless cycles of eternity, is justice served and no more punishment is warranted?

I hesitate to say it, but at what point does Yah become like the very evil He hates? You can’t burn someone for infinity for the sins committed in a single lifetime, and still call yourself just. You just can’t.

Dave: No, you can’t. And Yahuwah’s justice goes hand-in-hand with His love. You can’t separate the two. Would you turn to Jeremiah 9 and read verses 23 and 24? This says it the best of any passage I know.

Miles: Sure, uh, it says …

Thus saith Yahuwah, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:

But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am Yahuwah which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith Yahuwah.

Dave: Yahuwah exercises, He deliberately acts in accordance with principles of lovingkindness. He is just and fair. All His acts are righteous. It is in these things that He takes delight.

Miles: He is truly the best friend any of us can ever have. Our time is up but don’t wait to make that full surrender, folks. An eternity of joy awaits all who accept Yah’s gift of salvation.

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.