Program 284
Yahuwah: Creator & God

The Jews and all of the Bible writers viewed Yahuwah alone as God and Creator.

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]

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

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Part 1: (Miles & Dave)

Miles Robey: Out of curiosity for what would show up, I Googled “What do Christians believe?” With their bots and search engines, Google now provides a quick, AI-generated response to such queries. The AI response was:

Christians believe in one God, who exists in three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. They believe that Jesus, God's son, came to Earth, lived a sinless life, died on the cross to atone for humanity's sins, and was resurrected, offering salvation to those who believe in him.

I actually found the response quite fascinating. And, to be fair, accurate for the majority of Christians. Most Christians do worship three divine beings whom they insist is still just one God. Because that is the God of Abraham, Christians often feel an affinity to the Jews as we both accept the Old Testament as the Word of God.

After reading what AI came up with as a summary of Christian beliefs, I decided to Google “What do Jews believe?” The response for this was also fascinating because, while Christianity has its roots in Judaism, modern Christianity is very different from Judaism. The AI-generated explanation was: “Jews believe in one God who created the universe and with whom they have a special covenant relationship. They believe God revealed himself through prophets like Abraham and Moses, and that the Torah contains God's laws and commandments.”

What I found interesting was the part that said, “Jews believe in one God who created the universe.” Sure, Christians believe “God” created the universe, but most trinitarian Christians believe that the second member of their godhead, God the Son, did the actual act of creating, so Christ was the Creator. I’ve read statements by Christian writers claiming that “God the Father worked through Christ in the creation of the world.”

GotQuestions.com is a Christian website that offers answers to frequently asked question about Christian theology and even they claim that Christ is the actual Creator. In response to the question, “Is Jesus the Creator?” the website states “Jesus is the Creator of the universe.” They expound on that a bit and then conclude the study by saying, “After a thorough study of Scripture, we can conclude that God the Father is the Creator, and He created through Jesus, God the Son.” That’s a trinitarian twist if ever there was one!

But if you haven’t joined us before, my name is 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.

Today, Dave Wright is going to be leading us in a study on just who the Jews believe the Creator to be. You might be wondering, what difference does it make? Well, all of the Old Testament Bible writers were Jewish. All of them. So, if we want to know what they actually taught, it’s important to know what they believed and how they intended their writings to be interpreted. And that’s not necessarily the same as we have interpreted their writings when viewed through a trinitarian lens.

Later, in our Daily Mailbag, we’ll be looking at what to do when someone not only rejects the beliefs with which they were raised, but they embrace new ones you think are wrong. What is a Christian response? Making it more complicated, what do you do when there are children involved that you want to protect from the new, erroneous beliefs? Then, Jane Lamb will share with us another true story illustrating another precious promise from Yah’s word.

I’m going to turn the time now over to Dave.

Dave Wright: Thanks, Miles! You and your family recently took a trip to the United States, didn’t you?

Miles: Yeah! We had a great time. It was fun to visit and spend time with family we don’t get to see very often.

Dave: You were telling me about an interaction you witnessed between your sister-in-law and a stranger?

Miles: An interaction?

Dave: An assumption someone made about your sister-in-law?

Miles laughs: Oh! Oh, yeah.

Dave: Would you tell us about that, please?

Miles: Sure! Well, where my brother and his family live, there is a large Latino community. So, one afternoon, we’d taken all the kids to a park for a picnic. While we were there, an older Hispanic lady said something to my sister-in-law in Spanish.

Now, my sister-in-law has black hair, brown eyes, and a pale, olive complexion. But she’s not Latina and she doesn’t speak Spanish. So, she told the lady, “I’m sorry? I don’t understand. Do you speak English?”

And this lady just went off on her! She started scolding her for not speaking Spanish, telling her she was a traitor to her Latino ancestors and shame on her for not teaching her culture to her children.

Dave laughs: Tell everyone how your sister-in-law responded.

Miles: Well, she stayed polite, but she quickly put the lady in her place. She interrupted the woman’s rant and said, “Excuse me! I’m not Latina; I’m Persian. As for not teaching my children my culture …” then she turned to one of her kids nearby and called something to him in Farsi. He responded—in Farsi—before running off.

Dave: How did the woman respond?

Miles: She blushed 14 different shades of red before storming off without another word.

Dave laughs: Don’t make assumptions, folks! It only sets you up for embarrassment!

And that’s what we Christians have done when it comes to identifying the Creator. We’ve imposed our “triune godhead” doctrine of Scripture and extrapolated from that to convince ourselves that Yahushua is the one that spoke the world into existence. Whether we believe Yahuwah acted through him or not, the assumption has been that “God the Son” is the Creator.

I honestly don’t know how we could have made that assumption—and I’m including myself in that, because I believed it, too, for many years—but Scripture is clear: there is only one God and that’s Yahuwah. Scripture also just flat-out states that Yahuwah is the Creator, so why we’ve believed Yahushua’s the Creator, I don’t know.

And by the time we get through today’s program, I’m sure everyone will agree the evidence is clear: Yahuwah, the only true God, is also our Creator. This is what Scripture teaches. The Old Testament was written by Jews, and none of them believed in a triune godhead.

Let’s start with Deuteronomy 6. Buried in this passage is a statement about Yahuwah’s very nature: He’s unitarian, not trinitarian. There’s just Him. But let’s read it in context. Would you please read verses 1 to 9? This is Moses speaking.

Miles:

These are the commands, decrees and laws Yahuwah your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear Yahuwah your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as Yahuwah, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

Hear, O Israel: Yahuwah is our God, Yahuwah alone. Love Yahuwah your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Dave: Over and over we can see in this passage that only Yahuwah is God. If God were actually a trinity comprised of Yahuwah and Yahushua and the Holy Spirit, this is where it would have said so. But it didn’t. Instead, the fact that only Yahuwah is God is iterated and reiterated throughout this entire passage.

But this isn’t the only place that makes the case that Yahuwah alone is God. Would you please read Exodus 8 verse 10? This is from a conversation between Pharaoh and Moses. Moses promised to pray to his God to have the plague of frogs removed and asked Pharaoh when he wanted it done. Pharaoh said tomorrow. What was Moses’ reply?

Miles: “Moses replied, ‘It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like Yahuwah our God.’”

Dave: Yahushua himself stated that only Yahuwah is God. Now, if Yahushua were one-third of “God,” to state that only Yahuwah is God would be incorrect. So, he didn’t say that. Read what he did say: John 5 verse 44.

Miles: “How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”

Dave: He clearly wasn’t talking about himself here. When Yahushua talked about himself, he usually referred to himself as the “son of man,” which emphasized his human nature.

Paul, perhaps more than any other New Testament writer, shaped the beliefs of Christianity. He certainly authored the most books in the New Testament. And even Paul emphasized that Yahushua was not God. Would you please read Galatians 3, verses 19 and 20?

Miles: “Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.”

Dave: God … is … one. Not three-in-one. Just one. And remember, Paul was extremely well-educated. He had the vocabulary to describe a trinity, but he never did because he knew that Yahuwah alone is God. Yahushua isn’t.

Turn now to Isaiah. There are several passages here that emphasize that Yahuwah alone is God. Now, if Yahushua were God the Son as we’d always been taught, he would have had to have had a pre-existence, so he should have been mentioned somewhere in these passages. But you’ll notice he wasn’t.

Miles: What chapter?

Dave: Isaiah 43 verses 10 and 11.

Miles:

“You are my witnesses,” declares Yahuwah,

“and my servant whom I have chosen,

so that you may know and believe me

and understand that I am he.

Before me no god was formed,

nor will there be one after me.

I, even I, am Yahuwah.

Dave: For one-third of a godhead to claim He’s the only God is both incorrect and rather dishonest.

Turn over a couple of chapters now to Isaiah 45 and read verses 5 and 6. This is another very clear statement as to just who “God” is.

Miles:

I am Yahuwah, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
though you have not acknowledged me,
so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting
people may know there is none besides me.
I am Yahuwah, and there is no other.

Dave: We have missed these very clear statements giving us the identity of our God because of how the translators substituted the generic title, Lord, for the divine, personal name of Yahuwah.

Miles: And then you get to the New Testament where Yahushua is referred to as “Lord,” you can see why there’s been confusion.

Dave: Sure. But it’s time now to restore the truth. The Old Testament tells us that not only is Yahuwah alone “God,” but that He is also the Creator. Would you please read Isaiah 44 verse 24.

Miles:

Yahuwah your redeemer
who formed you in the womb says:
I am Yahuwah, the maker of all,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself.

Dave: I spread out the earth … by myself. He didn’t have a helper. He alone “stretched out the heavens.” He didn’t “work through” Yahushua. He did it Himself.

Miles: Okay, so, we know that the doctrine of a triune godhead is never spelled out in Scripture. But we also know that “el” is a Hebrew title which means “god.” And “elohim” is the plural form of the word. So, for those who know their Hebrew words, what would you say to someone that says, “Well, Genesis 1:1 says, ‘In the beginning elohim created the Heavens and the earth.” Could this be an allusion to a three-in-one godhead?

There’s also that statement in Genesis 1 that says, “Then Elohim said, ‘Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us.’”

I agree with you that Yahuwah alone is God. But then how are we to explain these passages?

Dave: That’s a great question.

There are two explanations. One, is that pluralizing titles was a Hebrew literary device that was used to show honor. And it wasn’t just used in passages referring to Yahuwah. They’d do it for, say, magistrates, too.

The second explanation is one that even trinitarian scholars admit and that is that the use of the plural form refers to Yahuwah … and His angelic court. I have here a quote from Gordon Wenham’s Word Biblical Commentary on Genesis. He was a British Old Testament scholar that passed away real recently, in May of 2025. Go ahead and read what he has to say.

Miles: “From Philo onward, Jewish commentators have generally held that the plural [us, our] is used because God is addressing his heavenly court, i.e., the angels.” Then he lists Isaiah 6:8 as an example.

Dave: Isaiah 6 verse 8 was when Yahuwah called Isaiah to be a prophet. It says:

Then I heard the voice of Yahuwah saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

So, more than a “royal we,” it’s a courtly “we.”

Wenham then goes on to explain when this view changed. Remember: Philo was a first-century Jew. But in the second century, as paganism made inroads into Christianity, this view began to change. Would you read his next statement there?

Miles: “From the Epistle of Barnabas and Justin Martyr, who saw the plural as a reference to Christ, Christians have traditionally seen this verse as foreshadowing the Trinity.”

That’s interesting he says foreshadowing the Trinity. That’s admitting that interpretation wasn’t original to the text.

Dave: He admits that! Read his next statement.

Miles: Uhh … “It is now universally admitted that this was not what the plural meant to the original author.”

Huh! That’s quite the admission. It’s saying there was a time when the early Christians changed the original meaning of the verse.

Dave: Or, at least, they interpreted it differently, yes.

So, remembering that, with the exception of Luke in the New Testament, the Bible writers were all Jewish, let’s look at how they viewed Yahuwah. Who did they believe Him to be?

To save time, I’ve printed off the passages I want us to look at. Here … just start at the top. What’s the first verse there?

Miles: Uhh, first one is Isaiah 64 verse 8. It says: “Yet you, Yahuwah, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

Dave: So, remembering that Adam was formed out of clay, this is a rather poetical way of saying that Yahuwah is our maker. And it even names Yahuwah as our maker.

What’s next?

Miles: John 8. Oh, this is interesting. This is from an argument between the Jews and Christ. Verse 41 Yahushua says:

“You are doing the works of your own father.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God Himself.”

Dave: Even though they used the title here—because we know the Israelites of Christ’s day had quit using the sacred name—they were clearly referring to Yahuwah here. So, they viewed Him as their Father and as their Creator.

This view was shared by the early Christians. We see this in a prayer recorded in Acts 4. This is after Peter and John’s release from prison. They went and told the other believers—pretty much all of whom were Jews—what had happened. We’ll read just the highlights of the prayer. Verses 24, 27 and 28.

Miles:

When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “You made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.

Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Yahushua, whom You anointed. They did what Your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.

Dave: These verses are interesting because we’ve got a very clear statement that Yahuwah is the Creator and that Yahushua is His servant. There’s nothing here about them sharing God-status.

Miles: I noticed that they also didn’t attribute to Yahushua any part of helping create the world.

Dave: No, because he didn’t. That idea came in later.

Another place where Yahuwah is said to be the Creator is found in Acts 17. This is an important passage because it’s Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill. If Yahushua were divine or if he had any part to play in the Creation of the world, Paul would have said so here in this sermon to the Athenians because he was trying to find common ground in their beliefs. But he didn’t say that. Instead, he emphasized that Yahuwah, the only true God, was the one who created everything.

Let’s read it: Acts 17 verses 22 to 29.

Miles:

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.”

Dave: Paul’s emphasis here is that Yahuwah is the originating Source. He not only created everything, but He sustains everything that is. This was Paul’s understanding as both a well-educated Jew, and a Christian.

And this isn’t the only place he states this. In Ephesians 1:17, he refers to Yahuwah as, quote, “the God of our Lord Yahushua Christ, the glorious Father.” Later, in Ephesians 3, he’s talking about his mission. The work he’s been given to do. Let’s see how he describes it. Verses 9 to 11. His mission is …?

Miles: “To make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Yahushua our Lord.”

Dave: It’s revealing that the title “God” here does not extend to refer to Yahushua. It refers solely to Yahuwah.

Peter also believed that Yahuwah alone was the Creator. Read 1 Peter 4:19.

Miles: “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”

Dave: Over and over we see that this is how the Bible writers viewed Yahuwah: as their Father and Creator.

Now what’s really interesting is that the book of Revelation gives us a glimpse into how the unfallen beings view Yahuwah!

Miles: Really?! I guess I never picked up on that before.

Dave: Well, let’s read it. Turn to Revelation 4. This is a vision of the throne room in Heaven. It’s filled with many different species of holy beings. Let’s see what they say. Read verses 9 to 11.

Miles:

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for You created all things,
and by Your will they were created
and have their being.”

Dave: There are a few things I want you to notice about what the elders say. First, they give praise to Yahuwah alone. The reason they ascribe praise and honor and glory to Him? Because He “created all things” and by His will “they were created and have their being.

Secondly, notice that the pronouns here are singular. They give thanks to—Him—who sits on the throne, and they worship—Him—forever and ever.

Miles: Oh, that’s a good point! This vision was given after Yahushua ascended to Heaven, and after he was elevated to sit at Yahuwah’s right hand on the throne of Heaven. If Yahushua were divine, by rights he should be included in their praise. Also, if he were the one who made everything.

Dave: You’re absolutely right. But he’s not.

Now, let’s compare how the 24 elders praise Yahuwah, who alone is God, with how they praise Yahushua. Very next chapter: Revelation 5. John sees a Lamb looking like it had been slain. It’s surrounded by the four living creatures and the 24 elders. The lamb takes the scroll sealed with seven seals from Yahuwah, and then what do the four creatures and the elders say? Verses 8 and 9.

Miles:

And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

Dave: They’re not claiming that the lamb is “God.” Rather, that he purchased redemption for everyone for “God.”

Drop down now and read verses 12 to 14. This is the lamb’s reward for his sacrifice.

Miles:

In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”

The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Dave: Far from uniting the Father and the Son as two parts of one whole, we see separation. They give praise and honor “to Him who sits on the throne—and—to the Lamb.”

Miles: Another thought that struck me while reading this is that if Yahushua is “God,” too, if he’s also the “Creator,” then how can he receive “power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise”? I mean, wouldn’t those already belong to him by virtue of being God and being our Creator? Even if he’d “laid aside” his divine nature as trinitarians claim, his divine nature would still already have those by divine right.

Dave: You’re absolutely right.

We mustn’t dismiss the apostles’ monotheism as ignorance, because if they were wrong, Yahushua would have corrected them. Instead, Christ’s own statements affirm that only Yahuwah is God.

Turn to Matthew 19. Here, the Pharisees were asking if a man could divorce for any reason. Let’s read Christ’s answer: verses 4 to 6.

Miles:

“Haven’t you read,” [Yahushua] replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Dave: He’s linking “God”—Yahuwah—to the Creator.

In his sermon on the mount, Yahushua made several references to Yahuwah’s work as Creator. Read verses 44 and 45 of Matthew 5.

Miles: “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Dave: Yahuwah causes “His” sun to rise on the evil and the good. He sends rain. This is His work as Creator.

Then, in the next chapter, to encourage their faith in Yahuwah’s protective care, Christ points to His work of sustaining our lives. Read verses 28 to 30.

Miles:

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

Dave: Christ isn’t saying he’ll do this, but that Yahuwah will in His work as Creator and sustainer.

Scripture establishes that Yahuwah alone is God, and He alone is the Creator. This is why He alone is deserving of our devotion and adoration.

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* * *Daily Mailbag (Miles & Dave)

Miles: So, full disclosure: I typically don’t give Dave much of a warning about the Daily Mailbag questions sent in. I figure with his extensive knowledge of Scripture, he can answer it just fine without a lot of study before hand.

Today’s question, though, was different. In fact, I wasn’t sure if this one should even be answered on-air or if, instead, we should just email a response. When I shared the question with Dave, though, he pointed out that the principles that address this question have a wide application that can benefit others in similar situations. So … here we go.

Today’s question is from someone who wishes to remain anonymous in the United States. She says:

My family and I are long time listeners of your show. We’ve heard you say, more than once, that all religions have some truth so that anyone who is sincere can find the truth. My first question is, how far do you take that? Does literally every belief system have some truth?

My older sister and I went to a denominational university and married Christian men. Our younger brother wanted to pursue a degree that our denomination’s university didn’t offer, so he attended a state university. He began questioning Christianity and even the existence of Yahuwah. Recently, he told the family that he was a satanist. Obviously, this has been devastating to all of us. We have no idea why he’s lost his faith, and we don’t know what to do. My parents and grandparents have cut off all contact and are demanding the rest of us do so, too.

My sister and I don’t want to. We’ve always been close, and we still love him, but we’re also worried. We both have young kids. Is it safe to expose them to my brother? What do we do in this situation? I could handle it better if he’d become an atheist, but a satanist?? What do we do and is there still hope for my brother?

Dave: First of all, I want to say that yes, there is still hope for her brother. We don’t know why he’s given up faith in the Christian beliefs he was raised with. We can’t read his heart. But Yahuwah can.

Miles: You’ve said before that sometimes when people reject Christianity, they’re not rejecting the truth so much as the lies they’ve been told were the truth.

Dave: Yes. And we can’t forget that, in a very real way, parents stand in the place of God to their children. So if Daddy was angry and abusive, if he used Scripture to enforce petty standards, their image of Yahuwah is going to be warped. A person raised in a home where the father was abusive may have an extremely difficult time relating to a loving heavenly Father because the words “love” and “father” just don’t go together in their experience.

Miles: That’s true. But there’s nothing in this letter to suggest that their childhood home was abusive or gave him a warped view of Yahuwah.

Dave: That’s true. But what about consistency?

Miles: What do you mean?

Dave: Parents who preach—and require—one standard for their kids, but who apply a second set of standards for themselves.

Miles: Ooooh! I know exactly what you’re talking about. When I was growing up, it was movies. Even as a teenagers, we weren’t allowed to watch movies with sex, violence, bad language: anything like that.

Dave: Weeeelll …

Miles: Okay, yeah. As an adult, I can see why they would set that standard. However, like you said, that was a standard that was inconsistently applied. It was taught as a moral value: Christians shouldn’t watch movies with sex, violence, or bad language. Now, as a moral value, that should have been the standard for our parents, too, right?

Dave: You’d think!

Miles: But it wasn’t. If a movie came along that had a little bit of sex and violence but it was one they wanted to watch, they got to watch it because they were adults. Instead of saying that some movies aren’t appropriate for kids, they taught us that some movies aren’t appropriate for Christians … but then they violated their own rules.

Dave: That will definitely cause problems. You don’t want to do that to your kids.

Anton LaVey. Have you heard of him?

Miles: Yeah, didn’t he found the Church of Satan?

Dave: That’s correct. He was apparently raised in a Christian home. He played piano in his local Baptist church. However, he claimed that it was the double standards he observed in Christianity that was a major contributing factor to his rejection of it. He said the same men that would go to the bawdy Saturday night circus shows would be the very same men who went to the tent revival meetings on Sunday morning.

Miles: Ouch!

Dave: I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that, in my opinion, it’s better to not teach a standard at all, than to teach a double standard. At least, if you haven’t taught the standard at all, it’s easier for Yah’s spirit to come later and convict the heart then if a double standard has been taught.

But we’re speculating a bit here. We don’t know why this young man has chosen to reject his religious upbringing. There could be a number of reasons. But this brings me to the next point in the letter: how do they handle it? Should they reject their brother like their parents are insisting?

I say no. If you reject him, you affirm in his own mind his rejection of your belief system. Furthermore, if you cut him out of your life, do you really think your rejection of him is going to win him back to Yahuwah?

Miles: Not at all.

Dave: This idea of cutting off people who’ve made mistakes has turned more people away from Yahuwah than it has ever won for Him.

Miles: But isn’t that based on Christ’s own words to treat someone like that as a pagan or a tax collector?

Dave: Well, let’s read it. Turn to Matthew 18 and read verses 15 to 17.

Miles:

If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

I’d say that’s pretty clear. We’re to have nothing to do with them.

Dave: But how did Christ teach us to treat pagans and tax collectors? Sure, the Pharisees rejected and shunned them. But what did Christ do? Read Luke 15 verses 1 and 2.

Miles:

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Yahushua. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Dave: This is how Yahushua taught we’re to treat sinners: by drawing even closer to them. You can’t win someone for Christ if you’ve cut them out of your life and have no contact with them! And it’s in this context that Yahushua gave one of his more powerful parables. Keep reading: verses 3 to 7.

Miles:

Then Yahushua told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Dave: You could argue the sheep rejected the shepherd. He certainly didn’t stay where the shepherd wanted him to be. In fact, the shepherd was put to a great deal of trouble to find the lost sheep. He had to track it down; he had to rescue it. By this time, it was too exhausted to walk, so he picked it up and carried it all the way home.

What he did not do was wash his hands of it and say, “You threw away everything I gave you, now I’m cutting you out of my life until you admit your mistake and come crawling back in repentance.” He didn’t do that.

Miles chuckles: If he’d done that, he never would have got his sheep back!

Dave: And this parable was told as a response to the Pharisees and teachers of the law griping and whinging that Yahushua welcomed sinners and even ate with them! That means he socialized with them. You can’t do that if you’ve cut someone out of your life. Christ drew sinners to him because he knew that it was the only way he could woo their hearts to the Father.

Miles: That makes a lot of sense. But what about children? That kind of complicates things.

Dave: Absolutely it does. The last thing any godly parent wants is for young children to become captivated by error. As a parent, I can see why this is a concern.

Miles: Of course!

Dave: That’s where healthy boundaries come in. Is the brother trying to proselytize his young nieces and nephews? Is he trying to convert them to satanism? Respecting the parents’ beliefs and right to teach their children as they believe is right is a healthy boundary and one that should be set.

My guess, though, is that he’s not trying to do this.

Miles: Why do you say that?

Dave: Well, first, in the letter, it says the siblings have always been close. That would suggest mutual respect of personal boundaries. But if there is any doubt, I think the believing parents could certainly, in a gentle and non-accusatory way, confirm that the brother won’t be discussing his beliefs around the children. That’s fair.

Secondly, though, as Christians we have the great commission. We feel it is our duty to share the truths we have with others. Other belief systems don’t share that conviction. If you go and ask about their beliefs, they’ll tell you, but otherwise, they typically don’t set out to win converts.

Miles: That’s true. But … satanism? I know we’ve said before that all religions have some truth. But I can totally understand why the family is recoiling. Satanism is like … how low can you go? You know what I mean?

Dave: I hear what you’re saying, but in my opinion, the lowest of the low would be a Christian whose hypocrisy makes the truth a stumbling block to others. In fact, let’s read what Christ told the Pharisees in Matthew 23 verses 13 to 15. As you read, you’ll see satanists—most of whom do not believe in or worship a literal devil—are not the lowest of the low.

Miles: Okay, uh …

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

Okay. I see your point. But how can Satanism have any truth? Satan is the epitome of evil.

Dave: I thought you’d ask, so I printed off the seven fundamental tenets of the Satanic Temple.

Miles: Euw!

Dave: I know. I know. But bear with me. We all have this visceral reaction against Satan—and we should—but in instances like we’re discussing today, let’s remember that Yahuwah has a way of reaching every heart within every religion.

Here. Go ahead and read through those.

Miles:

I

One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.

II

The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.

III

One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.

IV

The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one's own.

V

Beliefs should conform to one's best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one's beliefs.

VI

People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one's best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.

VII

Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.

Dave: Now I’m not saying these are on a par with the 10 Commandments. Believers might have a problem with how some of these tenets are applied. But these aren’t evil. These are teaching fundamentals of freedom and respect of others’ rights. If someone has rejected what they’ve been taught about Yahuwah, He still has a way to reach their hearts.

As I said before, we can’t read this young man’s heart. But Yahuwah can. Like Christ, we are to be Yahuwah’s hands on the earth, doing good. We’re to be His voice, speaking words of kindness and acceptance. We can’t do that if we cut people out of our lives. You really want to win someone back to Christ? You work the way he did: you embrace them and draw them even closer to you because only love awakens love. If you reject them, if you cut them out of your life, you are limiting your ability to draw them to Yahuwah through your love for them.

Miles: Well said. Thanks, Dave.

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.

For several weeks, Joyce Ashley had noticed an elderly woman walking past her home. She was always pushing a grocery cart full of garbage bags. As she shuffled along the street, she’d occasionally stop and pick up a discarded can, tucking it into one of her bags.

Joyce felt sorry for her. To be her age and homeless was very sad. Didn’t the woman have any family to help out? What had happened in her life to make her homeless? Finally, Joyce’s curiosity could stand the suspense no longer. The next time she saw the old woman, she spoke up.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” she said. “May I ask you something?”

The woman turned beautiful dark eyes to Joyce. They sparkled in her wrinkled face and Joyce realized this was no ordinary homeless person. This woman was clean, dignified, and even happy. Suddenly, Joyce felt embarrassed to ask her question but both curiosity and concern compelled her.

“I’ve seen you picking up cans for several weeks. Do you sell them to help buy groceries?”

The woman smiled at Joyce. “No, I do this for the children.”

Joyce must have looked confused because the woman went on to explain.

“I had cancer — twice — and both times I went to a big hospital in another town. They cured me. But while I was there, I met the children, and I’ve never forgotten them. I don’t have any money, but I can still walk, and I pick up these cans to sell them for money for the hospital.”

She then went on to explain that she spent hours every week collecting cans to recycle and sell. She even had a few businesses saving their cans for her! When she had collected enough, a friend drove her to the city and helped her sell them and take the money to the hospital for the children.

“It’s what God wants me to do,” the woman patted Joyce’s arm. “I’ve been blessed in my life. I wanted to do something, and this is something I can do. It doesn’t cost me much — only the cost of the gas — and it helps the children.”

Hearing that, Joyce immediately reached for her purse. “Oh, no. I don’t want your money.” The woman backed away.

“But I want to help,” Joyce urged. “Use it for gas or however you want.”

The woman finally accepted the money and, after giving Joyce a hug, continued her way down the street. As Joyce gazed after the woman, she had a sudden realization. Recalling the encounter, she says, quote:

I knew then I wasn’t watching just a little old lady going down the street. I was watching one of [Yahuwah’s] angels — one who was helping His children in her own simple way without expecting any reward other than the knowledge that she was doing something for the children she’d come to love. And I realized then that not all angels have halos and wings. Some have grocery carts.

Yahushua said:

Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. [Matthew 6:1-4]

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

* * *Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Dave: When you’re raised with a specific set of beliefs, these form the foundation on which all other beliefs are built. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing—if—your foundational beliefs are correct.

The problem comes when a foundational belief is wrong. Our foundational beliefs become what we use to judge whether something is right or wrong. A new idea may very well be correct, but if it contradicts our incorrect foundational beliefs, it can feel wrong. This is why, whenever you study new ideas, it’s important to be willing to lay aside all preconceived ideas and commit to following truth wherever it leads.

Miles: That can be really hard to do.

Dave: Oh, absolutely! This is where we accept Yahuwah’s invitation to “reason” with Him. You remember Isaiah 1:18? “Come now, let us reason together says Yahuwah.”

Knowing that our emotions can lead us astray, we lay those aside, we ask for Yah’s spirit to guide us into all truth just as Yahushua promised, and we look at the evidence logically.

When we do this with Scripture, we find that the Bible is strictly monotheistic. There is only one God, and that’s Yahuwah.

Miles: Not Yahuwah and Yahushua and the Holy Spirit.

Dave: No. Just Yahuwah.

The Jews have always been monotheists. They believe Yahuwah alone is God. They also believe—have always believed—that the Scriptures clearly state Yahuwah is the Creator. He didn’t “work through” Yahushua. He made all things Himself.

Miles: Good point. And, like you said before, the vast majority of Bible writers were Jews! With the possible exceptions of Luke—who was probably a gentile—and the author of the book of Hebrews, everyone else were Jews.

Dave: I’d say the author or authors of the book of Hebrews was likely Jewish as well because of his—or their—knowledge of the Hebrew scriptures and theology.

Miles: Why do you say “they”?

Dave: Some scholars have speculated that Aquila and Priscilla—Jewish Christians who were co-laborers with Paul—were the ones who wrote Hebrews.

Certainly all of the Old Testament was written by Jews. And it all agrees that the nature of God is unitarian because only Yahuwah is God, and only He is the Creator. A triune godhead didn’t become Christian orthodoxy until almost 400 years after Christ!

I’d like to close with one last Bible verse. Would you please read Isaiah 45 verse 18 for us?

Miles:

For this is what Yahuwah says—
he who created the heavens,
he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,
he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited—
he says:
“I am Yahuwah,
and there is no other.”

Dave: You can’t get clearer than that. And no mention of Yahushua because only Yahuwah is God. Only He is our Creator.

Miles: Amen. Thank you for joining us for today’s broadcast called “Yahuwah: Creator & God.” That’s Program 284, “Yahuwah” Creator & God.” This and past episodes can be found on our website at WorldsLastChance.com.

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.