Program 289
Beware of Blind Guides

The danger in trusting someone else to tell you the truth is that you are bound by their limitations. It is far better to study for yourself!

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.

* * *Part 1: (Miles & Dave)

Miles Robey: Have you ever discovered a new truth in Scripture and been sooo excited to share it with a friend? You know just who that person is. He or she is a truth-seeker, too. You just know they’ll be as excited as you are to learn the truth even if that truth challenges what they’ve been taught in the past.

So, you set up a time to meet for lunch or coffee. Maybe you arrange to go over some afternoon on the weekend. You eagerly share what you’ve learned. You lay out all the evidence that convinced you. You know that since they’re sincere, since they’re a truth-seeker, too, they’ll be just as excited as you to learn the truth.

But instead, what happens is that they’re hesitant. He wants to talk with his pastor first, to hear what he says. She says, “Why don’t you discuss it with my husband? He’s better at that sort of thing than I am.”

I’m not being sexist. I actually had a friend say that when I first shared the Biblical Sabbath with her. But whatever the response is, it’s not the joyful and enthusiastic reception you assumed it would be. Instead, they want to hear from someone else what they think before they’ll accept it as truth.

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

Now, obviously, we all have to learn some things from others. Unless you want to reinvent the wheel every time you learn something new, you’re going to have to learn some things from people. But when it comes to Bible study, we should be like the Bereans. Acts 17:11 says, “The Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”

The Bereans listened to Paul’s sermons. They didn’t immediately reject what he had to say just because it was new and challenged their beliefs. At the same time, they didn’t just take his word for it. They searched; they examined the Scriptures to see if what he was telling them was true.

What they did not do is rush over to their rabbi and say, “Tell us, Rabbi! Is this true??” And there’s a reason for that. There’s nothing in that passage to suggest that the local leaders in the synagogue accepted Paul’s teaching. They may have; we don’t know either way. But what we do know is that when the Jews in Thessalonica heard that Paul and Silas were at Berea, they came and incited the crowds against them, so that Paul and Silas had to flee.

Today, Dave Wright is going to be sharing with us some really solemn warnings from Scripture about the dangers of trusting what the Bible calls “blind guides.” Psychologically, this is a danger for humans. It’s something we need to be aware of if we want to avoid it. Then, later, Jane Lamb will share a promise regarding Yahuwah’s protection.

Dave? Blind guides. Why do you suppose that we’ve got this tendency to just … follow? Where does this come from, wanting to be told what to believe?

Dave Wright: Part of it could be habit. We go to school being taught what to believe. Most of us were raised going to church where, again, a priest or a pastor, a Sunday school teacher, would tell us what we—what they—thought was the truth. So, that’s part of it. It developed within us this expectation that others were more expert in the Bible and their word was to be believed.

Part of it is spiritual laziness. If we accept someone else’s word for what we’re to believe and do, then we shift the responsibility of being right onto them. Because if they’re wrong, and they taught us wrong, then that’s their fault, not ours!

Miles: Sounds rather cowardly.

Dave: It’s human. The problem is, if we accept someone else’s word for spiritual truth without investigating it for ourselves, what happens if they’re wrong? There’s nothing wrong with learning new ideas from someone else, but we’re still supposed to go and compare Scripture with Scripture for ourselves to see whether or not the new idea is, indeed, truth.

I’ve got a story to illustrate the point. A few days ago, our daughter came home for a visit before leaving on a business trip. Now it just so happens that we have a friend in the city she was going to visit. My wife wanted to send some baked goods to Blind Joe so my daughter agreed to take them.

Miles laughs: You call him “Blind Joe”??

Dave: It’s a term of admiration, I assure you! Blind Joe is an incredible man, just amazing. He lost his sight about 12 years ago, but it hasn’t slowed him down at all. He’s actually Canadian, living abroad, and he travels extensively. On a recent trip home to Canada, he went for a checkup. The doctor asked him if he’d fallen recently. Blind Joe said, “Well, yes. In Rome, I fell down some stairs, then in London I tripped over a bench. And in Bangkok, I tripped and fell stepping up onto a curb.”

The doctor said, “I’m talking about within the last year.”

Blind Joe said, “I’m talking about the last month!”

Miles: Seriously?

Dave: The doctor clearly thought this old man might be having some memory issues, so he asked if anyone had medical power of attorney and Joe gave him the name and phone number of his niece. The doctor calls the niece and says, “Your uncle is a patient of mine. He’s telling me that he’s been all over the world in the last 30 days?” The niece laughed and said, “Yeah, that’s Uncle Joe, all right!”

Miles: Wow! He sounds incredible. And to do all that blind?? Wow.

Dave: Well, my daughter phoned Blind Joe to set up a time to meet with him. He gave her the name of the street he was living on and gave the name of the nearest cross street as well. My daughter showed up and couldn’t find his building anywhere. She walked up and down the block, both sides, but it wasn’t there. She called him back and he said he’d come down to the street and she could look for the big man with the white cane.

A few minutes later he called her and said, “Can you see me?” She looked all around and couldn’t see him anywhere. Finally, she started walking up the street. Three blocks up, she finally saw him. She was on the right street, but the name of the cross street was incorrect. As Blind Joe said, “Hey, I can’t see it. I was just going off of what I was told.”

Miles: Interesting. I can see where you’re going with this for today’s topic. If we look to someone for the truth and they don’t know it, it doesn’t matter how sincerely they believe it. If we don’t study it for ourselves, we’ll be wrong because they’re wrong.

Dave: This is serious! Yes, Yahuwah “winks” at our times of ignorance—Acts 17:30—but that doesn’t absolve anyone from teaching error. In fact, James went so far as to warn people not to become Bible teachers because of the solemn responsibility that goes with it.

Miles: Are you serious?

Dave: Let’s read it. James 3 verses 1 to 4. You don’t have to look it up. We’re going to be covering a lot of passages today, so I’ve printed it off for you. Go ahead and read that first one there.

Miles:

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.

Dave: I don’t believe James was trying to discourage anyone from witnessing, but he was trying to hammer home the great responsibility we all have to know the truth and not lead others astray. Just a very small adjustment of the rudder can steer a ship far astray.

Any of us can be wrong. We’re human. We’ve got fallen natures. We’re all still learning and none of us will arrive at the full truth this side of Yah’s kingdom.

However, there is a special danger that goes with putting pastors, priests, Bible teachers and anyone else on a pedestal, assuming that everything they teach is correct just because they’ve studied more or gone to seminary. As my daughter discovered when she tried to follow Blind Joe’s directions to his apartment, the blind might give directions, but if they’re ignorantly wrong, you’re going to be wrong, too.

What’s the next Bible verse on the page there?

Miles: Uhhh, Matthew 15 verses 12 to 14. It says:

Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

Dave: Do you need someone in authority to give you permission to step independent of spiritual authorities? Permission granted. From Christ himself!

If we’re relying on those who are wrong—even if they’re wrong in ignorance—to lead us to the truth, we’re going to fall into a pit. The blind can’t lead the blind!

Now, most people don’t knowingly teach error. But I will say that priests and pastors, anyone employed by a particular denomination or church institution, has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo of that organization’s or denomination’s creed.

Miles: You’re saying that if you present new light to them, they may sincerely believe it’s wrong, but they’ve got a vested interest in the new light being wrong.

Dave: Absolutely. If their ability to pay the rent, buy food, keep the lights on at night, all hinges on continuing to be paid by the church, they have a vested interest, a personal stake, in keeping their employers happy. And part of that is not challenging that particular denomination’s stated set of beliefs. This can make them blind to the truth. So, yes. They may genuinely believe that what’s being asked about is wrong. But have they taken the time to study it out for themselves with an open mind? In my experience, the answer is no.

Miles: That’s been my observation, too. Like you said, most people don’t teach anything they genuinely believe to be wrong, but that just means they benefit from not accepting any new light that contradicts their already fixed beliefs.

Dave: This is something that has repeated throughout all time.

What’s next on your list?

Miles: Ezekiel 12, 1 to 2.

Dave: Go ahead and read that.

Miles:

The word of Yahuwah came to me: “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.”

Dave: There can be very serious consequences for following blind guides! What does Jeremiah 5 verses 20 to 22 say?

Miles:

“Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
and proclaim it in Judah:
Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,
who have eyes but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:
Should you not fear me?” declares Yahuwah.
“Should you not tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar, but they cannot cross it.”

Dave: There are many other warnings of this in the Old Testament, but the New Testament has them as well. Drop down and let’s see what the New Testament has to warn about the dangers of following blind guides. What’s your first New Testament reference there?

Miles: Matthew 13 verses 10 to 15. It says:

The disciples came to [Yahushua] and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’”

Dave: There is hope, even for those who are blind. But we can’t be too proud to admit we’ve been wrong. If we’ll turn to Yahuwah, He’ll heal us.

What’s next?

Miles: John 12:37 to 41.

Even after Yahushua had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

“He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
nor understand with their hearts,
nor turn—and I would heal them.”

Isaiah said this because he saw Yahushua’s glory and spoke about him.

Dave: This is a metaphor Christ used rather frequently. What did he say to the disciples when they misunderstood something he’d said? Mark 8, 14 to 18.

Miles:

The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. “Be careful,” Yahushua warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”

They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

Aware of their discussion, Yahushua asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?

Dave: The disciples were to be given the sacred trust of spreading the gospel to the world. It was very important that they have a clear understanding of the truth and not be blind to it. We all need a strong intellectual understanding on which to build our faith.

Read the next one: 2 Corinthians 3:13 to 15.

Miles:

And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.

Dave: This says their minds were blinded. Other translations say their minds were hardened or dull. The point is, spiritual things are spiritually discerned. If you want to have your spiritual eyes opened to discern spiritual things, you need to go to the source of wisdom for yourself, not get it second hand through someone else.

One more: 2 Corinthians 4, verses 3 to 6.

Miles:

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Yahushua Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Yahushua’s sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness, made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Dave: This is a promise all believers can claim. We don’t need to go to seminary. We don’t need Doctor of Divinity degrees. Often seminaries are very sectarian. They teach some truths, but they also teach the errors their particular denomination still clings to. What we need is to go to Yahuwah just for ourselves and He will teach us.

Miles: I love the promise in James 1 verse 5. It says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Dave: Yes! Yahuwah wants to lead us into all truth. He’ll open our spiritual eyes. We just have to ask and be willing to follow wherever He leads.

* * *

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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* * *

Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Dave: I’m very grateful for Paul’s assurance in Acts 17 that Yahuwah “winks” at our times of ignorance. It’s only now, as truth is being restored, that we can see the degree to which we’ve ignorantly embraced error.

But now that we know, it is important that we take studying for ourselves very seriously. We are answerable to Yahuwah for ourselves. We can’t answer for anyone else, and no one else is answerable for us. This is a solemn responsibility.

Turn to Ezekiel 14 and read verses 12 to 14. Here, Yahuwah is speaking broadly about countries, but the principle applies to churches as well. Ezekiel 14:12 to 14.

Miles:

The word of Yahuwah came again to me, saying: “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord Yahuwah.

Dave: Do you really want to entrust your eternal well-being to the knowledge of another? Sure, they may be sincere! But you can be sincere and yet sincerely wrong.

The reason Paul wrote his second epistle to the believers in Corinth was because they were being led astray. Other preachers had come after Paul left and were teaching a perversion of the gospel. Instead of doing like the Bereans and studying it out for themselves, the Corinthian believers were allowing themselves to be swayed by the eloquent preaching of these other people.

Read 2 Corinthians 11 verses 1 to 4.

Miles:

I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

Dave: Not only did the Corinthian believers not take these new teachings to the word of Yah and compare Scripture with Scripture to see if they were true, but they really should have confronted the new preachers with the truth. But they didn’t. They just accepted the new, erroneous teachings “readily enough.”

We can’t do that. There’s too much error in the world already. We have to know the truth for ourselves, and the only way we can do that is if we study for ourselves. We also have a solemn responsibility to make sure that when we share, we’re sharing truth and not error.

Miles: You know, before joining the WLC team, I’d spent quite a bit of time on the website, reading through articles, watching videos. That was before we started the radio program. And one thing I noticed was how quick WLC was to own up to being wrong when new light revealed something they’d believed and taught before was in error. That really impressed me because it’s not a sin to be mistaken. It only becomes sin when you’ve been shown the truth, and you choose to cling to error.

Dave: That’s right. And that’s also why we never ask our listeners to take our word for what we share. Be Bereans! Study it out for yourselves. That’s your responsibility before Yahuwah. Yes, we share what we believe is the truth. But use that as a springboard for your own study.

Miles: Have you ever noticed there is often a certain level of pride that goes with being respected as someone who knows Scripture? Whether it’s being a priest or pastor, whether it’s being a seminary professor or author … it’s rare you find one humble enough to listen when a layman wants to share new light.

Dave: You’re absolutely right. When people look up to you as knowledgeable, it’s very easy to begin to feel as though you have to maintain that façade. After all, if it gets out that you may not be all-knowing, people may start questioning what you have to say about everything else!

Miles laughs: Spiritual pride! It comes in so many sneaky ways and is so easy to excuse.

Dave: But it’s serious. Christ had some really solemn warnings about looking to others to be your spiritual guides. Turn to Luke 20 and read verses 45 to 47.

Miles:

Then, in the hearing of all the people, he said to his disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

That’s interesting. He made a point of giving this warning in “the hearing of all the people.”

Dave: He wanted them to hear it, too.

What about Mark 9:42?

Miles: Uhhh … “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”

Dave: Again, it’s not a sin to be ignorant. It’s not even a sin to ignorantly share what you believe to be true when it’s wrong. Yahuwah graciously winks at our times of ignorance. But it is a sin to give over your sovereign will to another human being. We are answerable to Yahuwah for ourselves, and we should never ask someone else to think for us, whether that’s our spouse, our priest, our pastor – no one.

But that tendency to want to push our responsibility to study and think and decide onto someone else has been around a long time. What did Paul say in Galatians 1 verses 6 to 9?

Miles:

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Dave: Peter warned about this, too. What did he say in 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 1?

Miles: “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.”

Dave: And despite all these warnings, we can see in the history of the last 2,000 years, how much the pure gospel has been corrupted.

This is serious! Because blind guides don’t have the ability to show the way! Just like Blind Joe giving my daughter incorrect directions. All he could do was repeat what had been told him. He couldn’t just look at the street names for himself, so the information he passed on was incorrect.

The next passage I want to look at is Matthew 23. This was just a few days before Christ’s betrayal and the last recorded visit of his to the temple. He was desperate, not only to reach the hardened hearts of the Jewish leaders, but to warn the people of the danger of following them. Go ahead and read the verses from Matthew 23.

Miles: Uhhh … verses 13 to 15 say:

But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

Dave: Truth entwined with error is always far more deceptive than error alone. Error is weak; truth is strong. It is the strength in the truth that lends credence to the error that’s entwined with it. We have to take this very seriously.

Now the next passage from Matthew 23 is where Yahushua is talking about a practice we don’t do any more. We don’t take oaths, swearing by the gold of a temple that hasn’t existed for almost 2,000 years. But I want you to pay attention to what Yahushua is calling the people. Go ahead. Matthew 23 verses 16 to 21.

Miles:

Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.

Dave: The reason this is so serious is that blind guides lead people astray. The only way we’ll know is if we give the Holy Spirit the chance to open truth to our minds on an individual basis as we study for ourselves. In John 8:32, Yahushua promised, “You will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”

Miles: How does that work?

Dave: By the spirit of Yah. That’s the Holy Spirit’s work, and that’s why Yahushua was so excited that he could give this gift to believers. Turn to John 16. This is just before his betrayal and he was squeezing in as many spiritual lessons as he could. Read verses 7 and 8.

Miles: “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”

Dave: This is why you don’t need to have attended seminary to be able to study Scripture and learn its truths for yourself. For any of us, the only way we can learn is to be taught by Yah’s spirit. And He wants to give us His spirit to lead us into all truth! He wants to! This isn’t something you have to beg and plead and grovel to get! You just have to ask for it! But then you also have to give Yah’s spirit the opportunity to teach you the truth, and the only way you can do that is by spending time in Scripture … for yourself.

Miles: My wife and I were actually talking about this the other day and she said something that really struck me. She said, “We need to be truth seekers, not truth rejecters.”

Dave: That is so true. And it starts with personal choice. Are we going to follow truth wherever it leads? Are we willing to follow truth regardless of the cost? Because there is always a cost.

Miles: Following truth can be a very solitary walk.

Dave: Oh, indeed it can be! But it takes commitment on our part. We have to be willing to lay aside our personal biases and study new light with an open mind. We have to make a conscious choice to follow truth regardless of the cost.

What does Psalm 86 verse 11 say?

Miles: “Teach me your way, O Yahuwah,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.”

Dave: In 2 Corinthians 4 verse 2, Paul gives a fascinating description of his ministry. Would you read that for us, please?

Miles: “We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.”

Dave: Now, there is a difference between being in ignorance and willfully clinging to error. It’s just like American president, Abraham Lincoln, said: “When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest.” This holds true with churches, too, and it’s why we encourage every sincere truth-seeker to stop looking to the churches for light.

Miles: Stop going to church!

Dave: Well, there may be some who feel led by Yahuwah to try to witness to souls within the churches, but this should only ever be done with the clear knowledge that this is Yah’s will for you.

Miles: Yeah, it can be easy to fall back into habitual patterns, can’t it?

Dave: Not to mention that faithful church attendance can give the appearance of sanctioning error. And that’s the real problem with continued support of the churches. The denominations, the organizations themselves continue to cling to a tremendous amount of error that’s been embraced just because it’s been accepted as truth for a long time. But time will never transform error into truth.

It doesn’t matter if the person teaching the error is the beloved elderly minister who married us, or a respected priest who baptized all our babies—before we learned about adult baptism. If what they’re endorsing or teaching contradicts Scripture, we can’t accept it.

John the Beloved had a burden for believers. He knew the dangers of encroaching error. Read his warning in 1 John 2 verses 1 to 4.

Miles:

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Yahushua Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Dave: The problem with all of the various Christian denominations today is that they negate the law of Yah and actively break the commandments. This is the New Testament here! Years after Yahushua’s death, and yet John is saying that keeping the commandments is still important because it shows we know Yahuwah: we know what’s important to Him, so we respect that.

Just one example: most of Christendom celebrates Yahushua’s resurrection on Sunday. And that’s fine! Yahushua’s resurrection is certainly something to celebrate. But he wasn’t resurrected on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. That calendar didn’t even come to be until 1582, and even then, it was an adaption of the pagan Julian calendar. You can’t find the day of Yahushua’s resurrection on the modern, papal solar calendar.

Then, you’ve got the Jews and the various Protestant denominations that insist the law is still binding so we should still worship on the Sabbath.

Miles: I agree with that.

Dave: I do, too. But what day do they worship on? What day is their Sabbath?

Miles: Saturday.

Dave: And that is not the true Biblical Sabbath.

I know a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. We’ve been friends for years. I’ve listened to sermons where he said THE precise day to worship Yah matters. Adventists like to ask, “If you had an appointment with … the president, or the king, or the prime minister—whomever. If you had an appointment with them for Tuesday morning at 10 am, would you show up Wednesday morning at 10 am and expect to be allowed in to see them?

They use this as an illustration of why the precise day matters. But then this Adventist minister, when I shared with him about the Biblical calendar and how to calculate the true, Biblical Sabbath, you know what he said to me?

Miles: What?

Dave: “All God expects is that we worship on the seventh day of whichever calendar society is using.”

Miles: Seriously? That kind of contradicts his own sermons about the importance of worshiping on the precise day, doesn’t it?

Dave: Of course it does. But when he preached that the precise day matters, he hadn’t yet learned about the Biblical calendar.

See, blind guides—false teachers—teach lies. When the truth become inconvenient, they abandon the truth. The apostles foresaw this happening. Read the first two verses of 1 Timothy chapter 4.

Miles: Okay, it says: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.”

Dave: Peter was worried about this, too. Read 2 Peter 2 verse 1 again, but this time add verses 2 and 3 as well.

Miles:

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Dave: The danger of listening to blind guides and false teachers is that they don’t teach just straight error. If they did, no one would fall for it. They teach a perversion of the truth, but the error in what they teach strips the truth of much of its power.

Yahushua said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” This is important because false doctrines can’t set us free! Instead, they keep our minds trapped.

Miles: So how do we know if our beliefs are in error?

Dave: Like we said before: you have to study for yourself. This gives the Holy Spirit time to reveal what you need to know. If you will take the time to study for yourself, Yah’s spirit will settle you into the truth so you can’t be shaken.

In Ephesians 4, Paul speaks of the unity that comes when believers are united in Christ, and he compares that to the division that exists when we’re divided by error. Read verses 13 and 14 of Ephesians 4.

Miles:

Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.

Dave: Unity in Christ is what naturally happens as we reject error and follow truth.

* * *Daily Promise:

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

On February 12, 2010, Joseph Jenkins was staying up late playing a video game with his little brother. It was a Friday, so the boys didn’t have school the next day. Around 10 p.m., Joseph went to get a drink of water. As he walked past the furnace room, he heard a strange hissing sound. It sounded quite strong, but the 8-year-old decided it wasn’t that important and continued on to the kitchen.

Suddenly, he was filled with a feeling of urgency. He felt strongly impressed that he should go tell his mom. But his video game awaited, he was still thirsty, and nothing was really wrong anyway, he told himself. But when he tried again to go to the kitchen, the urge to tell his mother returned stronger than ever. The little boy realized that this wasn’t a suggestion. This was something he had to do. Immediately.

He hurried to his mother’s bedroom and woke her up. “Mom? There’s a hissing sound coming from the furnace room.”

Instead of sleepily reassuring him that everything was all right, his mother’s eyes popped open wide. She leaped out of bed and ran to the furnace room, all the while yelling at her children to get out of the house and into the car. In just a few minutes, Joseph and his six brothers and sisters were all huddled in the car, staring at the house, waiting for their mother to come outside. She was still inside, calling the gas company to inform them of the situation.

After hanging up from the gas company, Mrs. Jenkins started to call her husband who was working late. However, she suddenly felt waves of nausea as the gas fumes reached where she was standing. She decided to get dressed and call him from her cell phone once she got in the car with her children.

After what seemed like hours to the children waiting anxiously outside, Mrs. Jenkins hurried outside and joined them in the car. She immediately called her husband and told him, “We have a gas leak in the house; we’re all in the car.”

Just as she said that the entire house exploded. The force of the blast and the ensuing flames collapsed the car port just in front of them.

“Our house just exploded! The carport just collapsed!” Mrs. Jenkins told her husband. Then, dropping the phone, she threw the car into reverse and sped backward as fast as she could.

Years later, in looking back at the incident, Joseph, now a young adult, recalled,

After the whole incident, we realized that we had been spared by the hand of [Yah], who prompted an 8-year-old boy to tell his mother about a peculiar sound. We saw a miracle from [Yah] right before our eyes! Even though we had lost most of what we owned, we still had what truly mattered, and that was our family. I still remember the moment when my dad hurried home, all of us came running out to him and embraced each other. To this day, I still feel an inexpressible amount of gratitude for the miracles [Yahuwah] shows to us and our families throughout our lives.

Psalm 31 says:

In You, O Yahuwah, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me. Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength.

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

* * *Part 3: (Miles & Dave)

Dave: Christ repeatedly warned us about the danger of following people who teach error. Turn to Luke 6 and read verses 39 and 40.

Miles:

He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

Dave: Did you catch the significance of his statement here? He’s saying that those who follow blind guides will themselves be blind.

Now, this isn’t to say that we can’t glean good things from those who don’t have all light. None of us have all light yet. Martin Luther was used by Yahuwah to do a mighty work, but he also had some blind spots.

Miles: So, what do you do?

Dave: Take what’s good and lay aside the rest. But the only way you’ll know what to lay aside is if you study for yourself. It always gets back to that.

Error proliferated in the first few centuries after Christ because as the first couple of generations of believers died out, people began trusting in their leaders to tell them what truth was rather than studying for themselves.

Scripture repeatedly warns us to avoid truth that’s been corrupted by error, but the only way we can know is if we, again, study for ourselves. It’s only as we spend time in Yah’s word for ourselves that we become settled into the truth so that nothing can shake us.

Miles: I’ve noticed that often error is deceptive because it quotes Scripture. It sounds like it must be true because it’s got a Bible verse to back it up.

But when you look up that Bible verse for yourself, you discover that that’s not what that passage is saying at all! It’s very deceptive.

Dave: It is. Another reason we want to study for ourselves is that if we believe something—even truth!—but we haven’t studied it for ourselves, if we’ve accepted it based on the smooth talk of some respected scholar, then what happens if someone even more eloquent comes along? If you accept even the truth based upon the word of someone else, you’re not really grounded in the truth, are you? Anyone who can string together Bible verses in a half-way intelligent manner can come along and convince you to believe something else.

Miles: That’s true. False teachers can be extremely convincing.

Dave: How many pastors today are taught Neuro-linguistic programming? It’s a dishonest way to influence a congregation. The truth doesn’t need this!

Would you please read verses 17 and 18 of Romans 16?

Miles:

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.

Dave: The more we immerse ourselves in Yahuwah’s word, the more clearly we’ll be able to discern, not only the truth, but the methods Satan uses to deceive.

Miles: Why do you suppose it’s so easy to accept false teachings? I mean, if you don’t know at all what the truth is, that’s one reason. But most people know some truth. Why is it so easy to accept falsehood and so hard to reject it?

Dave: Well, as we said before, part of it is laziness. If you are my spiritual advisor, then I don’t have to think for myself. I just accept what you tell me.

But there are other reasons. Pride, for one. It can be embarrassing admitting that we were wrong, not to mention upsetting to realize that what we thought was true was, in fact, error.

I know one very intelligent young man who continues to go to church because his wife, his parents, and his parents-in-law all still go to church. He sees the problems in the doctrines of that denomination, but he goes anyway because it’s part of the family culture. He even admitted to me that it’s for the fellowship. So that’s another reason.

Um, being afraid of standing alone. That’s a big one.

Miles: It’s not comfortable standing alone for the truth.

Dave: No, it’s not.

The biggest reason, though, is that instead of avoiding false teachers, we have allowed them to guide us. That’s the biggest problem right there. If you allow a false teacher to guide you, to influence your perception of the truth, sooner or later your faith will be spoiled because they will influence you to accept traditions and the reasoning of men in place of—or in conjunction with—the clear word of Yah. Read Paul’s warning in Colossians 2 verse 8.

Miles: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”

Dave: It’s going to take the wisdom that only Yahuwah can give to lead any of us into truth. Fortunately, He’s more than willing to give us His spirit to do that. Turn to 2 Timothy chapter 2 and read verses 14 to 19. These are our marching orders, as well as encouragement to stay focused on the truth.

Miles:

Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “[Yahuwah] knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of [Yahuwah] must turn away from wickedness.”

Dave: You could even insert the word “study.” Do your best study to present yourself to God. We can trust Yahuwah to keep us safe as we study for ourselves.

Miles: Thanks so much for joining us today. If you enjoyed today’s program and would like to share it with a friend, you can find it on our website at WorldsLastChance.com. Just click on the WLC Radio icon and scroll down to Program 289 called “Beware of Blind Guides.” That’s Program 289, “Beware of Blind Guides” on 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.