Program 162: Rejecting Today’s False Gospel

Many Christians today are unknowingly accepting a false gospel by neglecting or rejecting as unnecessary the important lessons the Savior taught.

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

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

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

* * *Part 1: Rejecting Today’s False Gospel

Miles Robey: Do you believe the truth? How do you know you believe the truth? How do you know for sure that your beliefs are true? Hi, I’m Miles Robey and you’re listening to World’s Last Chance Radio.

I think most of us, if not all of us, believe the way we do because we’re convinced it’s the truth. I mean, would anyone admit to knowingly believing a lie? But sometimes what we believe to be the truth, what we’ve been taught is the truth . . . just isn’t. It’s a lie. It’s error, and we don’t even know it. Today, Dave Wright is going to be exposing one area of Christian dogma that has been twisted over the last two thousand years. Not only that, but Scripture itself warns against this very error! And yet, most of us, have fallen for it.

Dave? What have you got for us today?

Dave Wright: Well, I like what you said about no one consciously choosing to believe error. The cognitive dissonance alone would be such that you’d want to find some way to reconcile your beliefs, to believe that your beliefs are true.

Miles: Right. There’s too much psychological tension otherwise.

Dave: The truth is, even when we’re absolutely, positively, one hundred percent convinced that we believe the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, we can still be wrong. Let me give you an example.

How many senses are there?

Miles: Uh . . . now you’ve got me suspicious. I’m waiting for you to spring a trap on me.

Dave: All right, well, we don’t have to personalize it. Just tell me this: when you were in school, how many senses were you taught humans have?

Miles: Five: smell, taste, sight, hearing and, uh … sensation. Touch.

Dave: Right. We were all taught that. But what if I told you you’d been lied to and that there is more?

Miles: You mean, like, the “sixth sense” that warns us we’re in danger?

Dave: More. What if I told you that you actually have thirty-three senses?

Miles: I’d ask you what you’d been smoking.

Dave: You don’t believe me.

Miles: Well, uh … not really, no. Well, prove it! Can you prove it? What are they?

Dave: Well, I can’t list all of them—

Miles: Hah!

Dave: However, there’s definitely more than five. Here. Read this. It’s from an article by Mina Nakatani called “Famous Scientific Theories That Were Proven Wrong.” Go ahead.

Miles:

According to psychologists at the University of Glasgow, it was actually Aristotle who came up with the idea of five senses, and while no one is really sure what the right answer is, it sure isn't five. The problem comes in defining just what a "sense" is. One answer is that there are only three senses that correspond to the kind of stimuli (chemical, light, and mechanical) our bodies can interpret. Nine is another possibility, and that theory adds mechanoreception (which includes things like balance and muscle stretch), pain, temperature, and interoreceptors (like knowing when . . . you're thirsty, and knowing when your stomach's had enough and it's time to stop shoving food in your mouth) onto Aristotle's five. Break those nine out into their components, and you can legitimately argue for 21 or 33 senses. Whatever the answer is, it's definitely not five.

Unquote. Huh! I’d never heard that before.

Dave: It can be very unsettling to discover that something you’ve believed is, in fact, error. Especially if the error you thought was truth is in the area of spiritual beliefs.

Miles: Yeah. That’s a very unpleasant feeling. And I’m speaking from experience!

Dave: Well, for the Christian, of course, we have the word of Yah. The thing is, every Christian you talk to claims that their beliefs are based on the word of Yah. That’s why it’s essential that we never take anyone’s word for what we’re to believe, but we’re to go to Scripture and study these truths out for ourselves. Be like the Bereans. Compare Scripture with Scripture and never accept as truth anything that contradicts something else.

Miles: That’s a good point. Any time you run across a belief that contradicts—or appears to contradict—some other belief you know to be true, it’s a red flag telling you that you need to dig a bit deeper there.

Truth is harmonious, folks! It won’t contradict itself.

Dave: I’m afraid that most Christians have accepted as truth an error which the Bible itself warns against.

Miles: And what’s that?

Dave: Most Christians have accepted another gospel which, in turn, has taught them to accept another Messiah.

Miles: Hmmm. Now, see, I wasn’t expecting that. I was thinking you were going to talk about the true Sabbath or something.

Dave: No, we’ve covered that enough in other programs. This is more serious, though, because if you don’t know what the true gospel is, you’re setting yourself up to receive a false gospel. And if you accept a false gospel you are, in point of fact, receiving another Messiah.

Miles: That’s serious!

Dave: It is!

All right. Let’s take a look at a couple of passages of Scripture that warn against this very thing. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 11 and read verses 1 through 4. Here, Paul is giving a very solemn warning to the Corinthians as he sees the foundation being laid for a lie most Christians today don’t even know is a lie because they’ve been taught it’s the truth.

Go ahead.

Miles: Okay, uh … it says:

I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Yahushua other than the Yahushua we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

Dave: When Peter and John were hauled before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4, Peter declared, quote: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4:12]

So. If there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved, will the preaching of another gospel save you?

Miles: No.

Dave: Can another Yahushua save you?

Miles: No.

Dave: No. There is only one way to salvation, and there is only one gospel.

Now, I’d like you to turn to the first chapter of Galatians. The Galatians were actually Celts living in what is today the country of Turkey. Paul had labored among the Galatians on his first missionary journey and the book of Galatians is the first of his letters to be preserved to this day. His warnings to the Galatians are similar to his warning to the Corinthians, but it sounds like the Galatians had embraced more error than the Corinthians by the time he wrote them.

Miles: Which verse?

Dave: Uh . . . Galatians 1 verses 6 to 9. The first five verses, Paul’s just giving them greetings. Then, verse 6, he jumps right into his main concern for them. Go ahead.

Miles:

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

Dave: You’ll notice Paul’s admonition to the Galatians is stronger than his words to the Corinthians. The Galatians weren’t just in danger of being led astray by another gospel and the preaching of another Christ. They’d already accepted this perverted gospel!

Miles: And if you accept a false gospel, you accept a false Christ.

Dave: Exactly.

Now. Here’s the thing. Paul’s gospel was pure. Keep reading. Verse 10.

Miles: “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of [Yah]? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Dave: His message wasn’t politically correct. It didn’t curry favor with religious leaders or the people, but it was the pure gospel. Read verses 11 and 12.

Miles: “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Yahushua Christ.”

Dave: This is how we can know that the gospel Paul preached was pure. He didn’t learn it second hand from anyone. He learned it directly from Christ himself via revelation. Paul’s reminding the Galatians of this fact. He had already presented them with the truth, so what were they doing now, accepting a twisted, skewed perversion of the true gospel?

Miles: You know, you stop and think about what this implies, it’s really quite startling. We know from other passages of Scripture that wherever Paul went, he provided his listeners with a really good grounding in the gospel message.

You’ve got Acts 18 where he traveled to Corinth and Luke says, “Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.” [Acts 18:4] Then there’s, uh … 1 Corinthians, um, chapter 4. Here. Listen to this: verses 14 and 15. It says: “I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Yahushua I became your father through the gospel.”

Paul clearly taught the pure, unadulterated gospel, so it’s kind of shocking that he had to write them afterward and warn them against accepting a new, different gospel. I’m thinking whatever it was they accepted had to be pretty subtle, don’t you think?

Dave: Maybe. Or perhaps it was just well-explained, well-argued. People tend to believe the ideas they’re exposed to.

My concern is that today we have something of a reversal of what happened in first-century Corinth and Galatia. They were taught the pure gospel and were being drawn away from it. Modern Christians, on the other hand, don’t know what the pure gospel is! All we’ve been taught is the perverted version. All we’ve known is an incorrect or, at best, an incomplete version of the gospel. We were raised being taught this twisted perversion of the truth.

Miles: Are you suggesting that we’ve accepted another Messiah, too? Because Paul was clear: if you accept another gospel, you’re effectively accepting another Christ, too.

Dave: Yes.

Miles: That’s—wow. That’s scary.

Dave: It’s very serious. Unlike the first-century Corinthians and Galatians who once had the truth and whom Paul admonished to return to the true gospel, most of us have never had it—or at least, not in its entirety—to begin with!

Miles: You can’t return to what you never had.

Dave: No. So, unlike the Galatians, instead of returning to the message we were originally taught, we need to reject that. We need to learn more. We need to study more and move away from the perversion of the gospel that we were raised to believe. When we do this, our priorities will change, our knowledge of truth will grow, and we will understand why the “Christ” we’ve been taught was a false Christ. We will then be prepared to accept the true Christ.

Miles: This is really serious. For most of us, we tend to believe what we’ve been taught. If we don’t make a conscious choice to dig deeper, to follow truth wherever it leads, we’ll just settle down on the assumption that our beliefs are true.

Dave: And that is the sin of the Laodiceans. What do they say? Let’s read it. Revelation 3 verse 17.

Miles: Uh … “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’—”

Dave: We’re self-satisfied. We boast that we’re rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing. But does the True Witness agree with our assessment of ourselves?

Miles: Um … “ You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”

Dave: We say we have the truth. We boast that there’s nothing more we need to know when, in reality, we’re in need of … everything. And one of those things we need to know is the beauty of the pure gospel message, the true gospel message, not the false, twisted perversion of it we’ve all been taught.

Miles: We need to take a quick break but when we come back, could you clarify for us precisely what this “false Christ” is that we’ve been taught?

Dave: Sure!

Miles: We’ll be right back.

* * *

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* * *Part 2: Rejecting Today’s False Gospel

Miles: This is a solemn thought that modern Christianity has fallen for the very same false gospel Paul warned against! But even more serious—shall I say scary?—is the idea that we’ve fallen for a false Christ, too.

Dave: Yes. It is scary. As we said in our last segment, a false gospel presents a false Christ. The first century Christians needed to get back to the pure gospel that the apostles taught them. But Christians today were never taught the pure gospel to begin with!

There’s nothing we know to return to. Instead, we need to study like we’ve never studied before and move away from the false gospel that’s been indoctrinated into us from the cradle. That’s the only way we’ll be able to embrace the pure gospel and the true Messiah.

Miles: Sooo … by true Messiah, you’re referring to the fully human Yahushua. Not a trinitarian “God the Son.”

Dave: Partially, yes. There’s an entire vocabulary that entered Christian theology when the Catholic Church rejected Biblical monotheism and adopted the pagan trinity doctrine. In addition to “God the Son,” there’s “the God-man,” uh … the idea that “God became man.” There’s homoousios, the idea that the Father and the Son, and the Spirit are all of the same substance or essence.

Miles: And, of course, with that, you’ve got the doctrine of a pre-human existence for Christ.

Dave: Right. The Nicene Creed, which is foundational to modern Christian doctrines, etc. That all presents a false gospel and a false Christ.

But there’s a more subtle version of another Christ that we need to be aware of because it might even deceive those who have rejected the heresy of a triune godhead and all that comes with it. I’m afraid that even Biblical monotheists—those who accept the true nature of Yahuwah as presented in Scripture—have been deceived and embraced a modified version of the Saviour.

Miles: How do you mean? Different how?

Dave: When we embrace and promote a Messiah that is separated from his own words and teachings, what are we promoting but a skewed version of the real thing?

… You look confused.

Miles: Well, uh, I—yeah. I’m not sure what you mean. How do you promote Yahushua but divorce him or separate him from his teachings, his words? I’m not seeing that. What do you mean?

Dave: All right. I’m going to toss out some catch phrases that have become rather popular in recent years. You tell me if such phrases or ideas present the Saviour of Scripture, or a new, different Christ.

Miles: All right.

Dave: Have you ever heard a pastor or religious leader say any of the following:

“Yahushua came to do three days of work.”

“Yahushua didn’t really teach anything new.”

“The gospels really belong in the Old Testament.”

. . . Have you ever heard that expressed in sermons or articles?

Miles: Yeah, actually, I have. I even read an article once that claimed Yahushua’s teachings weren’t actually addressed to Christians. That one really startled me because if his messages aren’t for Christians, they don’t apply to us today.

Dave: All right. And can you see how, by separating Yahushua from his words, his teachings, you have, in effect, manufactured another Yahushua than the one presented in the Bible?

Miles: Yeah! Yeah, I can see that. I never picked up on that before, but when you put it that way, those ideas really do separate Yahushua from his own teachings, don’t they?

Dave: Yahushua’s birth had a purpose. His life had a mission. But if you’re going to sweep that all aside assert that he simply came to “do three days of work,” or that he really “didn’t teach anything new,” you are creating a false Christ that is divorced from his own words.

I know this may be tough to wrap your head around since this is the Christ we’ve all been taught is true, but let’s look at what Scripture has to say about the Messiah and see if it agrees with these false ideas that present a false Christ.

Turn to Deuteronomy chapter 18. That’s Deuteronomy 18 and read verses 15 to 19.

Miles: Okay … Moses is speaking to Israel. He says:

Yahuwah your Elohim will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. This is what you requested of Yahuwah your Elohim at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: “If I hear the voice of Yahuwah my Elohim any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die.”

Then Yahuwah replied to me: “They are right in what they have said. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable.”

Dave: Notice: Yahuwah promises to raise up another prophet like Moses. Not only will this prophet be like Moses, but he is to be raised up “from among their own people.” Is there anything in this passage that would suggest this “prophet” was already alive in angelic form?

Miles: No. It’s all future tense.

Dave: Right. The emphasis here is on the humanity of the prophet that would be raised up. And this prophet would come with a very special message—a message spoken in Yah’s own name, and if anyone ignored or dismissed the message, Yahuwah Himself would hold them accountable.

Miles: That’s serious! That really shines the spotlight on Christ’s words, doesn’t it? Are you really going to try and say that Christ taught nothing new when, right here, Yahuwah is emphasizing how important his message was to be?

Dave: I’m not going to say that! To do so would be to contradict Yahushua himself. See, the Saviour understood that an important part of his mission was the message he brought. Turn to John 12 and read verses 47 to 50 for us. This is after the Saviour’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem and shortly before the crucifixion. Here, he’s summarizing his mission. Go ahead.

Miles:

I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.

Dave: The Saviour’s mission encompassed far more than just “three days’ worth of work.” That minimizes his mission. John 6 verse 63 says clearly, quote: “It’s the spirit that gives life; the flesh is no help. The words that I have spoken to you—they are spirit, they are life.”

This is how important Christ’s words are! You can’t separate him from his words. Go to John 7 and read verses 16 to 18. This is another passage that emphasizes the importance of his teachings.

Miles:

Then Yahushua answered them, “My teaching is not mine but his who sent me. Anyone who resolves to do the will of [Yahuwah] will know whether the teaching is from [Yah] or whether I am speaking on my own. Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of Him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.”

Dave: Next chapter over. John 8 verses 26, 28 and 29.

Miles: Um …

The One who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from Him … When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the One who sent me is with me; He has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to Him.”

Dave: In light of what Yahushua himself had to say about the importance of his teaching, can any of us justly claim that he taught nothing new or that his teaching wasn’t for Christians?

Miles: No, I don’t think so!

Dave: Turn to Luke 4. This is early in Yahushua’s ministry. Already he was so popular, the crowds wanted him to stay and keep teaching them. Read what he told them. Verses 43 and 44.

Miles: “But he said to them, ‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of [Yah] to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.’ So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea.”

Dave: This is his mission statement: his purpose for being. It’s to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of Yah. He says “I was sent for this purpose.” You can’t separate Yahushua from his message.

The early Christians knew better than to do this. They understood the prophet of Deuteronomy 18 was the Messiah so they understood the importance of his message.

Miles: I think Peter talked about this. Let me see if I can find it …

Here we go. It’s Acts 3. Listen to this. It says:

Moses said, ‘Yahuwah your Elohim will raise up for you from your own people a prophet like me. You must listen to whatever he tells you. And it will be that everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be utterly rooted out of the people.’ . . . When [Yahuwah] raised up his servant, He sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways. [Acts 3:22-23, 26]

Dave: See? He’s even quoting Deuteronomy.

When we dismiss Yahushua’s words as not applicable to Christians, when we shrug them aside as just a repeat of what’s in the Old Testament, we are not giving heed to his words and Yah says we’ll be held accountable for that.

Miles: Would you say one reason for dismissing Christ’s words is that, when you do, you no longer have to obey them?

Dave: Absolutely. The fallen nature never wants to obey or to come into submission to the will of Yahuwah. But we court disaster if we try to separate obedience to his teachings from what he accomplished on the cross. Submission to dying on the cross was his own magnificent example of obedience!

Go now to Matthew 7. Christ is here warning of what happens when people try to claim the benefits of his atoning blood while ignoring the responsibility of obedience. Matthew 7 verses 13 to 27. This is a really solemn explanation of the importance of heeding Christ’s words, not just claiming the benefits of his blood.

Go ahead.

Miles:

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?

In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits. [Matthew 7:13-20]

Dave: Now listen to what happens to those who “talk the talk” without “walking the walk.” Verse 21.

Miles:

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”

Dave: The people that say “Lord, Lord!” look for all the world like sincere, devout Christians but Christ says, “I never knew you.” Why?

Miles: “Go away from me, you evildoers.”

Dave: They’re evildoers. They did not obey his words. They claimed to have faith! They claimed to be Christians. But they were hearers only, not doers of his words.

Miles: Okay, I’m seeing this now. If you separate Yahushua from his words, if you claim he taught nothing new, you’re not going to see the importance of obeying his words. You have, in effect, conjured up another Yahushua.

Dave: You’ve got it. The truth is, the world wants another Messiah. They want a Messiah that tells them “I’m O.K.; you’re O.K.” They don’t want a Messiah that calls them from their evil deeds.

Miles: You can really see this in the doctrine of once saved, always saved. Not only does it effectively remove freedom of choice, but it also negates any conviction to obey. After all, why should you surrender and obey when you’re already saved?

Dave: Paul understood the important role of Christ’s words. Could you read 1 Timothy 6 verses 3 to 5 for us? You can’t read this and continue to separate the Saviour from his teaching.

Miles: Okay, it says:

Whoever teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Yahushua Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness, is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words. From these come envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, and wrangling among those who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

Dave: We absolutely must stop changing the gospel message to one that teaches obedience isn’t necessary. It’s not true. Even if we can’t perfectly obey, we’re to try. We’re to strive to enter in at the narrow gate. To do anything else is presumptuous.

In closing, I’d like you to read a passage from the second chapter of Hebrews. Hebrews 2, verses 1 to 4. This proves that the true Messiah cannot be separated from his teachings.

Miles:

Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the message declared through angels was valid, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty, how can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? It was declared at first through the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him, while [Yah] added Hs testimony by signs and wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to His will.

Dave: Reject any doctrine that minimizes the importance of Christ’s teachings or the gospel. This is a false gospel that presents a false Christ. We want the true Christ and his pure gospel.

Miles: Amen.

Stay tuned, folks! Up next: Is it a sin to mourn? Find out when Dave answers your questions sent into our daily mailbag.

* * *

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

* * *Daily Mailbag

Miles: We’ve got a question today coming to us from Ensenada, Mexico!

Dave: Mexico’s a fascinating place. I’d love to visit there some day.

Miles: Yeah, did you know that both birth control and color TV—two very important things in our modern world—were invented in Mexico?

Dave: Huh! I didn’t know that. I do know, though, that out of the entire world, Mexico City is second only to London for having the greatest number of museums.

Miles: Definitely a place that would be fun to visit!

All right. Natalie Matos writes: “My cousin died of Covid last year. At the funeral, the priest talked about how she’s now in a better place. He said some other things but the main point was that she’s with God now and we shouldn’t mourn because she’s in Heaven. My cousin and I were always very close and I miss her horribly. However, I feel selfish for wanting her to still be here. I know the Bible does not teach we go to heaven (or hell) at death, but I’m still sad that she’s gone when she had her whole life still ahead of her and left behind two precious children. Am I sinning for mourning her? I know she’s simply sleeping in the grave and the next thing she’s going to see is Yahushua, but I miss her so much and have been feeling guilty for wishing she were still here.”

Dave: First, Natalie, let me say how sorry I am that you’ve lost your cousin. Even knowing that she’s not hurting, not struggling through life on a sinful world anymore, doesn’t make the loss any easier to bear. Secondly, no. You are not sinning when you grieve the loss of your cousin.

Miles: It’s a really interesting question. I remember a number of years ago I attended the funeral for the wife of a man I worked with at the time. The man was a Christian—I don’t remember which denomination. Something different from what I was at the time. But what really struck me was how odd the pastor’s homily was. He, like the priest at Natalie’s cousin’s funeral, was going on and on about how we should be happy and rejoicing that the deceased was, even now, in the arms of the Lord.

Here's a family that’s grieving, their kids were young adults, but still. Missing their mum. And the pastor is telling them to be … happy? I’m sure the pastor meant it to be comforting, but it just struck a wrong note. You can’t just be glad when someone you love dies, even if you believe they’re in heaven!

Dave: And, if you’re told you’re supposed to be happy, but you aren’t because you miss them, it can lead to feelings of guilt just like Natalie is experiencing right now. It’s not helpful at all.

Miles: I think one of the worst things you can say to a grieving person is that “God needed her more. I know you’re only six-years-old, but God needed Mummy more than you do.” It makes Yah out to be a selfish monster!

Dave: I know. Talk about taking His name in vain! It really misrepresents His character of love. Turn to Isaiah 63, would you please, and read verses 7 to 9. This is what the real character of Yahuwah is like. Isaiah 63:7 to 9.

Miles:

I will mention the lovingkindnesses of Yahuwah
And the praises of Yahuwah,
According to all that Yahuwah has bestowed on us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies,
According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.
For He said, “Surely they are My people,
Children who will not lie.”
So He became their Savior.
In all their affliction He was afflicted,
And the Angel of His Presence saved them;
In His love and in His pity He redeemed them;
And He bore them and carried them
All the days of old.

Dave: Yahuwah feels what we feel. When we mourn, He mourns right along with us. Nowhere is this seen more clearly than in the story of Lazarus. Turn to John 11, please. Let’s take a look at that. Go ahead and start with verse 1. Let’s read the story for context.

Miles:

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

When Yahushua heard that, he said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of [Yahuwah], that the son of [Yahuwah] may be glorified through it.”

Now Yahushua loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” [John 11:1-7]

Dave: There’s a really interesting word here we often glide past. The word, “so.” Yahushua loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, SO, when he heard that Lazarus was sick … he stayed away two more days!

That’s not the sort of thing we’d typically think of as proof of his love. “So” is a conjunction. You could as easily say, “Yahushua loved the siblings, therefore he stayed away two more days.”

Miles: Seems a bit contradictory, doesn’t it?

Dave: It does! But let’s keep reading. Verse 8.

Miles:

The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone you, and are you going there again?”

Yahushua answered, … “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

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

Then Yahushua said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”

Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” [John 11:8-9, 11-16]

Dave: Thomas! “Doubting Thomas”! Gotta love him.

Miles: His responses are just so human, aren’t they?

Dave: They really are. And I like this passage because it’s here that we learn that death is like a sleep. Natalie knows that, too. That’s actually more comforting than thinking our dearly departed go directly to Heaven.

Miles: Yeah. Who wants dear old Mum or Dad to be able to see EVERYTHING we do? That’s less privacy than we’d have had when they were alive!

Dave: Right. Okay, so, Yahushua and his disciples traveled to Bethany, the home of Lazarus and his sisters. Once he got there, he sent word he’d arrived. All right. Start reading again at, uh … verse 32.

Miles:

Then, when Mary came where Yahushua was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Therefore, when Yahushua saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?”

They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” [John 11:32-34]

Dave: A couple of things about this passage. Notice, Yahushua was not saying, “Hey! Why’s everybody so sad? He’s in the arms of the Lord! Are you really going to be so selfish as to wish him back here with us?”

Miles: Yeah, if he’d really gone to Heaven, that would have been the perfect time to teach that belief, wouldn’t it?

Dave: And yet, he didn’t. Clearly, he was moved to see how sad all Lazarus’ friends and family were.

All right. Go on. Verse 35.

Miles: “Yahushua wept.”

Dave: “Yahushua … wept.”

Why’d he weep? He knew he was going to be resurrecting Lazarus in just another minute or two. And still he wept.

Miles: Well, I’d say he wept for the pain he could see his friends were in.

Dave: I think so, too. Verse 36 says, “Then the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’”

This story lets us know that it is all right to mourn our loved ones who have passed. Yes, if they loved Yah, we can be comforted by the knowledge that the goodbye isn’t forever; we’ll see them again. But goodbyes still hurt.

And if the Saviour—knowing full well he was going to be resurrecting Lazarus in just a few minutes—could still weep at the grave of a friend, we can, too. There is no reason to feel guilty for mourning. That just adds another burden onto an already heavy burden.

Miles: I’ve read that grieving is a process. Being made to feel guilty for grieving, as though it’s a sin, doesn’t help. It just makes the process all that much harder.

Dave: We need to remember, too, that Yahushua’s mission had two objectives. To die for sinners, yes. But also to reveal the Father. Remember what he told Philip?

Philip clearly wasn’t “getting” it. He wasn’t understanding this part of the Messiah’s mission so, in John 14 verse 8 he says, “Lord, show us the Father and it sufficeth us. Or, in other words, “Just shows us Yah. That’s all we need.”

What was the Saviour’s (probably incredulous) response? Verse 9.

Miles: “Yahushua said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; so how can you say, “Show us the Father”?’”

Dave: Yahushua’s mission was to show us what Yahuwah would be like if He were a human being. And Yahushua, weeping at the grave of Lazarus, shows us that even Yahuwah Himself would grieve the loss of a loved one. It’s not a sin, it’s nothing to feel guilty about, when you’re sad a loved one has passed.

I’ll go so far as to say that losing a loved one isn’t supposed to be easy and joyful. If you’re happy over such a loss, there’s something wrong.

Miles: That’s a good point.

Dave: I just want to say to Natalie and all like her: don’t add to your burden of sorrow by feeling guilty for mourning the loss of someone close to you. Guilt comes from Satan, not Yah.

Isaiah described the Saviour’s mission by saying, “A bruised reed he will not break, and smoking flax he will not quench.” [Isaiah 42:3] In other words, the Saviour would never cause further damage to something already hurt and damaged. He wouldn’t then, and he won’t now, and neither will Yahuwah. Instead of rejoicing while we mourn, He grieves with us … because He loves us.

* * *Daily Promise

Hello! This is Elise O’Brien with today’s daily promise from Yah’s word.

Private Winnegar was serving in the US Army at the end of World War II. One night while on patrol, he saw a figure running across a field outside the village in which Winnegar’s unit was stationed.

“Halt or I’ll shoot!” Winnegar yelled. The running figure ducked behind a tree. Winnegar stayed silent, waiting. He didn’t want to shoot, but it was his job to catch whoever it was that was out there. After a while, the figure moved to a large tree and began digging. After recovering an item Winneger couldn’t see, the figure again started to move. Again, Winneger shouted, “Halt or I’ll shoot!”

The person took off running with Winneger in hot pursuit. The soldier quickly caught up with the fleeing person and tackled him to the ground. To his surprise, it was a boy. In the struggle, the item the boy had dug up fell to the ground. It was a beautiful and elaborate menorah.

Winneger picked it up, studying it with interest. The boy lunged for it. “Give it to me! It’s mine!” He cried.

Winneger hastily reassured the boy that he was safe and handed the menorah back to him. He questioned the boy, wondering where his family was. The boy didn’t know. He’d spent the war in a concentration camp after watching his father killed and did not know where his mother was.

In the weeks that followed, Winneger took the boy, whose name was David, under his protection. Although they tried to find any of David’s relatives, they were unable to do so. When it was time for Winneger to ship home, he asked David if he would like to come with him. David agreed, so Winneger went through the necessary red tape to officially adopt David as his own son.

Winneger himself was also Jewish and was active in the Jewish community where he lived in New York. An acquaintance of his was the curator of the Jewish Museum of Manhattan. After seeing David’s menorah, he told the boy that it was an extremely valuable and historic menorah. In his opinion, a relic so valuable should be shared with the entire Jewish community. He asked David if he would sell it, offering the boy $50,000 for it.

David thanked him for the generous offer but refused. He said it had been in his family for over 200 years. He wasn’t going to sell the last connection he had to his family.

The next December when Hanukah came, David and Winneger lit the menorah and placed it in the window of their home in New York City. David then went upstairs to do his homework. Shortly after, a knock sounded at the front door. When Winneger answered the door, he found a woman there. In strongly accented English, she explained that as she was walking down the street, she had seen the menorah in the window. She said that her family had one just like it and had never seen another. Could he tell her where he’d gotten it and would it be possible for her to look at it more closely?

Winneger invited her in, explaining that it actually belonged to his son. Perhaps he could tell her more about it. Winneger called David to come talk to the woman. The moment David walked into the room, his eyes got big. “Mama!” He exclaimed, dashing over and flinging himself into the woman’s arms.

“David!” She sobbed. She had thought he had been killed during the war with the rest of their family.

Jeremiah 31, verses 16 and 17 says:

Thus says Yahuwah:

“Refrain your voice from weeping,
And your eyes from tears;
For your work shall be rewarded, says Yahuwah,
And they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
There is hope in your future, says Yahuwah,
That your children shall come back to their own border.”

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

* * *Part 3: Rejecting Today’s False Gospel

Miles: I’d never really recognized the danger for modern Christians of a false gospel and a false Christ.

Dave: Well, no. No conscientious person purposefully believes error.

Miles: Of course not. When I learned the truth about the nature of Yahuwah and that there is no triune godhead, I saw that as a form of a false Christ. But I’d never realized that even for unitarians—those who believe that Yahuwah is one just as Scripture says—I never realized we could accept a false Christ, too.

So, to guard against these very advanced errors of Satan, what should believers do? How do we stay in the light?

Dave: Those are great questions. I’d say the answer is to make sure that you always compare your beliefs, especially new ideas, against Yahushua’s direct teachings. What were his teachings, in his own words? These are the foundation on which we are to base our understanding of the new covenant and all its standards.

Read, read, read Christ’s own words.

Miles: That’s a good point. How many of us, during our morning devotions, will read words about Christ’s words? We’ll read daily devotionals, we’ll read religious articles, but how often do we go to Scripture for ourselves and read his words directly?

Dave: And in context!

Miles: And in context.

Dave: Then, we’re to do more than read. We’re to bring them into the daily life. This is what the apostle James was writing about. We’re to do more than verbally spout truth. We’re to make it a part of our daily lives, our daily decision making.

Turn to James chapter 2 and read verses 14 to 18.

Miles: James … James. You like quoting from these little, hard-to-find books of the Bible, don’t you?

Dave: It’s right between Hebrews and 1 Peter.

Miles: Got it! It says …

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

Dave: Nowhere is our duty more clearly explained than in the words and parables of Christ. We’re to study them, take them to heart, and make them the living principle on which we base our decisions and actions.

And it’s not like you have to do it in your own power! Pray and ask Yahuwah to help you and He will! He doesn’t expect perfection of any of us. In fact, He knows that as long as we have our fallen natures, there will be times we stumble and fall, but that doesn’t mean we’re lost. Turn to 1 John chapter 1 and start reading at verse 5. We often read just that one verse, but the whole passage is very good: 1 John 1:5 and following.

Miles:

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: [Yahuwah] is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Yahushua, His Son, purifies us from all sin.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us.

That’s the end of the chapter. Keep going?

Dave: Uh … yeah. Just a little bit.

Miles: “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Yahushua Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” [1 John 2:1-2]

Dave: This is the gospel right here. You don’t have to throw up your hands and say, “I can’t obey so obedience must not be necessary.” Likewise, you don’t have to labor under this heavy burden of expectation, flagellating yourself to become perfect before Yahushua returns.

Trust in your heavenly Father to get you ready. Certainly strive! Strive to live in accordance with His revealed will, but know that when you fall, when you sin—and you inevitably will—Yahuwah is faithful and just to forgive you and to cleanse you by the blood of His son. This is the plan He’s worked out for your salvation. You can trust Him to get you ready for eternity in His kingdom if you will ask Him to.

Miles: That is bringing Christ’s words into our daily life.

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.