Author: Steven R. Bruck

Yeshua Is More of a Goat Than a Lamb

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Do you know that there is not one place, anywhere, in the entire Tanakh where the Messiah is referred to as either “The Lamb of God” or “The Passover Lamb”?

Do you know that the Passover lamb is not a sin sacrifice?

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Do you know that according to the Torah, a goat is required as sin sacrifice?

We are told that Yeshua is the “Lamb of God” and that his sacrifice is what takes away our sin, but those statements are contradictory! Only a goat was acceptable as a sin sacrifice, and Yeshua’s sacrifice was a sin sacrifice, so how can he be a lamb?

And to make it even more confusing, I don’t think you will find the Messiah referred to as a goat, anywhere in the Bible, so… is Yeshua a lamb or a goat?

The answer is: he is both.

The Torah, in Leviticus 1-7, stipulates there are 5 different forms of sacrifices: burnt, grain, peace, sin, and trespass (different Bible versions may have different names).

According to Leviticus 4, where the sin sacrifice rules are given, sins of the high priest require the offering of a young, unblemished bull; sins of the leaders require the offering of an unblemished male goat, and the sins of members of the Israelite community required a female goat as an offering.

Now, there is an exception, where an individual can bring a lamb as their sacrifice for sin, but that is only in the case of an individual- sins of the leaders and sins of the community must be a bull or a goat.

Yeshua’s sacrifice was not for himself, but for all people, so according to God’s rules, he could not be the “Lamb of God”.

The answer to this conundrum is that his sacrifice was not just for sin, but actually is both the sin sacrifice and the Thanksgiving sacrifice.

The way the sacrificial system worked is that you start with a sin sacrifice, which cleanses you of the stain of sin and makes it possible for you to come into God’s presence, then you offer a wholly burnt sacrifice, which represents your commitment to wholly following God, and finally you offer the Thanksgiving sacrifice which reestablishes your communion with God, and in his presence you eat part of that sacrifice (which is how we know that the Passover sacrifice is a Thanksgiving sacrifice- it is the only one where the one bringing the animal gets to share of the meat of that animal).

When Yeshua died, he was the goat (sin sacrifice) and the lamb (thanksgiving sacrifice) because it allowed us to receive forgiveness of sin, and once forgiven we could come into communion with God.

We won’t see the complete fulfillment of this dual sacrifice until the End Days arrive.

In the meantime, Yeshua never referred to himself as God’s lamb, did he? And no messianic prophecy in the Tanakh referred to the Messiah as a lamb.

TIME OUT: If you are thinking of Isaiah 53, where he prophesied that the Messiah would be led like a lamb to slaughter, that is not saying the Messiah is the “Lamb of God”. It is a merely a reference to how he remained silent: it was John who misused it to identify Yeshua as the “Lamb of God”.

In fact, my research shows that the only person in the entire Bible to refer to Yeshua as the “Lamb of God” is the Apostle John.

Now, as far as I am concerned, if all the prophets and all the other Apostles, and every other reference to God’s Messiah never call him the “Lamb of God”, but just this one guy does, well…then that’s just his thing, and certainly not hermeneutically, historically, reasonably, or in any other way validated by the Bible.

If Yeshua’s sacrifice was ONLY for sin, he would then have to be called “The Yom Kippur Goat”, or maybe the “Goat of God”, but not the Passover Lamb. However, because his sacrifice takes away our sins, we are able to come into the presence of the Lord and commune with him, which was done through the Thanksgiving sacrifice- the same one that we do on Passover- so Yeshua certainly is similar to a lamb.

The blood of the Passover sacrifice saved us from death by marking us as God’s people, and the blood of the sin sacrifice saves us from death by taking away our sin. The sacrificial system had our sin taken away (goat sacrifice) so that we could then come back into communion with God (thanksgiving sacrifice).

What Yeshua did was to accomplish both of these sacrifices at the same time, but in the opposite order.

Why this way? I don’t know! But I can say this- I am grateful for what he did, no matter in which order he decided to do it.

He may be referred to as the Lamb of God, but if you ask me, he is the G.O.A.T.

(If you’re not familiar with that acronym, it means Greatest Of All Time).

Thank you for being here and please share these messages, subscribe to my ministry on my website and YouTube channel, buy my books, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but please make sure you agree to the rules, or I can’t let you in).

That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Chag Pesach Sameach!

God Has No Name

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What is your name? Mine is Steven. The reason I have this name is to identify myself as a unique individual within the society. And, since there are many other “Stevens”, I also have a middle and last name to help further separate me from all the other human males.

But what about God? Does he really need an identifier to separate him from all the other gods?

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I know this will sound totally off, some may even call it blasphemous, but God doesn’t have a name.
Oh, yes- there are many titles we know him by, even the one he gave to Moses, but that isn’t really a name.
The Tetragrammaton, those 4 Hebrew letters Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh (יהוה) have been generally accepted to mean “I am that I am”, or “I will be that which I will be”.

God told Moses to tell the people that “I am” sent him. But “I am” is not a name- it is a description, isn’t it?

The letters do not represent a unique label by which we can know this God from all other gods, although it certainly can be used for that, but it is more of a description of who and what God is: it tells us that he is infinite.

All the terms we use for him: God, Adonai, Lord, Jehovah, Yahweh, HaShem…all of these identify him by a title, but that is not the same as a name that is to make him unique from all the others like him.

There is no other like him.

For instance, Ba’al means Lord, and despite those very foolish people who say using the name “Lord” is praying to a pagan god, there are many other Stevens in the world, but when someone is talking to me, they aren’t talking to every other Steven in the world. It’s the same with God, which is further proof that since every religion uses the title “god” or “lord”, this is obviously not a unique identifying of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

In fact, there shouldn’t even be debate about this because God tells us how he wants to be known. Check out Exodus 3:15:

God said to Moses, “Say this to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

So, that pretty much settles it, wouldn’t you say?

Again, not so much a name as a description.

So, to all those “Holy Namers” out there- sorry to bust your bubble, but how we pronounce God’s name is not the important thing; God, himself, says to refer to him by what he is, not by a name.

Besides, we are saved by faith, not pronunciation.

And to all those out there who insist we should use his name all the time, well- go ahead. But make sure it’s the one He said to use., which means instead of God or Jehovah, or Yahweh, or whatever you prefer, God says to know him as the God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

That’s a mouthful. I don’t know about you, but I’ll just stick with God or Adonai or Lord, and know that I am not praying to a pagan or Semitic, Roman, Greek, Hindu, or Buddhist supernatural entity, but to the God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of…well, you know the rest.

I am not saying to stop using whatever term or title or “name” for the one who created everything and who sent Yeshua, the Messiah to us you are used to using is wrong. It’s fine, and if you are confused about pronunciation, remember that throughout the Bible we are told, over and over, that God knows your heart and mind, so as long as you are praying to the God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, etc., then you are fine.

Believe me- God knows who you mean, and he isn’t so prideful as to reject your prayer because of what title you use when referring to him.

Even Shakespear knew this: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” (Romeo and Juliet)

God is the epitome of unique- there is nothing else like him anywhere: there never has been, there isn’t now, and there never will be. He is, he was, he always shall be HIM.

What it comes down to is this- God doesn’t have a name because God doesn’t need a name.

Thank you for being here and please share these messages, subscribe to my website and YouTube channel, and buy my books. I also invite you to join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but please make sure you agree to the rules, or you can’t come in).

And remember that I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (and early) Shabbat Shalom!

After Someone Dies, You Have No Second Chance

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You might be thinking I worded the title incorrectly, and that it should read “After Someone Dies, They Have No Second Chance”.

And if you do, then you are going to be surprised, because the title is accurate!

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You see, I am not talking about the person who has died no longer being able to ask for forgiveness or save themselves; rather, I am aiming this message to the surviving friends and family, who now have no second chance to make amends with, forgive, or help the dead person.

How many people have you met who have regrets that they never revived a friendship, or made up for mistakes, or reunited with someone because that person has died?

How many people carry the emotional baggage of missed opportunities to make right something that was wrong between themself and someone else?

Yes, this is all about you, and about me, and about anyone who is still alive and has some issue with someone else. We have only as long as we are both alive to resolve the issue, and even if that other person has no desire, whatsoever, to resolve anything with you, you still need to make the attempt.

Remember: we are not told we must ask for forgiveness; we are told we must forgive (Matthew 6:14-15), and if you haven’t forgiven someone, and told them that you forgive them, then you have missed a chance to please God.

Oh, yeah, so long as you forgive them in your heart, that is what God wants, but why not go one step further and tell the person? Maybe you will revive a friendship, or make a new one? At the very least, you will provide them with an example of how to live a godly life.

I know people who had issues with their parents, friends, or siblings who never reconciled, or even tried, and now the other person is dead. They might never be rid of the feeling of guilt and loss, having now to live the rest of their lives asking themselves,

“How hard would it have been, really, to call?”

So, if you have an unresolved issue with anyone, try to resolve it. It is more important that you try than that you succeed, and if you do get shut down, what have you lost?

Nothing.

But…what if you resolve that issue and can now reconnect with someone, maybe reestablish or create a new friendship? Isn’t that worth the effort?

Please make the attempt to tie up whatever loose ends of your relationships that may exist and do it now.

You never know when that window of opportunity will suddenly, and eternally, slam shut on you.

Thank you for being here and please share these messages with everyone you know. Subscribe to my website and my YouTube channel, as well. Buy my books and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but please make sure you agree to the rules, or I can’t let you in).

That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

Shaul Used Two Drashim from Yeshua as the Basis for his Ministry.

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I am just back from 3 days in the hospital for back surgery, and am not allowed to shower until this afternoon, so I am not doing a video today because I look really scrubby.

If you ask me, one of the most misunderstood things in the New Covenant are the Epistles Shaul (Paul) wrote to the congregations he had formed throughout Asia.

The early Gentile leaders of Believers in Yeshua, after all the Apostles had died, so misused and misinterpreted these letters that they formed a totally different form of worship than the one Yeshua lived.

I want to share my understanding of Shaul’s ministry and how he used two of the drashim (parables) from Yeshua’s teachings to be able to bring pagans into a righteous lifestyle.

First off, we need to remember that the Gentiles were practicing the Roman religion, which was a hedonistic, drunkard, and sexually perverse lifestyle. In other words, it was a lot of fun, and to ask someone to give that up, all at once, would only result in most of those who were initially interested apostatizing.

This is what the parable of the Sower of the Seed tells us- some will hear the word and accept it, but the weeds will grow around the young growth and choke it. Shaul knew this and that is why he never forced a total conversion to Judaism (which was the religion they would be learning as they followed Yeshua’s teachings). In fact, that is why he was so angry with the Believing Jews in Galatia, who were undermining his work there by forcing the neophyte, Gentile Believers to undergo B’rit Milah (circumcision) in order to be saved.

Shaul also knew the parable of the enemy who sewed tares in the field of wheat. The tares were not recognizable as tares until they had grown so much that they were now interlaced with the wheat, and the owner of the field said to let them grow because tearing them out would also tear out the wheat. He said they would be separated at the harvest.

Shaul was following that idea, but instead of bad seed in a good field, he was planting good seed in a bad field, and hoped that by not making it so obvious (by requiring total conversion to Torah obedience), the good seed would grow in the tares and when the harvest came (Judgement Day), the good seed would be separated and survive.

The Elders in Jerusalem confirmed and supported this program of ministry in their letter (Acts 15) to these new Gentile Believers because they said all the new Believers had to do, NOW, was obey those 4 commands (three about not eating unclean food, and no more fornicating). What most Christians never were taught (and people never read the Bible to verify what they are told) was that James also said these new Believers will eventually learn what the Torah says at Shabbat services.

In other words, let them start slowly and adjust at their own pace to this paradigm shift in lifestyle, or we will lose them to the “weeds” of their past life.

So, Shaul went throughout Asia, telling both Jews and Gentiles about Messiah Yeshua, but he did not require the Gentiles to convert to Judaism. He required the basics- love God and love each other, which Yeshua said were the two most important commandments in the Torah.

For the record: modern Christian teaching says these are the only commandments Christians have to obey, which is wrong. Yeshua never said these were the only commandments, just that they are the most important.

Can you see now how Shaul, using the parables of seeds being sewn in the field, designed a program for missionary work that used the wisdom of those drashim to create a gradual integration from a pagan lifestyle to a righteous one?

And this is why Christianity has gone so far off course from what Yeshua taught- they just didn’t get it, and decided since they don’t have to become Jews overnight, they can change what they want to. They started with the 4th Commandment, changing the Shabbat, then rejected the Holy Days in Leviticus 23, ignored the requirements for food in Leviticus 11, and by the Third Century had created a totally man-made religion that has nothing whatsoever to do with God’s word or Yeshua’s teachings, other than to love one another.

And I can tell you this, for certain: loving one another isn’t enough.

Thank you for being here and please share these messages with everyone you know. Subscribe to this website and my YouTube channel, buy my books (if you like what you get here, you will like my books), and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but please make sure you click that you agree to the rules, or you can’t come in).

And remember that I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for now, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!

Repetition Isn’t Respect

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I haven’t been very dutiful in my posting the last couple of weeks, and I probably won’t post again for another week or two. I am getting surgery on my back to fuse my L5 vertebrae to L4 since the L5 is shifting. I have been dealing (painfully) with sciatica for two years now, and this is the third time I go “under the knife”. God willing, this will be the fix. I know I can count on your prayers for me, and I thank you for them.

OK- now down to business…

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

How often have you heard people say “Father God” or “Lord” about a thousand times while praying?

Do you know someone who, when just talking with you, has to acknowledge God in some way, in nearly every other sentence? They talk like this:

“As I was walking home the other day, praise the Lord, I saw my friend who by God’s Grace I have known for a long time. And she has been in good health, thanks to God, my savior, for a while now, and praise the Lord that she yadda, yadda, yadda….”

Look- I am not trying to insult or berate anyone, but really? Can’t you finish a complete thought without having to praise or recognize God in some way?

Here’s why I am writing about what could be just a pet peeve of mine: I believe that automatic and repetitive reference to God becomes empty praise.

What I am saying is that when we say the same thing, over and over, it becomes standard practice, essentially rote repetition, and after a very short time it will become the way we talk, but it will have no essence.

When people continually refer to God in their speech or prayer and do it so often that it becomes a pattern, the heartfelt desire to honor God is no longer why they do it- it now just habit.

When we do or say things so often that we don’t even think about it, it means nothing anymore.

I rarely refer to God in my everyday speech or when I pray after I have already addressed him at the start. I don’t continually interject “Father God” or “Lord” or any direct reference to God- I really think he knows who I’m talking to. And, despite his age, I don’t think he has a problem with short-term memory, so I don’t feel the need to constantly remind him who I am talking to.

My concern, again, is that people who constantly refer to God in one way or another as part of their prayer or speech patterns become inured to why we refer to God in the first place, which is to honor him in all we say and do.

So, if you are feeling that I am picking on you, it is probably because you are one of those who constantly refer to God in your speech and prayer. If so, I am sorry if you feel insulted, but I really think you should consider that by referring to God in every other sentence you have reduced consciously honoring him to nothing more than mindless conditioning.

And I can be fairly certain that the people you are talking to, especially people who aren’t as “spiritually invested” as you are, believe it is fake spirituality and not a real love for God.

You know? Sometimes I think the Lord is sitting on his throne, hearing people refer to him over and over again, and is saying to himself:


“Just talk to me- I already know who I am.”

Thank you for being here and please share these messages with everyone you know. Subscribe to my website and YouTube channel, join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (please make sure you click that you agree to the rules, or I can’t let you in), and buy my books. If you like what you get here, you will like my books, as well.

And remember that I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for now, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!