Author: Steven R. Bruck
How It All Fits Together
Today we will go over how it all fits together. And if you are wondering just what it is that fits together, I will start by explaining what I mean.
And we will start out with God, which I think is a pretty good starting place.
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When God created everything he knew exactly what he was doing. He created human beings with Free Will and allowed iniquity within our personality so that we could choose to worship him. After all, if he never gave us the opportunity to refuse his instructions, then worshipping him would be an empty and unmotivated act, not much more than simply reacting to a stimulus.
God also knew that because of our iniquity, that is, the innate desire to sin, that we would eventually need some way to lead us into eternal communion with God by providing an invulnerable means of forgiveness, and that way is through his Messiah. This Messiah was promised, first and foremost, to and for the Jewish people but would later provide salvation for the entire world.
That’s what I am talking about when I said we would go over how it all fits together. Now, here we go…
God rid the world of that first group from Adam and Eve, as well as from Cain, and started a new batch of humans through Noah. Noah’s grandson, Abram (not Abraham yet) was the one God selected whose faith was so strong that he was chosen to be the father of many nations (thus renamed “Abraham”), which God promised to him in Genesis 17:4.
The next step in God’s plan was to also tell Abraham that through his descendants the entire world would be blessed (Genesis 22:18).
The next step comes hundreds of years down the road when God told Moses that the nation of Israel, now freed from Egypt and on their way to the Promised Land, will be his nation of priests to the world (Exodus 19:6). After that, God gives Moses the Torah (Exodus 20) which is God’s instructions to the Jewish people regarding how they are to worship him and treat each other.
And here is where Christianity has gotten it all wrong: the Torah is not just for the Jews. Before God gave the Torah to the Jewish people, he anointed them as his nation of priests. What does a priest do? The Priest is the Intercessor between God and the people, serving God by teaching the people about God, which includes the proper way to worship him and how they should live their lives according to God’s way. Well, if the entire Jewish nation is God’s priests, they aren’t “priesting” to themselves, so who are they the priests for? Obviously, they are God’s priests to the world! And since the Torah is the worshiper’s User Manuel, which God gave to the Jews as his priests to teach the nations (i.e., Gentiles), that proves the Torah must be for everyone.
And the last part of this puzzle is Deuteronomy 28, one of the last chapters in the Torah, containing God’s promises of blessings for obedience to the way we are to worship him and treat each other that he instructed us to do, in the Torah.
One other thing to point out: God chose Abraham not just because he was faithful, but because he was also obedient. Yes, obedience was an integral part of Abrahams’ righteousness, and God told that to Isaac in Genesis 26:5.
God promises blessings to those who obey him, and the blessings are to come through Abraham’s seed, the Jewish people, and God gave them his instructions (the Torah) to learn how to receive those blessings. After learning the Torah, as God’s priests to the world, the Jewish people would now teach the rest of the world how to receive those blessings.
The greatest blessing of all to come from the Jewish people is, of course, the Messiah.
He makes it possible for us all to receive forgiveness, which became impossible (in accordance with the Torah) when the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. Yeshua the Messiah made forgiveness possible because he replaced the need to bring an animal to the temple, which was always part of God’s plan.
One last time for those in the back row who may not have heard it all: God chose Abraham to be the father of a nation that would bring God’s promised blessings to the entire world through their teaching, as priests of God, the instructions God gave in the Torah which tell us how to receive those blessings, the greatest blessing of all being the Messiah.
That’s it- pretty simple when you know how all the pieces fit together, isn’t it?
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And please remember that I always welcome your comments.
Until next time, l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!
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You Can’t Build Muscle Without Exercising
Have you ever wondered how Arnold Schwarzenegger or Lou Ferrigno became so muscular? They worked at it, hours every day, for years. And the way they built their muscles so large was by destroying the existing muscle tissue.
That’s right! The way you build muscle is to first work the existing muscles so hard that you destroy them. When the body rebuilds the damaged cells, it always adds more cells to the repaired ones, and after many years of hard work, you look like Mr. America.
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Our spiritual muscles are no different than our biceps or abs: in order to build spiritual muscle, we need to work hard every day destroying wrongful teachings and lawless beliefs and build new spiritual muscles.
How do we do that? First, by accepting that what God said to us is the primary and unchanging requirement for righteousness; the other writings, interpretations, and teachings of men are nothing more than commentary to be verified and validated against what God said in the Torah.
For example, many churches today are not only condoning homosexual marriage but endorsing and confirming it as godly. But God is clear in his admonishment against such relationships in the Torah, and in the way he punished those societies (such as Sodom and Gomorrah) who practiced that form of sexual orientation.
Another example is that God said we should NEVER make and bow down to any graven image of anything on the earth, in the sky or under the sea; but walk into most any Christian church (especially a Roman Catholic one) and there are paintings and statues all over the place. And when I asked a Priest why they pray to them, he said they don’t really pray to them, but are simply asking them to intercede with Yeshua to have him intercede with God. Really? You’re bowing down in front of these statues of people and asking them to intercede with Yeshua, even though Yeshua said the only way to the Father is through him. Not through someone through him, but through him, alone!
And Yeshua never said to pray to him but only in his name– praying to anyone or anything other than God is the definition of idolatry!
Another thing the musclemen do to help build muscles is to have a protein-rich diet: muscle fiber is made up of protein chains, so they ingest protein to help fuel these new muscles.
Spiritual muscles need the Word of God to feed upon, so when building your spiritual muscles you must read the Bible on a daily basis.
I have often shared that I keep my Bible in the bathroom because I know I will have (at least) a few minutes of totally uninterrupted time to read a chapter or two. And it works! I have been through the entire Bible (which is the only way to read it), from Genesis straight through to Revelation, so many times over the past 25+ years I have no idea how many times I have done this. And what is great about God’s word is that no matter how many times I have read it, there is always something new for me to see in there, that God (through the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit) shows me that I never saw before.
So nu? If you want to become a spiritual muscleman or musclewoman, then start your workout today. Grab that Bible, put it in your bathroom within easy reach of your throne, and start reading from the very first line of Genesis, reading (at least) one chapter every day.
And remember one last thing: working out causes aches and pains, and in your spiritual workout you may be upset and uncomfortable with learning that what you have been taught is wrong. Let God lead you through his spirit to see the truth, and pray to God (in Yeshua’s name) to show you the truth, because most people don’t know what God said, but have been totally misled by what people have taught them.
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Until next time, l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!
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Do Not Pray for These People
In Jeremiah 11:14, God told Jeremiah that he should not pray for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
It seems odd, doesn’t it, that the Lord would tell his own prophet that he shouldn’t pray for the security or peace of God’s children, but there is a reason for it.
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God is a loving and compassionate father. He understands our weaknesses and he is not just able to forgive us when we repent, but he desires to forgive us, as he demonstrates in Ezekiel 18:23 where he says he doesn’t want anyone to die.
But, God is also a fair and just God, holy and not one to change his mind. He says the guilty will not go unpunished, and although salvation is available to everyone, those who refuse to repent and continue to sin will be found guilty and their own deeds will come back on their own heads.
God has more patience than any human ever could have, and often he has waited to judge and punish for centuries, hoping against hope (since he already knows what will happen) that somehow the guilty will repent.
But sooner or later, the hammer has to come down.
What sins were so terrible in Jerusalem that God told his prophet to stop praying for the people? What could they have possibly done to bring God to the point where forgiveness was no longer possible, and judgment (meaning punishment) was the only option left to God?
Well, let’s see: we read about their worship of many of the pagan gods of the Semitic tribes around them, building and worshipping of idols, sacrificing on the high places, burning their children to Molech and K’Mosh in Vadi Kidron, cult prostitution, use of divination and spirit guides (necromancy), as well as many other horrible sins. And despite the good kings that we had along the way, with the sins of King Manasseh the point of no return had been reached.
This all happened circa 600 BC, but I believe we are seeing the same conditions today, here in America, only there is no prophet to warn us.
How does this apply to America, today?
Well, to start with, our government has not only legalized abortion but subsidizes it: I have posted in the past how this is no different than burning children to Molech (Abortion is More Than Just Murder).
We haven’t erected idols to Ba’al or Dagan, but we do hold our celebrities and sports figures in such awe that it is nearly a form of worship.
Every newspaper throughout the country has a section by an Astrologer, which is not much different than worshiping the army of heaven.
And in our society, we honor sinful relationships which include (but aren’t limited to) homosexual marriages, transvestites reading to children, and government removal of prayer from schools and from our courts.
When you take a close look, it really isn’t that different from the way society lived in the days of Manasseh, is it?
That’s why I believe if there was a prophet in America today, as Jerusalem had Jeremiah, he would be told by God something to the effect of:
"Geeze! I thought they would have learned their lesson after what I allowed Nebbie to do to Jerusalem! Oh well, here we go again- don't bother praying for this bunch because they have gone too far."
Look, I am not anti-American: I was an Executive Officer of a Combat Engineer Company in the United States Marine Corps and was willing to give my life to protect and preserve the America I grew up in. That was an America where people said they were Americans first, not something-Americans; that was an America where people had opportunities and weren’t chained to a system of welfare which reduces your chance of being able to pull yourself up out of your current social and economic class.
That was an America where nationalism was the rage, and racism was not used as a political weapon to usurp elected officials.
That was an America where education taught our children proper ethics, didn’t try to change history (although it was somewhat white-washed), and respected all life, in and out of the womb.
And in that America, the government asked for God’s direction and help, instead of rejecting him as unconstitutional!
No, my friends, we are seeing the beginning of the end of the America in which I grew up, the America that was a world leader, not just economically but ethically, and which represented the best opportunity for a person to really make something out of themselves. Sadly, that America is diminished to the point where it can’t come back.
No, my friends, the best we can hope for is that Messiah returns soon, because the ignorance and sinfulness of the youth today, as evidenced in YouTube videos, video games, TV shows, and movies, demonstrates that America’s future looks bleak. Even our professional athletes, heroes of the people who represent the best America has to offer, kneel at our national anthem and turn their back to the flag at Olympic events!
No, my friends, this is the end of the America I knew and the start of a different America, a godless and sinful country with no hope.
Although on the outside we seem to be strong, we have rotted away on the inside, just like a centuries-old Baobab tree, and one day (just like with those trees) we will suddenly collapse, and be no more.
So stop praying for America and start to pray for the return of the Messiah, because America is past help. And don’t tell me that God will forgive anything because he won’t- the Bible is clear on that. Yes, he is able to forgive anything, but he will not forgive an unrepentant sinner and that is what America has become, for more than a few decades now. The time for repentance and forgiveness is passed, and I personally don’t believe there are enough true American’s left in America to save the country.
Sorry for being such a “Debbie Downer” in my message today, but I preach what I believe to be the truth. If I wanted to be popular and go viral, I would do what the mega-churches do and tell you all the wonderful things God has for you and how wonderful everything is going to be.
I would rather be unpopular with people but do what is right in God’s eyes; people can only do so much for me while I am alive, but God can do everything for me throughout eternity.
He can do the same for you if you learn who he is, what he wants from you, and then deliver.
Thank you for being here and please subscribe to my YouTube channel and website, share these messages with everyone you know, and if you like what I do here you will like my books, as well. That’s it for today so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!
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Do You Really Know What the Torah Is?
Most of the people I have met over the years, both Jewish and Christian, know of the Torah. They know it is in the Bible (although it is a shame so many don’t know which books), they know it is full of laws and commandments, and most Christians have been taught that it is for Jews and they don’t really need to know it because they are under Grace (that is a whole different topic!).
The truth is that the Torah is more than just laws.
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It is a historical narrative, teaching us about how God created the world, how sin entered into the world, and of the kingdoms that have risen and fallen over the past 5,000 or so years. It tells us of the different relationships within societies, of different religions, and the ways that people lived.
But the Torah is more than just a historical text.
The Torah is a Ketubah (Hebrew: marriage certificate) between a people and their God. The covenants that God made with us, the Jewish people, are no different than the marriage vows between a man and a woman (the only proper form of marriage) in that both promise to cherish and obey each other. Of course, God doesn’t have to obey anyone, but the idea that he will do things for us when we do as he says is similar. God promised fidelity to us (we shall always be his chosen people) and even through sickness and health (our sins and our repentance) he will comfort and stay with us, which he has done. We promised to do the same; sadly, we have way too often broken that vow and been guilty (more than anyone cares to count) of spiritual adultery. However, God is an understanding and loving spouse, and he has always been willing to take us back when we repent.
But the Torah is more than a historical text and a Ketubah.
The Torah is also a national constitution. It outlines and establishes a penal code, defining the laws regarding capital punishment, accidental manslaughter, and giving us the formulas for calculating proper financial compensation with torts. The Torah tells us what kind of people we should appoint as judges, as well as the rules under which they must perform their duties. It describes fair trade regulations (using proper weights and volume measurements), as well as other ethical trade practices.
But the Torah is more than a historical text, a Ketubah, and a constituttion.
The Torah is an instruction manual for the proper way to worship God. It outlines the procedures we need to follow to receive forgiveness of sin, as well as how to be cleansed from any ceremonial uncleanliness we may incur. It tells us what God expects from us and what he will do for us when we obey his instructions, as well as what will happen to us when we disobey. It tells us how wonderful our future can be, and how peaceful our lives will be when we follow the lifestyle that God has described for us.
But the Torah is more than a historical text, a Ketubah, a constitution, and a spiritual manual.
The Torah also promises the appearance of a Messiah, a man who will be able to bring us out from our sinful existence and receive forgiveness from God. The Torah promises that the Messiah will re-establish God’s kingship over the earth through the Messiah and allow us to have eternal communion with God. The Torah leads us to the pathway of eternal joy.
But the Torah is more than just a historical text, a Ketubah, a constitution, a spiritual manual, and a promise of the Messiah.
The Torah instructs us in the proper way to treat each other within the society. It tells us to love each other and be respectful of each other’s rights and possessions.
So, nu? Can you see now that the Torah is so much more than just a set of laws?
And there is one final thing I want you to know about the Torah.
The Torah is the ONLY place in the entire Bible where God dictates exactly how we are to act. There is nowhere else in the Bible where we read:
“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell the children of Israel that the Lord says….””.
True, the prophets received direct instructions from God on what to tell the people in order to bring them back into proper worship, but there was nothing new or different from what he had already dictated to Moses. The (Hebrew) Torah is the direct, unadulterated, and most dependably accurate word of God anywhere in the Bible.
If you knew how many checks and balances there are to ensure that every single Torah scroll is exactly the same as every other Torah scroll, you would know why the Torah is so dependable as the exact word of God, handed down exactly throughout the years. The Dead Sea Scrolls are also evidence of the accuracy of the Hebrew written Torah, as well as the other books within the Tanakh.
This cannot be said for any of the translated Bibles you will find, anywhere. There are so many different translations and each one, whether from Hebrew or from Greek, will always be “polluted” by the translator no matter how accurate they try to be.
Now that you have a better idea of all the wonderful things the Torah contains, and that it is the purest and most dependable record of what God said he wants from all of us, the only question you should be asking yourself now is, “Why does Christianity teach to reject it?”
Let me give you a hint: the answer has nothing to do with Yeshua (Jesus) because he never did or said to do anything other than what is in the Torah.
Thank you for being here and please subscribe to both my YouTube channel and website, and share these messages with everyone you know.
If you don’t already know this, I have written three books (available on Amazon; the links are on my website) and am working on a fourth, which is to debunk many of the traditional lies Christians and Jews have been told about Yeshua. Look for it to be available sometime near the end of this year.
That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!
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Parashah Pinchas 2021 (Pinchas) Numbers 25:10 – 30:1
In the last parashah, Pinchas, the grandson of Aaron, had just run through with a spear a prince of the tribe of Simeon named Zimri and the Midianite woman he was using to mock Moses and his warning against being involved with the Midianites.
God says that thanks to Pinchas’ zeal for God, the plague God sent had been stopped, and he promises his peace on Pinchas and the position of the priesthood to Pinchas and his descendants, forever.
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God commands Moses to take another census, which shows that the generation doomed to die in the desert have all died.
The daughters of Zelophehad came to Moses because their father died and left no sons and they didn’t want their inheritance to be forfeited. God told Moses that women could inherit if there were no sons, but they must marry within their tribe to maintain the proper distribution of the land.
Moses, now coming to the end of his journey, asks God to appoint a leader to bring the people into the land. God appoints Joshua, who Moses charges before all the people.
The parashah ends with God reminding Moses about the daily sacrifices to be made, as well as those for the High Holy Days, so that the people, this new generation, will know what they are to do when they enter the land.
As I was reading this, it struck me that the action of one man, Pinchas, was enough to make a change in the lives of every single Israelite that was present when the man, Zimri, mocked Moses and God in front of everyone, even in the midst of the plague that God sent to punish the sin of the people.
Initially, God had Moses and the Chieftains hang those who had aligned themselves with Ba’al, but when Pinchas showed his righteous anger from his zeal for God, God stopped the plague. It seems that hanging those who had sinned wasn’t enough to stop the plague, but Pinchas’ actions were inspired by such an overwhelming love for God that it, alone, was enough to turn God’s anger from the people.
My question is this: can one person’s actions be so significant as to change God’s plan? It seems that God was willing to have the plague continue, even after the sinners were hung, but Pinchas changed all that with his one deed of righteousness.
Shaul, in his letter to the Romans, said that through the actions of one man sin entered the world, and by the actions of one man salvation became attainable. In the case of the Israelites, there were many who sinned but it was the actions of just one man who turned God’s anger away from everyone.
Can I do that? Can you do that? Can anyone of us do something so wonderful in God’s sight that it will change how God treats all people?
I believe the answer is yes; anyone can affect what God does. Now, do I think I can? Well, that’s a different issue, as I don’t believe I am anywhere near “holy” or “zealous” enough to initiate such actions; but, then again, who am I to tell God what he can or cannot do through me?
The lesson I see in today’s parashah is that when we have a heart for God and do not allow what others think to influence our showing that love and devotion to God, we can initiate actions on God’s part that can affect many people. Within a congregation, within a discussion group, and maybe even within a simple, small ministry such as mine.
So do something BIG for God today, and see what happens. If you don’t notice anything, then do something BIG for God tomorrow and every day after that. You may just do something, one day, which will cause God to bless others.
Hey, even if you don’t see how this influences God’s actions in other people’s lives, I guarantee it will have a positive influence on your life.
That’s it for this week. Please remember to share these messages and subscribe to the website and my YouTube channel, as well.
L’hitraot and Shabbat Shalom!