PIGMEAT; HOLY, OR UNHOLY? 

So you think you can eat everything and still be healthy do you? Of course you don’t, but many religious leaders, contrary to Scriptural and medical evidence, will tell you that you can.

 Let’s begin with the commonly known fact that not all meat is healthy for human consumption, and let’s begin with the infamous pig that is so prized among the palates of our society.

Pork is the #1 choice meat dish of all the unclean, unhealthy meats available in our culture for consumption, but what do farmers, scientists and doctors have to say about this long snouted, grunting delight?

It is said that the pigs in Iowa are mainly fed corn, but “will eat anything given to them, and if anything on the farm dies it is thrown to the hogs.” Did you know that pigs actually chew on the cancer of other pigs? And that these cancer infected pigs are sent to the market for your consuming pleasure?

Our infamous pig is so infectious that often times cattle are infected from incurable diseases of the pig called the “mad itch”. It is a disease transmitted by the saliva of the pig left on the corn eventually fed to the cattle.

The itching from the cattle then becomes so intense that they will run from stump to stump to rub their mouths until they rub the skin from their mouths and eventually die.

If saliva from the pig’s mouth can be so poisonous as to drive a cow to its death, then how can this beloved pug nosed creature possibly be healthy for human consumption?

But reality is that pigs were created to be garbage disposals to cleanse the earth of death and spoilage; and so naturally the pig is immune to the poisons it eats, but has nothing in its digestive function that filters those poisons from its flesh to make it safe for human consumption.

Another interesting fact. Did you know that in the farmers’ quest to keep feed cost down, that they purchase garbage, such as scrap barrels of rotting meat and vegetation from restaurants, and dead, rotted chicken eggs from hatcheries, to feed their pigs with?

This garbage, likewise, is digested and on the pigs bones within only four hours and ready for consumption by you and your family. Comforting thought, huh?

Did you know that many animals Yahweh declares to be healthy for consumption take a minimum of 12 hours for the food they eat to be utilized by their systems; and that during this process all the toxins that are poisonous to human consumption are filtered out of their systems within that time? But with the pig, and other unclean animals, a maximum of 4 hours is not uncommon.

Here’s another tidbit for the palate. Did you know that if pigs are in the same feed lot as other animals, such as cows, horses, etc. that the pigs will eat and drink the feces and urine of these animals? This is especially a common occurrence on small farms where the animals are not separated. Pork chop anyone?

Yes, I must declare that the pig, as beloved as it is, is a foul and unclean animal whose flesh is so toxic with poisons that they have what are called “running sores” under their hooves.

 Prove this to yourself. Visit a pig farm (be prepared to face a noxious smell), lift the front hoof of the pig and apply a little pressure to its toes and you will find green colored matter oozing out from between them! This is only one, small outlet, for the various poisons which that pig has taken into its body.

In fact, quite often, this oozing artery will become stopped up -- returning the poison back into the pig’s system. When this happens, the pig will have very sore feet to the point it can barely walk. Green colored growths are then formed on various parts of its body.

 At this point the poisons become toxic even to the pig and the farmer must send it to the market before it can die on him. This is not an uncommon occurrence.

Another example of pig poisoning is an incident where the Silver Moon Mink Farm of New Holstein, Wisconsin, ordered a supply of beef livers from a meat packing plant for their mink. Unknown to the mink farm owner, the packer shipped them pork livers instead, and all the mink died from eating it.

As a matter of court record, the meat packer paid for many dead mink. So let these mink teach us a valuable lesson -- don’t eat pig meat or pig by products... at all!

The former, and late, Prime Minister of Israel, David Ben-Gurion, stated at the Jubilee Celebration of Israel’s Medical Association that,

 “Israel has the lowest death rate in the world”

Diet is the single most significant factor in determining life expectancy. Is it just coincidence that the State of Israel has prohibited the raising, keeping, or slaughtering of pigs for its own citizens?

 In fact, Israel allows pigs to be raised only at places which have large “Christian” populations that demand pig meat as part of their diet.

 However, the Torah contained within the Holy Scriptures, forbids the consumption of pork and of any other unclean animal.

Without question, it is because the people of Israel, as a whole, observe the dietary laws given by Yahweh, which in turn protects them against physical affliction, disease, and premature death.

THE VARIOUS EFFECTS OF PIG MEAT ON HUMAN HEALTH

Trichinosis, the most common infection in humans from pig meat, is a subtle killer. Trichinosis is the name of the disease that originated with the trichina worm, which is scientifically referred to as the trichinella spiralis.

 Trichina is just one of the nineteen worms found in pigs, in addition to lice and several swine diseases such as, rickets, thumps, and mange.

The trichina worm is very simply -- deadly; and a thorough cooking of pig meat does not ensure its death.

In the March, 1950, issue of Reader’s Digest, Laird S. Goldsborough writes,

 “In the pork which we Americans eat, there too often lurk myriads of baffling and sinister parasites. There are minute spiral worms which scientists call trichinella spiralis.”, “...a single serving of infected pork -- or even a single mouthful, can kill, cripple or condemn the victim to a lifetime of aches and pains.”

 For this unique disease of trichinosis, there is no certain cure or drug to stop them... not even today in 1999.

Dr. Goldsborough’s article went on to say,

 “In the flesh of a pig, the trichinae are often so minute, and so nearly transparent, that to find them, even with a microscope, is a task for expert scientific inspection. Remember this, when you see stamped on a pork product the words, “US Government inspected and passed“, those words do not mean that any official inspection has been made as to whether this pork is trichinous or not. It only means it has merely passed the routine inspection given meat in general.”

Dr. Maurice C. Hall as Chief of the Division of Zoology of the US Public Health Service commented,

“It appears to be a legitimate demand that, when a man exchanges dollars for pork, he should not do it, on the basis that he may be purchasing his death warrant.”

Senator Thomas C. Desmond, who served as chairman of the New York Trichinosis Commission stated,

 “Physicians have confused trichinosis with some 50 ailments, ranging from Typhoid Fever to Acute Alcoholism.” Continuing, he states, “That pain in your arm or leg may be arthritis or rheumatism, but it may be trichinosis. That pain in your back may mean a gall-bladder involvement, but it may mean trichinosis.”

Releases from the Associated Press have shown the dangers of trichinosis from meat cooked in microwave ovens.

 The Texas Department of Agriculture said,

“Pork cooked in microwave ovens must be heated thoroughly and uniformly to 170 degrees Fahrenheit to destroy any trichinae, and other harmful micro-organisms that might be present.” In the Daily Column of the Abilene Reporter News, Dr. Lamb states,

 “Trichinosis is caused by little worms, and these parasites are in pork. Routine meat inspection doesn’t always tell you that it is infected either. The skin tests that were tried, to detect infected pigs, haven’t really been successful.”

 “The first stage of the trichinosis involvement is when the male and female worms unite in the intestine. The intestinal phase may cause diarrhea and digestive symptoms. The second phase is the migration of the larvae into the [blood] circulation and throughout the body, particularly causing little cysts inside the muscles. At this stage, there may be swelling around the eyes, muscle pain and fever.”

It has been reported from a lab of one of our northern Universities that trichinae laden pig meat was heated to an unbelievably high temperature and then put under a microscope, to the amazement of the technicians, some worms were still alive and moving about.

The supposition that all of these worms can be killed in cooking is not to be relied upon!

The Barnyard Doctors, Drs. Hess and Clark of Ashland, Ohio, state,

“The trichina worm is not the only parasite on the pig. There is a large round worm, the gullet worm, three kinds of stomach worm, a tiny hair worm, a hookworm, the thorn-headed worm, several species of nodular worms, one species of whip worm in the large intestine, and the kidney worm.”

In another scientific laboratory, examinations were made on the joints of arthritic swine. The exact same formation and build-up of arthritic cells were found in the swine as is common in the arthritis of humans. Did the pigs get it from humans, or humans from the pig?

An article by Carlyle C. Douglas in Money’s Worth, 1975,

 “Think twice before you eat pork. Pigs kill more Americans every year than traffic accidents, murderers and all other accidents combined. Even wartime enemies have been unable to kill as fast as our own docile, domestic beast. Guns and bombs have proven much less effective than the weapons carried by these hoofed and snouted killers. From farms and feedlots they stalk us, sniping with pork chops, sausages, hamburger (yes, not all of them are 100% beef), hot dogs, liver and bacon. The fatal wounds they inflict include coronary heart disease, arteriosclerosis, and colonic and rectal cancers.”

“These are not the unsubstantiated claims of wild-eyed vegetarian fanatics, but the carefully considered conclusions of accredited medical scientists. While few have gone so far as to suggest that every pork roast and ham hock be stamped with the kind of warning that cigarette packages carry, a growing body of experts warn that in consuming more than 200 pounds of pork every year, the average American is eating himself to death.”

According to the pure and perfect laws of Yahweh our Creator, whenever we consume pork, or any unclean thing, we in fact are bringing sickness and death upon ourselves.

The Arizona Republic, 7/27/81, reads,

 “300 suffer from food poisoning after dining on baked ham, candied yams and green peas at a Baptist conference banquet...”

In Healthwise, 8/82, Volume 5, it is stated,

 “Trichinosis, a parasitic infestation resulting from eating pork, is estimated at 150,000 cases in the U.S.A each year. Many cases are serious. In some cases, trichinae spread throughout the body, even into the brain. When this occurs, victims may experience unusual drowsiness, clouded consciousness, convulsive seizures, weakness, and in some cases, paralysis or coma. Prevention is much surer than a cure. The Journal of the American Association points out that even smoked pork sausage can contain live trichinae cysts.”

In the Saturday Evening Post, 7/8-82, in the article, “A Parasite Mystery”, was a complete article showing the dangers of pork in human consumption. Here is a small portion of this article as follows:

“Trichinosis is generally believed to be a rarity. This view, though hallucinated, is not altogether without explanation. Outbreaks of trichinosis are seldom widely publicized. They are seldom even recognized. Trichinosis is the chameleon of diseases. Nearly all diseases are anonymous at onset, and many tend to resist identification until their grip is well established; but most can eventually be identified by patient scrutiny.

Trichinosis is occasionally impervious to bedside detection at any stage. Even blood counts sometimes inexplicably fail to reveal its presence at any stage in its development. As a diagnostic deadfall, it is practically unique.”

“The number and variety of ailments with which it is more or less commonly confused approach the encyclopedic. They include arthritis, acute alcoholism, conjunctivitis, food poisoning, lead poisoning, heart disease, laryngitis, mumps, asthma, rheumatism, rheumatic fever, rheumatic myocarditis, gout, tuberculosis, angioneurotic edema, dermatomyositis, frontal sinusitis, influenza, nephritis, peptic ulcer, appendicitis, cholecystitis, malaria, scarlet fever, typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, undulant fever, encephalitis, gastroenteritis, intercoastal neuritis, tetanus, pleurisy, colitis, meningitis, syphilis, typhus and cholera. It has even been mistaken for beriberi.”

 “With all the rich inducements to error, a sound diagnosis of trichinosis is rarely made, and the diagnostician cannot always take much credit for it.”

OTHER UNCLEAN MEATS

This article focuses mostly on pig meat because it is the most commonly eaten of unclean animals. But this in no way means that there are no types of unclean animals in other species of animals such as sea life, fowl and insects, for Yahweh created clean and unclean among them as well -- each according to its own purpose and function.

Take the Armadillo for example. In the 12/1/83 issue of the Abilene Reporter News, Dr. John Wolf, Jr., and Dr. Lee R. Lumpkins III, skin specialists on the faculty of Baylor University, said that a study of five leprosy patients suggests strongly that they all contracted leprosy as a result of handling armadillos.

In their paper prepared for publication in the 12/83 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, the physicians said the evidence supporting such a conclusion is quite strong.

The frequency and distribution of leprosy in Texas and Louisiana, coupled with the development of leprosy among armadillo handlers, suggest that armadillos may well serve as a reservoir for the disease.

Four of the leprosy patients spent years catching, cleaning, and eating armadillos, and the fifth patient, a 17 year old, has been chasing and wrestling armadillos as a hobby for several years.

Another article on the dangers of armadillo meat was when a whole family died from eating an armadillo, which in turn, had just eaten a centipede. The whole family died from centipede poisoning.

This is a serious lesson on the unclean. Almost all unclean animals -- among fish, birds and insects alike, are scavengers and predators whose primary function in nature is to clean the garbage off the earth; and the creatures they eat are, likewise, often poisonous or laden with disease.

 This being so, it was necessary that Yahweh create them with an immunity to the poisons they take in through the rotting flesh, refuse and poisonous things they eat.

This poison they eat, in turn, goes straight into their meat, as in the case with the armadillo and the centipede. If you eat this poisoned meat, it will kill you, or seriously injure your health and well being, just as surely as it would have had you eaten the poison directly; for the digestive systems of unclean animals only filter out that which is poisonous to them -- not that which is poisonous to us.

 When Yahweh created the earth and all that is in it, He created them clean and unclean, depending on their purpose and digestive abilities. The clean animals and vegetation he created as food, and as healthy for human consumption, and the unclean He created for other purposes, and therefore, as not fit for human consumption.

B’reshit (Genesis) 7:2 says almost 2,000 years prior to the giving of the ‘Law’ to Moshe (Moses), “Of every clean animal you shall take with you by sevens, the male with his female; and of every unclean animal you shall take with you in two’s, the male with his female.”

Why were 7 pairs of clean animals taken onto the ark, but only 2 pair of unclean animals?

 Because the clean animals were needed for food and for burnt offerings. If they had used the unclean animals for food the unclean animals would have very quickly become extinct.

In this Scripture we see, that from the beginning, certain animals were created clean, and others created unclean.

The word “clean” comes from the Hebrew word, “Tahor” (taw-hor), meaning “pure” in a physical, chemical, ceremonial or moral sense. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary #2889.

 The word “unclean” comes from the Hebrew word “Tame” (taw-may), meaning “contaminated or polluted”. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary #2930.

Now we know that even as we desire what is best and healthiest for our children and loved ones, that our heavenly Father even more abundantly desires these things for us.

 Likewise, even as we know what is better for our children’s health than our children do, our heavenly Father, likewise, in His infinite and eternal wisdom, also knows what is healthiest for us better than we do.

 So our spiritual Father in His infinite love, wisdom and concern for us has revealed His holy and universal law of the spirit to us for our benefit and well being when living in harmony with them.

D'varim (Deuteronomy) 4:40,

4:40 “...therefore obey Yahweh’s statutes and commandments which I command you this day, so that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and so that you may prolong your days in the land which Yahweh your Father is giving to you to forever possess.”

III Yahchanan (III John) 2:2,

2:2 “Beloved, I desire above all things that you may prosper, and be in health, even as your soul prospers.”

and D'varim (Deuteronomy) 7:12-15

 7:12 “Then it shall come to pass that because you listened to these laws, to observe and perform them, that Yahweh your Father will keep with you the covenant of mercy that He swore to your fathers.”

7:13 “And He will love you and bless you and multiply you...”

7:14 “You shall be blessed above all people...”

7:15 “And Yahweh will take away from you all sickness...”

Yes, Yahweh’s laws are for our well being, and our well being is His desire for us, even as the well being of our children and loved ones is our desire for them.

So in V'yikra (Leviticus) 11 and D'varim (Deuteronomy) 14, our Heavenly Father provides us the spiritual code for proper diet by listing for us the animals that are “clean”, i.e. physically, chemically, ceremonially and morally “pure”, and therefore, good for food; and that are “unclean”, i.e. that are contaminated and polluted, and therefore, not good for food.

In an article published in the “Bulletin of the History of Medicine” published by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1953, a study was made entitled ”An Experimental Pharmacological Appreciation of V'yikra (Leviticus) XI and D'varim (Deuteronomy) XIV” by David Macht, M.D.

In the Study Dr. Macht tested extracts of meats of the various “clean” and “unclean” animals and fish according to the Dietary Law, using a standard toxicological test. The results? Every single animal meat that the Dietary Law said was inedible tested out as toxic in Dr. Macht’s experiments; and every single meat that Yahweh said was edible tested out as non-toxic. There was a 100% correlation between the Dietary Law and the scientific study. But Yahweh taught our people this fact over 5,000 years before “modern” science figured it out.

Sadly enough, almost all Christian theology teaches contrary to Scripture that pigs - as well as all other unclean animals, have somehow become clean through Messiah. What a detestable, disgusting, utterly abhorrent doctrine to think that our Holy Messiah would sanctify an unholy pig, vulture, fly, cockroach, maggot, bat, rat or dog as food for our consumption.

Who do people think our Messiah is? Our Messiah is Holy, He is Pure, He is Wonderful, He is Beautiful, He has come to save us from the filth of this world, from the filth of our human appetites, from the filth of our sinful natures.

 But we turn around and say NO, He has sanctified unholiness, He has sanctified impurity. He has made it okay for us to stick poisons into the temple our bodies. Yahweh forbid!

 He is Holy, and we are to be holy as He. As Yahweh says, “Touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you.” II Corinthians 6:17.

We are to magnify Him in our lives, in our words, in our actions, and in our diets.

 In every aspect of our lives we are to magnify Him and exalt Him in all ways, and to be set apart from the world around us.

 The world’s diet is not our diet. The world’s culture is not our culture. Yahweh loves us, and He gives us these commandments because He loves us, and because He wants what is good for us.

How can our leaders blindly teach on one hand that somehow the filth and poison of pigs and of other unclean animals is no longer filthy or poisonous anymore, while teaching in total contrast on the other hand the necessity or benefits of proper diet while ignoring the health consequences of their pork and shellfish infested diets?

How many professing believers out there are careful about the amount of fat in their diet? Yet Yahweh taught our people over 5,000 years ago that we were not to eat the fat or the blood of animals.

 As stated above in D'varim (Deuteronomy) 7:12-15, Yahweh says that if we obey His laws, His instruction contained in Torah, then He will take all sickness from among us. Which makes it quite evident that the reason we continue to get sick, is because we continue to live in disharmony with the laws of life and health provided by our loving heavenly Father for our well being.

Those who profess Messiah are to be an enlightened, bible believing people; but often are the very ones who most diligently reject and ignore the truth of Scripture in which they claim to believe.

Many who profess to live holy lives would never dare defile the temple of their body with something as filthy and deadly as a cigarette, but think nothing of taking second hand, disease laden, maggot infested garbage in the form of pork meat into their temple, while confidently declaring that they are keeping the temple of their body holy.

What thinking person can believe that all this poison, and disease laden garbage and carrion, is purified and made clean because a pig or other unclean animal has eaten it?

 Professing believers need to realize that it is not the Scriptures they are following when they consume unclean and vile creatures, but are following conditioned appetite molded by commerce and ethnic tradition.

Here are two final examples of the consequences of consuming unclean (contaminated) animals. In Dell City, TX., in February, 1983, a national team of plague experts were trapping rodents and talking with residents about a young rancher killed by bubonic plague. Doctors said the man apparently was bitten by diseased fleas as he skinned an infested fox about a week before he fell ill and died.

 In Beaumont, TX., in June 1983, a 42 year old man contracted cholera.

He apparently came down with the disease after eating improperly cooked seafood which he had caught himself.

 The article did not specify which species of seafood, but more than likely it was the scavenger shellfish species which he caught and ate.

And though my main focus here has been on pork, because of its common popularity, I must warn that the consumption of shellfish such as crab, lobster, clam, shrimp and oyster can also lead to deadly health consequences.

These creatures are also part of the “forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil”, if you will. And if you really think about it, crabs are nothing but sea spiders, lobsters - nothing but sea scorpions, and oysters, clams and shrimp - nothing but sewage processors.

These creatures are all scavengers of the sea containing extremely simple digestive systems that do not even come close to adequately filtering out the poisons they consume in the human waste and sea refuse they most commonly thrive and grow in.

 Has it ever occurred to anyone out there who indulges in the consumption of these disgusting creatures, that when you eat these creatures, you are eating their intestines, complete with all their urine, feces, internal organs and blood supply?

This is utterly disgusting. These creatures are cooked and served with all their guts. When you eat them, you are eating the blood, feces and urine of these creatures. Who’s dietary law are we going to put our faith into? Yahweh’s or Man’s?

How repulsive it is to think that some group of theologians out there would insist that our Holy Creator has cleansed such filth as food. If I served a plate of feces to one of these leaders would they eat that? Would they think that was clean? But yet they spew out like vomit to their congregations the theological lie that somehow our Holy Messiah has made it okay to eat a pile of sewage if it comes in the form of a crab.

Cursed are those who pollute the gospel and Torah of our Holy Creator. The Word of Yahweh is pure from the beginning, and forever shall be. He is the first and the last, and He, is, Holy.

“So the great dragon was cast out,

 that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan,

 who deceives the whole world...”

 Revelations 12:9

Throughout the centuries many of the pure and unadulterated doctrines of the early assembly have become influenced and corrupted by pagan tradition, commerce and human appetite.

One of those corruptions of Scripture is the teaching that all animals are now made clean through Messiah.

 However, it is evident that when these teachers say “all” animals, that they are only referring to animals such as pork and shellfish which our culture has bred into their diet and mentally conditioned them to accept.

 These same teachers would never consider eating a dog or rat, a bat, vulture, cockroach, centipede, spider or fly -- but often are the very same people who worry over having too much salt or sugar in their diet! (Even though the Scriptures state that salt is good. See, Luke 14:34; Mark 9:49, 50; Leviticus 2:13)

The contradiction is evident, for if all things are clean through Messiah -- then that means all things, including sugar, salt, fruits, vegetables, vultures, bats and cockroaches alike.

So then, how can one justify the eating of unclean animals through the Scriptures when Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 clearly state that certain things are not meant as food or allowed for human consumption?

The problem is that people do not justify it through Scriptures; but rather, justify it through the conditioning of their human appetite through the dietary and commercial customs of their culture.

 However, there are certain passages in Scripture that the church leaders have twisted out of context to justify their dangerous and unhealthy desire for forbidden things. These issues are presented in our Book entitled, "On Health & Holiness", which discusses what the B'rit Chadasha (New Testament) is really saying in the many misquoted and misunderstood passages of Scripture.

ERRONEOUS DOCTRINES CONCERNING THE CONSUMPTION OF UNCLEAN ANIMALS

“So the great dragon was cast out,

 that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan,

 who deceives the whole world...”

 Revelations 12:9

Throughout the centuries many of the pure and unadulterated doctrines of the early assembly have become influenced and corrupted by pagan tradition, commerce and human appetite.

One of those corruptions of Scripture is the teaching that all animals are now made clean through Messiah.

 However, it is evident that when these teachers say “all” animals, that they are only referring to animals such as pork and shellfish which our culture has bred into their diet and mentally conditioned them to accept. These same teachers would never consider eating a dog or rat, a bat, vulture, cockroach, centipede, spider or fly -- but often are the very same people who worry over having too much salt or sugar in their diet! (Even though the Scriptures state that salt is good! See, Luke 14:34; Mark 9:49, 50; V'yikra (Leviticus) 2:13

The contradiction is evident, for if all things are clean through Messiah -- then that means all things, including sugar, salt, fruits, vegetables, vultures, bats and cockroaches alike.

So then, how can one justify the eating of unclean animals through the Scriptures when V'yikra (Leviticus) 11 and D'varim (Deuteronomy) 14 clearly state that certain things are not meant as food or allowed for human consumption?

The problem is that people do not justify it through Scriptures; but rather, justify it through the conditioning of their human appetite through the dietary and commercial customs of their culture.

 However, for the sake of argument there are certain passages and Scriptures in the Bible that people twist out of context to justify their dangerous and unhealthy desire for forbidden things.

“Kepha’s (Peter’s) Vision”

(Acts 10:1 thru 11:18)

 “Oh, praise Yahweh all you (people of the nations), and applaud him all you peoples;

For His merciful kindness is great toward us,

and His Truth endures forever.”

Tehilli (Psalm) 117:1, 2

The first is a vision given to Kepha (Peter) in Acts, chapters 10 and 11, where the Almighty presented a sheet of unclean animals to Kepha (Peter) and commanded him to rise and eat them, to illustrate to Kepha (Peter) that it was now acceptable to take the gospel to the (people of the nations) [the uncircumcised] and not to just limit it to the Jews [the circumcised].

Unfortunately, rather than reaching the above conclusion in these chapters, the eaters of unclean meat maintain that these following chapters in Acts 10 & 11 are about the cleansing and purification of unclean animals, making them suitable for human consumption.

We’ll begin with Acts 10:1 as follows:

10:1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band;

10:2 A devout man, and one who reverenced Yahweh with all his household, and who gave gifts and services of compassion to the poor of the people and prayed to Yahweh always.

The word “Devout” here comes from the Greek word “Eusebes” and means: highly reverent, pious. See, Strong’s Greek Dictionary #2152

This word “devout”, “pious” makes it clear that Cornelius was a highly dedicated religious individual. And the remainder of verse 10:2 makes it clear that the Jewish faith of the time was the religion that his “devoutness” was in regard to, for he “reverenced Yahweh with all his household” following the teachings of Moshe (Moses) as given in the Torah of the Almighty; and as the so called “Law of Moshe (Moses)” commanded, he gave gifts and services of compassion to the poor, and prayed to Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel always.

Now concerning Kepha (Peter), it says in,

10:3 “He saw in a vision, around 3pm, a messenger of Yahweh coming to him and saying, “Cornelius,”

10:4 “And when Cornelius looked at the messenger (angel) he became afraid and said, “What is it Sir,” and the messenger (angel) said to him, “Your prayers and deeds of compassion for the poor have come up for a memorial before Yahweh.”

10:5 “So go now, send a man to Joppa and ask for Simon, whose surname is Kepha (Peter).”

10:6 “He is lodging with one called Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside; he shall tell you what you must do.”

It is important to note at this point in history {a minimum of 8 years after the resurrection} that the gospel was not yet allowed to be taken to the (people of the nations) [the uncircumcised] or Samaritans {the Samaritans were inter-racially bred Jews}. Mattit'yahu (Matthew) 10:5, 6; Yahchanan (John) 4:9.

 This is consistent with the requirement of the Torah that forbad both the believing and non-believing Jewish community from intermingling with (people of the nations). Acts 10:28 and 11:1-3.

In fact, Samaritans and (people of the nations) alike were considered no better than dogs. Mark 7:25-27; Mattit'yahu (Matthew) 7:6.

They were considered this in part because of their immoral practices and other reasons, but also because of the fact that (the people of the nations) made themselves detestable by eating pretty much whatever a dog ate. V'yikra (Leviticus) 11:41-43.

But Cornelius, though an [uncircumcised](person of the nations), was observant of the Almighty’s law of life for verse 10:2 states that “he was a righteous man who reverenced Yahweh”. D'varim (Deuteronomy) 6:25; II Corinthians 6:17, 18; I Yahchanan (I John) 2:3, 29 & 3:7; and Tehilli (Psalm) 119:172.

Kepha (Peter), accordingly, perceived from his vision that in truth the Almighty shows no partiality, but that in every nation whoever reverences Yahweh and works righteousness is acceptable by Him. Acts 10:34, 35.

And Kepha (Peter), likewise, being a Jew raised up under the perfect and righteous laws of the Almighty was thoroughly familiar with the dietary laws concerning the clean and the unclean.

So then, with this knowledge in mind, we see that the messenger (angel) did an unusual thing by speaking to Cornelius, this person of the nations, and by instructing him to go to the home of Kepha (Peter), a Jew, for instruction and knowledge.

Acts 10:7-10 goes on to say:

10:7 And when the messenger (angel) which spake to Cornelius had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them, who waited on him continually,

10:8 And when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.

10:9 Now, the next day as they went on their journey and drew near to the city, Kepha (Peter) went up on the housetop to pray at about 12pm.

10:10 And Kepha (Peter) became very hungry and would have eaten, but while they prepared [for lunch], he fell into a trance.

In this trance Kepha (Peter) received a vision, and in this vision...

10:11 ...he saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending to him, as it had been a great sheet fastened at the four corners, and let down to the earth.

10:12 Which contained all kinds of four footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

10:13 And there came a voice to him saying, rise Kepha (Peter), slay and eat.

10:14 But Kepha (Peter) replied, not so, Mighty One, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.

Note at this point, that this vision was received no sooner than 40 CE (AD), about 8 years after the death and resurrection of Messiah, and that at this time Kepha (Peter) had still never eaten anything unclean or anything sold in the common market, which was in complete harmony with the Almighty’s dietary law for us.

This is also in harmony with Messiah’s teaching in Mattit'yahu (Matthew) 5:18 where He says,

 5:18 “Truly I say to you, that until heaven and earth pass away, not the least stroke of a pen will under any circumstance pass from the Torah until all things have come to completion.”

 And in Mattit'yahu (Matthew) 23:2, 3, He states,

 23:2 “The scribes and Pharisees sit in the seat of Moshe (Moses),”

23:3 “therefore, whatever they teach you to obey, that obey and do; but do not follow in their example, for though they teach the Torah they do not practice it.”

See also, Mattit'yahu (Matthew) 8:1-4, where Yeshua commanded the leper to go to the priest and make an offering as commanded by the Almighty through Moshe (Moses).

So with this in mind, we see that

 1) Kepha's (Peter)’s resistance to the command to slay and eat unclean animals was in complete harmony with the requirements of the Almighty’s dietary law, that,

2) Kepha (Peter) did not suddenly jump for joy that he was now free after all these years to eat vile, unclean animals like vultures, bats, rats and maggots, and,

 3) as can be seen in Acts 10:17 below, Kepha (Peter) was confused about the vision and did not immediately understand what it meant.

This 3rd point is important, because had Messiah taught during his ministry that unclean animals were now good for food, then,

 #1 no such vision would have been required to tell Kepha (Peter) something that he would have already known from the time of Yeshua’s ministry, and,

 #2, he would not have been confused about the meaning of the vision, as shown in verse 10:17 below, and,

 #3, if Messiah had made unclean animals clean, they would have been clean from the time of his ministry not from a time beginning a minimum of 8 years after His death and resurrection.

Now let’s go on to:

 Acts 10:15 “And a voice spoke to him again the second time, ‘What Yahweh has cleansed you must not call common.’ ”

What has the Almighty cleansed? The clue is in the very next verse.

Acts 10:16 “This was done three times, And the object was taken up into heaven again.

the Almighty showed the sheet 3 times because 3 uncircumcised (people of the nations) were approaching Kepha's (Peter)’s door to speak with him, and the Almighty was telling Kepha (Peter) that he was not to consider those 3 uncircumcised men unclean, as is clearly stated in the following verses:

Acts 10:17 “Now while Kepha (Peter) wondered what this vision he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate.”

10:19 “And while Kepha (Peter) thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, Behold, three men are seeking you,”

10:20 “Arise therefore, go down and go with them doubting nothing, for I have sent them.”

10:22 “And the men said, ‘Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who reverences Yahweh and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy messenger (angel) to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.’ ”

Once again, we see that Cornelius was a man who practiced righteousness; one who had a good reputation among the Jews. And there was only one way for a person of the nations to have a righteous reputation among the Jews, and that was by being obedient to the Almighty’s perfect code of conduct contained within His Torah, including the dietary laws.

 Cornelius was not just any person from the nations, but was a person from the nations who followed the ways of the Almighty as taught in Torah, a proselyte who had not yet been circumcised to officially complete his conversion to the covenant of Avraham.

Then in Acts 10:28

10:28 “And Kepha (Peter) said to them, You know how it is an unlawful thing {I thought “the Law” was done away} for a Jewish man [circumcised man] to keep company with, or to come to one of another nation [an uncircumcised man], but Yahweh has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.”

This is further explained in 10:35 when Kepha (Peter) says,

10:35 “But that in every nation, whosoever reverences Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.”

11:15 And as Kepha (Peter) spoke, “...the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.”

11:18 And when the Jews heard these things, “...they exalted the Almighty saying, ‘Then Yahweh has also granted to the (people of the nations) repentance to life.’ ”

These things make it clear that the interpretation of the vision was that it was okay for the Jews to take the gospel to the (people of the nations) now, to accept fellowship with proselytes who had not yet received circumcision as their evidence of official conversion to the covenant of Avraham.

As you go on to read the remainder of Chapters 10 and 11 of Acts you will see more confirmation of the same, with no evidence whatsoever presented to indicate any purification of unclean animals.

This makes sense of course, for the Almighty does not change (Malachi 3:6) and therefore his universal and eternal laws, likewise, do not change.

Therefore, that which the Almighty created as clean and unclean will always remain clean and unclean, and that which is not healthy for consumption is always unhealthy for consumption.

You may ask then, if such is the case then how is it that a person of the nations can go from being unclean to becoming clean?

The answer to that is simple. All creation does only that which it was created to do, except for humans whom the Almighty gave the ability to choose between living in harmony, or in disharmony with Him, to choose between being clean or unclean, and to choose between being pure or impure, moral or immoral, good or evil.

the Almighty did not make Cornelius or any of us clean or unclean, but rather, the Almighty, through His grace, exposed us to his perfect and higher standard of instruction - His Torah; and Cornelius, and all who are redeemed, chose to follow that higher standard.

 That choice to follow the Almighty’s higher and perfect standard in turn is what makes us clean in reference to our current and future conduct. D'varim (Deuteronomy) 6:24, 25; Romans 2:13

 the Almighty in turn honors that choice by completing the cleansing process by forgiving our sins past through the blood of Yeshua Messiah our High Priest and sin offering (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:11, 12; & I Yahchanan (I John) 1:6,7) and through immersion in the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:32 & 11:15-18).

This is a perfect illustration of the Greek word translated as grace, the word of which means, “The divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in our life.” Strong’s Greek Dictionary #5485.

This divine influence begins with the Almighty exposing us to His perfect and higher standard. When we in turn respond to this higher standard, He cleanses us with the Testimony of Yeshua’s blood shed for the remission of sins past.

This grace does not apply to animals who do not have the ability to discern and choose between good and evil, but only to humans. Therefore clean animals remain clean, unclean animals remain unclean, but humans who have the ability to discern and choose between right and wrong become clean or unclean as determined by their choices in life.

“THE TWISTING OF TIMOTHY”

(I Timothy 4:1-5)

“Your righteousness

 is an everlasting righteousness,

and Your Law is Truth”

You are near O’Yahweh,

and all Your commandments are Truth.”

Tehilli (Psalm) 119:142,151

Another passage that is commonly quoted out of context of Scripture to support the consumption of unclean things is I Timothy 4:1-5, which reads as follows:

The italicized words in these verses will be the primary focus of our discussion.

4:1 “Now the Spirit of Yahweh specifically states that in the latter times some shall depart from the Faith, giving their minds over to deceiving spirits and to doctrines of demons,”

4:2 “Speaking lies with deceptive words, having their own moral convictions seared as if with a hot iron,”

4:3 “Forbidding marriage, and commanding people to refrain from eating foods which Yahweh created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”

4:4 “For every creature of Yahweh is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving,”

4:5 “For it is sanctified with the word of Yahweh and through prayer.”

In verse 4:1 we see the message opened with a warning that deceiving spirits, and doctrines of demons, will arise to cause some to depart from the Faith as taught by the Almighty through the Holy Scriptures, as even II Timothy 4:3, 4 state:

4:3 “For the time will come when people will not remain faithful to the true doctrine, but will heap up for themselves teachers that tickle their ears with what their own appetites for forbidden things want to hear,”

4:4 “and they will turn their ears away from the truth to follow after fiction.”

II Corinthians 11:13-15 states that these teachers are,

 11:13 “...false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Messiah,”

11:14 “And no wonder, for Satan himself transforms himself into a messenger (angel) of light,”

11:15 “Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.”

And in verse 4:2 of I Timothy, warning is given that these unholy doctrines will be spoken of and presented in deceptive ways, reminding us of II Thessalonians 2:9 which states,

2:9 The coming of the Torahless one will be according to the work of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.

 The word translated as “lawless/wicked” in verses 8 & 9 of most translations of this passage comes from the Greek word “anomos” See, Strong’s Greek Dictionary #459, which refers specifically to one who does not submit to the Torah given through Moshe (Moses), thus the translation “Torahless one”.

and of Mattit'yahu (Matthew) 24:23, 24, which state,

24:23 ...if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it

24:24 For lying prophets, and those who claim anointing of Yahweh, will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the chosen of the Almighty.

Now, going back to I Timothy 4:3, two doctrines are clearly identified as belonging to the various false teachings of darkness. Those two teachings are identified as:

1) Forbidding people to marry, and

2) Commanding people to refrain from foods which the Almighty created to be eaten with thanksgiving.

Regarding these two teachings of doctrine, we must first determine what group of individuals was teaching abstinence from marriage and abstinence from that which the Almighty created to be used as food.

There are two potential candidates. The Essenes (a group of Jewish ascetics, who denied all pleasures of the flesh, were vegetarian in diet, and forbade Marriage except under the most stringent of circumstances - preferring to live and die as virgins), and the Orphics (varying groups of ascetic people among the nations that branched off from Dionysos worship in opposition to the practices of the licentious, barbaric Baccheus branch of Dionysos worship.)

Concerning the Essenes. The Essenes had their main populace on the West Bank of the Dead Sea, but had numerous agricultural communities throughout Israel, and possibly the Roman Empire, with a small portion living in cities. The implication that they kept mostly to themselves in agricultural communities somewhat diminishes their weight as the group of Shaul’s concern, but because their doctrinal teachings match the description of the group addressed by Shaul, it remains a strong possibility that the Essenes are precisely who Shaul was opposing.

 The vast majority of Essenes not only forbade marriage and practiced vegetarianism (which is referred to as a doctrine of demons in I Timothy 4:1-3) - refusing to take the life of animals to sustain their own lives, but they were also strict in their enforcement of circumcision, extremely meticulous about cleanliness and ceremonial washings; and considered worthy of death, anyone who blasphemed the name of Moshe (Moses).

These practices of the Essenes causes them to be highly suspect as the causers of division in the early assembly, for all the major issues of the early assembly, (with the exception of things strangled and offered to idols), dealt precisely with the issues that the Essenes would have been fiercely defensive of.

Shaul was repeatedly accused of teaching against Moshe (Moses) because he did not require circumcision as a pre-requisite of Judaic conversion. This is consistent with accusations Essenes would have made. The Essenes were meticulous about ceremonial washings and self-denial, which is consistent with comments made by Shaul in Colossians 2:20-23 (see the study entitled “Don‘t Judge Me” for the context leading up to these verses).

However, since the Essenes were by and large, not city dwellers, and unlikely to have traveled to the synagogues located in the cities where the Apostles were most likely to be attending; it is possible that it was not the Essenes being addressed here, but their uncircumcised Greek counterparts.

 These were the Orphics, and they shared all the same ascetic characteristics as their Jewish counterparts. In fact, if you eliminated all the Mosaic practices from the Essenes community, that is, Sabbath keeping, circumcision and the festivals of the Almighty, is what you essentially have left remaining is a branch of Greek Orphic Mystery religion.

Orphism is the diametrically opposed branch to Bacchism within the worship of the god Dionysos, the son of Zeus. The Bacchic branch of the tree sought to worship by offering up savage blood sacrifices, where the intoxicated, frenzied worshippers would tear a wild animal with their bare hands and devour the flesh raw with its blood. They did this to take into themselves the “soul” of the animal to thus become one with the god they worshipped, the god of which was represented by the sacrificed animal. Blood baths, orgies and the occasional sacrifice of new born infants appear to have been part of these rituals as well.

It was believed that the death and ingestion of this animal/god would somehow atone for their sins and make them immortal.

The Orphic branch of the tree was the exact opposite. They believed, like the Essenes, that the only way to escape the evil prison of the fleshly body was through strict self-denial. They were vegetarian, refrained from sexual relations - and therefore marriage, and were very careful about what they touched and tasted. They believed in purity, cleanliness and uprightness of character, and had a much more intellectual approach in their worship.

They also, unlike the Essenes, lived in the cities where the Apostles spent most of their journeys teaching; and their uncircumcised flesh and vegetarian diets are consistent with the issues present in Romans 14. But I believe the Essenes remain the better candidate.

So taking this historical background into consideration, let’s continue now to determine what I Timothy 4:1-5 is saying.

Regarding teaching 1) the teaching of forbidding marriage.

The Essenes forbade it for the most part, but did allow it under the strictest of ascetic conditions, and the Orphic Mystery Religions forbade it because it encouraged sexual interaction thereby defeating the Orphic ideal of becoming spiritual by denying all physical stimulation.

 So this demonic teaching which Shaul is addressing is not coming from those who practiced the traditional mainstream Faith of the time - because the Faith was, is, and forever shall be zealously family/marriage oriented. And if it was not those of the traditional mainstream Faith who were spreading the first demonic doctrine against marriage, then neither could they have been the ones spreading the 2nd demonic doctrine of abstaining from foods which the Almighty created to be received with thanksgiving; for Shaul is addressing a group of individuals that is teaching both against marriage and against the consumption of things created to be used as food.

And the groups that best fit the description are the errant branch of the Faith called the “Essenes” and the converts from among the nations coming out of the Orphic Mystery religions;

 They both refrained from sexual relations (the Essenes more so than the Orphics), they both practiced vegetarianism, and they both refrained from animal sacrifices (the Essenes more so than the Orphics). They likewise, were both present in the cities (the Orphics much more so than the Essenes).

The Essenes are the best choice concerning marriage practices and animal sacrifices; about equal concerning vegetarianism; and the Orphics the best choice for being present in the cities and at the synagogues on the Sabbath where these issues were most frequently brought up (though the Essenes that did live in the cities during times of probationary testing did attend the city Synagogues on the Sabbath; and the ones living in the country could conceivably have attended the assemblies taking place in people’s homes during the week).

So even though the converts from the Orphic Mystery religions were no doubt caught up in the discussions of circumcision and of issues concerning idol worship and of things offered to idols (see the teachings in the sections entitled “Clearing the Conscience” and “Do Not Worship Idols”), the evidence points to the Essenes concerning the passages in Colossians 2 and I Timothy 4.

In B'resheet (Genesis) 1:29 it states, “...I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.”

This makes it quite clear that we were originally created as vegetarians/fruitarians. But when sin entered the world, death entered the world, and our diet, for reasons unspecified in Scripture, came to include meat.

 At this point it became important for the Almighty to distinguish for us the difference between which animals are pure and which ones contaminated, between which ones are toxic and non-toxic, between which ones are healthy for consumption and which are not healthy for consumption. For once death entered into the world, it became necessary to set aside a certain portion of creation to dispose of the resulting death and rot in the earth, and to distinguish between animals which are properly and improperly equipped to filter out things poisonous to us through their digestive processes.

This knowledge of how to distinguish between the toxic and the non-toxic was known from earliest times by Yahweh’s people, as can be verified in B’reshit (Genesis) 7:2 where the Almighty says to Noah,

7:2 “You shall take with you seven each of every pure animal, a male and his female; and two each of animals that are contaminated, a male and his female.”

Almost 2,000 years later in V'yikra (Leviticus) 11 and D'varim (Deuteronomy) 14, this distinguishment between the pure and contaminated is shown to be the basis of the Almighty’s dietary law for us. See, V'yikra (Leviticus) 11:46, 47

11:46 “This is the law of the beasts and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth,”

11:47 “to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.”

D'varim (Deuteronomy) 14, begins as follows:

14:2 “...You are a holy people to Yahweh your Father, and Yahweh has chosen you to be a people for himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth,”

14:3 “[Therefore], you shall not eat any detestable thing.

Following is a summarized list of what can and cannot be eaten beginning with the list of unclean first.

 For a complete list of the clean and unclean, please study V'yikra (Leviticus) 11 and D'varim (Deuteronomy) 14.

The Unclean (i.e. THE CONTAMINATED)

 - Eat nothing with paws, such as: Rodents (including bats), bear, dogs, cats, squirrels, rabbits and possums.

 - Eat nothing that has a split hoof but does not chew the cud, such as: Pigs.

 - Eat nothing that chews the cud but does not have a split hoof, such as: camels and horses (these animals are also carriers of trichinella).

- Eat nothing that crawls on its belly, such as: snakes, worms, snails and slugs.

- Eat nothing that crawls on many legs such as: caterpillars, centipedes, spiders, cockroaches and flies.

- Eat no sea life or water creatures that do not have both fins and scales, such as: crabs, lobsters, clams, shrimp, catfish, eel and oysters.

- Eat no bird life that is predatory in nature and holds down its prey with a claw while tearing at its prey with its beak, such as: vultures, eagles, owls, crows and ravens.

And eat no insects. Only grasshoppers, crickets and locusts are declared safe insects for food.

The Clean (i.e. THE PURE)

Of animals: You may eat cattle, sheep, deer, ram, antelope, goat and buffalo. Of birds: Turkey, chicken, duck, goose, quail and pheasant; and of fish: Salmon, Trout, Pollack, etc. And of insects: grasshoppers and crickets.

 Once again, this is only a summarized list of the most common clean and unclean animals concerning human diet.

This is further supported by the fact that, from the time of the flood, to time the Israelites went into Egypt, there is no evidence of any of the Almighty’s people ever eating as food anything which the Scriptures declare as unclean.

This illustrating as well, that the giving of the instructions of the clean and unclean in V'yikra (Leviticus) 11 & D'varim (Deuteronomy) 14 was a mere reiteration and restoration of the Torah to the Israelites after fleeing Egypt. For the Almighty’s Law has been known from the very beginning, as can be illustrated through the examples given through Abel, Noah and Avraham. See, B’reshit (Genesis) 4:3, 4 / 8:20 and 26:4, 5.

This restoration of the Torah was necessary after the exodus from Egypt because during Israel’s captivity in Egypt their culture, religion, and diet had become absorbed and lost to Egyptian customs and traditions, requiring the need for the Israelites to have their pre-Egyptian understanding of the Almighty’s standard for them restored to awareness.

Now that we have identified through Scripture what it is that the Almighty created to be eaten as food V'yikra (Leviticus) Chapter 11 & D'varim (Deuteronomy) 14, we can go on to the remainder of I Timothy 4:3 which states:

 4:3 “...which Yahweh created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”

It is to be received with thanksgiving by who? By those who know the truth. So then, “what is truth”. Once again, the Scriptures provide our key to interpretation and defines “truth” as follows:

In Tehillim (Psalm) 119:142 & 151 it states:

119:142 “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your Law [your Torah] is truth.”

119:151 “You are near, Oh Yahweh, and all your commandments are truth.”

And in Yahchanan (John) 17:17-19

17:17 “Purify and make them holy through your truth, your word is truth.”

17:18 “As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world,”

17:19 “and for their sakes I have kept myself holy and pure so that they also may be made holy and pure through the truth.”

We see from this, truth manifested in 3 ways: The word of Yahweh, the Torah of Yahweh, and the commandments of Yahweh.

 The word of the Almighty, our all knowing and loving Creator, goes from B’reshit (Genesis) to Revelation. His holy Torah is likewise contained within His word, and His righteous and life giving commandments are contained within His Torah; and these 3 are one and in harmony with one another.

We see in Yahchanan (John) 1:14 that the word became flesh,

1:14 “And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his splendor, the splendor as of the only begotten Son of the Father, full of favor and truth.”

This word revealed in the flesh was Yeshua Messiah, our Anointed King and Beloved Savior, who stated in Yahchanan (John) 14:6,

14:6 “...I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one can come to the Father except through me.”

Once again, we see “the Word” associated with “the Truth”, and that “the word” and “the truth” were perfectly reflected in Messiah’s life and character.

We also know that Messiah was without sin.

Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

II Corinthians 5:21 “For Yahweh made Messiah, who knew no sin, to take on the penalty of sin for us so that we could obtain righteousness from Yahweh through him.”

This means that Yeshua never violated any of Yahweh’s Law, for,

I Yahchanan (I John) 3:4 “Whoever commits sin violates the Torah of Yahweh, for sin is the violation of Torah.”

I Yahchanan (I John) 3:5 “And you know that Messiah was revealed in order to take away our sins, and that in Him is no Torah violation.”

Is V'yikra (Leviticus) 11 and D'varim (Deuteronomy) 14 part of the Almighty‘s “Law”, of Yahweh’s Torah? Absolutely! In V'yikra (Leviticus) 11:46 & 47 the Almighty states plainly,

11:46 “This is the law of the beasts and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth,”

11:47 “to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.”

 Had Yeshua ever violated the dietary law of the Almighty, He would have been guilty of sin. But Yeshua was without sin, and therefore innocent of ever violating, or of teaching against, the Almighty’s dietary law.

Likewise, In Mattit'yahu (Matthew) 4:4 Messiah plainly states:

4:4 “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh.”

Is V'yikra (Leviticus) chapter 11 and D'varim (Deuteronomy) chapter 14 part of the word of the Almighty? Absolutely! It is contained between B’reshit (Genesis) and Revelation, and therefore is the word of the Almighty, which accordingly is the Truth of the Almighty.

And did this word of the clean and the unclean proceed directly out of the mouth of the Almighty? Absolutely, for in the very beginning of V'yikra (Leviticus), where the Almighty’s dietary law for us is presented, it states plainly:

11:1 “And Yahweh spoke to Moshe (Moses) and Aaron, saying to them...”

the Almighty then proceeds to instruct them on the law of the clean and the unclean; thereby clarifying that not only is this the word of the Almighty, but that the words spoken in V'yikra (Leviticus) came out of the Almighty’s mouth directly.

Therefore, Yeshua lived in complete harmony with the dietary laws of His Father.

Yeshua is the truth, and the Torah is the truth, and according to I Yahchanan (I John) 2:21,

2:21 “... no lie is of the truth.”

So that whoever teaches against the Almighty’s “Law”, “...is a liar and the truth is not in them.” I Yahchanan (I John) 2:4

 And most importantly, we have learned that the law of the clean and unclean, of what animals may and may not be eaten, are of the truth.

 So going back to I Timothy 4:3, we see that “...those who believe and know the truth.” are those who believe and know the truth about what is clean and unclean, and about what animals may and may not be eaten as defined by the holy Scriptures -- the word of the Almighty.

Let’s proceed now to I Timothy 4:4, 5 which say,

4:4 “For every creature of Yahweh is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving,”

4:5 “for it has been declared holy and pure by the word of Elohim and prayer.”

Verse 4:4, is the portion of this passage that is used to justify the consumption of pig flesh by those who do not believe and know the truth as taught by Scripture. And indeed, at a glance it does appear to support such a doctrine.

However, in light of “the truth” referred to in verse 4:3, and of “the word of Yahweh” referred to in verse 4:5, we see that verse 4:4 is to be understood in light of what verses 4:3 and 4:5 teach, and not the other way around; for it is “the truth” and “the word of the Almighty” that determines translation.

By this we understand that when verse 4:4 states that “every creature” of the Almighty is good, it is referring to every creature that the Almighty made as good for food as defined by his Torah of health given in V'yikra (Leviticus) 11 and D'varim (Deuteronomy) 14.

A contemporary example of this concept can be understood by the following analogy:

Let’s say you are having a special dinner and you were inviting a friend to come and join you, and your friend responds by asking, “who’s going to be there?” and you respond by saying, “everybody!”

Does “everybody” mean, every person on earth? Every person in the USA? Every person in the City? Or does it just mean every person that you have as a common circle of friends? I believe the answer is apparent.

And in the mind of the early assembly, which was entirely made up of circumcised Jews for the first 8 years following the resurrection, the understanding of what “every creature” of the Almighty is referring to, when presented in the context of things that can be eaten as food, is just as apparent.

© 2005 HHM