I was laying in bed sound asleep, when suddenly this title popped in my head. I really couldn’t fall back to sleep after that, so I just lay there. The time was 7:00 am, and I’m laying there just thinking on this title. I eventually mustered up the strength to climb out the bed and grab my tablet to begin this blog. Sooooo, Learn No The Way of the Nations, what a broad statement. I guess since I’m obviously not going back to bed, I’ll just dive into it. The focal point of this blog will definitely upset a few, but at the same time, I feel compelled to put it out there for everyone to see. Leviticus 11 speaks on YHVH’s dietary laws, and clearly makes a distinction between what is considered as clean and unclean animals. After this breakdown, there is no doubt in the minds of the Hebrews as to what was good for food and what wasn’t. We could even trace this back to a time before the deluge (the flood during Noah’s time), and see where YHVH gave specific instructions to Noah as of the order of the animals being brought on the ark. The clean animals were brought in pairs of 7’s and the unclean animals in pairs of 2’s. But why does YHVH consider these animals clean and unclean? Unfortunately, there is no scripture found in the Bible where it explains the reasons these animals are classified as clean and unclean. Perhaps because there is no distinction between the two, it makes it impossible to fix the issues thereby changing what YHVH once said was unclean and making it now clean. For that matter doing that would inadvertantly imply that man had to fix what YHVH couldn't fix. Oh wow, it’s about to get real now!
“Unfortunately, there is no scripture found
in the Bible where it explains the reasons
these animals are classified as clean and
unclean”
Anyway, the Hebrews received the word from Moses about the clean and unclean and it became the law of the land, never to be changed. Generations later, we find ourselves 166 years before the birth of the Messiah, and the Jews are still holding fast to the dietary laws. The Greek empire was now ruling over Israel, but the current ruler was actually favorable towards Israel, allowing them to keep their feast days, Sabbaths and dietary laws. All was good until about 165 BCE when the son, Antiochus Epiphanes became ruler in place of his father. Antiochus was the opposite of his father. Whereas his father was tolerable of the Jews practice, Antiochus utterly despised them. He felt everyone should believe as the Greeks and do as the Greeks. The Jews refused to compromise, forcing Antiochus to take matters into his own hands. Armies of Greek soldiers began to swarm the land of Israel. The soldiers began to try and use force and intimidation to make the Jews change their beliefs. Scores of people were murdered, men, women and children. Some were brutally beaten and then their mouths were forced open while pork was shoved down their throats. Many gladly accepted death over breaking YHVH’s dietary laws. The Jews fully understood that the unclean animals were to be considered as such forever! The ultimate disrespect came when Antiochus had the audacity to bring in a pig to the Temple of YHVH and sacrifice it on the alter of YHVH. This act here was what the Prophet Daniel described as the Abomination That Makes desolate. This act here rendered the Temple of YHVH defiled. I submit this, Paul declared that our very bodies are the Temples of the Holy Ghost. If our bodies are likened to the Temple of YHVH, and the sacrificing of a pig rendered the physical temple as defiled, how much more does it apply to our very bodies when we eat pork?
“The Jews fully understood that the
unclean animals were to be considered
as such forever”
Lets look at the “New Testament”, since many may try and say that that was only for the Old Testament. In Acts 10 , we see where Peter had the infamous vision of the sheet being let down from heaven with all sorts of unclean animals. Three times in a row, Peter was instructed to “kill and eat”, and three times in a row, Peter refused, saying he had NEVER eating anything so common and unclean. YHVH told replied to him tht what God cleanses, you don’t call common and unclean. Many mistakenly take this to mean that this was the green light for the Jews to eat unclean animals, totally missing the point of the vision. It was totally not about eating unclean animals. Here’s where it gets interesting. Many times when YHVH gives us a Word, He will use something that we can relate to that contrasts the point He is trying to convey. As far as i can tell, I ws unable to come up with a Scripture that says that the Jews had to separate from all non-Jews. A good example would be Yeshua, and the woman at the well. After speaking to her, she replied, “how is it that you, being a Jew, speak to me, for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans”? The issue here goes back to tensions between the two, which caused the separation, but it was NOT, as far as I have seen yet, a Scripture where it outright stated this. And if indeed it was, then Yeshua broke a Law in that He spoke to her contrary to the Law. For that matter what of all the non-Jews that came to Yehsua, for example, the Centurion with the sick child? After looking into history, it would seem the Rabbinical Jews were the one who instituted this, and it eventually became the norm, much like many of the other traditions of the elders that Yeshua spoke out against.
“Many mistakenly take this to mean
that this was the green light for
the Jews to eat unclean animals”
Getting back to Peter’s vision. Because he grew up in a time where the Jews and Samaratins had no dealings, it was just the way things were, so he accepted that as law as well. Interestingly enough, the Samaratins also knew of the prophecies of Messiah, and even though they weren’t ethnic Jews, they were awaiting Messiah’s appearance as well. Then there is the fact that as far back as Moses on Mt Sinai getting the “10 Commandments”, that YHVH spoke about the stranger (non-jew) in the gates, and said that the same law that applies to the Jew applies to them as well. This leads me to further believe that there is no Scripture that says that the Jews had to separate from non Jews. Besides, if the Jews were to be a light to the nations, how can that be if the nations never get to interact with them? Ok, back to Peter’s vision again, lol. Since this was something that Peter understood to be “law”, YHVH took another thing that he understood and had the same view about, and contrasted that to non-Jews. Keep in mind, YHVH uses symbols a lot. Peter saw this vision 3 times, at the same time 3 non Jews were sent to Peter on the behalf of Cornelius. After seeing the 3 men, Peter’s mind went back to the vision of the sheets being let down 3 times. On top of the that, YHVH instructed him to go with these men, “doubting nothing”. My point in bringing this out is two fold, one because many wrongly use this story to prove unclean animals are good for consumption now. I once believe that as well. Secondly, because some would even say these dietary laws only applied in the OT and not the NT
I didn’t even get into the multiple Scriptures that show how the Apostles kept the dietary laws throughout the Bible. If indeed YHVH had a change of heart about the unclean becoming clean, the Apostles never got that revelation. Now to fast forward once again to about the 3rd to 4th century, the Messianic Jewish community, consisting of both believing Jews and non Jewish believers are still keeping the dietary laws. At this point Pagan Rome has become the alleged new voice of a Universal or rather a “Catholic” branch of Christianity. As such, paganism is seeping into Christianity, because these new Christians never had a conversion experience, but rather a mutual agreement to accept this new title, while still practicing their current beliefs. By this point, anti-semitism is at its highest because Messianic Jews and non Jewish believers refuse to merge their faith to make it more convenience for the others. As a result, many were forced out of Rome or either imprisoned. As this Catholic Christianity grew, they began to distance themselves more and more from the roots of the true Christian faith. This was where the split came that separated the two. With the Hebrew roots done away with, traditions of the land began to become the new roots of the faith. Things such as 7th day Sabbaths, Feast Days and dietary laws were considered as “too Jewish” so they were changed to make it a more non Jewish type faith, and if the Jews didn’t want to get on board, they were welcome to leave or be forced out. Without the influence of the original Hebrew roots of the faith, the end result became what we have become today, a church that happily indulges in the consumption of things declared unclean by YHVH. We chose to rather celebrate Him on the days we choose, and not the days He chose, and to top it off, celebrate Him while eating the unclean. As for the Sabbaths, he rested on the 7th day, and commanded us to do the same, BUT since Constantine declared that the first day of the week worked better for him, because it was the “venerable day of the sun (ie sun worship day), we happily accepted this as the day we choose to honor Him.
“If indeed YHVH had a change of heart
about the unclean becoming clean,
the Apostles never got that revelation”
In closing, it would seem that we as a people really have some things to look into. I find it kind of funny that the Muslims are closely related to Christianity, and as such, the same dietary laws that we have, they have as well. When observing the non Arab descent Muslims in the U.S., they still hold true to the dietary laws, even though have no ancestral connection to the Arab Muslims. It really makes one wonder. Both sides are connected at Abraham, but only one still maintains the dietary laws. The Orthodox Jew still keep them, however, but those who were influenced by Rome have totally walked away from them. My prayer is that the Church would get the revelation of the relevance of Torah, and begin to walk in the entirety of the Torah and not the traditions a fallen church.
