The Two Christians meet again to discuss eating certain meats…
Joe: Well Bill I am back. I enjoyed our last conversation and I shared some of the discussion with my Hebrew friend. He didn't say a lot, he did say he would get back with me and he told me to see if your friend can tell you that eating unclean meats IS typology, laughing as he was walking off.
Bill: He sounds like a nice guy, he reminds me of a guy who is in the Hebrew religion that I debate every once and a while and in the thousand year reign of Christ he said he was going to beat me some with the rod that Jesus is going to give him to set me straight, so called. But he calls him Yeshua, one of just a very few Hebrew words that he uses. I guess it makes him feel superior, intellectual and a better believer in Yeshua as he would say. He did not seem to like using Jesus and I thought that was sad.
Joe: I did bring up the verses you gave me about all meat is sanctified by the word of God and prayer to my new Hebrew friend and he says that verse is telling us all approved Hebrew food under the old covenant is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
Bill: We will start talking about those verses first and then go to other verses in the new covenant to see if what he says is true.
I Tim. 4
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
Joe, you will notice right off that he did NOT say "some creatures" BUT he DID say, "For EVERY creature…" I was debating a guy on Facebook when I was on there a few years ago, I got off since Facebook is spying on people, reporting on them, and shutting them down or messing with conservative or Christian sites. Anyway the guy I was debating told me to go out and get a Puffer fish and dig in since it is a poisonous fish so I gave him a quick reply back and told him that it is a Jewish approved creature. He did not get back with me anymore.
Now I want to take you to another interesting scripture when God is calling Peter to go to the Gentiles to preach the gospel. Acts 10 starts off with Cornelius, a Gentile, a devout man, one who feared God, was praying and God told him to send men to Joppa and have a man named Simon Peter to come to your place and he will tell you what you need to do.. Now we need to see what is going on with Simon Peter shortly after Cornelius finished talking to God.
Acts 10
9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
17 Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate,
God uses meat to show a truth, a double truth, so to speak. He shows meats that were unclean to Peter and God tells Peter in the vision that what he cleansed NOT to call unclean. So we see by this vision that God cleansed meat that was unclean to the Jews. Now we will see that Peter sees that the vision was to show him that he is cleansing ALL that will turn to him in faith. Now let's read some more.
Acts 10
18 And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.
19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.
21 Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?
22 And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.
23 Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
24 And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and he had called together his kinsmen and near friends.
25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
27 And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together.
28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
So from these scriptures we see that God especially v. 28 that Peter is NOT to look on any man as common or unclean anymore since God will be cleansing them by faith in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. NOW I want you to see another truth too by that vision fulfilled in I Tim 4 that we talked about earlier. God said that every creature is good if it is received by the word of God and prayer. Now I want to go to a few more scriptures that I find very enlightening/. First let's look at what Jesus Christ said when he was sending them to the Gentiles. We were in Acts 10 BUT now we need to go to…
Luke 10
3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.
4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.
5 And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.
6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.
7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.
8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:
Jesus is telling them that he is going to be sending them all over the world, to the Gentile nations so what he says in v.8 is the clincher regarding eating meats, "eat such things that are set before you." In other words, eat what they eat.
Why would he say that to them? They are going to the Gentile nations to preach the gospel and if he didn't say that then you could probably guess they would be dying out of existence, starving to death, so to speak. They most definitely are NOT going to be getting kosher food at most places they go.
Joe: I can see that easily Bill, most nations do NOT eat like the Jews eat and this lines up with the vision Peter had in Act 10 and what God said later through Paul in I Tim 4 showing clearly he was talking about animals that were counted as unclean to the Jews. Just as the Jews did a lot of things differently than most groups of people. I think about cults today and many act differently and dress differently than most people do. Satan tries to imitate God so the devil seeks to get his people to do the same..
Bill:And tell your new Hebrew friend that typology doesn't need to come into the picture here, God plainly tells them that ALL meat is sanctified by the word of God and prayer and when he came in human flesh, he told them to eat whatever the Gentiles give them to eat. Enough said for now!