What's For Dinner - Part 5 of 7

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF THE DIETARY LAWS

“The dietary laws concern themselves with what animals, birds, and fish may be eaten, the way in which they must be prepared for consumption, and the fact that meat must not be consumed or cooked together with milk or other dairy products.” (Encyclopaedia Judaica, Dietary Laws)

 

The Encyclopedia Judaica provides a good summary of the dietary laws, which I will try to further summarize below. As a general principle, animals/birds that eat other animals, i.e., living off the dead, are prohibited, while animals/birds that are herbivorous are generally permitted. Although pigs are generally considered herbivorous, I heard a recent story from the Civil War of wild hogs eating the battlefield dead, which in some areas remained unburied until several years after the war. Not surprisingly, the people in these areas refused to eat wild pig for years. Philo, the Alexandrian Jewish philosopher, suggested that creatures with evil instincts were forbidden lest men might also develop these instincts, (Spec. 4:118).

 

Animals: The major distinction is clean (tahor) and unclean (tame). Clean animals chew the cud and have wholly cloven hoofs, (Deut 14:6). Generally, these animals are herbivorous enumerated in the Law as: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the hart, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the pygarg, the antelope, and the mountain-sheep, (Deut 14:4-5).

 

Birds: Leviticus 11:13-19 lists 20 “unclean” birds, while Deuteronomy 14:12-18 lists 21. The rabbis combined these lists to arrive at 24 “unclean” birds (Hul. 63a-b). In addition, the eggs of forbidden birds are also forbidden (Hul 64b). Even the eggs of permitted bids are forbidden if they have been ferilized (Hul. 64a-b). The Bible does not list “clean” birds, but according to the Mishnah “clean” birds must have a crop, a gizzard which can easily be peeled off, and an extra talon.

 

Fish: Only acquatic creatures that have at least one fin and one easily removable scale are “clean” (Lev 11:9-12).

 

Insects: The short answer is that no insects are permitted because the four kinds of locust permitted (Lev 11:21-22), cannot be easily identified. One seeming exception to the general principles, honey is regarded as “transferred nectar” and may be eaten even though the bee is a forbidden insect, (Bek. 7b)

 

Ritual Slaughter (Shehitah): With the emphasis on clean and unclean animals, it is easy to overlook the importance placed on preparing the animal.

 

“So complex and minute are the regulations that the slaughter must be carried out by a carefully trained and licensed shohet…Should a defect be found in some of the organs, such as the brain, the windpipe, the esophagus, the heart, the lungs, or the intestines, the animal is terefah, and forbidden for consumption.”

 

There are eight categories for defects that would render an animal as unacceptable: (1) perforated organ walls, (2) split pipes, (3) missing limbs, (4) missing or defective organs, (5) torn walls or membrane covers or organs, (6) a poisonous substance introduced into the body (such as mauled by another animal), (7) shattering by a fall, or (8) broken bones. It is assumed in the Talmud (Hul 3:1), that these defects would lead to death within one year and eating a dead animal is prohibited. The same laws apply to poultry, but there are no specific rules concerning the method by which permitted fish are to be killed.

 

Because there is a strong financial incentive to process every animal, I have read about cattle with broken or injured limbs being forced through the traditional meat packing process. In addition, it has been a practice to grind up the bones of processed animals for cattle feed. “Mad cow” disease can be propagated in this manner and I do not expect that this practice would be kashrut. I also wonder if the introduction of “growth hormones” in animals would be considered an unacceptable substance introduced into the body.

 

Preparation of Meat (Koshering): The prohibition against the consumption of blood (Lev 7:26-27, 17:10-14), is the basis for the process of koshering, the drawing out and draining of blood from meat before cooking. The process begins by suspending the animal head down to drain as much blood as possible. The remaining blood can be removed by either salting the meat, or roasting the meat over an open flame. Poultry must be opened and salted inside and out.

 

The salting process involves fully immersing the meat and bones in clean cold water for 30 minutes to open pores enabling the salt to draw blood from the surface and softened fibers of the meat. The meat is then laid out on specially grooved or perforated boards placed at an angle to allow drainage. The meat is then sprinkled with salt. The meat is left to stand for one hour, then washed 2-3 times in cold water. The process must be completed within 72 hours after the animal was slaughtered, otherwise, the animal can only be koshered by roasting over an open flame.

 

There are various interpretations on the prohibition against consuming blood. The best understanding may come from the words of Ezekiel who equated the eating of blood with the sins of idolatry and murder, “You eat meat with the blood, lift up your eyes to your idols as you shed blood,” (Ezek 33:25). Some interpret the words of Ezekiel as connecting man’s violent nature to the consumption of blood.

 

Forbidden Mixtures: Even clean animals have portions that are forbidden to eat. The sciatic nerve must be removed, as a prohibition traced back to the blow inflicted by Jacob, (Gen 32:33). Also prohibited are the fat portions attached to the stomach, abdomen, and intestines since these were apportioned to God in the Temple offerings, (Lev 3:17, 7:23-25). In regards to eating liver, “Salting is not considered effective enough to kosher the liver, which is full of blood. It is therefore sprinkled with salt, cut across or pierced several times, and placed on or under an open flame, until it changes color, or a crust forms.”

 

Permissible foods can be rendered “unclean” when they are mixed with prohibited foods since any amount of a prohibited food is forbidden, (Yoma 74a). In the case of accidental mixing, permitted foods are considered contaminated,

 

“if the food inserted is large enough to effect the taste. For practical purposes, it was decided that only if the quantity of forbidden food was less than 1/60 of the permitted food…is it considered not to have affected the taste…If the forbidden admixture is a type intended to affect the taste, then the mixture is forbidden even if the admixture is less than 1/60.”

 

In the latter case, even an amount less than 1/60 of leaven would make unleavened bread leavened.

 

Milk and Meat: In the case of milk and meat (Ex 23:19, 34:26, Deut 14:21), three distinct prohibitions are given: (1) cooking meat and milk together, (2) eating such a mixture, and (3) deriving any benefit from such a mixture (Hul. 115b). “Milk” includes all dairy products, such as cheese, butter, sour cream, and cream. The separation includes using separate utensils, dishes, and cutlery for meat and dairy products. In addition, separate sinks for washing and separate dishcloths for drying.

 

A person may not eat milk after meat in the same meal (Hul. 105a). Most West European Jews wait three hours, while some wait only one hour. Meat can be eaten immediately after milk dishes, provided that the mouth is rinsed and some bread eaten. Milk derived from soybeans, coconuts, etc., may be used with meat. Fruit, vegetables, and eggs can be eaten together with either meat or milk dishes. However, the rabbis prohibited the eating of fish and meat together for health reasons, but this provision is not given in scripture. Strictly observant Jews drink only halav Yisrael, milk bottled under the supervision of a Jew, i.e, Tevye.

 

Two theories are prominent in the prohibition against cooking a kid in its mother’s milk. Maimonides believed that the activity was “somehow connected with idolatry,” possibly a fertility rite. Abraham Heschel provides a contemporary explanation, “Milk, which is the only food that can sustain the body by itself. It would, therefore, be an act of ingratitude to take the offspring of such an animal and cook it in the very milk which sustains us.”

 

(to be continued - Scott)

What's For Dinner - Part 4 of 7

MEAT FROM THE MARKET PLACE

“Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience' sake; 26 FOR THE EARTH IS THE LORD'S, AND ALL IT CONTAINS.” (1 Cor 10:25-26)

 

In biblical times, meat was available to the general public, but it was expensive and the diet of most people consisted of vegetables and fish. The Talmud records that only the very wealthy ate meat on a regular basis.

 

“He who possesses a mana (100 shekels) should buy a measure of vegetables for his pot; if he possesses ten mana he should buy a quantity of fish for his pot; if he possesses fifty mana he may buy a quantity of meat for his pot; and if he posses a hundred mana he may have meat cooked for him every day. As for those who possess less than a hundred mana, when may they have their dish of vegetables or fish? Every Sabbath.”

 

From a practical standpoint, the local butcher shop and the pagan temple may have been closely related. Since refrigeration was not available in the Roman world, most individuals probably took their animal to a place where the balance of unused meat could be sold to the general public.

 

In the first century world, the local pagan temple provided the opportunity to offer the animal, receive a portion of the animal for food, and then sell the balance of the animal to the public or give to the temple. Paul gives us the impression that eating establishments were either contained in the pagan temples or in buildings adjacent to the temples.

 

“For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols?” (1 Cor 8:10)

It is unclear what conditions make it acceptable to dine in an idol’s temple. Although Paul seems to permit this act in chapter eight, he speaks strongly against this action in chapter ten, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons,” (1 Cor 10:20-21).

 

Offering animals for sacrifice prior to eating must have been the normal practice in the ancient world. Against this backdrop, the LORD specifically told Israel that they could eat meat that had not been offered at the temple in Jerusalem,

 

“When the LORD your God extends your border as He has promised you, and you say, 'I will eat meat,' because you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, whatever you desire. 21 If the place which the LORD your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, then you may slaughter of your herd and flock which the LORD has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates whatever you desire. 22 Just as a gazelle or a deer is eaten, so you will eat it; the unclean and the clean alike may eat of it.” (Deut 12:20-22).

The people living in Israel far away from the temple were permitted to slaughter an animal from their own herd or flock for food. Further, the LORD said that a person could eat of the meal whether the person was clean or unclean. Therefore, Jesus could eat with “sinners,” Peter could eat with Cornelius, and believers do not need to separate during eating when some are not clean.

 

Maybe daily, but certainly on bountiful days, meat from pagan temples ended up in the general market place. To address this concern, Paul writes,

 

“Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience' sake; 26 FOR THE EARTH IS THE LORD'S, AND ALL IT CONTAINS.” (1 Cor 10:25-26)

 

I have seen a tendency among some in the Messianic community to not partake of meals when members of the body come together. This caution originates from the uncertainty that the meat was prepared in accordance with rabbinical principles, “Is it kosher?” Paul does not appear to establish a higher standard based on how the meat was handled or prepared. For the Gentile believer, it is acceptable to, “Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions.” If that was the standard of Paul in the days of the pagan marketplace, how much more acceptable should it be to eat meals prepared by any believer who uses meat purchased from the store.

 

The broad permissive words of Paul should exclude the concerns about how acceptable “clean” meats were processed and prepared. Paul then goes further, it is acceptable to eat meat prepared for you by an unbeliever, who has no knowledge about the dietary laws, provided that thanksgiving is offered and the meat has not been sacrificed to an idol.

 

“If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience' sake. 28 But if anyone says to you, "This is meat sacrificed to idols," do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience' sake; 29 I mean not your own conscience, but the other man's; for why is my freedom judged by another's conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks?” (1 Cor 10:27-30)

The words of Paul have a previous precedent in scripture. The disciples of Jesus had the same concern when they were sent in pairs to every city and place where Jesus had gone. For this reason, Jesus instructed them saying, “Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you,” (Luke 10:8). Even Jesus did not want the disciples to lose the opportunity to fellowship because of their concern about the preparation of their food. In the words of Paul,

 

“Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food,” (Rom 14:20).

(to be continued - Scott)

What's For Dinner - Part 3 of 7

FROM THE BEGINNING

When the LORD God placed Adam in the Garden, He

"Commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat,’" (Gen 2:16-17).

In the beginning, Adam and Eve’s food was derived from the "tree(s) of the garden." In the world to come, the creation will return to this pattern, partaking of fruit from the "tree of life," (Rev 2:7, 22:14).  After Adam was driven from the Garden, the LORD God modified Adam’s diet saying,

"You will eat the plants of the field…You will eat bread," (Gen 3:18-19)

After the flood, God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them,

"Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you…as I give the green plant. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood, (Gen 9:3-4)

The broad standard for acceptable food given to Noah remained in effect for all mankind until the LORD commanded the Israelites through Moses, "These are the creatures which you may eat from all the animals that are on the earth," (Lev 11:2). The LORD then proceeded to define clean animals, which can be eaten, and unclean animals, which the Israelites were prohibited from eating. Since these prohibitions were given only to the Hebrew people, acceptable Gentile food continued to be governed by the standard established in Genesis chapter nine.
 

Depending on the interpretation of Acts chapter 15, some additional restrictions may have been placed on Gentile believers,

"For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: 29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well." (Acts 15:28-29)

Abstaining from blood and things strangled may, or may not, be considered an addition to the original covenant given in Genesis. What is an addition, "Abstain from things sacrificed to idols." The prohibition against idols appears a number of times in Paul’s letters and in two of the seven letters to the churches in the Book of Revelations. Foods sacrificed to idols were a major concern among the early church believers, the apostles, and Jesus.

"But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality." (Rev 2:14-15)

"But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols."  (Rev 2:20-21)

Paul’s references to food in his epistles are sometimes confusing. At times, Paul appears to discount the prohibition against sacrificing to idols saying,

"Concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world…we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat…For if someone sees you, who have a knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols?," (1 Cor 8:4, 8 &10)

By the end of his Corinthian letter, Paul takes a strong stand prohibiting a believer from knowingly eating any foods sacrificed to idols,

"The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons," (1 Cor 10:20)

Paul’s overriding principle remains,

 

"Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind, " (Rom 14:5). To the person who thinks it is sin to violate the dietary laws, it is sin because he violates his own consciences, (Rom 14:23). 

 

However, to the one whose conscience does not condemn him for what he eats, his eating is acceptable. 

 

The one who is convicted toward greater compliance to the dietary laws is not to judge the one who is not, (Rom 14:3), because judging could lead to eating with a guilty conscience which might result in sin. 

 

Likewise, the one who eats in liberty, "is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat," (Rom 14:3).

 

(to be continued - Scott)

 

What's For Dinner - Part 2 of 7

CONTRASTING FIRST CENTURY BELIEVE

"Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him." (Rom 14:1-3)

 

From the previous discussion, we can understand that the person who "eats vegetables only" is the person who maintains the dietary laws. Although Paul refers to this individual as "weak in faith," his words are best understood as contrasting the different understandings of believers, not elevating or condemning one position relative to the other. Paul repeatedly cautions all believers against "passing judgment" and "regarding with contempt." "Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind," (Rom 14:4).

The entire 14^th chapter of Romans is devoted to contrasting the believer who is compelled to maintain the dietary laws in the commandments (Jew/Proselyte) and the believer who is not compelled to the same degree (Gentile). Devoting a significant portion of his letter to the subject of eating indicates that the discussion must have been a common point of contention in the early church.  Modern Messianic believers are blessed to have a unique perspective and appreciation of Paul's words.  Let us attemp to divide the chapter into the respective target audiences.

To the Gentile/Messianic..	To the Jew/Proselyte/Messianic…
2 One person has faith that he may eat all things,	2 but he who is weak eats vegetables only.
3 The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat,	3 and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 another regards every day alike.	5 One person regards one day above another,
APPLIES TO BOTH 5 Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God;	6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord,… and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.
APPLIES TO BOTH 7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt?	10 But you, why do you judge your brother?
APPLIES TO BOTH 10 For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written, "AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD,EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME,AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD." 12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this — not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.
	14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
15 For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil;
APPLIES TO BOTH 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.
20 Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. 21 It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. 22 The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.	23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.

Paul writes that God has accepted both the believer compelled to follow the dietary laws as well as the believer who is not equally inclined, (Rom 14:3). Since salvation and position before God are not in doubt, the overriding principles of interaction for each type of believer are summarized by Paul in this manner:

To the Gentile who does not maintain the dietary laws Paul writes, "The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat."

 

To the Jew and Gentile who maintain the dietary laws Paul writes, "The one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats." 

Believers who desire to maintain a greater level of compliance to the commandments are not to judge their brother for his lack of compliance. For judging could impact the conscience of the person would eats all things.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul will reverse the terms and warn the brother who does not maintain the dietary laws to not "act as your judge in regard to food or drink or is respect to a festival or new moon or a Sabbath day," (Col 2:16).

At the same time, believers who are not compelled to greater adherence should not regard with contempt those who do adhere. Contempt disheartens the believer compelled to greater compliance, discourages others from a similar calling, and builds a wall of contention between believers. As Paul writes,

"But you, why do you (Jew/Gentile) judge your brother? Or you again, why do you (Gentile) regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God." (Rom 14:10).

Believers who consider themselves Messianic and those who worship with them have been given a unique 21^st century perspective to understand the words of Paul. Just as in the days of Paul, some Messianic believers are compelled to a greater compliance to the dietary commandments, while others Messianic believers have not become equally compelled. For this reason, the meals at Beit HaDerek often consist of breads and salads so that fellowship can be practiced, while protecting the conscience of all participants. This is acceptable and proper demonstrating the principle expressed by Paul,

"Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food…It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God," (Rom 14:21-22).

(to be continued - Scott)

 

What's For Dinner? - Part 1

  

"Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?" And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days." (Acts 10:47-48) 

Scripture indicates that Peter stayed with Cornelius "for a few days," during which time Peter, "ate with them," (Acts 11:3). From these passage and Peter’s previous vision, some in our CBS study suggest that Peter abandoned the dietary laws contained within the commandments. Scripture does not specifically state that fact, but many Christians like to draw this conclusion because it dovetails nicely into an overall belief that the commandments contained in the books of Moses no longer apply to any believers.
 

DIETARY OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO PETER

The primary argument for Peter abandoning the dietary laws is the belief that Cornelius would not have served kosher food to Peter during the few days they ate together.  As "a devout man and one who feared God with all his household" (Acts 10:2), Cornelius would have been aware of the dietary restrictions that Jews maintained.   As "one who feared God," Cornelius would not have imposed an action on Peter that made Peter violate the commandments or Peter’s conscious.  Cornelius had a number of available options. 

For example, Cornelius could have avoided all meats and served Peter seasonal vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Vegetables were not only a safe alternative to maintain the dietary laws, but vegetables were the staple of the average Jew. Everyone's Talmud tells us,  "The bulk of the people must accordingly have lived mainly on the vegetarian diet, and the wholesomeness of vegetables is dilated."  Further, it was stated in the Talmud, "A disciple of the Sages is not allowed to reside in a city where no vegetables are to be had. From this it is to be inferred that vegetables are wholesome."

When Daniel was carried off to Babylon, he did not lose his ability to maintain the dietary laws. Scripture tells us that,

"8 Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food…11 Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed…,

‘Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king's choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.’"  (Dan 1:8-13) 

The Babylonian overseer did serve Daniel and his friends only vegetables and then observed that the appearance of Daniel and his friends, "seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food," (Dan 1:15). From the obedience of Daniel and his friends, "God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams," (Dan 1:17).

Although not a detailed study by any stretch, I perceive that a common meal in first century Galilee was bread and fish, (Matt 14:17, 15:34). Fish was considered to be a very healthy option and bread was "literally the staff of life" with thirteen benefits attributed to eating bread. These options were readily available to Peter since Cornelius lived in Caesarea on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Peter could have gone to the market and bought fish and bread to eat. Apparently fish can be taken directly from the water and eaten. This understanding is given by the gospel story after the resurrection when Jesus appears on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and tells the disciples to "Bring some of the fish which you have now caught" (John 21:10), and "have breakfast." 

By definition, bread is a clean food and often equated to the word of God and to Jesus, "I am the bread of life," (John 6:33). It is unclear what, if anything, can make bread unclean such as contacting an unclean item. I expect that touching a dead body would make bread unclean, but not touching the hands of an unclean person such as those of Cornelius’ servants. When addressing the concern that unclean hands could make food unclean, Jesus told His disciples, "There is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man," (Mark 7:15). This story teaches that uncleanness is defined by the commandments and reflected in the sin of men, but is not derived based on the Oral Traditions referred to as the "precepts of men," (Mark 7:7).

Finally, Peter often traveled throughout Israel, such as for the three annual feasts when Jews were commanded to appear before the LORD. Peter was accustomed to either carrying the food he needed for his journey or acquiring necessary provisions along the way. When the men from Cornelius came, Peter would have anticipated that the journey might take several days and would have planned accordingly to maintain the dietary laws.

The focus on Peter overlooks the knowledge that six men accompanied Peter to the home of Cornelius, (Acts 11:12). These men had not received the same vision as Peter and would have been reluctant to violate the commandments regarding clean and unclean foods. Neither in the original story, nor the subsequent retelling of the story to the men in Jerusalem, were Peter or his six companions accused of violating the dietary laws of the commandments. The accusation is that Peter "went to uncircumcised men and ate with them," (Acts 11:3). 

 

The accusation against Peter does not deal with unclean foods, but with the intimate fellowship that comes from eating together with unrighteous men, "for what partnerships have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness," (2 Cor 6:14). This same accusation had been leveled against Jesus, "This man receives sinners and eats with them," (Luke 15:2). Again notice that the accusation is not that Jesus ate unclean food, but that he had fellowship with sinners. Paul only warned against eating with Gentiles when they eat food that has been sacrificed to idols.

 

"I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons." (1 Cor 10:20-21)

 

(To be continued - Scott)

Seek First the Kingdom - Part 14

(1) Creating Shalom Out of Chaos
(2) The Fall Brought Chaos Back Into Creation
(3) The Kingdom: God’s Plan to Restore Peace to the World
(4) Jesus Was Sent for This Purpose
(5) What is the Kingdom?
(6) Patterns of the Kingdom in Scripture
  - The Garden of Eden
  - The Wilderness
  - The Promised Land
  - The Kingdom of Solomon
  - The Days of the Apostles
(7) The Life and Ministry of Jesus
(8) Attributes of the Kingdom
  - Prosperity and Joy
  - Peace
  - Righteousness
  - Holiness
  - Knowledge of the LORD
(9) The Millenial Kingdom
(10) The Believer’s Responsibility to Progress the Kingdom (Part - 14)

THE BELIEVER’S RESPONSIBILITY TO PROGRESS THE KINGDOM

“Since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe,” (Heb 12:28)

Knowing that we will receive a kingdom should motivate the believer to produce fruit that demonstrates the attributes of the kingdom to the world around us, that is, “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Rom 14:17-18). Through actions of the believer, the kingdom grows in this world. In the words of Jesus, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened,” (Matt 13:31). In this parable, “leaven” is seen as the positive actions of believers who, through the miraculous aiding of the Spirit, spread the kingdom. The flour represents the world and “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations,” (Matt 24:14).

 

The kingdom is a call to service. Listen to the works of those who enter the kingdom from the parable Jesus told His disciples,

 

"Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' "…’The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'” (Matt 25:34-40)

 

The actions of kingdom people produce fruit that brings about “righteousness and peace and joy” to the person who hungers, is thirsty, is naked, or has a pressing need to be comforted in their time of affliction and grief. When Jesus cursed the fig tree because it had no fruit (Mark 11:21), He expressed disappointment that the servants of the kingdom were not producing fruit in the kingdom.

 

Kingdom people bring about the kingdom through every righteous action when they “walk in the same manner as He (Jesus) walked,” (1 John 2:6). Richard Jones, the former Valley Bible in Westcliffe, Colorado, wrote this in his book “The Un-taming of the Church,” 

 

“As genuine faith grows within each of us, a new way of living begins to emerge among us as people of faith (like yeast working its way through flour). Forgiveness begins to come a little more quickly. We begin to endure one another’s weaknesses a little more patiently. Even when disputes arise, gentleness begins to guide our words and actions. We are less likely to demand our own way and more eager to seek the good of others. We start to loosen our grip on money and material things, and we begin to share. Battles of conflicting self-interests begin to give way to seeking the purpose of God, and unity begins to take root.”

 

The last three parables recorded by Matthew, the parable of the ten virgins (Matt 25:1-13), the parable of the talents (Matt 25:14-30), and the parable of the Shepherd separating the sheep from the goats, all deal with the importance of producing kingdom fruit. The parable of the ten virgins begins, “The kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins,” (Matt 25:1). The ten virgins are waiting for the bridegroom to return and to be ushered into the wedding banquet. Unfortunately, it is only the five who have oil, “those who are ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut,” (Matt 25:10). When the five without oil return and ask to be let into the wedding banquet, the bridegroom tells them, “Truly I say to you, I do not know you,” (Matt 25:12).

 

The meaning of the oil in the story of the ten virgins is confusing.  However, when these final three parables are read in succession, it becomes apparent that all are relating the need for kingdom people to produce works of the kingdom until the time of the king’s return. In the parable of the talents, the person who produces more talents (works) is put in charge of many things, but the worthless slave is thrown “into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth,” (Matt 25:30). In the parable of the sheep and goats, the people who feed, nurture, cloth, and visit will “inherit the kingdom” (Matt 25:34), while those who did not perform these works are sent “away into eternal punishment,” (Matt 25:46).   The oil in the lamps of the five virgins can be seen as the works they performed. Those who did not produce works are told, “I do not know you,” (Matt 25:12), and are excluded from the wedding, a picture of celebration in the kingdom.   In the end, the works of the righteous will be remembered forever, they are the treasures stored up in heaven. The deeds of the wicked will be forgotten from memory.

 

We must constantly be asking ourselves, “Are we progressing the kingdom in our daily walk?” For example, when an automobile cuts in front of you and almost drives you off the road, are you tempted to retaliate (tohu-bohu) or to forgive and restore Shalom to the world? When a harsh word is spoken to you, and we are inclined to respond in equal measure, do we remember, “A gentle answer turns away wrath” (Prov 15:1)? If we do and respond in the proper way, the kingdom of God progresses because order, not chaos, reigns.

 

The great Hebrew sage Hillel, born eighty years before Jesus, made famous the principle found in scripture that he called “tikkun olam.” The phrase literally means, “repairing the world,” although it is sometimes translated as “perfecting the world” or “bettering the world.” Hillel believed that in every task a person performs he has a responsibility to make the world a better place. In the words of Paul, to “overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:21), just as the LORD God originally brought shalom to the world out of chaos.

 

The Rabbis understood that when a person recited the twice daily Shema, “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deut 6:4), they made a profession of obedience to the commandments and accepted the “yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven,” (Ber. II. 2) Believers are commanded to manifest the kingdom in the present world. As Jesus said, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasures things new and old,” (Matt 13:52). We would expect that disciples of the kingdom would bring forth fruit of the kingdom.

 

“How many of us pray as Yeshua taught us, ‘Your kingdom come your will be done’? How many of us expect that we can, as Peter suggested, hasten the coming of the Messiah?” (The World to Come, Derek Leman) 

 

Producing fruit is a requirement of kingdom people, for “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter,” (Matt 7:21). Scripture comes with a sober warning to people who do not produce the fruit of the kingdom.

 

“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.” (Matt 21:43)

 

In the words of the Hebrew writer, “Since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe,” (Heb 12:28)

 

What are believers willing to give for “a kingdom which cannot be shaken”? Believers should be willing to give everything they own. This is exemplified in the exortations of Jesus,

 

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matt 13:44-46)

 

 

(THE END - Scott) 

BAPTISM: We Will Be Surprise In the End

“Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it.” (Matt 12:43)

We understand that baptism is the outward sign of a repentant heart. In the words of Peter, “an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” (1 Pet 3:21). I think that there is a good chance that when we get to the other side we will find out that our baptism had much deeper spiritual significance than we ever imaged. We might get to the other side and find out that the physical act of baptism actually purged us and helped protect us from spiritual forces of the enemy. How could this possibly work?

As we know, water plays a prominent role in the creation and in sustaining life. I am fascinated by the passage of Jesus speaking of the “unclean spirit” that attempts to find rest in “waterless places.” In the Hebrew mind, it is living water that cleanses and make a person or an object “clean.” If you are an “unclean spirit” you probably would try to avoid living water because it would be contrary to your nature and potentially harmful to your make-up. These thoughts lead to an interesting question, “Can unclean spirits pass through water or does living water have some power to drive away that which is ‘unclean’ from our flesh”?

Let’s look at the healing of the man by the pool of Bethesda with the concept that water might drive away a demonic spirit, which is sometimes seen in scripture as the cause of disease and physical ailments. John explains the people’s understanding this way, “For an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever…first… stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted,” (John 5:4). Maybe the water at times had the power to drive away an unclean spirit when the source of the illness came from the unclean spirit. There must have been some healings at the pool of Bethesda prior to Jesus’ appearance otherwise, why had the understanding flourished?

When Jesus cast the demons into the herd of swine “the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters,” (Matt 8:30). An ocean, a sea, and a lake are considered to be “living water.” We talk about the abyss as being the dwelling place of the demonic spirits, but maybe it is actually a holding cell where spirits are kept because they cannot pass through the water. In the Book of Revelation, it is necessary for the fallen star to open the abyss for the locusts (evil spirits) to rise out like smoke, (Rev 9:2). Maybe the act of sending the swine rushing into the sea imprisoned the spirits rather than leaving them to roam and torment other victims.  Maybe there will be no sea in the world to come (Rev 21:1), since no demons need to be imprisoned because “nothing unclean…shall ever come into it (the New Jerusalem),” (Rev 21:27).

 During creation, God “separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse,” (Gen 1:6). The waters below were gathered into seas. The “gathering of the waters” (Gen 1:10), is translated from the Hebrew word “mikvah” and lead to the understanding that “seas” are acceptable for baptism. Paul alluded to this when he said, “They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,” (1 Cor 10:2).

The waters below are necessary for baptism and might protect the creation from spirits in Sheol, but what function do the waters above serve? The obvious first answer is that the waters above provide clouds for rain, but they might also serve a second purpose. Maybe the waters above served as a protective barrier against “the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly realms,” (Eph 6:12). Some protection may be provided, but not complete insulation as Satan was still able to move between the heavenly and the earthly and to tempt Adam and Eve.

There is some indication in scripture that the canopy that protected the earth was diminished after the flood. Without the canopy, the effects of solar radiation quickly shortened the age of individuals from over 900 years before the flood to slightly over 100 years by the time of Abraham, ten generations after the flood. Maybe a shortened life was caused by increased solar radiation or maybe is was the weakening of the protective covering between mankind and the “spiritual forces of wickedness.”

God is often seen as being enclosed in a cloud such as when God called to Moses from the cloud on Mount Sinai (Ex 24:16), a cloud that led Israel during the day; the bright cloud at the transfiguration of Jesus (Matt 17:5); Jesus being caught up into a cloud (Acts 1:9), Jesus promised return in a cloud (Matt 24:30), and a future time with the saints will be caught up to be with the LORD in the clouds (1 Thes 4:17). Are these just coincidences? Certainly God does not need a water barrier to protect Himself from wickedness, but the cloud is a testimony to the purity of God, that nothing unclean can be in His presence?

I think there is a good chance that when we pass to the other side we will find out that, in addition to a profession of faith, baptism was much more than some “legalistic” requirement or the cure for the common cold. We will then wish that we had placed greater emphasis on the importance of real baptism, the dunk you multiple times completely under water, like Naaman in the days of Elisha. We will also wish that we had personally performed baptism on a more frequent basis.  What a change from my own perspective in the past.

How I am looking forward to being baptized on Yom Kippur!!! (Scott)

Seek First the Kingdom - Part 13

(1) Creating Shalom Out of Chaos
(2) The Fall Brought Chaos Back Into Creation
(3) The Kingdom: God’s Plan to Restore Peace to the World
(4) Jesus Was Sent for This Purpose
(5) What is the Kingdom?
(6) Patterns of the Kingdom in Scripture
  - The Garden of Eden
  - The Wilderness
  - The Promised Land
  - The Kingdom of Solomon
  - The Days of the Apostles
(7) The Life and Ministry of Jesus
(8) Attributes of the Kingdom
  - Prosperity and Joy
  - Peace
  - Righteousness
  - Holiness
  - Knowledge of the LORD
(9) The Millenium Kingdom (Part - 13)
(10) The Believer’s Responsibility to Progress the Kingdom


THE MILLENIAL KINGDOM

“While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. So He said, ‘A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return.’” (Luke 19:11-12)

As Jesus approached Jerusalem just prior to the crucifixion, the people “supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately,” (Luke 19:11). The words of Luke reflect the expectation of the people that the kingdom of God would be mainifested in a physical fulfillment on the earth.  Jesus then tells the parable of “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom…then return.” The parable does not dispute the coming of the kingdom, but indicates that the fullness would not appear until the return of Jesus. Two months later, the disciples had similar expectations,

“‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’” (Acts 1:6-8)

Again, in response to the expectations of the kingdom’s imminent fullness appearing, Jesus told His disciples to preach the world and the Father would bring about the fullness at a time “fixed by His own authority.” Peter refers to this future time as the “times of refreshing,” that would follow the repentance that comes from the preaching of the kingdom.

“Repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” (Acts 3:19-21)

The “times of refreshing” and “restoration of all things” appears to be different than the “new heaven and a new earth” (Rev 21:1), or the time when "Behold, I (God) am making all things new,” (Rev 21:5).   The “restoration” is a time when the present world will be restored to a condition that existed prior to the fall and the kingdom reaches its greatest fullness, exhibiting many attributes of the World to come.   

The kingdom exists as the transitional period between the present world and the world to come.   The kingdom functions to renew the world, moving the present world toward greater subjection and unity in the Son, “Christ is all and in all” and the Father, “so that God may be all in all,” (1 Cor 15:28). If this world contains shadows of what is to come, the joys we experience in this life will be multiplied beyond comprehension as the kingdom moves toward the world to come. The 1000-year reign of Jesus Christ on the throne of David, spoken by John (Rev 20:1-6), will come as the final and greatest fulfillment of the kingdom in the present world.   At the end of this world will come the final resurrection, judgment of all creation, and the appearing of the new heaven and the new earth.

Many believers have dismissed the 1000-year kingdom of Jesus, or allegorized the words of John to mean something different than what is being stated. As the life of Jesus demonstrates through fulfilled prophecy and the renewal of Israel testifies to our generation, the words of the Bible bend toward a literal interpretation. Jesus was literally born of a virgin, rode on a donkey, and died in a manner foreseen by the prophets. Jesus will reign for a literal one thousand years on the earth.

1) The Concept of a 1000-year Kingdom Existed in Jewish Understanding Before John

The idea that the kingdom of God will achieve its greatest fullness on earth before the world to come was not a new revelation to the apostles. The prophets spoke of it (Isa 2:2-6), the people in Jesus' days were looking for it (Luke 19:11), the disciples longed for it (Acts 1:6-8), and the apostles wrote about it, (Rev 20:6).   The concept of a Millennial Kingdom is not unique to the New Testament.  What is unique to John's writings are the sequence of events that precede and follow the fullness of the kingdom. The rabbis living around the time of John and the sages who lived after that time period widely held to the expectation that the reign of the Messiah on earth would last 1000 years. The Jewish Talmud records the following commentary in relation to this matter.

“Kattina said: “Six thousand years shall the world exist, and one [thousand, the seventh, it shall be desolate, as it is written, ‘And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.’” Abaye said: “it will be desolate two [thousand, as it is said, ‘After two days will he revive us: in the third day, he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.’” It has been taught in accordance with R. Kattina: “Just as the seventh year is one year of release in seven, so is the world: one thousand years out of seven shall be fallow, as it is written, ‘And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day,’ and it is further said, A Psalm and song for the Sabbath day, meaning the day that is altogether Sabbath and it is also said, ‘For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past.’” (Sanhedrin 97a)

Many Jews hold the seven-day creation week as a pattern for the history of mankind. The six days of God s creative hand rest represent the initial six thousand years that man will dwell on the earth beginning with Adam and the one day of rest that followed represents a thousand year Sabbath rest. The concept of a 7000-year world is derived from the words of David who wrote, “a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by,” (Psa 90:4).   Peter likewise said, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.“ (2 Peter 3:8).

2) Prophecy Remains for Jesus to Fulfill

Among its many purposes, the fullness of the earthly kingdom will provide an opportunity for all remaining prophecy to be literally fulfilled. Unfulfilled prophecy remain as one of the primary reasons the Jewish nation continues to reject Jesus as Messiah. These prophecies include:
(1) Gathering the dispersed tribes of Israel,
(2) Rebuilding the temple,
(3) Sitting on the throne of David,
(4) Ushering in national and world peace, and
(5) Teaching the commandments of the LORD to the entire world. 

There is a time coming when the descendants of Israel who have been scattered throughout the nations will be gathered and returned into the land of Israel. So great will be this future re-gathering that the experience will displace the annual remembrance of the Exodus.

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.” (Jer 23:7-8)

The promise of this regathering was foretold by Moses (Deut 30:1-5), retold by the prophets (Ezek 28:25-26)(Jer 29:14), and alluded to by Jesus who sought to gather the children of Israel, “just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings” (Luke 13:34). Scripture tells us that at the time of His return, Jesus will “send forth the angels and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven,” (Mark 13:27).

The idea of an earthly gathering of Jews to Israel runs contrary to the long held belief of many Protestants that Jesus will gather believers into a heavenly kingdom and the world will immediately end. The totality of scripture does not appear to support the traditional Church position. Among other remaining prophecy, Jesus is foreseen to build a literal temple foreseen by Ezekiel,

“Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD. Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the LORD, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne.” (Zech 6:12-13)

According to Jeremiah, the name of the Branch is, “The LORD our righteousness,” (Jer 23:5-6).

Building a temple at His return would be consistent with Moses who began constructing the tabernacle after he descended Mount Sinai following a second forty-day period on the mountain. Solomon also began to construct the temple early in his reign, in the second month of the fourth year, (1 King 6:1). The temple was completed seven and one-half years later in the eighth month of the eleventh year of Solomon’s reign, (1 King 6:38). Following this pattern, we would expect Jesus to construct the temple of Ezekiel’s prophecy shortly after He returns, (Zech 6:12).

Hosea speaks of the re-gathering, repentance, and “David their king.”

“For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. After the sons of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.” (Hos 3:4-5).

The prophecy of Hosea looks toward a time when the sons of Israel will return to the land and the throne of David will be restored, fulfilling the words of the prophets and the apostles, 

"David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel,” (Jer 33:17).

“For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, " All things are put in subjection," it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” (1 Cor 15:25-28)

Jesus has been a prophet, as His words in the Greek text testify. He now stands as our High Priest at the right hand of God interceding for His people, (Heb 4:15).  In the future, when the kingdom reaches its fullness, Jesus will return as King to rule the world,

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever… ‘We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.’” (Rev 11:15&17)

Because David’s throne was an earthly throne, we would expect the reign of Jesus as King to be an earthly reign. Scripture tells us that the reign of Jesus will continue until “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD” and “all things are subjected to Him.” Jesus earthly reign will conclude with the judgment of the creation before the Great White Throne followed by the end of death at the conclusion of the existing world.

3) Other Prophecy Appears to Have No Home Apart From The Kingdom 

Some prophecy simply cannot find a home in history absent the kingdom. Some of the more notable examples include:

“There will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying. No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed.” (Isa 65:19-20)

The words of Isaiah are difficult to foresee in a fallen world. When will there be a time when life is extended and the voice of weeping no longer be heard, but death will still reign? The explanation is the days of the kingdom.

“Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing." (Ezek 47:1&12).

The description of water flowing from under the threshold of the house is understood to be the Temple, often referred to as the “the house of God,” (Ex 34:26)(Luke 2:49). There is no recorded previous incident in scripture of water flowing under the threshold of the temple. Since John saw no temple in the world to come (Rev 21:22), the vision of John must occur before the new heaven and new earth.

One of the more concise summaries of the kingdom found in the prophets appears in the book of Isaiah.

"And I will make peace your administrators And righteousness your overseers. 18 Violence will not be heard again in your land, Nor devastation or destruction within your borders; But you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise. 19 No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory. 20 Your sun will no longer set, Nor will your moon wane; For you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And the days of your mourning will be over. 21 Then all your people will be righteous; They will possess the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified. 22 The smallest one will become a clan, And the least one a mighty nation. I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time." (Isa 60:17-22)

I long for this time in a world gone mad.

(almost finished - Scott)

Seek First the Kingdom - Part 12

(1) Creating Shalom Out of Chaos
(2) The Fall Brought Chaos Back Into Creation
(3) The Kingdom: God’s Plan to Restore Peace to the World
(4) Jesus Was Sent for This Purpose
(5) What is the Kingdom?
(6) Patterns of the Kingdom in Scripture
  - The Garden of Eden
  - The Wilderness
  - The Promised Land
  - The Kingdom of Solomon
  - The Days of the Apostles
(7) Attributes of the Kingdom
  - Prosperity and Joy
  - Peace
  - Righteousness
  - Holiness
  - Knowledge of the LORD (Part - 12)
(8) The Life and Ministry of Jesus
(9) The Millenium Kingdom
(10) The Believer’s Responsibility to Progress the Kingdom

ATTRIBUTES OF THE KINGDOM: Knowledge of God

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.” (Hab 2:14)(Isa 11:9)

Prosperity, health, long life, and peace are all given to provide the opportunity for the greatest gift of all, “full…knowledge of the LORD,” (Isa 11:9).

When the LORD’S kingdom on earth reaches its greatest fulfillment, “All your sons will be taught of the LORD,” (Isa 54:13). Jesus quoted this prophecy alluding to His own teaching saying, “It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught of God,’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me,” (John 6:45). Because the disciples were taught by God, “many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it,” (Matt 13:17).

Because the LORD Himself will be teaching mankind, “the earth will be full of knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” During these days, the words of Jeremiah will reach their greatest fulfillment,

"‘This is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.’" (Jer 31:33-34)

“Know” comes from the Hebrew word, “yada,” which means an intimate relationship, as in “Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain,” (Gen 4:1, ESV). So great will be the knowledge of the LORD in these days that all other times in history will pale in comparison. Jesus was alluding to this future time when he said, “I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he,” (Matt 11:11).   In what way will those in the kingdom be greater than John? One possible explaination is greater in knowledge of God, i.e., prophecy, as Jesus said, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see?…A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet,” (Matt 11:7-9).

The knowledge of the LORD will be great when the “Perfect comes,” a reference to Jesus (Heb 5:9).  In those days, prophecy will no longer be needed, as Paul has foretold,

“If there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away…For we know in part and we prophecy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with…For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.” (1 Cor 13:8-12).

The fullness of the kingdom is a time of miraculous transformation on the earth. Zechariah speaks both metaphorically and also physically about the world being changed “Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate,” (Zech 14:10). The knowledge of the LORD will be great “And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be one, and His name one,” (Zech 14:9).

(to be continued - Scott)

Seek First The Kingdom of God - Part 11

(1) Creating Shalom Out of Chaos
(2) The Fall Brought Chaos Back Into Creation
(3) The Kingdom: God’s Plan to Restore Peace to the World
(4) Jesus Was Sent for This Purpose
(5) What is the Kingdom?
(6) Patterns of the Kingdom in Scripture
      - The Garden of Eden
      - The Wilderness
      - The Promised Land
      - The Kingdom of Solomon
(7) The Days of the Apostles The Life and Ministry of Jesus
(8) Attributes of the Kingdom
      - Prosperity and Joy
      - Peace
      - Righteousness
      - Holiness (Part - 11)
      - Knowledge of the LORD
(9) The Millenium Kingdom
(10) The Believer’s Responsibility to Progress the Kingdom

ATTRIBUTES OF THE KINGDOM: Holiness

“It will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy — everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem.” (Isa 4:3)

“In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, ‘HOLY TO THE LORD.’ And the cooking pots in the LORD'S house will be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the LORD of hosts; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them. And there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts in that day.” (Zech 14:20-21)

In the days of the fullness of the kingdom, the entire city of Jerusalem, not just the temple, will become “holy to the LORD.” This is indicated by the fact that “bells of the horses” are holy, which means the horses are holy, along with "every cooking pot in Jerusalem and Judah." The city is made holy, “When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning,” (Isa 4:4). If everyone and everything in Jerusalem is “holy,” there can be no suffering or pain, which implies no death. The residents of Jerusalem must be the resurrected saints, as it says of those remains in Jerusalem, “everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem,” (Isa 4:3).

“Holiness” means “sanctification,” to be set apart for a specific purpose. Believers are called to “be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 11:44), a phrase that predominately appears in the Book of Leviticus because the priests served in the temple.  The priests become an example for believers and a pattern for the kingdom, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified,” (1 Thes 4:3).

“Therefore, ‘Come out from their midst and be separate,’ says the LORD. ‘And do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you,” (2 Cor 6:17).

A condition of holiness was the only condition that a person could approach the throne of God in His earthly temple. As such, the holy can not be interwoven with the common or unclean things (a metaphor for sinful acts) of this world. The New Jerusalem is described as a place where “nothing unclean, and no one who practices abominations and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life,” (Rev 21:27).

Zechariah comes very close to describing the New Jerusalem, “there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security,” (Zech 14:11). However, this Jerusalem will rise from the earth (Zech 14:10)(Isa 2:2), as contrasted with the New Jerusalem of John’s vision that is seen “coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God,” (Rev 21:10).

Whereas the New Jerusalem has “the glory of God,” the existing Jerusalem must be “washed” and “purged…by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning.” The prophesies of Isaiah and Zechariah speak of people “who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem (in war),” (Zech 14:16). These people will go up to Jerusalem every year “to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.” If the people of a nation fail to come up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Booths (Sukkot), they will have no rain.

It seems fitting to thank the LORD Who sent rain last night (7/18/12) in Indiana to save the crops in answer to Rich's prayer at Church.

(to be continued - Scott)

Seek First The Kingdom - Part 10

(1) Creating Shalom Out of Chaos
(2) The Fall Brought Chaos Back Into Creation
(3) The Kingdom: God’s Plan to Restore Peace to the World
(4) Jesus Was Sent for This Purpose
(5) What is the Kingdom?
(6) Patterns of the Kingdom in Scripture
- The Garden of Eden
- The Wilderness
- The Promised Land
- The Kingdom of Solomon
- The Days of the Apostles
(7) The Life and Ministry of Jesus
(8) Attributes of the Kingdom
- Prosperity and Joy
- Peace
- Righteousness (Part - 10)
- Holiness
- Knowledge of the LORD
(9) The Millenium Kingdom
(10) The Believer’s Responsibility to Progress the Kingdom

ATTRIBUTES OF THE KINGDOM: Righteousness

"’Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, 'The LORD our righteousness.'

Therefore behold, the days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when they will no longer say, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,' but, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.' Then they will live on their own soil.’" (Jer 23:5-8)

The prophets looked forward to a time when the nation of Israel will dwell in safety with the “David a righteous Branch…(who) will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.” Both Paul (Rom 14:17-18) and Isaiah (Isa 60:17) identified righteousness as one of the characteristics of the kingdom. The standard of righteousness in the kingdom is high, “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven,” (Matt 5:20).

In scripture, Noah is the first person who is called “a righteous man, blameless in his time,” (Gen 6:9). The passage provides a parallelism that defines righteousness as, “blameless in his time.” Abraham is accredited with righteousness based on what he did, “He believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness,” (Gen 15:5). The LORD through Moses further defined righteousness as being derived from obedience to the commandments of the LORD. Moses told the nation of Israel, “It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the LORD our God, just as He commanded us.” (Deut 6:25).

Righteousness is shown by the actions an individual performs.  Those actions must proceed from a sincere heart to produce righteousness.

“That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works.” (Rom 9:30-32)

Actions flowing from sincere hearts testify of the kingdom to the world around us. In the words of Paul, “The kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power,” (1 Cor 4:20). Words alone are insufficient; the kingdom is demonstrated by the collective actions of kingdom people. For this reason, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven,” (Matt 7:21).

What is “the will of My Father” and what is the standard of kingdom people?   In a righteous kingdom, the life of the king should be the pattern for his subjects living within the kingdom. So what is the standard by which the king of Israel lives and reigns in righteousness, (2 Sam 8:15)? The words of Moses tell us,

“When he (the king) sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of the law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It shall be with him and he shall read it all the day of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statues, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.” (Deut 17:18-20).

As the saying goes, “The President is not above the law.” Neither is the king.

The standard for righteous living in the kingdom for God’s people is the Law. In the words of Paul, “The Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good,” (Rom 7:13). This principle throughout scripture will be forever difficult for many believers to accept because we have been taught from the cradle that “Christians are not under the Law.” While the Gentiles where held to a lower standard than the Jews at the counsel of the elders in Acts chapter 15, scripture foresees the world moving in a direction toward greater obedience to the words spoken by Moses. Isaiah foretold of a future time, referred to as “the last days,” when,

“The mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths.’ For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war. Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.” (Isa 2:2-5)

This passage from Isaiah is a picture of the kingdom, a time when “they will hammer their swords into plowshares…And never again will they learn war.” During His reign, the Messiah as King, will both “teach us concerning His ways” and “judge between the nations.” The standard of teaching and judging will be the “the law (which shall) go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” This parallelism identifies the “word of the LORD” as the “the law.” If the entire world is moving toward a future time of obedience to the Law, it would be prudent for believers to study, understand, and begin to practice the commandments while we still reside in the age of grace. Even today, the Law remains “holy and righteous and good.” It is the weakness of the flesh that fails to keep the Law, as Paul has written, “What the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh,” (Rom 8:3). The “flesh” was the first century rabbinical answer to why people are unable to do the good God calls us to perform.

Moses referred to our present condition in the flesh as the “uncircumcised heart,” but promised a future time when, “The LORD your God will circumcise your heart…to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live,” (Deut 30:6).

Ezekiel also foretold of this future time when, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statues, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” (Ezek 36:26-27)

The promise of Ezekiel is that God will remove our disobedient heart of stone and give us an obedient heart of flesh. The process began with the giving of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Shavuot). The gift of the Spirit in the present age is not simply as a guarantee of our future resurrection, but He is given as a helper to enable the believer to overcome the evil inclination and “walk in My statutes…and …observe My ordinances,” i.e., obedience to the Law.

When believers walk in the statutes and observe the ordinances, “It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the LORD our God, just as He commanded us.” (Deut 6:25). In the words of Paul, “the man who practices the righteousness which is based on the law shall live by that righteousness,” (Rom 10:5). As the subjects of the kingdom become righteous (Isa 60:21), they bring the kingdom into fullness on the earth.

(to be continued - Scott)