~ According To God, What Can We Eat? ~

This question has puzzled me for years. The Old Testament has stated that everything moving that lives shall be food just as the green plants, but then, Moses conveys to the Israelites not to consume certain animals. 

All scripture references are from the Authorized King James Version of the Bible and the lost book of Barnabus.

Scripture Reference Color Chart
Emphasis	Jesus	Reference

As stated above, God says that everything he created is good. In Genesis, chapter one and two, as God created the heavens and all that exists on this earth, he labeled them as good. In Genesis chapter nine, God emphasized that all animals were for our consumption.

Genesis 9:3

3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

Then Moses comes along and conveys to the Israelites not to consume certain animals. Why?

Deuteronomy 14:7-21

7 Nevertheless these ye shall not eat. .. ; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney:.....

8 And the swine, ..., it is unclean unto you.......

9 These ye shall eat . . . all that have fins and scales...:

10 And whatsoever hath not fins . . . is unclean.....

11 Of all clean birds ye shall eat,

12 But these . . . shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,. 

13 And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture . . .

14 And every raven after his kind, 

15 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk . . .

16 The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,

17 And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant,

18 And the stork, and the heron....., and the lapwing, and the bat.

19 And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you:. . .

20 But of all clean fowls ye may eat.

21 Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself; ..... . .Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

Most of the books in the Bible contain information symbolic of what is to come. The books of Daniel and Revelation are just two examples. In those books there are dreams and visions of beasts with different types of heads. The beasts and heads represent people and nations. (See Daniel chapter 7.) Even when Jesus spoke in parables, there was always a deeper meaning in what he had to say, all of it concerning the kingdom that is to come or the people here on earth.

In the New Testament God also offered "unclean animals" to Peter in a vision, saying that all that God has purified he (Peter), shall not call unclean.

Acts 10:10-15

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 unto him, ... a great sheet...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 . . . I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

15 And the voice spake . . ., What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common (or unclean).

In the first book of Timothy it also states that in later times some shall depart from the faith, . . .commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created. Today those individuals are called Vegans.

I Timothy 4:1-5

1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2 Speaking lies . . .:

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.

Is there some sort of symbolic meaning in what Moses conveyed to the Israelites? To get a better understanding of the scriptures and the contradiction that is presented, I referred to one of the lost books of the Bible named Barnabus and discovered that there is symbolism in abstaining from certain animals.

In the book of Barnabus chapter nine, an explanation is given for what took place when Moses was speaking to the Israelites and what message was being given to the people.

Barnabus 9:1-10

1 But why did Moses say, "Ye shall not eat of the swine, neither the eagle nor the hawk; nor the crow; nor any fish that has not a scale upon him? Answer that in the spiritual sense, . . .   

2 Besides which he says to them in the book of Deuteronomy, "And I will give my statues unto this people." Wherefore it is not the command of God that they should not eat these things; but Moses in the spirit spake unto them.

3 Now the sow he forbade them to eat; meaning thus much; thou shalt not join thyself to such persons as are like unto swine; who whilest they live in pleasure, forget their God; but when any one pinches them, then they know the Lord; as the sow when she is full knows not her master; but when she is hungry she makes a noise; and being again fed, is silent.

4 Neither, says he, shalt thou eat the eagle, nor the hawk, nor the kite, nor the crow; that is thou shalt not keep company with such kind of men as know not how by their labour and seat to get themselves food: but injuriously ravish away the things of others; and watch how to lay snares for them; when at the same time they appear to live in perfect innocence.

5 (So these birds alone seek not food for themselves, but) sitting idle seek how they may eat of the flesh others have provided; being destructive through their wickedness.

6 Neither, says he, shalt thou eat the lamprey, nor the polypus, nor the cuttle-fish; that is, thou shalt not be like such men, by using to converse with them; who are altogether wicked and adjudged to death. For so those fishes are alone accursed, and wallow in the mire, nor swim as other fishes, but tumble in the dirt at the bottom of the deep.

7 But he adds, neither shalt thou eat of the hare. To what end? To signify this to us; Thou shalt not be an adulterer; nor liken thyself to such persons. For the hare every year multiplies the places of its conception; and so many years as it lives, so many it has.

8 Neither shalt thou eat of the hyena; that is, again, be not an adulterer, nor a corruptor of others; . . .

9 For which cause also he justly hated the weasel to the end that they should not be like such persons who with their mouths commit wickedness by reason of their uncleanness; nor join themselves with those impure women, who with their mouths commit wickedness. . .

10 Moses, therefore, speaking as concerning meats, delivered . . .to them in the spiritual signification of those commands. But they . . , understood him as if he had only meant it of meats.

Once again, the message given was concerning people. When God showed Peter the vision in the book of Acts, it correlated to what happened to him once he awakened and was requested to visit a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion (a Gentile). Peter realized that the vision showed him that God has the capability to cleanse not just the Jews but the Gentiles, also. Once Peter spoke to the people that were in Cornelius' home, they were filled with the Holy Ghost. Then Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. In Acts chapter eleven, when Peter was in Jerusalem, some individuals that were circumcised asked him why he ate with the Gentiles, since Jews were not supposed to eat with the Gentiles. He told them about the vision and the fact that the Holy Ghost fell on those that heard the word.

Acts 11:16-17

16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.

17 Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?

In the book of Matthew, Jesus explains that it's not what goes into the mouth that defiles you, it's what comes out. Because of the misunderstanding of what was spoken by Moses, even the people during the time of Jesus did not understand the true meaning of clean and unclean animals until he explained it.

Mat 15:10-11, 17-20

10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:

11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

Referring back to I Timothy 4:4-5 (above), everything that we consume is considered good if we thank God for the food. If you have the faith, then you will know that the food is sanctified by God's word not Satan's idols. So, even if you may be in a situation in which you can not wash your hands before taking part in a meal, through your prayer of thanksgiving, God is pleased with the fact that you recognize who is supplying the food and that we are grateful to be able to receive it. He looks out for his children by sanctifying what we are about to consume, even in an atmosphere that may not be the cleanness.

Romans 14:14, 17, 20, 22-23

14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.

22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.

23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Paul also explains in the book of First Corinthians, about eating food. The foods that were sacrificed to God, versus idols. Let's take a good look at what Paul is saying in the verses.

I Corinthians 10:14-33

14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.

Paul begins explaining what we should already know. There is one true God and we are to worship only him, not idols. Paul is also going to explain something that only a wise man can understand.

16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

Once Jesus Christ was sacrificed for us, the first covenant in which there were animal sacrifices no longer applies. Jesus is the last sacrifice for mankind. His blood was spilled to save us all. The wine representing the blood of Christ and the bread representing the body of Christ must be credited to God. Who loves us so much that he gave his only begotten son? God. We are supposed to remember the sacrifices that God has made for us each and everyday. Instead of sending his son, he (God) could have sent his wrath upon us as in the days of Noah and the flood. We are supposed to remember God each time we sit down and thank God for (bless) what we eat and/or drink. Anything that is consumed should be blessed before consuming it, which includes snacks such as soda, cookies, and medicine, also. What better way to dine than to consume what God has sanctified?

17 For we being many are one bread, and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread.

Even though there are still people today that believe in other gods, there is an opportunity for them to convert and worship the one true God. When Jesus came to spread God's word, he talked with anyone that would listen so that they could partake of the blessings that God has promised.

18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partaker of the altar?

Paul is trying to make a very important point in verse eighteen. The Israelites would make sacrifices to God and the Levites were allowed to consume that which was offered (Leviticus chapters six and seven), because it was offered to the true God, not the false gods.

19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?

For those that have questions or doubt what is being said by Paul, he asks them questions. Is he trying to insinuate something about idols or the food that is sacrificed to them? Let's see!

20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

The Gentiles sacrifice to false gods and false gods are of the devil. We are not supposed to associate with the devil or anything that contradicts God's commandments of worshiping him.

21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

This refers back to verse 16 (above). You can not drink from the cup of Christ (his blood), which is part of God's promise to us for life eternal, if you are making the request of a false god. You can not partake of the the food on God's table if you are asking blessings from the devil.

22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

Paul asks the people about provoking the Lord to jealousy. God stated in the Old Testament that he is a jealous God  and doesn't want us to bow down to graven images. (Exodus 20:4-5) Do we have more power or strength than our creator? We should not want to provoke God to jealousy because we should love him first and recognize him as the one true God. Paul is asking the people these questions so as to place some emphasis on what God thinks of those that do provoke him and think they are stronger than God.

23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

This is not the first time Paul has stated that all things are lawful for him. (I Corinthians 6:12-20) In chapter six Paul is also speaking of all food being good for consumption emphasizing that the body is not meant for immorality. God raised the Lord and will raise us up by his power. But in order to be raised, we have to recognize;

• the one true God by edification, 

• our bodies are a member of Christ (because of his sacrifice),

• becoming one spirit with the Lord,

• not sinning against your own body since we are God's temple. (I Corinthians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 6:16)

24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.

Staying on the subject, Paul is talking about the wealth that comes with the promises that God has given. When worshiping him, you gain wealth in more ways than just money, as others may assume. He is not telling you to steal from another. He is still speaking in reference to praying to idols and expands on the meaning of seeking another's wealth.

25 Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake:

25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. (New American Bible, J. G Ferguson Publishing Co., 1971)

To understand this versus better, I referred to another translation because of the word shambles. Sometimes going to the market can be like going to a shamble, especially when the weatherman calls for snow! The laws of Moses specified a certain way for the Jews to kill an animal so it would still be considered clean. Here, Paul is saying not to worry about the meat or raise any question on the ground of conscience. Why? Let's read further.

26 For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.

This statement goes back to what God has been saying from the beginning. God created everything and with it the blessings that are ours to have by following his commandments.

27 If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.

If anyone request your company at a feast, and you go, eat what is placed before you, asking no question for conscience sake. Now why is he emphasizing, "for conscience sake"? Let's read more!

28 But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof:

If someone says to you that the food had been offered to idols, don't eat it for his sake, the one that told you. Once again he says, "for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof:". Once again an over emphasis of conscience, the earth being the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. 

29 Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?

The emphasis is not your own conscience, but that of the other. The question Paul puts forward is about his liberty to eat and judgment by another because of what he is eating. If we can consume all of God's creatures, there should be concern for those that do not understand the reason for blessing (thanking God for) your food.

30 For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?

By blessing his food (being in God's grace by edifying him), why should someone speak evil of Paul for doing what is right. If the other person thinks it's OK to consume something sacrificed to an idol, Paul would be giving the wrong impression to the person that pointed out the information to him. ( I Corinthians 8:7-13) Even if food is offered to an idol, as long as you thank God for it, God sanctifies the food, if you have the faith. Idols which come from Satan, make no promise to purify what we consume.

31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Paul tells everyone to glorify God in whatever you eat or drink or do each day.

32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

Because there are those that have no knowledge of God's grace and edification, do not offend them by eating food sacrificed to idols. Nor are you to offend the church by offering food to idols.

33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

This verse refers once again to I Corinthians 8:7-13. Because there are those that do not understand or do not have the same faith as Paul, it is not proper to consume food offered to idols because you may be giving others the impression that it is OK to worship other gods. It is more pleasing to step away from the food for conscience sake, than to cause another person to fall into sin because they didn't understanding edifying God and receiving his grace. With seeing Paul step away from the food, it may cause others to realize that they too should be worshiping God instead of Satan's idols.

Conclusion:

There are many books that are referenced in the Bible that have not been found or were left out of some of the different versions that we now read today. But, if you search for the truth, with God's help, he will lead you in the right direction. It was no accident that you found this web site! Some of the books that are considered "lost", are really not of value for spiritual insight, but, with God's guidance, you can find what you are searching for.

As the scriptures explain, it is OK to consume any of the animals God created, as long as you thank him (God), for what you are eating. Remember while you are eating that the drink is the blood of Christ and the bread is the body of Christ. Ask no questions about where the food and drink came from. You are not to consume food that has been sacrificed to other gods if others point out this fact. It is not because the food and drink was sacrificed to other gods since you're going to thank God for what's in front of you, but to prevent the weak in mind from getting the wrong impression. Others may think that it is OK to consume food sacrificed to idols and that causes them to commit a sin, whereas excusing yourself from the table shows others that you should not be worshiping idols. Having you as a roll model may cause others to want to know more about the true God and the proper ways to worship him.

As I stated on Quest 5, Lack of knowledge in any area can destroy you. Search out the truth for yourself. Do not, I repeat, do not depend on most of the churches to teach you the truth. As you read some of the other quests on this web site you will discover that most of the churches aren't following God's commandments and placing you in sin right along with them.

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