Spiritual Sognificance of Clean And Unclean Creatures

The Spiritual Significance Of Clean And Unclean Creatures

For Entire Book Click: Epistle Of Barnabas

Comments: By Peter James followed by an excerpt from the Epistle of Barnabas.

Although the precise meaning of some of the verses in the Epistle Of Barnabas

are not very clear, as often happens with the change of the meaning of words, over time,

the principle is very clear indeed.

This is one of many books that which has a wealth of information,

which can greatly help our spiritual maturity.

We can see that the various creatures on land, sea and in the air have characteristics,

beyond being just scavengers, as some are.

Leviticus 20:25 Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean,

and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast,

or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground,

which I have separated from you as unclean.

Throughout the entire bible you see the Eternal God separating His people from those who

are not His.

Negative even abominable qualities as displayed by the unclean creatures are utterly unacceptable

to the Eternal God, and he does not want us to be associated with people who have these qualities,

and neither must we promote, elevate or copy them.

Of course this sets yet another huge dilemma for those who distort Peter’s vision,

regarding the gentile Cornelius to claim that no unclean creatures any longer.

They ignore the fact that Peter said that his vision referred to people and not the actual eating of animals.

Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said,

Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

Acts 11: 9 But the voice answered me again from heaven,

What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

If we study the character of the animals which represent some of the tribes of Israel,

we can learn a great deal about the character of these tribes of Israel.

Genesis 49:9 Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up:

he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

Genesis 49:14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:

Genesis 49:17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path,

that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.

Genesis 49:21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.

Genesis 49:27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey,

and at night he shall divide the spoil.

Christ said of Herod that he was like a ‘fox’.

When foxes get in a chicken house they kill for pleasure.

They do not simply kill what they need to eat.

Luke 13:31 The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him,

Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.

32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils,

and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

I will use the example of dogs to emphasize their use to highlight totally unacceptable

qualities and behaviour.

According to the Leviticus 11 definition dogs, are unclean.

Therefore we should not eat dogs, and neither should we emulate their natural behaviour.

The following is an awful indictment against people who claim to be servants of God.

We see the unfaithful shepherds likened to dogs, in the Old and New Testament.

Isaiah 56:10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs,

they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.

Isaiah 56:11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds

that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

Paul says:

Philippians 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

(i.e the mutilation or, false circumcision)

We see Christ linked dogs and swine in the very same uncomplimentary sentence.

Matthew 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine,

lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

From this we see that we need to be very careful to whom we try to give the precious Truth,

with which we have been blessed and entrusted.

You must do this as the Holy Spirit leads you, therefore you need to pray for discernment.

See the document Sheep and Goats.

In the following verse we see that Christ’s enemies at His crucifixion are called dogs, and wicked.

Psalm 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me:

they pierced my hands and my feet.

In the following verse we see the conclusion of what happens to people who are defined as dogs.

Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments,

that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers,

and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

The sad end of ‘dogs’ is that they have no part in the New Jerusalem – Eternal life.

In Genesis, the book of beginnings, we see Satan referred to as a serpent.

Genesis 3: 1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field

which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman,

Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

In Revelation the conclusion of the bible we see that the serpent has matured to an old serpent, a dragon.

Revelation 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan,

and bound him a thousand years,

Conversely the people of God are called ‘sheep’.

The important lesson which we can learn from this study is that

from the time of the fall of Adam, up to today not a single creature has had its character changed.

It just has not happened.

This is an inevitable insurmountable problem for most of Christianity,

who play games with the Scriptures, because as Barnabas additionally shows there are far greater

spiritual lessons to be applied.

Yes, we must not eat unclean creatures, but neither are we to emulate or associate with people whom these

creatures represent.

For example the animals which were vicious and blood thirsty are all exactly the same today.

Those that had filthy habits like eating their own dung, they still do that.

Rabbits are an example of this, but these are sold as food.

This is the reality of what rabbits do when they eat.

The food they eat goes right through the rabbit, and is passed out as a special type of dropping.

These are re-eaten, and can now nourish the rabbit as they have already been partly digested.

Therefore we need to pay careful attention to the spiritual lessons which we can learn

from what Leviticus 11 tells us about clean and unclean creatures.

We are told that in the future the character of the animals will be changed.

Isaiah 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;

and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

Isaiah 65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like

the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy

mountain, saith the LORD.

However, this does not mean that then they will be food.

We can see the commandment to separate ourselves in our conduct and behaviour from unbelievers

throughout the entire bible.

Ezekiel 44:23 And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane,

and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,

and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

This is not an intellectual matter.

Rather it is one that will determine our very existence at these end times.

Therefore we should pay careful attention to what is said here.

Revelation 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Epistle of Barnabas

Barnabas 9:8

He who placed within us the innate gift of His covenant knoweth; no man hath ever learnt from me a

more genuine word; but I know that ye are worthy.

Barnabas 10:1

But forasmuch as Moses said;

Ye shall not eat seine nor eagle nor falcon nor crow nor any fish which hath no scale upon it, he received

in his understanding three ordinances.

Barnabas 10:2

Yea and further He saith unto them in Deuteronomy; And I will lay as a covenant upon this people My

ordinances. So then it is not a commandment of God that they should not bite with their teeth, but

Moses spake it in spirit.

Barnabas 10:3

Accordingly he mentioned the swine with this intent.

Thou shalt not cleave, saith he, to such men who are

like unto swine; that is, when they are in luxury they forget the Lord, but when they are in want they

recognize the Lord, just as the swine when it eateth knoweth not his lord, but when it is hungry it crieth

out, and when it has received food again it is silent.

Barnabas 10:4

Neither shalt thou eat eagle nor falcon nor kite nor crow.

Thou shalt not, He saith, cleave unto, or be

likened to, such men who now not how to provide food for themselves by toil and sweat, but in their

lawlessness seize what belongeth to others, and as if they were walking in guilelessness watch and

search about for some one to rob in their rapacity, just as these birds alone do not provide food for

themselves, but sit idle and seek how they may eat the meat that belongeth to others, being pestilent in

their evil-doings.

Barnabas 10:5

And thou shalt not eat, saith He, lamprey nor polypus nor cuttle fish .

Thou shalt not, He meaneth, become like unto such men, who are desperately wicked, and are already

condemned to death, just as these fishes alone are accursed and swim in the depths, not swimming on the

surface like the rest, but dwell on the ground beneath the deep sea.

Barnabas 10:6

Moreover thou shalt not eat the hare. Why so?

Thou shalt not be found a corrupter of boys,

nor shalt thou become like such persons; for the hare gaineth one passage in the body every year;

for according to the number of years it lives it has just so many orifices.

Barnabas 10:7

Again, neither shalt thou eat the hyena;

thou shalt not, saith He, become an adulterer or a fornicator,

neither shalt thou resemble such persons. Why so? Because this animal changeth its nature year by

year, and becometh at one time male and at another female.

Barnabas 10:8

Moreover He hath hated the weasel also and with good reason.

Thou shalt not, saith He, become such as those men of whom we hear as working iniquity with their mouth

for uncleanness,

neither shalt thou cleave unto impure women who work iniquity with their mouth.

For this animal conceiveth with its mouth.

Barnabas 10:9

Concerning meats then Moses received three decrees to this effect and uttered them in a spiritual

sense; but they accepted them according to the lust of the flesh, as though they referred to eating.

Barnabas 10:10

And David also receiveth knowledge of the same three decrees, and saith; Blessed is the man who hath

not gone in the council of the ungodly--even as the fishes go in darkness into the depths; and hath not

stood in the path of sinners--just as they who pretend to fear the Lord sin like swine; and hath not sat

on the seat of the destroyers--as the birds that are seated for prey. Ye have now the complete lesson

concerning eating.

Barnabas 10:11

Again Moses saith; Ye shall everything that divideth the hoof and cheweth the cud. What meaneth he?

He that receiveth the food knoweth Him that giveth him the food, and being refreshed appeareth to

rejoice in him. Well said he, having regard to the commandment. What then meaneth he? Cleave unto

those that fear the Lord, with those who meditate in their heart on the distinction of the word which

they have received, with those who tell of the ordinances of the Lord and keep them, with those who

know that meditation is a work of gladness and who chew the cud of the word of the Lord. But why that

which divideth the hoof? Because the righteous man both walketh in this world, and at the same time

looketh for the holy world to come. Ye see how wise a lawgiver Moses was.

Barnabas 10:12

But whence should they perceive or understand these things? Howbeit we having justly perceived

the commandments tell them as the Lord willed. To this end He circumcised our ears and hearts,

that we might understand these things.

For Entire Book Click: Epistle Of Barnabas

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