(01/13/2020) The Meat That Perishes

Today, reply is on why Christians no longer observe dietary and other prohibitions that are recorded in the Old Testament. The covenant of Moses (we also say, the law) was provided as a “perpetual” covenant. Even so, GOD promised Israel that a new covenant would be made extending to the Gentiles, and to all mankind. While the demands of divine law and eternal purpose remain unchanged, how the living acknowledge, express and fulfill the law is now different. Mature Christian believers acknowledge the fulfillment of the divine promise for new covenant by the life, ministry, death on the cross, resurrection, and ascension into heaven of Jesus Christ along with men on the earth receiving the Holy Spirit. Where Jesus taught that man lives not by bread alone, rather, by every word that proceeds from the mouth of GOD, he also was declaring that life as a spirit process must come into view, not a carnal, material process such as eating and drinking. The word from divinity is to be understood as an appearance of the person and substance of GOD. By his word, GOD is active and present in the form of breath, life essence, speech and spirit. It is written: John 6: 47-54, King James Version (KJV): 47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 48 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. Acts 15: 28-29, KJV: 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. One of the fighters in the “Yahoo! Answers” public forum on Religion & Spirituality using the ID “Anonymous” (no profile data appears) posted the following:

Why do Christians drink alcohol and eat pork when it's prohibited in the old testament?

THE GOLDEN ARROW: Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. (John 6: 26-29, KJV)

THE DOUBLE DAGGER: The Place to Start (12/23/2019); Not By Bread Only (02/22/2019); Fed From The Altar? (06/19/2017); GOD’s Peculiar People (12/11/2016); Rebuked, And Not Baptized? (10/22/2015); Pork, A Stumblingblock? (03/06/2015); Salvation is Conditional? (01/30/2014); Lower-case or Capital? (01/31/2014)

“Anonymous”, there are those who argue that Jesus was a vegetarian, yet, mature Christian believers trust that Jesus regularly ate the lamb of Passover, and would have shared portions from such family sacrifices as calves and bullocks offered in thanksgiving. Many Christian believers, today, trust that the ancient dietary laws and Judaic ordinances (e.g., circumcision; observance of feasts and festivals; performing ritual washings to remove uncleanness; prohibitions against entering the home of a Gentile) that challenged the early church have been satisfied through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, and outpourings of the Holy Spirit. In addition to the multiple streams of truth that release the followers of Jesus from pursuing justification by obeying the “letter” of the law, the doctrine of Jesus is that men are to manifest and make visible righteousness, and the spirit imparted from the makeup of GOD that resides within all sacred law. A gathering of the apostles was held in Jerusalem to resolve the rifts and quarrels that began to appear over Gentile believers being required to behave as Jews, and over believers sharing food with their family and close friends that had been offered to idols. The outcome was four principles to be observed among both Gentile and Jewish believers. Consider the following that uses language from the Bible along with a selection from the music ministry of John Michael Talbot:

(1.) Ecclesiastes 3: 9-13, King James Version (KJV): 9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? 10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. 11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. 12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. 13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

(2.) 1^st Corinthians 10: 31, KJV: 31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

(3.) Acts 15: 18-20, KJV: 18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. 19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: 20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

(4.) Colossians 2: 16-23, KJV: 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. 18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. 20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

(5.) Romans 8: 1-9, KJV: 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

There is far more that should be said, correctly examined, and spiritually apprehended. (For example, (6.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG9T8UmN6VY.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.

Image downloaded 2:15 AM, January 13, 2020 @ https://i.pinimg.com/736x/90/0c/12/900c124f2dcc41e2bd0a761033755064.jpg

THE BLACK PHOENIX

Washington, DC

(06/22/2018) A "Feel Good" Lifestyle?

Today, the reply focuses on moderation, sobriety, and whether there are “feel good” aspects of becoming and serving as a mature Christian believer.  Contentment, pleasures, and the fulfillment of ones sexual aspect are not denied to the people of GOD, yet, the church founded by Jesus Christ is to be “the evidence of things unseen.”  An important lesson from the Scriptures concerning appetite and conscience declares:  Romans 14:  22-23, King James Version (KJV):  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.  Where Christian believers become members of a church congregation, they agree to obey a code of conduct, follow counsel and guidelines from clergy and the appointed leadership as well as to perform specific duties that are required to continue in good standing (e.g., attend business meetings re church finances; participate in fund raising; pickup and distribute church fliers and programs).  Christian believers all are sinners called to repentance and a new life wherein they serve as priests and kings of the divine kingdom Deity is establishing upon the earth.  Every sinner must become transformed through life events and operations by divinity (e.g., cleansing, healing, repentance, sanctification) that may require their entire lifetime, and that will be completed for some only in an instant at the appearing of Jesus Christ.  A fighter in the “Yahoo! Answers” Religion and Spirituality forum who uses the ID “?” (Level 1 with 231 points, a member since February 06, 2018) posted the following:

Would a life style with out any stimulants benefit you as a person or drive you crazy?

E.g no TV, no technology , no drugs / alcohol nothing that gives you "a feel good " boost. Just drinking water when thirsty and eating a light healthy meal when hungry. For fun or hobbies you could do something creative such as read or draw, or exercise.

THE GOLDEN ARROW:  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also:  knowing that tribulation worketh patience;  And patience, experience; and experience, hope:  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.  (Romans 5:  1-5, King James Version, KJV)

THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  Rendering Our Reasonable Service (06/15/2018); Christianity Is A Relationship (04/05/2018); A Matter of Conscience (04/07/2017); How Is Flesh Evil? (10/28/2016); Material Things in Heaven? (11/10/2016); The Witness of Conscience (09/23/2016); Freedom of Foul Speech (09/10/2014); Dating and Worship? (09/11/2014)

“?”, there is a great deal of diversity among the lifestyles and daily living routines of those who turn to Jesus Christ hoping to receive a new life from their Creator.  There are various principles and standards shared within the body of Christ (the church) that have been derived from divine law, sacred practices, and wisdom from the Scriptures.  Examples include regularly gathering and sharing fellowship with like-minded believers (e.g., attending church, Bible study, working to complete necessary tasks); Sabbath-keeping; praise within ones congregation; prayer in the home; evangelism, missions, and prison ministry; visiting shut-ins and those who are sick; and heartfelt worship.  Differences in age, commitment, sacred knowledge, secular knowledge, and spiritual maturity make it that there is no single set of attitudes, behavior, and disciplines that will be displayed by everyone in any given situation.

Those who become “born-again” in baptism (i.e., death, burial, and resurrection of the inborn spirit) must “grow up again.”  Their goal should be to acknowledge their own accountability, to become Christ-like, and to maintain self-government under the authority of GOD.  Sinners are to become developing believers who must mature/ripen to be harvested from the earth at the Advent of Jesus Christ (we also say, his appearing; the Rapture; the Second Coming).  All must meet “growing pains” and the life challenges that come by living on the earth.  Included can be bereavement, disappointments, duty (things you must carryout and perform, like it or not), hardship, sacrifice, and suffering.

The fresh endowment of spirit substance imparted from the makeup of divinity shields and strengthens a new believer, as they discover, gradually grow, undergo permanent change, and serve as true vessels of divinity, offspring of GOD, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.  Inseparable aspects of the divine makeup are received such as balance, discernment, faith, forbearance, holiness, joy, longsuffering, lovingkindness, oneness without sameness, restraint, wisdom, and wrath against sin.  These working together transform otherwise confusing, mundane, or painful life experiences in a way that allows the believer to operate as having assurances and certain victory, even though there are still obstacles and threats to be overcome, and they may still be in the midst of a storm.  Consider the following that uses language from the Bible:

(1.)   Proverbs 23:  29-35, King James Version (KJV):  29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?  30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.  31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.  32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.  33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.  34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.  35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not:  when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

(2.)  Romans 6:  3-5, KJV:  3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:  that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

(3.)  Romans 14:  13-21, KJV:  13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more:  but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.  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.  15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.  16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:  17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.  19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.  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.  21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

(4.)  Philippians 2:  12, KJV:  12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

There is far more that should be said, correctly examined, and spiritually apprehended.  (For example, (5.)  Revelation 21:  7-8, KJV:  7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.  8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone:  which is the second death.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.

THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(06/19/2017) Fed From The Altar?

Today, focus is on the provisions of GOD to nourish and sustain Moses and the generation forced to wander in the wilderness.  While animals from the flocks and herds carried out of Egypt were used when making offerings and sacrifices, in general, they were regarded as “seed” that would be planted in the new homeland, and could not be used for regular meals to feed the people.  Moses, the tribes of Jacob, and the mixed multitude (Gentiles) did not wander within a “desert”(an arid region covered by sand); yet, the area was barren, with sparse vegetation, uncultivated, and uninhabited.  The fighter at “Yahoo! Answers” using the ID “STEVAN” (Level 4 with 3,374 points, a member since October 17, 2007) posted the following:

What did Moses and his gang eat in the desert when they were wandering about in it?


THE GOLDEN ARROW:  Egypt was glad when they departed:  for the fear of them fell upon them.  He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.  The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.  He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.  For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.  (Psalms 105:  38-42, King James Version, KJV)


THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  The Generation That Wandered (06/14/2017); Acknowledging the Divine Presence (02/22/2017); Material Things in Heaven? (11/10/2016); The Loaves and Fishes (08/09/2016); Christ Brought A New Nature? (07/15/2015); My Soul Shall Be Satisfied (10/08/2014); Salvation Before Christ? (06/24/2014); All Sins Are Equal? (06/25/2014)


“STEVAN”, the account of those fed in the desert foreshadows the Incarnation and coming of Jesus Christ.  Correctly understood, all those who would become the covenant people of GOD carried out of Egypt would eat food from the holy altar, and the “table of GOD” in heaven.  In addition to receiving a portion of the burnt offerings and other sacrifices using their own livestock, there was the annual Passover meal, the falling of manna (called the “bread of heaven” and “angel’s food”) each morning except the Sabbath as well as a miraculous provision of millions of quail.  This was in line with the tribes of Jacob being sanctified and exalted as special to GOD above all people on the earth.  Those who expressed lack of faith would be condemned to all wander and die in the wilderness; however, their children and heirs (left behind as orphans) would be granted the privilege to receive adoption by GOD, and enjoy the fulfillment of the divine promises.  Consider again the following from the Bible:

(1.)  Deuteronomy 14:  1-3, King James Version (KJV):  1 Ye are the children of the LORD your God:  ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.  2 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.  3 Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.

(2.)  Numbers 14:  1-4, KJV:  1 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.  2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron:  and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!  3 And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?  4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

(3.)  Numbers 11:  18-23, KJV:  18 And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt:  therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.  19 Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;  20 But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you:  because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?  21 And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.  22 Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?  23 And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD’s hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.

(4.)  Deuteronomy 1:  34-40, KJV:  34 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,  35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers.  36 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD.  37 Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.  38 But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither:  encourage him:  for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.  39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.  40 But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually apprehended.  (For example, (5.)  John 6:  26-33, KJV:  26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.  27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you:  for him hath God the Father sealed.  28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?  29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.  30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?  31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.  32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.  33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.

THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(12/11/2016) GOD's Peculiar People

 

Today, topics include access to divinity, acceptable animals for food and worship, and prohibitions against eating pork.   What began as the specific provisions to nourish life upon the earth would be reconfigured to serve as a mechanism to repair the relationship of oneness without sameness between the Creator and the created.  Inseparable aspects of the spirit content within the full GODhead would be imparted to indwell and transform mankind such as faith, forbearance, forgiveness, holiness, joy, love, purity, and truth.  Confirmed believers are to maintain themselves as fit and ready to receive, now, the emblems of bread and wine that transmit the sacred blood and body of Jesus Christ, and, later, to receive the Savior at his appearing (we say, the Advent, the harvest, the Rapture, the Second Coming).  The writer at “Yahoo! 7 Answers (Australia) using the ID “William” (Level 1 with 1 point, a member since November 08, 2016) posted the following:

 

Can gentiles eat pork? but its only forbidden for Jews and musslims?

 

THE GOLDEN ARROW:  O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.  But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself:  the LORD will hear when I call unto him.  Stand in awe, and sin not:  commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.  Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.  (Psalms 4:  2-5, King James Version, KJV)

 

THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  Material Things in Heaven? (11/10/2016); Become Like Jesus Christ? (10/27/2016); More Than Food and Drink? (04/12/2016); Pork, A Stumblingblock? (03/06/2015); To Drink Holy Blood? (02/16/2015); Denying GOD by Eating Shrimp? (11/17/2013); The Dead in Christ? (11/18/2013)

 

“William”, it has been found that worms may be transmitted through pork as food, through the bare feet, through the eyes, and in other ways that are epidemic.  Even so, mature Christian believers generally hold that the Bible disciplines, laws, and teachings on diets and food have all been established in new light through the ministry of Jesus Christ:  The spirit content of a person must become recognizable as an appearance of inseparable substance from GOD (e.g., faith, holiness, longsuffering, lovingkindness, wisdom, wrath against sin).  At Creation, all living were to be nourished through the soil by grains, herbs, plants, seeds, and the fruit from trees.  Following the sin of the first pair, Adam, a divine curse was placed upon the ground in order to benefit mankind.  Later, when Noah entered the ark, he did so as a priest (one anointed to make offerings to GOD, such as praise, prayer, atoning blood), a prophet or spokesperson of GOD, and a vessel to preserve divine law, not merely as a fugitive from the flood.  Two classes of animals were identified, those that could be brought to the altar as offerings and sacrifices (the clean, fit) and those that should never be used in sacred service (the unclean, unfit).  After the flood, the eating of animals was permitted, as was the lawful killing of those who would murder.  Men would also be separated for service on the basis of their fitness and purity; and through the covenant of Moses, a detailed tradition of Levitical law would emerge on maintaining ones fitness and readiness for sacred service.  Even such things were addressed as correctly recognizing leprosy infections, the menstrual cycle of women, nocturnal emissions (wet dreams) among men, differences for restoring women to the congregation following the birth of female and male children, and quarantine for those displaying discharge, mucus, and pus from sexually transmitted diseases.  Consider again the following:

(1.)  Deuteronomy 14:  1-7, King James Version (KJV):  1 Ye are the children of the LORD your God:  ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.  2 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.  3 Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.  4 These are the beasts which ye shall eat:  the ox, the sheep, and the goat,  5 The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.  6 And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat.  7 Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney:  for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you.

(2.)  1st Peter 2:  6-10, KJV:  6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious:  and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.  7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious:  but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,  8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient:  whereunto also they were appointed.  9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;  10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God:  which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually apprehended.  (For example, (3.)  Romans 8:  5-9, KJV:  5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:  for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.

THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(04/12/2016) More Than Food and Drink?

Today, points are shared on the importance and meaning of the blood and water that flowed from the side of Jesus upon the cross.  Divinity is being made knowable and known through the Creation.  The death of Jesus must be understood as more than simply a sacrifice to atone for the sin of mankind.  The Savior’s death and resurrection pertain to all that endures and exists, the living with their future generations, and all that may contain spirit content from GOD (e.g., events, practices, proclamations, promises, prophecy).  The ministry and work of Jesus has been one of continuing in agreement and unity with GOD, establishing testament in his blood, proclaiming the law of divine love, and producing a new creation.  In the first putting forth of the universe, divine life essence with the consciousness and self-will of mankind was to reside in a material body that has organs and tissues to carry out specific functions.  To maintain energy and health within this body, man must regularly have cleansing, nourishment, refreshment, and rest.  Going beyond meeting ones needs for survival, sharing food and water also can be the expression of compassion and love.  Development and growth for mankind as a carnal being progresses from birth, to aging, maturation, and completing mortality.  Through the spiritual provisions of divinity, mankind as a spirit being may know divine inheritance, perfection, rebirth, renewal, resurrection, sanctification, and eternal life as well.  Readers are encouraged to consider the following Scriptures and the presentation below:

John 6:  53-56, King James Version (KJV):  53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.  54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.  55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.  56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

James 2:  14-20, KJV:  14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?  15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,  16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?  17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.  18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works:  shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.  19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well:  the devils also believe, and tremble.  20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Matthew 25:  42-46, KJV:  42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat:  I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:  43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in:  naked, and ye clothed me not:  sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.  44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?  45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.  46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment:  but the righteous into life eternal.

The fighter at “Yahoo! Answers” using the ID “Rachael” (Level 4 with 3,540 points, a member since December 08, 2015) posted the following:

 

Christians, is water really necessary?

Why can't we rely on Gods spirit for drink and food?

 

THE GOLDEN ARROW:  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  And God said, Let there be light:  and there was light.  And God saw the light, that it was good:  and God divided the light from the darkness.  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.  And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.  And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament:  and it was so.  And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.  And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear:  and it was so.  And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas:  and God saw that it was good.  (Genesis 1:  1-10, KJV)

 

THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  The Cross and Creation (03/24/2016); The Bread of GOD (03/01/2014); Belief, Faith, and Proof (03/02/2014); According to the Eternal Purpose (11/20/2012); Henceforth, Of This Fruit (11/21/2012); Unexceptional Beginnings (11/22/2012)

 

“Rachael”, answering your question with an eye to the cross where Jesus Christ was crucified, essential elements for life and existence are identified in the blood and water that gushed from the Savior’s side when he was thrust with a spear by one of the Roman guards.  Trust that, despite separation by time and space, through operations of the Holy Spirit, blood and truth from the cross are reaching to here and now.  For many mature Christian believers, blood is crucial to atonement and sacrifice for our sin, because it is the vehicle that distributes and transports life essence (we say, breath, spirit, word).  However, all things that exist do not contain life, and the entire Creation must be purchased and recovered by GOD.  Conceptual (ideas) and material being, form, and presence allow created beings and living creatures to focus their consciousness and self-will in such a way that they may become attached to, exchange, and interact with their sphere of life (we also say, environment) and all it may contain.  The living engage objects through such features as appetite, sensation, emotions, and mind (we say, the flesh).  The origin or preexistence for our physical reality is described from GOD as being “waters”; and we take this to mean, chaos or flux (i.e., continually changing, multiple streams of unidentifiable and undifferentiated substances that are not aspects of divinity).  The makeup of Deity was inseparable spirit matter that included faith, holiness, joy, longsuffering, personness, righteousness, wisdom, and wrath against sin.  Even with the continuing appearance of Jesus incarnate (i.e., in human form), GOD continues to be the fullness of all spirit substance.  In accordance with the eternal purposes of the Creator, mankind is now in an ongoing process to enable humanity to continue as an immortal, incorruptible companion to divinity.  Consider how this is stated using language from the Bible in the following verses:

(1.)  Romans 14:  16-18, King James Version (KJV):  16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:  17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

(2.)  Matthew 6:  24-26, KJV:  24 No man can serve two masters:  for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.  25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?  26 Behold the fowls of the air:  for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

(3.)  2nd Peter 3:  3-7, KJV:  3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,  4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.  5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:  6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:  7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

There is far more to be said, understood, and spiritually apprehended.  (For example, (4.)  1st John 5:  4-9, KJV:  4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world:  and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.  5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?  6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.  7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost:  and these three are one.  8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood:  and these three agree in one.  9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater:  for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.

THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(03/06/2015) Pork, A Stumblingblock?

Today, focus is upon the Christian response to prohibitions against eating foods and continuing practices that once separated believers as unclean (we say, unfit) for participation within the congregation, and for uninterrupted service to GOD.  Carnal being (we say, existence as an animal; existence in the flesh) is dependent upon involuntary and mechanical operations such as appetite (e.g., hunger, thirst, sexual cravings), elimination (e.g., bleeding, discharge, sweating, vomiting to remove poisons from the body), sensation (e.g., hearing, seeing, tasting, touching) and emotion/mental functions (e.g., anger, fear, imagination, recall).  By contrast, inner spirit vital to ones existence is built up, cleansed, edified, and nourished only through operations of divinity such as atonement, forgiveness, rebirth, and repentance.  While the holy writings record that food and drink have been used repeatedly as instruments for sacred admonition, comfort, communion, healing, judgment, revelation, and sanctification, strictness regarding diet and foods is not to be an obstacle against coming to GOD through Jesus Christ.  More important is a believer holding to the principles of salvation, and righteousness through faith as taught in the Scriptures.  (For example, see Ephesians 2:  8-9, Romans 4:  3-25 and 1st Corinthians 20-29, KJV).  A fighter at “Yahoo! Answers India” using the ID “CoolCat” (Level 1 with 63 points, a member since August 24, 2012) made the following thrust:


Why christians eat pork? Leviticus 11:7?


THE GOLDEN ARROW:  Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof.  And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day:  from time to time shalt thou eat it.  Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin:  from time to time shalt thou drink.  And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.  And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.  Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted:  for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.  Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow’s dung for man’s dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.  Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem:  and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment:  That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.  (Ezekiel 4:  9-17, KJV)


THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  Denying GOD by Eating Shrimp? (11/17/2013); The Dead in Christ? (11/18/2013); Destroyed in Noah’s Flood? (04/28/2013); Both Born Holy? (04/29/2013); Henceforth, Of This Fruit (11/21/2012); Unexceptional Beginnings (11/22/2012)


“CoolCat”, many of those acknowledging the authority of the Scriptures are guided by the following points from the holy writings that may clarify for you Christian belief and practices about diet and foods:

(1.)  Romans 14:  1-4 (KJV):  Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.  2 For one believeth that he may eat all things:  another, who is weak, eateth herbs.  3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth:  for God hath received him.  4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up:  for God is able to make him stand.

(2.)  Romans 14:  13-18 (KJV):  13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more:  but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.  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.  15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.  16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:  17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

(3.)  Acts 11:  5-10 (KJV):  5 I was in the city of Joppa praying:  and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me:  6 Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.  7 And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat.  8 But I said, Not so, Lord:  for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth.  9 But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.  10 And this was done three times:  and all were drawn up again into heaven.

(4.)  1st Timothy 4:  1-7 (KJV):  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 in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;  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.  6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.  7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.

There is far more to be said, correctly understood, and properly apprehended.  (For example, (5.)  Romans 14:  20-23 (KJV):  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.  21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.  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.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith and spiritual maturity.

THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(02/25/2015) How Do You Know?

Certainty, peace of mind, and Scriptures that are the foundation for our belief that we will live eternally with Christ are in view, today.  The fighter at “Yahoo! Answers” using the ID “Super Duper Pious Man” (Level 2 with 664 points, a member since December 30, 2014) attacked using the following:


Christians, how do you know that you going to be going to heaven? What if you forget to repent for a sin?

Update: You could go to hell for eating shellfish, then when you forget you'll be in hell right next to me! Don't worry I save you a spot in the shallows


THE GOLDEN ARROW:  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.  (1st John 1:  5-10, KJV)


THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  A Guarantee of Heaven? (03/22/2014); The Bible is Unchanging? (03/23/2014); Genuine Repentance? (03/24/2014); When Is A Law The LAW? (03/25/2014); Saul of Tarsus (03/26/2014); A Golden Ticket? (11/30/2012); And This Was Good News (12/01/2012); Does Everyone Go To Heaven? (10/28/2012); Magick and Prayers? (10/29/2012)


“Super Duper Pious Man”, Christian believers depend upon revelation and sacred knowledge in the forms of divine promise and prophecy such as the following:

(1.)  Numbers 23:  19, KJV:  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent:  hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

(2.)  John 4:  23-24, KJV:  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth:  for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  24 God is a Spirit:  and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

(3.)   John 14:  1-3, KJV:  Let not your heart be troubled:  ye believe in God, believe also in me.  2 In my Father’s house are many mansions:  if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

As with all the things dealing with divinity, there is far more to be said, correctly understood, and spiritually apprehended.  (For example, (4.)  John 17:  24-26, KJV:  24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me:  for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.  25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee:  but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.  26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith and spiritual maturity.

THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(02/23/2015) Deliverance A Benefit Of Salvation?

Today, points are shared showing that the removal of bad habits, self-destructive behavior and uncleanness also are necessary aspects of salvation.  Many Christian believers continue to be challenged by health problems associated with diet, food, and poverty; and the many divine operations for our salvation along with our transformation to continue with Christ as immortal and incorruptible are not yet completed and fully in place.  The sacred gifts that have been received include those that equip believers to abide and persevere (e.g., forgiveness, joy, longsuffering, patience).  Presently, those who are born again have only an earnest of the Spirit, (we say, a good-faith deposit; a down-payment; an installment; an initial portion) of what we are to receive that establishes eternal life.  Even so, believers are given enough to continue in such ongoing process for permanent change as acquiring spiritual knowledge, fellowship among the elect, practice of sacraments, praise, and prayer.  A fighter at “Yahoo! Answers” using “quaz” as their ID (Level 7 with 66,639 points, a member since February 26, 2010) attacked using the following errors:


Why do christians have the notion that giving up some harmful activity is the same as salvation?  

true they have the experience. but god's activity of saving has nothing to do with our experience.


THE GOLDEN ARROW:  For we are saved by hope:  but hope that is seen is not hope:  for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities:  for we know not what we should pray for as we ought:  but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called:  and whom he called, them he also justified:  and whom he justified, them he also glorified.  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?  Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.  (Romans 8:  24-34, KJV)


THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  Masturbation and Religion? (02/01/2015); Life Choices (12/14/2013); That Mortal Children Die? (12/15/2013); Salvation is Conditional? (01/30/2014); Lower-case or Capital? (01/31/2014); What Salvation Is (01/25/2014); Bible Justice? (01/26/2014); GOD Intervenes? (07/01/2013); Lot and the Angels (05/04/2014); Expulsion from Eden (05/05/2014); Jericho Justified? (07/02/2013); When Jesus Comes Back? (04/19/2013); What’s The Way Out? (04/20/2013)


“quaz”, here are a few points to consider based upon the platforms for stable Christian belief that appear in the holy writings.  All believers are called to perform service and work that require soundness of body, mind and spirit:

(1.)  From Mark 12:  26-27, KJV (26 And as touching the dead, that they rise:  have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?  27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living:  ye therefore do greatly err.)  The many eternal purposes of divinity for created beings and living creatures are understood as agreeing in a putting forth of existence, life, active presence, and unique person.

(2.)  From Mark 12:  29-31, KJV (29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:  30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:  this is the first commandment.  31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.)  Continuing relationship is to appear through covenant, exchange, interaction, and sharing made possible by the living serving as vessels of spirit content from the makeup of Deity.  Included are such aspects of divinity as faith, forgiveness, holiness, joy, longsuffering, love, wisdom, and wrath against sin.

(3.)  From 1st Corinthians 6:  12-13, KJV (12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient:  all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.  13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats:  but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.)  Addictions, extremes of appetite, and unclean habits result from bondage to sin that opposes acknowledgment of divine law, the Law Giver, the processes of health and wholeness for the living, the processes for praise and worship, and the continued existence of a universe maintained through divine order.

(4.)  From 1st Corinthians 6:  18-20, KJV (18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.  19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  20 For ye are bought with a price:  therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.)  Sexual joining is always on multiple levels such as the emotional, the physical, the psychological, and the spiritual.  For this reason, ones inborn spirit may become confounded and defiled through the unseen spirits within a sex partner.

There is far more to be said, correctly understood, and spiritually apprehended.  (For example, (5.)  From 1st Corinthians 3:  16-17, KJV (16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?  17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.)  Believers must acknowledge the uninterrupted presence of GOD within.  Granting deliverance and life more abundantly, Christ also is known as “the Chainbreaker” having authority and power to release the spirit within believers from all conflicting and destroying influences.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith and spiritual maturity.


THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(12/17/2014) Atone, Judge and Replenish

Today, more is shared on the change to eating flesh and other conditions for mankind upon the earth following the fall and the flood.  The problem of sin is more than simply one of absentmindedness, defiance, discourtesy, feelings, or rebellion on the part of Adam as a being created to contain divine substance from a god of judgment.  Thus, a priesthood yoked to that of heaven, and the church as a companion to divinity were provided upon the earth.  The duty of mankind was to atone, live, multiply, praise, replenish, and worship.  The error committed by Adam and Eve is seen repeated through their offspring Cain, Esau, and others.  Through the operations of sin, changes occurred, first, upon the level of mankind’s awareness and self-will, next at the level of appetite and desire, then, at the level of mankind’s spirit content.  The duty of man gradually became to atone, judge, and replenish.  Those who served as priests received a portion from the holy sacrifices; however, what they ate did not infuse them with righteousness as would their acknowledgement and obedience of the imparted spirit from GOD.  Man must internalize and pursue divine mechanisms for decision-making, self-examination, and self-correction.  The changes within the inner human makeup resulting from sin also required changes for the outer conditions that would allow relationship with divinity to continue.  Saying this another way:  To avoid the total destruction of Creation initiated by sin, aspects of the earth, of heaven, and of the entire universe also would have to be changed.  For example, the tool of sleep used to prepare a female from the rib of the male would become the divine tools of death, rebirth, and resurrection.  Abundance and plenty, dearth and scarcity of food became unmistakable indicators of divine favor or displeasure.  Blood—already a carnal device used in divine atonement that would signal cleansing and forgiveness from sin—would become the tool indicating the further sacred dimensions of existence, judgment, and life.  Until the time when GOD would appear in flesh as Jesus Christ, divine visitation and revelation would go forward only through the appearance of divine agents (e.g., angels, apostles, judges, kings, prophets), holy writings, living congregations, prayer, and sacred events (we say, miracles, signs, visions, wonders).  Social instruments such as family, government, inheritance, language, marriage, and ownership of property would be altered to do more than simply populate the earth; they would be made to serve in its transformation from mortal to immortal, from corruption to incorruption.  The use of men as avengers and deliverers in divine judgment—that later was practiced as an ungodly, unlawful call for blood, human warfare—was introduced through the new covenant granted Noah along with living in fortified cities, and men exalted as rulers (we say, chieftains, princes, kings).  GOD, eternal purpose, and the expressed will of GOD (we say, divine law) remain unchanged and immutable, yet, every aspect of Creation is being re-ordered and transformed.  As surely as he suffered and died upon the cross, by regularly eating the lamb of Passover and receiving portions of the fatted calf in celebration feasts, Jesus was further established as author of the new divine covenant that would be granted as a testament in his blood and body.


THE BATTLE AXE:  The Covenant of Noah? (12/16/2014)

Revelation 21:  5, KJV—And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write:  for these words are true and faithful.

Genesis 1:  27-31, KJV—So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it:  and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.  29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.  30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat:  and it was so.  31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Genesis 4:  1-9, KJV—And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.  2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.  4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:  5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.  6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?  7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.  8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother:  and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.  9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not:  Am I my brother’s keeper?

Psalms 50:  12-15, KJV—If I were hungry, I would not tell thee:  for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.  13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?  14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:  15 And call upon me in the day of trouble:  I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Genesis 10:  6-12, KJV—And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.  7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah:  and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.  8 And Cush begat Nimrod:  he began to be a mighty one in the earth.  9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD:  wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.  10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.  11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,  12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah:  the same is a great city.

Micah 5:  5-7, KJV—And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land:  and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.  6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof:  thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.  7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.

Hosea 14:  1-3, KJV—O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.  2 Take with you words, and turn to the LORD:  say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously:  so will we render the calves of our lips.  3 Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses:  neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods:  for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.

Genesis 25:  27-34, KJV—And the boys grew:  and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.  28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison:  but Rebekah loved Jacob.  29 And Jacob sod pottage:  and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:  30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint:  therefore was his name called Edom.  31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.  32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die:  and what profit shall this birthright do to me?  33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him:  and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.  34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way:  thus Esau despised his birthright.

Genesis 27:  1-10, KJV—And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son:  and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.  2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:  3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;  4 And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.  5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.  6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,  7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death.  8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.  9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:  10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.

Exodus 10:  14-16, KJV—And the locust went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt:  very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such.  15 For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left:  and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.  16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.

Psalms 141:  3-5, KJV—Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.  4 Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity:  and let me not eat of their dainties.  5 Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness:  and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head:  for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.

Hebrews 12:  15-17 , KJV—Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;  16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.  17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected:  for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Exodus 12:  20-22, KJV—Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.  21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.  22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.

1st Peter 1:  18-21, KJV—Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;  19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:  20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,  21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

1st Corinthians 5:  7-13, KJV—Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:  8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.  9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:  10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.  11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.  12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?  13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

1st Corinthians 6:  1-11, KJV—Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?  2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?  3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?  4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.  5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?  6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.  7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?  8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.  9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived:  neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,  10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.  11 And such were some of you:  but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Romans 8:  18-23, KJV—For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.  19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.  20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,  21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.  23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Proverbs 23:  1-8, KJV—When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:  2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.  3 Be not desirous of his dainties:  for they are deceitful meat.  4 Labour not to be rich:  cease from thine own wisdom.  5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.  6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:  7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:  Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.  8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

Romans 14:  16-18, KJV—Let not then your good be evil spoken of:  17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

Hebrews 2:  9-11, KJV—For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.  6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him?  7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:  8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.  10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.  11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one:  for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Hebrews 9:  17-21, KJV—For a testament is of force after men are dead:  otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.  18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.  19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,  20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.  21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

1st Corinthians 10:  13-21, KJV—There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:  but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.  14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.  15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.  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?  17 For we being many are one bread, and one body:  for we are all partakers of that one bread.  18 Behold Israel after the flesh:  are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?  19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?  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.  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.

1st Corinthians 11:  20-29, KJV—When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper.  21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper:  and one is hungry, and another is drunken.  22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? what shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.  23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:  24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat:  this is my body, which is broken for you:  this do in remembrance of me.  25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood:  this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.  26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.  27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.  29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

Matthew 7:  2, KJV—For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged:  and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Deuteronomy 25:  1-3, KJV—If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.  2 And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number.  3 Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed:  lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.

1st Corinthians 11:  31-34, KJV—For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.  32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.  33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.  34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.

2nd Corinthians 5:  14-21, KJV—For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:  15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.  16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh:  yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.  17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:  old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;  19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.  20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us:  we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.  21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

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