Keywords: Leviticus, law of Moses
*****************************INTRODUCTION************************ In recent days, the children of the devil think they have gotten an iron clad argument to stump Christians. That's what we are going to talk about here. Two victims of this ploy have written me and I've heard of it being used on hellivision too. Some children of disobedience, sons of Belial, are giving Christians a list of "shocking" questions (along with a scripture reference) and asking why we no longer keep certain laws from the Old Testament. Christians are taken aback and the unbeliever says, "Gotcha!" Well, they ain't "Gotcha!"because ain't NO LIE iron clad. God says in the good ol' King James 1611-- Jeremiah 23:29 Is not my word like as a FIRE? saith the LORD; and like a HAMMER that breaketh the rock in pieces? As with all things, you've got to apply the word to this situation. You've got to read and understand the word. You've got to meditate on the word. Then you'll be AFFECTED with the word. When the word is in you, it will BURN UP and BUST UP *every* lie. On the other side of Jeremiah 23:29, the word is a PURIFYING FIRE and a HAMMER that will penetrate your hard head and make you REPENT. I may be saying "your" but I'm including myself. Ain't no human being outside of this thing. *******************THE EMAILS********************* This first email was received on 6-14-01 and the other on 6-27-01. See how the Lord works to confirm what He wants you to do? "To whom it may concern, I was recently discussing Leviticus 18:22 with a non-Christian. A few days later, she sent me this email and asked me to explain why, if Leviticus 18:22 is still relevent, the rest of the laws mentioned are not. Can you please help? Here is a copy of the email: 'Thank you all for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from you, and will try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I will simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other specific laws and how to follow them. 1. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev. 1:9. The problem is my neighbors They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them? 2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her? 3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual unseemliness - Lev. 15:19-24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offence. 4. Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians? 5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself? 6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10-, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? 7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here? 8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die? 9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves? [tracy's note: this is the same statement made on a hellivision show (I don't which one) a football ain't made out of pig skin.] 10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? - Lev. 24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14) I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging. Your devoted disciple and adoring fan.' Obviously, many of these are preposterous, but no explanation I give is good enough for her. Can you help me explain why Leviticus 18:22 is still the Lord's law? Thank you for your time and help." The following is email number two received 13 days later on 6-27-01: "I had a New Ager ask me how the Bible could have 'Thou shall not suffer a witch to live.' and of course the Commandment 'Thou shall not kill.' I have also had some rather embarrassing and direct questions REGARDING LEVITICUS (personal and marital habits...). I'm very sorry to say I was at a loss, and was greatly embarrassed by not being able to give a quick reply. Do you have any tips for me for questions of this type from unbelievers? I am trying so hard to understand." Don't worry sister, I can help you. I don't sit here to say I know all the answers, but my Daddy does. I run to Him and ask Him what I want to know. I'll even fast for an interpretation. As Joseph said, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" Go to the Father about my questions. He won't deny you. Ask and start looking for the answer. ***********************IN SEARCH OF AN ANSWER*********************** I do not often answer pompous hellbounds (or puffed up "Christians" either) but sometimes I do lest they should be wise in their own conceits. This answer is not for unbelievers, but for believers. It is not pithy but the bottom line is that you must distinguish between ceremonial law and moral law. That is the crux of this treatise. The Mosaic prohibitions such as not wearing mixed garments, not sowing mingled seed, and not gendering your cattle with a diverse kind HAVE A SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE. The same holds true of the Mosaic allowances. This is discussed later in this meditation... I pray that this short meditation will drive folks to want to know what the Bible MEANS. The King James Bible is not just a collection of stories. It ain't an anthology. It is a divine Booke with a divine message. All the knowledge we need to get to heaven is in one volume. Every WORD is important. You get an encyclopedia today and it has about 30 or 40 volumes--just to explain the observations of man. God's word has ONE volume. It was written over a period of about 1600 years by about 40 different men--yet it is in only ONE volume. Every one of those words is important. Let us look deeper into the word and get some understanding. Don't just go by what the various theological lines tell you--whether dispensationalism or pentecostalism. Having a teacher is a good thing, but you want a teacher that is led by the Holy Ghost and the King James Bible. No other combination. No Clarence Larkin and no Azusa Street. The Holy Ghost and the King James Bible. You also want to study to shew your own self approved and then you'll stop being a student and you will be a teacher. Now, back to answer our question, "Why don't we keep all the Old Testament laws?"... In looking at the Old Testament, we must distinguish between the CEREMONIAL and the MORAL law. When you read the word and meditate on these things, you will see the spiritual significance of the ceremonial law, why we don't keep ceremony, and why we do keep moral. I am not able to answer all these questions for you, but this treatise will help you start looking into the word and the Lord will give you revelation. Many Christians read the Bible by just flipping it open and whatever page it lands on that is where they read. Others will take a softie publication and read the daily devotion. That is all they do. We have to read WHOLE BOOKS. We have to KEEP reading WHOLE BOOKS. We got to get some understanding. God says His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. He goes on to say in Hosea 4:6, " because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." We have the Bible right in our house and we reject it by not reading it. People will read the corrupt newspaper for 2 hours and the Bible for 5 minutes. We don't have no word and we are not passing on the word to our children and they are forgotten of God--meanwhile we have them sitting in public school. We need the word. We have to read and STUDY to shew ourselves approved unto God. There is GREAT profit in this...and nobody can trick you... ***************************CEREMONIAL LAW**************************** CEREMONIAL law consists of the Old Testament sacrifices, clothing/dietary requirements, etc. Webster's 1828 defines ceremonial as-- CEREMONIAL, a. [See Ceremony.] 1. Relating to ceremony, or EXTERNAL rite; RITUAL; according to the forms of established rites....It is particularly applied to the forms and rites of the Jewish religion; as the ceremonial law or worship, AS DISTINGUISHED FROM THE MORAL AND JUDICIAL LAW. CEREMONIAL, n. 1. OUTWARD form; external rite, or established forms or rites, including all the forms prescribed; a system of rules and ceremonies, enjoined by law or established by custom, whether in religious worship, in social intercourse, or in the courts of princes. CEREMONIALLY, adv. According to rites and ceremonies; as a person ceremonially unclean; an act ceremonially unlawful. CEREMONIOUS, a. 1. Consisting of outward forms and rites; as the ceremonious part of worship. [In this sense, ceremonial is now used.] 2. Full of ceremony or solemn forms. CEREMONY, n. 1. Outward rite; EXTERNAL FORM IN RELIGION. A ceremony is outward, symbolic, a figure, a type. The Old Testament is full of ceremonies (termed "figures" in the book of Hebrews or "works of the law" in Galatians). The outward rituals (like washings and sacrifices) were imposed on the people until the time of reformation (ref. Hebrews 9). The reformation is KING JESUS! Old testament sacrifices only purified men to the sanctifying of the flesh and had to be repeated over and over again. BUT the blood of Jesus sanctified your spirit, changed your mind, gave you new sight, King Jesus came down to GET IN YOUR SOUL, IN YOUR MIND. This is the mystery of God which was kept secret from the foundation of the world. Christ IN YOU the hope of glory. We don't need nothing external, King Jesus wrapped it all up. No more ceremonial law. The time of reformation has come and CHRIST HIMSELF is the END OF THE LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS TO EVERYONE THAT BELIEVETH (Rom 10:4). I ain't got to kill no birds, goats, sheep, bullocks, lambs, nothing. The blood of Jesus ushered in the New Testament and we don't need no more ceremony, hallelujah! In fact, trying to keep the ceremony is an offense to God (read books like Galatians for understanding). The ceremonial laws were instituted to give us spiritual types and pictures. The New Testament book of Hebrews will bust this idea WIDE OPEN for you. When you understand this, you will read the word with different eyes. The Bible is not just a collection of accounts. There are spiritual realities behind the accounts. Our awesome Lord uses the physical to demonstrate spiritual realities. The physical helps our feeble brains understand the things we cannot see. Here are a FEW examples-- **The OT blood sacrifices of animals for sins PICTURES the NT sacrifice of Jesus and His blood cleansing sin. See http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/blood.htm **The physical OT temple PICTURES the NT teaching that WE are the temple of the Holy Ghost. **The city of Jeruselem is on an hill, true Christians are an city set upon an hill Moses lifted up a brass serpent on a pole (those that looked at it were saved--those who didn't, perished), Jesus on the cross (those that look will live, all else will perish)--see John 3:14 **Israel in bondage in Egypt, we are in bondage to the world (spiritual Egypt) **OT physical kingdom of Israel, in the New Testament kingdom of God which is a spiritual kingdom that cometh not with observation, lo the kingdom of God is within you. **OT carnal priesthood, the Levites. NT a spiritual priesthood, the believer. **OT the holy city was a physical place, Jerusalem. We are looking for the new Jerusalem, the holy city, COMING DOWN FROM GOD OUT OF HEAVEN, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. **OT veil of the temple represented the the flesh of Jesus. (Heb 10:19-20) **Israel made carnal warfare, we make spiritual war (II Cor 10:4) **Law written on stone, NT law written on heart by the Spirit of the living God **Physical Canaan the promised land, NT our promised land is heaven **Carnal priests to mediate for the people, Jesus Christ the Great High Priest I could go on and on with this list. There ain't no way I could understand these spiritual realities without physical examples that God has given me. How could I understand the kingdom of God if I didn't know what a king was? How could I understand spiritual warfare if I didn't know about physical war? How would I know about taking the kingdom of heaven by holy violence if I didn't know about waring conquests? Our King in His TENDER care, makes us to understand great eternal realities--this applies only to the people of faith who are seeking Him in the way of holiness. All else will not understand--they can't. In our Bible reading, we oftentimes want to skip over the book of Leviticus because contains many laws, procedures, and rituals governing life in Israel. We trudge through it and don't even know the significance of the book. I published a short meditation on Leviticus on the website (back in 1997, http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/study.htm) and in that meditation, I stated that the key verse of the book of Leviticus is-- Leviticus 11:47, To make a difference between the unclean and the clean... A related scripture is 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. The ceremonial laws taught us to make a difference between clean and unclean. If I did not have this physical reality, how could I understand something invisible, the spiritual? The Lord was teaching people that there is a difference in things. Some things are clean some are unclean. Some things are holy some profane. Ezekiel lets us know we are to discern between the two. For instance, Leviticus 19:19 says don't let "thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee." What is this saying? God hates a mixture. Don't mix holy with unholy. The ceremonial law contains all types of commands and prohibitions concerning food. But the book of Acts says all animals are now clean and can be eaten. Instead of people trying to keep the law (which only dishonours Christ), they need to be finding out what all this means. **************************THE MORAL LAW**************************** The Old Testament moral law is confirmed, and expounded, in the New Testament. THE MORAL LAW TRANSCENDS BOTH TESTAMENTS. It tells us RIGHT AND WRONG conduct and character. Right and wrong is defined only by God. Sin is the transgression of GOD'S LAW. Right and wrong is not relative, it is not ephemeral and fleeting, it is not based on majority vote--God is the Author of right and wrong. Right and wrong is found in the moral law of the Bible. The Bible term for "moral law" would be "the law of God". The moral law...It is good and right to worship God ALONE. It is wrong to lie, steal, kill, commit adultery and sodomy, etc. Ain't none of this changed. It remains the same generation after generation no matter what country you are from. Moral law prescribes our social duties such as "thou shalt love thy neighbor" and "thou shalt not kill", as well as our internal attitudes--thou shalt not covet. Moral law is not a rite or a ceremony. Many false prophets tell you to go back and do the works of the law. To understand this and contend with it, read Galatians. Many false prophets tell you that you will be a slave to sin all the days of your life. To understand this and contend with it, read Romans chapters 6, 7, and 8 CONSECUTIVELY. Folks take one scripture out of context to tell you you will always be under bondage to sin. Note in these passages the following distinctions law of God law in my members law of my mind law of sin and death law of the Spirit Consider what Brother Paul says "and the Lord give thee understanding in all things." Here are few excerpted definitions from Webster's 1828-- MOR'AL, a. [L. moralis, from mos, moris, manner.] 1. ...has reference to the law of God as the standard by which their character is to be determined. The word however may be applied to actions which affect only, or primarily and principally, a person's own happiness. 2. Subject to the moral law and capable of moral actions; bound to perform social duties; as a moral agent or being. 4. Conformed to rules of right, or to the divine law respecting social duties; virtuous; just; as when we say, a particular action is not moral. 7. In general, moral denotes something which respects the conduct of men and their relations as social beings whose actions have a bearing on each others's rights and happiness, and are therefore right or wrong, virtuous or vicious; as moral character; moral views; moral knowledge; moral sentiments; moral maxims; moral approbation; moral doubts; moral justice; moral virtue; moral obligations, &c. Or moral denotes something which respects the intellectual powers of man, as distinct form his physical powers. Thus we speak of moral evidence, moral arguments, moral persuasion, moral certainty, moral force; which operate on the mind. Moral law, the law of God which prescribes the moral or social duties, and prohibits the transgression of them. MORAL'ITY, n. The doctrine or system of moral duties, or the duties of men in their social character; ethics. The system of morality to be gathered from the writings of ancient sages, falls very short of that delivered in the gospel. 1. The practice of the moral duties; virtue. We often admire the politeness of men whose morality we question. 2. The quality of an action which renders it good; the conformity of an act to the divine law, or to the principles of rectitude. This conformity implies that the act must be performed by a free agent, and from a motive of obedience to the divine will. This is the strict theological and scriptural sense of morality. But we often apply the word to actions which accord with justice and human laws, without reference to the motives form which they proceed. MOR'ALLY, adv. In a moral or ethical sense; according to the rules of morality. By good, morally so called, bonum honestum ought chiefly to be understood. 2. According to the rules of the divine law. An action is not in strictness morally good, which does not proceed from good motives, or a principle of love and obedience to the divine law and to the lawgiver. Charity bestowed to gratify pride, or justice done by compulsion, cannot be morally good in the sight of God. *********************************CONCLUSION********************************** This article is really for believer's to help them understand the word a little better. I know what it is like to be speechless or clueless. We get saved, we get out there and try to speak a word in the name of Jesus but our understanding is small. Sometimes we just receive something we've never heard of before. When you don't know the answer the response is, "I don't know, but I believe in the Lord." Amen. That is why in the whole armour of God it says ABOVE ALL taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quence ALL the fiery darts of the wicked. You may not know the answer but you know God is true and EVERY man a liar. Your attitude has to be "I don't care what you say, I believe in the Lord!" Then start looking for the answer to your question. As we get off hellivision and keep studying war (I ain't talkin' carnal), we get strong. I remember when I was an unclean kid I saw a ridiculous movie called, "Rambo". All I remember was shooting. The world always setting somebody up as a big tough guy but the REAL war is in the SPIRITUAL REALM. The real tough guy is the man equipped with THE WORD. I'm talking King James 1611 tight doctrine. I'm talking about the man of God, for real. A man who is about his Father's business. That man gets me stirred up and galvanized for further action. When know the word and look into at the devil's devices, we are performing a reconnaissance mission. I apply the word up on that error, it gets busted up and POWs get loosed by the blood of Jesus! Yes, JESUS IS THE HERO. Come on, now Christian soldier, let us remember these things. The enemy is arming his troops. They shooting, don't get me wrong, I intimately know that. But I also know how to take a bullet in the chest and keep on going. King Jesus will fix you up and keep you on the battlefield. You may be hurtin' but you'll be alright. It ain't unto death it is unto life. This article is not for hellbounds to convince them of anything. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him; NEITHER CAN HE KNOW THEM for they are spiritually discerned. This article is to equip the Christian, help them with their understanding, add to their arsenal, and to warn them of this tactic of the enemy. Without faith it is impossible to please God for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM. for Jesus' sake, tracy -- http://www.jesus-is-lord.com ...I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD. And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. Ezekiel 2:4, 6
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