Ezekiel 44:23-24 23And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. 24And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.
We are commanded as preachers and pastors to put a difference between the holy and the profane, the clean and the unclean. We are living in a day where spiritual leaders are so timid and unsure of what is clean and unclean. And there seems to be so much confusion and gray area. Remember, God’s people look like Jesus. They are focused on doing the will of God. In this time God is taking away the gray area so His people can see in black in white. Today we are going to look back to the schoolmaster, the law, in order to learn about spiritual realities and principles. So that we can have a proper understanding of God’s expectations and demands to be holy and separate from heathens and fake christians.
God has chosen us to be above all the people of the earth Deuteronomy 7:6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. ( The righteous is more excellent than his neighbor: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.)
Why are we above? Why are we more excellent than our neighbor? Because God has set us apart, cleansed us, and taught us to walk in the way of the upright. This is the way of holiness and cleanliness. Keeping the ways of the Lord is our priority. We are commanded to separate from people who are not Clean. The bible says to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers and to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.
Ezra intercedes for the people after mixing in and becoming unclean Ezra 9:10-12 10And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments, 11Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. 12Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.
Again Israel mixed in with the people around them and was defiled 2 Kings 17:7-18 7For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, 8And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. 9And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. 10And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: 11And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger: 12For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. 13Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. 14Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God. 15And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them. 16And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 17And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. 18Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
The priest was to separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness Leviticus 15:3131Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them. ( We are living in the days of the defiled temple. No respect and Honor for the House of God, sin in the camp! Psalms 71:1 O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.)
God separates the lepers from the Camp of Israel Leviticus 13:45-46 45And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. 46All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be. (Leprosy represents being unclean or being in sin. Just like in Joshua’s day where God expected there to be no sin in the camp, God expects us to keep the lepers outside the camp today.)
Expel the wicked man 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 9I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10Yet 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. 11But 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 idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. (This is talking about brothers that claim Jesus but are unclean. If they will not repent we must put them away that the rest of us is not defiled.)
Clean and unclean Food
Disclaimer: The dietary laws in the Bible were given to teach the people about spiritual realities. Remember that God teaches us the spiritual things that we do not see by natural things we see and understand. And through these examples God teaches us about the unseen realities of the Spiritual Realm. God never said that He gave these dietary laws for health benefits, like so many claim. No, it was always a schoolmaster to bring the people to Christ. So when we come to Christ we are no longer under the school master. Paul teaches new covenant believers in 1 timothy 4:3-4 that false teachers are 3Forbidding 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. 4For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 5For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. So New covenants believers are not restricted by old covenant restrictions. These ordinances have been nailed to the cross and if we are in Christ we are not held by them. Praise the Lord!
Clean and Unclean Food / What it represents Leviticus 11:1-3 1And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, 2Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. 3Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is cloven footed, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat. (This has a greater meaning if you look a little deeper. What does it mean “Whatsoever parteth the hoof”? It means there is a separation in the hoof. Whatever is not separated unto God is not clean to eat. We see an example of this in Revelation 2:20 20”Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.” What we can learn from this is that anything that is not an acceptable sacrifice to God, whether it be teaching or worship, is unclean and is not fit for saints to eat. Also, the animal must chew the cud. I believe this represents someone who chews on the word of God constantly. Not in a legalistic way that is bondage. But a man that is dedicated to keeping the word before him daily, meditating on the word day and night. Paul said that the word of God would be working in us mightily. This is someone that is consumed with God’s Word and very satisfied!)
Clean and Unclean Fish Leviticus 11:9-12 9These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat. 10And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: 11They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination. 12Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you. (Why were they not allowed to eat fish without scales? Scales provide protection and covering for the fish. The scales act as an armor so it protects the fish from outside threats. In this same way it is teaching us not to eat things that does not have God’s protection and covering.
Unclean Birds Leviticus 11:13 talks about not eating these ABOMINABLE FOWLS. The abominable fowls represent people that are spiritual but not really saved. These fall into four distinct kinds.
1) The predators | 3) The birds of night |
2) The scavengers | 4) Creeping birds |
Revelation talks about the unclean birds Revelation 18:1-2 1And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. (False teachers and religious devils on every side!)
Creeping thing Leviticus 11:41-45 41And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten. 42Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination. 43Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. 44For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 45For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. (Creeping things are not upright. They slither on their belly like the devil. Think Spiritually. These things are shadows.)
More Shadows: Cattle mixing / Seed Mixing / Linen mixing Leviticus 19:19 19Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not 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. ( God’s people are Holy. He wants us to be like Him and be separate. Not mixing the kinds of animals represents us being Holy not mixing with other kinds (Unholy). The seed represents the Word of God. Do not mix the pure doctrine of God’s Word with false doctrine/ philosophies of this world. Sowing different seeds in your field is like building your house on the sand. Not mixing fabric. Fabric is what the clothing is made out of. Our fabric what we are made out of must be Jesus Christ Alone. Titus 2:10 says “that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.”)
For the Priesthood/ A bishop must be blameless Leviticus 21:18 18For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, 19Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, 20Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken; 21No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God. 22He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy. 23Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them. 24And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel. ( What is this teaching to us? That everyone offering spiritual sacrifices, especially those in leadership have to stay spotless. James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.)
Leviticus 22:31-32 31Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am the LORD. 32Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD which hallow you, 33That brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD. (This applies to New Covenant commandments for us and by God’s grace He hallows us. Hallow means to make us holy and separate.)
Israel became unclean/God will drive them out and provoke them to Jealousy Deuteronomy 32:15-29 15But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. 16They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. 17They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. 18Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. 19And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. 20And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. 21They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. 22For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. 23I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them. 24They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. 25The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs. 26I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men: 27Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this. 28For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. 29O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!
Isaiah 52:7-15 7How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!8Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion. 9Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. 10The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. 11Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD. 12For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward. 13Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. 14As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: 15So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
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