THE CLEAN ANIMALS

Leviticus 11:2, “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.”

Jesus said, “eat of me.” Here we find a principle laid down; the principle of taking into one’s spiritual system that which is life and that which is wholesome. Eve fell when she believed the lie of the devil. She had fellowship with Satan and she tasted of death. SHE FELL FROM GOD CONSCIOUSNESS TO SELF CONSCIOUSNESS; from life to death. In the present confusion of things, one finds it hard at times to identify that which is of God and Christ, or that which only bears the coloring of God designed to deceive and ensnare us. The Christ will appear to us in many forms and in strange vessels at times, thus it is absolutely necessary for us to be so equipped to know Him.

Matthew 7:16, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?”

If a man is doing great miracles, yet cannot live a clean Christian life, do not judge him by the miracles, but by the life he lives. Victory in the Spirit begins with victory over one’s own soulish carnal nature.

EATING CLEAN ANIMALS

In the Old Testament, therefore, when we see the word “eating,” we must realize it is the type and shadow of the act of absorbing within one’s own being some spiritual work or influence from without. In this sense, we can now understand Leviticus 11:3.

“Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.”

The whole lesson of the tabernacle is one of God working through human agents to bring forth life in the earth. This instruction here is showing us how to assess all AGENTS when they bring the word to us before we absorb it, and when we absorb it. The key words here are “cheweth the cud” and “parteth the hoof.” Those who chew the cud are those who speak the word, and those who part the hoof are those who walk in the word they preach. If a minister preaches a wrong word, he will find out his error when he walks in it, and his error will be made open and known to all. Thus the word of God here requires that we only become part of that person, that spirit, that word, which is proved by the working or daily life of those who preach it.

2nd Timothy 2:6, “The husbandman that laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits.”

One is not equipped to preach patience if he has none. “No love,” cannot preach love; “no joy,” cannot preach joy, lest preaching becomes only a repetition of words and not the “power of God unto salvation.” Romans 1:16. In this passage, the apostle Paul uses the Greek word “dunamis,” which is the explosive power of the Holy Ghost

CHEWING THE CUD

There is no phrase more apt than “chewing the cud” to explain the process of hearing the word, and rehashing it in the mind until the word becomes “flesh” within us. John 1:14. Jesus was the word made flesh. We are flesh being made the word, so that one day we shall be like Him – the living word manifested on earth. “It takes time to be holy” means there is much chewing on the WRITTEN WORD to produce within us the LIVING WORD, so that which is written on the pages of the book may come forth in real life in us.

CLOVEN HOOF

An animal that is cloven footed has the hoof parted in two, and encased in a hard bone-like substance. This animal walks in mud as well as on stones, and there is hardly a case of sickness in the hoof.

The cloven hoof signifies a spiritual walk that is “shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Ephesians 6:15. The two toes signify the walk that is balanced by the Spirit and the Word. A person who walks in Spirit alone, and does not believe in the authority and authenticity of the Word, is bound to be tripped up by Satan somewhere along the way. The written word is the balance which God has placed here for us in our walk. When the church began to accept dogmas and logical assumptions to add to the word and/or to rationalize it, then it marked the decline of its spiritual life.

Many teachers of the word assume that since John said in John 21:25 that there were other words spoken by Jesus, it was a license to add other words to the Bible.

“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.”

Many teachers imply that there are other words and other Bibles just as important and authentic as this one. BECAUSE OF THIS, I went to the Lord for an answer, as this piece of rationalizing seemed to be well founded.

GOD SPOKE TO ME. The Lord said to me, “That which is written in our Bible is sufficient for your salvation.” This was a most satisfactory answer to me, for I have been discovering that we do not yet even understand that which is written, that it is just being revealed to us in a deeper measure, and there is much more to come. It is also true as Paul said,

“But I follow after; if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12

UNCLEAN MESSENGERS

Leviticus 11:4-8 speaks of the cud chewing animals which are unclean, in spite of their agreeing with the word and chewing the cud. If they do not have cloven hoofs along with the cud chewing, they are UNCLEAN. There is here a basic lesson in discernment by observation. One cannot walk in the Word, except by the Spirit of God. SATAN CAN PREACH THE WORD, but neither he nor his angels, nor sinful carnal man can walk in the WORD. It takes the Spirit of God in man to walk in the Word.

NO IMITATION

If we imitate Christ by our walk only, scripture likens us to the swine who walk with a cloven hoof, but does not achieve the distinction of chewing the cud. If we preach the right word, but do not walk or live that which we preach, verse 4 likens us to the camel. Thus our pastures are well prepared by God, and those who obey the Word of God, which is His revealed will to us, will know the truth, and the truth shall make us free. Here is a scripture which beautifully illustrates this thought.

John 7:16-17, “Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me. If any man will DO his will he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”

Let us be reminded here that the word “eat” has the meaning of becoming one with that which we eat. So that even as our bodies feed by taking in natural food, which supplies energy for our lives, the soul feeds on spiritual food either from God or from elsewhere. Many times, Jesus made reference to natural and spiritual food in the same utterance. When Jesus was being tempted of the devil to make stones into bread, He shifted the argument by one utterance, from the natural to the spiritual

“And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Luke 4:4.

Again, there was another occasion when His disciples left Him with the woman at the well in Samaria and went to procure meat.

“In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But He said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” John 4:31-32, 34.

THE ANALOGY OF THE FISH

Leviticus 11:9 gives TWO qualities which distinguish the clean fish from the unclean. They must have scales. They must have fins.

The fish with scales is shielded from the water by the scales and is not a part of the water. This is a dry fish in a wet environment. Even the eyes of this fish are shielded with a kind of “contact” lens from the water. The scales also have a rough surface which causes a certain amount of friction when the fish darts along, supplying heat to its body. So the fish draws heat from the cold water. THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE of this is that the fish represents the Christian in the world. The water is a type of the world, and the fish is a type of the Christian. He is in the world, but not of the world. He is a paradox, drawing good from an evil environment. A warm-blooded animal in a cold environment, breathing air from the water. He beats the water with his fins to propel himself, unlike the unclean fish which goes with the flow of the water, coiling and uncoiling like a serpent, to propel himself onward.

OVERCOMERS

Beating his way through the waters with his fins is a type of the Christian overcoming the world. Slithering along like a serpent is the type of a person who has to go along with the world in order to make headway. This is unclean. BE REMINDED, WE ARE not discussing NATURAL FOOD, but SPIRITUAL principle. For those who think of this in the natural, I will quote this scripture and leave it there.

“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; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 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. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving. For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” 1st Timothy 4:1-5

SPIRITUAL BUT ABOMINABLE

There are those with whom we should not have fellowship among the very spiritual. These are described in Leviticus 11:13 as ABOMINABLE FOWLS. The inference here is that they are birds that defy the laws of gravity and fly above the ground. They are not earth bound, they are SPIRITUAL. These fall into four distinct kinds.

1) HUMAN PREDATORS

Birds that capture their prey are a type of spiritual men and women who do not have a ONENESS OF MOTIVE in preaching the gospel. Those who preach the gospel with any other motive besides doing the will of the Father are preying on the people of God. They are using the people of God and the gospel as a GIMMICK to foster their ambitions in other areas. Truly, Paul spoke in 1st Corinthians 9:9,

“For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?”

And in 1st Timothy 5:18, quoting Deuteronomy 25:4,

“Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.”

The phrase, “take care for oxen,” simply means that God does not write a bible for oxen.

THIS DOES NOT GIVE the “OX” the right to own the field, as some preachers do.

BIG BUSINESS

Every business must have a “stock in trade,” or service which is sold to the public for a consideration or remuneration. The stock in trade of the PREDATORS is the people of God. They buy and sell them and use them as sheep of the pasture. In type, they feed upon their flesh, fleece them and sell the wool, and make merchandise of them, then keep them in darkness in order to be able to hold them for ransom. Actually, what they do is “buy and sell the SOULS of men.” Revelation 18:13, last clause.

FEED ON CHRIST

If the people were feeding on the blood and body of Jesus Christ, their spiritual energy would be so great, that they would overcome their captors and set themselves free. But the predator ministries see to it that the people do not get to Christ, by giving them false spiritual food, which saps their energy. An example of this is the doctrine of “transubstantiation,” which cheats the believer out of a true relationship with Christ, making him or her believe he is partaking of a carnalized Christ through the blessing of the minister, when taking the bread and wine.

We would not have space here to expose all the gimmicks and programs, garden parties, Christmas, Easter, St. Valentine’s Day, Halloween, St. this and St. that, bingo parties, rock Sunday school, cantatas, love feasts, and all the money-raising schemes of Babylon. We are sure that you know much more about these than I mention. As you walk in the light, the darkness will become extremely dark. Do not look at the darkness, neither dwell upon its quality, but look steadfastly upon the light, and you shall become sons of the light.

2) THE SCAVENGERS

Scavengers feed on dead or decaying matter. We are not to eat the scavenger birds. “They are unclean unto you.” We are dealing with the spiritual meaning. Spiritually, God is saying to His people, “Do not fellowship or make them a part of you; those who feed on dead things.” Life comes from God. We cannot feed on dead things and bring forth life. Among the natural birds, there is a kind of segregation on the basis of the food they eat. Doves eat grains and berries and crows eat carrion. They could not fellowship because the food of the one would be offensive to the other.

Churches and groups are divided in many instances because of the word which is preached among them. MAN’S DOCTRINES have wrought havoc among God’s people by dividing them. When we begin to feed on Christ, we will automatically come together under one HEAD.

There is a lot of CARRION floating around in the name of the gospel. Anything which does not bring spiritual life to the believer should not be entertained. Some of the doctrines which some of the churches preach are only DIVISION DOCTRINES to split hairs to get people away from other groups to their own, and these doctrines have no life in them. LIFE can be described as that which emanates from God, and makes the believer show forth the FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT. Feed on anything which tends to change your nature to the nature of Christ, your mind to the mind of Christ, your emotions to the emotions of Christ, your will to the will of God and your desires to the desires of Christ. That is living food.

SPIRITUAL GARBAGE CANS

When a person brings evil tidings to you concerning another, and asks you to keep it a secret, he or she is binding you from your duty towards God. He or she lets loose a demon spirit upon you against your brother, and at the same time USES YOU AS A GARBAGE CAN to dump spiritual waste. Do not allow it. Either do not listen, or if they tricked you into listening, let it cease with you by applying Matthew 18:15-17. 1) Tell him his fault privately. 2) If no result, then tell him with witnesses. 3) If no result, then tell it to the church. You will ask the question, “which church?” The answer is a gathering or group of the called-out saints, real saints. 4) If no result, then he does not regard God’s authority on earth, so pray for him as for a sinner, show him love, and commend him to judgment which will surely fall upon him to bring him back to God. THIS IS THE METHOD OF DEALING WITH GARBAGE. Unless a person wants to be exposed in the future, he will not come to you with tales against God’s people.

MY BROTHER’S KEEPER

If you entertain evil thoughts against the people of God, and that which you have heard is true against them, then you immediately become responsible to help them repent. If the tales are not true, then the Christians who spread them should be brought to account.

3) THE BIRDS OF NIGHT

Night birds are mostly predators, plus one special quality of being able to see in the dark. This quality, though an advantage at night, is a disadvantage in the daytime. Therefore, this bird will reverse his sleeping habits. They will sleep in the day and hunt at night.

The spiritual meaning applied to predators, therefore, persists here. This person is able to operate with great vision in things pertaining to the carnal and in an evil spirit, but is not able to see the smallest things in the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Leviticus 11:16-17 describes them as the…

“Owl and the night hawk, the cuckow and the hawk after his kind, the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl.”

This group of people includes the palm readers of our time, also the horoscope readers, and some of the prophets of our time, who are giving prophecies about world conditions without seeing this in the light of the word of God, and without bringing any deliverance to the people of God by their prophecies. This includes those who prophesy lies in the name of Jesus.

Prophecies must bring forth Godly edification, exhortation and comfort. I Corinthians 14:3. If Ahab, the king of Israel, believed and obeyed the prophecy of Micaiah pertaining to his death, he would not have died in the battle 1st Kings 22:28. Although it was a rebuke to this sinful monarch, it was also an exhortation to life which, when rejected, meant death. There must be two sides to every prophecy. Exhortation, edification and comfort is only one side. The rejecting of these must be judgment. God is light, and the sons of God are able to see in the light. The vision which God gives is for the uplifting of the body of Christ, thus all visions that are not for God’s people are not of God. Some of us have visions to help us carnally, to make us better businessmen, or to make us rich. These are carnal and cannot come from God, EXCEPT they are designed to help God’s people to be more spiritual. Those, therefore, who are expert at seeing in the dark, which is in the things not pertaining to Christ life, are classified in Leviticus 11 as birds of night – spiritual but not godly.

4) CREEPING BIRDS

Leviticus 11:20, “All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.”

The analogy here is bringing to our notice the unnaturalness of a flying creature which cannot fly. This is the type of the Christian which should be spiritual, but is not. He cannot defy the law of gravity and rise above the earth, because of some defect in his nature. God says such a Christian is an abomination. In the category, we find all the carnal Christians who have a doctrine for their carnality, so that they say they are good and fine without any spiritual life. This includes those who say God is a spirit, yet they refuse to admit the infilling of the Holy Spirit, and deny the supernatural in their lives and behavior.

In verse 21, there is a qualification, and it would be good for us to take a note of this.

“Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth.”

Verse 22 names the locust, the bald locust, the beetle, the grasshopper after his kind.

These creeping, flying things show that there are those who are not able to stay aloft in God or in things of the Spirit, but we should not reject them, because these will be able to survive spiritually when they are absorbed into the body of Christ. The reference to the body of Christ is not a reference to a group or a church organization, but a body of people which have entered into Christ through death to self and death to sin, whom the Spirit of God has baptized into the body of Christ.

This is NOT WATER BAPTISM, NOT THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST, but the immersion of the man into the mystical body of Christ, by the Holy Spirit.

CREEPING THINGS

All creeping things are a type of fleshly, carnal, unsaved man. Christians should not marry an unsaved person. Even in the different levels of Christianity, it is not the perfect will of God for marriages. We find that a sheep is a clean animal, but it does not have union with a cow, nor does the dove with the chicken. To have the perfect will of God, we must obey His orders in all things. Disobedient people will never know the right people to fellowship with, neither will they know the right doctrine, because you have to obey the will of the Father before you know the truth. John 7:16-17.

This does not mean that we cannot talk to sinners, and even love them, but it does mean that we are not to become one with them, but lead them unto Christ.