Posted in Daily Living

Food Offered to Idols

By Comments:

Twice in the seven letters to Asian congregations dictated by Yeshua in Revelation “eating food sacrificed to idols and (the) practice of sexual immorality” is mentioned as a bad thing. Yet Paul, we are told by the Church, tells us we can eat anything. They use Scripture, they think, to prove that anything goes.

1 Timothy 4:4–5 ESV. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

Romans 14:20 ESV. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.

1 Corinthians 10:25 ESV. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience.

Sometimes they’ll even use Scripture such as Genesis 9:3.

Genesis 9:3 ESV. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.

Romans 14 is a heavy favorite, where Paul is supposed to have said that everything is opinion. But while cherry-picking and yanking Scripture out of context might be made to support your bacon preference, it doesn’t properly convey what God requires if we look at the balance of the Word.

If we read 1 Corinthians 10 carefully, for instance, Paul is not saying eating food sacrificed to idols is okay. In fact, he specifically links food, idols and sexual immorality together. It seems that pagans routinely combined all of them together in wild bacchanalia or orgies. Paul is telling us here not to engage is such practices. When he speaks of eating food that might have been part of ceremonies such as those, he is limiting the food to what is sold in the market. Once the meat hit the marketplace, you couldn’t tell whence it came. So don’t sweat the source, unless you are told by someone that it had been part of pagan practices.

Jesus tells believers in Pergamum and Thyatira that they need to repent of false teachings coming from followers of Jezebel and Balaam, specifically eating food offered to idols and sexual immorality, so it seems there were ceremonies or parties involved. It seems there were leaders promoting activities that would make a Roman senator hide his face in shame. And as Paul really said:

1 Corinthians 10:6–10 ESV. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.

So “eating anything” is not okay with God. All food is not clean just because we might have an “opinion” that “not food” is acceptable table fare. Idolatry is following our own ideas of right and wrong instead of God’s. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

1 Corinthians 11:29–30 ESV. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

Shalom

Posted in Authority • Church • Fear • Gospel • Punishment • Reward • Second death

The Wrath of God

By Comments:

I feel somewhat out-of-place in addressing this topic. Most messages from Christians are centered on a sappy Jesus who, to them, is like a refugee from the ’60’s hippie movement spouting one liners about human ideas of peace and love. They don’t read the Bible very much or we would hear a lot more about God’s wrath (hundreds of verses) and how it is surely building over the current state of the world’s culture. In my opinion it is also building over the church’s involvement in leading the way, too.

 

But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, until there was no remedy. (2 Chronicles 36:16, ESV)

 

The reason for talking about God’s wrath is number one because it ain’t pretty yet it will surely fall; two maybe it will spur people to repent; and three that it might inspire those who are already elect to do good. Speaking of the wrath (or fierce anger) of the Lord is an act of love because we want people to stop despising His Words and scoffing at the prophets or messengers of God. If we keep on like we are there will be no remedy.

 

Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation, before the decree takes effect —before the day passes away like chaff— before there comes upon you the burning anger of the LORD, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the LORD. Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD. (Zephaniah 2:1–3, ESV)

 

The preachers of the false Jesus hippie dude whose teachings resemble those of Bill and Ted in their Excellent Adventure (“Be excellent to one another, and, Party on, dude!”) are presuming on the riches of His kindness. Obedience is not an option or a feeling. It is commanded by God that anyone who does not obey the gospel will be cast into outer darkness (Matthew 8:12, 22:13, 25:30).

 

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. (Romans 2:4–8, ESV)

 

Jesus is coming back soon, and many will be shocked and stunned to the roots of their soul at the sword in His hand and the fury with which He treads out the wine press of God’s wrath (Revelation 19:15). Don’t you be included in that number.

 

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. (2 Thessalonians 1:5–8, ESV)

 

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (Revelation 22:14–15, ESV)