1 Timothy 4:1 Clarified

Q. What is 1 Tim 4.1 talking about?

A. This is another misunderstood passage, so to fully understand it let’s do verses 1-5. In verse one it says that the Lord has very clearly sated in His Word that in the last days or later days known as the “Acharit Yamin” that some will fall away or depart form the faith. Now, you have to ask yourself “What was the faith?” What was the faith of the believers of the first century? What was Paul’s faith? He says in Acts 25.8 and 28.17 that he was Torah observant. He followed the commandments and the customs that didn’t go against any of them. All the people that wrote the epistles and the gospels kept the commandments. If Yeshua came to do away with them (which he said he didn’t in Matt 5.17) he sure didn’t get his message across to the believers before or after his death. So, the faith was the body of doctrinal truth found in the Scriptures, and that was obeyed and observed.

These believers kept the Sabbath, festivals, ate foods allowed in Lev 11 and Deut. 14 and did not eat those creatures not allowed in those chapters. He goes on to say in verse one that the reason they departed from that was because they were being deceived and paying attention to devilish doctrines. He says in verse 2 that they won’t listen because their hearing of the truth has been cauterized or seared. He then gives some examples in his time like forbidding marriage and abstaining from meat altogether. These items were done by the Gnostics, those involved in Mithraism and the ascetic lifestyle and so on. He said that these things were created by God to be received by those who believe and know the truth according to the Scriptures (Torah). That was the only Scripture they had. Everything created by God was good, but not everything was food. Many teach today that this verse means that one can eat pork. The pig was created by God and is good, but that doesn’t make it food.

Marriage is good, but some say no. Some don’t eat meat at all, and want others to do likewise but God never intended that to be a lifestyle sanctioned by Scripture. There are some who say that man didn’t eat meat before the flood, but it doesn’t say they didn’t either. But regardless of the view you take, you can eat biblically kosher meat today. Meat is to be received with gratitude (v 4) for it (the meat) is set aside, set apart, sanctified by means of the word of God (the Lev. 11 and Deut 14 list is were it was set apart to eat) and prayer (the blessings before and after meals-Deut. 8.10). So, in conclusion Paul is saying that in the last days there will be people deceived by false doctrine that will lead them away from the Torah and it’s instructions concerning marriage, meat and obviously implying other things as well.

Peter's Vision: Not About Food Laws!

Q. Did Peter’s vision in Acts 10 change the dietary laws making all meats clean?

A. The vision in Acts 10 has nothing to do with food or God changing the dietary restrictions found in His own Word. This vision has to do with people and the best way to teach that is to take the chapter verse by verse to show you what it is teaching. This is a perfect example of how the Scriptures have been perverted by false teachers and hopefully some of you will see the truth after this article. Cornelius is a Roman soldier who has come to believe in the God of Israel, but he has not become “Jewish” which was the process in the first century. Some believed that a person could not be saved, or have full “status” unless they submitted to circumcision, which was the same thing as saying “become Jewish”. Cornelius does believe in the Lord but has not come to this status as yet, and he has a vision to call for Peter in Joppa (v 1-8). As they were on their way the next day (v 9) Peter goes up to the roof for a nap and he has a vision. He saw heaven opened, which is a Hebrew idiom for a deeper insight, a revelation, and he sees a four-cornered sheet come down with all kinds of creatures in it. God tells him to “eat” which means to “accept, understand and make this a part of you” in symbolic language.

Peter says no, that he has not “eaten” these unclean things before. The voice in the vision says “what God has cleansed should not be considered unclean”. Let’s look at this a little closer. A four-cornered garment is something man-made and also alludes to the “four corners of the earth (Gentiles)”. There were man-made doctrines in the first century that said Jews were not to go into the house of or eat with a Gentile. This doctrine was primarily a Pharisee doctrine but widely accepted and included in what was called “The 18 Edicts” which most Christians have never heard about. The problem was God never said that. There is no law in the Scriptures that says a Jew and Gentile cannot associate. God was breaking down these man-made divisions in this vision. Peter didn’t understand the vision at first (v 17). He sees this vision 3 times and the Spirit of God tells Peter 3 men are looking for him and that he should go with them without any fear (v 18-23) because HE sent them. So, the next day he goes with them and enters the house of Cornelius (v 25) and the key to the whole vision is found in v 28. Peter says that they knew that it was unlawful (the 18 Edicts contained in the Oral Law) for a Jew to associate with a Non-Jew or to even visit him, but that God had shown him that he should not call ANY MAN UNCLEAN OR UNHOLY.

Peter has been given the meaning of the vision and he says it is about accepting (eat with) the Gentiles who believe, that they are not unclean in God’s eyes. Then in verse 34-35 he goes on to say “I most certainly understand now that God is no respecter of persons (show partiality to) but in every nation (four-cornered garment= four-corners of the earth) the man who fears him (animals in the sheet) and does what is right is welcome to Him”. And as Peter was speaking the Holy Spirit fell upon the Gentiles gathered there with visible signs following to confirm the fact. This showed that a Gentile did not have to “become Jewish” to be saved which was the prevailing doctrine of the day. God showed them that these Gentiles received the same spiritual benefits as the Jews without having to ”convert” to the prevailing man-made doctrines of Judaism.

Then in verses 45-48 there were Jews there who believed in Yeshua and they saw the manifestations of the Spirit and they came to the conclusion that there was nothing to prevent the Gentiles there from being immersed (baptized) after seeing them receive the Holy Spirit (an evidence of salvation and acceptance by God) just like they did. So, this chapter is about God breaking down the man-made divisions that prevented the Good News from going forth into the world. Peter’s interpretation of the vision (v 28, 34-35) says nothing about being allowed to eat unclean meats or anything about food. The vision is about accepting people no matter where they are from if they are believers.

Fullness of the Gentiles

Q. What does the term “fullness of the Gentiles” mean in Rom.11.12 and 25?

A. The answer to that begins in the Torah, specifically Gen. 49.19 where the term is used in a prophecy about Ephraim. Jacob says that Ephraim, who would later be known as the 10 northern tribes of Israel, would be scattered among the nations, or gentiles (Isa. 7.8, Amos 9.9, Jer 34.17,Hos 9.16-17, Ezek 37.21). The 10 northern tribes were “cut off” and divorced by God because of their unbelief. Later the 2 remaining tribes were cut off and divorced by God for the same reason (Mt.21 43) and scattered among the nations as well. So, what we have is all 12 tribes that have been driven into the nations due to unbelief. Rom 11 describes what happened and how the Lord will save Israel (all 12 tribes) and bring them back in faith. So, in Rom 11.25 he says that a hardening has happened to Israel (12 tribes) until the fullness of the gentiles (the tribes scattered among the gentiles, nations) comes in (by faith in Yeshua). Then in verse 26 it says that and thus (after this happens) all Israel (12 tribes) will be saved and he quotes Isa 59.20 (Rom 9.27, 11.5, Jer 31.1-7, 34.17, 31.10, Jer 50.17-20, Ezek 37.21). So, Paul is telling the gentile believers that what has happened to Israel was predicted. They have only “stumbled” but not fallen (11.11) and it is only temporary. God will again save a remnant of all the 12 tribes, put them together again (Ezek 37) and fulfill his promises. The term “fullness of the gentiles” does not mean when the all the gentiles who will believe comes in. It means those among Israel who have been scattered among the nations comes back to God of their fathers through Yeshua by faith.


Q. What exactly were the weak and beggarly elements talked about in Gal 4.9?

A. The context is man’s traditions, and this case it concerns the Jewish Oral traditions that the Galatians were struggling with. Jewish believers who had a strong attachment to these oral traditions were trying to impose on the Galatians some of these traditions, trying to convince them that their salvation was somehow deficient if they did not observe these things. The Torah commandments were never considered weak or worthless, but on the contrary were holy, righteous, good and perfect. It was the man-made dogmas that were a problem and still are today. Paul dealt with this in Col 2.8-23 also. The hand-written dogmas of man have no authority over a believer and we should not subject ourselves to them anymore. These dogmas are the customs and festivals of the nations and we are not to listen to the criticisms of the people around us when we don’t celebrate these things with them, but follow the customs and festivals found in the Scriptures (Col 2.16-17) which were pictures of the Messiah and the Redemption.