Q. What are some signs that we are in the end times?
A. There have been many books written on this question and there are some obvious signs like war, pestilence and a rise in evil. Since Yeshua walked this earth these signs have gotten worse and worse and those that lived in each generation thought that things could not get worse and that they were living in the last days, but they were wrong. Some basic signs can be found in Mat 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, but I am going to give some other signs that are implied and what I am looking for. First, one must have a knowledge of the biblical calendars and festivals. These are signs that the Lord gave and a timetable for events. In biblical eschatology, the world since creation will go on for 6000 years and then we enter into the last thousand years called "the Lord's Day" and the 7 day week we go by today is a picture of that. We know that there will be a Temple built and it will be active during the Tribulation. We know from 2 Thes. 2 and Rev 11 it will be in operation during the tribulation. There are scriptures that indicate that it will begin operating at the beginning of the last 1000 year day called the Lord's Day as mentioned before. That 1000 year period begins on a Rosh Ha Shanah, so the Altar will be in operation before the actual Temple building is done (Ezra 3.1-6) and so it is possible that the day the rapture occurs (Rosh Ha Shanah, year 6001 from creation) will also be the first day the offerings begin on the Temple Mount. So that means that the believers will be here up to that point, which means we could see several things first. In order to have an operating Altar you would have to have the Temple Mount. You also will need a Red Heifer slaughtered in order to cleanse people from ritual uncleanliness from contact with the dead. The Red Heifer would have to be slaughtered at least 7 days before the Temple or Altar could begin to operate, so we could see that. We also would have to see the priests being prepared and the actual Altar being built and cleansed, along with all the utensils that will be used. Much of this will have to begin 7 days prior to the actual beginning. So, here is what I am looking for. I believe that the the rapture of the believers will happen on a Tishri 1 of the biblical calendar. But before that will happen we will see the following things happen. We will see the Temple Mount in Jewish control where they will begin putting up an Altar for the coming Temple. I believe we will also see the priesthood being prepared and cleansed from ritual uncleanliness, which means we will see a Red Heifer slaughtered on the Mount of Olives. This has to be done at least 7 days prior to Tishri 1 so that would put this around the 24th of Elul according to the biblical calendar. These cleansings take 7 days according to the Torah (Num 19). So, along with the general signs Yeshua gave there are more specific signs to look for. When Israel gets the Temple Mount, when a Red Heifer is slaughtered and a priesthood prepared to make offering and an Altar is built on the Mount, the next Rosh Ha Shannah will be the day the rapture occurs. Then 10 days later the 7 year Tribulation will begin on Yom Kippur.
The La Quinta meeting room in Alvarado, 1165 Hwy 67W Alvarado, TX. 76009. (Behind Sonic)
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upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
1 Corinthians 10:11 (NASB95)
Monday, February 20, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
What does "unclean" mean in Leviticus 11?
Q. What does "unclean" mean in Leviticus 11?
A. The concept of clean and unclean is a subject that is misunderstood at best by most believers. I am not going to go into massive detail here but I will give some basic definitions and instruction that should answer your question and give you enough information so that you can do your own study on the subject. The term clean and unclean relate to ritual purity and ritual purity applies to whether or not you can enter the Sanctuary and touch Holy things. Basically, if you were unclean you could not enter the Temple or touch anything that was in the Temple. So, in Leviticus 11 God tells us what creatures are acceptable and ritually pure and what aren't. All of that pertains to whether or not you can enter the Temple. Now, there are several concepts to discuss. These creatures in Lev 11 can be divided into three categories and how they affect a person who wants to go to the Tabernacle/Temple. There are creatures that are acceptable for sacrifice, like the bull, goat, sheep and certain birds. These can be offered to God and eating them is ritually acceptable (clean). There is another category of creatures that cannot be offered as a sacrifice, like deer, elk and certain birds but they are acceptable to eat and will not make someone ritually impure so they can enter the Tabernacle/Temple. The third category is made up of creatures that are not only unacceptable for sacrifice but eating them will make the worshiper ritually unclean and ineligible to enter the Tabernacle/Temple. That is why the term clean and unclean are used in this chapter. It tells you what is ritually acceptable or not when wanting to enter the Tabernacle/Temple. Now, the term unclean is not equated with sin. Nowhere in Lev 11 does it say it was sin to be unclean in regards to these creatures. Did Yeshua ever sin? No, but he was unclean on several occasions and could not enter the Temple. He touched the dead, the highest form of uncleanliness. He touched lepers and a woman with a blood issue. To enter the Temple again, he would have had to go through the purification process required for whatever impurity it was, from being sprinkled with the ashes of the Red Heifer, to a simple immersion and remaining unclean till sundown. So, unclean should not be equated with sin but should be understood in the context of ritual purity and the ability to enter the Tabernacle/Temple. There is no Temple today so the laws pertaining to clean and unclean are not applicable today. Everybody, even Orthodox Jews, are unclean today and would not be able to enter the Temple if it stood today unless they went through a purification process. There are people who think they eat kosher but they don't. All meat from restaurants and grocery stores are unclean. Canned foods and other items are unclean ritually. There is not one person who doesn't eat unclean food. But, that doesn't matter because there is no Temple and so it does not apply. People will say "I don't eat pork because it is unclean" but they will eat steak and chicken that is also unclean because it has been in contact with pork. No butcher shop in grocery stores is ritually pure and when you go out to eat, the meat there is unclean, no matter what you eat. We are also unclean many other ways, too. Ever touched the dead or been to a cemetery? Ever touch a woman who was menstrual or a dead insect? Ever touched the carcass of a dead animal that was unclean? Have you ever touched a woman who ever had a baby? All these things make one ritually impure and ineligible to enter the Temple. Now, there are certain health benefits to eating clean animals today but that wasn't the reason the Lord gave these laws. We must not look down on people when they eat unclean food because everyone does. Just because you don't eat pork doesn't mean you don't eat unclean meat, because you do. But, do a study on what clean and unclean mean and how that relates to entering the Temple and you will have a better understanding of these concepts and hopefully it will set you free on some inaccurate concepts you may be holding on to.
A. The concept of clean and unclean is a subject that is misunderstood at best by most believers. I am not going to go into massive detail here but I will give some basic definitions and instruction that should answer your question and give you enough information so that you can do your own study on the subject. The term clean and unclean relate to ritual purity and ritual purity applies to whether or not you can enter the Sanctuary and touch Holy things. Basically, if you were unclean you could not enter the Temple or touch anything that was in the Temple. So, in Leviticus 11 God tells us what creatures are acceptable and ritually pure and what aren't. All of that pertains to whether or not you can enter the Temple. Now, there are several concepts to discuss. These creatures in Lev 11 can be divided into three categories and how they affect a person who wants to go to the Tabernacle/Temple. There are creatures that are acceptable for sacrifice, like the bull, goat, sheep and certain birds. These can be offered to God and eating them is ritually acceptable (clean). There is another category of creatures that cannot be offered as a sacrifice, like deer, elk and certain birds but they are acceptable to eat and will not make someone ritually impure so they can enter the Tabernacle/Temple. The third category is made up of creatures that are not only unacceptable for sacrifice but eating them will make the worshiper ritually unclean and ineligible to enter the Tabernacle/Temple. That is why the term clean and unclean are used in this chapter. It tells you what is ritually acceptable or not when wanting to enter the Tabernacle/Temple. Now, the term unclean is not equated with sin. Nowhere in Lev 11 does it say it was sin to be unclean in regards to these creatures. Did Yeshua ever sin? No, but he was unclean on several occasions and could not enter the Temple. He touched the dead, the highest form of uncleanliness. He touched lepers and a woman with a blood issue. To enter the Temple again, he would have had to go through the purification process required for whatever impurity it was, from being sprinkled with the ashes of the Red Heifer, to a simple immersion and remaining unclean till sundown. So, unclean should not be equated with sin but should be understood in the context of ritual purity and the ability to enter the Tabernacle/Temple. There is no Temple today so the laws pertaining to clean and unclean are not applicable today. Everybody, even Orthodox Jews, are unclean today and would not be able to enter the Temple if it stood today unless they went through a purification process. There are people who think they eat kosher but they don't. All meat from restaurants and grocery stores are unclean. Canned foods and other items are unclean ritually. There is not one person who doesn't eat unclean food. But, that doesn't matter because there is no Temple and so it does not apply. People will say "I don't eat pork because it is unclean" but they will eat steak and chicken that is also unclean because it has been in contact with pork. No butcher shop in grocery stores is ritually pure and when you go out to eat, the meat there is unclean, no matter what you eat. We are also unclean many other ways, too. Ever touched the dead or been to a cemetery? Ever touch a woman who was menstrual or a dead insect? Ever touched the carcass of a dead animal that was unclean? Have you ever touched a woman who ever had a baby? All these things make one ritually impure and ineligible to enter the Temple. Now, there are certain health benefits to eating clean animals today but that wasn't the reason the Lord gave these laws. We must not look down on people when they eat unclean food because everyone does. Just because you don't eat pork doesn't mean you don't eat unclean meat, because you do. But, do a study on what clean and unclean mean and how that relates to entering the Temple and you will have a better understanding of these concepts and hopefully it will set you free on some inaccurate concepts you may be holding on to.
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