SWINE’S FLESH
UNCLEAN FLESH, UNCLEAN DOCTRINE
By Elisabeth C. Tunstall
Swine’s Flesh
Unclean Flesh, Unclean Doctrine
By Elisabeth C. Tunstall
INTRODUCTION
The pig, also referred to as swine or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. Created on the 6th day, there are approximately 730 breeds of pigs coming in a variety of sizes and colors some including pink, white, black, ginger, brown or cream. The pig is referred to as swine in the bible and is considered an unclean animal, which prohibits us from eating it as a form of food. This is according to the food eating laws outlined in Leviticus Ch. 11: 7-8, “And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.”
The Food Eating Laws
There is a reason the Lord put this law into effect. First, cud is known as a semi-digested food that animals, like cows for example, regurgitate from their stomachs back into their mouths to chew again. Cows are considered clean animals that consume mainly grass. These creatures have a stomach with 4 chambers to process and cleanse their food, thus filtering their diet over a much longer digestion time. On the other
hand, pigs do not chew the cud but will eat practically anything including nuts, grains, feces, urine, maggots as well as human and animal corpses. And unlike the cow, they have a stomach with only one chamber to digest their food, absorbing all of the toxins from their unclean diet in about 4 hours. In other words, the Lord knew what he was doing when he commanded us not to eat this creature. But there’s more. Did you that pigs are said to carry over 30 diseases and 12 parasites that can easily be transferred to human beings? One in particular is called trichinae worm which leads to trichinosis in humans, a food born disease that can cause generalized fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, or myalgias. In addition, pork has twice the saturated fat as beef and contributes to increased cardiovascular risk. Consumption of pork can also cause several acute reactions such as in fl ammation of the appendix, gall bladder, stomach and intestines. It is not only against the law to eat pork, it is simply bad for the body.
Now popular pseudo-Christian beliefs will teach you that the food-eating laws were done away with after the death of Jesus Christ. This is in fact untrue. In Matthew 5: 17-19, “Think NOT that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” What Christ’s death did eliminate was the need to practice the law of sacrificial offerings with use of animals. Because the sacrifice of animals indeed pointed to the sacrifice of Christ our Lamb. This is expounded upon in Hebrews 10: 1-4 & 12 “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacri fi ces which they o ffered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is NOT possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;”
Debunking the Myths
There are scriptures in the bible that have been misinterpreted to convey we can now eat pork along with other animals noted to be unclean. These misinterpretations are myths. In Acts Chapter 10 for example, Peter falls into a trance and sees a large sheet
descending from heaven with all kinds of animals on it, including birds, reptiles and four-footed creatures. A voice
from heaven then tells Peter to rise up, kill and eat. Peter, however, immediately refuses, stating that he has never ate anything unclean. It is important to note that Peter is saying this during a period that was AFTER the death and resurrection of Christ. The voice repeats the command and further states that what God has called clean should not be referred to as common. This vision initially puzzles Peter. Now if you stop at this point in the chapter, it would seem that God is saying that we can eat animals that are unclean. But you have to read further in the chapter for understanding. Once the sheet was taken back to heaven, Peter sees 3 men at his gate inquiring of his whereabouts. The Lord instructed Peter to go with these men because it was he that sent them.
So Peter went to greet these men and the men explained that they came on behalf of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, that was devout and believed in the law. An angel warned Cornelius to send for Peter so that he could hear the gospel preached. What is important to note is that Cornelius was not a Jew. He was a Gentile. And up until that time, it was forbidden for Israel to have any dealings with foreign nations. Obeying God’s instruction, Peter went with the three men to meet Cornelius. At this point, Peter understands the vision that he beheld. This vision was not concerning animals but of people. The Lord wanted him to know that people of Gentile nations who obey the law, are not considered unclean or common in God’s eyes but are accepted of him. Knowing God’s will, Peter teaches Cornelius and his household the gospel. The Holy Spirit falls on them and Peters instructs them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. This further opens the door for the gospel to be preached to the Gentiles so that they could graphed in with the Jews.
Another scripture is in I Timothy 4: 1-4, “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."
Paul was warning Timothy of people spreading false doctrine. You see, there were false prophets teaching that you should abstain from marriage, with is not according to the word. They also were teaching that it was a sin to eat ANY type of meat, even if it was
clean. However, when Paul says, “which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth” he was talking about CLEAN flesh that was created to be eaten within the confines of the law. He was not giving people the license to eat pork or any other unclean animals.
Swine Flesh & Idolatry
The bible reveals that swine’s flesh was not only unclean to eat but also used along with other unclean animals for sacrifices unto idols. Idolatry, as we know, is the worship of other gods. One notable time was during the time of the Maccabees under the rule of the Greek Empire. The Maccabees were Israelite warriors and priests that led a revolt against King Antiochus IV Epiphanes. This was a very wicked Greek king that wanted all people to be of one belief, his belief. He worshipped the greek god Zeus, which was also known as Jupiter Olympus. So he forbade the Jews
from practicing the laws and ordinances such as keeping of the feast days, Sabbaths, circumcision and clean sacrificial offerings. The punishment for disobeying the king’s commandment was death. The King Antiochus IV desecrated the temple of God and made pagan sacrifices with the flesh of swine on the altar. This was referred to as the abomination of desolation. As you can imagine, this was a time of great suffering and bloodshed for our people. We can further see the king’s tyranny in 2 Maccabees 7 in which the martyrdom of 7 sons and their mother were depicted. The family is arrested for breaking the king's laws against Jewish practices. The king orders the family to eat swine to which they refused. King Antiochus tortures and kills the sons one by one in front of their mother, and eventually kills her also.
This time of the Maccabees serves as an important lesson to us today. It is not just about the refusal to eat unclean flesh, it is about the refusal to accept unclean doctrine, which swine’s flesh represents. Unclean doctrine is any ideology or belief system that opposes the word of God. There is only one truth and faith. Ephesians 4: 4-6, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” But with sin came a multitude of religions around the world. Many religions will have some portions of the truth but intermingle it with their own falsehoods, which can be liken to sacrificing swine’s flesh on the holy altar of God. Take so called Christian churches. They profess with their mouths that Christ is the Savior and died for our sins. This is a fact. However, they use the name of Christ as a veil for their pagan roots. For they worship on Sunday, which is
actually affiliated with sun worship as opposed to Sabbath, which is the 4th commandment. They keep Easter, which originally celebrated the spring equinox and rebirth of nature, instead of Passover, which is truly about Christ’s death and resurrection. This is the doctrine of swine’s flesh. In the pseudo Jewish faith, many of them proclaim they worship on the seventh day Sabbath. This is the correct day of worship. However, they do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah or Son of God. This is the doctrine of swine’s flesh.
There are so many ways to consume unclean doctrine. We can see it on TV, radio, social media and books, whether it be someone speaking, their writings or even in a song. We have to carefully fi lter every “spiritual” thing we look at to make sure it speaks strictly according to the laws of God. Nor can we fall into the traps of Satan by accepting what on the outside seems good but in reality is corrupt. What do I mean by that? A hymn, for example, that is beautifully arranged,
has a verse that contradicts the word of God. Even though that song on the surface overall seems good, is it really?
The answer is no. And when you listen to it, even if it seems innocent or not a big deal, you are consuming swine’s flesh. Perhaps there is a motivational speaker that you enjoy listening to because they inspire you and make you feel good. They often make references to God with many of them being true but some false. Should you listen to them? The answer is no. This is also an example of consuming swine’s flesh.
The reality is what we listen to and what we see can become a part of us. It can be engrained in our minds and once it does that it can change us. God knows this. That is why we are warned repeatedly in the Bible of steering clear of false doctrine and any forms of idolatry.
I leave you with these final words, God compare us to a temple and when we receive false doctrine, we desecrate ourselves and become unclean unto the Lord. I Corinthians 3: 16-17, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” Knowing we do not want to be destroyed, it is imperative that we remain an acceptable o ff ering unto God being fi lled with unadulterated truth that has the power to purify from within without. May God be with you all. Amen.
SWINE’S FLESH UNCLEAN FLESH, UNCLEAN DOCTRINE
By Elisabeth C. Tunstall