Beast

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.” Verse 3: “Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.” The four-footed animals (beast) that we may eat are those that have ALL these characteristics. It must part the hoof; meaning divide the hard shell at the end of the foot. Be cloven-footed; this is when the hoof separates into two claws. This is very important to note since horses have hoofs but they are not parted. The beast must chew the cud, which means it eats grass/vegetation. Daniel 4:25 “That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen…” It partially digests the food then it regurgitates (vomit it up); return from the first stomach to the mouth to chew again, this is what cud is.

Examples of the beasts that can be eaten are found in the word. Deuteronomy 14:4 “These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,” Verse 6: “And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat.” These (ox, the sheep, and the goat) are familiar beasts that show us clearly the characteristics we should look for. There are other examples provided in the scriptures according to their kind. Deuteronomy 14:5 “The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer...” All that are mentioned (hart, roebuck, and fallow) are different kinds of deer. Deuteronomy 14:5 “... and the wild goat, and the pygarg [gazelle or bison], and the wild ox, and the chamois [from goat or antelope family].”

Of course included in the clean animals are cows and lambs because they have all the necessary traits and belong to the family of the clean beasts mentioned. The only time we are forbidden from eating of the clean beasts is when they die of their own (sickness, killed by another beasts, etc…). Deuteronomy 14:21 “Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God…”

There are also some examples of beasts that are unlawful to eat because they do not fit all the criteria’s of the law. Deuteronomy 14:7 “Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you.” The hare and the coney are from the rabbit family. Although rabbits and camels chew the cud yet they have missing requirements. They do not have split hooves. Deuteronomy 14:8 “And the swine (pig, hog, boar, etc..), because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.” While the pig has a parted hoof and it is clovenfooted; however it’s unclean because it doesn’t chew the cud. Therefore we are commanded not to eat any animals missing required characteristics. Besides being forbidden from eating the unclean beasts, we are also commanded not to touch their dead carcasses (bodies).

Leviticus 11:26 “The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.” The law is not exclusive to camel, rabbit, and pigs. The most High explains that every beast not fitting the description, their carcasses must be avoided as unclean. This means that there is no such thing as lucky rabbit foot! We must be careful not to wear or use any kind of skin (leather) that comes from pigs or any other unclean animals. Leviticus 11:27 “And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even.” In addition furs (skin and hair) which usually come from beasts with paws (fox, rabbit, raccoons, beavers, etc..) are unclean regardless how expensive it is sold. By now it should be common sense that we are not to have any dead body of an unclean animal for our use (taxidermy, bear rug, etc..).

Unclean animals have their purpose while they are alive. For example the camel was commonly used by our forefathers to ride for long distance travels. See, Genesis 24:61. Another lawful use for the camel is to shave their hair while alive to make clothing. Like John the Baptist; Mark 1:6 “And John was clothed with camel’s hair...” In ancient Israel camel hair garments wasn’t lucrative. Today camel hair sports coat are sold as an expensive luxury. Even pigs have their use; our forefathers used pigs as a garbage disposal since they eat anything. Luke 15:15 “And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.” Verse 16: “And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks [outer shell of seeds that is thrown away as garbage] that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.” See also Luke 8:26-34. Our forefathers also had pets of unclean beasts that go upon paws. Read, Tobit 5:16 and Exodus 22:31. If you interact with an unclean beast remember that when they die if you touch them you become unclean. Leviticus 11:28 “And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.”

Notice that throughout the scriptures it defines for us what are clean beast and unclean. 1st Peter 1:19 “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” Christ being holy and clean is compared to a lamb which is used for sacrifice because it is clean. While unclean beasts are considered profane. Matthew 7:6 “Give NOT that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine…” This is to make a difference between holy and profane. Also between what is clean and unclean. Ezekiel 44:23 “And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.”

In the Waters

Leviticus 11:9 “These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.” Verse 10: “And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:” The standard that we must follow for all that are in the waters is also given to us by God. We can only eat those fishes that have both fins and scales; it cannot be missing one of the traits. Hence such things as lobsters, crabs, shrimp, catfish, shark, frogs, and squid are an abomination to eat, because they do not have fins or scales.

The majority of our people today believe there is nothing unclean. Contrary to their belief, it stated in Revelations 16:13 “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.” In the last book of the Bible, frogs are still considered unclean because they do not have fins or scales. Christ also spoke of uncleanness in the waters by speaking symbolically (a parable) about fishing. Matthew 13:47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:” Verse 48: “Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.” This example of fishermen in ancient Israel keeping what was good (meaning according to the law) but casting away the unclean things. 1st Timothy 1:8 “But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;” By the Parable we could see that Christ taught the Dietary laws. Teaching us that the lawful clean animals is good, but the bad or unclean we are supposed to cast (throw) away.

Fowls

Leviticus 11:13 “And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,” Verse 14: “And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;” Verse 15: “Every raven after his kind;” Verse 16: “And the owl [the Hebrew word could also be translated as ostrich], and the night hawk, and the cuckow [could also be translated as seagull], and the hawk after his kind,” Verse 17: “And the little owl, and the cormorant [translated at times as Grebe], and the great owl [translated at times as ibis],” Verse 18: “And the swan , and the pelican, and the gier eagle [translated at times as swamphen],” Verse 19: “And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing [translate at times as Hoopoe], and the bat.” All these birds after their kind we are not to eat. For example, the Bible mentioned we are not to eat the swan; the goose or duck would be after its kind. Since goose is an unclean bird we are not to use goose down products. Yet again the scriptures prove that the Dietary Laws of the Heavenly Father are forever. Revelations 18:2 “And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”

In the last kingdom of the end days, Babylon the great will become the habitation of unclean birds. The reason is that they will feed on the flesh of those that will be destroyed during the fall of Babylon. In agreement with the Dietary Laws Christ identifies one of the “unclean and hateful” birds. Matthew 24:28 “For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.”

Deuteronomy 14:11 “Of all clean birds ye shall eat.” By this statement we know that clean birds are mentioned in the written word of God although their names are not in Leviticus chapter 11 or Deuteronomy chapter 14. Some are found in the sacrificial laws. Leviticus 1:14 “And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the LORD be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons.” Another example is in the history of Israel, when the Lord provided food in the wilderness. Exodus 16:12 “I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.” Verse 13: “And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp…” When the children of Israel desired meat, the Lord gave them quails; showing us that we could eat birds according to this kind, such as chicken, turkey, hens, etc..

Creeping Things

Insects and critters are called in the scriptures creeping things. Leviticus 11:41 “And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.” Verse 42: “Whatsoever goeth upon the belly [worms, snakes, etc..], and whatsoever goeth upon all four [mice, squirrels, etc..], or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things [bugs, spiders, etc..] that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.” Verse 43: “Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.”

To help us understand, the Heavenly Father gave us some examples of different type of creeping things. Leviticus 11:29 “These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind,” Verse 30: “And the ferret [at times translated as hedgehog], and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail [at times translated as slug], and the mole.” Verse 31: “These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even.”

The Bible addresses the eating of insects because our people have no boundaries of what they would eat. Examples would be tequila with a worm, chocolate covered roaches, road kill meals, etc... Deuteronomy 14:19 “And every creeping thing [insect] that flieth [mosquitoes, hornets, etc..] is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.” The classical dead fly in your soup, some will just take out the fly and continue to eat. Leviticus 11:32 “And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean;...”

Leviticus 11:21 “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;” All insects in the Bible are unclean and we are commanded not to eat them with the exception of one. Leviticus 11:22 “Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.” Verse 23: “But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.”

Although you read four kinds, it is really one type of insect that you are allowed to eat. They are all of the same family, the locust. Locusts are the swarming phase of certain species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae. They are not to be confused with crickets, which some so called Bible “Dictionaries” try to include as the lawful creeping things. Considering the description given of the insect we could eat, only one will fit. For this reason the word beetle used in the scripture is not referring to the modern sense of the word which today includes over 400,000 species.

The word “beetle” is only found once in the Bible and it was translated from the word “Chargal” which meant leaper. In other languages the word Chargal is not translated in the Bible, therefore the word Chargal was kept to let the reader know that it is a type of locust that was known for its leaping. The reader is supposed to understand this by reviewing the description given by God. Leviticus 11:21 “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;” Beetles in the modern sense of the word generally do not go upon four, their legs are not above their feet, and they are not leapers. Therefore by the description we know for sure that the Heavenly Father ONLY allows the eating of Locust.

In the history of the Bible the eating of locust can be found; an example was John the Baptist. Mark 1:6 “And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;” Some dismay at the fact that John ate locust and consider him to be disgusting. Yet according to the word of God, locust is a clean animal and lawful to eat, whereas pork which is accepted is an unclean abominable animal. In conclusion, all other insects are not to be eaten, as it is written in the word of God.

To some of our people it is common sense not to eat bugs, rodents, or things defiled by their dead bodies, etc… Unfortunately by ignoring the dietary laws you were unwittingly fed unclean unlawful creeping things. Apocrypha Ecclesiasticus 5:15 “Be not ignorant of any thing in a great matter or a small.” How, you may ask? By being ignorant of the ingredients that are used in some products. Have you ever heard of Beetle Juice? Well it is not only a movie; some juices sold in the USA have crushed beetles (carmine/cochineal) as an ingredient to give it red color. Another example is the use of shellac also known as lac resin which is a coating or glaze derived from the lac bug (beetle). It is supposed to be the secretion of the bug but it is also composed of “insect debris”. This is commonly used as a preservative for fruits/vegetables (apples, oranges, peppers, etc...) to keep them “fresh” and to make them look very shiny. It is also used as confectionary glaze for candy. Leviticus 5:2 “Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.”

We pray that after learning what animals are clean and unclean to eat, that you choose not to defile yourself with what is abominable such as pork/swine. That you take the step forward to learn more about the dietary laws such as some of the unlawful ingredients, concerning food preparation (common), and the eating of blood. But if you choose to disregard the law of God, we must admonish you of the judgment that will come upon you. Isaiah 66:15 “For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.” Verse 16: “For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.” Verse 17: “They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.” Therefore take heed unto thyself that you are not destroyed not only by the second coming of Christ, but also by sickness of health. Apocrypha Ecclesiasticus 18:21 “Humble thyself before thou be sick, and in the time of sins shew repentance.”

Apocrypha Ecclesiasticus 38:15 “He that sinneth before his Maker, let him fall into the hand of the physician.” Please be reminded that those that continue to live in uncleanness will not make it to the kingdom of God. Ephesians 5:5 “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” Shalam (Peace)!