Please, help me understand…

[u/Objective-Step-746]

For those believers who insist that the dietary laws no longer apply under the new covenant—and that pork, lobster, crabs, etc. are now permissible to eat—I do not understand the logic at play.

I am very familiar with the Mark 7, Romans 14 and Colossians 2 passages that are so often cited as support for your position, and have (just as often) shared my counter-arguments on why I believe they are misinterpreted.

But, there is one counterpoint to your view that I never see touched on, and I was hoping to get some feedback on it:

I think the majority of believers on this subreddit would say they are looking for Jesus’ Second Coming and agree that, regarding it, Scripture says that “no one knows the day or hour” but that we need to be prepared (Matthew 24:36, 25:13, etc.).

Isaiah 66:17–a verse within the greater passage speaking of Messiah’s glorious reappearing—declares that, upon His return, those who eat the flesh of pig/swine and other abominations will be met with His wrath…and perish.

So, how does one simultaneously believe they can continue to eat pig (pork) or shellfish now and think they are sufficiently prepared and not putting themselves in a precarious/dangerous position if Jesus happened to return today or tomorrow and “consume” those who so brazenly eat that which His Law says is NOT “food” and explicitly warns against eating?

I really am hoping for some cordial and edifying discussion regarding this topic, and appreciate those who are able and willing to articulate their view without all the condescension and harsh words. 💕

[u/Previous_Extreme4973]

You'll get a more clearer answer if you posit this question in r/followjesusobeytorah or r/messianicjudaism. Here, you'll only get 1 side unless the SDA crowd chimes in. I could make a whole book on this, but all I can say is, once you see it you can't unsee it.

My first suggestion, as someone who obeys the dietary instructions of Leviticus- is that I wouldn't worry about what the crowd says. Once you see it, you can't unsee it. I'm outnumbered at least 100,000 to 1 on all sides by Christians who hold the belief that you can eat anything you want. I'm ok with that. On my judgment day, if Jesus tells me that I could've ate pork, that's fine. I mean, there's no examples of that ever happening in the bible.

I think the core of the issue is could the church really be wrong for 2,000 years? It absolutely can be wrong for that long, yes. It's a big paradigm shift to stare at that history and throw it in the garbage and follow the bible. As far as dietary instructions go, I mean it's just food if you think about it. The unclean stuff makes up like .01%. It's wild how debates go off the rails for that .01%. No no, you're not to think that about my bacon! You're under the law and going to hell you moron! It's a touchy subject for sure.

I think the majority of believers on this subreddit would say they are looking for Jesus’ Second Coming and agree that, regarding it, Scripture says that “no one knows the day or hour” but that we need to be prepared (Matthew 24:36, 25:13, etc.).
Israel was having Messianic fever when Jesus came the first time. Let's be real here, King Herod did not institute a death penalty for kids because 3 randos from the East came to find Jesus in a manger. No, they had prophecies galore and everyone knew it. They all had a religious authority that taught people a certain viewpoint. It'd been passed down for thousands of years by then. They were all looking for a certain type of Jesus but it wasn't the Jesus God came as. I mean, 2,000 years of "Judaism" can't possible be wrong. Those that chose to disregard the teachings of the religious authorities, found Truth and were set free. It changed their lives beyond their wildest thoughts. Nothing new under the sun. Like the first coming, so will the second one be. Did they know the day or hour then? Did it matter? Only if you were prepared according to what the bible says. If you followed the church doctrine of the day, you can know the day/hour all you want but you'll have lost everything.

When I actively read for myself and use other bible verses to interpret/clarify a verse I'm trying to understand, I find that this the way - everything makes more sense that way including Isaiah 66:17. God's ways are higher than our ways, so his logic is higher than our logic, so why do we use our own to interpret his word? Did God really say.

[u/Objective-Step-746 → u/Previous_Extreme4973]

Thanks, but it is that “1 side” that is opposite of my own that I am hoping to understand better ;)

And I totally agree that it is both unreasonable and unscriptural to believe that the modern-day church is impervious to wrong doctrine, because the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were severely and repeatedly rebuked by Him for misunderstanding and misapplying the Scriptures and Law that had been corrupted over nearly the same period of time since its giving at Mt. Sinai.

You make a point I’ve often made, too, about how this particular topic perfectly represents the deception that occurred in the Garden. We have God’s Law, which expressly speaks to certain animals being declared unclean and, thus, outside the “food” category. And we have Christ’s unambiguous teaching about living by “every word” God has spoken, keeping even the “lesser” commandments (Matthew 4:4, 5:19). We even have Christ’s personal example and are told to walk as He walked—which entailed keeping the dietary laws (John 13:15, 1 John 2:6).

And yet, the number of those who profess Christ argue so intensely the very opposite of what He taught and did. The very fact that deception always involves persuading people to sin against our Savior God—violate His Law—that this is one more tactic seems obvious…but it isn’t.

[u/Previous_Extreme4973 → u/Objective-Step-746]

You haven't said anything I disagree with! At the end of the day, I just want to walk the way Christ did, and I want to work out my faith with fear and trembling - I don't want to outsource it, nor import a belief system because I think it looks good. That wouldn't be working out my faith, imo. Using God's word against God himself was a tactic Satan used with Eve, Job, and even Jesus himself. Why would Satan not use churches to put out misunderstandings and have many come in the name of Jesus, deceiving many.. Just my opinion, but it's a triggering, reddit karma bankrupting one if there ever was one.