Subject:
Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 01:41:48 -0800 (PST)
From: xxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx
To: Yourcomm@panama.gulf.net

Hello xxxxxx,

Thank you for writing. I understand what you are saying and have gone back into the Bible to check on everything that you say. I will give you my answers as I have found them in the Bible. I use only the KJV 1611 Bible. It would have been extremely useful if you had included Scripture verses instead of just broad statements without any proof verses.

You Say:
Dear Pastor (You will excuse me if I do not call you "reverend," for the Bible says, "Holy and reverend is HIS name.")

Answer:
I Have no problem with whatever title you choose to use, or no title at all if you prefer.

You Say:
Please do not take this message the wrong way. If anything, I would hope that it would drive you to consider your positions and to STUDY to see what God's Word REALLY teaches on these matters.

Answer:
Why yes, I did go back into the Word of God to see what God's Word REAILY says. But to understand God's Word in the Bible we Must Use All the Bible, not just a verse here and there. Neither you, nor I, can ignore any part of Gods Words, for we must obey every one of them. And we will go into a little more detail on this subject a little further down.

You Say:
I was reading your website researching the Trinity. I then went to your other pages, and read your comments on suicide. I am not writing to talk about suicide, but rather to point out serious incosistencies in your (and most of the Christian world's) theology.

My favourite spiritual author said, "Consistency is such a jewel!" and if there is one thing I have learned, is that God is consistent! He does not change, nor is there variableness of turning. If we are HIS followers, we must be the same, especially in our theology, would you agree?

Answer:
I certainly agree with you that, as Christians, that All of our Theology should match, or agree, However this is not the case. Since even before the time of Jesus Christ, Theology has been turned and twisted to suit individual men, and has become more twisted as we came into our own age. I believe that you have seen this yourself.

You do not say who your favorite spiritual author is, but the word "Consistency" is not in the KJV 1611 Bible and the word "Jewel" is in only 3 verses in the Bible, Proverbs 11:22, 20:15; Ezekiel 16:12, and none of them has anything to do with Theology or Consistency. Therefore I must conclude that you are referencing a book written by man, when you should be referencing the Bible itself.

It is certainly true that God does not change, and the Bible tells us this fact. However I am not sure that I understand your statement that "there is not a variableness of turning" in relation to God (James 1:17) and in relation to this subject. While it is true that God will never tell us one thing today, change it tomorrow, then change it back again the next day, (variableness) for God will say that this is the way that it is, Period. But you must also remember that God has shown us, in His Word, that God has brought about on this Earth different dispensations, or different covenants (contracts) with men in different ages. That God has changed the covenants does not make him variable as you would imply by that statement. Your implication is that there has only been one covenant with man throughout the history of the world, and that that covenant will never change. More on that later.

You Say:
You made a statement that a certain pastor (who contradicted your view on suicide) "obviously doesn't even believe in the Ten Commandments. Do you? Does not one of the commandments state "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but THE SEVENTH DAY is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God. In it thou shalt not do any work, neither thou, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy gates, for in six days the LORD thy God created heaven and earth and all that in them is, wherefore he rested the seventh day, and sanctified it."

Answer:
I see that you are trying to equate the murdering of someone, which has been against God's laws since Cain killed Abel, with a law which was ONLY part of the Mosaic law given to Moses. Of course I know that you do not accept this view, for you would like everyone to continue to follow the Mosaic law, even though we are under a new covenant. Oh, but it appears that you are still following the old, the Mosaic covenant, which has been replaced.

I see that you have gone back to Genesis 2:2-3, where God said that HE blessed and sanctified that day, and rested, but you should have kept on reading. Perhaps I missed it, but I am unable to find any place where God commanded Adam to keep the seventh day as a holy day without work. (Where God said to Adam, you have to keep this day without working) In fact I can not find God giving this command to Noah, or Abraham, or to Joseph. The first that I find it, is when God commanded Moses to give this law to the Jews. And this law was only given to the Jews, and not to the Gentiles. And If you ever find in the Bible where the Gentiles were commanded to keep the seventh day holy, then you show me where it is in the Bible. For Genesis 2:2-3 does not say that, nor does that verse command ANY Man to keep that day special. It only says that God declared that day special. Also, it is impossible to prove by any calendar which day it is which is the day that God rested. The Sabbath Day which the Jews keep was establish by God when He Told Moses to start a new calendar starting on a given day. And you can argue till the cows come home that God established the Sabbath as the exact same day as the day God rested, but God's Word does not say so, nor does it matter if it is or is not. The Sabbath Day as know today, Only started as a commandment to Moses for the Jews, was not celebrated before (according to the Word of God), and is not commanded to be celebrated after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (according to the Word of God.)

Exodus 12:1-2 "And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt; saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: It shall be the first month of the year to you."

But you say, that is part of the ten commandments, and you are absolutely right. But then, when Jesus was asked what the Commandments of God were, Jesus, in the New Testament, or the New Covenant, gave only two Commandments, and these two commandments cover every one of the ten commandments, except the one on the Sabbath. God made a new contract with us, a new covenant, a new testament, for which He shed His Blood to establish. We are, as Christians, under Grace now, and NOT under the Law of Moses. And just as there was no Sabbath commanded on anyone Before Moses, so there is no commandment to keep the Sabbath After the Death of Jesus. On reading the Gospels, you will find that the Apostles stopped keeping the Sabbath after a while, and the Gentiles never did keep the Sabbath. The Apostles clarified this point about the Law of Moses, including the Sabbath, when they sent a letter to the Gentiles telling the Gentiles that they were NOT under the Law.

Acts 15:24 "Forasmuch as we have heard that certain who went out from us have troubled you with words subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law, to whom we gave no such commandment,"

Notice here that those who were telling the Christians that they had to keep the Law (in this case, as you say, the Sabbath) that they were Subverting the souls of those they told this to, that is, turning them away from God. The Apostles did not command anyone to keep any part of the law of Moses, for they understood from Jesus that there was now a new contract with God.

Matthew 22:36-40 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord, thy god, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Also Mark 12:28-34; Luke 13:34-35; John 15:12

Now Jesus lived under the Jewish Mosaic Law and kept all the law. But upon the Death of Jesus, A new Covenant, or Testament, was established. A new contract with man by God.

Matthew 26:28 "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Mark 14:24 "And he said unto them, this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many."

Luke 22:20 "Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."

1 Cor. 11:25 "After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying This cup is the new testament in my blood; this do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me."

You Say:
There are so many standard arguments, all of which are easily answered, such as "That was for the jews" "We keep Sunday in honour of the Resurrection." "We are not under the law!" etc, etc, etc! Yet the question I am asking you is, why do you say that other pastor does not accept the TEN commandments, if you accept only NINE? For where does it say that God's law was ever changed? That the seventh day is no longer holy? So-- you have to be CONSISTENT and either accept the Sabbath (please, in God's name, STUDY this!), OR you must stop making statements such as you did about that other pastor.

Answer:
Up till now, you have rejected every word that was given to you because you did not like to believe what they were telling you. But that is Ok. All that is between you and God. But I wonder how many times God will send someone to tell you His Words before God places a stumbling block before you and turns you over to a reprobate mind to believe a lie. Perhaps no one has ever given you the scriptures before, but only made statements which you did not understand.

The Apostles understood, and you can find this in the Bible, that the entire Earth was, and is, now under the law of Grace, and that every human being on the Earth must now accept Jesus Christ and all that He taught, in order to have salvation. They knew the prophecy of Daniel's 70 weeks of years, that All Jewish Law, the Mosaic Law, was dead from the time of Jesus until the Tribulation period, when the Christians would be taken off of the Earth, and the entire Earth would go back under the Mosaic Law for seven years, then Jesus would return to set up His Kingdom. From the time of Jesus Christ, right through the day that we are living in now, the Bible tells us that anyone who does not accept Jesus Christ will not enter Heaven. I am sorry to say that except for a very small group of Jews who have accepted Jesus Christ, that all the rest of the Jewish people who are still trying to follow the Jewish Mosaic Law, as well as all others who deny Jesus Christ will go to Hell. That is not my word, that is the WORD OF GOD!! And If you knew The Bible as well as you think you do, then you would know this. As we said above, you can not go by only part of God's Word, you must go by All of it. You should also know that it is Impossible for the Jews to fulfill All of the Law, no matter how much they might try, for there has been no Temple to do their Sacrifices in since AD 70. And their Law also tells them that to break any part of the Law is if they broke all of the Law.

Deuteronomy 27:26 "Cursed be he who confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen."

Galatians 3:10-12 "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them. But no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident; for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith, but, the man what doeth them shall live in them."

3:24 "Wherefore, the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith."

If you wish to go by Any part of the Mosaic Law then you had better do Every part of the Law, which I just showed above is now impossible until the Tribulation period which is the last week of years of Daniel's prophecy. If you wish to follow the Sabbath, because it is in the Mosaic Law, then you have a problem according to God's Word, the Bible, both in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament.

As for quoting from the ten Commandments, as I stated before, There are nine of the Ten Commandments which are covered under the two Commandments given us by Jesus. But we still keep one day out of seven as a Holy day. It is just that YOU and some others, do not agree with, nor do YOU like it, that we keep a different day Holy unto the Lord. Instead of rejoicing that we Glorify God on that day, you Condemn us because it is not the day that YOU choose to Worship on. We are not breaking that commandment because that commandment was never given to the Christians.

You Say:
You (or someone commented, and you agreed) that to commit suicide was to violate the principle, "Ye are the temple of God, and whoso defileth the temple of God, him shall God destroy." Pastor, do you eat meat and sugar ("junk food")? Is this not defiling the temple of God? With all our incredible knowledge in the 21st century, is it not clear that to eat meat and junk food is "committing suicide" albeit much slower? If by our habits we cause heart disease, are we not doing the same thing? Especially if you eat unclean meat (pork, shrimp, etc) or UNKOSHER meat, for unclean beasts were forbidden in the Temple of God! Again, the standard arguments rise (which I assure you, if you are HONESTLY seeking answers, I can contest, but if you simply want to defend lawlessness/anoumeia/rebellion against God's teaching, then it's not worth wasting your or my time. Please, study to see if what I am saying is so!). Oh, so many people are fond of saying, "The Holy Spirit this, and the Holy Spirit that..." and yet when we have one of the clearest, DIRECT statements by the Holy Spirit himself in the New Testament, where he says TO THE GENTILE CONVERTS, don't eat unkosher meat!, we ignore it!

Answer:
Here I am aware that you have no idea of what God has given man to eat, and of when, and how, God changed what man could eat several times, as is given in the Bible, which is God's Word.

Genesis 1:29 "And God said, Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."

Here in Genesis, at the start of man and the world, God gave only the herbs and fruit on trees as food. There was no meat of any kind allowed for there was no death yet. Then there was a change by God, also in Genesis.

Genesis 9:3-4 "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof which is the blood therof, shall ye not eat."

Then Genesis 9:3-4 tells us that God gave Noah, and all mankind, the authority to eat ANY animal, ANY bug, etc. as well the herbs and fruit. The only restriction was on the eating of Blood. So before the Mosaic Law, all these animals which you say is against God's law to eat, was given as food for man to eat, By God Himself.

Then came the Mosaic Law which placed restrictions on what man was allowed to eat. See Leviticus chapter 11, 22:8; Deuteronomy 14.

Then came another change in what man could eat in the new Covenant as shown in the Book of Acts, where God again opened up all flesh for food.

Acts 10:10-16 "And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel desending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven."

The only restriction placed on man was the same restriction also in Genesis 9:4. And in Acts 15:29.The restriction on the eating of Blood, things strangled, and from food offered to idols. And these are the only restrictions on what we can eat, as given to us by God, in His Holy Word.

This tells us that God again, I said that God again, gave man all kinds of flesh to eat again, just as God did in Genesis 9:3-4.

Therefore, I do agree that to defile the Temple of God is to commit an Abomination before God. But, based on the Bible scripture, as shown above, I can not agree with you that the eating of meat and sugar (a herb) is defiling the Temple, for they are both foods that the Bible says was given to us by God for food, and on that basis could not possibly defile the temple. Now eating to excess, just as is all excess, is comdemned in God's Word. That can defile the Temple, but what you eat will not.

As for Kosher meat, ( a method of killing an animal with a Rabbi present to bless it and to see that the blood is drained from the animal as far as is possible) I have used, cooked, and eaten both Kosher and Un Kosher meats and have observed no difference in the amount of blood which was left in the meat. An animal that is killed with a Rabbi present is Kosher, and the same animal killed in exactly the same way without a Rabbi present is UnKosher. Why does having a Rabbi present make a difference?? It is a religious Tradition. There is no place in the Bible where a Rabbi must be present when a man kills (Butchers) an animal for food.

I have to ask a question of you, Why would you think that Kosher meats are any less harmful to your heart and health than any other meats? Are you then only a vegetarian, who only eats herbs and fruits? If so, I have no problem with that.

What I have given you is not as you say "standard arguments", but rather they are the Word's of God Himself. Now, it is up to you to believe or to reject. For while you may believe that you are still under the Mosaic Law, I know that I am not, For God Said that We Are Not!! And I choose to believe God rather that any man!

You can not be a Deciple of Jesus Christ and still follow Mosaic Law. For Jesus told us that we must now live under Faith and Grace.

You Say:
Oh, pastor, I am not trying to argue or be contrary. I just wish God's people would open their eyes. You, as a minister, can help so many people. Again, I BEG you to inquire.

Answer:
I know. I believe that you fully believe what you wrote, and are not writing out of malice, and I thank you for writing. I will not reject out of hand what any man says to me about God's Word, for I must always check it back against the Bible to see if they, or I, am correct in our beliefs. As you know, it is very easy to say "this is the way it is" without giving any explanation or quoting scriptures. And while you have not quoted ANY scriptures to back up ANY of your claims, I have done my best, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to give you answers.

You make the statement that the Holy Spirit himself gave the command, in the New Testament, to the Gentile Converts, to not eat unkosher meat. Since you have not given a verse reference, and since I can not find any such verse, I have to assume that you are misquoting a verse which may be speaking of something else. The only other possibility would be where the Apostles commanded the Gentiles to not eat blood. I repeat -- I can find NO DIRECT statement by the Holy Spirit telling the Gentile Converts (I am assuming you mean Converts to Christianity) to not eat unkosher meat. As you can see by the scriptures that I quoted, that I did indeed inquire of God's Word and of God Himself. And yes, I help people to see God's Truth. But there are many who are so blinded that they refuse to even consider that they may not be following God's Word, but are instead following Man's word.

You Say:
May the LORD bless you!

Xxxxx vvvvvv

Answer:
May the Lord God Jesus Christ Lead You Into All His Truth

Rev. Jack Barr