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Exception to the general rules. That is where the spirit of the law comes in. What was the purpose for the dietary laws of clean and unclean meats? To protect their health. So if pork, considered an unclean meat according to the laws of clen and unclean meats in Leviticus 11, was the only staple available for a longer period, it is evident to me that God would want us to eat pork for the sake of survival until other staples of food are made available.
The civil, temporal regulations and laws, are different to the ten commandments. And of the ten commandments, the laws that are involved in the first 4, which is in the category the first and greatest of all main commandments, of loving God, the Creator and His spiritual kingdom first, which include the 4th commandment of the Sabbath Day, weigh heavier than the last six, which is in the category, second greatest commandments of love for creation (mankind).
Hence why the question of the true and counterfeit Sabbath is a spiritual question, rather than a physical question. Which is why we are not asked to die rather than surviving on pork for a time.
Even Ellen White points out that the health message is only connected to, yet not the 3 Angel's message. It is not part of the everlasting law and gospel. Hence to think we ought to die rather than survive on food that is less healthy than we would normally choose, is absurd. When that was much of the point God had for giving these rules.
To think it is better to die than having to eat some pork for a period as it could potentially rise cholesterol levels, just show how blind faith and getting stuck in the letter of the law can kill, as 2. Cor 3 and Romans 8 rightfully states.
A mindset and doctrine that should be repented of, as many who believe such fanaticism also encourage others to do the same. It is spiritualists who rely heavily on their flesh, on their physical health, on higher energies/vibrations for ascension. Their idea of salvation. This is not by grace through faith, which is the way of Christ. To rely so heavily on the flesh, is of the king of the flesh, of this world. The king of the shadows and types, and not the spirit, which is the new law and covenant of Christ.
2. Cor 3. Gal 3 and 4. Hebrews ch 4-12. Romans 8.
As for the argument of Jesus fasting for 40 days. The reason He did in the first place did not have anything to do with this being a test in terms of eating unclean food. Also there are people who are weak and ill who would die pretty quick without food. Take diabetics or people with mitochondrial diseases for instance. And if the person managed 40 days without food, the situation where swine’s flesh was the only staple of food accessible could last far longer.
As for Daniel in Daniel chapter. 1, Daniel ask for permission to eat a vegetarian diet. The king allow for the test to see if he will still be fit. Daniel pass the test and is permitted to continue the plant based diet. Concerning Daniel being thrown into the lion's den, in chapter 6, the issue revolves around what God Daniel choose to worship (and pray to), it is not about diet or food. It would be in the same category as choosing to die rather than disobeying the 4th commandment of the 7th Day Sabbath. The 7th Day Sabbath, the 4th commandment, was placed inside the Ark of the covenant. Not only that, but the 4th commandment is also among the first 4 commandments, summed up in the greatest main commandments of loving God first, and mankind/creation second, wich are among the last 6 of the ten commandments, that sum up the second greatest commandment.
(Deuteronomy 4:13. Hebrews 9:3-5)
So the first 4 commandments are even higher, holier, than that of the last 6. As it deals specifically with our worship for our Creator and sanctifier/savior.
The civil, temporal laws, including the dietary laws, was placed outside the ark. They are not of equal importance.
We should always be willing to sacrifice ourselves even to the point of death of disobeying God. But what does it really mean to disobey Him? Legalist thinking is where you persist in the legalist mindset. At a point in your walk, Christ will call you out from this legalist mindset, which is the immature, unsanctified Christian's mindset. We must receive the spirit of God more fully by advancing in the sanctification of Christ, in order to receive the New covenant law, the law of the spirit, the law of faith, the law of Christ.
It is not arbitrary. It is about always trying to choose the higher law, the higher doctrine over the lower. It is the same as choosing the law of the spirit over the law of the letter. It is to choose the law of Jesus over the law of the flesh / world.
What was God's intention behind the laws of clean and unclean animals? To protect our health. So in a survival crisis, where no other food is available, why should we choose to rather destroy your health completely, as in complete death, rather than surviving for a time on pork? It makes no sense.
The letter itself, without advancing on the path of the cross and thus receiving a greater fullness of the Spirit of God is what the word of God calls legalism. To become blind to the letter.
As for Revelation 12:11
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” and Matthew 16:25 “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
This I believe has to do with wanting to save their unsanctified character, the law and spirit of the flesh. I am not saying we are not to desire to suffer and die before wanting to disobey God. I suffer and die daily for His sake. That is to crucify the flesh, and advance from the old, immature, to the new, mature and everlasting. See Hebrews 6.
"Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death.."
"He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant —not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." - 2. Cor 3:6
Romans 8:
"Life Through the Spirit
8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you] free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness."
However, if there was a question of suffering the first death for the sake of being obedient to God, as in obeying the 4th commandment, which would be in the category "Most holy law". where the first 4 is in the category, the greatest commandment, and dealing with our obedience to the Creator. This would be in the scenario of a possible Sunday Law with the penalty of death if you insisted to be faithful to God by observing His Seventh-Day Sabbath, rather than the counterfeit Sabbath, Sunday. Then I believe it would be right to choose death over what here would be disobedience to God.
Take another example. Say someone in the family has been stabbed and is about to die of blood loss and shock. You live in the countryside and there is no ambulance available. The hospital is a good distance away and the speed limit is very low. If you follow it, you know that person will die. What will you do? Do you keep the law, or do you break what is the lesser law here to obey the greater law, which here will be to break the speed limit to save a life?
2 Cor 3:
"You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
4 Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." However, there is a danger here, of becoming too liberal or liberal in the wrong way. That is to think there is never any relevance to the letter of the law. Read these articles to see how we can better avoid this pitfall, of either a too legalistic or too liberal mind set.
The reason why the 7th day Sabbath is a test is because it seem like a minor law, but it is among the first four of the 10 commandments. Which means it belongs to the first and greatest of commandments of loving God first and foremost. The dietary laws are not even in the second greatest commandment. It is even below that in terms of priority/ weight. If we make temporal, dietary laws in that same category, it become pointless to promote the 7th Day sabbath as a test in the last days. It would make zero sense. The whole argument would fall. The 3 angel's message would fall to pieces. So this is very serious and not just something we can allow ourselves to take lightly. As if we are more obedient to God if we say we ought to die rather than surviviving for a time on pork. I would say we would be disobedient rather.
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