What is salvation?
Exactly what does the word mean?
Ask those who say they rely on the Bible for guidance and you're liable to get many different answers.
However there is a consensus today that certain things are not necessary for salvation that were once at the heart and core of the correct religious beliefs and experiences taught throughout scripture.
Mistaken Doctrines
Well-meaning perhaps, but nonetheless utterly deceived religious leaders today base their false doctrinal ideas on interpretations of verses of scripture, and not on any direct statements in support of their views.
Take the topic of unclean meats as a case in point.
The assumption is that, when gentiles were converted, they were allowed to bring practices such as eating of unclean food into the congregations that were established in Asia Minor, and that Eben's ("Peter's") vision related in Acts chapters 10 and 11 highlights a change in what is now thought of and called "Old Testament law," indicating it was done away by the Savior's death, burial and resurrection.
Is this true? Or is it nothing more than a misinterpretation and false assumption made by those who essentially have converted the Way of truth into a thoroughly pagan lie?
Let's start by putting together two significant facts, both of which spell out the actual state of things in this present age.
Fact One: Christianity, with its "done away law" foundational doctrine, dominates the world today, claiming to be the epitome of the truth to this age.
Fact Two: The Savior Himself prophesied that in these last days: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come over my name, claiming 'I am the messiah,' and will deceive many" ("Matthew" 24:4-5; Mark 13:5-6; Luke 21:8).
Indulging Uncleanness
Both of these things -- the dominance of "no more Old Testament law" Christianity in view of the Savior's prophecy, and their claim to being the sole Way of truth and salvation -- are incompatible, and therefore cannot be true.
It obviously cannot be the popular Christian doctrine, because this would undermine the prophecies of scripture relating to this present day and age, such as the following:
"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Yahveh who bought them -- bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping" (II "Peter" 2:1-3).
"So I tell you this and insist on it in the Sovereign, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thoughts...indulg[ing] in every kind of uncleanness, with a continual lust for more" (Ephesians 4:17, 19).
"But among you there must not be even a hint...of any kind of uncleanness...because these are improper for the Almighty One's people" (Ephesians 5:3).
Scriptures Ripped Out Of Context
Examining the scriptures put forth in favor of the "every sort of animal is okay to eat and no longer unclean" doctrine, they clearly say nothing of the kind.
For instance, the pivotal scriptural texts cited to support this are Acts 10 and 11, along with "Matthew" 15:11 and I Timothy 4:3-5.
Starting with the first, which describes a vision the Apostle Eben ("Peter") had, which involved unclean animals, the scripture says: "Do not call anything unclean that the Almighty One has made clean" (Acts 10:15, 11:9).
While "Matthew" 15:11 is said to lay the foundation for this, when the Savior said: "What goes into a man's mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of his mouth makes him unclean."
Then I Timothy 4:3-5 is cited as some sort of confirmation for this belief, when Paul wrote: "They...order them to abstain from certain foods, which the Almighty One created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything the Almighty One created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of Yahveh and prayer."
The Intended Meaning Is Something Else Entirely
The big trouble with all this is that nowhere do any of these scriptures say that unclean animals were somehow now fit to eat.
In fact, just the opposite is true.
For instance, in Acts 10:28 the Apostle Eben ("Peter") very clearly related the meaning of the vision he was given: "You are well aware that it is against our Law for a Yavdan to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But the Almighty One has shown me that I should not call any man unclean."
In other words, any repentant man (or woman) was acceptable, so long as they chose to obey the Creator's commandments, statutes and judgments, given through Moses, just as Cornelius' attitude was focused on hearing "everything the Sovereign has commanded you to tell us" (verse 33)!
Likewise, in "Matthew" 15:19-20 the Savior Himself clarified His meaning by adding: "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man unclean; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him unclean."
Finally, in I Timothy 5:22, one of the primary instructions from Paul to his disciple was: "Keep yourself pure."
The key fact was that Paul said nothing "consecrated by the Word" was to be rejected, and should be received with thanksgiving.
Nowhere, in any scripture of the Old or New Testaments, can you find anything that says unclean animals were ever "consecrated," or are now somehow made "clean" or fit to eat.
Historical And Prophetic Context
Had the Savior ever said, taught or behaved in this manner during His lifetime here on earth, it would have been a sin (since He had not yet died for our sins, or been resurrected), and His execution as a lawbreaker would have been just and right.
In which case, we would have no Savior or hope for salvation through Him!
He certainly did not teach any of His disciples and apostles to do anything different from what He taught while He was with them here on earth.
But how can we know with certainty that unclean animals still exist, and ought never to be consumed by those who profess to know and follow the Way of truth today?
Prophecies for today and the near future reveal this with crystal clarity.
First, in YasaYahv ("Isaiah") 52:10-11, at the time of the Savior's second coming, to bring salvation to His elect servants:
"Yahveh will lay bare His sacred arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will witness the salvation of our Almighty One. Depart, depart, go out from there! Come out from it and be clean, you who carry the vessels of Yahveh."
In reference to the priests and ministers of Christianity who say there is nothing unclean or impure about any animals, and that eating such things does not make a person unclean and impure (see: Leviticus 10:10, 20:25; Deuteronomy 14:3-21), the prophet "Ezekiel" wrote:
"Her priests do violence to my Law and profane my sacred things; they do not distinguish between the sacred and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean..." ("Ezekiel" 22:26).
The prophecy concerning the future time, following the Savior's return to rule over the earth, reveals that the true priests of Yahveh are said to be entirely different from this modern-day standard of misconduct:
"They are to teach my people the difference between the sacred and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean" ("Ezekiel" 44:23).
A Detestable Unclean Doctrine Of Demons
Finally, while Christians teach that no word should be added to or taken away from scripture, according to Revelation 22:18-19 (a reference specifically to that book of prophecy), they do just that by ignoring the very clear description of the birds that will inhabit the ruins of the city of Mystery Babylon (the description of which matches modern day New York City, named after the city of York in England, from the Anglo-Saxon word eoforwic, meaning: "wild boar settlement" -- a wild boar is a feral hog, pig or swine; an unclean animal according to Leviticus 11:7-8 and Deuteronomy 14:8):
"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird" (Revelation 18:2).
This last word on the matter of clean and unclean animals in the New Testament clearly indicates both prophetically, and in terms of the belief and practice of the Apostles through the first half of the first century following the Savior's resurrection, is that today there are still unclean animals that are detestable, and therefore not to be considered as edible.
Any other conclusion flies in the face of this profound revelation and pure truth of scripture, as do the priests and ministers of unclean Christianity to this very day, who are following in the errors, sins and uncleanness of their ancestors, engrained through centuries of ignorance concerning what must first be restored and obeyed by any who seek true salvation.
In fact, in just this way they fulfill one of the key prophecies of this end age:
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
"Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which the Almighty One created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. [Ex.: vegetarian and vegan eschewing of even clean animal meat.]
"For the Almighty One created all these good things not to be rejected, but received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For the Almighty One created everything that is good, and nothing should be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of the Almighty One [i.e. scripture] and prayer" (I Timothy 4:1-5).
That is, unless scripture clearly declares an animal to be clean, as it does the sheep, the cow, the goat, etc., it is neither acceptable nor consecrated by the scripture or word of Yahveh, much less by prayer!
The PURE Truth
As Paul, who is often misquoted to "prove" that unclean animals are now supposedly edible, actually taught (quoting "Isaiah" 52:11):
"'Therefore come out from them and be separate,' says Yahveh. 'Touch nothing unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,' says Yahveh of hosts.
"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting sacredness out of reverence for the Almighty One" (II Corinthians 6:17 - 7:1).
The actual Way of truth is one of purity and abstinence from everything that defiles and is unclean, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
For there is salvation in nobody other than the real Savior, who lived a clean life in obedience to all of the Law given through Moses, as an example for you and I to follow!
This true salvation almost no one today seeks, or wants, thanks to the rebellious sinners posing as spiritual guides in this age -- who know nothing about the actual requirements to find true salvation, having hidden the key to the Kingdom and refusing to believe and enter themselves -- while traversing the face of the earth seeking disciples to follow after their own example of uncleanness, error and falsehood.