Jesus' Words Only

Paul in John's Revelation Pt 3: Why Does Jesus condemn eating meat sacrificed to idols in Revelation?

Jul 15, 2022

Video Description

Jesus thus commends Ephesians for “hating” the Nicolaitans' teaching. (Rev. 2:6.) "What teaching? The Nicolaitans, Jesus notes to church at Pergamum, taught that a Christian could "eat things sacrificed to idols...." (Rev. 2:14-15) – “some holding the teaching of the Nicolatans in like manner.”

Three times in Acts at 15:20, 15:29, and 21:25 the absolute prohibition on eating meat sacrificed to idols is repeat.

Acts 15:20 ASV “but that we write unto them, that they abstain [i.e., do not eat] from the pollutions of idols, … and from what is strangled, and from blood.”Acts 15:29 ASV “that ye, abstain from things sacrificed to idols … which if ye keep yourselves, it shall be well with you.”Acts 21:25 ASV “But as touching the Gentiles that have believed, we wrote, giving judgment that they should keep themselves from things sacrificed to idols, and from [eating meat with] blood, and from [eating] what is strangled…”

Jesus prohibits flatly eating meat sacrificed to idols 2x in Revelation.

Rev. 2:14 ASV “[at Pergamum] some among you…hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock [skandalon] before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols.” Rev. 2:20 “But I have this against you, that you suffer the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess; and she teaches and seduces my servants …to eat things sacrificed to idols.” ASV+

Is salvation at risk for disobeying? The skandalon is used in this passage:

Matt 13: 41 “The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all … that cause stumbling [skandalon], and them that do iniquity, 42 and shall cast them into the furnace of fire.”

Daniel the prophet obeyed this principle in Daniel 1:8. By his era, and then by Jesus' era, the strong prohibition was well known.

Susan Weingarten, formerly Department of Classical Archaeology, Tel Aviv University wrot a

In a

rticle on Daniel, and explained by 2-3d century BC, the following was true: “Gentile food had become suspect of being connected to pagan ritual, so it was considered preferable to suffer martyrdom rather than eat it (Efron 1987).” Efron J (1987). Studies on the Hasmonean period. Leiden: 96-104

In Daniel 1:8, we read:

“Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the king's food or the wine he drank, so he sought permission of the chief officer not to defile himself” (Dan. 1:8 Israel Bible.)

Ellicott: “He [Daniel] was cautious from the first. He feared that he might eat something that had been consecrated to idols.”

“He was determined, in his brave young heart, not to ‘defile’ himself with the king’s meat. The phrase points to the pollution incurred by eating things offered to idols….” (MacLaren’s Expositions, Biblehub.com on Dan. 1:8.)

The principle derives from this principle when later Jews were in Gentile lands:

12 Take heed to thyself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land wherever you go, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: 13 but you shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and you shall cut down their Asherim 14 for thou shalt worship no other god: for [Yahweh], whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God; 15 lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot after their gods, and sacrifice unto their gods, and one call you and you eat of his sacrifice. Exodus 34:12-15 ASV.

So who were the Nicolatans that Jesus said He hated their doctrine:

Robertson (a famous Baptist preacher and biblical scholar) in Word Pictures confesses the Nicolaitans defended eating such meat based on Paul's grace gospel: "These early Gnostics practiced licentiousness since they were not under law, but under grace." (Robertson's Word Pictures on Rev. 2:14.)

They were Paul followers.

Today Paul folllowers shamelessly endorse Paul's views on it is ok to eat meat sacrificed to idols. Here is what one of them said -- as an introduction to the next video:

“Idol Meat Is Clean (Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8): God had forbidden idol meat originally because it caused the children of Israel to go `whoring after' the gods of other nations. (Exodus 34:15-16.) Since the Gentiles were now equal in the sight of God, this restriction was no longer necessary. Jewish Christians even preferred idol meat since it was usually less expensive in the market place....Paul stipulates another reason why idol meat is permitted: `As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one....' (1 Corinthians 8:4-6)” (Kenneth Loy, Jr. in My Body His Temple: The Prophet Daniel's Guide to Nutrition (Aroh Publishing: 2001) at 69.)

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