“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink… Moreover the Body of Christ”

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In Colossians 2:16 we are told to “let no man therefore (for this reason), judge you in meat, or in drink.” For what reason? The reason listed in ColossiansSONY DSC 2:14 that Christ was “nailed to the cross””…forgiving your trespasses” blotting out your sins. (Col 2:14, 13). And since he has blotted out your sins, paying the penalty, redeeming you from curse of the law, for this reason you are to “let no man judge you therefore” (Col 2:16). What were the Colossians being judged about?

“Meat” and “Drink”

The word “meat” is used in the bible to refer to “food”.(Gen 1:29, etc.) There was a certain “food” that the Colossians were “eating”. This food had to do with the “body of Christ”.

Matt. 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

Jesus, when referring to the Lord’s supper, referred to it as his “body”. He also said in John 6 that his “body” was “meat” and “drink”.

Joh 6:55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

In speaking of the communion service, which is done in commemoration of the cross, Jesus refers to his flesh as “meat” and his blood as “drink”.

Feasting Unworthily – Not Discerning “the body of Christ”

After the children were separated from the captivity of Babylon and had made the trek to the Holy city, they had finally finished the building of the temple in Ezra chapter 6. The very first thing they did was have a feast. But there are a few principles here that I found significant to the church today, which is also called “the body of Christ” in scripture.

Ezr 6:21 And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat,
Ezr 6:22 And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

There are so many things here that I’ve found to be typical of Father’s work in these last days. One principle that I would like to pay careful attention to is that of not having “spots in their feasts” (2 Pet 2:13, Jude 12). That they separated themselves from the heathen in order to have a feast.

Paul talked about the leaven in the feasts of the Corinthians, and he said “with such a one know not to eat”. Very similar to what Ezra said above. Here it is regarding the feast of unleavened bread, Paul writes:

1Co 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1Co 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

So what is leavening their coming “together”? It is certain souls that were getting drunk at their meetings, they were also in adulterous affairs, there were idolators, etc. So regarding these people that are leavening the meetings when they are “gathered together” Paul says.

Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
1Co 5:9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
1Co 5:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
1Co 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; ***with such an one no not to eat.***

So, here they are partaking of the “meat” and “drink”, which point to our sins being “nailed to his cross”. (Col 2:14) But they first are told by Paul, while keeping this “feast”, to separate themselves from the “filthiness of the heathen”(Ezra 6:21)

I understand that this is a worship issue. Father is calling us to worship in “spirit and in truth”. I will come back to this and the issue between the Samaritans, and the Jews who were rebuilding the temple, but first let’s be clear about what the Corinthians were partaking of. The Lord said that we should do this when we are come together.

1Co 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
1Co 11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, ***not discerning the Lord’s body.***

Here again we see the “meat” and “drink” referred to as the “Lord’s body”. And again to these same Corinthians in this same letter, it is written regarding the “body of Christ”:

1Co 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break,*** is it not the communion of the body of Christ? ***

The communion service is a symbol of the body of Christ. Now consider again the following: Christ our passover is crucified, nailed to the cross, sacrificed for us. Understand this, let no man judge you in respect to the “meat” and “drink” which refers to “the body of Christ”. Each one of us being made partaker of that “one body” by the communion service. And when were they to practice this service? As often as they came together. We are told that they would do this on “New Moons, Sabbath days, and Holy days”.

Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; ***but the body is of Christ. ***

This verse can also be translated “Morever the body is Christ”.

Joh 6:55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

Shadow of Things to Come

How and why does this shadow forth things to come? Well, it is the body of Christ coming together for communion on Sabbaths and New Moons. We read the following from the book of Luke:

Luk 22:15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
Luk 22:16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

Christ has told us that he will do this again with us in the kingdom of God. It shadows forward to things to come.

Luk 22:17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
Luk 22:18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
Luk 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

Meat and Drink – Eternal Life

Jesus said regarding the bread and wine, that it was symbolic of the reality of having Christ in you, and being in Christ, or in the body of Christ. Having just the symbol or partaking of just the symbol is as good as giving a passover lamb and hoping to be justified by the blood of an animal. The reality of what that symbol represents and recognizing and accepting that reality is the only way by which we can be partakers of eternal life.

Joh 6:48 I am that bread of life.
Joh 6:49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
Joh 6:50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Joh 6:52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
Joh 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Joh 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
Joh 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

All they saw was the fleshly meaning. They did not see what Christ was speaking about. That he was talking about His words being life.

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth(gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Now what do they point to? What do we look forward to? Partaking of the tree of life? Coming to the River of Life? Every month. The word “month’ is derived from the word “Moon”. The tree will bring forth fruit every “moonth”.

Rev 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Rev 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

The fruit will grow at “the beginning of your months” (Numbers 10:10) There we will “assemble” (Numbers 10:2, 3) at the blowing of the silver trumpet.(Num 10:2, 3, 10) every New moon at “the throne of God and of the lamb”. (Revelation 22:3)

As it is written in Isaiah:

Isa 66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
Isa 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.

And since we will gather from New Moon to New Moon in the new heavens and the new earth at the tree of life, it is only natural to partake of the communion, the “meat” and “drink”, the life giving bread, and the water of life, the tree of life, coming to the river of life on the Sabbaths and New Moons, as well as on the Holy Days today.

“Samaritans” or “Jews”

There are some today who come along saying “We don’t keep the Jewish Sabbaths” or “We don’t keep the Jewish Feast days”. The Father only has one covenant and it is not with the gentiles. His “covenant is with the house of Israel and the house of Judah” (Heb 8:8) The word “Heathen” in the old testament means “gentile”. And in the time of Ezra God’s people “separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land.” (Ezra 6:21).

The reason that a separation took place was because of what was happening before this. In Ezra 4, there were some recognizing the work as fruitful, they were seeing the temple going up, and they wanted to stop the work with God’s people. They first asked if they could build with them in order that they might subvert the work.

“But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.” (Ezr 4:3-5)

They did everything they could to throw down the work of the Lord. Caused insurrections. After seeing the work go forward they attempted to trouble the hands of the builders. Similarly today some will try to weaken the hands of the people. They will profess that the decree to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem is not from the Lord.

Though they may try to stop the building process, this will not work, they may even build another temple in Samaria and claim to worship the Father in spirit and truth, even as did these men who tried to stop the temple in Jerusalem from being built, they may even get a decree from a king or leader, or even use their power to stop others from being able to speak in certain places. The book of Ezra tells us that the work will not stop. The temple will be built up and fitly framed together.

Worship in Spirit and Truth

In the time of Ezra, after trying to stop the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, they went on to build another temple in Samaria. Years later Jesus Christ came to earth and talked to this Samaritan woman, and he asked her to give him water to drink. She answered:

Joh 4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

God was calling for a separation from idolatrous worship. He was calling them not to keep feasts with idolaters, drunkards, etc. “…let us keep the feast…with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Cor 5:8) This does not mean that we are not to call them to worship in spirit and truth with us. Jesus said to her:

Joh 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

And where will we come to drink of this living water? At the throne of God, New Jerusalem, Mount Zion, every month.

Joh 4:20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

But what does Jesus say about where we should worship?

Joh 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

And the hour will arrive when we will come to “a pure river of water of life” (Revelation 22:1) or “living waters” (John 4:24, 7:38) to Jerusalem which is above. When will we come to worship? The hour “shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.” (Isa 66:23)

New moons before cross after cross heaven

Our Father has made the supper call.

Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

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