02/09/2025
Hello everyone. In today’s teaching, I answer the following question from Hoseya Wa Chilungamo.
“If unclean creatures were made clean in the New Testament, why are there unclean birds in the book of Revelation?”
Below is my answer.
One must remember that the Revelation is a culmination of all scriptures from the entire Bible.
By taking the whole of scriptures we can begin to define what is meant by clean and unclean birds. Remember what the Lord Jesus said, that the scriptures are spiritually discerned.
The birds in scripture represents two things:
1. Clean - Christ’s sacrifice and biblical doctrine
2. Unclean - Satan’s false gospel and unbiblical doctrine
God instructed Noah to bring 7 clean birds and 2 unclean birds. Why? The 7 Spirits of God mentioned by Isaiah representing Christ while the two unclean birds represented Satan and his anti-christ.
When Noah exited the Ark which also represent Christ, he sacrificed the clean birds which is the only acceptable payment for sin to a holy God.
Gen. 8:20-21
Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
Then we have Abraham with his covenant with God regarding the SEED, who is Christ Jesus. Abraham prepared a sacrifice of the clean animals and birds just like Noah as instructed by God. The clean birds remained whole which means that all of Christ is consumed and acceptable to God.
God then put Abraham to “sleep” which means God killed him. Remember that Adam was put to “sleep” when God took his bride from his side. That also represents Christ and His bride with the irritants in His side being our sin. Then God walked through the sacrifices alone in the flaming fire of His holy wrath upon sin, yet Abraham was spared because God hid Him in Christ and Christ, the sacrifices, took God’s wrath meant for Abraham the sinner. The years old speaks of Christ’s ministry duration on earth.
What happens next is astonishing! Before God passed through the sacrifices alone, the unclean birds, vultures, attempted to pervert the gospel by devouring it but the faithful man of God chased them away.
Gen. 15:8-21
…So He said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him…And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying:
"To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates…
Joseph’s interpretation of the baker’s dream where the birds ate the baked goods. The butler represented Christ while the baker represented Satan. Christ the new wine, died without a cause, restored to the glory of the Father and blossomed. Satan faces the wrath of God.
Gen. 40:9-23
…In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head."
So Joseph answered and said, "This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you."
In Deuteronomy, God commanded that we can eat the clean birds which is biblical doctrine and taste to see that the Lord is good. Yet we are forbidden to eat the ungodly doctrine of the unclean false teachings. Birds that prey upon flesh, men.
Deut. 14:11-19
"All clean birds you may eat. But these you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard…Also every creeping thing that flies is unclean for you; they shall not be eaten.
Jeremiah 5:25-27
Your iniquities have turned these things away,
And your sins have withheld good from you.
'For among My people are found wicked men;
They lie in wait as one who sets snares;
They set a trap; They catch men. AS A CAGE IS FULL OF BIRDS, So their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become great and grown rich.
Now listen to the Lord Himself explain the birds.
Matt. 13:4,18-19
And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them…"Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
Matt. 13:31-32
Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."
In Romans 1:23 men made idols of themselves and birds, false gods.
In Revelation 19:17-21, The Lord calls all the birds of prey to eat the men who remain in their flesh instead of being born of water and Spirit, the new birth creation.
The conclusion. What are the unclean birds? The unclean birds represents Satan and his demons!
Hope that helps.