Roman 14, ! corinthian 8 What should you eat or not Eat?

Romans 14

New Living Translation (NLT)

The Danger of Criticism

14 Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. ² For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. ³ Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. ⁴ Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.

⁵ In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. ⁶ Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. ⁷ For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. ⁸ If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.

¹⁰ So why do you condemn another believer^[a]? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. ¹¹ For the Scriptures say,

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bend to me,
    and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.^[b]’”

¹² Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. ¹³ So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.

¹⁴ I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. ¹⁵ And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good. ¹⁷ For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. ¹⁹ So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

²⁰ Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. ²¹ It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble.²² You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. ²³ But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

1 Corinthians 8

New Living Translation (NLT)

Food Sacrificed to Idols

8 Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. ² Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. ³ But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.^[a]

⁴ So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God.⁵ There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. ⁶ But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.
⁷ However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. ⁸ It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do.
⁹ But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. ¹⁰ For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? ¹¹ So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer^[b] for whom Christ died will be destroyed. ¹² And when you sin against other believers^[c] by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. ¹³ So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.

Biblical Symbols and it's meaning

http://www.revelation-today.com/A1Bible%20Symbols.htm

Biblical Symbol Chart

Sun	Sun of righteousness	Moon	Stars	Earth
Air	Water	Sea	Mountains	Hills
Valleys	Islands	Wilderness	Cities	Trees & Grass
Field	Wheat	Tares	Barn	Reapers
Rainbow	Rain	Hail	Dark Clouds	Lightning
Wind	4 Winds	Earthquake	Fire	Still Small Voice
Head	Body	Face	Eye	Hand
Arm	Feet	Virgin	Harlot	Beast
"6"	"7"	"10"	"30"	"40"
Olive	Fig	Wine	Bread	Famine
White	Purple	Blue	Scarlet	Green
Gold	Silver	Copper	Linen	Robe
Crown	Lamps	Trumpet	Sword	Shield
Tabernacle	Laver	Brazen Altar	Incense Altar	Candlestick
Table of Shewbread	Ark of Covenant	Golden Bowl of Manna	Aaron's Rod That Budded	Tables of the Law
Lamb	Serpent	Dove	Frogs	Dog

Meanings of Mountain and hills and valleys

How prophetic mountains are perceived

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Commentators have long claimed that mountains in prophecy represent nations or kingdoms, and it is quite true that God’s kingdom is represented by a mountain. However, scripture supports a more fundamental interpretation of the mountains; they represent God’s blessings, and covenants, and promises.

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The mountains of the Bible

Isaiah wrote: "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:" [Isaiah 40:4]

Surely he does not mean the earth will be flat and featureless! So why does he say every mountain and hill will be made low? Clearly the mountains and valleys are symbolic. What do they represent? He refers to a highway being prepared in the desert, to prepare the way for God. A route that traverses a mountain may be steep and difficult, even where little change in elevation is involved. That was especially so in the days when most people travelled on foot, and roads were mere paths. Crossing a mountain involved some difficulty, and required extra effort. Isaiah's prophecy about every mountain being made low, and crooked places being made straight, suggests that the obstacles and unsolved problems that mountains represent will be overcome, mysteries will be solved. I think he means that many of the misunderstood passages of the scriptures will be explained.

In ancient times, mountains were places of sacrifice, as for example the mountain on which Abraham offered up Isaac. This episode was a prophecy, as it foreshadowed Christ's sacrifice for us. It was also a test, and a challenge to Abraham: "And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." [Genesis 22:2]

In Egypt, the Israelites were given the land of Goshen to dwell in. This was a fertile area, but had no mountains. It was located in the Nile delta. In contrast, the promised land was a land of hills and mountains.

On Mount Sinai, God made a covenant with the Israelites, which that mountain represents in the New Testament. Paul wrote: "Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children." [Galatians 4:24-25]

On Mount Nebo, Moses looked over to the promised land, to which he was denied admission because he struck the rock which yielded water, instead of speaking to it as God had told him. [Numbers 20:8-12]

On Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal, Joshua read the laws of Moses to all the tribes of Israel, along with the blessings and curses. [Joshua 8:30-35, Deuteronomy 11:29]

The problems or mysteries that mountains represent will be solved: "The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel." [Judges 5:5]

Mountains are the most prominent features of the land of promise. Thus the mountains of Israel are symbols of the main concepts of the gospel. They are symbols of its covenants and promises, blessings and cursings.

Mountains are prominent landmarks for travellers. They are permanent over long periods of history, and remain while borders fluctuate, and empires rise and fall. Because mountains are unchanging over long spans of time, the Psalmist compares God's righteousness to great mountains. "Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast." [Psalm 36:6]

The city of God, Jerusalem, is called a mountain: "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness." [Psalm 48:1]

The house of God, to which many people will come to learn God's ways, is also called the mountain of the Lord. "And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem." [Isaiah 2:3]

Isaiah admonished those who bring good tidings to go to the mountains. "O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!" [Isaiah 40:9]

Again, Isaiah writes, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" [Isaiah 52:7]

On Mount Carmel, Elijah challenged all the prophets of Baal, to determine whose sacrifice would be accepted. He turned the hearts of the people of Israel to the true God. [1 Kings 18]

Ezekiel 6 is a prophecy addressed to the mountains of Israel, as well as hills, and rivers, and valleys. The context shows it is referring to the people who dwell in that land. Verse 7 says, "Ye shall know that I am the Lord".  A remnant of the nation will be left, which is scattered. These remember God in the nations where they are taken captive.

Ezekiel calls God's people "a mountain of the height of Israel". "For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things." [Ezekiel 20:40]

The prophecy of Ezekiel 36 is also addressed to the mountains of Israel. They were occupied by an enemy, and made desolate; they had become a possession of the heathen, and were topics of infamy, a prey, and a derision to the heathen, and they bore the shame of the heathen. God said the mountains will shoot forth branches, and yield fruit to Israel, they shall be tilled and sown, men will be multiplied on them, the cities shall be inhabited, they shall bring forth fruit, the wastes shall be built, and it will be better than at the beginning. Perhaps this means that the promises of God, represented by these mountains, are to be fulfilled for those who believe the gospel.

The kingdom of God is a mountain which fills the whole earth, in Daniel's prophecies:  "Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. [Daniel 2:35]

Again, Daniel wrote, "Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." [Daniel 2:45]

The mystery of the kingdom of God is called a mountain. It is a puzzle, or parable, that will become plain and crystal clear to everyone: "Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with soutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it." [Zechariah 4:7]

A puzzle or mystery that is solved is no longer a "mountain", but a "plain"!

In Zechariah's prophecies the Mount of Olives represents the Olivet prophecy of Jesus. It is split in two, representing two opposing interpretations, Preterism and Dispensationalism, both of which deny the application of prophecy to the Church today. "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee." [Zechariah 14:4-5]

The vision of the New Jerusalem was revealed to John when he was upon a figurative high mountain. This city is symbolic of the Church. "And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God." [Revelation 21:10]

Book of Zechariah

End Times Sermon Series