There were three types of LAWS in the Old Testament; namely, Moral Laws,
Civil Laws and Ceremonial Laws. Civil laws show people how to live together,
providing the basis for our human court system. Moral laws are commandments
from God how we are to live.
Ceremonial laws were temporary laws only for Jews in the Old Testament in Palestine. The law not to eat pork was a ceremonial law. The Bible says that the ceremonial laws were nailed to the cross. Colossians 2:14, "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." God corrected Peter, when he didn't want to eat pork. Acts 10:12-15, "Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common." There are health reasons not to eat wild pork, because hogs are scavengers and eat garbage off the ground.
Today, people can eat whatever meat they want. Cambodians love to eat fried tarantulas. I'm not kidding! I'll pass. I don't think it is healthy to eat blood sausage and other types of things like that, but there are no biblical commands against eating anything. Old testament Jews were not allowed to wear clothing sewn together with linen and cotton mixed. These laws pictured spiritual truths. Circumcision also. These ceremonial laws pictured the believer's separation from the world. God told Moses to stone a man to death for collecting sticks for firewood on the Sabbath Day. This is because collecting sticks pictured adding works to salvation. The Sabbath Day represents Jesus Christ, in Whom we rest completely for salvation (Hebrews 4:10-11). So picking up sticks pictured adding works to God's plan of salvation for man, which was punishable by death.
So eating pork was forbidden in the Old Testament. When Jesus cast the legion of demons out of a man, the demons entered into thousands of swine, and they ran insanely down a mountainside and drowned in the sea. The town's people hated Jesus, mad at Him, and told Him to leave and never come back! They were so wicked and foolish. The truth is that they were Jews still living under the Old Testament, and weren't even supposed to have pigs in the first place, so Jesus did them a favor! The Old Testament didn't end until Jesus died on the cross! So most of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are in the Old Testament. Interesting. Once Christ died, the New Testament went into force. The ceremonial laws were gone!
