WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT MEAT-EATING

March 2002

In the beginning, God created our world and everything in it in the six days of Creation Week. Then He rested on the seventh day, the Bible Sabbath, which He blessed and sanctified for us to keep forever as a memorial of His creative act.

"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made." Genesis 2:1-3.

Our kind heavenly Father was so anxious that we understand the importance of keeping His Sabbath holy, that He made it one of the Ten Commandments.

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it."-Exodus 20:8-11.

The crowning act of God's creative work on those six days was the creation of man.

"And God said, Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His [own] image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Genesis 1:26-28.

As soon as God created man, the very next thing He did was to tell Adam the food he should eat, in order to maintain the best health.

'And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of alI the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. "Genesis 1:29.

This original diet, given to us by God, consisted of vegetables, grains, fruits, and nuts. Our Creator, who made us, knew what would be the best diet for us. Scientists tell us that our intestinal tract was designed for such a diet.

However, 1,700 years later, when the worldwide Flood had ended and Noah and his family left the ark, God knew it would be many months before plants were grown again. So the family was permitted to eat meat.

"Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things."-Genesis 9:3.

In the very next verse, Noah was instructed that the blood must first be entirely drained from the animal, something which is rarely done today in the meat packing plants.

"But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat."-Genesis 9:4.

It is extremely difficult to get all the blood out of meat. This prohibition was mentioned again later in Scripture. "Ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people."-Leviticus 7:26-27.

And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set My face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood. "-Leviticus 17:10-11.

In addition, God prohibited the eating of the fat in the meat. Any butcher can tell you that it is extremely difficult to separate all the fat from meat. "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it. For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people."-Leviticus 7:23-25.

Truly can it be said that those who eat animal fat "will be cut off from their people." It was not until the middle of the twentieth century that nutritionists understood that eating meat fat kills people!

Noah also knew that he should only eat of the clean animals while waiting for the plants to re-grow. It was for this reason, that God had earlier told him to take an extra number of clean animals into the ark.

"And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not cream by two, the male and his female,"-Genesis 7:1-2.

But after the Flood, the people kept eating meat.

Doing so did not make it right. Jesus gave us an important principle: "From the beginning it was not so." God's original plan was the test. You may recall that, when the Pharisees asked Christ whether it was all right to divorce one's wife and marry another, Jesus replied that, although men and women were divorcing and remarrying in His day, "from the beginning it was not so" (Matthew 19:8; cf. 19:3-9).

God's original plan for marriage was the test. In the same way, His original plan for our diet was also the test. It is true that God listed the clean animals which the Israelites could eat (Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14). But His original plan for His people, the Edenic diet, was a vegetarian diet.

Additional evidence that a non-meat diet was the most healthful, was given when the children of Israel were delivered from slavery in Egypt. God gave them a diet without flesh food. This is a lesson for us. God is concerned, not only about our souls, but also about our diet and our health.

"Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you."-Exodus 16:4.

"And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited."-Exodus 16:35.

God gave them a non-meat diet so they could maintain good health. We should follow His instructions today, so we can claim the promise: "I will take sickness away from the midst of thee."-Exodus 23:25.

Throughout their wilderness wanderings, those who obeyed God's dietetic plan remained in good health. "There was not one feeble person among their tribes."-Psalm 105:37.

Later in the wilderness, when the people complained and said they wanted the food of Egypt, God gave them their desires; but it made them sick. "And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic. But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all beside this manna, before our eyes."-Numbers 11:4-6.

Both Moses and the Lord knew that a return to a meat diet would be injurious to the people.

"Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased. "-Numbers 11:10.

So the Lord instructed Moses to tell the people that they would have meat for a full month.

"And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, who shall give us flesh to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; but even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?"Numbers 11: 18-20.

"And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague. And He called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted."-Numbers 11:3134.

Many centuries later, the psalmist mentioned how God's people lusted for a meat diet. How quickly they forgot the Lord's merciful care!

"He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up: so He led them through the depths, as through the wilderness. And He saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left. Then believed they His words; they sang His praise.

"They soon forgat His works; they waited not for His counsel: But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul."-Psalm 106:9-15.

The experiences, which happened to the children of Israel in the wilderness, should serve as an example to us. We should not grumble but obey God's will for our lives.

"Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ,

"But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."-1 Corinthians 10:1-7.

God's plan for His children has not changed. Re wants us to keep our body temples in health, so He can dwell within us.

"What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."-1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

In another passage, we are also told about how we should care for our body temples:

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."-1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

The three verses which follow the above passage explain that, when we disobey God and do not care for our bodies properly, we only deceive ourselves.

"Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain."-1 Corinthians 3:18-20.

It is a well-known fact that eating meat is far more dangerous today than it was a hundred years age. The book, International Meat Crisis, explains this clearly (176 pp., $7.00 ppd, in U.S., Harvestime Books, Box 300, Altamont, TN 37301). Manure and diseased animals, in pellet form, are fed to cattle, pigs, chickens, and turkeys. They are then slaughtered in hurried, unclean processing plants. An increasing number of the livestock have mad cow disease. This is a very serious matter!

What will be the future diet of God's faithful of ones? We are told that, in heaven, they will drink pure water and eat fresh fruit and greens. We can be sure that they will not kill animals and eat their carcasses in heaven!

"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 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. "-Revelation 22:1-2. You will recall that, after they sinned in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve could no longer eat of the tree of lifefor it would perpetuate immortality.

"And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever. Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden, cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."Genesis 3:22-24,

But, in heaven, God's faithful ones will once again be able to eat of itand live forever.

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit sath unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. "-Revelation 2:7.

Only those who, through the enabling grace of Jesus Christ, have obeyed God's holy law will enter those gates and have access to that tree.

"Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. "-Revelation 22: 14.

Will you dare to be a Daniel?

"Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat. nor with the wine which he drank. "-Daniel 1 :8.

WHY MAD COW DISEASE WILL GET WORSE

The "mysterious agent" that causes spongiform encephalopathies (mad cow disease in animals and man) is not just found in the brain! It has been found in many of the organs and tissues of animals. For example, cells from the spleen, thymus, and tonsils enter the blood and find their way to many organs, including the liver and bones.

Blood can also contain the disease. Confirmation in 1993, that the disease can be passed from the cow to the calfestablished that transmission can be by blood. It can pass into the milk. You can get BSE (mad cow disease) from eating any part of an animal.

The bones of old cows are one of the major sources or the protein gelatin, used in many foods from peppermints to pork pies. The greatest risk could come from bones because the procedures used to concentrate and purify gelatin could create a stronger source of BSE.

U.S. and British sheep were infected at the same time. Both US and British sheep were infected simultaneously back in the 1950s from research waste discarded by scientists trying to figure out the cause of Kuru.

As early as the 1970s, both the U.S. and British scrapie sheep were being fed to cattle. Scrapie appeared in sheep in both the US and Britain by the 1970s. In both countries, the dead sheep were sent to rendering plants, which turned them into protein powder, which was fed to cows. That spread the disease Widely.

Cattle are not checked for the disease before they are slaughtered. The USDA in America only studies the brains of 100 cows per every 100,000. That is an extremely small sample.

It can take years before the full-blown disease appears. CJD disease takes between 10 and 50 years to eat away the human brain. In cows, death strikes as early as one year after exposure, as late as 8. If a cow whose milk you are drinking has it, her calf, sent to be a veal chop last winter had it when you ate him. An older cow may fall over dead With it, but meanwhile her infected calves have long since been slaughtered and served at dinner tables. The long incubation period means the farmer cannot see that the animal is ill.

BSE can be transmitted to offspring. That fact was established by researchers in Britain. Sheep and cows pass it to offspring. Chickens can put it in their eggs. Could CJD, the human form, also be transmitted to your descendants?

People have been dying faster from CJD than earlier. It was once thought humans could incubate the disease for up to five decades without going into the final dementia stage, but lately British teens have been dying of it.

Farmers make too much profit selling dead cows for animal feed, for them to stop. Farmers have to pay $500 in order to have an autopsy made of a dead cow. But they can sell it to a nearby rendering plant for $100. Then it is processed into cow food. The U.S. ban on animals in feed is being ignored. In America, there is now a ban on putting animals that died into feed. But it is well-known that it is being done anyway.

The USDA has not banned blood in animal feed. The US. Department of Agriculture banned diseased meat in animal feeds; but, to date, it has not banned putting blood from dead animals into the feedstocks. That link is contaminating the cattle of America today.

It is extremely difficult to kill the prions, which cause mad cow disease. Prions cannot be killed the way we fought the plague, cholera epidemics, or Ebola, which is generally done by burning bodies. BSE/CJD is passed on by means of prions, which are proteins that degrade at 800 F. That is far higher than the temperature, which would reduce them to ash.

Prions infect every part of the body, not just the brain. Although BSE/CJD attacks brains, it is in every part of the victim. Therefore every part of the cow is affected. None of it should be eaten. This contamination cannot be removed by cooking.

Do not use blood meal in your garden. A British vegan woman caught CJD simply by dusting her roses with blood meal.

CJD deaths are occurring now in America, but they are being mislabeled as Alzheimer's. CJD mortality figures hide behind the skirts of Alzheimer's. Some US. Doctors know the truth, yet haven't blown any whistles. The US. veterans hospital in Pittsburgh autopsied 53 sequential Alzheimer's victims. Sampling # 1 showed 5.5% had died of CJD; sampling #2 showed 6.3% had died of CJD. Alzheimer's death tolls are doubling and tripling in America, but this is not characteristic of a genetic disease. The rate of genetic diseases does not continually increase. People dying of CJD are being diagnosed as having Alzheimer's. That is why, supposedly, there are no CJD (mad cow) human deaths in America. A related problem is that labs will not test patients suspected of having CJD.

Private labs are afraid to let CJD tissue in the door to be examined. They would have to burn down the lab in order to be certain they had cleansed it of the prions, since they survive up to 800 F. Dr. Richard Deandrea, a Los Angeles physician, who has studied CJD and BSE extensively, tells of his first CJD patient. After her death, which featured symptoms atypical of Alzheimer's (numb fingers, blindness, slurred speech, weak knees), Deandrea dogged the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta for a pathologist who would provide him with an autopsy to see if it might be CJD. CDC evaded his phone calls for three weeks. Finally, a female CDC staffer told him that off the recordshe would deny it later"CJD is an issue no pathologist will deal with, a virtual death sentence to a lab. A well-trained pathologist knows the quarantine would never be lifted. You couldn't sterilize the lab to OSHA protocols. It would have to be gutted, incinerated. Forget it. Your patient died of Alzheimer's." So there may be CJD deaths, but there are not likely to be many CJD death certificates.

If you die of CJD, you will officially be listed as an Alzheimer's victim. Because no laboratory in America will knowingly do an autopsy on anyone suspected of having died of CJD. That Pittsburgh hospital would not have made those autopsies if the staff had known they were working With CJD!

Even more than AIDS, BSE is the most prevalent, virulent disease to hit this planet since the bubonic plague of the Middle Ages. You can only avoid it by refusing to eat anything which contains meat.

 Read Deuteronomy 14:2-3.

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