Pastor Doug: Now we're going to go to line 3 and we're talking to Anna in Florida. Anna, are you there?
Caller: Hi!
Pastor Doug: Ah thanks so much for your patience.
Caller: That's ok.
Pastor Doug: Now you've got a question.
Caller: Yes I've got a question about clean and unclean food. Okay. Beef is clean. Does it have to have the blood drained out of it?
Pastor Doug: All right, you're asking a question now - two questions. First of all, you know the Bible does talk about clean and unclean animals.
Caller: Right.
Pastor Doug: Biblically, the Bible says if they're cloven-hoofed, which a cow is, and they chew the cud, which a cow does they're classified as clean animals - but in the New and the Old Testament it says that we should not eat blood.
Caller: Right!
Pastor Doug: I used to be a butcher. I'm a vegetarian now because I used to be a butcher. I've been a vegetarian 20 years now and especially with all of the problems they're having with Mad Cow Disease and things like that, I'm so glad I'm a vegetarian. But in any event, the Bible does say - and I almost never hear Ministers talk about it, Acts chapter 15, it says that they were to abstain from blood. And a lot of the meat that is sold, most of the meat that is sold in the markets today, still has blood just dripping out of it and that's why it looks so red and you can even see it running in the little styrofoam container there.
Now The reason for that - this is not a ceremonial law. This is a very plain health law the same kind of health law if you touched something dead you were to wash. Well, God knows that you cannot transfer disease from plant to animal in other words, if a plant catches a cold, I don't get the cold from a plant. But animals transfer disease between species. That's why when they go to the zoos now they're putting up glass booths to separate people from the gorillas because they bring these gorillas over and they catch colds from the spectators and die.
Caller: Wow!
Pastor Doug: Animals can transfer disease to animal. If you devour cancerous or unhealthy blood from even a clean animal, you can get those cells in your system and matter of fact, leukemia and lot of these diseases, can be traced to certain dairy products and animal products. Matter of fact, the very first thing that most doctors will tell you that contribute to heart disease are animal products. You cannot get cholesterol from peanuts and coconut oil.
Caller: Hmm.
Pastor Doug: And so, God knew what He was talking about when He said we should not eat the fat and we should not eat the blood. And here it is - Acts 15:20, '...but write unto them [and this is even specifically directed to Gentiles] that they abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled...' Now do you know why it says from things strangled?
Caller: No.
Pastor Doug: When they butchered animals back then there was a couple of ways: sometimes they'd strangle them and they'd kill them with the blood in the meat but Biblically, they were to cut their throats and hang them upside down and drain the blood.
Caller: Ok.
Pastor Doug: Things that were strangled still had the blood in them.
Caller: So the kosher meat that I find in the stores, some do sell it, in the grocery stores...
Pastor Doug: Right. That is Biblically clean.
Caller: Ok.
Pastor Doug: ...well assuming it's not kosher pork.
Caller: No it's not.
Pastor Doug: There's no such thing. Clean-Pigs is an oxy-moron, kind of like little thin, or military intelligence it just does not make sense.
Caller: And chicken and turkey. What about chicken and turkey? I can't find anything.
Pastor Doug: Well now you know, there are two very clear laws for the animals and the fish. For the animals - in order for it to be a clean mammal, it had to have cloven hoofs and chew the cud goats, sheep, beef, they were clean, deer. Among the fish, they needed to have fins and scales and it was clean, and that would mean tuna, bass, trout, they're all clean.
Caller: Swordfish?
Pastor Doug: Swordfish is clean I think it is. I've not seen any up close. I'm pretty sure that they are. Marlin is. Marlin and tuna have scales but they're very small but they do have scales.
Caller: Ok.
Pastor Doug: Shark is unclean. Sharks are scavengers. Catfish are scavengers. God didn't want us to eat scavengers. Pigs and dogs are scavengers.
Caller: Clams and crab?
Pastor Doug: Crabs, they live on the bottom. They eat what the other fish happen to drop and I won't go into detail.
Caller: Right.
Pastor Doug: You asked about birds. The rule for the animals is cloven-hoofed and chews the cud. The rule for the fish is fins and scales and it was clean. The rule for the bird, it doesn't give an explicit rule, but it identifies the foraging birds as clean and the carnivorous birds, like the vultures and the owls and the birds of carrion, as unclean.
Foraging birds are birds like grouse, quail matter of fact, any bird that was good for a sacrifice was also good to eat. They were allowed to sacrifice doves, quail and foraging birds like that. A chicken, technically, is a foraging bird in its wild state. A turkey is a foraging bird in its wild state. They would be clean.
Caller: Ok.
Pastor Doug: Now some people out there are listening and going, 'What is this Preacher talking about right now? Are you trying to tell me that the Bible is saying there are some things I'm not supposed to eat?' Yes friend. I'm one of those people who believes that these health laws were not for Jews because you first find the health laws given to Noah. And everybody listening I've got news for you: you're all related to Noah. The health laws were not ceremonial in nature. They're made so we live longer. The doctors are going to tell you you'll feel better if you'll follow these very simple principles. So, you can find that in the New and in the Old Testament.
Caller: It's just - it's so complicated the way they're doing the meat and everything. It's just, it's so, people are getting sick from it!
Pastor Doug: Well you know, you are asking some good questions and people listening out there are wondering where is he coming from. We have a special Bible study that we can offer you and anyone else who's listening and here's the phone number, free phone call, free lesson. Amazing Facts - we've got hundreds of lessons and booklets, 800-835-6747. We even have a video that deals with this but that's not free but you can ask for the catalog and find out about that, 800-835-6747 - and the study is called You Wouldn't Do This.
And you ask for that and I think that you'll find a lot of information on things that you can do that will give you better life and longer life based on what the Bible says about health. Some people think the Bible doesn't say anything about health that Jesus just went along like a big rolaid healing people when they didn't eat right.
Caller: Right.
Pastor Doug: And no - God heals us and He wants us to take care of our bodies they're the temple of the Holy Spirit and He wants us to be intelligent. Hey good question. Thanks so much for your call.
Caller: Thanks.