Refusing Babylon’s Buffet, Pt. 2

- Nuclear submarines or boomers are modern engineering wonders equivalent to a tightly packed self-contained city where a crew of 140 share the space of a three bedroom house. A nuclear sub can stay submerged up to 90 days. There's little contact with family during this time. Along with the pressure being prepared to launch nuclear weapons, it's one of the most stressful military assignments. To compensate, the Navy trains the best chefs for these subs. A meal might be prime ribs, sauteed mushrooms, baked potatoes, fresh bread, and real chocolate cake.

They say an army travels on its stomach, and that's why the military spends millions evaluating what their soldiers eat. Why is it that many Christians think God doesn't care what His soldiers eat? You know the Bible teaches that whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. Since our bodies are God's temple, we should present them to Him as a living sacrifice and not abuse them with gluttony, especially since we're soldiers in His army. So join me today for this program as we uncover more amazing health facts from the word of God.

Well friends, we have a very important lesson tonight. I want to welcome you to the Panorama of Prophecy. Again, tonight is going to be a practical lesson, but it's also a lesson found in the book of Daniel, which is a book of prophecy. We're going to be talking about the subject of refusing Babylon’s buffet. And if you have your Bibles, you want to go to the book of Daniel. Now Daniel is a book filled with apocalyptic prophecies. We've got that prophecy in chapter two of the metal image, you got the prophecy in chapter seven, we're going to be talking about we've got the four beasts, chapter eight, where you've got the ram and the goat, chapter nine where you've got the dates concerning the Messiah's return, and then it's one of the longest prophecies in the Bible, which is from Daniel chapter 10 through Daniel chapter 12 and where it talks about the abomination of desolation.

But it's very interesting that the first chapter in the book of Daniel is dealing with one of the keys to understanding all prophecy. It has to do with self-control, wisdom, mental clarity and your lifestyle. And so of course, this story found in Daniel chapter one sets the stage for why Daniel was who he was through the rest of the book, it's very interesting. You can read there in Daniel 1:8. And it's assume that this is also true of Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. And it says, "He purposed in his heart he would not defile himself with a portion of the King's delicacies". What they had on the menu there in Babylon, he said, "We can't eat it". It included some food that was unclean and no doubt had been offered to Babylonian idols. And so he came up with a... Daniel was very wise, came up with a solution and he suggested to the prince of the Unix said, "Test your servants for 10 days and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink". So it was a simple diet, basically it's a vegetarian diet.

I grew up living with my... And my father's very wealthy, sometimes he'd take us out to nice restaurants and we'd order escargot, snails, frog legs, turtle steak, and they're supposed to be the delicacies. And then when I was poor and I lived up in the mountains, I ate beans and rice and fruit, I had no refrigeration. I felt much better eating the poor man's diet. In some of the countries, when they eat a very simple diet of beans and rice and things like that, they live much longer, they have less disease, less cancer. Then they're converted to the Western diet, a lot of fat and sugar and processed food and the heart disease and the cancer just skyrockets.

Notice what happens after Daniel, convincing the prince of the Unix, he said, "Give us 10 days to try this diet out". And it says, "In all matters of wisdom and understanding, about which the king examined them. He found them 10 times better than all of the magicians and astrologers that were in his realm." 10 times wiser, these young men. Notice the connection between their perceptions, their intelligence and their diet that is being made.

So why are we talking about this as we delve into deep prophecies? Because clarity of mind is actually going to help in your understanding. The devil is trying to befuddle this whole generation in the world with drugs and dissipation and bad diet. So we just don't think straight and it affects our understanding, it affects every aspect of our life and our relationships. And that's why this is the first chapter that you find in the book of Daniel. It's a lesson on self control, giving glory to God with your body and tells us that not only did they live 10 times longer, you read on in that chapter it says Daniel lived until the time of king Cyrus. Meaning Daniel lived about a hundred years. So he not only was sharp, and even you get into Daniel chapter five, he's an old man and he's still brilliant at that time, and God is still speaking through him. So we're going to find out what does the Bible say about how you can have a more abundant life, a longer life, a healthier life, a clearer mind, and I think you're going to be blessed by this.

First of all, question number one, what's a good Bible rule for healthful living? "Therefore, whether you eat or whether you drink, do all for the glory of God." Now, if it tells us to eat and drink for God's glory, is it possible for us to not eat and drink for God's glory? Does that make sense? Yeah, so certainly it is possible. Friends, I think just, it is so critical for us to understand the brain. You know why God gives you legs? To carry your brain around. Even with modern computers today, for them to build a computer that will do what the human mind does, you would need a building as big as the Pentagon to house it, you need all the water of Niagara falls to power it, you would need all of the water of Niagara falls to cool it. The fastest computers they've got in the world now, it goes back and forth between the US and China, I think Korea's striving for the fastest computer in the world, they cannot do what a mouse brain does yet.

You know how much processing is going on in your mind even as we sit here right now? You're taking these sound waves that are going through the air and trying to make some logical sense out of it, and you're converting this into abstract thought and your brain is keeping your heart beating and it's controlling your respiration. You don't know that it might even be controlling your temperature at this time. And then all little hairs on your body are connected with your brain and you're sensing anything that might be going on. You're hearing noises behind you and you're processing those. And all of this is happening at lightning speed right now, as we speak.

Your brain is a strange combination of a physical organ and a spiritual thing. And God communicates with us through our minds. But because it's also physical, taking care of your body, which houses your brain and follows the commands of the brain, it affects your clarity. It affects how clear it is, how easy it is for God to speak to you. If we're not following good practical principles for good health, our minds get cloudy and it's hard for us to comprehend spiritual truth. And it's the truth that sets you free. I don't think it's an accident that the first chapter in this book of Daniel is talking to us about health practices.

So with these things in mind, and we're talking about glorifying God in our bodies, should a Christian use alcoholic beverages? Now we're not talking about grape juice now, we're talking about the fermented stuff. What is the Bible saying? "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, whoever is led astray thereby is not wise". Now how many want to be wise? If we're led astray with it, then we're not wise. The Bible tells us that Noah drank and he stumbled around drunk in his tent, and one of his family members ended up being cursed as a result of that. Lot's daughters got him to drink alcohol and he committed incest with his daughters. Whole race of people, the Moabites and Ammonites came around that attacked God's people for centuries because he got drunk. King David tried to get Uriah drunk so he would go against his conscience.

And you could just go through the history, the Bible says, "Woe to him who gives his neighbor drink". Because what's happening is everyone knows that your response time is impaired by alcohol. Alcohol is an addictive drug, it destroys brain cells, not once, but every time you drink, it's destroying brain cells. And I don't know about you, but I can't afford to lose anymore than I've already lost. It dramatically affects our ability to reason.

You know I'm really passionate about this because my father struggled with alcohol and it affected our relationship. People drink, they say things they later regret. They stumble around, they do silly things. My mother drank, I drank when I was younger. You wake up in prison and you think "How in the world did I get here, what did I do?" You're embarrassed about silly things that you've done and terrible things that you said. It doesn't make you more intelligent. Now I know, I used to drink. It gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling, you can... It says, "Give a wine to him who is ready to perish". On the cross they offered Jesus wine, He tasted it and He turned away. He did not want His mind to be clouded especially as our eternity hangs in the balance. He didn't want to say anything that would give the devil the advantage because His mind was no longer clear.

Christians should not drink. Half of the people that go to the hospital every day are there because of sickness, birth defects, injuries, accidents caused by alcohol. Over half the people who are in prison are there because of crimes committed while under the influence of alcohol. Over half of all the calls the police get, especially where there's domestic abuse involved, alcohol is connected. Now just with those facts, to what extent should Christians support that? When one out of seven people who drinks becomes an alcoholic, how much would you support that? Should you support a dog that bites one out of seven people that comes to your house? You see what I'm saying?

And you might wonder why I'm coming on so strong and many who are watching and listening, you come from a Christian background, but you think, "Well, you know, didn't Paul say, 'Drink a little wine for your stomach’s infirmities.'?" He's talking to Timothy. The word there wine meant grape juice. Jesus did not make booze for the wedding. Doesn't talk about anyone being inebriated in those events. And it's the same word that is used for the fermented alcohol that you find in other places in the Bible. So people get confused sometimes.

You can look in Isaiah where it says, "As the new wine", same word, wine, "Is in the cluster". Well, when grape juice is in a cluster, is it fermented? Clearly not. And Jesus said His gospel was new wine. Says you don't put the new wine and the old wine skins or it'll ferment and they'll burst and you lose everything. You put new wine and new wine skins to keep it fresh as long as possible. So Paul tells us, "Do not do anything that might make your brother stumble if you love your brother". And it's not like we live in a society today where, I'm dying of thirst, there's nothing to drink. You go to the typical 7-11, there's 500 things you can drink that don't have alcohol, right, or the supermarket. So I know, I spent some time writing this because it's a problem in the world and in our culture.

With that in mind, tobacco is the second most costly drug addiction in North America. And I understand friends, some of you here I know are struggling. Many of you are watching I'm sure you're struggling with it. I'm telling you, you can get the victory. The Lord did it for me. My father smoked for 50 years and he quit. My grandfather smoked, I think I told you, for 50 years, and he lived till 93. And the Lord your Savior is bigger than your devil. He can save you from any addiction, but you've got to make up your mind you want to be free and ask Him for help, and He will help you.

Don't go anywhere friends, we'll be back in just a moment with the rest of today's presentation. It's no secret friends, millions of people today are suffering from health issues that lead to crippling disease and shorter lives. We spend billions every year on goofy health fads that often end up hurting our bodies more than helping. But what if I told you that the Bible has the exact prescription that you need to live a healthier and a happier life? Amazing Facts wants to send you a special free resource called "Amazing Health Facts". This attractive full color magazine presents eight powerful biblical health lessons in a direct and captivating way, giving you practical, easy to follow guidance on better living today. Backed by modern research, each lesson is packed with colorful and intriguing facts that will help you keep your body, mind and spirit stronger than ever. To get your free copy, call the phone number on the screen and ask for offer number 806. Or visit the web address. And after you read this incredible resource, be sure and share it with a friend. Let's return now to today's presentation and learn some more amazing facts from the word of God.

What mammals? Now God talks about diet in the Bible. When we're going into foods, we talked about the original ideal diet is going to be fruit, grains, nuts, vegetables, so forth beans. But what about meat? Does God say that you can eat meat? Yes, it's not the ideal, but the Bible does say you can eat it. Which animals did He say that we're permitted to eat? It tells us on Leviticus, 11 verse three, "Whatever divides the hoof, having the cloven hoof, the split hoof and chewing the cud". It needed both categories. And this would be things like the cow and the goat and the sheep and the deer. But there are some animals that had a cloven hoof but that doesn't chew the cud like a camel, they're unclean. I know some of you are going to have to go home and take the camel steak out of your refrigerator. Remember what Jesus said, the scribes and the Pharisees, He said, "You're hypocrites because you strain your water so that you will not swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel". You strain a gnat and you swallow a camel. And He said, "You're being hypocrites". They were not supposed to eat camel.

What about these sea creatures? What does God say in His word are safe to eat of those things that are in the sea? What fish and seafood are clean? Leviticus, 11 verse nine, "These you may eat of all that are in the water. Whatever is in the water that has fins and scales, that you may eat." And He did these two categories together, fins and scales.

I heard that the Navy years ago wanted to have a survival book for its sailors if they were stranded, a ship went down and they're in a life boat and they want to know what sea creatures they could eat. Some are poisonous. And so they did a bunch of research using your tax dollars, and after years of research, they came up with the rule. They said, "If it's got fins and scales, it's probably safe". They ended up saying what the Bible said. But it goes on to say in Leviticus 11 verse 10, "But all that are in the seas and in the rivers that do not have fins and scales that move in the waters or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you". Now that would mean oysters. You realize that they're on the bottom, they're called bottom feeders, they clean the water. I think we have one president that died from eating contaminated shellfish. Lobsters, shrimp, I used to love, I used to catch lobster and shrimp cocktail, and one of the few animals that’s served with a digestional tract still in it. And it can be very toxic that God does not want us eating those things. And even if you didn't know what the medical reasons were, it should be enough that God says don't do it. It's not like there's nothing else to eat.

What about the birds, does God have a category for them? It doesn't have a simple rule, like the cloven hoof and chewing the cud or the fins and the scales. But as you look at the different birds, probably the best rule of thumb is the foraging birds were safe to eat. Those are the birds like the chicken. The Bible says the dove and the quail, the grouse, they go around, the turkey, they peck the seeds and they're the forging birds like that. The birds of carrion and the other birds were declared unclean. And here it says Leviticus, 11:15 and 16, "Every raven after its kind, the ostrich, the short aired owl, the sea gull and the hawk after it's kind, they're unclean". You're not supposed to eat owls and buzzards. Someone's going to write down, "What about duck?" Well, duck are in the swan category and it says in the Bible they're unclean also. And I even know Jewish friends that eat duck, but technically they would be unclean.

Are the laws about the clean and the unclean animals part of Moses' ceremonial law that ended at the cross? Some people are saying, "Oh, those are the laws of the Jews, those are health laws for the Jews. The distinction between clean and unclean animals, that's a Jewish law, it was nailed to the cross." Is a Jewish stomach different from anyone else's stomach? No, and by the way, the typical Jewish lifespan of the Orthodox Jews is among the oldest. So there must be something to some of it. Was Noah Jewish? It's not a trick question, No. Anyone here related to Noah? Everybody, I hope, or you're an alien. The Bible tells us that Noah made a distinction between the clean and the unclean. Genesis seven verse one and two, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, and you shall take with you seven of each, every clean animal, the male and it's female. Two of each animal that are unclean, a male and it's female."

Now one reason for that was he also offered the clean animals as sacrifice. You're never supposed to offer an unclean animal. One of the greatest insults that you could ever offer God was to like, bring a pig or a skunk or a vulture into the temple, saying, "I brought you a sacrifice". You're only supposed to bring a clean animal as a sacrifice. Those animals could also be eaten. Well, your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. We're not supposed to bring the unclean things into that temple. And pork, it is a salt-laden, carcinogenic thing. Pork, some people say, "Oh, I eat the white meat". Pork is not a white meat. When it talks about white meat, it's talking about fish and chicken or turkey or something like that.

I used to have my own meat business. I don't have the picture on the screen anymore, but I had a business called Doug Bachelor's Wholesale Prime Beef Steaks. And I used to buy sections of beef and butcher them and then I'd sell them. During that time when I was living in the mountains, in the cave, I ate beans and rice and I felt great. Not long after that, I got the job butchering and selling meat, and I was eating sirloin steak and eggs for breakfast and T-bone for dinner and New York steak for lunch. And I mean, I was eating meat three times a day, because I had all these prime cuts, and I didn't feel very good. And I know too much of anything's not good, but I went to a friend one day, because a customer said, "Can you get me some prime pork?" And my butcher friend, he laughed, he said, "You can't get prime pork". He said, "The US department of agriculture, they don't grade pork that way. They print leaflets that tell you to cook it good or you're going to get trichina." And so that was never supposed to be part of man's diet.

Now does God say that eating unclean food is a serious offense? "Behold, the Lord will come with fire." This is Isaiah 66 verse 15 and verse 17. "The Lord will come with fire and with his chariots, like a whirlwind. Those who sanctify themselves, eating swine's flesh and the abomination and the mouse shall be consumed together."

Wow, that's pretty clear. Now He's not just talking about Jews that break some Jewish law, He's talking about His second coming and it's the people that are defiling their body temples. And He puts the abomination and mouse in the same category with swine's flesh. And no one out there's eating mouse burgers I'm hoping. There are some places where they're eating dogs still, in different parts of the world, but God did not intend for us to eat pigs. I used to take care of pigs for my neighbor and I always struggle to find some new way to describe pigs. And what I come up with is, pigs are pigs. They're not clean. That's one thing, if you have a pet pig, you can have a pet dog, they're in the same category. You won't eat your dog, I hope. They're smart, but they're scavengers. The Bible says, "Do not give what is holy unto the dogs, do not cast your pearls before swine. As the dog returns to his vomit and the pig to wallowing in the mere." The dog and the pig are always bunched together as the unclean scavengers in the Bible. You can have nice pet dogs, but you're not supposed to eat them. The Bible says it's an abomination. Jews around the world, even Muslims know this. It's a basic Bible teaching, it's not just for the Jews.

What about Peter's vision in Acts chapter 10? Peter is invited to go to the house of Cornelius, a Gentile. Before he goes, he's on his roof praying and he's hungry. And while he is on his roof praying, he goes into a trance, he sees this vision. And this sheet held together at the four corners is lowered from the heavens. And in this big sheet, think of like a circus tent sheet, it's full of all these unclean animals. And he hears a voice from heaven saying, "Arise Peter, kill and eat". Peter responds and says, "Not so Lord, I have never eaten anything common or unclean". It's all in Acts chapter 10. Peter says, "I have never eaten anything common or unclean".

This is years after Jesus died. If Jesus had been teaching you can eat anything, Peter, would've been eating other things. He says, "I have never eaten anything common or unclean". Three times a sheet comes down, three times Peter says, "Not so Lord". He thinks it's a test, he says, "I'm going with Your word". And then the sheet goes up and Peter's wondering "What does this mean?" There's a knock on the door, the Gentiles are inviting Peter to come and to preach to them. But a Jew is not supposed to go into the home of a Gentile and not supposed to eat with them. And God says, "Go with them, trust in me". Later, Peter recounting the story, he says, Acts chapter 10:28, "God has shown me that I should not call any pig unclean, any man unclean".

The purpose of the vision had nothing to do with food articles. God was telling the Jews, "You can now go to the Gentiles, do not call the Gentiles unclean." That was the reason of the vision. He used the metaphors and the pictures that a Jew would understand. But the Lord is still clear that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. He did not take away the health laws, He still wants us to care about our health. Will people in heaven kill and eat animals? What does the Bible say? "The Wolf will dwell with the lamb. The leopard will lie down with the young goat. The calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child will lead them." Again, "They will not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain". The animals will not eat each other.

So friends, are we going to kill and eat them? The Bible tells us, Revelation 21:4, "There is no more death". Nothing dies, and we will not be killing and eating them. So how do I make these lifestyle changes that will please the Lord? Not only please the Lord, make you feel better, help you be a better servant. How do you do that, how do you make these practical changes? I mean let's face it, you get into a rut of lifestyle habit and it's hard to break. Well, you learned your habits, you'll learn new ones. With God's help, everything can change. There's a promise in Ezekiel 11:18, "They will take away the detestable things".

When you realize there's something in your life that doesn't please the Lord, throw it away. One day I had to throw my cigarettes away. One day I had to pour my alcohol down the drain and I stopped drinking. And there was a struggle for a while, but you know what? I don't struggle anymore because you change, you replace it with something good. You overcome your habits. He says, "I will give them a new heart and I'll put a new spirit within them that they might walk in My statutes and keep My judgements and do them". Having healthy bodies and clear minds help us to comprehend the things that we're going to be getting into. God wants you body, soul and spirit in the last days.

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