“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.” (Matt 17:11)
What a God we have! One that saw that so many things that would need to be “restored” for us. And one of the biggest restorations needed is–Diet Reform. Look around us. Even we who claim to have the light for this day, “Seventh Day Adventists”, have sunken low in our standards pertaining to eating and drinking.
Let us look at what our Lord has said through his Elijah prophet concerning our diet.
First let us go back to Christ’s day. In Matthew 14:15-21, we read–
As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
The above story was just one example of Jesus approving meat-eating. He gave us parables which also supported the eating of meat. So we should be able to eat meat today because He approved of it, right? This would certainly be the case had our Lord not promised to bring His last spokesman to our church, the “Elijah”.
Being the all seeing God, He knew we would need guidance in this area. Just look at Mad Cow disease, and the often filthy conditions of the meat processing plants around the world. The mercury levels of fish, and other toxic agents in them. The list goes on and on.
To be sure, the Lord did not wait to spread the word. Even before the final Elijah, He spoke through His prophetess.
“Greater reforms should be seen among the people who claim to be looking for the soon appearing of Christ. Health reform is to do among our people a work which it has not yet done. There are those who ought to be awake to the danger of meat-eating, who are still eating the flesh of animals, thus endangering the physical, mental, and spiritual health.
Many who are now only half converted on the question of meat-eating will go from God’s people to walk no more with them….. A diet of flesh meat tends to develop animalism. A development of animalism lessens spirituality, rendering the mind incapable of understanding truth.“(Counsels on Diet and Foods, p.382)
“Vegetables, fruits, and grains should compose our diet. Not an ounce of flesh meat should enter our stomachs. The eating of flesh is unnatural. We are to return to God’s original purpose in the creation of man.”—Manuscript 115, 1903 (Counsels on Diet, p.380)
“Is it not time that all should aim to dispense with flesh foods? How can those who are seeking to become pure, refined, and holy, that they may have the companionship of heavenly angels, continue to use as food anything that has so harmful an effect on soul and body? How can they take the life of God’s creatures that they may consume the flesh as a luxury? Let them, rather, return to the wholesome and delicious food given to man in the beginning, and themselves practice, and teach their children to practice, mercy toward the dumb creatures that God has made and has placed under our dominion.”—The Ministry of Healing, 317, 1905 , (Counsels on Diet, p.380)
Straight forward words about not eating meat, wouldn’t we say? The underlined part is what really struck me. She sure pointed out that it was the wrong course for God’s followers. Let us now read what brother Houteff brought us from the Lord, as the final say in this matter (restoration).
WHAT IS WRONG WITH EATING CLEAN MEAT?
Question No. 148:
In the light of Matt. 15:11 and other scriptures, is it not clear that vegetarianism is of man and not of God?
Answer:
If the scriptures cited constituted the Bible’s entire treatment of the subject, then an unqualifiedly affirmative answer to the question might be necessary. But in the beginning “God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” Gen. 1:29. All this and naught else was to be the “meat” of mankind.
Thus in the beginning, man’s diet did not include flesh food. Not till after the flood, when every green thing on the earth had been destroyed, did he receive permission to eat flesh. Then God said: “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you, even as the green herb have I given you all things.” Gen. 9:3.
Later, though, while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, God provided them with manna. But when they murmured against it, and attributed its phenomenon only to circumstances, claiming that it was impossible to obtain flesh foods in the desert, He literally and angrily heaped quail upon them. At what price, though! Thousands died in order to teach the lesson that the manna was not the mere result of circumstances but rather a purposive Providence. For “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.” Num. 11:33.
Because the Exodus movement was to fit up a people to take the promised land and to set up the kingdom then, as we are now, they were charged to abstain from all flesh foods. And because John the Baptist bore an important message in his day (“Repent ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”–Matt. 3:2) similar to ours today, his diet was of honey and of the fruit of the locust tree. How much more important, then, as our types teach, that we who have the culminating message of the gospel, and who are the vanguard of the hosts of the eternal kingdom, defile not the temples of our souls with that which our types were forbidden to eat.
Furthermore, as the Elijah of Malachi 4:5 and Matthew 17:11 is to restore all things before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, then necessarily he will restore vegetarianism, man’s original dietary. Then, not only man but beast as well, will be strict vegetarians, and all will once again consort together in the renewed fellowship of Edenic peace.
Let us interject here. Yes, we are before “the great and dreadful day of the Lord”, but we should understand our time as the beginning phase. The “Then” brother Houteff is explaining is upon the arrival of the pre-millenial kingdom in Israel. That is the time when animals shall not eat meat (ie.lions, etc.).In other words the restoration is happening now, albeit in a very small way. But soon to grow to cover the whole promised land (post church purification).
It shall be as this time prophesied – “And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.”(Ezek.36:35) (Remember the upcoming world war 3 shall largely destroy the land (desolate) only to be miraculously back as like Eden.)
Additionally, the restoration of all things has indeed happened through His word as spoken by the prophet. The prophet has written it all out and thus restored the truth in all areas for us, and although it has not literally all happened, it has been restored through His word first. Upon the kingdom we shall see it all take place in perfection.
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Isa. 11:6-9.
Still further, if the words, “not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man” (Matt. 15:11), be understood to mean that it matters not what we eat or drink, then why should we not eat swine’s flesh, drink tea, coffee, and even liquor, and smoke tobacco,–indeed, eat and drink whatever we please? (Answerer, vol. 5, Q-148)
We see that the Lord sent His message stating that vegetarianism would be restored before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. As we have shown in prior studies, this day is not the Lord coming in the clouds but the church judgment day. So we should know that today we are called to STOP EATING MEAT. Yes, that includes fish.
Our Lord has spoken now to us today, and it is our specific instructions. Fish and other meats were acceptable in times past but not today for God’s people. The whole idea of His Elijah message is one of restoration–restore all that needs to be restored. That assuredly includes our diet.
“If Seventh-day Adventists practiced what they profess to believe, if they were sincere health reformers, they would indeed be a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. And they would show a far greater zeal for the salvation of those who are ignorant of the truth.” (Counsels on health, p.575)
“Without health no one can as distinctly understand or as completely fulfill his obligations to himself, to his fellow beings, or to his Creator. therefore the health should be as faithfully guarded as the character.” (Education, p.195)
For an excellent informative article on Mad Cow disease and how cows are infected to a greater degree than realized. click here — http://www.shepherds-rod-message.org/health/mad.html
Godsloveandlaw's Blog 
Leave a Reply