sin. The Lord wants to set us free.  He wants to educate His people, preventing the destructive element of ignorance.  The subject on meat eating is a serious and delicate subject.  The bottom line is this, it is not a sin to eat meat.  If we search the scriptures a thousand times over, we will never find a command instructing man not to eat meat.  In fact, the Bible endorses meat eating.  God gave us permission to eat meat (We will look at those scriptures as we go alone).  Then why are we condemning fellow Christians to hell because they eat meat?  The Lord is not please with the behavior and attitudes of many towards those who eat meat.  Actually, let us read from the Bible what the Spirit has to say to the church.  

1 Timothy 4:1-3
4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

The Bible makes it plain.  Many will speak lies in hypocrisy, preaching that eating meat is a sin and commanding man to abstain from meat.  The Bible makes it clear that such teachings are the doctrines of devils.  Friends, I will only speak the truth contained in God's words.  I am not going to add nor subtract from His word.  I will not season His word with my ideas in order to get "my" message across.  I am not that bold, nor that brave.  I am just a simple man which endeavors to submit to the will of God, with child like obedience.

Notice what the Bible says.  It explains that many are teaching that we should abstain from meats "WHICH" God hath created to be received with thanksgiving.  Those who are desirous of living within the will of God should be eager to find out the names of those meats "WHICH" the Lord deems acceptable for consumption.  The Lord says, you can eat meat, but there are only certain meats that you can eat.  Let us consult the scripture to identify those meats...

Leviticus 11:3
3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.

Beast
It is not a sin to eat meat.  Go ahead and eat it, but there are some guidelines.  The Lord said, three things has to be true to qualify a BEAST for consumption.  Whatsoever beast that  parteth the hoof (a horse got a hoof, but it is together), are clovenfooted (Having the foot or hoof divided into two parts, as the cow) and cheweth the cud (Food regurgitated from the first stomach to the mouth of a ruminant and chewed again.) he shall eat.  Verse 4 - 7 speak of some of those beast that we should not eat like the swine (meaning pig), camel, coney and the hare just to list a few.  However, if we live by His guidelines, it will eliminate most of the beast which many people currently eat.  We are responsible and accountable to God for what we eat.  If we are going to eat meat, the Lord is wants us to do it His way, for the saving of our souls, else we will be walking in disobedience.  Consider this scripture...

Isaiah 66:15-17 
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.

When the Lord returns the second time and with fire, those who eat pig (swine's flesh) and the mouse, shall be consumed, saith the Lord.  The abomination are those things in Leviticus that the Lord did not instruct man to eat.  Like frog legs, lobster, shrimp, alligator tale, iguana, snake, snail, crab, cat, dog, etc,.  That is why the doctors cannot ascertain the complains of many.  Because they came down with a exotic disease from the exotic foods that they eat. 

Fish and Flesh of the Sea
Leviticus 11:9-10
9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.
10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:

Base on the instruction given above, shrimp, lobster, alligator, shark, clams, conk, crabs, catfish, etc., are not healthy for man to consume.  Why would we want to eat lobster anyway?  They are big cockroaches.  They are scavengers.  Their only function is to clean up the ocean.  They are like a garbage truck.  Just keep the principle in mind, if it does not have scales or fins, whether it is from a lake, pond, fresh water, river or the ocean, the Lord is saying it is not healthy for our consumption.

After World War II, the U.S. government hired Dr. Bruce Halsted, a marine biologist, to create a manual of all sea life that are eligible for consumption.  The survivors, floating in the ocean, from blown up fighter plains and ships, were dying from poison as a result of eating certain sea life.  Therefore, the manual would explain what is toxic, what can and cannot be eaten.  This they would revise beforehand.  Dr. Bruce Halsted went out to sea for one year and created the manual.  However, he reported, in the event that our soldiers are uncertain as to what is safe, they only need to remember one principle, if it does not have scales and fins, do not eat it.  I could have told them that!!!  Friend, the word of God is the ultimate manual.  If we would fellow it, we do well.

Fowls and Creeping thigns
Leviticus 11:13-23
13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the osprey,
14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
15 Every raven after his kind;
16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckoo, and the hawk after his kind,
17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,
19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
20 All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.
21 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth;
22 Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.
23 But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.

Deuteronomy 14:1-23 goes into more details, listing the kind of beast that we can and cannot eat.  The Bible has spoken.  The Lord did not tell man not to eat meat.  Friend, do not feel bad, because of what others are saying in regards to you eating meat.  However, if you are going to eat it, the instructions of the Lord are listed above.

What about the Blood
The life is in the blood.  A great significance is attached to the blood, both literally and symbolically.  The blood of Adam flows through our veins.  That blood which does not perpetuate life.  It does not contain any vitalizing qualities that will maintain and sustain man.  It is not a life giving blood.  Life, that is, eternal life, is not found in our blood.  Our blood is stained by sin, which spells death for every man.  Therefore, in order for us to live eternally, we need that life giving blood, and that life giving quality is only found in the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  His blood has that rich detergent that will make our crimson stains as white as snow.  Without the shedding of His blood, there is no remission of sin.  Baptism, the watery grave, plunging into and covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, is symbolic of a blood transfusion.  Our sin stained blood need to be cleansed.  We need that life giving blood to flow through our veins to perpetuate life.  That's why the blood, the blood of Jesus is so important.  The blood of Christ and of others cannot co-exist.  The Lord does not want us to digest or apply any other blood, whether literally or symbolically.

All diseases begins in the blood.  If the blood is pure, we are healthy.  If the blood is not pure, we are diseased.  The life of the flesh, the life of man, is in the blood.  If our blood is drained, we will cease to exist.  All the organs are feed from the blood.  The organs appropriate from the blood the specific nutrients they need to remain healthy.  If those nutrients are not presents, because we are not eating right, the organs will malfunction and we will become sick.  The life is in the blood.  I want us to understand that, friends.  Christ is revealing to us the dyer importance of keeping the blood pure.  If we pollute the blood, which feeds the body, we are defiling the temple of God, which we are.

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

We are, our bodies are the temple of God.  The Lord makes it clear, if we defile the temple, He WILL destroy us.  There are many things that can and would destroy our body temple.  However, the emphasis of this article focuses solely on meat.  The Lord already gave us a list of meats in Leviticus and Deuteronomy that will defile our bodies if eaten.  Now, in respect to the clean meats, the ones that we can eat, there are instructions on how we should eat them for the saving of our souls.  And those instructions dictates that we should not eat the fat, blood, nor any animal that was strangled.  Let us consult the Bible...

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

The life of the flesh, is the blood.  We can eat meat/flesh, we can eat those clean meats which the Lord gave us permission to eat, however, He said, do not eat the blood.  The life is in the blood.  We are eating the life of the animal, with all the infirmities and all the diseases, if we eat the blood.  The Lord is sore displeased with anyone who eats the blood.

Romans 1:29-32
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

God is our father.  He is our parent and He has given us life sustaining instructions for our good.  But many are disregarding His instructions.  He has many disobedient children.  Disobedience is unrighteousness.  Consider the reward of the unrighteous.  Unrighteousness in every form is the same to God.  All will receive the same reward.  It is a very serious thing to be disobedient to parents.  A disobedient child is placed in the same category as a fornicator, murderer, and a backbiters.  The Bible makes it clear in verse 30-32 that those that are disobedient, disobedient children are worthy of death.  As we need to be obedient to our earthly parents, we need to be obedient to our heavenly father as well.  Let us consider a few more scripture that deals with eating of blood.

Leviticus 3:17
17 It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.

The council against eating the fat and blood of animals is a perpetual statute.  Meat without the blood is considered kosher.  Kosher meats undergo a long process through which the blood and fat are completely removed from the meat.  If the meat is not labeled kosher, if we do not acquire our meats from special stores like the Jews, then the meats that we are eating is a violation of the word of God.  For example, liver is a big clog of blood.  Why would any want to eat pure blood?  We are sick, friends.  The devil has bewitched us.  When we purchase our chicken from the supermarket, and we clean it up, it is not kosher.  When it is fried or cooked, you can see the blood draining out.  The same for fish or any other flesh food.  If it did not undergo the kosher process, it is not kosher.

Leviticus 7:26-27
26 Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.
27 Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

Leviticus 17:11-15
11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
13 And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.
14 For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.
15 And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.

Many will say, "That is under the Old Covenant.  Those are Old Testament rules."  Is it not the blood that maketh atonement for the soul?  Did the atoning power of the blood change?  Doesn't the life remains in the blood?  Now, if the command against the eating of blood was implemented to be a perpetual statute for all time, then the Lord would have include those instructions in the New Testament as well, right?  He would include those principles in the New Covenant as well?  Let us examine the scriptures to see what the spirit of God has to say to the church.

Acts 15:19
19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

The Apostles did not want to trouble the Gentiles.  They did not want to lay any undue stress or place any yokes around their necks which their forefathers could not bear.  They only wanted to communicate those things which were vital for their soul salvation.  Therefore, they told them to stay away from fornication, idols, from things strangled and from blood.  There is no scripture is the New or Old Testament that advised man against eating meat.  However, if man is going to eat meat, they MUST not eat the blood, and they MUST stay away from strangled food and from the fat of the meat.  Friend, do you know how your meats were killed?  Do you know if it was strangled, diseased or died of natural causes?  Eat your meat, enjoy it, but if you violate the principles, the Lord will destroy those who destroys His temple.  The Lord explained that those who are disobedient are worthy of death.  Let us look at what the Holy Spirit has to say... 

Acts 15:28-29
28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

The Holy Ghost instructed the Apostles who were saved through faith by grace, not to lay upon the church no greater burden than these necessary things.  Consider the word "necessary" for a second.  The dictionary uses words like, absolutely essential, unavoidably, inevitable and something indispensable to define the word necessary.  Are you getting the picture, friend?  The councils on how to eat meat from God, are essential for our soul salvation.  The Lord wants us to be where He is, He wants to save us, but how can He, if we are eating the blood of animals, meats that were strangled and the fat?  But what truly constitutes eating the blood?  The chicken and beef we by from the supermarket, take it home and cook it, is that an example of eating the blood, fat and strangled meats?  Well, to find out, let us examine the word "KOSHER."

Kosher:
The Hebrew word kosher means fit or proper as it relates to dietary (kosher) laws.  The source for the laws of Kashruth are found in Genesis, Deuteronomy and Leviticus.    

Slaughtering:
"Only a trained kosher slaughterer (shochet) whose piety and expertise have been attested to by rabbinic authorities is qualified to slaughter an animal. The trachea and esaphagus of the animal are severed with a special razor-sharp, perfectly smooth blade causing instantaneous death with no pain to the animal.  After the animal has been properly slaughtered, a trained inspector (bodek) inspects the internal organs for any physiological abnormalities that may render the animal non-kosher (treif).  There are special cutting procedures for beef, veal and lamb, called "Nikkur" in Hebrew. Many blood vessels, nerves, and lobes of fat are forbidden and must be removed; a costly and time-consuming procedure." (Orthodox Union) 

Removal of the Blood:
"The meat must first be soaked for a half hour in cool (not ice) water in a utensil designated only for that purpose. After allowing for excess water to drip off, the meat is thoroughly salted so that the entire surface is covered with salt. Only coarse salt should be used. In processing poultry, both the inside and outside of the slaughtered bird must be salted. All inside sections must be removed before the koshering process begins. Each part must be soaked and salted separately. If the meat had been sliced with a knife during the salting process, the surface of the cut must be soaked and salted as well. The salted meat is then left for an hour on an inclined or perforated surface to allow the blood to flow down freely. The cavity of the poultry should be placed open side down. After the salting, the meat must be thoroughly soaked and washed to remove all salt. 

Meat must be koshered within 72 hours after slaughter so as not to permit the blood to congeal. If meat has been thoroughly soaked or rinsed, an additional seventy-two hours is granted for the salting process." (Orthodox Union)

Supermarket chicken and beef: 
The chicken and beef we by from the regular meat store are not kosher.  When we consume those meats we are violating the laws of God, which states we are not suppose to eat the blood, fat and strangled meats.  Strangled means anything that was not properly slaughtered.  Most of the meats we buy are strangled, if not all, because they were not slaughtered correctly.

You might have been in the church for years, but no one explained this delicate subject before.  Now, you have read it for yourself, you are no longer ignorant, therefore, you will be held accountable in the judgment if you continue to violate this principle.  This issue is most important.  If we understand the seriousness, the significance and the far reaching implications of the blood, we would stay away from meats with the blood as if it was a plague.

I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things.  Amen. (1 Timothy 5:21)

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