Lesson 40

When Jesus returns to this earth at His second coming, he will reign with the saints (the believers) on this earth for 1000 years (Revelation 20:4-6).
This is called the Millennial Reign of Christ (Isaiah 11:1-9; 55:7-25; Ezekiel 40-47).
It is also call the Millennial Kingdom or the Messianic Age.

For a glimpse into the life-span and diet of man during the Millennial Reign, the word of God declares:

But be glad and rejoice forever
     in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
     and its people a joy.
I will rejoice over Jerusalem
     and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
     will be heard in it no more.

Never again will there be in it
     an infant who lives but a few days,
     or an old man who does not live out his years;
he who dies at a hundred
     will be thought a mere youth;
he who fails to reach a hundred
     will be considered accursed.

They will build houses and dwell in them
     they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
     or plant trees and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
     so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
     the works of their hands.

They will not toil in vain
     or bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the LORD,
     they and their descendents with them.

Before they call I will answer;
     while they are yet speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
     and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
     but dust will be the serpent's food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
     on all my holy mountain," says the LORD.                         (Isaiah 65:18-25)

God's blessings will be fully restored to His people (Isaiah 65:23).
There will be no more suffering or tears (Isaiah 65:19).
Though people will die, life-spans will once again be much longer than they are now.
"He who dies at a hundred will be considered a mere youth" (Isaiah 65:20).
In other words, the life-span of man reverts to that prevailing before the Flood.

Also, it will be noticed that the diet of man will once again revert to one consisting solely of plant products - fruits and leaves - because the harming of animals will not be allowed (Isaiah 65:21, 25).
Animals will live in peace with one another (Isaiah 65:25).
Even animals that are presently carnivorous (flesh-eating) will eat straw during the Millennial Reign, thus reverting to the situation before the Flood.
Man likewise will no longer be flesh-eating, just like the animals.

This description of the diet of man and the relationship between animals during the Millennial Reign is an exact reflection of God's original command to man and animals concerning their food in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1:28-30).
Thus we see that God's ideal diet for man is the Edenic diet.
In this diet there is no harming of animals, as in the Millennial Age.
And under this diet, everyone will live way past a hundred years.

Nevertheless, it is not a sin to eat meat.
God has given man the Noahic diet, which includes the eating of meat.
On this diet, man can live to 120 years, long enough to fulfill his destiny in Christ on this earth.

In the Law of Moses, God gave to the Jews specific laws concerning their food.
Under the food laws, the Jews were prohibited from eating certain types of animals, deemed "unclean" food (Leviticus 11:1-31; Deuteronomy 14:3-21).
These include the camel, rock badger, rabbit, pig, eagle, vulture, bat, etc.

The question is often asked: "Are these food laws applicable to Christians today?"
The answer is a big "No!"

These laws, applicable only to the Jews, are not to be applied to believers of Jesus under the New Covenant.
In Christ, all meats can be eaten (Mark 7:18-20; Acts 15:20, 29).
The only exceptions are food offered to idols, blood, and the meat of strangled animals (these have blood in them).

"Are you do dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared ALL FOODS' clean.')
He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'                                                               (Marl 7:17-23)

When they had finished speaking, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me ......
It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood."
                                                                                                          (Acts 15:13, 19-20)

To be "clean" is to be in a condition acceptable to God.
To be "unclean" is to be a condition unacceptable to God.

God differentiated between clean and unclean animals even before the Flood.
Only clean animals were to be used as offerings before God (Genesis 7:1-3; 8:20).
This distinction was made even before animal flesh was used as food by man.

This was a constant reminder to the people who worshipped God that God will only accept worship which is accordance with His will.
The fact that certain animals were "unclean" and were thus not acceptable as offering indicated to the people tat God makes a distinction between good and evil in all our service to Him.

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. (Genesis 8:20)

Before the Law of Moses was given, the Israelites, like the rest of the people of the world, were under the Noahic Covenant as far as their food was concerned.
Under this Covenant, they were allowed to eat animal meat besides plant products (Noahic diet), just like the rest of the people of the earth.

However, when God chose the Israelites to be a people of His own, He wanted them to be separated unto Him (Exodus 19:3-6).
In other words, He wanted them to be holy, separated unto Him to do His will.

Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all the nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a HOLY nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."                                                                  (Exodus 19:3-6)

The agreement of a special relationship between God and the people of Israel was made through the giving of the Law of Moses on Mount Sinai.
YAHWEH (or the LORD) would be the God of the Israelites, living among them and leading them, while they would be His special people.

The Law of Moses was thus given to the Israelites to show them how to live a life holy to the LORD God of Israel.
Each of the commands in the Law of Moses reminded the Israelites that they were different from the other nations around them.
Included in these commands were the food laws, concerning the eating of only "clean" animals.

The other nations were "unclean" because they did not follow the laws of God and therefore their worship was not acceptable to God.
The Israelites, however, were "clean," as long as they obeyed God's laws to them.
We thus see that the food laws, like any of the other laws of God to the Jewish nation, were a constant reminder to them that they were a people separated unto God, holy unto him (Leviticus 10:10-11).

You must distinguish between the holy and the profane, between the unclean and the clean, and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the LORD has given them through Moses.         (Leviticus 10:10-11)

Other nations could eat whatever animals they wanted, even unclean animals, because they did not have a special covenant relationship with God.

In Christ, the food laws, being a symbol of the separation of God's people from non-covenant people, were done away with.
This was because in Christ, the Good News of the kingdom of God was to be preached to all nations.
Thus Jesus declared that ALL FOOD ARE "CLEAN" (Mark 7:19).

Peter, who still had reservations against fellowshipping with Gentiles (non-Jew) because they were "unclean," had to be reminded by God in a vision that all food, including those formerly deemed "unclean," can now be taken as food (Acts 10:9-29).
In other words, because God has now, in the coming of Christ, called all food "clean," Peter was no longer to call any non-Jew "unclean."
Thus we see here that the food laws under the law of Moses were symbol of the separation of the Jews from all other nations; these were all idolatrous.

Talking with them, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people [Cornelius and other Greeks]. He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean."                                                                                        (Acts 10:27-28)

The moral component of the food laws that still applies to us is that we are not to do anything that is not pleasing to God.
Although we are no longer to avoid associating with non-covenant people or to call them "unclean," nevertheless, we are not to be the evil things they do (1 Corinthians 5:9-11).

In His word, God did not make any commands concerning the number of meals we need to take each day. Therefore, we do not have to be legalistic about this issue.

Normally, modern man takes 3 meals a day, i.e., breakfast, lunch and dinner.
In Scripture, however, God indicated from the way He provided for the Israelites in the wilderness tat they were to take 2 main meals a day (Exodus 16:11-12).
These were the morning and evening meals.

The LORD said to Moses, "I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.'"
                                                                                                           (Exodus 16:11-12)

In 1 Kings 17:4-6, when God fed the prophet Elijah during the drought in Israel, God gave him food twice a day.
It was written that "The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook" (1 Kings 17:6).

Nevertheless, in Christ, God gives us the freedom to eat as the need arises.
The following additional guidelines may be observed in the New Testament.

We should eat when we are hungry.
We should not be concerned about tradition, time or habit at this point.

E.g. At one time, when Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them.
They did this even though it was the Sabbath day (Matthew 12:1-2).

Likewise, it was also recorded that at one time, when Jesus was resting beside Jacob's well in Samaria at 12 noon, His disciples went into the town to buy food. When they returned, they encouraged Him to eat something (John 4:4-8, 27-31).

In Acts 10, it was also recorded that when Peter was praying on the top of the roof at noon, he became hungry and wanted something to eat.
A meal was then prepared for him (Acts 10:9-10).

When a person is busy doing his work, he can forget about food and not feel hungry.
This is command, and is not something that would hurt our bodies.

At one time, when Jesus was preaching to a crowd of 4,000 men, besides women and children, the people did not eat for three days, because everyone was busy hearing the word of God and witnessing the healing power of God (Matthew 15:29-31).
It was at this point that Jesus expressed His concern for the hunger of the people.
He said: "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry or they may collapse on the way" (Matthew 15:32).

Jesus Himself had declared to His disciples that "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work" (John 4:34).
This was His reply to them whey they urged Him to eat.

Food should not be our God.
It is to be taken as nourishment to maintain our body's health and vitality.
Therefore, we should not eat when we are not hungry, especially during lunch hour, after having a heavy breakfast.
Many times, we eat because "it is time to do so," or "you must have 3 square meals a day or you'll die," or "because it is lunch time."
This is a habit, and it can be broken, if we are busily occupied doing our work.

If we do so, we are overeating.
This will burden our digestive system, sap our energy levels, overload our organs of elimination, and cause excess food to be stored as fat in our body.

When Jesus fed the 5,000, His disciples gathered 12 basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over (Matthew 14:20).
In other words, nobody tried to eat everything they had in their hands.
They stopped eating when they were full.

Food should be secondary to other more important things in life, such as the worship of God, the building up of others, and the sharing of the Good News.
Thus if we are invited by others to a meal, whether they are believers or unbelievers, we must not be fussy about the food set before us.
Instead, when Jesus sent the 72 disciples out to preach the Gospel, He gave them these instructions: "When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.'
Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you" (Luke 10:5,7).

Repent of bad food-habits and obey God by eating fruits and leaves for healing.
Do not blame God if you are on the verge of dying early because of your wrong food habits.

Also, ask God to heal you supernaturally.
However, one reason why many Christians are not healed even after fervent prayer is that they have not repented of their sinful eating habits.
They have not looked after their body, the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Instead, they have abused, pampered and spoiled their bodies with all kinds of junk and want God to bail them out when they are sick.

However, health is a gift from God that comes only after true repentance.
The kingdom of God is only given to those who repent (Matthew 4:17).
Healing for believers is only for those who turn from evil food habits to God's righteousness in our diet.
And God will heal us from His throne if we repent (Ezekiel 47:12).

Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river [that flows from the temple]. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.
                                                                                                               (Ezekiel 47:12)

Your thought

1. In what ways are our food habits wrong?
   Why do we have such habits?
   How can we cultivate good food habits?
   

2. If a believer get sick from a degenerative disease, how should he seek God for his healing?
   What steps should he take as signs of repentance?
   

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