Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in good health, even as thy soul prospereth. (3 John 1:2)
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. (Psalms 139:14)
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; ...that thy way may be known upon the earth, thy saving health among all nations. (Psalms 67:1,2)
As our Creator, God knows what is best for us, our mind, body and spirit. A person's mental, physical and spiritual health are interrelated and interdependent. True Bible religion includes practical health principles found in God's word.
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. (Isaiah 8:20)
Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:4-5)
Starting with what we eat, what diet is sanctified by the word of God?
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. (Genesis 1:29)
Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat of the herb of the field; (Genesis 3:17-18)
Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. (Genesis 7:2)
The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. (Genesis 9:2,3)
Before sin entered the world man's original diet consisted of fruits, nuts, seeds and grains. After man's fall in Eden God added vegetables to our diet. God did not give permission to eat animal flesh until after the flood when all vegetation had been destroyed.
Even then, long before there were any Jews, God made a distinction between clean and unclean meat. Clean animals, for sacrifice and food, were taken into the ark by sevens and unclean animals were taken into the ark by twos. However, the addition of animal flesh to man's diet came at a cost with the dramatic decrease in life expectancy.
The 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. (Leviticus 11:9)
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; 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. (Leviticus 11:21-22)
As seen above, the Word of God sanctifies the consumption of clean animals, those that both chew the cud and have cloven hooves, the consumption of clean seafood, those creatures that have both fins and scales, and certain insects such as locust, beetles and grasshoppers. Additionally, birds and flying animals of prey or carrion are unclean and not sanctified by the word of God.
Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, (Isaiah 55:2)
Know
yet not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God
destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (1
Corinthians 3:16, 17)
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:7-8)
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For yet are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you. (2 Corinthians 6:16, 17)
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, ...seeing thou hast forgotten the law of they God, (Hosea 4:6)
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Once again, we are to give glory to God and worship him even with our food and drink! His commandments are for our benefit. The 6th commandment, thou shalt not kill, includes us, we are not to kill ourselves by neglecting our health. Disobedience to God's commandments is seen as rebellion and is likened in seriousness to sins such as witchcraft and idolatry!
Hath
the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in
obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
...For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as
iniquity and idolatry. (1 Samuel 15:22, 23)
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16:18)
Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. (Matthew 4:7)
Let's not tempt the Lord with asking him the bless that which his word has not sanctified nor by taking unnecessary risks, (it's one thing to be poisoned unknowingly by an enemy, but another thing to deliberately ingest something harmful presuming that God will protect us from harm).
And
that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself,
neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be
beaten with few stripes. (Luke 12:47, 48)
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:30) Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. (Acts 14:16)
We know from the the book of Daniel that in the last days knowledge shall increase. In these last days, to prepare his people for the coming of his kingdom and life in the earth made new, as well as for the time of trouble that will come on the earth just before Christ's return, God is calling his people back to the pure, true religion of the Bible, including his health principles. The truths found in God's word is what will divide God's true church, who keep his commandments, and apostate religion which follows after the wisdom and traditions of men.
They
shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that
whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. (John 16:2)
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. (1 Corinthians 3:18, 19)
Keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: which some professing have erred concerning the faith. (1 Timothy 6:20-21)
In part two of this study we will go further into the role health and diet will play in the last days and the preparation of God's people for the soon return of his Son Jesus. In the meantime, below are some of the promises of God and how we may claim them.
Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. (James 5:14-15)
If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. (Exodus 15:26)
And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, (Deuteronomy 6:24)
And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take the sickness away from the midst of thee. (Exodus 23:25)
God's Free Health Plan Bible Study Guide from Amazing Facts
God's Health Plan: Part 2: Preparation for the Mark of the Beast