A moral judgment from God
Adam and Eve (a metaphor for our first ancestors), were created free moral agents. This means that they within themselves had the right to choose right or wrong. They also understood what right from wrong was. God did not control their minds.
Today many people have allowed men to abuse this freedom, by doing their thinking for them. This is a form of mind control and highly dangerous. Jesus warned us about such men that would lead many astray from truth. We urge you to keep your freedom as it was God given you from the start.
If therefore your mind is free and your own and if it is open to discussion as a free moral agent, then seriously consider this small message. Yes, it is a striking statement to make in view of what is taught in the modern churches of today. However it is a true statement. For among many Bible scholars this is common knowledge and has been known for 2000 years.
In fact, Christ can not be found any place in the Bible as actually being seen eating flesh of any kind. Many of His parables referred to fishing and fishers of men, all have symbolic meaning as research proves.
Many state Jesus ate fish and the Passover Lamb; this is untrue, as writings from the early church fathers prove. In fact only in the past century has much light been shed on the actual life of Christ, as very little can be found in the Bible itself.
It would be contrary to expect otherwise from the Teacher of Righteousness, as He based His humane diet on the unchangeable laws of God at Gen. 1:29 where it speaks of a vegetarian diet. Verse 30 gives the same diet to the animals as well. This original law or divine formula was given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden where nothing died. No killing of the animals, fowl, or fish would be tolerated in Eden, this was a Holy Sanctuary of God. I believe that the Garden of Eden, rather than being in the past, is actually a vision of what could await humanity if we are good stewards of the planet.
Yes, this divine formula for man's everlasting good health, both physical and spiritual, was of unchanging nature. What was good for Adam would also be good for Jesus and even man today. Read James 1:16-18.
Adam and Eve (symbolizing humanity in the beginning) were created in perfect health by the greatest physician in the Universe, Jehovah God. To argue other-wise, that God did not know what He was doing at the time would indeed be foolish.
The Bible speaks of the first man, Adam as becoming a living soul, as the last Adam (Christ) became a life giving spirit. I Cor. 15:45. Here we see Adam the perfect man of Eden compared to a second Adam, Christ. Why is this sin? What we are talking about here is the atonement (at-one-ment) or corresponding ransom that make Adam and Christ perfect examples of the human race.
In other words, when Adam lost his right to everlasting life through willful disobedience to God. God promised that He would provide a ransom that would buy back "so to speak" what Adam had lost. Only an equal of Adam before his fall could fit the bill.
None of Adam's offspring or animals would do. Only a perfect example in every respect could be the corresponding ransom, thus Jesus was mankind's' Savior or Adam's equal in all things. Romans 5:12-14 puts it nicely. Please look up in your Bible.
For this reason then, all men die today and only through God's mercy was a price paid to give fallen man a second chance at everlasting life and health. Adam's fall in Eden caused him to be driven out and cursed, thus sin and death spread to all men.
This fall from perfection would also be the reason for most of the terror that man would soon be responsible for. This would include man's new self-made carnivorous diet. For Bible account of Adam and Eve see: Genesis, chapters two and three.
God's only begotten son in heaven was thus willing to intercede for man by coming to earth, born as a child in a manger among friendly animals. He would eventually take on His special mission as the Christ or Messiah at age 30. Read Romans 5:15-21;Luke 2:6-12.
Adam and Jesus had to be equals, Adam could not out class in the smallest way, nor could Jesus do the same. Both had to be spiritually and physically perfect, as well as mentally alert to God's law. The bill was fitted perfectly, there were no differences to dispute. This is why we know for sure without any doubt that Jesus was a vegetarian, from the day of His birth, until His dis-incarnation.
A sacred law had been given in Eden on man's diet. This was to be an unchanging law for all time to come. Adam partook of a clean humane diet, Jesus could not do any different, as He was bound by this same unchanging law.
From Adam to Jesus some 4000 years passed by, but this diet law was not changed or altered in any way. God's laws never change when the good of man is at stake, but man does change laws without God's permission. It was for this very reason that the 14th apostle, Paul, wrote these words at Romans 3: 3 & 4 quoted in part: "Yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar." A.S.V.
The very fact that these words were preserved in the Bible, stands as a warning example for us today to learn by. For what is inspired of God when first written, can be relied on as inspired truth. II Tim. 3:16 & 17 says in part: "All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproving, for correcting, for instructing in justice; that the man of God may be perfect."
However what lying men did later to these same inspired writings is of utmost importance to us today, if we are to truly understand God's original message. For more texts on the ransom see: John 3:16 & 17; I John 4:9 & 14; John 17:3; Ex. 21:23 & 24; Luke 19:10; Rom. 5:19; I Tim. 2:5 & 6; Matt. 1:20 & 21; Acts 4:12; Phil. 2:7 & 8; I Pet. 1:18 & 19; Tsa. 53:12; Rev. 5:9; Eph. 1:7. (The need for atonement was met by animal sacrifices in the temples. However, since mankind did not give life to the animals sacrificed, the life of the animal was not theirs to give. Besides, after the sacrifice, in most cases, the animals flesh was consumed after ritual bleeding. This was not really a sacrifice. A real sacrifice is when you give of yourself for the good of the Creation of whom we are stewards). (VCF)
THE ESSENES
The recent archaeological discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls have caused much new light to be shed on the life of Christ. These scrolls were found intact untouched by men for 2000 years, thus they came to us just as they were written down first hand. We are talking about the Essene scrolls, which means we do not have to rely on a second hand account subject to error, deletion, insertion, or interpolation.
The exciting and fascinating knowledge brought out in the Essene writings alone amount to the greatest Biblical find of the 20th century if not all time! For an example, if we search out what we now have as the New Testament we find very little said about the life of Christ. Only the closest study reveals that Jesus was a vegetarian like Adam.
Now, however when comparing the Essene writings with what we now have on Jesus, we arrive at a complete clear picture of what the New Testament should have contained in the first place. That is, a more detailed story of the greatest humane creature that ever lived. A true Son of God that displayed love, mercy and compassion the like of which the world had never known!
According to *Josephus, an early Bible historian, only three sects were on the scene when Jesus was born. He named the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Essenes.
Up until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. very little was known of these Holy men of old, the Essenes. Now we know why the Essenes were among the three Jewish religious sects. First of all both the Pharisees and Sadducees condemned and rejected Jesus as the Christ.
Both of these sects were charged by the Essenes to have garbled the pure law of Moses and were thus under God's adverse judgment. They despised the Essenes. The Essenes on the other hand were known for their Godliness and had nothing to do with the traditions of men. They rejected even the animal sacrifices and temple service of their contemporaries. Because of this they were looked down on by the very ones that were hiding behind God, and pretending to be doing God's will.
The Essenes proved true to be the very ones awaiting the birth of Jesus. They did not eat animal flesh, drink wine, offer animal sacrifice, eat blood in any form. They forbid slavery, refused to take part in war or carry weapons and lived humble simple lives. They were known and respected for their Godliness and their reliance on God's prophets, especially Daniel, Jeremiah and Isaiah.
In fact for the same reasons Jesus was hated, so were the Essenes. Yes, the Essenes proved to be the prepared people or holy ones ready for Jesus' first presence, ready for what Bible prophecy had promised to occur. There were many Essene communities in Israel; Nazareth, Jesus' home town was one of them. It is now also known that John the Baptist known for his natural diet of honey and locust beans (not insects) was also raised from a child by the Essenes in preparation for Christ's coming. ou must know by now, these laws have never really challenged the meek, for only the wicked seek to change what is good and pure. Hence, we see that the laws given in Eden, were not to be temporary, but permanent as a part of a Universal Law Code that all peoples of the vast Universe do live by and for.
"Thou shall not kill"
was one of such laws in Eden, that has never changed, it took in animals as well as humans. THE VERY NATURE OF ALL RELIGION IS TO PROMOTE LIFE AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE!!!
The fallen angel of Genesis, known in the Bible as the Devil or Satan was and still is the enemy of God and man alike. This original slanderer well knew of these holy laws and did his best to corrupt them and the people who live by them. In Eden, the Devil was behind Adam's fail from perfection, it was on this account of both willful Adam and Satan in and through sin against God's laws, that Eden was defiled.
Hence man was put outside; this would lead him and his offspring to total moral break-down through their own choice. All the Universe was involved with this willful outbreak of disrespect for law and order. Yet this is no mistake! We must have the freedom of choice between good and the dark side of creation. Through Christ then or the human value of His own life, man was rescued from a certain death with no hope ever of living again in a paradise earth like Adam did at the start. Read John 17:1-8. Everlasting life is now open for all those who seek out the humane Christ and find Him true. Are we to allow flesh foods and strong drink be our masters instead of Christ? One can not serve two masters and still please God. There is a wrong way and a right way in God's sight; to choose the wrong way would be to choose Satan as master rather than Jehovah. Read Romans 6:22 & 23.
NATURAL HEALTH REFORM
The Essenes proved like Adam and Eve, that God demands a humane diet for His people on earth as well as elsewhere. It was because of food or simple appetite that the human race be condemed into misery and death.
In actual fact, Christ taught the people of His day, health reform, first through a clean humane diet and second through His great knowledge of His Father's purpose for all men. Spiritual and physical health reform are integral, they can not be separated for man to go one way or another, but rather, man must learn of it as a whole if he is to be accepted by his God.
Christ, the early writings of the Church prove, was a humane person in the complete sense of the word. The Essenes were living proof of this as the record shows. They were seldom ill, and lived to be over one hundred years old, true testimony of a clean diet from God. Today Jehovah God expects a holy people like the Essenes of old to be on hand or prepared for the second physical and spiritual presence of His Son Christ. Is diet your master and god?
Christ abhorred animal sacrifice and was sad to see the many thousands of His day butchered by the religious liars and frauds that they proved to be.
He reasoned like the Essenes who were well educated by the prophets, that animal sacrifice was of no value and a practice of ignorant nations.
Writings of the early church fathers all agree that all of the early Christians were of a humane diet as taught by Christ and His apostles, in fact this part of health reform was a vital teaching of Christ and an earmark of true Christians. However, when we look at the modern church. we find these truths covered up and rejected.
Everything goes for the sake of keeping members; how sad it really is for such knowledge to be deliberately hidden, especially with the world as it is today. It will be this downfall of the church that will cause Christ to say: "I never knew you; depart from me, you evil doers." Matthew 7:23 R.S.V.
THE EARLY CHURCH
Yes, it is hard to believe that modern religion can go this far, but they are doing just as the Devil wants; that is to slander truth, and make God appear evil. Public libraries everywhere contain the writings of the early church fathers like: Jerome, Tertullian, Clement, Chrysostom. Tatian, Trenaeus, Eusebius, Cyprian, not to mention others like Hegesippus Epephanius, Papias, Origen, Prudentius, Pantaenus, Pliny to name a few.
It is also understandable why Clement referred to Plato, Socrates and Pythagoras as having been divinely inspired for they also taught and practiced the same mercy towards the creatures, as is to be found in the prophets and in the person of Christ.
Yes, to name but a few, all of the above were vegetarians like their master, Christ.
Much has been written and recorded by these greats, how could such great minds be wrong, how could such knowledge be ignored?
These same authorities also testify that many of the original writings of the Apostles were deliberately deleted by the early Roman Church, this of course is for obvious reasons; the same reason why Adam sinned, appetite, yes, lusting for things against God's law.
Things man does not need or ever did need for good health. Many of these inspired writings are still in existence today, some can be found in private collections the world over. Like the early fathers they too speak of a humane Jesus that based His teachings on uncompromised love and respect for all things held sacred to God.
This same kind of love has long been held back by the modern church. There is no excuse for this, as it has brought much dishonor to God and His Word. The Bible we now have is incomplete and interpolated by the various translators and politicians like Constantine who have made changes down through the centuries. However, the Dead Sea Scrolls can lead men back to truth concerning the humane Christ, if they so wish. Or they can be deliberately overlooked just as the early church fathers and their writings were the past 2000 years.
WHAT SHOULD A CHRISTIAN BE?
Christians were to stand out in the world as a really different people, a holy people. A clean diet would thus be a quality looked for among them as an aspect of real love and devotion to God and all of His creation. When we look at the modern church with its many divided sects, we see extremes.
On the one hand, we find some smaller sects following the health reform laws to God's favor. On the other hand, we find most, the vast majority living in total sin and not caring one way or the other about God's law. Among their combined interests we see business ventures, church-state relationships, some going as far as operating their own slaughter houses to satisfy their selfish tastes and lusts.
These very ones are those openly denying that Christ and Adam were vegetarians. It reminds one of the days of Noah before the Flood, where Genesis speaks of divine judgment against man. Luke 17:26 & 27 tells of the people of Noah's time eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage. Luke 17:28 & 29 also speaks of the same things in Sodom and Gomorrah.
Luke 17:30 further states: "so will it be on that day when the Son of man is revealed." But what is wrong with eating and drinking? What is wrong with marriage? Nothing at all with these perfectly normal activities.
But why did Christ here in the book of Luke mention these things if nothing were wrong with them? Because there was something wrong with them; for they were eating and drinking of the wrong diet; a diet against health reform; a diet of flesh foods and strong drink! Noah was among the very first of the Essene class of pure worshippers of Jehovah, as he too pictured the Christ. The Ark pictured the future salvation of Jesus' new "health reform" message whereby opening up the "way" to life, for all men. So we see the sin of wrong diet.
based on God's unchanging law that they indeed were the faithful Jewish remnant that were to be among the very first to fully accept Christianity. Indeed Jehovah God did prove He had a people for His Name, despite the fact that most of Israel had failed Him miserably.
Thanks to the recent finds, the Dead Sea Scrolls which contained the Essene writings and much more, the Bible can now be vindicated along with Jesus' clean natural diet and His humane teachings. The Essenes ethical way of life proves that the entire Holy Family, Mary, Joseph and Jesus' earthly brothers and all of the Apostles including the last, Paul, were abstainers like the Essenes. Thus living up to Gen. 1:29 the divine formula for life and love.
This new breakthrough of knowledge has re-written the life of Christ and early Christianity, for it proves that God's law does not change, it proves men of today as liars only defending their lustful diets of flesh foods, in order to support "their own" way of life.
(Read "The Prophet of the Dead Sea Scrolls"- available through the Essene Cooperative for donation.) Yes, it is certainly beyond question that Jesus was of a humane nature and loved and respected all of God's creation; not only the human creation but the animal creation as well. The modern church with no exceptions is seriously in need of learning such truth all over again.
If they could only tear themselves away from their selfish vain pursuits long enough to examine such truth, they like Israel of old would be blessed rather than cursed as they now are for ignoring God's law.
All who hold to truth have always been hated and mocked through the ages, this is to be expected in a world that enjoys sin and lawlessness.
The Essenes were no exception, their contemporaries, the religious leaders of Jesus' day did indeed hate and mock the Essenes for their refusal to eat flesh and offer temple animal sacrifices. Christ too was hated for these same things not only by the false Jews but by the Romans as well that also sacrificed animals and followed many false gods like the sinful Jews.
The Essenes were a strong "sting" to these same ones that would soon be a threat to Jesus' life. Indeed, the Essenes or "holy ones" did prove every man a liar and God true in their quest for upholding God's pure worship as based on His unchanging laws of love, mercy, and justice for all His creation.
Y
This was the first time ever that God was to be put to the test as to His universal sovereignty and right to rule His way. Christ therefore offered to intercede for man's behalf as a balance of justice for what sinner Adam had lost and also brought upon his offspring.
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