20 How to Postpone Your Funeral

Welcome/Announcements/Opening Prayer

Question 1: Did creation take place in 6 literal days?

Let me share a few evidences that have convinced me that creation took place in 6 literal 24-hour periods.

The Hebrew word Yom.

The Hebrew word for day, yom, as in English, is used both for a literal, twenty-four-hour day and also for an indefinite period of time, such as in the expression “For the day of the Lord is at hand” (Joel 1:15). However, the word, yom, always means a twenty-four-hour literal day when it is used with a numeral—day one, day two, first day, second day, etc. There are no exceptions to this rule. In the Genesis Creation account, yom is used with a numeral, indicating that it intends the reader to understand that these are literal days of twenty-four hours.

The ten commandments

The fourth commandment (Exodus 20:8-11) clearly links the seventh day (the Sabbath) with the weekly cycle. The word "remember" at the beginning of this commandment cannot have meaning if the days were long eons of time (much longer than human lifespans). The admonition concerning days of labor and day of rest would also be meaningless.

Also, the cycle of the week points to a literal 6 day creation with a seventh-day Sabbath.

And third, when God gave the Israelites manna in the wilderness he emphasized this literal 7 day weekly cycle and pointed to the Sabbath of creation.

Wording of the creation account

The wording of the creation account in the first two chapters of Genesis is best understood as meaning literal days. Such expressions as “day and night,” “evening and morning,” “light and darkness” can hardly be understood as indefinite periods of time.

Problems with long periods of time creation

The view that each day of the Genesis Creation account is actually an extremely long period of time—rather than literal days of twenty-four hours—causes problems. For example, Genesis says that plants were created on the third day (see Genesis 1:11-13) and that sunlight was created on the fourth day (see verses 14-19). If the third day is actually a long period of time, how could plants have existed without sunlight? Likewise, many plants require insects for pollination. How could these plants have survived and reproduced without insects which were not created until the sixth day (see Genesis 1:24, 25)—if these days were actually long periods of time?

Question 2: Do Dogs Go to Heaven?

Because we love animals, so this is a very natural question to ask. However, the Bible is silent on this question. It neither confirms it nor denies it.

Although all of God’s creation is for His glory and pleasure, human beings alone were created in God’s image. Animals were made from the same dust as humans and have the same breath of life in them as we do, but God made men and women in His own image and entrusted them with the responsibility of overseeing, protecting, and enjoying the rest of His creation.

Because humans can reason, we are able to make intelligent and moral decisions; animals cannot. God did not create animals with the ability to choose right or wrong, to accept or reject salvation. Only humans were given this ability to reason.

The plan of salvation is designed for human beings, not for animals. Since animals cannot reason and make moral decisions, they are not included in the salvation God has offered to humans. Jesus died to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21, NKJV). We are saved through our faith in Him. John 3:16 (KJV) says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should nor perish, but have everlasting life." In order for one to be saved, one has to believe in Jesus. But animals cannot exercise saving faith in Jesus.

The question, “will MY DOG be in heaven?” is question we do not have an answer to. There is no promise in the Bible where God specifically says they will be, or they won’t be. What we do know is that there will be animals in heaven, and the Bible talks about us enjoying their company.

We may not know all the details of what God is preparing for us in heaven, but we do know that it will be far beyond anything we can imagine. It's in the Bible, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9, NKJV).

The best thing to do is enjoy your pets while you have them, and trust God that His future plans are better than you can imagine.

Future Topics

Tonight, we’re going to turn to the pages of the Bible, and I’m going to show you something that some people have discovered that has, statistically, expanded their lifespan by up to a decade. How many of you would like to postpone YOUR funeral? Tonight, I’m going to show you how to greatly improve your odds.

Then on Wednesday night, we’re going back to Revelation 12, because we never really finished the story in that chapter. You might remember: war broke out in heaven - the devil and his angels were removed - the woman, or the church, waited for Christ to be born - then Jesus went back to heaven, and the dragon turned his wrath against the church.

But you might also notice there’s a time stamp on the prophecy: 1,260 days. The woman has to hide in the wilderness - but then what? That’s on Wednesday night.

On Friday night, we’re going to hit a subject that I KNOW a lot of you have been waiting for: the “Mark of the Beast.” This might be one of the most talked-about subjects in Bible prophecy - and this is going to be another night where all of your dedicated study is really going to pay off, because you’re going to take what you’ve learned, and use that information to unpack the rest of Revelation 13. We’ve already looked at the FIRST beast, but maybe you’ve noticed a second one.

Then on Sabbath morning at 10:45, we’re going to look at a peculiar phrase that shows up several times in the Bible. Revelation 12 describes God’s last-day people as the ones “who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” And on Sabbath morning, we’re going to unpack that just a little bit - and in the process, we’ll look at another curious prophecy from the book of Joel - it says that in the last days, there will be dreams and visions.

Our last study will be a personal one. Saturday night we’re going to bring all of this prophecy stuff home in “The Last Night On Earth." You’ll hear a little of my story, but you’ll also get a chance to explore your story as well. Revelation was not intended to be a book for theologians—it’s a book about a relationship God wants to have with you. He’s had His hands in your life all along, and right now, I want to show you how he’s got a plan for your future. Not just the future in heaven, but the rest of your tomorrows here on earth too.

But for tonight: “How to Postpone Your Funeral.”

Prayer

Tonight, we’re going to look at one of the biggest mysteries in the history of Europe . . .

. . . and it has to do with the great composer Mozart. For centuries, people have wondered why he died at such a young age. He was dead by the time he was 35, and nobody really knows why.

There have been a lot of theories. Some people say he was poisoned by a rival composer who was jealous of his talent. Other people say that he died young because of his excessive lifestyle - it’s become popular, in recent decades, to think that Mozart was something of a party animal.

Other people say he had a strange disease. But the truth is, nobody really knew . . . UNTIL NOW. Tonight, you and I are going to solve the mystery.

But before we do THAT, I want to ask you a fundamental question: why does ANYBODY die? And if you’ve been coming faithfully every night, you already know the answer:

We die because the wages of sin is death. The Bible teaches, in Genesis 3, that God actually had to remove us from the Garden so that we wouldn’t eat from the Tree of Life AFTER we sinned - because if we DID, we would go on living forever in a state of pain and suffering. We would live forever as SINNERS.

So God removed us from the Garden - He put a natural limit on our suffering, because God hates pain. And that becomes REALLY clear when you look at the ministry of Jesus.

You’ll find that Jesus spent most of His time doing two key things. Look at this, in Matthew chapter 9:

Matt 9:35

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel

of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

The Bible says that Jesus taught - but some Bible scholars actually estimate that Jesus may have spent MORE time healing.

And of course, that fits the character of God perfectly: Jesus couldn’t stand the way that some people were suffering. So He opened blind eyes that He originally had created to see. He healed crippled legs He had originally created to walk. He cured leprosy - in fact, He even TOUCHED a leper, a man who hadn’t felt the warmth of human touch in years.

And when Jesus came to town, sometimes, even the DEAD came back to life!

The Bible is clear: God hates suffering. It was never part of His original plan. I want you to listen to the words of Jesus:

John 10:10

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destory.

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

The devil is trying to ruin God’s creation - and the reason he’s working so hard to destroy it is to embarrass God. He knows what we’ll do when things go wrong: we’ll shake our fist at heaven, and blame God.

He’s trying to make God look bad. But Jesus exposes the devil, and He wants you to know the truth: “I have come to give you a more abundant life.”

Now think about this very carefully: God obviously cares about the afterlife - but He also cares about this life, RIGHT NOW. He cares about how you’re doing.

Listen to this interesting statement, found in 3 John - it’s the opening words of a letter that John writes, and I want you to notice his concern for the personal well-being of his audience:

3 John 1:2

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health...

If the Christian faith was ONLY about the afterlife, people wouldn’t worry much about our present condition. But the early Christians KNEW that God cares about us, right now.

If religion was just an insurance policy that kicked in after you die, then what use is it today? The truth is, Christian faith is about relationship, not about insurance. God wants you. God loves you. God cares about you. Right here, right now. From the day you were born to the day He gets to live with you for eternity. He cares about you.

Let me show you some clear evidence that God cares DEEPLY about your physical well-being, the same way He cares about your spiritual well-being.

Listen carefully to the promise God gave the children of Israel back in the book of Exodus.

Exodus 15:26

If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes,

I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.

Now follow this carefully: God is the ONLY source of life in this universe, and He’s the manufacturer of the human body - and the Bible indicates that if you COOPERATE with the Creator - if you live the way that GOD suggests - then you’re absolutely going to get better results.

It’s a principle you find in the Bible more than once - in fact, you find it just a few chapters later:

Exodus 23:25

So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.

According to the Bible, there is no question that you can improve your well-being when you’re in a committed relationship with God. Now of course, that doesn’t mean that Christians never get sick, or that Christians don’t die - but you CAN make significant improvements - you can improve your quality of life - if you just follow two simple principles:

Principle number one? Develop a vibrant, loving, obedient relationship with God. Put God in the driver’s seat and let HIM run your life!

And the second principle? You’re going to get OUT of your body what you put INTO your body. And I realize that sounds a little simplistic, but it’s absolutely true.

Far too often, people treat their bodies as if they’re disposable - like a paper plate: use it once and throw it away. And I wonder if that comes from our dear friend Plato—that Greek philosopher who said our bodies are the source of all our problems but our spirit is what matters. When we studied from the Bible how God originally made us, we found that we are not two separate entities—a body and a spirit—but one integrated whole.

Your body is NOT disposable; it’s the special creation of God. And in fact, the Bible teaches that it doesn’t even belong to you!

Listen carefully to how Paul explains it:

1 Cor 6:19

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

If you are a Christian, a child of God, then your body is actually on loan to you - and we all know, when something doesn’t belong to you, you should be taking BETTER care of it - because you have to return it!

If you borrow my car, I expect that you’re NOT going to speed, and you’re not going to drive recklessly, and you’re not going to drive it into the ditch. Why? Because it’s MINE!

And in the Bible, God says, “This body you have is NOT YOURS. I own you - and I paid for you with an incredibly high price!” Listen to the next verse:

1 Cor 6:20

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body...

You know, they say that something is only worth what people are willing to pay. Let’s say that I draw a picture, and I think it’s an absolute masterpiece. In fact, I think it’s easily worth as much as a Michelangelo or a Van Gogh - so I want to sell it for twenty million dollars.

But tell me: is that what it’s worth? No. It’s only worth what people are willing to pay, so it’s only worth twenty cents, if that.

Now here’s the question: what was Jesus willing to pay for you? He was willing to pay with His LIFE.

And now God says, “I paid for you - I own you - and I expect you to take good care of My property!”

And I think that it’s amazing that God values us that highly - but how often do we actually treat our bodies like GOD owns them? Day in and day out, many of us trash our bodies. We get by with not enough sleep - way too much stress - coffee and donuts for breakfast - supper through a little window in a drive-thru - and then we’re shocked when our bodies break down!

I’m reminded of an old story of a man who wanted to visit a famous monastery in Portugal that was way up on top of a 300-foot cliff. And the only way to get up there was in a basket on a rope: you climbed into the basket and the monks hauled you up to the top.

So this man got in the basket, was pulled up, and had a wonderful day at the monastery on top of the cliff. But at the end of the day, when it was time to leave, he climbed back into the basket and glanced at the rope. It was old, and frayed, and looked like it might break at any moment. So as the monks started to lower him over the edge of the cliff, he asked them, “Just how often do you replace this rope?”

“Any time the old one breaks!” the monks said.

And that’s the way we treat our bodies: we never pay attention until something breaks! But the Bible advises us to pay better attention.

In fact, your body comes with an owner’s manual - just like a new car. And that owner’s manual is the Word of God - the Bible.

And studies have proven - quite conclusively - that people who follow the Bible’s advice live longer . . . and better. In fact, the people who follow the instructions in the Bible are outliving the rest of us by quite a few years. And while there are a few groups who live a long time on average, the most notable group, by far, has been the Seventh-day Adventists.

There’s just no comparison. Maybe you noticed it, but a few years back . . .

. . . National Geographic ran an article on people who live longer, and they focused on a handful of people groups all over the world. Here in the Western world, they focused on Seventh-day Adventists, and I want to show you what they discovered.

...Researchers studied a group of Seventh-day Adventists who rank among America’s longevity all-stars.

…[they have] a high rate of centenarians, suffer a fraction of the diseases that commonly kill people in

other parts of the developed world, and enjoy more healthy years of life.

Folks, the statistics on Adventists are absolutely amazing. This is a group that appears in almost every longevity study you’re ever going to read. Back in 2009, U.S. News & World Report ran an article that told people how to live longer - and they gave ALL KINDS of advice.

And do you know what one of their biggest pieces of advice was?

Live like a Seventh-day Adventist. Americans who define themselves as Seventh-day Adventists have an average

life expectancy of 89, about a decade longer than the average American.

Time and time again, you’re going to see it: Adventists live longer. And the reason they live longer is really very simple: they pay attention to the Bible.

Back in the early 1980s, The Saturday Evening Post ran a story on Seventh-day Adventists that was really pretty remarkable:

They discovered that Adventists have one-sixth as many heart attacks as the general public.

They only have HALF of the expected rate of cancer

only one-fifth as much lung cancer

and a little more than half the expected rate of colon cancer.

Now if you look at it, those numbers are really pretty astonishing - and they show up again, and again, and again.

Some years ago, the U.S. Public Health Service ALSO did a study on Seventh-day Adventists, and they found pretty much the same thing:

75 percent fewer Adventists die of cancer when compared with the general public.

68 percent fewer die of respiratory disease.

88 percent fewer die of tuberculosis.

85 percent fewer die of pulmonary emphysema.

Now, if those numbers were only one or two points different than the general public, then maybe it’s a coincidence. But look at them - these are significant differences - and it makes you wonder: what do these people KNOW?

What is their secret? Well, it’s not a secret at all - it’s just a remarkably simple principle: treat your body like God owns it!

Listen to the words of 1 Corinthians 6 again:

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body...

That’s the whole secret: glorify God in your body.

Now let’s ask some honest questions about some of our worst habits as human beings - some of the things we put into our bodies - and let’s ask if those things REALLY glorify God.

And I want to start with an easy one - kind of a “no-brainer.” But let’s just be really honest: can I really SMOKE cigarettes to the glory of God?

And I know, I’m probably getting into some personal territory right now - but don’t worry, before we’re finished, I think I’m going to manage to make EVERYBODY feel uncomfortable! In fact, I’m going to MEDDLE. How does that sound? (SMILE!)

What do we know about smoking?

Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals.

Some people have estimated that one cigarette actually contains enough nicotine to kill you, and if you didn’t have all the wonderful filters God built into your body to slow things down, you might actually be dead before you finished smoking your first cigarette!

We know that smokers die, on average, 22.5 years younger than everybody else - and

nearly half a million people die from smoking every single year. That’s about as many people as have died from Covid-19 in the last year, but thankfully, the virus has a shelf-life, while the smoking habit seems to be a perennial problem.

Now, years ago, we had to really highlight these dangers, but today, this is something that everybody knows. And the question is: can you do this to the glory of God?

Obviously not. And tonight, if you find yourself addicted - if this is something you’d like to quit, but you can’t - then come and talk to me. The Bible has some really good news - and I KNOW for a fact that you can be free - and that God WANTS you to be free.

Can you smoke to the glory of God? No, you can’t.

But let’s go a little bit further. In fact, let’s get a little more personal. Do you mind? (Smile.)

What about alcohol?

“Okay, preacher - now you’re REALLY meddling!” I know, but I still want to ask the question. And I know this can be sensitive, because you have good Christians who have widely differing opinions on this. Some Christians say, “Absolutely NO alcohol,” and some Christians say, “It’s fine in moderation.”

But honestly, tonight, it doesn’t really matter what people say. What matters? What does GOD say? Can you glorify God in your body by drinking?

Let’s just check what the Bible says.

This comes from the Bible’s book of wisdom - the book of Proverbs. Listen carefully:

Proverbs 20:1

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

Okay - let’s be honest with the plain wording of the text: does God say alcohol is WISE or UNWISE? It’s UNWISE.

But of course, that’s only “strong drink,” right? It’s not really talking about mild drinks like beer!

Actually, it IS. Back in Solomon’s time, beer WAS “strong drink,” and the beer that people drink today is actually much stronger than that! And God says that strong drink - or ALCOHOLIC drink - is unwise - and today, we know that God was absolutely right:

In America, more than 85,000 people die every year as a direct result of consuming alcohol, and

we lose up to 6 percent of our GDP because of alcohol.

Alcohol consumption costs us 26 billion dollars a year in health care, and because people miss so much work, and they cause so many accidents -

the whole economy loses 185 billion every single year.

Ten percent of your health insurance premium and 40 percent of your car insurance premium is paying the cost of alcohol consumption.

And if money was the only problem, that would be bad enough.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Go and ask the police what they see on a typical Saturday night. Ask them how often alcohol is a factor in domestic violence. Go and ask the people in the emergency room how much of THEIR weekend is spent mopping up the effects of alcohol.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services tells us:

53 percent of murders involve alcohol - 57 percent of rapes - 47 percent of robberies - 60 percent of assaults - 80 percent of suicides . . .

No WONDER God says that alcohol is unwise!

And then you’ve got to consider what it’s doing to your BRAIN. Even one drink starts killing brain cells - and almost worse - alcohol lowers your moral inhibitions. When you drink - even a little bit - it actually makes it easier to cave in to temptations you would otherwise overcome.

Listen to this amazing passage from the book of Proverbs - it’s one of the most vivid descriptions of the effects of alcohol I’ve ever seen. And I’m going to use the old King James Version because the language is so blunt:

Proverbs 23:29-31

Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath babbling? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?

Let me stop there for a moment and ask you: how many of the world’s wounds have been completely unnecessary? How many of those car wrecks on the side of the freeway? How many of the wounds in the hearts of mothers and fathers who have had to bury a child have been completely unnecessary? Those are wounds without cause!

Who are the people who suffer like this?

They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red,

when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.”

This is talking about alcoholic wine - wine that “moves itself aright” in the cup. It’s not just a glass of grape juice, and the Bible says it’s a very bad idea.

“But that’s just talking about people who drink a LOT of wine - it says they tarry long!” And it DOES say that, but notice what else it says: “Don’t even look at it!”

Why? Listen to the conclusion:

At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

How many people do you know who have HUGE regrets because of something they did under the influence of alcohol? How many people SAY things they regret? Or hook up with people they don’t even know?

The Bible is absolutely honest about this: alcohol makes it easier to sin, and that is NEVER a good thing! That’s why the Bible is so careful to tell people in responsible positions to NEVER touch it . . .

This is advice to a king:

Proverbs 31:4, 5

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink; lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the justice of all the afflicted.

When you’re drinking, the Bible says, you are compromising your mental faculties, and it’s easy to pervert justice. And in the next verse, it tells King Lemuel to save alcohol for dying people. Why? Because it was a painkiller - it’s like oxycodone or Vicodin. It’s appropriate for someone who’s writhing in pain on their deathbed - but it’s NOT appropriate for kings and priests of the Most High God.

Knowing the spiritual environment that you and I live in, we need our minds to be razor-sharp at all times.

So let’s be honest about this: considering all the heartache and pain in this world, can you really drink to the glory of God? No, you really can’t.

“But what about the wedding feast at Cana?”

“Didn’t Jesus turn the water into wine?”

That’s a really good question! And the answer is: YES, He did - but it wasn’t alcoholic wine. Let me explain. There are two different things the Bible describes as “wine.” That word MIGHT mean alcoholic wine, and it might mean non-alcoholic wine, or grape juice . . . depending on the context.

Go back to John chapter 2 and read the story carefully. Like most of the villages in the region, Cana was a VERY small town, with maybe only a few hundred people. And the story says that Jesus made six pots of wine, with 20 to 30 gallons apiece. That means He made somewhere between 120 and 180 GALLONS of wine.

That amounts to several GALLONS per person.

Now ask yourself this, because people are going to get VERY DRUNK with that much alcohol: would Jesus really bring THAT MUCH liquor to a party? Would Jesus really get people blind drunk?

Here’s something else I want you to think about: back in Jesus’ time, weddings went on for DAYS. And at the END of the wedding, after they ran out of wine, the governor tasted what Jesus had made, and he said, “This is the best wine I’ve ever tasted!”

Now, if you’ve been drinking for days, you CAN’T TELL THE DIFFERENCE. You could drink mouthwash and not know the difference - so it’s obvious these people weren’t drunk!

What Jesus made was PURE wine - the wine WITHOUT alcohol. Remember: the Bible uses one word for alcoholic AND non-alcoholic wine, and the context almost always tells you which one you’re reading about.

And I know: there have been lots of studies that say “a glass of wine every day is really good for you!” But I assure you: there are better ways to improve your cardiovascular health than drinking. In fact, some experts are now starting to reverse their opinion about wine in moderation.

Back in 2013, Dr. Timothy Naimi of the School of Public Health at Boston University said this:

On the balance of all people who begin drinking, many ore people are killed by alcohol than helped by it.

And you know, he wasn’t talking about car accidents or drunken mistakes. He was talking about cancer - and he points out that 20,000 cancer deaths, every single year, can be traced back directly to alcohol consumption. Fifteen percent of breast cancer cases were traced back to alcohol - and he’s talking about moderate consumption.

What we’re discovering is that even a single drink a day can be carcinogenic. So let’s think about this very carefully: did Jesus really hand out alcohol at that wedding? Not a chance. Jesus is the Author of life, and the Great Physician.

And Jesus isn’t going to say, “Alcohol is a really bad idea,” in the Old Testament, and then hand it out in the New Testament - and you KNOW that God isn’t going to condone anything that makes it easier to sin.

Here’s how I like to think about it: the God of the Bible - the God that I love - absolutely hates suffering - and alcohol is one of the biggest causes of pain and suffering in the world. I’m not going to have any part of it, because I don’t think Jesus would have any part of it, and I’m going to boycott the whole misery industry.

Now - while I’m busy ruining everybody’s fun - how about we go one step further? How does that sound? (Smile!) Why don’t we take a look in your kitchen? (I mean, we may as well, because we’ve already gone everywhere else!)

What about all that caffeine that North Americans use to survive the modern work world? (I mean, as long as I’m ruining your fun, I may as well ruin all of it!)

Let’s think about this. The Bible never mentions Starbucks or Red Bull, but I think we should still apply Bible principles and be smart about this.

We know for sure that caffeine consumption has been linked to sleep disorders, headaches, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, constricted blood vessels . . .

. . . memory loss, tremors, convulsions . . . and we know that it seems to be a catalyst for carcinogens, which really means that caffeine can help your cancer grow!

But I’m going to leave it to you - because it’s a personal decision - but we do know this: it’s a toxin, and the people who quit live longer and happier lives.

And besides, just think about what we’re doing to our bodies. When our whole system is crying out for sleep, we slam down another coffee and force ourselves awake. It’s just something to think about.

Yesterday I had a moment of anxiety. I’ve been pushing all month to prepare and share these messages with you, and my body just got tired. I meant to send out a note to everyone, but I just couldn’t do it. So, I laid down and took a nap most of the afternoon. I’m quite certain that if I had pumped myself full of caffeine I could have gotten that note in the mail, but I wouldn’t have been able to come today. I needed sleep, not caffeine.

And now I’m REALLY going to meddle. (Smile knowingly.) Let’s take a look in the fridge.

In North America, we’re becoming some of the sickest people on earth, and that’s not because of infectious diseases. Most of what’s killing us in the 21st century is completely avoidable: they’re lifestyle diseases.

We spend 110 billion a year on deep-fried fast food.

One-third of our kids are going to get diabetes.

And a quarter of us visit a fast-food restaurant every single day. Far too many of our meals are getting handed to us through a tiny little window!

I know, life is fast paced. Surely there is a place for a quick bite here and there. A pizza night, or a Taco Bell run on the way home from a long day at work. The problem isn’t an occasional visit to a fast-food joint; it’s the day in and day out visits—the regular meals.

And you’ve got to ask: is fast food what God designed for the human body? And the answer is NO . . .

In fact, the book of Genesis describes the perfect fuel for the human body.

Genesis 1:29

And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.”

Now here’s what I want you to notice: the original diet was vegetarian, and that only makes sense if you think about it: you can’t really see Adam and Eve chasing a cow with a knife, can you? In the beginning, human beings were designed to live on a plant-based diet.

Now that doesn’t mean that EVERYBODY has to become a vegetarian, because we know that Jesus ate the Passover lamb, and we know for sure that He ate fish. But in the beginning, the human diet didn’t involve killing animals, and today, we DO know that people who adopt a Garden of Eden diet absolutely live longer, have less disease, and tend to be stronger and have more endurance.

Now, eventually, God DID give permission to eat meat - after the Flood - but here’s the thing that many people fail to notice: He didn’t give permission to eat just anything you want.

Let me ask you a Bible question: how many of each animal did Noah take into the ark? (Allow people to respond.)

Two? That’s right - but it’s only PARTLY right. Listen carefully to what it says:

Genesis 7:2

You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female...

Did you notice a distinction? There were clean animals and UNclean animals. There were two of each unclean animal - but SEVEN of the clean ones.

Why? Well, let me ask you: how much salad was available the day that Noah got off the ark? How many carrots? There was nothing: the earth was a disaster zone, and it was going to take a while before fruits and vegetables came back. So why did Noah have seven of the clean animals? Well, probably for sacrifices - but also for lunch!

This is the point in time when God gives explicit permission to eat meat, but we need to notice there are sharp distinctions between clean and unclean animals. And this was CENTURIES before Moses and the Jews.

And today, medical science is discovering that the Bible was absolutely right. The people who avoid unclean foods are living much longer than the rest of us.

So, of course, what we need to know is how you tell the difference.

And that’s where the book of Leviticus really helps us. Listen to this.

Leviticus 11:3

Among the animals whatever divides the hoof, having cloven hooves and chewing the cud—that you may eat.

The rules are really pretty simple: a clean animal has a split hoof (like a cow) and it chews the cud (like a cow!). And so it means that, by and large, a lot of the animals people eat today are clean: cow, deer, moose, buffalo, lamb, goat . . . anything that chews the cud and has a split hoof.

But if it doesn’t have those two characteristics, then the Bible calls it UNclean:

Lev 11:4-6

Nevertheless these you shall not eat among those that chew the cud or those that have cloven hooves: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have

cloven hooves, is unclean to you; the rock hyrax, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you;

the hare, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you...

So what is a hare? It’s a bunny - and I know that lots of you don’t want to eat bunnies anyway. And we’re not really eating camels, or hyraxes - at least the last time I checked in the meat department at Walmart - so for the most part, this is easy advice.

But there IS one more. (Pause and smile!) Do you want to see it? (You’re not too sure?)

Lev 11:7

… and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.

Oh, boy: now I’ve really meddled, because pork is one of our all-time favorites! In fact the world is going through a bacon revival! We’re even wrapping chocolate in strips of bacon! We’re calling it “the other white meat.”

And there’s no question: it’s delicious! I mean, what tastes like bacon? Or ham? Or pork chops? There’s only one problem: it’s absolutely going to kill you.

And oddly enough, that brings us back to Mozart:

What killed the great composer by the age of 35?

For years, we couldn’t figure it out. But then, just a few years ago, an amazing story showed up in the Journal of the American Medical Association. They finally figured it out: there was something in his lunch . . . something that wasn’t actually discovered until fifty-plus years after his death.

In 1846, a scientist by the name of Joseph Leidy found something in HIS lunch that he didn’t like at all: tiny little worms.

It was trichinosis, a parasite found in the flesh of pigs. And that, we discovered, was the cause of a LOT of human suffering. One of the most graphic articles I’ve ever read about trichinosis comes from Reader’s Digest, all the way back in the 1950s. Listen to this:

A single serving of infective pork, even a single mouthful can kill or cripple or condemn the victim to a lifetime of aches, and pains.

For this unique disease, trichinosis, there is no cure. With no drug to stop them, the worms may spread through the

muscular tissues of the entire human system… Trichinosis can simulate in some degree almost any other malady.

Physicians have confused trichinosis with some 50 ailments, ranging from typhoid fever to acute alcoholism.

That pain in your arm or leg may be arthritis or rheumatism, but it may be trichinosis.

Feeling a little pain in your joints right now? (Smile.)

A few years back, the Illinois Health Messenger gave a very unsettling report on what they were discovering in human autopsies.

One-sixth of us had live trichina worms in our bodies.

One-fifth of the pork products they pulled from the shelf were also infested with live trichinae.

And they estimated that you and I will eat about 200 trichinae-infested meals in our lifetimes!

So what, exactly, killed Mozart?

His diary says that just before he died, his wife made him pork chops. And the time from THAT meal until his death was about the same time it takes a bad case of trichinae to incubate and kill you.

God says, “Don’t eat this stuff!” And if you look at the list of things you’re not supposed to eat, they have one remarkable trait in common - almost all of them are scavengers. They clean up the garbage - and the sewage - of the earth, and that makes them toxic.

Have you ever watched the film about the guy who lived with wolves? The wolves chased and ate mice, and he had a problem in his tent with mice. So, wanting to be more like the wolves, he chased and ate the mice too.

You might not be eating mice, but if you’re a hunter, and you haven’t been following the simple suggestions of the Bible, you might have eaten some wild game with some nasty worms in it.

It’s absolutely possible to get trichoni free pork—much of the commercially grown pork is checked for infection, periodically. It’s also possible to cook the stuff so well that the trichoni are mostly dead—though the eggs can withstand 400 degree temperatures, so make sure you cook it extra crispy. The point is, God knew that these animals would tend to be less healthy of a meal, and so he said to stay away.

So what else is unclean?

What about fish? Here’s what the Bible says:

Lev 11:9

These you may eat of all that are in the water: whatever in the water has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers—that you may eat.

The rules for fish are really pretty simple: a clean fish has fins and scales. So that includes things like salmon, or halibut, or cod, and even most species of tuna. But if it doesn’t have fins and scales, then it’s absolutely unclean:

Lev 11:12

Whatever in the water does not have fins or scales—that shall be an abomination to you.

Don’t you love that word, abomination? It’s one of those words that you just want to insert into a sentence sometime, just to see how people react.

So what would be included in this list? Shellfish! What about clams? Oysters? Shrimp? Lobsters? Crabs? (That one’s going to hurt if you live in Maryland!)

Again, it’s the scavengers. The animals who clean up the sea. Take a careful look sometime at where people go looking for shrimp. The best place to find them? Just outside a sewage outlet!

And we know that when a dead body sinks to the bottom of the ocean, the first animals to show up are the lobsters, the crabs, the shrimp, and the other sea creatures that DON’T have fins and scales.

Why? They’re the garbage clean-up crew! They clean up the sewage, and the rot, and the filth from the bottom of the ocean - and God says, “If I were you, I’d stay away from that.”

So we know: it’s got to have a split hoof and chew the cud . . . or it’s got to have fins and scales .

. . . but what about birds?

Well, the Bible doesn’t really have a hard-and-fast rule - except that if you keep reading in the book of Leviticus, you’ll notice that there’s a list of forbidden birds, and again, they all appear to be scavengers - or birds of prey. What some people have noticed is that the CLEAN birds seem to be the ones that have a crop and a gizzard.

Look: life isn’t perfect. You ARE going to die from SOMETHING if Jesus doesn’t come first. But you CAN better the odds. You CAN have something better. And you CAN postpone your funeral, and have a more abundant life.

And I know: there’s one story in the Bible that some of you are wondering about: didn’t God tell Peter it was okay to eat unclean animals in the book of Acts? We need to study this, because we need to find our answers from the Bible, and clarify any confusion on this subject. But let me ask you a question: when you accept Jesus as your savior, does he alter your body to be able to handle different kinds of food without getting disease? The issue with food isn’t a legal issue that God can wipe away with a wave of his hand; the issue is physiological.

Let’s take a look at it, because most people read this out of context, and as you know, context makes all the difference in the world. Let’s just read the whole story:

Acts 10:9-15

The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.

Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance

and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.

In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.

And a voice came to him, “rise, peter; kill and eat.” But peter said, “Not so, Lord! for I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “what God has cleansed you must not call common.”

“Aha! There you have it! Jesus declared all foods clean, and now we can eat pork chops!”

But is THAT what really happened? Pay attention to the rest of the story:

Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant,

behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate.

Now, what happened next, right after the vision? First of all, Peter is struggling to understand what it means . . . and then suddenly, there are Gentiles knocking at the door - Gentiles sent by God. This is the moment when Cornelius the Gentile fully accepts the gospel and gives his heart to Christ.

But in Peter’s world, Gentiles were considered unclean. They called them “dogs” and felt that mere contact might make YOU unclean.

So God knew that Peter was going to struggle with accepting these Gentiles, and He sent a vision to help him through it. And when Peter saw those Gentile men standing at the door, he finally quit wondering - and he knew what it meant:

Acts 10:28

Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation.

But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

God has shown me what? That I should not call any “pig” unclean? No - it’s a vision about people, and it has nothing to do with diet. It’s just an illustration - and unclean animals are still just as bad for you as they were for Noah and Peter.

Here’s what it boils down to: God knows this world is hard, and He knows that you and I will suffer as we wait for Jesus to come. And while you wait, He wants you to get the most out of life. Our bodies? They belong to Him. He paid an unbelievably high price for them - and He’s asking you to do your best to take care of yours while you wait.

Listen to what the Bible says:

Romans 12:1

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

God wants your help in His church. You have a critical role to play. So God wants your mind to be clear so that you can hear His voice. He wants your body to be strong and healthy so you can live the dreams He has for your life.

And this is so important to God that He bought your body with His own life.

I guess it comes down to this: you and I have to wait for heaven - we have to wait for Jesus to come - but while we’re waiting, God is already giving us as much heaven as He can, because He wants you to prosper and be in good health.

And I don’t know about you, but I’ve discovered that when I try to run my life MY way, it never seems to work out well. In fact, I always seem to set myself up for heartaches - and wounds without cause - that wouldn’t happen if I just trusted God.

So tonight, let me ask you: do you trust God in THIS life AND the next?

I know that a lot of you have suffered, and that you face challenges, so tonight, I want to give you an opportunity to speak back to me, and I want to pray specifically for you. So I’ve asked the ushers to hand out a simple card, and there’s no pressure - no obligation - but I do want to give you a chance to respond. So, ushers?

There are just three options on this card.

The first option is one we can all check — I am thankful that God cares about my physical well-being.

The second one is a bit sensitive, so please don’t be looking left and right to see if other people are filling this one out. It says, “I am struggling with an addiction and would like special prayer for...” and then it lists several options. I know its not on the list, but if you want to add “pornography” to the list, that’s an addiction that besieges roughly 10% of our population. If you’d like pray for an addiction, check this box.

The third line says, “I need to talk to somebody.” If you’d like a phone call or a visit, just check that box and I’ll make that a priority.

If you’re struggling with an addiction, and want more than prayer, then please talk with me afterwards and make sure to say that you need some help. We have some great resources for dealing with addictions.

Let’s pray

Thank you for your time tonight. I know we went a little left field of prophecy, but this subject is such an important one I couldn’t pass it up. Tomorrow night we get back into prophecy with the “Return of the Woman.”

God bless, and good night.