According to the research of pioneers in Naturopathy, it will be safe to say: Every disease including obesity is simply a product of constipation which is a clogging up of the entire pipe system of the human body.

The average person is constantly carrying 10-15 pounds of un-eliminated feces in their bowels. This in itself has a toxic effect on the blood stream. Experts in autopsy have stated that in 60-70% of the colons examined, foreign matter such as worms and decades old feces-stones have been found.

Virtually the entire human race is afflicted with constipation more or less. This is of special significance in developed countries. For most people, waste matter is left too long in the body and this can be attributed mainly to a wrong diet.

Prof Arnold Ehret stated that in his fasting retreat, he had fat patients who eliminated up to 50-60 lbs of waste alone from their bodies! Chronic constipation (as in the colon) in itself might be the cause of a plethora of diseases.

Therefore, it is advised that to prepare the system for the change of diet, the better practice is to fast for two or three days, drinking plenty of pure room temperature water daily with the juice of lemons. 1 lemon per quart is the prescribed recipe and it is advised that 2-3 days prior to starting this, you try to eat seasonal fruits exclusively.

By this short fast, complications may be avoided. The stomach is cleared of poisons and fermenting accumulations to a certain extent, and the diet can begin its work more efficiently.

In addition, the preliminary fast has the advantage of giving the faster a keen relish for the first healthy meal of fruits and whatever vegetables may be used in addition.

With that said, let’s go to the next section shall we.

Causes of Constipation

This in itself is caused by the following and are among the many factors that contribute to this global affliction.

1. A Failure to pay attention to the desire for bowel movement.
2. Lack of sufficient fruits and vegetables in the diet.
3. Lack of fluids by not drinking enough water. (Not just liquids as in sodas and alcohol!)
4. Poor food combinations and consumption of mucus forming and hard to digest foods. (See the chapter 4 for more on such food items.)
5. Eating refined, devitalized foods that do not contain enough fiber or bulk.
6. Lack of muscular tone in the bowels.
7. Not chewing the foods properly.
8. A predominantly meat diet.
9. Too many items in one meal.
10. Using coffee, tea and all forms of alcohol.

The symptoms of constipation are mainly a coated tongue, foul breath, aches in the back and head, mental dullness, depression, insomnia, loss of appetite and various body pains.

As was mentioned earlier, the more the feces remains in the colon, the more it poisons the body as the blood stream must come in continuous contact with the colon. Furthermore, as the colon remains unclean, the foods in the stomach remain undigested or hard to assimilate, which explains why some people who apparently might be skinny, still can consume loads of food.

All of these considered, it is plain to see why fruits, some roots and mostly raw green leafy vegetables which serve as nutrient giving items and intestinal brooms, form the basis of a healthy diet. It is important to know that healing properties, not the calories as most diet fads state is the main factor for choosing a diet.

Abnormal growths, cancers, tumors, ulcers, abscesses and fibrous masses seem to be dissolved by the powerful chemical agent in fruits and to a degree leafy vegetables.

While healing with a natural diet, diseased tissues, fatty degenerations and every form of morbid matter is apparently broken up into minute particles and thrown into the blood stream to be carried to the organs of excretion.

This explains why people may feel weak and stressed while being healed, however, an affected patient should persevere as one is essentially being healed from years of abuse of the body. At this stage, it is worth mentioning that the use of unsweetened lemonade could come in handy to neutralize the effects of toxins when they are in circulation. (hence the reason why I mention it several times in this publication and to all people who seek health advice from me.)

In addition, for those who may be concerned, on another note, you can’t gain excessive weight on a diet of mainly fruits and vegetables. Many African tribes subsist on the root vegetable: manioc and are in great health and immense physical shape as was also observed in the lifestyle of the Caribbeans studied by TC Fry, co-author of the book “I live on Fruit”. Of course, with the introduction of other factors by Western Civilization, these so-called third world countries have sadly seen deterioration in their health as well.

The stomach is the central organ of disease matter supply. There is a limit to its ability to digest and to empty itself after the meal especially with a clogged up colon. This explains why a foul breath is perceived in the mornings and why most people look drawn and constantly tired.

The constitutional obstructions in your entire system are the sources of all diseases, be it excess weight, acne, asthma you name it! All of them have their source in the colon. Without proper diet and exercise, the Standard American Diet is never eliminated and the entire system is slowly constipated, especially in the place of the symptom of the disease.

Solutions: Preventive and Curative Measures:

To loosen this encumbrance and eliminate it intelligently and carefully, information on the proper methods of eating, exercising and thinking have been provided for you to use for your eventual betterment.

In some cases, there are residues in the body (gall stones, impacted fecal matter, etc) that are “stuck”. Intestinal residue may have to be assisted mechanically via a raw fruit and vegetable diet (for a while, if you don’t want to go the route of being 80% or more raw), regular fasts (augmented with herbal laxative teas) and some specific yoga asanas namely the Peacock and Bow Poses and the Shoulder Stand sequence. (For more about yoga, get your copy of Yoga Fitness: Inside and Out @ www.bodyhealthsoul.com

At this point it should be noted that every change of diet for the better (as in the one outlined in this program) should start with a 1-2 day fast. Of course, you must get the body prepared gradually for this with the proper transition diet that is also issued in the text in Chapter 26 of this book. Before this 24-48 hour fast, ensure to observe the following menu suggestion.

1. Breakfast: Lemonade OR Lemonade and an hour afterwards, The Specified Orange Juice (see the recipe for the best cleansing juice and other alternatives in Chapter 17 of my other book Fitness: Inside and Out or the article provided here on how to fast). This is pretty much your call, if you can handle just drinking 2-3 quarts of lemonade first thing in the morning and fasting till later on in the day to begin eating around noon or thereabout, that will be great. Most people skip breakfast anyway, so this shouldn’t be hard for most people to do. I personally don’t start eating till about 5 pm or so in the day and usually am very active all day so beginning to eat at noon and having lemonade as a ‘breakfast’ alternative should not be a problem for the majority. Remember our system goes through a cleansing process from twelve midnight until twelve noon, and a building program from twelve noon to twelve midnight. Therefore, what is eaten during these respective periods must be harmonious with the natural processes.

2. Lunch: Two to four seasonal juicy fruits (eat as much as your appetite dictates and ensure to read up on the staples in Chapter 26 for details of seasons) or fruit smoothies (recipes and specific uses and guidelines are issued in the text as well. The same procedures apply, one fruit at a time, sitting down, 4-5 minutes in between the fruits.

3. Supper: Vegetables: Cooked, Raw or a combination.

Also remember to never drink during a meal. The more liquids you consume while eating, the more difficult it is to digest the foods, as the liquids tend to dilute the digestive juices.

In addition, ensure to chew each mouthful of your meals thoroughly. This is known as Fletcherism: A process which involves you chewing each mouthful to a liquid or semi-solid pulp, by consciously masticating a mouthful of food over and over, ensuring to mix it with your saliva. Between each mouthful swallowed, purposely have between 4-6 seconds of a brief pause as well. When you observe this, it not only allows your stomach and intestines to rest as in a fast and this consequently promotes elimination that hereby enables the vital organs to recuperate.

By ‘fletcherizing’ mono-meals of fruit for example, Melons in summer or Apples in fall, this can used as a form of a preparatory stage for a fast. (Which everyone might need to do at least once a year) Another alternative would involve consuming smoothies (blended fruits and/or vegetables) as listed in Chapter 26 for recipes.

Furthermore, thoroughly masticating your meals helps to curb your appetite so you don’t over eat even the best food since assimilation is greatly enhanced through this discipline. The diet outlined in detail in this text and these helpful guidelines ensure that you-

• Loose the excess pounds and toxins.

• Alleviate constipation.

• Increase your vitality and fitness.

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Chapter 17: You Have To Be Careful With Your Teeth As Well

When picking up a healthier dietetic lifestyle some other factors need to be considered and kept in mind and these include making sure your dental health is kept intact.

Some quick tips come to mind and after they are presented, we shall go over some more detailed ones.

These include the following tips:

a. Try to rinse your mouth with water 15-30 minutes after you’re done eating.

b. After eating high-sugar fruits, try to brush and floss OR eat some greens afterwards such as celery or parsley, though I am quite sure most will go with the former suggestion.

c. Avoid dried fruits and dried foods.

d. When brushing, it is advised you use toothsoap instead of toothpaste.

e. Remember that eating the proper diet of mostly fruit and some root and leafy vegetables will supply the necessary vitamins and minerals needed for healthy teeth.

It should be noted that most commercial toothpastes such as Crest, Colgate, Aqua Fresh, Ultra Brite, Arm & Hammer, Sensodyne, and Mentadent contain hurtful and dangerous items that can affect human health.

A careful review of several toothpastes will reveal that they are made up of such items as

1. Sodium Fluoride

2. Propylene Glycol

3. Sodium Laurel Sulfate

4. Sodium Saccharin

5. Polyethylene

6. Blue Lake #1

7. D & C Red #30 Lake

8. FD & C Blue #1 Lake

At this stage, let’s do a breakdown of each of these items and upon reading about each component, you will be able to see for yourself why such items have no business in your mouth or on your body.

I will like to point out here that the reason I am singling this as well as some other common household items out is because they are introduced to the mouth by daily use and consequently could get into the digestive system, therefore you would be advised to avoid them.

-Sodium fluoride: Now it is worth mentioning that according to research, Sodium fluoride is a toxic chemical used in RAT POISON and is said to work on the brain apparently for mind control. Allegedly it was first used on the Russian people to help get them under control of the Russian government. For more on the dangers of fluoride, look the following up on Google “The Truth About ‘Fluoride’

(or what every Mother should know)” http://www.greaterthings.com/Lexicon/F/Fluoride.htm OR search for “Sodium fluoride + Russian government”

-Propylene glycol is an industrial agent used as humectants (an additive used to keep products moist) and is found in car antifreeze solutions and de-icing solutions for cars, airplanes, and boats.

-Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS) is a harsh detergent and surfactant and is mostly used in engine degreasers, garage floor cleaners, and car wash soaps.

On the subject of SLS, according to Shelly R. Kramer: “A study at the University Of Georgia Medical College, indicated that SLS penetrated into the eyes as well as brain, heart, liver, etc., and showed long-term retention in the tissues. The study also indicated that SLS penetrated young children’s eyes and prevented them from developing properly and caused cataracts to develop in adults. In addition, it may cause hair loss by attacking the follicle. It is classified as a drug in bubble baths because it eats away skin protection and causes rashes and infection to occur. It is potentially harmful to skin and hair and it cleans by corrosion. Furthermore, it dries the skin by stripping the protective lipids from the surface so it can’t effectively regulate moisture. It should be noted that it is an inexpensive foaming detergent that removes oils from the skin and it can be irritating to the sensitive tissues inside and around the mouth. SLS is directly related to mouth sores, canker sores, and cold sores.

Another extremely serious problem is the connection of SLS with nitrate contamination. SLS reacts with many types of ingredients used in skin products and forms nitrosomines (nitrates). Nitrates are potential cancer-causing substances. Because of the alarming penetrating power of SLS, large amounts of these known carcinogens are absorbed through the skin into the body. However, in spite of this toothpaste companies still obviously use this product, well needless to say YOU are now warned.

-Sodium Saccharin is an ingredient found in rat poisons as it is a rat carcinogen in other words this item causes cancer in rats. Very tellingly, though it is used in laboratory tests on rats, toothpaste companies still use it as a sweetener for toothpaste.

-Blue Lake, FD & C Lake are obtained from petroleum and thus can cause cancer. Although they are used in toothpaste to give them color, they are also very toxic.

In addition to all the hazardous ingredients listed above, it should also be noted that toothpaste contains glycerine, which coats the teeth (in the same way it coats the sink) and thus prevents minerals in the saliva from re-mineralizing tooth enamel. It should be noted that Glycerin takes over 10 rinses to be removed and leaves your teeth coated!

If you don’t believe this, then try this simple test. Start with a clean sink and smear some of your toothpaste on the sink. Rinse it off and watch how the water beads up because of the sticky glycerin. You will have to keep rinsing and rinsing to remove it. Now, considering that human teeth are similar to a porcelain sink, then it is clear to see that teeth are being coated every time one uses toothpaste. Therefore, coated teeth cannot re-mineralize from nutrients in the diet!

Very tellingly, toothpaste and its constituents have been linked to tooth damage, dental fluorosis, brain damage, childhood leukemia, lupus, arthritis, etc. Furthermore, you should be informed that manufacturers of children’s toothpaste also include titanium dioxide in their products; however, this substance is indeed very toxic and detrimental to health. At this stage, a definition of Dental Fluorosis is worth being noted here: According to Wikipedia, Dental fluorosis is a developmental disturbance of dental enamel caused by excessive exposure to high concentrations of fluoride during tooth development. The risk of fluoride overexposure occurs between the ages of 3 months and 8 years. In its mild forms (which are its most common), fluorosis often appears as unnoticeable, tiny white streaks or specks in the enamel of the tooth. In its most severe form, tooth appearance is marred by discoloration or brown markings. The enamel may be pitted, rough and hard to clean. ^[1] The spots and stains left by fluorosis are permanent and may darken over time.

Nowadays, most people will agree that smoking is harmful to health. Furthermore, the fine-print right there on the box leaves people flabbergasted as to why smokers would still indulge in the habit, however, considering all the harmful ingredients listed in toothpaste and the small fine print on the tubes saying: “Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age” and “If you swallow more than used for brushing, get medical help or contact a POISON CONTROL CENTER right away!”, the same discretion perhaps should be applied here in regards to using toothpaste.

The warning on toothpaste tubes is due to lawsuits in which children were poisoned by fluoride-containing toothpaste. For instance, Keith Cantor, a little boy who lived in McMinnville, Oregon died in the dentist’s chair from ingesting one-half teaspoon of fluoride, and three kidney dialysis patients were killed in 1998 at the University of Chicago Medical School, when nurses used unpurified Chicago tap water for dialysis (ref 11).

To add to the problem, most states add at least 1 ppm of sodium fluoride or fluorosilic acid (radioactive toxic waste that contains fluoride) to the water supply; even though it has been proven that at least 113 medical side effects from cancer to headaches are caused by fluoride in the water. 

Of course I understand that we have to clean our teeth and I do so every day without fail, but what should be of importance here is not only cleaning the teeth, but how to clean the teeth.

As mentioned earlier, you can use Tooth Soap in place of regular toothpaste and not be bombarded with all the harmful ingredients that the latter is known for. To find out more about tooth-soap, you can simply do a search in Google or any other search engine to read unbiased reviews and be informed on the product yourself. However, for a quick definition, Tooth Soap is an all natural teeth cleaning product that is used as a replacement for toothpaste.

Depending on the variety of tooth soap you use, a very small amount is placed either inside your mouth or on your toothbrush and then you brush your teeth as recommended by your dentist. Tooth Soap doesn’t foam up a lot like regular toothpaste but it does an excellent job of cleaning your teeth and getting rid of the grime that’s been building up on your tooth’s enamel. Your teeth will feel squeaky clean and smooth to the feel of your tongue.

Personally, I use the African Chewing Stick, and then brush the teeth with just water and massaging of my index finger and owing to a Yoga Background; I massage the gums, tongue and use a tongue scraper as well. However, I will say this much, owing to the fact that I mostly eat fruit and some vegetables, I NEVER have had morning breath in years. That’s the honest truth and no hype!

However, realizing and knowing that most people are set in their own ways and would much rather use a substitute for what they are used to, rather than try something altogether new, I have suggested the tooth-soap and would also recommend the use of the tongue scraper. This is an oral hygiene device designed to clean the bacterial build-up, food debris, fungi, and dead cells from the surface of the tongue. The bacteria and fungi that grow on the tongue are related to many common oral care and general health problems.

Although the top surface of the tongue can be cleaned using a toothbrushes, they are not considered as effective for this purpose because they are designed for brushing the teeth, which have a solid structure unlike the spongy tissue of the tongue.

Ergonomic tongue cleaners are shaped in accordance with the anatomy of the tongue, and are optimized to lift and trap the plaque coating and effectively clean the surface of the tongue. There are many different types of tongue cleaners; they are made from plastic, metal or other materials. Their effectiveness varies widely depending on the shape, dimensions, configuration, quality of the contact surfaces and materials used.

It should be noted that tongue cleaning has been used since ancient times in India and China. Furthermore, Ayurveda-the practice of traditional Indian medicine, recommends tongue cleaning as part of one’s daily hygiene regimen, to remove the toxic debris, known as Ama.( or improperly digested remains)

Therefore, on a concluding note, abide by the basis of removing ALL pungent odors from the body secretions be they from the armpits, anus, mouth, skin, hair etc by eating the recommended staples of a diet based on Sweet, Non-Sweet and Neutral fruits and Vegetables first. Then for specified and targeted cleaning of the mouth, invest in healthier options for cleaning your teeth the natural way.

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Chapter 18: The Dangers of Microwaves:

Okay almost everyone has used or uses a microwave.

These days, it seems for those to whom that may matter, one can’t beat the convenience of cooking or heating something up which could normally take several minutes in an oven or stovetop in a fraction of the time.

What, you can heat up a pizza in 3 minutes, make popcorn in two, make baby food in 1.5 minutes?

Sounds great right?

Wrong!!!

Microwaves are truly a health hazard which could have serious consequences, directly or indirectly, sooner or later.

The process of cooking with microwaves vibrates the molecules in food to levels they were never intended to experience.

This has a tendency to damage the extremely perishable nutrients as they apply to natural and healthy foods, so they are incapable of nourishing your body the way they were designed to.

For an example of the harmful effects of microwaves it should be noted that the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published a study in the November 2003 issue explaining how they found that broccoli cooked in the microwave with a little water lost up to 97% of its beneficial antioxidant power.

However, very tellingly, steamed broccoli lost only 11% or fewer of its antioxidants!

Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that another article in the April 1992 Pediatrics journal reported how Stanford University researchers found a lot of changes in micro waved` breast milk.

Reportedly, the changes in the breast milk changes included the destruction of 98% of the milk’s immunoglobulin-A antibodies and 96% of its liposome activity (which inhibits bacterial infections).

In addition, it should be noted that other sources of research also indicated that using a microwave to heat baby formula could possibly convert it into a more toxic solution.

Now, according to Dr. Hans Hertel, a Swiss food scientist who conducted a study on microwaves, it gets even more disturbing folks.

This is illustrates as follows:

1. A severe burden is placed on the body to break down unknown by-products created in micro-waved food.

2. Hormone production in either males or females could possibly be changed by constantly eating foods prepared in a microwave.

3. The consequences of micro-waved food by-products can remain inside your body over a significant period of time.

4. Vitamins, minerals, and nutrients of micro-waved food can potentially be reduced or changed to such a degree you get little or no benefit.

5. The minerals in vegetables can change into potentially dangerous free radicals when cooked in microwave ovens.

6. Preliminary research suggests that micro-waved foods could possibly lead to stomach and intestinal malignant growths.

7. Continuous consumption of micro-waved food could cause inadequacies in your immune system through lymph gland and blood serum changes.

8. Consuming micro-waved foods could lead to loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.

9. For infants, micro-waving could potentially break down the indispensable disease-fighting ability of breast milk to protect them

Very tellingly, the results presented above were said to be so shocking and controversial that the Swiss trade organization, the Swiss Association of Dealers for Electro-Apparatuses for Household and Industry, placed a gag order on the study. It should be noted that it took a full six years to eventually remove the gag order!

However, after that was done, Dr. Hertel specified blood changes in test participants after using microwave ovens and this included the following…

1. Increased cholesterol levels.

2. More leukocytes, (white blood cells), which may in fact, indicate poisoning.

3. A decrease in the number of red blood cells.

4. Production of radiolytic compounds (these are compounds are not known in nature).

5. A decrease in hemoglobin levels, which could suggest anemic propensities.

To conclude this chapter, friends, it should be noted that microwaves were deemed so harmful that the sale of these appliances was banned early on in countries like the Soviet Union.

As a result with the information provide, do yourself a favor and ditch the use of the contraption ASAP!!

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Chapter 19: The Hidden Dangers of Make-Up

Have you ever seen a lady who looks decent then one day, perhaps rushing in to the workplace due to congested traffic, didn’t have any or little make-up on; then you  had to look twice and either tell her or wonder to yourself : “Wow, she actually looks great WITHOUT all that make up!”

At this stage, I won’t dwell on the origin of make-up according to the Bible, but from a health point of view, ladies, be advised that you may have to make some adjustments if you must use cosmetics.

That said, it seems anytime I do ask some ladies why they put make-up on in the first place, they usually give me one of the following reasons:

1. I look dead without it.

2. I look better when I have it on.

3. Oh, it’s just a girly thing…just for fun.

Personally, I think it has to do with self-image which affects self-esteem and because some women may not be as attractive or appear gorgeous as some others who are, they are willing to pay a heavy price, including the price of disease and death, to look and feel beautiful on a very superficial or vain level. Or perhaps, most women just don’t know any better. However, if they did in fact know this means they knowingly use cosmetics that contain toxic and harmful ingredients in other words, they don’t care about harm or toxicity, but about beauty – superficial external beauty.

Ladies, a lot of the cosmetics bought and sold in America each year contain dangerous, hazardous chemicals that have the potential to negatively impact your health and well being.

Apparently, most people like to think that the powers that be are doing the following:

1. Regulating ingredients that may cause danger to the consumer,

2. Protecting us from harm when necessary

and at the very least

3. Monitoring activities within billion dollar industries that obviously affect the lives of millions of consumers.

Hence the reason why people think, once approved by the FDA, it must be safe!

That’s quite funny actually, a group of people tell the nation or world at large that something is safe and without doing personal research or following intuition, most people just take the information from equally flawed humans and run with it.

Even if the FDA’s word was to be trusted completely, (which is apparently not the case per the section on that in Chapter 13), in the cosmetics industry, there are far less regulations to protect the consumer. It seems to many people that in the cosmetic industry (makers of lipstick, lotions, mascara, fragrances, foundation, makeup, etc.) there is a myth that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is in charge of keeping an eye over anything cosmetic and questioning with scrutiny anything that is deemed unsafe.

However, as an FDA spokeswoman, Stephanie Kwisnek says: “The fact of the matter is that the FDA does not approve or reject cosmetics, like they do drug manufacturers seeking to be released to the marketplace. Even worse, the cosmetic industry is not required to “prove” anything besides being “safe when used as directed in the labeling or under usual customary conditions of use,”

It is quite shocking that in the US, literally thousands of people are suffering from adverse effects and reactions from cosmetic products without them ever knowing. According to The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, there are over 900 chemicals in cosmetics contents that have toxic substances and are dangerous to your health and well-being.

Very tellingly, the chemicals that are in several common cosmetics are known to be the cause of allergies, rashes and skin irritations. Actually, in some more cases, they have been known to cause more serious health issues such as hormonal disruptions, immune system dysfunctions, and decreased organ function.

Even if you think going all-natural could be an option, it is worth mentioning that many of the products which claim to be “natural” or “organic” are far from being such. They may contain a few natural ingredients, but most of them still contain the dangerous chemical compounds. The following is a summary of the most common chemical irritants found in everyday cosmetics products:

1. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: This is commonly found in shampoo, toothpaste, and facial cleansers. This substance is said to cause a number of side effects affecting the brain, the reproductive system, and the endocrine system. It is also known to cause skin irritation and rashes.

2. Aluminum: This is present in countless consumer products, and is considered highly toxic if ingested. It is commonly found in various cosmetics, particularly in deodorants and anti-perspirants. Apparently it is said that aluminum builds up in the body (particularly in the brain), and is suspected of playing a role in Alzheimer’s disease and a number of dangerous neurological conditions.

3. Formaldehyde: This is a toxic chemical preservative used in many hair and skin care products. It is a reputed cancer causing item, and has been shown to cause all manner of health complications. Common formaldehyde preservatives found in makeup include imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, and sodium hydroxylmethylglycinate.

4. Phthalates are commonly found in nail polish and other cosmetics, and have been associated with hormone disruption and immune system dysfunction. They have also been known to cause cancer, and have been banned from countless consumer products for this reason. However, ladies, it is said to still be allowed for use in women’s cosmetics.

Now that we’ve addressed the common hazardous products, let’s go over the commonly used cosmetic items and see how they could be deemed hazardous

1. Lipstick:

Research has shown that most brands of lipstick contain lead. The flip side is that lead is so toxic that it had to be removed from gasoline; however, as you can decipher yourself, the powers that be see it unnecessary to remove lead from what you put on your lips.

Lead is greatly toxic to the human body. A woman who applies lipstick is also ingesting some of it during or throughout the day. If she likes reapplying lipstick through the day, that much more lead gets into her bloodstream via the skin of her lips. Lead is a neurotoxin, adversely affecting the nerves and can cause brain damage and behavioral, learning and language problems; it can lower the IQ or the intelligence quotient, it can cause hormonal imbalance, delay the onset of puberty; cause infertility and miscarriages.

Very tellingly, those that are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure are pregnant women, and young children. In addition, lead is implicated in the cause of infertility and miscarriage in females. It is therefore imperative that any exposure to lead must be avoided or at least drastically reduced.

Lead-containing lipstick brands include, but are not limited to:

-Chanel (lip conditioner)

-Christian Dior (uses the most lead)

-Clinque

-Cover Girl

-Estee Lauder

-Lancome

-Loreal

-Red Earth (lip gloss)

-Shiseido

-Y.S.L.

Still, it should be noted that it’s not all brands of lipstick that contain lead though they may contain other harmful chemical ingredients. Furthermore, there are some healthy alternatives and there are a few natural and plant-based lipsticks on the market…if you must use lipstick. They include:

1. All Natural Cosmetics

2. Dr. Hauschka

3. Honeybee Gardens

4. Isabella

5. Natural Solutions

6. Neways

7. Pristine Planet

8. Refreshingly

9. Saffronrouge (lipstick)

10. Skin Botanica (lipstick)

In addition, be advised that you should refrain from using ‘ChapStick’ for the lips. ‘ChapStick’ contains petrolatum as a skin protecting agent but the irony is petrolatum (a petroleum product) suffocates the skin of the lips by preventing the lips from breathing. Suffice it to say with the lips being in such a close proximity with the tongue, some harmful ingredients used in chap-stick may enter your bloodstream.

Nonetheless, as a safe alternative, Shea butter is perhaps one of the best substances you can apply to your lips to help prevent them from chapping and to stay moist, while nourishing the lips at the same time. I will say that as a black man, yes, I have been a victim to chapped lips, but with a water-rich diet of fruits and vegetables, augmented with other common sense steps such as scrubbing my bathroom every other day with my veggie wash and using a shower filter (to name a few), chapped lips have indeed become a thing of the past.

2. Decorative Contact lenses:

I get it, for whatever reason, some people want eyes that look like those of their idol superstars, however, do you know that wearing decorative contact lenses could affect your eyesight?

I could understand if it’s for corrective purposes, (not to say medicinal contact lenses are safe in and of themselves) but if you are simply putting on contact lenses because you want a certain eye-color that’s not yours to start with, think twice about that decision based on the following facts:

Decorative contact lenses carry the same risks as corrective contact lenses, which includes the following end results:

• Conjunctivitis (pink eye);

• Corneal (the eye’s outermost layer) ulcers;

• Corneal abrasion;

• and vision impairment or blindness.

Furthermore, sharing of contact lenses prescribed for one person can also lead to infections, abrasions, allergic reaction or blindness.

It should be noted that the food & Drug Administration (FDA) of America has received reports of corneal ulcers associated with the wearing of decorative contact lenses, especially when worn overnight. Corneal ulcers, an infection of the eye, can progress rapidly if left untreated. Uncontrolled infections can lead to corneal scarring and vision impairment. In the most severe cases, this condition can result in blindness and eye loss.

3. Foundation:

I remember once when I didn’t know better, that I thought that a lady had flawless skin, but then when I looked closer; it looked like a layer of paint was literally applied to her face. It seems to me that that’s how it looks on most women I have seen with make-up on. Well, considering the skin is an organ that constantly emits toxins out of the body via the pores and also needs to breathe, I am left to wonder why anyone would want to intentionally clog it up. Ladies, many liquid foundation make-ups contain mineral oil, a suspected human carcinogen (i.e. cancer-causing agent). Furthermore, mineral oil (classed as a petrochemical pollutant and found in most foundation products) can have negative effects on hormones and the skin’s ability to breathe, attract moisture and detoxify.

Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that foundation can also slow down cell renewal and brings about premature aging. In fact, sunscreens produced from mineral oil may promote skin cancer as well as colon and breast cancer. I will have you know ladies that it appears that no cosmetic manufacturers puts health warnings on their products, and in the US, the FDA does not require this information during packaging. Just some food for thought.

4. Nail Polish:

Okay, this brings back memories of a pungent smell whenever my mom or sister chose to put nail polish on. Then of course if a chore was to be done that my sister could handle, I either had to do it while she held her hands up to dry or had to wait till she could attend to it if I was to be involved, for example, when she had to make food before I was allowed to use the kitchen.

Apparently most nail polish bottles don’t say this, but nail polish contains phenol, toluene and xylene. Its basic ingredient is a formaldehyde resin which can cause discoloration and bleeding under the nails.

-Phenol is suspected of causing cancer in humans, it can cause swelling, peeling, burning or breaking out in hives and pimples, if it comes into contact with the skin.

-Toluene is easily absorbed through the skin but eliminated slowly from the body. It can cause fatigue and weakness. Chronic exposure to toluene may bring in irritation of the mucous membrane, headache vertigo (giddiness) nausea and loss of appetite.

Now imagine all these chemical ingredients slowly but surely getting into your foods or whatever else you may have to put your fingers into or grab. Then again, as if putting nail polish on isn’t enough, women have to take it off with nail polish remover.

Ladies, nail polish removers aren’t safe either.

For one its primary ingredient is acetone, a solvent which can cause your nails to become brittle and split, and can cause skin rashes to develop on your fingers.

The fumes from nail polish remover, when inhaled, can irritate your lungs and make you feel light-headed.

On a concluding note, ladies, it is noteworthy that you know that there are a number of healthy, natural alternatives to these dangerous, mass produced cosmetics.

Some safer (not as hazardous) alternatives could be found in stores like Whole-foods, Trader Joe’s or similar stores that sell natural products. Furthermore, do take the time to stop and consider what sort of harm you could be doing to yourself by using these products on a near-daily basis, especially when they may not be needed…most of us guys love our ladies all natural anyway. I know I do.

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Chapter 20: The Hidden Dangers of Deodorants, Perfumes, Colognes and Anti Perspirants.

According to the Handbook of Over-The-Counter Drugs (1992 edition), “Concern over perspiration is practically a national preoccupation. Worry about wetness and underarm odor prompts Americans to spend more than $750 million annually on over-the-counter deodorants, deodorant soaps and antiperspirants.”

It is worth mentioning that on a yearly basis, it has been estimated that Americans very well could spend close to a billion dollars to hide the odor that emits from their armpits. Just like with the use of drugs, people mask the symptoms without addressing the cause; well in the case of body odor, the culprits to blame here are essentially a poor diet and unhealthy lifestyles.

You should be informed that the skin is an excretory organ and thus, the stench from rotted and decayed meat and other unhealthy things that people eat like dairy products (cheese, butter, ice cream, sour cream), refined grain and starches; and the variety of junk foods and fast foods is the odor that is excreted from the body via the armpits (as well as the pores all over the body.). This essentially is the same root of the problem for ladies who may have vaginal odors and you don’t have to look far for the cause of bad breath. We truly are what we eat!

Without addressing the cause of stench, the intent of corporations out to make a fast buck has led to masking smells which has created numerous industries that make a fortune from selling masking agents that people depend upon nowadays. When we use deodorant, especially the unsafe and hazardous ones, we are not and cannot be stopping a bodily function. Basically, we are masking body odor with fragrance and targeting bacteria via antibacterial agents such as Triclosan.

Still, some people go beyond deodorant use thinking that masking underarm odor is not enough, and therefore interfere with the natural function of perspiration all together by using an antiperspirant. This would be an equivalent of shutting down your bladder amongst other things. You have to sweat perhaps for the same reasons dogs pant. Sweat is the body’s cooling system when the body becomes overheated, by fever or exercise. Liquid made of mostly water mixed with salt and small amounts of waste is secreted through small sweat glands on the skin’s surface. As the liquid settles on the skin’s surface and begins to evaporate, it cools the body.

In fact sweating has many health benefits. As a person sweats, it removes toxins and disease out of the body. The kidneys can take up to 24 hours to remove harmful toxins like lead and mercury out of the body, while sweating removes these metals much faster. Sweating can also rid the body of harmful substances like alcohol, cholesterol and salt. Research has found that as much as thirty percent of the body’s waste is eliminated through sweat. Taking that into consideration, it’s safe to say that if you adhere to a healthy diet essentially , the presence of stench in any of your secretions will be greatly reduced if not altogether removed.

I can attest to this fact considering that my stool, urine and breath never stink in comparison to how they used to prior to changing my diet and anytime I did binge after the initial change, I could tell the difference right away in my bodily secretions.

Nonetheless, getting back to the topic at hand, when you truly understand the function of the sweat glands, you learn how poisonous antiperspirants are.

Antiperspirants work by irritating the skin to cause an inflammatory reaction accompanied by swelling and expansion of the cells around the sweat ducts. Furthermore, as it makes the openings of the pores to shrink, this reduces the amount of sweat that can get to the surface.

Not only this, the harmful chemical ingredients deodorants and antiperspirants contain enter into the body from being topically applied to the skin. Harmful chemicals include the ones such as: aluminum chloride, propylene glycol, triclosan, alcohol, aluminum zirconium tetrachlorhydrex-gly, sodium sliver aluminum silicate, stearyl alcohol, and urea to name a few.

Propylene glycol is used in engine degreasers and other industrial products. It has no business in or on your body. Remember, anything that goes on your body enters into your skin and finally enters your bloodstream. Aluminum has an attraction for the brain and human pineal gland and large concentrations of toxic aluminum can develop in these body parts. It should be noted that Aluminum has been named as one of the main causes of Alzheimer’s disease.

Aluminum Chloride is an irritant and reacts with water in perspiration to form hydrochloric acid that causes irritation and reddened skin and will gradually fade or rot clothing! This is serious, folks!

Triclosan (a/k/a Irgasan DP 300) is a synthetic antibacterial made from petroleum. It is toxic and also a skin irritant.

All of this should be especially eye-opening and needless to say informative for females since several ladies use antiperspirants and wear tight bras.

However, the chain of events that occurs with both detrimental practice is as follows

1. Your sweat ducts under the armpits shrink

2. The toxins stay inside the body.

3. Because of the tight bras, the toxins that would otherwise be excreted from the body if antiperspirants weren’t used, are now trapped in the breast area which is a major lymphatic area.

Nowadays, with tight-fitting bras, females are restricting lymphatic flow and when lymph is blocked, toxins accumulate and excess accumulation of toxins can cause internal trash bags that manifest as cysts, which are tumors designed in an attempt to hold the toxins in to protect the body. However, the average female does not know this and in the absence of such information, many females keep wearing their tight bras and using antiperspirants and/or deodorants and the end result is the trash bags enlarge. (This is all the more aggravated of course by the unhealthy Standard American Diet or variations of it that most people consume on a global scale.)

This explains why breast cyst and tumors and breast cancer is so epidemic today in American females while you also would rarely hear of males developing breast cancer to the same degree as females simply because males don’t wear bras. Approximately 300+ males in the U.S. will develop breast cancer annually compared to hundreds of thousands of females.

Millions of American females have breast tumors, cysts, cancer, or other breast diseases such as Paget’s disease, mastitis, and fibrocystic breast disease and bras and deodorants and antiperspirants play a major role in their development. The research has been performed and a good book on the subject is “Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras” by Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer.

All female breast diseases can be attributed to, at least in part, to the constant wearing of bras and the constant use of harmful deodorants and antiperspirants to mask body odor which originate from an unhealthy diet. (This again is a huge catalyst or direct cause of cancer in and of itself.)

It is very telling folks that what one eats in the first place which is usually wrong and what one uses to mask the stench as a result of such erroneous practices are TWO THINGS that can cause cancer.

So, “Should women stop wearing bras?” The key phrase here is ‘tight-fitting’ bras. Furthermore, at home, with the use of a t-shirt as an undershirt with another shirt on top (if need be) you should be fine. The main concern is the unhealthy diet that leads to odors that one is trying to mask. The aim of this information is to enlighten you to try to target the root-cause of body odor, change that by fixing your diet, then simultaneously seek out the use of healthier deodorants and by all means, try to avoid bras that are too tight.

There are a few good alternative brands of deodorants on the markets of good health food stores such as Whole-foods Market, Trader Joe’s and most co-op stores that specialize in natural health. Some good brands include Alvera, Aubrey Organic and Avalon Organics. Crystal Stick deodorant is also gaining notoriety

This also leads to other commonly used products: fragrances and perfumes, Today, we mostly wear perfume and cologne to mask our odor.

Most of what we eat in the United States and the world over in general is usually stuff that ferments, putrefies, and rots in our bellies, e.g. dead meat, dairy products and baked goods, as they all leave a foul odor that escapes through the pores and comes out in our armpits/underarms, mouth (via breath), and genital area (especially pertaining to women and their vagina).

The irony of this is that this whole chain of events has created a multi-billion dollar industry from people making products (such as gums, mouthwash, gargle, mints, deodorants, perfume) to mask the odor that comes from eating substances that should not be eaten in the first instance.

However, what should be bothersome to people is that modern day perfumes and colognes are alcohol based and with it being a toxic solvent, it can easily get into your bloodstream once applied externally. Furthermore, most bottles don’t even tell you what is in their products perhaps because any of the perfume and cologne ingredients are known irritants and are toxic through skin absorption.

Folks, there are over 600 chemical ingredients that have been linked to cancer or are believed toxic to the reproductive system and many of these are used to manufacture perfume and cologne.

Now, if you are wondering how something applied externally could actually get into your bloodstream, let me give you an illustration. Cigarette Patches. The manufacturer tells people that they can quit smoking with their product but what they DON’T tell people is that they will still be getting nicotine in their blood stream which is harmful in and of itself.

As a result, cigarette patches can be a healthier alternative in regards to the respiratory system, but it does not eliminate the inherent dangers of nicotine, since your circulatory system is still being attacked.

Just Why Is Nicotine Dangerous?

Nicotine has been found to be a large risk factor associated with heart attack. It will raise your blood pressure, speed up your heart, and is considered a vasoconstrictor (i.e. it makes it more difficult for your heart to pump blood through your arteries). Nicotine also is a catalyst for your body to release stores of fat into your blood and can result in gout by restricting blood flow to your extremities.

Those patches send minimal amounts of the addictive drug “nicotine’ into the patch wearer’s bloodstream via the skin, so in effect, the patch only stops you from getting nicotine from cigarettes, but you’re still getting the substance through another medium by replacing cigarettes with a patch, both of which are media for nicotine introduction into your blood stream.

So, there you have it, what goes on the skin externally can and does in fact get into the blood stream eventually and if you are using odor masking products in an attempt to remove the stench that you may have been told was normal but actually is a result of eating unhealthy food items, you will be better off doing the following in regards to using harmful deodorants, perfumes and colognes.

They are:

1. Stop eating the foods that tend to putrefy and rot in your visceral organs and it should be no surprise that these are the same items listed as disease forming earlier on in this book, in chapters 3-12 especially.

2. Discontinue the use of harmful products for masking odors. If you feel like you must use a deodorant, then by all means seek out natural alternatives in health-food stores and be sure to engage the personnel that stock them in conversations regarding the items and your own personal research cannot hurt and could in fact help immensely.

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Chapter 21: Believe it Or Not, Frutarianism Has It’s Pros and Cons

Okay, thus far you must have gathered that this book has been leading towards a vegan diet. You may have noticed that I actually am in praise for the raw option when it comes to consuming fruits and vegetables. However, I am quick to say, like with everything under the sun, even the raw vegan diet has its pros and cons.

Being someone who actually has tried the raw fruit diet for several months straight, in addition to the raw vegan diet (which would include leafy and fruit vegetables) and then incorporating steamed root and leafy vegetables, I can speak first hand on my experiences and share them with you.

At this point, supporters of fruitarianism will portray fruit as the ideal natural food and yes, if we go by what God instructed us in the Bible in Genesis 1:29 and for all the afore mentioned reasons of why fruits are so good for you, these supporters of being fruitarian could be right.

However, here’s what I think about such a diet and I will enumerate them to you:

It is a fantastic diet when you keep the following in mind

-You will need to seek for a variety of produce and buy in bulk.

-You would have to be willing to accept that you WILL in fact be a peculiar person. A great analogy will be to adhere to celibacy amidst the constant presence of people who may engage in casual sex. Imagine that scenario-then realize this is more intense. You will hear a lot of people ask questions like “So what do you eat?” , “Why do you eat just fruit ?” etc.

-Being fruitarian doesn’t mean you eat just sweet fruits. Items like Tomatoes, Avocadoes, Eggplant, Cucumbers are actually fruits and not vegetables, so you may have to incorporate them into your diet.

That said-in brief-here’s a summary of my experience with eating ‘differently’ give or take.

It always strikes me as funny that people would think or view my diet as strange when in actuality that’s how people should eat and furthermore, virtually all creatures not in captivity pretty much eat only natural foods suited to their kind. Also, it’s only in technologically advanced countries that people view a diet similar to mine as weird. I guess some people can’t wrap their minds around the fact that some cultures DON’T eat processed, refined, or packaged foods and were raised from infancy to adulthood with that in mind.

Presently, an average week for me looks like this diet wise

Mornings/Early afternoons (depending on when I get up) :

Unflavored Lemonade of 2 ½ lemons and 2 ½ quarts of water. I consume this sitting down and then I ensure to sit still afterwards for several minutes for it to be digested and assimilated. (Please refer to the specific section in Chapter 14 that discusses exactly how I do this and the other benefits of Lemon Juice. )

On Weekday afternoons: Mostly nothing.

Early Evening Weekdays: 2-3 (or sometimes more) of whatever fruit is in season. For example

-Winter:  January, February

Asian Pears | Apples | Tangerines |Valencia Oranges |Persimmons | Kiwi Fruit| Occasional Pineapple | Globe Grapes |

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-Spring :    March, April, Early May

Asian Pears | Apples |Tangerines | Cherimoyas | White Sapote |Occasional Pineapple | Mangoes (when they come around)

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-Summer:   Late May, June, July, August, September, Early October

Cantaloupe |Honey Dew Melon |Water Melon | Hayden, Kent and Keitt Mangoes (in that order) | Stone Fruit: Plums, Apricots |Cactus Pear | Some Sweet Cherries | Some Globe (seeded grapes)

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-Fall: Late October, November December

Asian Pears | Apples | Tangerines |Persimmons|  Cactus Pear |

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Then on weekends the same staples in the late afternoons/early evening and Japanese Yams and mashed avocadoes in the late evenings/night as the case may be (the recipe for this cooked meal is given in Chapter 26 of this book)

It should be noted that this is not a set routine, some weeks I go fruit only, some days I fast, some days I eat celery dipped in avocadoes, but the bottom line is nothing is set except:

1. I do not eat any refined, packaged, baked or processed foods.

2. I rarely eat grains (even if you see recipes elsewhere, for me a bachelor, it’s too much work for something that doesn’t taste as good as sweet fruit. Although, the meals are permissible in and of themselves.)

3. I personally don’t eat a lot of leafy vegetables. (I just don’t like the taste of them.)

4. I don’t do the mono-diet of fruit like I used to. In the past, I would fast all day then eat only one kind of fruit at night e.g. cantaloupes only, mangoes only etc…now that kind of fruitarian diet; I will not endorse.

The points I am trying to stress are that everyone is different. I have read several books on the subject of raw veganism and they all differ and give their own opinions but I am not them and vice-versa.

Folks we are all different, some people love salads, I personally don’t like them. Some people love tart fruits, some like sweet ones.

Some like mangoes, some like specific melons. Folks, even with the raw vegan diet, one man’s preference (food) is another man’s non-preference (poison), to rephrase that idiomatic expression.

At this point, some people against the fruit diet could say: “It is too high in sugar, the fruits are too hybridized …etc.”

However, are humans still the way we were 6,000 years ago according to the Bible? Heck, you can look at movies and lifestyles from even a few decades ago and tell a marked difference in humans, so us being the exact same some over the course of millenia upon millenia would be quite impossible.

That considered, it’s to be expected that fruits will change. Mangoes still essentially are the same, with some slight variations but when you consider fruits like ‘pluots’ a cross between a plum and apricot, that will be pushing it along with seedless fruits and fruits that seem to be available year round non-stop. (For more on this violation of nature, please refer again to chapter 10)

Now that I have gone over that, based on observations and research with people who have tried the same or very similar diets here are the pros and cons of the raw vegan /fruitarian diet.

Fruitarianism: Pro

1. Fruits are indeed sweet. Most people like sweet items and it’s pleasant to eat.

2. It is very cleansing and could be a preventive and even curative diet.

3. For the idealists, it is a non-karma food . In other words, you didn’t kill anyone/anything to eat it.

4. Fruit definitely promotes weight loss and brings about a light body.

5. On a fruit diet, injuries heal quickly, your respiratory system functions better (a boon for singers and speakers), your senses get sharpened, you have no pungent body odors, bad breath, puffy eyes etc.

6. It makes you look and feel younger and aids in attaining spiritual development.

Now the Drawbacks:

1. Unless you know how to pick the ripe fruits or grow them yourself, most modern fruit could be expensive and lacking in vitality and quality.

Solution: Buy your fruit directly from the farmer’s markets, stores that deal exclusively with produce, Asian Markets, South American Markets or other “Foreign” Markets. This helps because these sellers mostly pick good quality of fruit because they themselves consume the items vs. a Supermarket that sells produce as an afterthought for their store. Also, avoid or at least drastically reduce the consumption of newer cross-bred (hybridized) and genetically modified fruits. I have shared some insight into this in Chapter 10. Try to stick to older varieties that have been around for a while simply because it should be noted that most of the world’s agricultural food crops are almost always cultivars that have been selected for characters like improved yield, flavor, and resistance to disease since very few wild plants are now used as food sources.  

2. Fruitarians usually experience severe weight loss. Furthermore, it may be difficult to gain weight on a fruit diet so most guys might shy away from it.

Solution: Engage in a lot of anaerobic exercises. Personally, I look at it like this, eat fruits till you are satisfied and full, get your mind off of it being a fruit diet. Just eat it like any other diet and engage in the same activities you were previously doing. Then again, I’ve always been slim and I truly believe whatever weight gain I notice on me is usually water retention if I do eat excessive salt on the occasions I eat steamed/cooked vegetables, however I don’t obsess over this.

3. For some it could be psychologically and physically not satisfactory and some people claim to have frequent hunger leading to binge eating.

Solution: Well, the mistake here could be that these people just don’t eat enough. I could easily eat 2-3 Honey-Dew Melons in one sitting, wait about 10-20 minutes then eat 6 or more mangoes and I am fool-stuffed and actually feel happy. So by all means eat to your heart’s delight of a variety of fruits, just try to eat only kind at a time and of course sit still while eating and avoid distractions like the TV, radio etc.

This is not to say that I don’t sometimes eat fruit with the TV on, quite the contrary, instead of popcorn, I just eat 4-5 pounds (or even more) of grapes and watch whatever I want to. Life is not a set of strict rules without common sense and even the Bible says “The wise man avoids all extremes!”

Folks, when I eat my fruit, I eat a lot. Perhaps, in one day what a whole family could eat for a week. However, that’s because most people eat fruit for dessert or snacks while I eat them for meals. As far as psychologically not being satisfied, hey, if you have a life outside of eating, e.g. if you have something to do after you eat your meals like hanging out with friends, significant others, loved ones etc, there really is no room to miss out on still having fun. I always just view fruit as a mass of substance I put in my stomach not a ‘diet’.

In addition, some people complain it doesn’t provide warmth in months of cold weather.

Solution: Wash the fruits the morning of a given day and do not eat straight out of the fridge. Of course bundle up on clothes. Now, you may have to use a heater at night (along with a humidifier) however, ice-cream, cold cereal, sodas are all colder items than fruit, so the complaint listed above in regards to being warm in the fall and winter times might not carry much weight after all.

The main thing to remember is don’t view it as a diet, view it as just …food!

Indulge in a variety of fruits, try out newer fruits. Just remember like it would have been in nature, eat ONE fruit at a time. All creatures do that.

At this point, for those who attack the fruit diet and say the fruits are ‘too sweet’ and hybridized for sugar content, I have always wondered, how could they know what the original fruit tasted like?

Growing up in Nigeria, a so-called third world country, I vividly remember that Mangoes, Pawpaw, tangerines, oranges, cashews, bananas, watermelon ALL tasted very sweet. Even sweeter than the fruits I have seen out here in the USA. Considering that most third world countries have to deal with economic hardships at times, suffice it to say that the last thing on the mind of the government of such countries will be to genetically modify or hybridize their fruit.

I remember in Nigeria, most of these fruit even grow in the wild and not on plantations specifically for them, so it’s safe to say they were meant to be sweet. One thing to note is I NEVER encountered a seedless fruit or one out of season back in Nigeria and the foreigners I have asked here in the United States all agree with that.

In addition, Litchis, cherimoyas, rambutans, persimmons are all sweet and all foreigners say that the ones from their native countries are even sweeter still, so that may very well answer the accusation of fruits being bred with a high sugar content.

In a nutshell, I truly think if being a fruitarian is what you want to do, by all means do that. As of the time of this writing, I do have plans to go back into being one, I mean 100% on the condition that I move to a tropical country like Nigeria or even the Phillipines, but even now in Southern California with the following as my staples: Watermelons, Honey Dew, Cantaloupe, Mangoes (Kent, Hayden and Keitt Varieties), Cherimoyas, Tangerines, Grapes, Plums, Asian Pears, Avocadoes, Apples, Tangerines, Valencia Oranges, Strawberries and whatever else I may stumble on, it’s hard for me to get bored. Once the fruits are sweets, I’m good to go.

I rarely crave salads or specifically leaves. If I do need to eat avocadoes, I just mash them up and dip Boiled Japanese Yams or celery in it and that seems to work fine.

Now for some more issues to address:

Nuts & Seeds?

When I first started to eat more naturally and cut back on all processed and junk food items, I used to eat a lot of almonds and sunflower seeds.

I actually liked eating them with raisins and even unsalted, they did taste good. However, that was years ago. I have since been re-educated on the concept of food combination and the consumption of nuts and seeds especially in excess. Therefore I will pass that information on to you.

At the moment, like fruits and some vegetables, nuts and seeds are among the list of food items that can be consumed raw as all the rest (grain, some root vegetables, meat etc) have to be cooked and seasoned to be appreciated. Therefore, by reasoning, early raw food advocates and hygienists claimed that fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds consumed in their raw state should make up the natural diet of human beings. Part of the logic provided to reach this conclusion is that the early advocates suggest that since we are frugivorous creatures, like the great apes, we should make our diets similar to theirs.

This could be true and very tellingly, if we were to eat just like other frugivorous animals, then here’s something that could be alarming. Most great apes do not eat a lot of nuts except when they are in season and of course in their shells.

Here’s a more in depth detail of what the great apes/primates eat:

1. Gorillas: Have you ever seen “Gorillas in the Mist?” If you have, then you must have heard of Dian Fossey. If you have not, she is a noted primatologist who studied the behavioral patterns of these gentle giants. Well, according to her and another primatologist, Dr. George Schaller, it is observed that Mountain Gorillas eat primarily green vegetation since they cannot find much else in their environment while the Lowland Gorillas eat mostly fruits, tender plants and leaves. However neither one of the types of gorillas partakes in any animal products or by-products. Furthermore in an experiment done a the San Diego Zoo, gorillas were given a choice between fruits and vegetables for three months. Throughout that span of time, the apes only ate the fruits.

2. Chimpanzees: These apes eat mostly fruits, some green leaves, a few nuts when available and sometimes some of them do eat smaller vegetarian monkeys. But they always hunt down the monkey when applicable, kill it and eat it raw with their hands-down to the bone. Still, it should be noted that flesh represents less than 5% of their diet. (Well, you could say-there it is “eating meat is fine after all.” If that’s the case, re-read chapter 6 for Biblical & Scientific guidelines on that.)

3. Orangutans: These apes eat mostly fruits, some greens and rare seasonal nuts. They are said to eat a wide variety of fruits such as rambutan, wild fig and cempedak.

4. Bonobos: These are the closest of the great apes to human beings in a genetic and behavioral make up. Their diet is also very close to our ideal diet as they eat mostly fruits, sugar canes, young shoots and greens. They do not eat any nuts and like the rest of the apes, may swallow small insects and ants that may be lodged in their fruits. However, they are not seen hunting like chimpanzees. (So, there you have it, just because 1 out of the 4 great apes may partake RARELY in eating FRESH meat, it’s not necessarily a license for us to eat meat after all. The other three BIGGER apes don’t and Chapter 5 should re-educate you on why.)

Therefore, it’s safe to gather that all other frugivorous animals eat a fruit based diet along with some greens, shoots and buds. Raw animals represent a very minuscule part of their diet (in the case of chimpanzees only as the other apes don’t actively seek out animals to eat.)

However, one big difference between us and them is we have adapted to a more modern life and have lost a lot of our instinct and have indeed changed over the years from something as simplistic as eating fruits and vegetables.

Nonetheless, we have similarities with other frugivorous animals, so our diet should be similar, but we are not exactly alike so our diets cannot be exactly the same.

Going back to nuts, if the early raw-food promoters included nuts in the natural diet of humans based on their assumptions that other primates eat these items, obviously , they were not entirely correct since Gorillas, Orangutans and Bonobos rarely eat nuts.

Actually, there could be some problems associated with excessive nut consumption.

According to the French Natural Hygienist, Albert Mosseri, when nuts are over-eaten, people could have liver problems, skin disorders, dizziness, fatigue, lowering of the digestive power, pus and abundant urine among others.

This can be linked to the fact that Nuts and Seeds, unlike Fruits and Vegetables, have high Fat and Protein Contents.

You may ask: “Won’t this be a good thing…?”

Yes and No.

When nuts and seeds are eaten sparingly, the way they are in nature (shelled-so the person/creature eating them has to instinctively slow down to eat them and may altogether get uninterested in eating any more), they are safe additions to a vegan or mostly fruit diet- however when consumed excessively, the fat and protein contents of these items could very well be detrimental.

Problems with Excess Fat:

Because of their complexity, fatty foods are one of the more difficult foods to digest. Very tellingly, itt has been shown that a drop of oil could slow down digestion for 2 hours!

In addition, research has demonstrated that excessive fat consumption from animal or plant sources could contribute to the following health problems:

1. Diabetes

2. Candida

3. Chronic Fatigue

4. Lack of Energy or Lethargy

This may very well be the root of the problem for several vegans, vegetarians (even the raw ones) who try to eat the “Natural Diet”, but fall right off because they eat the more fatty, high protein (yet natural) foods like Nuts and seeds perhaps out of a fear of protein deficiency as has been ingrained by propaganda. (If needed, please refer to Chapter 15 for more on this topic.)

This is not what our physiology is designed to thrive on since a diet dominated by simple carbohydrates found in fruit and to a degree in properly cooked root and leafy vegetables is what most closely matches our needs. Therefore, to solve this problem, we have to eat more fruit daily. 10 bananas, 2 cantaloupes, 5 pounds of grapes, 8 big apples etc will not be excessive.

Another issue with nuts and seeds is they are actually seasonal foods.

They are NOT fresh year round, but only 2-3 months a year in the Fall and early winter months. Subsequently eating shelled nuts any other time, goes against God’s or nature’s intent of when they should be consumed. This would be similar to eating a cut up seedless watermelon in December. You can imagine just how incorrect that is.

Furthermore, here’s the nitty-gritty on why commercial packaged nuts and seeds in stores cannot be seen as natural products any more.

1. They have been dried (at very high temperatures), frozen at the warehouse and stored for months, maybe years.

2. They have been shelled. Nuts and seeds come in their shells so you have to do some work to consume them and inevitably the process could make you not eat as much and as fast as commercial nuts and seeds.

3. The shelled nuts roll along the conveyor belt with all the fumes and lubricating products involved, they are then bagged and boxed and trucked around to be stored in bins, perhaps exposing them to oxidization.

4. Again, nuts available year-round is not in line with nature’s intent. They are a seasonal food.

Well, as you can see , most if not all commercial nuts and seeds are no longer fresh and NOT the way they should be eaten as God intended through Nature they be given to humans.

Therefore in practice, yes, you may eat nuts and seeds with the following in mind:

1. Try to get in shell ones.

2. Eat only one kind of nut and then perhaps 2 tablespoons or so should suffice, which is perhaps all you would eat if you shell the nuts/seeds yourself anyway.

3. Eat nuts and seeds on separate days from other fatty plant matter like Avocadoes and Olives.

4. Do not eat nuts and seeds with sweet fruits, so trail mixes are out of the question.

5. Try not to eat fatty foods every day of the week.

That said, to conclude, I personally don’t eat nuts and seeds anymore and if desired, I simply get my fat needs from avocadoes-although I don’t purposely never say “Gee, I need something with fat….” I just eat for taste-sweets, that’s my preference.

What about the use of honey?

Coincidentally, even the Bible has something to say about honey: “It is not good to eat much honey” (Proverbs 25:16, 27). The biblical principle is to use refined carbohydrates sparingly. Personally, I used to think honey was a safe product to use and went as far as to get the genuine honey that comes in the white form. This was in the year 2000 when I begun the vegan diet with a more distinct approach, as in-no more processed, junk, refined foods.

At this point, on a daily basis, I always drink lemonade for the reasons listed elsewhere in this book in Chapter 14. Presently, I drink it unflavored and unsweetened, but, I used to use honey. However after some incidents with it, I switched to Genuine Grade B maple syrup (which is okay or permissible, not necessarily ideal). Now, I simply prefer the sour, lemony taste of just lemons and water.

In regards to honey, here’s my experience with it. I sweetened up the lemonade with the honey and drank it as I always did, but I noticed that instead of feeling energized and hydrated, I felt the total opposite-weak, with an associated dry mouth. Perhaps this may not be the experience of several people, however for me, maybe I was most susceptible to honey’s suspicious ill-effects simply because the solution used to be my early morning drink to begin the day, so it was inevitably consumed on an empty stomach.

I did not want to accept it could the honey affecting me, since it is said to be a natural food, but I definitely felt bad.

That said, based on research done into using honey, I will say since it doesn’t originate from the plant kingdom, it is susceptible to excessive refining and tampering with by its handlers, I will not recommend it be used at any time internally. Honey is manufactured from the nectar picked up from the flowers by the bees- good enough in itself, perhaps- then predigested, vomited and stored for their own future use with a preservative added. It is deficient in calcium and has many detrimental effects on the human being.

Like milk, honey is “a magical and mystical word in “Healthfoodland”. It is one of the most over promoted, overpriced products being sold to uninformed consumers. However, the great value attributed to honey is false… honey is only a little richer in nutrients and slightly less dangerous than white sugar.

Quite similar to alcohol, since it is predigested, honey goes into the blood directly, raising the sugar content very rapidly above normal. So, to correct this, the pancreas has to produce insulin immediately or possibly death can occur. More insulin than necessary is likely to be produced, and the blood sugar level then could drop below normal which could result in blackout spells and even death if it goes to low. Most likely, this is what may have caused me to feel weak after using honey.

When blood sugar is below normal, a person will feel depressed. Furthermore, the regular use of honey can create constant imbalances, which in turn will adversely affect the normal function of the liver, pancreas and spleen.

As a permissible alternative, the balanced sugar in maple syrup and fresh sugar cane juice (as in the ones you juice yourself) causes no dangerous side effects. However, artificial, synthetic, and refined sugars have no place in a natural diet.

Other Popular Items That You Should Avoid Include The Following:

Eggs: These are even worse than meats. Research has shown they are very constipating and its white is dangerous, acid forming and too high in protein qualities.

Vinegar, Liquid Aminos, Chocolate, Coffee, Teas, Yeast: Each of these can be replaced with much safer and healthier options or truly can be done without. Replace vinegar with lemon juice; Carob for Chocolate: Fake Coffee (made of grains) for Coffee and Tea. However, try to refrain from drinking excessively hot beverages as they have the tendency to burn the stomach lining, if it’s too hot for your fingers or tongue, then it’s probably too hot for the way more sensitive lining of your digestive system.

Another anecdote comes to mind, when I first began the mostly vegan diet, I got the popular Juiceman and began juicing in earnest.

Since the maker said to go with organic products, I literally would go all the way to WholeFoods (the rich man’s grocery store in my honest opinion) and buy pounds of carrots, apples, grapes, beets etc and juice them. This went on for several weeks till my brother asked me plainly : “Why don’t you just eat the damn carrot and save your time and money?”

Maybe my brother was just sick of the noise I was making and the time and space I was taking in the kitchen, I have never asked but another noted authority in the Mucus-Less Diet (Healthy Vegan Diet), Dr Stanley Burroughs puts it best by saying “We always need the whole product instead of the various separated units such as carrot juice, vegetable juices, etc. We throw away the pulp- fiber- and take only the juice. There are many needed properties in the fiber also to assist in properly handling the juices. Is it not feasible that the lack of them can cause deficiencies or imbalance? We know from excellent results that carrot juice, celery juice and other vegetable juices are excellent but how much better can they be if left intact and taken as is. Can we possibly get as much good and complete nutrition from drinking a dozen carrots without the fiber as we can from properly chewing the whole carrot and eating fewer carrots?

He is quite right.

It’s safe to leave things intact the way they were and not try to recreate or separate things at least excessively for several reasons.

Season of products: Apple Juice in summer defeats the purpose, as apples shouldn’t even be consumed at that time.

Cleanliness: Hey, you never know who touched what to make what you are drinking.

Necessity of The Fiber.

Still, let’s not get too fanatical, the occasional glass of carrot juice is WAY much better and safer than a glass of milk, soda, milkshake. So, juicing may be done with some reservations. but I don’t juice anymore, as I don’t have the time for or the interest in it.

For those who have said eating a diet of predominantly fruits cannot be safe, effective, I have this simple analogy to offer.

Thanksgiving comes around and the average person stuff themselves up with the following:

1. Turkey

2. Ham

3. Macaroni and cheese

4. Green Beans

5. Gravy

6. Corn bread or rolls

7. Mashed Potatoes

8. Stuffing

9. Cranberry Sauce

10. Pumpkin Pie, cherry or apple pie

11. Butter

That’s give or take 11 different items AND I have not discussed breakfast, lunch and snacks in between.

Let’s be fair for a minute here, I am not going to say some items are healthy or some are not. All I will say is for the average person, isn’t the scenario just: “I want to eat for the pleasure of eating and stuff my stomach up. Then every so often pop a supplement for vitamins or whatever.

Then you have someone who says: “Okay I want to eat just fruits and vegetables and on an average summer day have a feast on a juicy, ripe watermelon, later on some cantaloupe, then some honey dew melons, then some sugar plums, mangoes and maybe for dinner some steamed broccoli and mashed avocadoes with a dash of sea-salt.”

You tell me, who seems to be eating better?

Moreover, I have always wondered what the fuss is all about?

You can fill your stomach up with fruit for all the sweet tastes you want and for creaminess and fat, eat some avocados with a little bit of salt (or not if you can go without), it’s that simple.

Now that I have gone over to a degree the pros and cons of this diet thus far, I still have to let you know that if the fruitarian/raw vegan diet appears to be extreme, you don’t have to go that far. You can always eat fruits during the day and salads/steamed vegetables or soups at night as illustrated in Chapter 26. To conclude, you will still be light years ahead in improvement of your health

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Chapter 22: The Need For Sunlight

Have you ever been indoors perhaps at home or in the office all day and just felt the need to go out and get some sun? Well, instinctively, you are doing something that comes in quite handy for a boon to health and fitness. Now, in no way do I support or endorse the pagan practice of sun worship, but the ancient Yogis who used to worship the sun may have been on to something or some things in terms of the many benefits of sunlight. However it’s safe to say they were not wise enough to worship HE who made the sun.

That said, the Good Lord has ordained the sun to have benefits for our health as well and we shall now go over some of them quickly.

The sun sends its light energy to us in radiation packets called photons which react chemically with elements and compounds in a variety of ways.

Your biology class, if applicable, should remind you of photosynthesis, the life giving process in plants. Well, this phenomenon can only occur if photons are present. By photosynthesis, our sun stores massive amounts of energy inside our trees, plants, herbs, crops and vineyards in the form of life-giving foods. Incredibly, by this same reaction, photosynthesis provides a plentiful supply of fresh oxygen to sustain life on our planet.

I don’t know about you, but when you really think about it, God really, REALLY is all-wise and deserves His ‘props’ and praise for what He ordains!

Just like petals and leaves of plants, our faces and limbs are solar collectors. When the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight strikes our skin, chemical reactions occur just under the surface. The resultant products are carried in our bloodstream to our vital organs. However, the nature of these reactions, whether for good or not, depends largely upon the chemicals present in our bodies from the foods we eat. Subsequently, if our diet is the simple bible-based diet of nature and of course if we apply discernment and discretion based on other aspects of living and good judgment, we can be assured of a positive and healing result from exposure to sunlight.

It should be noted that we need sunlight far more than we realize. Very few of us get the exposure to sunlight our bodies require. I can say first hand that there have been days or times when for one reason or the other, I felt a little on the lethargic side perhaps due to emotional or mental factors or maybe what I may have (or may not have ) eaten, but once I take a brisk walk in the fresh air with the sunlight in a park or even on a busy street-mostly in my own world-I can testify to the energy-boosting properties of the sun.

However, something noteworthy is that people keep pushing that sun exposure can lead to skin cancer and excessive tanning can lead to faster aging.

I can’t help but laugh!

Folks; Dr. Zane Kime, M.D., in his book “Sunlight 6” holds up the findings that sunlight exposure is similar to physical exercise in its effects on the body, as it improves the balance of blood pressure, blood sugar, and an increase in oxygen in the cells, muscle strength, vitality and mental stability. Natural spectrums of light found in sunlight, for example, are essential for bone growth as well as preventing osteoporosis, regulating hormonal functions as well as immune functions. He goes on to add that it should be noted that sunlight may be a great help to patients who cannot exercise, because of health reasons, age, or lifestyle inhibitions.

He says: separation from sunlight will result in disease just as surely as will separation from fresh air, food and water.

The Good Lord has ordained it so directly or indirectly, all life on the planet is solar-powered. Sunlight quickens the detoxification process and lays a foundation for healing and muscle-building by extracting toxins in a magnetic fashion from the muscle tissue to the surface of the skin for elimination.

Very tellingly, the medical fraternity may say that sun causes skin cancer. However, that is false, skin cancer is caused by the toxicity in the body. The skin is an excretory organ and the largest of all such organs, therefore when poisons are detoxified through the skin, they sometimes become baked onto the organ bringing about a cancer condition. Suffice it to say that blaming the sun for skin cancer is like blaming fresh air for lung cancer!

The same internal process that keeps plants (which are way more fragile creatures than humans), animals in the wild and people in ‘third-world countries’ from burning up under the hot sun can keep you from sun burning. External protection like sunscreens are really toxic! Think about it logically. Therefore, if the sun is too hot, simply find a shade.

Folks, there is more to sunlight than just a boost of energy, it actually gives humans a much needed vitamin named Vitamin D

This is an extraordinary vitamin created inside our bodies as a result of sunlight exposure. Through a somewhat complicated process, vitamin D is created by exposure of our skin to sunlight. The vitamin D is then carried to our liver where it becomes activated to be useful to our bodies. In the intestines, vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium which is essential to healthy bone growth and bone maintenance as well as many other functions.

Although Vitamin D has not received the recognition it deserves, and that very well may be changing, the known benefits of D vitamins are enormous, and the list of benefits is continually growing with each new scientific study.

Radiology technicians know that there is radiation everywhere. Furthermore, we all know that radiation comes from the sun. However, due to so much information in recent years about how excessive sun exposure can lead to skin cancer, and how excessive tanning can lead to faster aging. We are excessively concerned about sun exposure and some people are genuinely frightened of it. We forget that sun exposure has some immense benefits.

The sun’s radiation can help processes in the body work better. Nonetheless, as with all things related to health and wellness, the key is moderation. Don’t take this information as a license to stay out in the sun all day, as even the Bible more or less says in Ecclesiastes 7: 18: “a wise man avoids all excess and extremes.” Therefore, just because the sun offers some health benefits it doesn’t mean that you should overdo it in regards to sun exposure or sunbathing.

Nonetheless, here are some benefits of sensible sun exposure as related to Vitamin D.

We are learning a lot about how important Vitamin D is to the body. Our own bodies produce Vitamin D, which is not actually a vitamin, but rather a group of special prohormones. By way of definition, according to Wikipedia, a prohormone is a substance that is a precursor to a hormone, usually having minimal hormonal effect by itself. The term has been used in medical science since the middle of the 20th century. The primary function of a prohormone is to enhance the strength of the hormone that already occurs in the body.

Our bodies produce Vitamin D – with the help of exposure to sunlight. You only need about 10 – 15 minutes of sun exposure a day in order for your body to make adequate Vitamin D to offer some of these possible benefits as vitamin D:

1. Reduces the chance of multiple sclerosis
2. Reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes
3. Prevents high blood pressure
4. Aids with cancer risk reduction
5. Increases the chances of cancer survival
6. Helps prevent bone diseases
7. Prevents some muscle pain.
8. Reduces the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
9. Prevents flu.
10. Reduces the severity of cataracts.

Now, in regards to the Physical Benefits of Sun Exposure, they are as follows:

Sensible sun exposure can have the following physical benefits as it

1. Boosts the immune system
2. Lowers cholesterol
3. Lowers the resting pulse rate of the heart
4. Adds resistance power to skin
5. Increases metabolism
6. Aids with Better liver function
7. Improves digestion
8. Aids with an enhanced kidney function
9. Promotes a stronger skeleton.
10. Aids with more physical exercise

Furthermore, there are Mental Health Benefits of Sun Exposure as it

1. Reduces stress
2. Reduces anxiety
3. Fights depression.
4. Fights Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):
5. Aids with creating better relationships

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The Link Between Sunlight and Anti-Depression

A person once told me that due to the fact that Seattle Washington is usually overcast with lots of rain, there is a high tendency for people to be depressed in that area. This may be mere coincidence, but it has been said that sunlight deficiency leads to depression. This really is not surprising to most people. We know instinctively that bright skies are linked to elevated spirits and gray skies to depressed moods. This phenomenon is more marked in some people than others. Millions, from all walks of life, suffer from depression due to lack of sunlight.

The clinical term for this condition is Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.). It is said that people farthest away from the equator are affected most by SAD and are at a real risk of illness. As our distance from the equator increases, sun intensity decreases.

Inadequate sunlight can really affect us seriously. Especially in the colder seasons, this is especially true due to the fact that contagious viruses can sometimes be prevalent in such seasons and most of the time we are often trapped indoors with less fresh air for longer periods of time. We become deficient in healing vitamin D and fresh air from not getting out into the sun and breathing under air-conditioning.

Sunlight more or less elevates your mood, joy and optimism. Remember, depression has a detrimental effect on our immune system while a joyful heart is healing. Even the Bible supports this fact as it says in Proverbs 17:22 “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Therefore, whenever possible, get out in the sun and enjoy yet one of the many boons for health that the Good Lord has provided us with.

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Chapter 23: Let’s Not Count Exercise Out

Anyone who is physically active or anyone who engages in exercise like Yoga, Calisthenics, hiking can attest to the fact working out has benefits that go beyond the very obvious which may include slimming down or adding muscle tone. There are several more ways in which exercise comes in handy.

Tim Church, MD, PhD, the director of preventative medicine at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. says: “Every cell in the human body benefits from physical activity. Within an hour of exercising, you feel less anxious; that night you sleep better; and for 72 hours afterward your body processes blood sugar more efficiently.”

Still, to go into more detail on just how beneficial exercise could be for you, consider the following benefits:

1. Smoother, More Radiant Skin

As Audrey Kunin, MD, a dermatologist in Kansas City, Mo., and author of The DERMAdoctor Skinstruction Manual (Simon & Schuster, 2005) says: “Working up a good sweat is the equivalent of getting a mini-facial. When the pores dilate, sweat expels trapped dirt and oil. Just be sure to wash your face afterward so the gunk doesn’t get sucked back into the pores.”

That said inducing sweat isn’t the only way exercise benefits the skin- it also reduces body wide inflammation, helps regulate skin-significant hormones and prevents free-radical damage.

When you exercise, the tiny arteries in your skin open up and this allows extra blood to reach the skin’s surface and deliver nutrients that repair damage from environmental pollutants.

Furthermore, the nutrients increases the skin’s collagen production which in turn alleviates or significantly reduces wrinkles.

Friends, a significant amount of attention should be given to the skin since it is a very important structure.

It should be noted that the construction of the human body is marvelously complex. It is worth mentioning that the millions of pores on the surface of the skin have many functions. They not only excrete waste products but they have the power of absorbing material essences. Therefore, the care of the skin is of immense importance in the treatment and prevention of diseases, since the pores are accessory organs of breathing.

The skin has various functions which include but are not limited to:

1. Serving as a mechanical barrier to prevent injury to deeper tissues.

2. Serving as a conductor for the sense of touch so it must be kept in the best condition possible.

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2. Greater Self-Confidence

When you are confident, you inevitably exude a certain physical appeal and charisma. This is a fact supported in a recent British study which found that people who began a regular exercise program at their local gym felt better about their self-worth, their physical condition and their overall health compared with their peers who stayed at home. Let’s face it, being slim and shapely for females or toned and muscular for guys, always plays a major role in increasing one’s confidence in one’s self. Knowing that you are doing something to improve your health and that it shows greatly impacts one’s self assessment for the better.

Adrian Taylor, PhD, an exercise researcher at the University of Exeter in England and the study’s lead investigator adds: “You don’t need to improve your fitness level to improve your self-perception of how fit you are. Our self-worth is directly tied to our energy levels, our feelings of competence and our perceived attractiveness. And nothing is more gorgeous than the self-assurance that comes from feeling good in your own skin.”

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3. Increased Stature

This may not necessarily make you grow past your designated height upon reaching it as a young adult, however, in regards to bad posture, activities that stretch and strengthen muscles at the same time, like yoga or Pilates, can aid in correcting the issue and may add height. As Dan Bradley, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the Texas Back Institute in Denton, Texas says: “Hunching makes some muscle groups contract and others lengthen, he explains, which subtracts height. If you actively work to bring muscles back into balance, your back will lengthen, your posture will improve and you can grow taller.”

That said, if you have a swayed back; you could benefit from core strengthening exercises, such as planks, farmer’s walks and bird dogs. For hunched shoulders, working on strengthening the upper back using resistance with bands, machines or free weights can help restore lost height. Needless to say, exercise that improves posture tends to also make you look thinner, fitter and more confident.

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4. Less Stress and Anxiety

Considering that an estimated 40 million Americans over 18 suffer from anxiety disorders, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health – that’s nearly 20 percent of all adults. As the bible wisely states in Proverbs 17:22 “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” anxiety, fearfulness and uncertainty can drain a person’s vitality and dampen a person’s moods. Therefore, to counteract this, partaking in exercise can come in very handy as it has been shown to alleviate most mild to moderate cases of anxiety, and can very quickly improve moods .

Studies out of Raglin’s lab suggest that as little as 15 minutes of exercise gives a sense of calm that can last for hours. As for what kind of exercise gives the biggest benefit, he recommends either heart-thumping aerobic exercise, like running, cycling or swimming, or a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic exercise, such as weight training. I would add that simple tasks such as dancing to your favorite songs, playing with your kids, running with your dog in the open fresh air and more specified exercises such as Yoga can help immensely with this as well.

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5. Better Immunity and Detoxification

Since exercise directs the body to emit more white blood cells, including neutrophils and natural killer cells, the immunity and detoxification system of the body is also improved.

This is because more white blood cells mean fewer bacteria and viruses so you don’t get that worn-down sick look that comes from feeling sick, and small blemishes and wounds of all kinds heal faster.

Furthermore, exercise also keeps the lymph system in top shape. According to studies done on the human body, a person has approximately 500 lymph nodes which are little nodules of tissue that take out metabolic trash. In addition, Lymph nodes are found throughout your body and they are an important part of your immune system as they help your body recognize and fight germs, infections, and other foreign substances. The catch is the nodes can’t eliminate garbage to the surface or excretory organs without the help of nearby muscles, therefore, when muscles contract during exercise, they put the squeeze on lymph nodes, helping them pump waste out of your system. What this means in lay terms is that you look less puffy, polluted and toxic when you exercise and move around.

David Nieman, PhD, director of the human performance labs at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. explains this phenomenon further by saying that: “Increased circulation is the key to both white blood cell production and better lymph drainage, and the best way to achieve it is to regularly do things that make you breathe hard. Right now, your heart is pumping 4 to 5 liters of blood per minute, but, if you got up and went for a run, it would pump up to four times more.” “That increased blood flow is what revs up the immune system.

Very tellingly folks, Nieman’s research has shown that just 45 minutes of walking each day can cut the number of days of work you miss because of illness by up to 50 percent.

So his takeaway message, simply is: “There is no supplement or medication that has proven to be as strong as regular exercise in improving the immune system’s ability to detect and destroy invaders.”

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6. More Restful Sleep

It is quite revealing that according to a recent Harvard Medical School report, as many as 60 million Americans suffer from insomnia or lack of sleep.

However, the good news is several studies show exercise can bring forth longer, more restful sleep as an intense workout may leave you more in need for rest/recovery time.

Shawn Talbott, PhD, nutritional biochemist and author of The Metabolic Method (Current Book, 2008), explains further that exercise sharpens the body’s sensitivity to the stress hormone cortisol, which can enhance sleep. Sleeping better leaves you looking fresh and healthy.

Here’s how it works according to Talbott who says: “When under stressful situations such as arguments, worries, anger- the body spews cortisol to help muscles either duke it out or run like the wind.

However, as most people do, if you are inactive and simply seethe or stay put, the cortisol stays in the bloodstream. If the stress is chronic, the presence of cortisol 24/7 blunts the body’s cellular receptors, muting the hormone’s arousal call. That lack of sensitivity causes the adrenal glands to make more, just to get the body’s attention. It’s like your body turns the volume up full-blast to get the message across. As a result, the body’s natural cortisol rhythms (high in the morning, low in the evening) “flatten out,” he explains, which can leave you mentally wound up at night – and carrying excess baggage under your eyes the next day.

In a nutshell, exercise is essentially a release mechanism for cortisol, which in and of itself helps one sleep more soundly and start the day looking more refreshed, Talbott explains. “It sends a message to the brain that you’re using the cortisol for its original purpose – movement – and that it’s safe to turn off the tap afterward.”

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7. Less Visceral Fat

Of course, the average person knows exercise can help shed the excessive pounds and body fat like love handles and sagging triceps and hamstrings, but in addition to those trouble spots for most people, exercise also aids in the loss of excess fat deep inside the body that boosts your overall vitality and your looks.

It is to be noted that the body contains two types of fat. The one you can pinch (subcutaneous) is relatively useful as it adds a protective padding and cushion on the external parts of the body, however, the less visible stuff, the visceral fat that stays on the abdominal organs that leads to a big gut for example can be a killer.

Very tellingly, excessive visceral fat increases low-grade inflammation in the body and is linked to several diseases including but not limited to Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, colon cancer, breast cancer and dementia. It can also upset the balance of important hormones that affect your skin, hair and general appearance.

The good news about exercise is that it attacks fat on several fronts, as Jason Karp, PhD, an exercise physiologist at Miramar College, distance-running roach at San Diego State University and owner of RunCoachJason.com in San Diego explains: “When you exercise regularly, your body makes more mitochondria, the cellular engines where aerobic metabolism takes place; it also produces more proteins to speed up the transportation of fatty acids into cells to be burned as energy; and it makes more enzymes that break down fat. Enzymes regulate the speed at which chemical reactions take place. So the more enzymes you have, the faster visceral fat can be burned, and the better your whole body looks as a result. ”

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8. Stronger Sex Hormones

Although this publication is tied to a Christian basis and foundation and has been G-rated for the most part, on a PG or PG-13 rating as you may see fit, exercise does help you not only look sexy but feel sexy by balancing the body’s sex hormone levels, which in turn can improve the appearance of hair, skin and muscle tone.

This is because in addition to endorphins, sex hormones, such as testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH – the same youth-serum substance celebrities pay thousands to be injected with), also get a boost.

When British scientists compared the hormone levels of 10 middle-aged men who ran more than 40 miles a week with 10 healthy, but sedentary, men, they found that, on average, the runners had 25 percent more testosterone and four times more HGH than the couch potatoes.

“What’s good for your heart is good for your sex life,” says C. W. Randolph, MD, cofounder of the Natural Hormone Institute of America and coauthor of In The Mood Again (Simon & Schuster, 2010). He points to studies showing that the sex lives of fit 60- and 70-year-olds often resemble the sex lives of people decades younger. And, remember, testosterone fuels sex drive in both men and women, so this isn’t one-sided advice.

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At this stage, regarding the link between the predominantly raw vegan diet and exercise, here’s the nitty-gritty. Most people love fruit. I am quite sure everyone has at least 2 or 3 fruits that they can say with enthusiasm : “Oh I looove this…!”

Let’s face it, we are hardwired for sweetness and fruits are known for that and in addition they are moist, hydrating, tasty, aroma-filled and beautifully colored. Fruits appeal to all our senses. However, fruit comes with a surprise package called sugar and that sugar imposes us to do certain things and the most important one is to be active. This can take on the guise of specific exercises, housework, chores etc and I can tell you first hand that after several years of having fruit for dinner, if you do not engage in some kind of activity to burn off the sugars, you better be prepared for a restless night and waking up to urinate several times during your sleep.

However, this need not alarm you as most people are already aware that several minutes after dinner, it’s a great idea to ‘walk off’ what you ate. Rather than just slumping in front of the TV or sitting on the internet, about 10 minutes after eating take a nice leisurely walk after your meal. For any meal (especially the ones of the Standard American diet) just sitting down after a meal promotes fat-forming, fatigue, and grumpiness.

Furthermore, according to the Mayo Clinic Sleep Disorders Center in Rochester MN, a healthy walk or some other light exercise program after your evening meal may also help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. Therefore, at the very least, a light 10 minute walk started 15-20 minutes after your meal, is all it takes to stretch your muscles and adjust your metabolism, however see to it that you do not walk immediately after your meal. So walking your dog, walking with a friend, a significant other or family members would be great. I usually walk alone or owing to another hobby of mine go through some dance routines of New Edition, Usher, The Jacksons, Michael Jackson, James Brown etc.

Folks in spite of all its benefits: vitamins, antioxidants and pure water, fruit is very high in carbohydrate, especially simple sugars called fructose. It wouldn’t even matter if it were more complex carbohydrates from root vegetables that are released more slowly, the fact is that carbohydrates turn into sugar. When carbohydrate enters the blood stream as glucose, it requires a preferential treatment from the body in order to burn the sugar. Our bodies are programmed to use up sugar at any cost, so our pancreas releases a hormone called insulin whose single goal is to get the cells to open up and let the sugar in.

At present, here is a breakdown of what insulin does. When you eat, the food is digested and then broken down into glucose. Glucose is the simple sugar that is the body’s main source of energy, otherwise known as blood sugar. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose and are absorbed from the intestines into the bloodstream after you eat.

The pancreas then secretes insulin in response to the increase in blood sugar. Most cells of the body have insulin receptors which attach the insulin to the cell. When a cell has insulin attached to it, the cell then is able to activate the other receptors. These receptors are designed to absorb glucose from the blood stream and move the glucose into the inside of the cell for energy.

Without insulin, the cells in our bodies would not be able to process the glucose and therefore have no energy for movement, growth, repair, or other functions. Therefore, insulin is key to unlocking the door of the cell to allow the glucose to be transferred from the bloodstream into the cell.

Ordinarily, when glucose enters our blood, the pancreas automatically produces the right amount of insulin to move glucose into our cells. So to serve as motivation for the cells to open up and let the sugar in, exercise now comes in handy. A person who does not exercise is going to meet with some form of insulin resistance, irrespective of whether the fruit is eaten all at once, or in a number of small meals. However, so as not to frighten you or make you think you have to do hours of exercise, be informed that just half an hour of walking a day will dramatically reduce the risk of developing insulin resistance. It’s safe to say most people can do at least that much.

Now, getting back to the subject at hand, if a cell is empty the insulin can come along and throw in some sugar. If a cell is already full but more sugar is consumed then the body creates more insulin and tries to jam the sugar into the cells. If even more sugar is consumed the body gives up and the sugar is converted into fat and stored in the stomach area.

If you are lean but have stomach fat, that is the reason why, it is excess carbohydrate that could not fit into your cells and that may be why some people say low carbohydrate diets work for weight loss. (However, what they should say is Carbohydrates from Disease-Forming foods should be avoided)

Therefore, in a nutshell this is what you’ll have to do: pick one of the only 2 kinds of exercises there are which are Aerobic Exercises (meaning with oxygen) or Anaerobic Exercises (without oxygen) as the case may be.

Just what are these?

Aerobic Exercises: Include such common exercises as jogging, long distance running, swimming, walking, and mild dancing. In all of these activities there is a constant supply of oxygen and thus can be performed for longer durations of time. They are great for increasing muscular endurance and toning the body.

Anaerobic Exercises: These are intense exercises that can only be endured for a few moments. They are short bursts of high-energy activities involving the use of muscle groups at high intensities that exceeds the body’s capacity to use oxygen to supply energy thus creating an oxygen debt.

Consequently the body has to rely on an internal metabolic process for oxygen that leads to a muscular explosion and an eventual increase in size and mass. Other examples of anaerobic exercises are lifting heavy weights, wrestling (thus the huge size of the gorilla!), rope climbing, speed cycling etc.

Firstly, aerobic exercise requires all of the muscle cells in your body to kick into gear and start providing the energy you need in order to sustain the activity. If your cells are full of sugar then this is the first thing they will burn. They will not only burn the sugar already in the cell, but they’ll also open the door and usher in new molecules of sugar. At this stage, the insulin can pretty much sit back and watch, the pancreas doesn’t need to get involved.

If you stop moving however, the cells fill up again. That’s where the second trick comes in if applicable and desired and that is to increase the number of muscle cells you have in your body! If you create new ones, you can store some sugar in each of the new cells as well as in the original cells, and so if you are still eating the same quantity of sugar you will not need much insulin to force sugar into the cells. Increasing the number of muscle cells requires resistance exercise such as weight lifting.

So if we do enough aerobic exercise and resistance exercise we should efficiently aid the body with getting the most out of fruit and naturally fruit eating encourages you to want to get out in the sun and be active, I know that’s the case for me.

So What Kinds Of Exercises Are Best?

It’s pretty much your call. Personally, I do Yoga, The Royal Court Exercises: Which consist of Hindu Squats, Hindu Push-Ups and the Back-Bridge.  I also have always liked running and jogging, but for me that activity is not an exercise per se: I just put my headphones and run. Since I was a lad, I have always been good at long distance running so it’s never that hard, if anything, I’m more concerned with hitting notes in tune with whoever I am listening to and making sure my dance moves are on point at the stop lights.

I also do the occasional chin-ups and pull ups and of course walk a lot.

Nonetheless, I have to give the praise to yoga for being arguably the most consistently useful form of exercise.

Why? Well as much praise as I may have for aerobics like running and jogging, very few exercises can be as useful internally and externally as Yoga-especially the Sivananda Style of yoga as is used and demonstrated in my eBook-Fitness: Inside & Out on my website http://www.bodyhealthsoul.com

The word yoga, from the Sanskrit word yuj means to yoke or bind and is often interpreted as a “union” or a method of discipline. Its ultimate goal is the union of man with God or the universe in one breath. Furthermore, it aims to liberate the spirit as the mind and spirit are equally involved in its practice.

Today most people practicing yoga are engaged in the third limb, asana, which is a program of physical postures designed to purify the body and provide the physical strength and stamina required for long periods of meditation.

Yoga is indeed the oldest existing physical-culture system in the world. Besides being a systematic and scientifically proven path to attaining physical fitness, it delays aging, rejuvenates and improves appearance, maintains suppleness and increases vitality and the creative part of life.

My program entails some of the ancient methods of yoga for cleansing the body, physical exercises such as the Sun Salutations (aka Surya Namaskara in Sanskrit) “hailed as the best exercise for the human body! Shoulder Stand, Bridge Pose, Fish Pose, Plough Pose, Forward Bend, Incline Plane Pose, Bow Pose, Wheel Pose, Spinal Twist, Peacock and Crow Poses, Standing Forward Bend, Triangle and Corpse Poses, which all combine to bestow the average practitioner of these systematic and scientifically proven poses (aka asanas in Sanskrit) an improved level of strength, flexibility and confidence. (In the latter part of the text the Sanskrit names of these marvelous poses shall be provided along with detailed information of them).

I have also incorporated the ancient abdominal exercises e.g. Agni Sara (Cleansing Fire Breath) which, banish constipation and other intestinal disorders when practiced regularly and of course with my prescribed diet.

Furthermore, included will be instructions on how to breathe properly with the prescribed breathing exercises given in up to date texts so the average reader or health seeker can start to enjoy some of their benefits without necessarily needing an expert guru subject to certain limitations.

Before I begin to describe these immensely powerful poses, keep in mind that the various schools of thought on Hatha Yoga are as diverse as we are as human beings. What is being offered is a trial of the combination of these diverse references in regards to yoga for peak performance of the health practitioner.

Just what are the Benefits of Yoga?

It is often asked by a curious person that besides flexibility, what else can one hope to gain from practicing Yoga? There are several benefits and what’s more they include not only the body, but the mind and spirit.

The word yoga, from the Sanskrit word yuj means to yoke or bind and is often interpreted as union or a method of discipline. Its ultimate goal is the union of man with God or the universe in one breath. Furthermore, it aims to liberate the spirit as the mind and spirit are equally involved in its practice.

Practitioners of yoga speak of a unification of the body, mind and spirit achieved through the practice of yoga exercises and breathing techniques. But, of course, that is a bit difficult to test scientifically.

Yoga is indeed the oldest existing physical-culture system in the world. Besides being a systematic and scientifically proven path to attaining physical fitness, it delays aging, rejuvenates and improves appearance, maintains suppleness and increases vitality and the creative part of life.

Many doctors consider yoga to have therapeutic results, and recommend it for several illnesses and conditions, mainly related to the nervous system.

From the physiological point of view, extended yoga practice can benefit:- pulse rate- respiratory problems- blood pressure dysfunctions- help stabilize the nervous system- gastrointestinal functions- endocrine function- the range of motion in joints- endurance- energy level- immunity to diseases- cardiovascular efficiency- improve eye-hand coordination- reaction time- dexterity- depth perception- sleep- etc.

The truth is Exercise (yoga, calisthenics, etc), besides aiding the body in its daily detoxifying duties of weight control and removal of disease, increases ones efficiency for, perhaps, less strenuous activities that one has to do.

Aside from making you feel and look better, relaxed and poised, exercise aids you to become more adequate for the demands you place on your body. Furthermore a well-trained body equates to a well trained mind.

Furthermore, Yoga differs from other physical cultures in that it

1. Broadens mental faculties.

2. Leads to Acquisition of Control of involuntary muscles and organs in the body.

3. Opposes violent muscular motions as they produce large amounts of lactic acids in the fibers.

4. Is the oldest and perhaps the best for developing the metaphysical.

5. It speeds up elimination of Toxins

Stretching the muscles and performing a complete yoga workout acts as a massage, thereby ensuring the optimal blood supply to every organ.

Another fundamental difference between Yogic exercises and ordinary exercises is that physical culture emphasizes violent movements of the muscles, while yogic exercises oppose that as such practices produce large quantities of lactic acid are produced in the muscles thus causing fatigue. The effect of this lactic acid and the fatigue it causes is neutralized by the alkali in the muscle fibers as well as by inhaling of oxygen.

The Yoga system of exercise is not new, it had been taught for many centuries before the modern systems were conceived and it should be noted that the muscular development that the latter may produce doesn’t necessarily mean one has a healthy body.

Rapid movements as in the exercises of the western culture cause a tremendous strain on the heart. On the other hand, in Yoga, the movements are slow and gradual with proper breathing and relaxation. The active muscles produce enough Carbon dioxide and other metabolites and a moderate amount of these substances stimulates the heart to beat more strongly so exercises produce an adequate amount of heart stimulant.

I choose to take two verses in the Bible to heart when it comes to exercise and they are:

1. Proverbs 4:23: New American Standard Bible (©1995)

Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

2. 1 Timothy 4:8: American King James Version

For bodily exercise profits little: but godliness is profitable to all things.

Friends, Jesus Christ came to this earth not as a secluded and/or sedentary monk, but as a carpenter in an age without power tools so the Man had to have engaged in a lot of physically demanding work for exercise. In addition, He chose fisherman like Peter, Andrew, James and John, who did not have diesel-powered machines to haul in their nets while fishing, they had to do it all manually. Moreover, when Jesus called His first disciples to “follow” Him (Matthew 4:19; John 7:17; 11:54), this included walking hundreds of miles a year.

These examples show that a physically active lifestyle kept them healthy and provided stamina for completing their mission. Therefore, they should serve as a roadmap of sorts for us to be physically active and avoid a sedentary lifestyle as much as possible. The Apostle Paul advised that, while our primary focus should be on spiritual matters, as “bodily exercise profits a little”, exercise must occur on a regular basis, because its benefits-albeit temporary for the length of time we are alive on this planet- are vital to aid in reducing cholesterol levels, blood pressure and stress, and preventing diabetes, heart disease and a host of other problems.

It should be noted that, yet another reason why I would personally adopt yoga or yoga-esque exercises over the exercises of the western culture is a consideration of the heart. Though the verse in Proverbs 4:23 may have to do with things of spiritual nature, who knows, perhaps taking it on a literal point of view may not be farfetched.

Considering that the heart is the most important organ, it is advisable to avoid strenuous exercises that put extra strain on it.

If we study animals like dogs and cats, we notice that they have a tendency to often times stretch and contract their spines after awakening. In a similar way infants move their spines naturally in a variety of positions. However, it’s quite telling that flexibility is lost as the body grows. The average person can no longer touch the floor with his finger tips when his/her knees are straight but this type of ligament stiffening can be kept at a minimum through yogic exercises and a proper diet. the body will be a flexible as a child even at a senior citizen’s age.

Another factor that makes me promote or lean more to yoga and/or yogic exercises is that most of the pioneering texts on yoga tend to promote what they call the Sattvic diet which coincidentally is the Body Healing diet of fruits, root and leafy vegetables. Moreover, with bodyweight exercises, you mostly can perform your routines without cumbersome (at times unsafe equipment) and there is a strong tendency to increase your functional strength along with keeping your flexibility.

It is worth mentioning that of all things, through yogic exercises, the facial ligaments are kept in top shape. You may ask: Why should that matter?  Well, the facial ligaments consist of multiple layers of connective tissue composed of parallel bundles of fibers, woven in such a way as to be able to take enormous strains and stresses. These ligaments possess great strength and are an indispensable part of things we often times take for granted like walking, standing and lifting.

However, observations show that facial attachments have a tendency to shorten after a period of intense activity followed by inactivity, which might explain why some athletes, sportsmen and dancers tend to age quickly in their faces because most of the time, after a period of being inactive, most have a tendency to undertake severe training, extensive stretching and limbering up to regain lost elasticity.

All of this and many more lie in the dedicated practice of yoga so the next move could and should be to give it a try.

I have engaged in several kinds of exercises including Weight Lifting (though I never did bulk up…maybe a few pounds of muscle, but I think I am just genetically designed to be slim plus I am too rambunctious anyway so…), Calisthenics, Running and Jogging and Yoga and I can honestly tell you that aside from the time it may take to complete a whole Yoga session, it very well may be the most useful, especially on a long-term basis OR in conjunction with other exercises of the Western Culture.

Take running and jogging for example. Many runners and joggers have complained of their foot, ankle, knee, and leg injuries due to running and jogging. Most complain of knee injuries and understandably so as many people who are longtime runners and/or joggers develop a condition known as chondromalacia, medically defined as a softening of the cartilage. The morphemes “chondro”, “chondr”, and “chondri’ all mean: “pertaining to cartilage.”

It should be pointed out that running and jogging over long periods of time, and especially on cement or asphalt, destroys cartilage in the joints, particularly in the knees. Without adequate and safe stretches before and after running, in addition to all the shock on their knees from running on concrete or cement, many runners and joggers later suffer from stiffness in their knees as all that running and jogging causes the production of lactic acid which settles in the tissues and causes stiffness.

This also explains why there is a tendency to feel stiff after a hard workout in the gym because the body has produced so much lactic acid. In addition, tendonitis (inflammation of the tendons) may also develop from long periods of running and jogging.

The inflammation in tendonitis results from acidic mucus buildup in the tendons. The mucus develops in an attempt to protect the damage done in the tendons and if you refer to the chart given you on acid-based/mucus forming foods in chapter 4, by eating such substances, you cannot be helping the situation at all because an acid-based diet only serves to create more unhealthy mucus in the body that leads to more inflammation.

Yet again, here is a reminder of what an acid-based diet is; It is one that consists mainly of meat products, dairy products, refined grain products, processed and refined so-called foods or foodstuffs, low pH acidic effervescent beverages such as soda pop and diet soda pop containing deleterious phosphoric acid which eats away at the bones and robs the body of calcium; coffee, lattes, hot cocoa, beer, wine, etc.

Furthermore, for the ladies, you must be advised that whey you jog on cement or asphalt without shock absorbers in your shoes, your may be causing a lot of harm and injury to your uterus.

Taking all of these into consideration, if you must jog or run, please do so on grass, dirt or sand. At least that makes it more natural and you will be better off putting cushions in your shoes. These shock absorbers for your shoes can be ordered from: http://www.ankle-foot.com/tulis.htm  or by calling 1-800-460-0041.

You might even consider replacing running and/or jogging with bicycling or other aerobic exercises which are easier on your knees and body.

One good option for this which actually will not require that you leave the confines of wherever you might be but will still work the entire body in 10 minutes or less will be the Yoga Sun Salutations. The physical base of the practice links together twelve poses in a dynamically performed series. These poses are ordered so that they alternately stretch the spine backwards and forwards.

This exercise is a combination of Yoga Asanas, Pranayama, Sun Bathing and Prayer and here are some of its benefits.

• As a system to rejuvenate the body and soul, it is beyond compare. It’s been said: one round of Surya Namaskar is much better than a week of exercises at the gym.

• It alleviates disorders of the skin and waist.

• The face becomes glorious.

• It is an easy and effective way of attaining good health and development of personality for the student.

• Flexibility increases and breathing is corrected, moreover, it mildly exercises the legs and arms, thus increasing the circulation.

• It is the best way to burn calories and reduce weight and is often recommended for obesity and depression.

• It is an effective way of loosening up, stretching and massaging all joints and

internal organs of the body. Being highly versatile and applicable, it is one of the most useful methods of inducing rigorous health and an active life while at the same time preparing for spiritual awakening and the resulting expansion of self.

• It stimulates and balances all the systems of the body including the endocrine, circulatory, reproductive and digestive system.

• Its influence on the pineal gland and the hypothalamus helps to prevent pineal degeneration and calcification. This as a result balances the transition period between childhood and adolescence.

• In actuality, if you are familiar with “burpies” (the calisthenics exercise), they do derive their origin from the Sun Salutations

These can be performed as a stand-alone exercise or can be added to the other poses since they are really a warm up to a standard yoga routine.

Or you can perform other yoga-esque exercises such as the afore mentioned royal court and/or 5 Tibetan Rites Five Tibetan Rites to slow down the aging process, increase energy, improve breathing, and strengthen the neck, lower back, and core muscles without the previously listed problems associated with strenuous running and jogging or the use of cumbersome equipment.

Now, in regards to the many benefits of yoga to aid in specific ailments and disturbances, feel free to look over this list of useful poses.

Common Ailments, Amendable Health Problems and Recommended Healing Poses

1. Acne: Sun Salutations, the shoulder-stand and its counter-poses, head  to knee poses, Peacock poses and Nauli.
2. Arms (Sagging): Sun Salutations, Incline plane pose, Bow Pose, Wheel pose and the Balancing Poses (peacock and Crow)
3. Asthma: Deep abdominal breathing, Shoulder-stand, bridge and fish Pose, Bow Pose and Corpse pose (Abstinence from animal products and ALL processed foods strongly required! Fruits and Veggies Only!)
4. Backache: Sun Salutations, Fish pose, bow pose
5. Bad Breath: Sun Salutations, Inverted Poses, Bow and Balancing Poses, Agni Sara and Pranayama. (Short fasts and Restricted Occasional juicy organic fruit diets are recommended)
6. Body Odor: Sun Salutations, the Shoulder-stand! (15-20 Minutes after Asanas, Use a warm damp rag to wipe the pubic regions)
7. Bust and Chest (firming): Sun Salutations, Bow, Crow pose Chin-(prevention  of double chin): Fish, Wheel, Sun Salutations
8. Common Cold: Sun Salutations, shoulder-stand and her counter- poses, Pranayama,  Neti (Avoid Dairy, Grain and Animal Products and of course Processed Foods, this is a good time to do a short fast!)
9. Constipation:  Inverted Poses, Sun Salutations, head to knee Poses, Bow Pose, the balancing  poses (Peacock and crow variations) (Fiber Rich Foods- Dates, celery, melons etc)

10.  Delaying Old Age: Sun Salutations, Shoulder-stand, Bridge Pose, Fish Pose, Wheel Pose, Udiiyana  Bandha and Pranayama

11.  Depression: Sun Salutations, shoulder stand and its counter pose, backward bending and balancing exercises.

12.  Determination (lack of): Balancing exercises!

13.  Diabetes: Head to Knee Poses (Sitting and Standing), Sun Salutations, Bow Pose. (Eat Lots of Celery and leafy vegetables and more Sub acid fruits such as The Stone fruits in Summer and apples and pears in Fall and winter, Berries in Spring)

14.  Digestive Problems: Uddiyana, Nauli, Shoulder-stand, Plough Head to knee pose, Bow Pose, Mayurasana  (A 2-3 day <or more> juice fast!)

15.  Eye problems: Inverted poses: (Shoulder-stand and Plough Poses)

16.  Excess Weight: Sun Salutations, Inverted Poses (plough and Shoulder stand) Bridge and Fish Pose, Bow and pranayama  (You must pick one: a restricted mono diet of fruit or a Juice fast for a week or two!)

17.  Fatigue: Corpse Pose, Wheel Pose

18.  Focus (lack of): Sun Salutations, balancing exercises and pranayama.

19.  Gastrointestinal Disorders: The Shoulder Stand Sequence, Passchimotanasana, Bow Pose, Mayurasana.

20.  Halitosis: Throat massaging and Neti, Shoulder stand, Bow Pose and Peacock Pose. Agni Sara. (Elimination of ALL processed foods is a must!)

21.  Hips (Reduction of Fat): Spinal Twist, Twisted Crow Pose, Triangle Pose, Bow and Wheel Pose

22.  Insomnia: The Inverted Poses, The corpse pose and pranayama.

23.  Jaw (Sagging): Sun Salutations, Shoulder stand and her counter poses, head to knee poses (sitting) and its counter pose, Wheel Pose.

24.  Laryngitis: Sun Salutations, The Shoulder stand and its counter pose. The Wheel pose.

25.  Lethargy: Sun Salutations, Shoulder stand and its counter poses, the Wheel Pose and the Balancing Poses.

26.  Menopause Disorders: Bow, Shoulder stand, Fish, Plough and Head to Knee Poses.

27.  Nervousness: Shoulder stand and its counter-poses, Bow pose and Corpse pose

28.  Ovarian Insufficiency: Inverted Poses, Bow Pose, Wheel Pose, Nauli and the Head to Knee pose.

29.  Premature Ejaculations: Shoulder stand, Plough pose, Head to Knee Poses, Bow Pose and Peacock Pose. Uddiyana  Bandha.

30.  Pubic Disorders: Sun Salutations, Inverted poses, Head to Knee Poses (sitting and standing)

31.  Rheumatism: Sun Salutations (mildly 3-6 rounds), the Bow Pose and Triangle Poses. (Avoid Dairy, Wheat and Animal products and other processed and convenience foods!)

32.  Sexual disorders: Inverted Poses, Head to knee poses sitting and standing, bow pose, Balancing Poses (Peacock and Crow variations)

33.  Spinal Stiffness: Spinal Twist, Bow, Sun Salutations Twisted Crow Poses.

34.  Stomach Sagging: Inverted Poses, Head to Knee Poses, Bow Pose, Wheel Pose, Balancing Exercises.

35.  Thighs: Sun Salutations, Inverted poses, Diamond Pose, Bow and Wheel Pose, Head  to knee Poses, Triangle Poses.

36.  Thyroid Deficiency:  Shoulder-Stand and Plough poses. (Include Celery and Green Leafy veggies in your diet and juices)

37.  Uterine disorders: Inverted Poses and the bow pose

38.  Varicose Veins: Inverted poses, Head to knee Poses and the backward bending exercises

39.  Waistline-to reduce and firm: Sun Salutations, Inverted Poses, Spinal Twists, Triangle Poses, Balancing exercises

40.  Wrinkles: inverted Poses, head to knee poses, Sun Salutations and the balancing exercises.

The human body is a creation of the Most High God. It has the ability to heal and maintain itself if given half a chance. Along with my recommended diet, the above-mentioned Asanas may aid to alleviate most common ailments. If desired, other pleasant forms of exercise may be included at your discretion such as running, jumping, rock and rope climbing, calisthenics, dancing and singing. However, remember, you shouldn’t count exercise out for healthy living as well.

 So, for more on information on how Yoga, The Royal court and the 5 tibetan rites could be used for your exercise routine, feel free to get your copy of Fitness: Inside and Out at http://www.bodyhealthsoul.com

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Chapter 24: The dirty dozen and clean 15 of produce

Friends, it should be noted that a new report issued by the President’s Cancer Panel recommends eating produce without pesticides to reduce your risk of getting cancer and other diseases. Furthermore, according to the Environmental Working Group (an organization of scientists, researchers and policymakers), certain types of organic produce can reduce the amount of toxins you consume on a daily basis by as much as 80 percent. So eating a variety of fruits indeed could help with alleviating the effects of the ones inevitably not as safe due to them being grown conventionally.

To help consumers to be well-informed on this subject, the group put together two lists, “The Dirty Dozen” and “The Clean 15,” to help consumers know when they should buy organic and when it is unnecessary or perhaps not as important.

These lists were compiled using data from the United States Department of Agriculture on the amount of pesticide residue found in non-organic fruits and vegetables after they had been washed through using a high-power pressure water systems that many of us probably wouldn’t be able to afford.

Very tellingly, the fruits and vegetables on “The Dirty Dozen” list, when conventionally grown, tested positive for at least 47 different chemicals, with some testing positive for as many as 67. For produce on the “dirty” list, you should definitely go organic.

“The Dirty Dozen” list includes:

1. Celery

2. Peaches

3. Strawberries

4. Apples

5. Domestic blueberries

6. Nectarines

7. Sweet bell peppers

8. Spinach, kale and collard greens

9. Cherries

10 .Potatoes (Russet, White, Red etc)

11. Imported grapes

12. Pears

All the produce on “The Clean 15″ bore little to no traces of pesticides, and is safe to consume in non-organic form. This list includes:

1. Onions

2. Avocados

3. Sweet corn

4. Pineapples

5. Mango

6. Sweet peas

7. Asparagus

8. Kiwi fruit

9. Cabbage

10. Eggplant

11. Cantaloupe

12. Watermelon

13. Grapefruit

14. Sweet potatoes

15. Sweet onions

Very tellingly, according to Richard Wiles the senior vice president of policy for the Environmental Working Group “If you eat something like a pineapple or sweet corn, they have a protection defense because of the outer layer of skin. Not the same for strawberries and berries.”

Organic food is nutritionally superior to conventional food and is also better tasting and free of most toxic chemicals that are used in conventional farming. Therefore suffice it to say that blaming fruits and vegetables for being the cause of some food poison outbreaks is quite wrong, it is much rather the farming methods and poor hygiene that should be the cause.

That said, as much as possible, I will recommend that you seek out organic foods and the best options for this will be co-ops, the famer’s markets and the occasional sales in stores like whole-foods. Still the most important thing is to find the best produce you can-whether it is organic or not. Furthermore, remember to adhere to the list of fruits and vegetables that have to be organic and also ensure that a fruit and vegetable wash is used for ALL produce and when applicable see to it that the fruits are peeled when necessary.

Most organic items like apples, pears, potatoes, lettuce are either the same price or only cost a little more than their conventional counterparts.

Still, it should be stressed that ALL produce should be washed and rinsed thoroughly in a cleansing agent designed specifically for that purpose and I personally use the Environne Fruit and Vegetable wash.

It should be noted that pesticides, waxes and chemicals used in crop production are designed to resist insects and rain, so inevitably, when they are used, they play a huge role in making these contaminants difficult to remove with water. Even organic produce is subject to drift spraying and could contain harmful residues, besides I worked in the Produce Department of a Whole Foods Market Branch while in Minneapolis, so trust me, you want to wash your produce folks. It’s only basic hygiene that you do so.

Can you imagine how many hands have touched , how many people have sneezed or spoken over and a bunch of other things that could have happened to your produce before you eat it. Trust me, unless you grew it and plucked it from the plant yourself, you would want to wash your produce. Even if you grew it yourself, let’s not forget basic cleanliness and hygiene. (Although I could say in the wild, for example on a camping expedition, I may bend the rules and simply eat straight of the tree but how many times does that scenario happen?)

I have tried some other washes notably the “Veggie Wash” and though it has similar ingredients to the Environne Brand, it seems to not foam as much, sometimes not at all and I called the customer service number about this happening several times and that was what led to me trying Environne in the first place and I will say I have thus far not been disappointed.

Water alone simply isn’t enough when you want the true benefits of fresh produce.

Owing to their make-up, fruits such as cantaloupes have grooves which means your hands cannot rub off all the dirt. Furthermore, waxy-skinned citrus fruit and cucumbers may also have pathogens sticking to the exterior. Therefore, the use of a vegetable brush should be employed.

It is worth mentioning that there have been several microbial outbreaks involving cantaloupes because they’re grown near the ground and can pick up dirt. As should be expected, the dirt may contain microorganisms spread through poor irrigation techniques in the field. However, it should be noted that these pathogens have a tendency to thrive on the grooved surface of cantaloupes. Therefore, it is recommended that you wash and rinse all visible dirt off a melon (and all fruits) before eating it. In the case of non acidic fruits, for example melons, papaya, etc , when you cut open such produce, you can transfer bacteria to the fleshy part inside. Therefore since they are not acidic like a tart apple for example, bacteria can grow more easily on the fleshy part.

It is worth mentioning that more than 80% of all produce world-wide have surface pesticide residues. The remaining 20% or so are organically grown produce, which should still be washed to ensure safety. Other unwanted contaminants from handling, such as human perspiration and handling, oils, dirt and exhaust fumes from shipping, also need to be washed away.

Now, I will not recommend using soap and water as they contain many undesirable chemicals that can be hazardous if ingested.

When fruits and vegetables are washed with soap there can be a soap reside left on the produce. In addition, the porosity of some fruits and vegetables would allow absorption of the detergents. Special produce washes do remove chemical residues which may remain on the produce, and assist with alleviating the effects of harmful bacteria and surface dirt on fruits. However, according to research, rinsing fruits and vegetables thoroughly under cool running water using enough water to loosen the dirt and bacteria is an additional step that could be applied to using the wash.

Furthermore, when using detergents, even if you rinse of the surface residue to a degree, these detergents can penetrate the skin of the produce making it impossible to rinse. Trust me when I tell you this fact is true, out of ignorance up until about 2007, I used to do just that, thank God nothing happened and I was able to find the right thing to do. I assume He must have known I had the best intentions and kept me safe long enough to find the right product and I will also say in praise of the Environne Wash that it could be used to clean out the bathroom as a cleansing agent.

Again, I am very sensitive to hazardous things and I will relate this anecdote to you. I decided to start scrubbing my shower stall every other day-just to be clean. To this effect, I used my regular dishwashing liquid-Ajax as the cleansing agent but that was wrong as lo and behold, I started having bouts of allergies, sneezing excessively. However, I noticed this only happened when I scrubbed the bathroom with detergent. Determined to find a solution, I tried washes designed specifically for the bathroom and the same thing occurred. So, out of just experimenting, since the produce wash does foam and get the fruits clean, I decided to use that and to my pleasant surprise, not only did it get the stall clean, it left no after-smell of hazardous chemicals that I previously was ignoring AND the sneezing stopped. Actually my sinuses and sense of smell were heightened and I noticed that my skin, especially my lips, were no longer dry or crusty after taking a shower.

At this stage, the anecdote above should thoroughly reflect a finding given here which is that current research indicates there is a strong correlation between the rise of respiratory problems and the use of “traditional” cleaners that are prevalently found in households.

Now, if you are wondering why we shouldn’t wash our fruits and vegetables with soap when we use that for our hands, especially with the increase of food poisonings and illnesses. The explanation is that there is a possibility that any product (soap or veggie wash ) used in cleaning fruits and vegetables could leave a residue on them. Keeping that in mind, washing fruits and vegetables under fresh running water gently using a brush along with a cleaner with natural ingredients for the purpose of washing fruit is therefore optimal. In regards to our hands, the use of soap is recommended to reduce the bacterial load or any dirt on them since they are used more often to manipulate a variety of food commodities especially when preparing a meal. Washing hands  with soap could avoid cross-contamination however owing to the components that are used to make soap, when internally consumed, they could more or less, sooner or later be very hazardous. Let’s remember, on the label, it’s usually clearly stated that if ingested, the victim should visit poison center.

It is worth mentioning that apparently over 80,000 chemicals in common use today have NEVER been checked for possible harmful effects on adults AND children. The manufacturers of these chemicals are not required to list ingredients found in traditional cleaners, including some that are known carcinogens! So, as a side note, buy products with caution labels (“mild irritant”) vs. warning labels (toxic, dangerous chemicals).

Another thing I must stress is to try to avoid imported fruits except for mangoes and avocadoes (the Mexican ones), anything going too far south of the US border for example Chile, Peru might be pushing it. Trust me I have experienced eating the worst quality of fruits trying to eat imported ones. In addition, the dirty dozen list above is quite accurate as in writing this another anecdote comes to mind.

When I first arrived in Los Angeles, CA in the fall of 2003, since I did not know where Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s was, I simply bought apples from a supermarket and thought that I should be fine. Of course this was prior to knowing anything about the dirty dozen list. Now, I ate the apples for about 3 days straight and the nights of those 3 days were the only time in years I noticed I had the onset of an Asthma Attack as in wheezing. When I did not eat them, I had no such problems, therefore be advised the list above is quite handy.

All of that said, to go back to cleaning produce, remember, to keep all the information provided in this chapter in mind and also see to it that all surfaces, pots etc are cleaned as well. Furthermore, I rinse my produce thoroughly with either the water from my extra shower filter that I keep for guests and rarely use (it’s faster with more pressure ) or the tap with the filter attached as the case may be then rinse with distilled drinking water. That works for me but you have to find the method that works for you. Also on a side note, I wash my produce first thing in the morning as a result upon consuming them later on in the day, they are at room temperature and not overly cooled resulting to being held under cold water. I learned this tip while trying to beat the chills in the Minneapolis weather, therefore, again, I am relaying this to you.

If I ate fruits right after washing them, unless it was summer and it was hot, I felt so cold that I needed to use a blanket, I felt this had to be unnatural, hence the switch and I have had no such problems ever since. Moreover, having the produce already washed ensures that binging or cheating on your new diet is alleviated as for most people after you get off work and simply want to eat ready-made foods, your fruits and vegetables are already there waiting to be eaten.

Apparently, there are specific ways that I have discovered work in using the Environne Veggie wash.

I have found that when certain fruits are washed in the ‘dip’ method versus “scrubbing” , their tastes could be greatly altered. Perhaps, this has to do with the kind of fruit, if it’s being cut, if the skin is edible etc.

As a result, to serve a blue-print of sorts for my readers, herewith is how I wash my staples.

Scrubbing Method:

1. First, make a solution of about a capful of the environne added to approx 2-3 quarts of water.

2. Wash your hands then give the fruit a thorough rinse under water while massaging its skin. Set aside into a container for this 1st step.

3. Wash your hands again, now massage the exterior of the fruit with the solution.

4. Rinse under running water.

5. Now Scrub with the solution

6. Rinse under water again

7. Set the produce aside into the container you will be eating from later on the day.

8. After washing all the produce you intend to eat (for example 5 apples, 4 Asian pears etc) hold the container under running water, fill up to cover the fruit and rinse. Do this at least 2-3 times to ensure it’s rinsed thoroughly.

9. Do a final rinse with distilled water (twice) then set aside

Dip Method:

For harder produce like mangoes, persimmons, cherimoyas that have a skin that perhaps won’t eaten,

1. First, make a solution of about a capful of the environne added to approx 2-3 quarts of water.

2. Wash your hands, then scrub the produce with a brush under running water (without the solution)

3. Set aside into a container for this 1st step.

4. Now dip the produce in the solution, while swishing for about 20-30 seconds.

5. Rinse under running water

6. Perform Steps 4-5 for three times.

7. Rinse under water again

8. Set the produce aside into the container you will be eating from later on the day.

9. After washing all the produce you intend to eat (for example 3 mangoes, 4 persimmons etc) hold the container under running water, fill up to cover the fruit and rinse. Do this at least 2-3 times to ensure it’s rinsed thoroughly.

10. Do a final rinse with distilled water (twice) then set aside

*Presently, I use the scrubbing method for my Melons, Apples, Citrus, Papaya

*For the first dip method, that is used for my mangoes, Fuyu Persimmons, Cherimoyas, Asian Pears.

*Finally, for all other produce like the occasional vegetables, tangerines, grapes, stone fruit, I use the dip method above WITHOUT the brush. For Softer Produce like tomatoes, Grapes, Tangerines, Hachiya Persimmons, I have found that rinsing them by filling the pot with water, swishing it around then discarding the water about 3-4 times before employing steps 3-10 above for the “dip” method of washing.

As of the time of this writing, I am yet to use the Environne Fruit & Vegetable Wipes and of course, the makers have their own instructions on the label of the bottle which you could experiment with as well.

Just remember, the key factor here is you’ve got to wash your produce to avoid food poisoning, contaminations and for personal hygiene. You’ll be shocked with the amount of dirt/grunge that comes off of fruits and veggies you wash with this. Water just won’t be sufficient, plus, when you read the ingredients of the veggie wash here you won’t be concerned- they are just light natural surfactants (soapy oil-breakers), and you don’t need to feel bad about anything in there.

As a side note, as much as possible, I will also advise that if you can, try to wash each fruit with its own solution. This brings out the best taste for me and is indeed healthier, imagine taking a bath in the same solution that another person has used, same applies to fruits. Moreover, if you happen to eat conventional fruits at the same time with organic ones, see to it that you wash the cleaner, organic ones first.

Remember, even with fruits and vegetables, the adage “cleanliness is next to Godliness” still applies! You don’t know who has touched your produce, therefore don’t take chances.

Now, let’s see how best to use the fruits and vegetables when eating for health.

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Chapter 25: Ladies and Gentlemen, Introducing The Daniel Diet

By now, many people may have heard the story about Daniel in the Lion’s den.

However, I am not too sure if people know about the test Daniel undertook in regards to biblical dietetic principles prior to the event that led to the Lion’s Den story.

In brief detail, Daniel, along with three of his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were captives in the old regions of Babylon.

It is worth mentioning that these were not their original names as their names were changed as follows:

(Daniel _ “God is my judge” > Belteshazzar

Mishael _ “Who is like God?” > Meshach

Hananiah _ “Jehovah is gracious” > Shadrach

Azariah _ “Jehovah is my helper” > Abednego)

The story has it that they, along with the rest of the slaves, had to go before the king after a span of time and were all instructed to eat a specific diet, the king’s diet that is, to fatten them up and make them more ‘attractive’. However being of Jewish descent, Daniel and his friends refused to eat of the king’s menu due to the fact that in the Laws of their Heritage, found in the Old Testament, in Leviticus Chapter 11 and Deuteronomy Chapter 14.3-21, God gave commands about what foods they could not eat and detailed information on this has been given elsewhere in Chapter 6 of this book.

Now, in the Bible, Daniel rejected the foods that the King of Babylon set before him not only for health reasons, but because it was most likely that the meats were from animals that had been sacrificed to idols and gods other than the God of Israel. As a result, Daniel and his three companions refused to pollute themselves with the King’s delicacies. The principal court official got worried that these young men would become weak, emaciated or otherwise less attractive. As a result, the King would not be happy with this because these young men, along with several other Israelite captives, had been hand selected as the best of them all. He wanted them trained to serve in the palace.

However, to Daniel, eating these foods would mean defiling himself before his God, so Daniel requested that the court official give him and his companions a diet of “vegetables and water” for 10 days as a test. At the end of the 10 days they were in better health than the other captives who had been eating the rich food of the King. They went on to have very prominent positions in the King’s service.

From Daniel 1:3-7 These verses indicate the simple diet chosen by Daniel was vegetables and water. However, nearly all Bible translations interpret this diet using either the words vegetables, pulse or even grain. The King James version chose the word pulse. The actual word translated here is zeroa’ (zeraim) (Strong’s H2235 and H2232) which refers to plants and trees whose yield has seeds. Zera is the very same word used in the creation account and Genesis 1:29.

It should be noted that the Daniel Diet was not a different one from the Bible diet passed from generation to generation since Adam. Daniel simply requested the diet he knew to be right by restricting his foods to the most vibrant, colorful fruits and vegetables grown of that time.

There are two anchoring scriptures for the Daniel Diet. In Daniel 1 the Prophet ate only plant based items (that would have included fruits) and drank only water. So from these scriptures we get two of the guidelines for the fast:

1. Only fruits and vegetables

2. Only water for a beverage

So, during this 10-day test and subsequent training, Daniel and his three friends restricted themselves to the first two classes of the four Bible food groups as discussed in Chapter 6.

Genesis 1:29

• 1. every tree whose yield bears seed

Examples: apples, avocados, grapefruit, pecans, papaya, cherries, olives, walnuts

• 2. every plant whose yield bears seed

Examples: tomatoes, watermelons, melons, grapes, cucumbers, eggplants, basically ‘plants’ that yield fruit.

They knew God’s simple, trustworthy guidelines, and in order for them to know what the best foods are, they relied on God’s original plan for man’s diet since He said: “Look, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you.” Therefore, suffice it to say that mostly fruits and some vegetables constitute the diet chosen for us by our Creator. These foods, prepared in as simple and natural a manner as possible, are the most healthful and nourishing. They give a strength, a power of endurance, and a vigor of intellect, that are not available in a more complex and stimulating diet.

Daniel did not have extra-biblical instructions to restrict his diet to fruits and water. Without doubt, Daniel and his companions allowed themselves to eat of the most vibrant, colorful fruits and vegetables grown in the fertile Mesopotamian soil.

Personally, what I find appealing about this story is I think for the average person, adopting this diet of fruits and vegetables could be a life-time choice.

I am not surprised that this could be the case considering that it is

1. Very practical.

2. Not as extreme as being a 100% Fruit Eater.

3. Not as socially isolating as being a strict frugivore can be.

4. Is indeed very satisfactory psychologically and physically for those who may have challenges being a raw vegan.

Co-incidentally, this diet so closely resembles the Mucus-less diet promoted by the founding father of the Raw Vegan Diet, Professor Arnold Ehret.

His Standard Daily Menu Was as follows:

1. Morning: Lemonade

2. Lunch: Fruits (2-3 of whatever is in season BUT one at a time)

3. Dinner: Vegetables (Raw or Properly Steamed/Baked/Cooked Leafy & or Root Vegetables as the case may be)

I truly think everyone, even if you have been eating meat all your life, can adapt to this.

Personally, Ehret’s standard menu is quite similar to how I eat. Actually on weekends or days when I don’t have to be up too early, I adopt his standard menu, however, during the week or on busy days, I simply skip lunch and have dinner consisting of fruits. Now, what works for me might not work for you and no one is saying that you should, but for me after eating easily a whole watermelon, 2 musk melons then 6 mangoes, I rarely want to eat anything else but just want to go take a walk and get some fresh air. I strongly think that if and when I get married or get into a childhood dream of mine as a career that I’ll simply be a frugivore as I would have something to get my mind off of food and I am fully grown hence I may not need the essential elements growing kids and lactating mothers may need.

However,  honestly, let’s be real: when the average person goes to the restaurant or take-out to eat, they rarely ever think: “Oh, let me get this for protein, let me get that for vitamin C, let me get this for carbohydrates…” No, they simply say, I want to get stuffed and enjoy every bite of what I eat.” The same applies to me and fruit. I believe once I have drank my lemonade for the day my vitamin and mineral needs are met as Lemons are the richest sources of them and of course such a wide variety of fruit has to have more than enough nutrients needed.

At this point in regards to my diet, that’s me in a nutshell, however, the Good Lord gave us a plethora of items from the plant kingdom to choose from, therefore if you drink your lemonade in the morning, ‘graze’ on fruit in the afternoon and eat your steamed veggies with some avocadoes and Sea-Salt (the only condiment I think humans may and could use) you will definitely see a drastic improvement in your health.

A raw vegan diet which is made up of fruits, some green leafy vegetables, fruit vegetables, avocados or olives is probably the best. However, some people believe this is most practical when one lives in a fairly pristine environment and can absorb and synthesize important health constituents from the elements.

I have practiced fruitarianism, I do believe it is possible to eat such a diet perhaps with a ‘break’ from just fruits by eating avocados and celery (with or without some sea-salt) during the colder months or if you have a demanding career or something to take your mind off of food.

However, I think the focus for the average health seeker should be to reduce the consumption of mucus-forming foods, beverages and items. It is worth mentioning that some tribes of people such as the ones who reside in the mountains of Hagen. eat a diet that consisted of 80 % Sweet potatoes. The rest consisted of fruits and green leafy vegetables and they are said to be in near perfect health.

Everyone’s dietary needs (and tastes for that matter) differs. Moreover, everyone’s dietary needs changes as they go through different stages in life. Not only is there no one way for everyone to eat, there is also no one way for a person to eat. One time, eating mono-meals of fruits may be the best for cleansing and simplifying one’s life and the next time, it could be the salads and tasty recipes needed to make one feel happy as opposed to falling back to old habits. We simply have to approach eating right with intelligence, intuition and set goals for our health.

Furthermore, with the technologically advanced gadgets like blenders, food processors and salad spinners, you could make Fruit smoothies, Soups (Smoothies made from fruit vegetables and avocados) Dressings and Salads all by yourself without all the other harmful ingredients in most commercially made items. You can also make steamed vegetables but be sure to not steam the way most people do by boiling vegetables in a basket over a large quantity of boiling water that gets thrown away. This method of steaming robs the vegetables of too many vitamins and minerals. The best way is to cook the veggies in a pot, with a lid and as little water as possible so there is little or no water left at the end. Steam the vegetables till just when they begin to soften and they should remain firm and intact.

If cabbage, carrots, turnips, broccoli, cauliflower etc are slowly steamed in water (or even baked) they actually become sweeter, which proves that the carbohydrates in them are developed into sucrose (fruit sugar) more or less and the minerals and vitamins in them are not destroyed. This makes the proper steaming of vegetables an improvement and not a waste.

Nowadays, many volumes have been published by numerous dieticians that call their diet the best, safest, most effective, you name it. However, most of the time, not one of them is in accord with Nature such as is the case in the animal kingdom, which is SIMPLICITY with little or no mixtures at all.

No other creature when eating combines different foods at the same time or drinks between mouthfuls of food, with the possible exception of domesticated animals of course who have been conditioned into such habits by their civilized owners.

Truly, the ideal and perhaps most natural way of eating for all humans should be one kind of fresh fruit at a time when in season and soon if you try it, you will notice that after adopting the Mucus-less (aka ‘Daniel” Diet ) for a while, you will feel more satisfied and honestly are better nourished with one kind of fruit than with all kinds of scientific mixtures or made up foods.

Still, let’s face it, to reach that state of assimilation for the body could take quite a while, so to accommodate the majority of the population, this transition and still very healthy and superior diet is being offered. As you will see it has cooked, steamed, baked and raw foods for the systematic and intelligent healing of the body while still accommodating our modern times and habits.

Owing to the make-up of fruits and the fact that they are relentless eliminators of diseased substances, you should not try the complete fruit fast until you are quite certain that most, if not all of the dangerous waste matter has been eliminated from your body. This is why most vegetables, both naturally raw and cooked, can and should be used as they work thoroughly but much more slowly and gently.

The fruit diet in itself could be seen as the ultimate litmus taste, if you are able to live on it comfortably, without any untoward reactions, you are healed. To test this the best way, according to Teresa Mitchell in Arnold Ehret’s Rational Fasting for Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Rejuvenation, you can make certain by observing the reaction to a fruit fast of no more than a twenty four hours duration. If the result is a severe headache, dizziness, bad breath, thickly coated tongue, increased mucus discharge from the throat and nose, it is quite certain that you are not ready for a pure fruit diet.” In fact for quite some time, I will not suggest you eat just fruits, unless you really want to and can handle it, a diet which would be inclusive of fruits during the day and vegetables at night will be more conducive for most.

There are several ways you can eat the Daniel diet, which really is the Mucus-Less (or alkaline forming/body healing) Diet by simply eating just Fruits, Fruits and Raw Vegetables or Fruits and Raw or Properly cooked vegetables. You don’t have to compromise taste, enjoyment, fun in the name of the a diet. You don’t have to count calories, be worried about quantity etc as you would on another diet, this is simply you eating what you are supposed to.

Nonetheless, you will have to avoid some things, and if you have read all the pages prior to this chapter, you should know why by now. Here’s are 2 quick reminders:

1. According to well renowned research the cause of most diseases-an arguable 98% of illnesses including but not limited to Stroke, Diabetes, Asthma, High Blood Pressure, Cancer, Gout, Athritis etc-is in the consumption of improper foods.

2. The main cause of any illness in human beings is in what they EAT or DO NOT EAT.

So, here are the foods to avoid on the Daniel/Mucusless Diet

1. All meat and animal products including but not limited to beef, lamb, pork, poultry, and fish.
2. All dairy products including but not limited to milk, cheese, cream, butter, and eggs.
3. All sweeteners including but not limited to sugar, raw sugar, honey, syrups, molasses, and cane juice.
4. All leavened bread including Ezekiel Bread (it contains yeast and honey) and baked goods.
5. All refined and processed food products including but not limited to artificial flavorings, food additives, chemicals, white rice, white flour, and foods that contain artificial preservatives.
6. All deep fried foods including but not limited to potato chips, French fries, corn chips.
7. All solid fats including shortening, margarine, lard and foods high in fat.
8. Beverages including but not limited to coffee, tea, herbal teas, carbonated beverages, energy drinks, and alcohol.

Instead:

Pick from the following items:

Classification of natural/body healing foods:

a. Fruits:

1. Sweet Fruits: Tropical fruits, Bananas, Mangoes, Papaya, Dates, Dried fruits, Sweet apples.

2. Acid Fruit: Citrus, Lemon, Tomatoes, Berries, Pineapples.

3. Sub-Acid Fruit: Most tart apples, Pears, Grapes,

4. Melons: Cantaloupe, Honey-Dew, Water Melon etc

5. Fatty: Avocadoes, Olives, Durian, Young coconuts

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b. Nuts and Seeds: These items are permissible but should be eaten with more caution than you would fruits and vegetables.

c.  Non-Starchy Foods: Fruit Vegetables e.g. Cucumber, Bell Peppers, Zucchini , Tomatoes, Green leaves, Carrots,

d. Green leaves, Carrots,

e.  Starchy: Cooked Vegetables (roots), Grains (if necessary)

f.  Lettuce and Celery (these items especially the latter combine with anything, Celery does taste good to me, the only vegetable I can actively seek out to eat-honestly.)

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Seasonal Chart Of Fruits And Vegetables

Ecclesiastes 3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

The seasonal availability of fruits and Vegetables is Nature’s way of telling you what to eat and when. Eating foods when they are in season is an integral part of health.

All fruits and vegetables have a particular time of year when they are at their peak. It should be noted that eating according to the seasons is an important part of a healthy and sustainable diet. Furthermore, eating according to a given season has a host of benefits for your health, your wallet, the environment, and local business.

It is worth mentioning that until quite recently, seasonal eating was universal – without modern technology or transport, we had no choice but simply to eat what the trees and plants produced. As a matter of fact, I remember in Nigeria that very rarely would you see a fruit out of season on display in the markets, because it simply was unavailable. So you’d never see a mango in the winter (dry season) months or an orange in what corresponds with spring here (the wet season months of Nigeria).

These days, with all the genetic modification, use of storage technology and the globalised food market, there is that “convenience” of being able to buy any food at any time of the year. The catch is this has greatly reduced our awareness of the seasons and the environment, at a time when this awareness is most badly needed.

Eating seasonally encourages you to buy local produce or at least what your specific geographic location produces for food. I am not totally against shipping fruits from far away states, (e.g. Shipping Apples from Washington or Melons from California) for the simple fact that from a geographical stand-point, the whole of the United States for Example has four main seasons, but not every state has soil that is necessarily conducive for growing produce on a large scale. Therefore, as long as you eat what’s in season at a given time, you should be fine.

In addition, eating seasonally brings an amazing variety to your diet, once you cease with buying the same foods all year round, (for example apples and oranges, from January to December) you will begin to enjoy a sense of celebration every time a new food comes into season. You will have a deeper appreciation for the uniqueness of each season, and for the range of tastes, colors and textures it provides. The seasons give us a long-forgotten sense of the wonderful natural cycles that Western rationalism ignores.

Without a doubt, seasonal food also plays a role in holistic health – generally, fruits and vegetables appear during the season in which they are best for your body. For example, rich, full-bodied apples and or pears are winter foods, while light, juicy, refreshing mangos and melons, grapes are suited to summer. Furthermore, fresh food in season is unbeatable in terms of taste, nutritional value and variety.

Though varieties of each food may be different, this table gives each food’s peak season.

Of course there are many other fruits and vegetables, but I have listed a general compilation herewith.

SEASONAL CHART GOES HERE

Some produce items like Bananas, Avocadoes, Potatoes (Russet, Red and White), are available year round and for a seasonal chart that I personally follow, please refer to chapter 21.

I may eat bananas on some occasions, but I tend to not eat that many of them as I personally don’t like the taste of the ones here in the US, however, you may love them and they are perfectly fine.

Also remember that lemons can be found year-round and should be used to revitalize your water as elaborated upon in Chapter 14.

That said, at this stage, it should be pointed out that our system goes through a cleansing process from twelve midnight until twelve noon, and a building program from twelve noon to twelve midnight. Therefore, what is eaten during these respective periods must be harmonious with the natural processes. The following suggestions take this natural process into account.

To be more specific about what occurs and when, the body heals at night (between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.). The end result of this nightly or daily healing process is mucus (which is why we wake up with mucus, having to get rid of loads of it) and feces (which is why we usually have a bowel movement upon rising). The bowel movement is usually simultaneous with urinating, which is a very good healthy sign. The peak time for the large intestine is 5-7 a.m., which explains the early morning bowel movement. Yes, our organs have peak times and low times that if we are in tune with can play a more conscious role in our health on all levels.

That said, eating in a way that is in tune with this time frame will be the most ideal and beneficial to the body.

Folks, you should know that in most people, a lot  of hunger nowadays is the result of an impacted, clogged and overfilled colon in addition to the fact that the food made of the processed food industrial complex is feeding the population with lifeless food devoid of nutrition. So, chips, ice-cream and so on, have little or no nutrition and that perhaps is why people eat loads of them unknowingly.

It should be pointed out that when we unwisely eat these denatured and devalued so-called foods, it causes the bodies to crave more food in an attempt to feed our body things of nutritional substance which would undoubtedly satisfy the hunger pangs. The sad irony here is the more people partake of denatured and devalued so-called foods (i.e., fast food, junk food), the more our bodies crave them in an attempt to get nutrition. In addition, many of us also eat out of habit. Many people don’t even have to be hungry. They’ll just eat for the sake of eating.

So, when you are constantly eating dead, so-called foods which lack necessary enzymes for purposes of peristalsis (bowel movement), you eventually become clogged or constipated and chronic constipation leads to the degeneration of the colon which starts the physical aging process.

For more on constipation see Chapter 16 of this book.

At this stage, the worst and by far the most unhealthy habit people partake in is eating breakfast. Contrary to popular belief, for fully grown adults, no solid food should be eaten in the morning. It is also best that no more than two meals a day be eaten even though the quantity you eat is as much as if 3 or 4 meals were eaten. Another very important rule when eating for health is simplicity. In other words, try not to mix too many kinds of food at one meal. If you count the different number of items in the average meal of today, the total will appall any reasonable person.

The only time that the average person doesn’t eat for several hours is during the night while sleeping (that is if they don’t wake up to get a ‘snack’) . As soon as the body notices that no more food is coming into the digestive system, it starts the elimination and cleansing process of a fast, that’s why many people wake up with a heavily coated tongue, bad morning breath and feel tired or weak and usually have no appetite at all. This is a mystery that is now being explained. As soon as one refills the stomach with food, the elimination and cleansing stops and a person feels better. This may illustrate how eating (especially the wrong foods) became a habit and is no longer what Nature intended it should be.

This should be curtailed for the best of health, hence the reason why you are being presented with a diet and schedule that is more streamlined to how the body is intended to work and really it’s not that hard. In fact, most people unconsciously eat with this time-frame in mind every day by skipping breakfast, drinking coffee or something else then eating around 11 am or so. It is the same ideal, just substitute the unflavored lemonade for the coffee and your favorite seasonal fruits for the unhealthy items. Therefore, this is quite easy (and healthier) -with a few adjustments here and there.

Some Other Essentials You Will Need

Will Power and Willingness to break away from dogma and convention!

Trips to the Farmer’s Markets, Co-Ops (e.g. Trader Joes), Produce Stores

Filtered, Purified Water

Lemons: Easily 20 a week is not a high number

Environne Fruit and Vegetable Wash: Trader Joe’s has it or you could buy a 3 pack off Amazon for $18

To conclude, please go to the next chapter for all the healthy and tasty recipes to utilize the Daniel diet introduced herewith.

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Chapter 26: Recipes For The Daniel (Mucus-Less) Diet

The items being offered herewith are given to keep in line with the concept of eating just Fruits; Fruit-Vegetables (e.g. Cucumber, Tomatoes, Zucchini) Leafy & Root Vegetables.

These items make up the basic ingredients that would make up the afore mentioned Daniel Diet which coincidentally is the acclaimed Mucus-Less Diet owing to the fact that when properly prepared and consumed these items help to curtail excess mucus and the overall eradication of diseases and toxins.

The only condiment listed here for flavoring is Uniodized Sea-Salt and I have explained why in chapter 11 of this publication.

In addition, I personally don’t eat any animal products for the facts that I don’t want to and of course, needless to say, they are quite harmful especially these days, therefore, I have not offered any preparation tips for animal by products.

However, if you must eat meat, you could always re-read chapter 6 on exactly how that should be done for health. Basically, you would want to consume only clean animals, birds and fish and try to avoid frying, condiments and excess. In addition, it appears that the only way they could be prepared will be by boiling, baking or roasting-just as long as the Fat is removed and frying and addition of fat is avoided.

Note: This is not any special diet, you don’t need to count calories, worry about vitamins etc-the key is have your choice of these fruits as outlined in their seasons pre-washed and available to eat INSTEAD OF ALL SNACKS AND PROCESSED FOODS and when hunger dictates, to get your body used to the transition, nibble ONLY from the items listed and when thirsty, drink ONLY the unflavored lemonade (room temperature water 3 quarts + 3 lemons).

To begin getting the body used to eating proper items, you can undertake this method of eating all day and have your choice of fruit, salads, soups or steamed vegetables at night made up of the fruits and vegetables.

Subsequently, every morning squeeze 2-3 lemons into 2-3 quarts of water (room temperature) and drink ONLY that as thirst dictates. Drink a whole quart BEFORE NOON to balance out the PH levels in your body, then sip as you desire the rest of the day. (If needed, please refer to Chapter 14 for more on the benefits of Lemon and Lime Juice.)

In addition, try to ensure that you are seated at the given times of eating and you eat only one food item at a time, for example all the grapes you want, followed by all the apples you want etc…but at least trying to give a 5 minute space between each kind of fruit. Then at night your fruits and or vegetables. In addition try to stick to the seasons and other essentials listed in the previous chapters leading up to this.

How To Combine Your Food Properly For Health

Eating is one of the many sources of enjoyment given to us by Nature. Though it was intended for this activity to be a source of nourishment for the body, since most modern day dietetic innovations avoid proper food combining methods, they tend to do the exact opposite.

In a traditional diet, everything is mixed together in every possible way. A smooth digestion and assimilation is not the goal, but rather gratifying and exciting all the senses in one meal. Dr. Tilden used to say that Nature never produced a sandwich-a modern dietetic abomination. Such protein-starch combinations are of recent origin and like most modern meals today, instead of feeding the body, they actually poison it.

Bad Food combining creates indigestion, fermentation and gas. Food is fermenting and putrefying in the intestines, which is one of the main causes of constipation, a clogging up of the bodily tissues.

Therefore, simplicity of a meal should be the goal when eating for health. This includes first and foremost, proper food combining principles, consuming the right quantity at a time and eating only when truly hungry.

It should be noted that initially, humans must have appreciated and preferred the flavors of unadulterated fruits and vegetables and as expected, just as it takes a while for a smoker to learn to enjoy smoking and someone who drinks to enjoy alcohol, it also takes some time to learn to eat cooked, spicy, fatty and salted foods. This explains why when babies first begin to eat such foods, they usually reject them with a lot of drooling and runny noses as their pure bodies are not designed for such foods and have to learn to consume such items. In addition, just as it will take the body some time to learn to cope with such foods, it will inevitably take some time to UNLEARN it and start to enjoy the natural flavors of  fruits and vegetables.

Certain foods take longer to digest than others and therefore should not be eaten at the same time as ones that would leave the stomach quicker. Ideally, eating one kind of food (fruit or vegetable) at a time would be the most ideal, but granted, we live in a society where success at certain things might hinge on enjoyment of the practice.

Variety is one sure way of increasing enjoyment but when it comes to food, especially for the health seeker, this should be approached with care.

Food combining: Classification of Foods 

Foods (when eating for health) can be classified as follows.

-Fruit:

1. Sweet Fruits: Tropical fruits, Bananas, Mangoes, Papaya, Dates, Dried fruits, Sweet apples.

2. Acid Fruit: Citrus, Lemon, Tomatoes, Berries, Pineapples.

3. Sub-Acid Fruit: Most tart apples, Pears, Grapes,

4. Melons: Cantaloupe, Honey-Dew, Water Melon etc

5. Fatty: Avocadoes, Olives, Durian, Young coconuts

-Nuts and Seeds

1. Non-Starchy Foods:

Green leaves, Carrots, Fruit Vegetables e.g. Cucumber, Bell Peppers, Zucchini

2. Starchy: Cooked Vegetables (roots), Grains (if necessary)

3. Lettuce and Celery:

Listed above are foods in their various categories, now, let’s go over the details of food combining principles for eating right.

Boy, would it have been easier if we just ate a mono-meal of fruit and a few leaves and call it a day. Well, in this present age, that is close to impossible for most people, hence the need to at least learn better food combining methods for health.

Now that we’ve gone over the reasons why proper food combining is important and the groups of foods, let’s go over the principles of mixing these items properly.

Food combining: Rules to follow

To avoid fermentation in the intestines, indigestion, water retention and toxicity, do apply these simple techniques in eating for health

1. Try to eat sweet fruits with other varieties of sweet fruits only. They may combine with sub-acid fruits

2. Eat acid fruits first when eating other fruits and they could combine with sub-acid and sweet fruits or with Lettuce and Celery. In little quantities they may combine with Avocadoes or Nuts and Non-Starchy vegetables.

3. Avocadoes and Olives are best eaten with non-starchy vegetables. However, I believe mashed, avocadoes combine adequately enough with cooked starchy vegetables.

4. Melons, as a rule eat alone, wait at least 15 minutes or thereabout before eating other sweet fruits.

Food Combining: Combinations to Avoid:  

When practicing proper food combining as rule for eating healthier, these are some combinations you especially want to avoid.

1. Starch and Acid (e.g. Tomato and Potato)

2. Protein and Protein (Avocadoes and nuts)

3. Sweets and Starch (Maple Syrup and Rice)

4. Fats with Sugar (Avocado and sweet fruit, trail mix, dates with nuts, most if not all baked goods that have sweetening elements along with fatty ones)

5. Cooked starch with sugar (e.g. bread and jam, all baked goods)

6. Protein with Starch ( meat and potatoes, bread and meat, bread and cheese)

Food Combining: Comments on other Food items: 

1. Try not to eat fresh fruits with cooked meals. Save for the avocado and even then with caution.

2. Lettuce and Celery combine with anything. Eat these raw.

3. Meat & Fish: Eat these substances in very, very little quantities, one at a time and with No/low starch vegetables exclusively. (a re-read of the principles in Chapter 6 may be necessary in regards to these items.)

4. Bread: Well, here is a thought, Nature doesn’t produce bread! If you must eat this item, eat as little of it as possible, toasted and with vegetables and fat only. Also to be considered is this fact: you’re only being rendered as soggy as that bread and if you’re male, it has the tendency to throw your sexuality out of sync. Ever wonder why some guys have breasts? Well, bread is piled with a high amount of estrogen (a female hormone) so do yourself a favor and eat of it no longer. (I have read that rye, spelt and un-yeasted breads might be okay in moderation) (a re-read of the principles in Chapter 7 may be necessary in regards to grain products.)

5. Grains: Eat as little as possible of grains and when consumed, combine them with vegetables only.

Eat Foods In Their Right Order:

As you will notice in the next chapter and elsewhere in this book, I have suggested that people eat one food at a time for the simple fact that items are grown separately. For example, even a fruit salad (as healthy as it may be) is a violation of nature’s intent since honeydew melons and Kiwi for example do not grow from the same plant.

Well, it gets even more detailed in that foods that digest quickly (most sweet fruits and melons) MUST wait for other foods that digest slowly to leave the stomach. This process could take several hours and during that time, many types of foods start fermenting, producing gas and rotting.

However, it has been found that when foods (the healthy ones that is) are eaten one at a time, the entire meal will digest in layers in comparison to when they are eaten all together, then the stomach is filled with the same mixture and will take a lot longer to digest with more difficulties.

Folks, this phenomenon has been confirmed by many doctors who observed a wounded soldier who had an opening on his stomach. Apparently, they were able to study the digestion “live and in real time” and they observed that his stomach digested foods in several layers.

Therefore, the concepts to keep in mind are as follows:

1. Eat Watery Foods First: Basically all fresh juicy fruits should be eaten first since they digest rapidly and leave room for more concentrated foods.
2. Eat Fruit First: Eat the fruits first then have vegetables or cooked items afterwards (as suggested in the next chapter). Most people eat fruit for DESSERT after  having had a sandwich or some other wrong food then complain about gas, to avoid that, have the fruits first and then other foods.
3. Eat Acid Fruits like Citrus, pineapple, kiwi first when eating anything else including fruit.

In order to know what speed applies to what kind of food so they can be eaten in the right sequence, refer to this list below:

1. Very Fast Digesting Foods: Melon, juice fruit, fruit juice, broth
2. Fast Digesting Foods: Raw vegetables, blended raw soups
3. Slower Digesting Foods: Steamed Vegetables, root vegetables
4. Even Slower Digesting Foods: Grains, Bread, Avocado, Oils, Nuts
5. VERY SLOW DIGESTING FOODS: Meats, Processed, Junk, Fried, Micro-waved Foods.

With this information provided, you basically want to eat in the order that the foods digest, sitting down as much as possible with one food at a time. That remains the ideal. That’s why I suggested in Summer for example one should eat

1. Watermelons first to your heart’s delight, wait about 5-10 minutes, walk it off by emptying the trash from the watermelon, going out to get fresh air, relieving one’s self in the restroom etc
2. Eat some other musk melons like Honeydew or Cantaloupe wait about 5-10 minutes, walk it off…
3. Eat some Mangoes and same procedure, wait about 5-10 minutes, walk it off.

Not only does the body signal when you’ve had enough of a certain fruit, it helps immensely with digestion.

In addition, if you must have dinner after such a sequence, try to wait about 2-3 hours then eat any of the suppers listed in the next chapter or variations of it. Of course juices if and when consumed should be taken in during the morning hours.

Food combining: Final Suggestions and Closing thoughts: 

1. Try not to eat until you’re hungry and guidelines to know when you are in true hunger are as follows:

-The stomach aspires.

-The mouth salivates even at the sight of plain lettuce.

-The mind is happy and clear

-It happens usually after noon when the body is its building stage.

2. Do not drink liquids of any kind with your meals. It only dilutes the digestive juices in your stomach leading to indigestion and constipation.

3. As a rule of thumb, don’t drink anything but water an hour or 2 prior to and/or after eating your meals.

4. One truth regarding the conditions of the human blood found out by medical doctors is that acidity is a sign of disease. This readily happens with the mixed eater when he fills his stomach daily with meat, starch, confectioneries and fruit all at the same time.

5. Try to keep to the seasonal chart provided and to simplify the rules, you can eat sweet fruits one at a time with sub-acid and acid fruits (ensuring to eat the acid fruits e.g. citrus first) | You can eat melons with sweet fruits with the melons eaten first | Try to eat the most watery fruits first | try not to eat fruits with condiments | Try not to eat fruits with cooked foods <except in the case of the Avocado>

6. Have fun with the diet!

Remember, in Nature such as exists in the animal kingdom, there are no mixtures at all. The ideal and most natural method of eating is the mono-diet. Truthfully, one kind of fresh organic fruit, when in season, should constitute a meal and you will find yourself better nourished. However going back to that simplicity is very difficult in our complicated world. This is why, as an alternative, you should apply the guidelines above when eating for health. So as much as possible, follow these food combining principles properly in addition to the menu and your body will thank you for years to come that you did.

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Now, that we’ve addressed some basic food combining principles, let’s proceed further.

The bulk of these meals are for the evening supper for each of the stages listed below:

1. STAGE 1-First Two Weeks:

To get used to eating healthier diets and to re-introduce your taste buds to fruits and vegetables simply

a. Squeeze 2-3 lemons in 2-3 quarts of water in the morning and drink about half of this to rehydrate the body and normalize its PH levels and of course for all the other benefits of the Lemon Juice as explained in Chapter 14 of this book.

b. Starting at around 11 am (which should be feasible for several people) you can begin eating your choice of seasonal fruits as provided in the chart and remember you don’t have to count or worry about calories or quantities, eat to your hearts delight, as long as they are from the food items listed in Chapter 25.

c. The Only requirement for now while eating the fruits are that you eat one kind at a time, sitting down and at least give it a 4-5 minutes pause before going to another kind of sweet fruit.

d. For the Avocado lovers, you should save fatty fruits for the evening times and the sweet fruits for earlier on in the day.

e. In the evenings, after at least a 2-3 hour break from eating fruits all day, at the designated time that you want to eat your dinner, you can now choose from the recipes below for Salads & Cooked Vegetables.

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2. STAGE 2-Beginning The Third Week And Onwards:

By now you should be reacquainted to eating fruits and vegetables again, so some degree of routine and order has to be put into effect at this stage for the bodily functions listed in Chapter 25 to begin working properly. As much as most people would like to eat all day, it’s not the most ideal practice as there is a time for everything. (Ecclesiastes 3: 1  There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens) .

Here is the suggested new routine:

Standard Menu

Lemonade in the morning.

LUNCH: 3 or more kinds of seasonal fruits with at least a 5 minute break in between each fruit.

SUPPER: Other Fruits | Raw Vegetables | Steamed Root | leafy vegetables.

This diet quickly brings the average person not diagnosed with any visible illness yet into a better condition. This diet heals every disease that can be healed or prevented simply because all disease producing foods are removed from the diet and the new ones loosen, stir up and eliminate the old disease forming debris from the wrong foods thus giving the body an opportunity to heal and re-build itself.

My Personal Standard Menu For More Detail

1. Breakfast: Lemonade OR Lemonade and 30 minutes to an hour afterwards, A Specified Orange Juice as outlined below. This is pretty much your call, if you can handle just drinking 2-3 quarts of lemonade first thing in the morning and fasting till later on in the day to begin eating around noon or thereabout, that will be great. Most people skip breakfast anyway so this shouldn’t be hard for most people to do.

I personally don’t start eating till about 5 pm or so in the day and furthermore one could say I fast all day (as all I usually have is the lemonade and that’s it ) and usually I am very active all day so beginning to eat at noon and having lemonade as a ‘breakfast’ alternative should not be a problem for the majority.

In the past, I used to drink the Lemonade and 30 minutes to an hour afterwards, the Specified Orange Juice a friend dubbed “Orange Julius” then eat just fruit at night. Which could be implemented as well if you would like to take that approach.  

In either instance, the main difference is you will find yourself not nibbling on food all day long or even drinking as the unnatural thirst disappears and a benefit of this for people is you get a whole lot more stuff done and the energy that is usually used for preparing food, eating, digesting and cleaning up can be used for other things. I guess the phrase “Man shall not live by Food Alone….” comes into play here as one main benefit of this menu and regimen is one tends to have a more structured approach to life. But of course, you can always loosen the reins every now and then AS LONG AS you eat only fruits and vegetables-it’s really not that hard!

In addition, always keep in mind that our system goes through a cleansing process from twelve midnight until twelve noon, and a building program from twelve noon to twelve midnight. Therefore, what is eaten during these respective periods must be harmonious with the natural processes.

2. Lunch: Two to four seasonal juicy fruits (eat as much as your appetite dictates and ensure to read up on the staples in Chapter 25 for details of seasons) or fruit smoothies (recipes and specific uses and guidelines are issued in the text as well. The same procedures apply, one fruit at a time, sitting down, 4-5 minutes in between the fruits.

3. Supper: Vegetables: Cooked, Raw or a combination.

From here on, you should have gotten the body used to the whole concept of eating better and could now see about going completely raw some days, some days just fruit and even try the occasional 2-3 Unflavored Lemonade Fast or Longer Juice Fast .

Use This When You Want To Make Juice

Now, I have tried the master cleanser on several occasions and though I believe in its efficiency, I believe it’s not the only route to do a thorough liquid diet/juice detoxification. Based on my tastes and common sense or intuition, I’ve come up with another option that (at least for me and other people who have tasted it) might be more appealing taste and money wise.

Instead of all the lemons (which should be organic) that you’d have to buy and the questionable cayenne pepper which schools of diet tend to disagree on, I use organic Valencia Oranges which are naturally sweet and give you more juice for way much less money than the required 10-12 lemons needed to sustain you during the day.

Furthermore, think about it logically, try squeezing all those lemons and drinking them unflavored, chances are that it won’t be appealing at all, considering its taste. I believe that as potent as the lemon might be, nature must not have intended for it to be consumed in that much of a quantity.

Juice recipe:

As an alternative to the Master Cleanser, pioneered by Stanley Burroughs, Juicing of vegetables and even fruits through a juicer (which I don’t necessarily advocate), I offer a more common sense and less time consuming juice that is both tasty and nutritious.

Ingredients:

-Grade B Maple Syrup (Organic preferably)

-Organic Valencia Oranges

-Drinking Water (distilled, reverse osmosis or filtered)

The basic recipe is this

For each medium size to large orange and 2.5 (or slightly less) oz of maple syrup, add enough water to make a 12 oz worth of juice.

For the Sedentary 1.5 to 2 quarts of this juice (which is 3-4 oranges and 8-10 ounces of Grade B genuine maple syrup) should suffice as an excellent juice for consumption or even a fast. For the more active, a maximum of 6 oranges and the 10-12 ounces of Maple Syrup would prove to be more than sufficient.

Depending on how many oranges you intend on using, there is a trick to this to get the best taste and that is as follows.

For the process being outlined, I will be using 4 oranges and 8-9 oz of maple syrup. (Therefore, when using less or more oranges-the maximum being 6 oranges at a time-you would want to divide accordingly.)

1. Have the maple syrup already measured into the container. For example If I were making the concoction using 4 oranges, I would have approximately 9 oz of maple syrup measured into the container I’ll be drinking from, which should have a lid by the way.

2. Squeeze all the oranges into a separate smaller container. So that means, I’ll squeeze 4 oranges into another bowl or cup.

3. Pour ALL the fresh squeezed orange juice into the maple syrup.

4. Add water as needed to make about 48 oz of the drink.

5. Stir up and let it settle for about 5 minutes.

Admittedly, you see that some degree of work/time is involved here and perhaps that’s why I tend to not do this as much anymore except when I am fasting and have nothing else to do per se like washing other fruits, eating, cleaning etc.

However, if you can work into your schedule, that will be fine. Please do ensure that the water is at room temperature and that the maple syrup has been taken out of the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to being used.

In addition, you may have to vary the quantity of the oranges against the maple syrup and vice-versa considering some people may not like very sweet items like I do. So by all means, feel free to experiment here with the basic outline.

Also, you would want to literally chew on this concoction instead of guzzling it down like the lemonade, as this helps the digestive process and always try to drink this at least 30 minutes AFTER the lemonade has been consumed.

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It is my hope that as a family unit, if applicable, you can introduce the family to eating more fruits all day (instead of harmful snacks) and have suppers gleaned from the recipes below.

My recipes offered are relatively simple and to the point. I try not to mix more than 3-5 items at a time when eating, as anything more might be pushing it.

The recipes listed here are tasty and nutritious meals that require a few ingredients and only a little time to create for you and yours to enjoy. They are offered, adhering to basic food combination principles to avoid digestive disturbances and or complications and to ensure a systematic and simultaneous cleanse of the alimentary canal and entire body.

I have categorized them as Smoothies, Soups, Salads, Cooked vegetables and Compromises. (Just in case and not to be abused.)

They are basically the ingredients for an average sized adult of 5’8″, 150 lbs therefore please use your discretion and taste and hunger to judge how little or much you might need and for how many people.

Again, if you are used to not using salt, these recipes will taste great, but the use of uniodized sea-salt in a 1-3 tablespoon range is okay for most.

Taste vs. Risk: Is Deep-Frying Worth It?

I will admit that in the past, I preferred eating fried foods versus any other method of cooking, most of the time. However, being that I did and still do have a sweet tooth, when other methods of cooking such as steaming, boiling, baking or roasting were used, as long as whatever those methods are used for still tasted good, I didn’t always have to have fried foods.

Of course this was my way of thinking prior to realizing just why mom said she didn’t want to fry all the time. For one, an increasing number of reports and studies suggest a link between high fat-laden diets and obesity, heart disease and high cholesterol.

Deep fried foods are one of the most unhealthy types of food you can eat, and should be avoided even if you fry your own foods. This is because most deep fried food contain saturated fats and trans-fats which contribute to the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Furthermore, when oil is heated to high temperatures, or is over used, it forms a toxic compound called acrylamide which is a known carcinogen and neurotoxin or in other words can cause cancer. Therefore, foods such as French fries and potato chips contain high levels of acrylamide and in the long run could contribute to cancer or severely hinder the prevention of healing of it. Another reason to avoid deep fried food is that it is high in calories, and can lead to weight gain if eaten regularly. As a result, to stay healthy, stick to foods that are prepared using healthy cooking methods.

Although most of the produce to be mentioned here can be fried and could honestly taste good, remember folks, we are eating for health and not for taste. Moreover, the staples used here will still be delicious even when properly cooked, baked, roasted or steamed.

Enjoy:

Cooked Vegetable Options:

ROOTS FOR DIPPING:

The main procedure being done here is to create a dip of sorts using cooked root vegetables. That said, from my experiences, the kind of potatoes that work best for this would be the following:

1. White Potatoes

2. Garnet Yams

3. Jersey Sweet Potatoes

4. Japanese Yams

5. Russet Potatoes

BOILING OPTION:

a. So for any of these roots, hold them under a running faucet (filtering shower head) peel and boil in saline water consisting of approx 4 tsps of un-iodized sea salt and water. ( a trick my mom taught me as a kid is to taste the saltiness of the water before proceeding with cooking as the intensity of that depicts how salty your dish will be)

b. Ensure that the water is boiled first (this can be done of course while peeling the roots), then add the peeled and cut up roots (try to cut them as small as possible perhaps 2-3″ cubes).

c. Boil for about 30-40 minutes or until well done and scoop out the roots into a container.

d. Allow them to cool off (I usually wait about 20 minutes).

e. While they are cooling, scoop the flesh out of some washed Avocadoes and mash them up after adding sea-salt to taste. (See to it that you do not add too much salt)

f. Now that you have made your basic ‘dip’ simply dip the roots and eat as you would (of all things) French Fries and Ketchup.

*As a side note, I will provide other tasty dips that could be used in place of just Avocadoes in the section labeled as Other Dips for Cooked Dishes. However, for the convenience, ease and speed, I simply just use avocadoes most of the time.

BAKED OPTION:

For any of the aforementioned roots, you can simply bake them using the following directions:

a. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

b. Bake the roots whole until tender. (easily about an hour or more)

c. When done, simply put them into a dish on the table, peel and again simply dip the roots and eat as you would (of all things) French Fries and Ketchup.

*For this baking option, salt is unnecessary for the main fact that although it may take a while for the roots to be tenderized versus boiling, the sweet potatoes come out tasting arguably sweeter which according to Professor Arnold Ehret is actually an improvement as the starch in the roots have been converted into healthy carbohydrates.

Moreover, the nutrients in the roots are kept much more intact than boiling. But really, let’s face it, if you have had your lemonade and fruits all day, you really are not missing any nutrients per se, this is just to allow for the pleasure of eating something cooked. In addition, you are dipping the roots in nutrient based avocadoes anyway.

As you can see, that’s not so hard to do, you are still eating what most coin “real food” and this  is way healthier.

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Porridge:

-Peel and Boil an average of 4 lbs of potatoes per average-sized person (they can be garnet yams or russet potatoes)

-When it is soft enough to be pierced, drain about 90 % of the broth away and now mash with 1-2 avocadoes per person. (do ensure to leave some of the broth in the pot-again about 10 %. Do note, this is the only dish where I would purposely drain the broth versus scooping out the boiled roots/vegetables. The reason simply is the former method (draining by pouring some of the broth out of the pot with the lid slightly opened) is that you NEED the flavor of the broth/vegetables in this instance for this dish to taste appealing. Take my word for it, when you scoop out the vegetables and mash the avocadoes, it DOES NOT taste anywhere as good.)

-Now add salt to taste and enjoy. (Before eating this and also before mashing the avocadoes, you may choose to eat a stalk of celery for each person and wait 10-15 minutes before the main course)

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“Sweet Potato Pie”

-Bake Garnet or Jewel yams (or Jersey Sweet Potatoes); Japanese Yams in an oven heated to 475 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

-When it can be pierced, allow to cool.

-Upon cooling, peel the vegetable and mash with avocadoes and a little bit of sea salt.

This is actually a great simple dish of most tropical countries.

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PLANTAIN FOR DIPPING:

What is a Plantain?

Plantains are a member of the banana family. They are a starchy, low in sugar variety that is cooked before serving as it is unsuitable raw. It is used in many savory dishes somewhat like a potato would be used and is very popular in Western Africa and the Caribbean countries.

Some people fondly call it “potatoes of the air’ thus they can be used in most recipes calling for potatoes.

Still, listed below are some basic differences between plantains and bananas. Furthermore, I will provide the recipes on how they could be used.

Plantains Bananas

• Starchy

• Used as a vegetable

• Longer than bananas

• Thicker skin

• Resemble green bananas, but may be green, yellow or black •

Sweet Bananas

• Eaten as a fruit

• Shorter than plantains

• Thinner skin

• Color is green when not fully ripe, yellow when ripe

Boiling Option:

You can do one of 2 things depending on your preference and taste and these are to boil the plantain in its skin in plain water or to boil it peeled in saline water.

You could also boil plantains in their skin in saline water if you so choose.

Personally, I always used plantains when they are fully ripe and I usually go for the bigger ones in the South American stores that have minimal blemishes. Still, I am yet to taste plantains, bananas , mangoes or papayas like the ones back in Nigeria and I am quite sure it has to do with the fact that the ones here in US supermarkets are usually exported and may not be the cream of the crop per se of the countries they are exported from.

Now back to boiling plantains:

When Boiling With The Skin:

1. Wash the plantain thoroughly. It’s essential that you wash the plantain before boiling because since you’re boiling it, whatever dirt is on the plantain will go into the water and more than likely, you’ll end up ingesting some of that, so it’s indeed better to be safe than sorry!**

2. Cut into two’s or three’s (the smaller you cut, the quicker it’ll take to cook)

3. Now immerse the plantains in rapidly boiling water and allow it to cook till when the skin is just about to come off.

4. At this stage, remove the plantains (it’s best to not always pour away the water you use to steam or cook vegetables with as this robs them of a lot nutrients-except in the porridge dish listed above though.) and set them aside in another container or pot, then carefully remove the skin and set aside to cool. (I personally just use this time to wash whatever I have used thus far so I am not backed-up with a ton of dishes at the end.

When Boiling Without The Skin:

1. Simply Peel the Plantains by cutting of the tips of both ends and Score the skin of the plantain, trying not to cut into the plantain itself. Do this along the “seam” of the plantain.

2. Cut the plantain into 2′s or 3′s then immerse in rapidly boiling saline water and allow to boil until it turns yellow and is done.

You will notice that this option leaves you with a lesser clean up and may even be safer as you have peeled the plantain before boiling, however, I will admit, boiling the plantain in its skin makes them taste a little better.

You can also roast and bake plantains and yes, I admit, fried plantains are really good too….or “were” as I don’t eat fried foods anymore for obvious reasons discussed earlier on in this chapter, so for better health, you would want to avoid frying as much as possible.

Roasting Directions

1. When the barbecue is heated, place the peeled plantains on the barbecue grids and start roasting. Remember to turn the sides from time to time for an even roast.

Note: Plantain can also be roasted in an oven. Place the peeled plantains on the grill rack and place the rack as close to the grill as possible. Cover the oven and set to grill. The heat should be between 350°F and 400°F as the plantains need to be roasted slowly. Check from time to time and turn the plantains on the other side to ensure an even roast.

2. When the plantain is perfectly roasted.

3. The roasted plantain is ready to be served. Dip the roasted plantains in the salted mashed avocadoes or any of the other dip options provided herewith.

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Steamed Vegetables:

Steamed Broccoli, Cabbage & Cauliflower

Folks, You do not want to use the popular method of steaming vegetables in a basket or otherwise perforated container over a large quantity of boiling water that gets discarded, as this method robs the vegetables of too many vitamins and minerals. The best way is to cook in a pot without a basket, with a heavy lid and with as little water as possible. This way little or no water is left at the end.

Furthermore, for leafy vegetables, steam only till when the vegetables begin to soften as they should remain firm and intact.

This also is why other hard vegetables like roots, plantains should be scooped out instead of being poured into a basket or colander as this essentially robs the produce of too many vitamins and minerals. *(Yes, I may have to contradict myself at this stage here in regards to the afore-mentioned porridge recipe above, however for some reason, IN THAT ONE INSTANCE , it tastes better to discard the broth as suggested-just that one time. Let’s not forget, we must have had lemonade and tons of fruit and we still will be using avocadoes for dipping purposes, therefore, suffice it to say we should have had sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals for the day.)

You will notice that the only condiment I use and think is permissible is the Uniodized Sea-Salt.

The other kinds of salt lead to water retention which could result into bloated eyes, itchy skin and as discussed in Chapter 11, are notorious irritants of the digestive tract.

I don’t even use fresh onions due to this fact, however, being a root vegetable, it could be used for flavoring with any of these dishes, but of course you can always try the simpler version before exploring. As long as you try not to use any unnecessary condiments. In addition, if so desired, green onions could be used as well for the purpose of spice-permissibly, with discretion and caution.

Next, we will go over how to steam vegetables. For this method, we will basically used the given staple or main vegetable and the same methods apply for all of them.

The most common leafy vegetables to use are Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower.

For any of these:

1. Wash the vegetable with your Fruit/Vegetable Wash.

2. Cut-up or break into smaller pieces (not too small though)

3. Add to the pot and a tight lid in which about 1/4-1/2 cups of water is boiling. (in other words, ensure that you can see a lot of vegetables with little or no water and do not have them covered with the water.

4. Allow the vegetables to steam on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes (checking ever so often to ensure that they are just about to soften)

5. Scoop the vegetables out into another clean pot or container and allow to cool uncovered for about 5 minutes.

6. Add this point you can add some already mashed avocadoes OR scoop out the flesh of 2-3 avocadoes on top of the vegetables and mash them (I prefer the latter option) -it is okay that some of the vegetables get mashed-

7. Add some sea-salt to the vegetables and avocadoes (starting on the lower end-1/2 tsp and if needed add some more)

Enjoy.

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Baked Vegetables:

As mentioned earlier, baking vegetables improves their taste by making them a little sweeter, more palatable and an improvement as their inbuilt carbohydrates are developed into grape sugar more or less. Furthermore, when done the right way, their mineral salts are not destroyed or extracted.

Therefore, for the following vegetables the same steps apply.

1. Quarter the head of a cabbage or cauliflower as the case may be (for the broccoli, cut off the stem and quarter up the head) ( you may also choose to keep the hardy being used here whole and then broken up after baking them.)

2. Place each part on a piece of foil or better still simply place in the baking dish.

3. If the foil is being used (wrap up the vegetables) if not simply bake as is at 350 degree (175 C.) oven until soft.

4. Add this point you can add some already mashed avocadoes OR scoop out the flesh of 2-3 avocadoes on top of the vegetables and mash them (I prefer the latter option) -it is okay that some of the vegetables get mashed.

5. Add some sea-salt to the vegetables and avocadoes (starting on the lower end-1/2 tsp and if needed add some more)

Enjoy.

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Eggplant Hash:

-Wash an eggplant thoroughly with your veggie-wash.

-Boil an eggplant in its skin for 15-20 minutes | An alternative is to bake the eggplant at 350 degree (175 C.) oven until soft.

-Dip it in cool water.

-Peel as you would a boiled egg

-Mash it up with avocados (1-2)

Add salt to taste (you can process it in your food processor as well for consistency) Serve with mashed boiled potatoes or finely sliced potatoes or a little rice (the last choice being only if you must and do see to it that the guidelines for using rice are adhered to…)

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Boiled Zucchini

- Wash some Zucchinis .

- Peel them with a vegetable peeler.

- Chop up into pieces of about ½ inch thickness

- Boil them in plain water.

- As always with all vegetables in this section, scoop out of the pot (it usually takes about 5-10 minutes for them to just begin to soften) into a dish.

- At this point this point scoop out the flesh of 2-3 avocadoes on top of the vegetables and mash them.

- Add some sea-salt to the vegetables and avocadoes (starting on the lower end-1/2 tsp and if needed add some more

Enjoy

• On a side note, when green leafy or fruit vegetables are baked or steamed (as in the case of the “Eggplant Hash” and “Boiled Zucchini listed above), they could be used as a ‘dip’ for the roots/plantain dishes listed previously OR served on cut up lettuce/celery and be a dressing of sorts.

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Dips for Celery, cucumber…

The following could be used as a dip of sorts for cut up celery, cucumbers, celeriac (the celery root) or as a dressing for cut up lettuce /cabbage.

Guacamole:

-2 avocadoes

-2 medium tomatoes

-Sea salt to taste

Process everything in your food processor.

Or you could simply put all the ingredients in a pot an mash them up hand-style.

Lemon juice could be added if desired by squeezing half a lemon into this concoction .

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SALADS:

I personally have reached the stage with my dietetic habits where if I choose to be raw (which is most to the time now) I simply eat fruit only.

Hey it’s sweet, doesn’t involve excessive clean-up procedures or preparations and is suited for a bachelor, at least as of the time of this writing.

Nonetheless, I understand that most people may not be able to embrace the concept of eating ‘just fruit’. That said, the success of many people on a mostly raw vegan diet may hinge on the use of salads. Therefore the following tips and recipes are being offered herewith.

At this stage, as good as leaves may be for us as humans, we are truly fruit eaters. Therefore, I recommend to limit yourself within 1-2 lbs of leaves per adult and 1/2 to 1 pound per kid. For filling purposes, augment your salads with fruit veggies such as Cucumbers, or root veggies such as Carrots.

Cabbage alone is fine and due to its fibrous character is a great intestinal broom. Finely cut and served with any of the dressings provided herewith is great.

Other great vegetables for bases are of course lettuce, and chopped celery, chopped tomatoes and bell peppers.

Ensure to chop the base vegetables all to the same size to allow the flavors to intermingle. Pregnant and nursing mothers and growing kids and teenagers should have a huge salad as often as possible. When making for the whole family you can double the ingredients in the recipes and increase the vegetables.

The Real Ranch Dressing:

-2 medium sized tomatoes

-2 young coconuts

-1/2 tsp of salt

-6 organic sun dried tomatoes

-I stalk of Celery

-1 tbs of lemon juice (optional)

Blend all and use as a dressing for a lettuce based salad. (Note: I recommend using one base leafy vegetable at a time, if desired a fruit veggie like cucumbers or organic bell peppers can be used along with shredded carrots)

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Guacamole:

-2 avocadoes

-2 medium tomatoes

-1/2 orange or Lemon juice (for the tangy taste vinegar may offer)

-Sea salt to taste

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Dress Down Dressing:

-1/2 lemon

-2-3 avocadoes

-Sea Salt to taste

-1/2 cup water

Blend all together or mash without water in a separate container. This simple combo will give any dressing a run for its money anytime, any day, anywhere!

Some people simply drizzle olive oil on their cut up vegetables and add salt and lemon juice, which I have tried and is palatable as well. Again, I have tendency to stick to mostly fruits and celery.

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SMOOTHIES AND PUDDINGS:

 “Chocolate Milk”

-10-15 medium dates

-3 ripe bananas.

-1 Young Coconut (I don’t usually use the water inside of the nut although I heard it has some benefits, I have tested it on myself to a not so good result but again we are all different)

-16 oz cold Water

Blend everything starting with the fruits then the coconut. A variation of this would be to use 24 oz of coconut milk (see recipe on coconut milk in section for rice dishes)

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Papaya Passion

-1 medium Papaya (Yeah, I know I listed this as a Genetically Modified Fruit in Chapter 10, however, remember, I said GMO fruits still are healthier than junk food and hey this does taste good, let’s loosen up a bit here. Besides, it’s not ALL Papayas that are GMO, the ones from South America may be okay and apparently the Organic ones from Hawaii are said to be safe since a GMO fruit by law cannot be sold as organic.)

-1 red delicious apple

-5 dates (pitted)

Blend everything and enjoy.

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Strawberry Delight

-4-8 strawberries

-1-2 Bananas

-8-10 dates

Blend everything and enjoy.

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My Milk Shake tastes much better than yours…!

-2 cups of Durian

-8 dates

-2 bananas

-1 tsp of Carob powder (optional)

Blend everything and enjoy.

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Mango Magic

-1-2 ripe mangos (peeled)

-8 dates (pitted)

-Juice of one orange

Blend everything and enjoy.

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Durian Deck

-24 oz of durian

-1/2 orange

-Blend both.

*This particular smoothie cold be Suitable for Dressings in salad.

The ones listed above are my favorites, basically I think smoothies are creative ways to enjoy the proper diet and not entirely miss out on pleasuring ourselves occasionally, but remember, don’t abuse them, mono meals of fruits will be much better and you are going to have to clean up afterwards. They should be made with blenders and of course feel free to be creative with other fruits like Cherimoyas, Persimmons, Pears and so on along with various varieties of dates (including but not limited to Barhi, Honey, Medjool mainly)

*I would like to stress that since it appears most commercial baby foods are basically pureed fruits from God knows where and how, these smoothies and soups (covered in the next section) can serve as the first meals for toddlers , growing kids, pregnant and nursing mothers.

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SOUPS:

These are great winter foods and they can be served at room temperature or slightly warmed for under 1-2 minutes on mid level of a stove. In smaller quantities they can serve as dressings.

Tom-Avo

-2 organic Roma or Hot House tomatoes

-2 big Avocadoes (pitted)

-2 tsp orange juice (freshly squeezed) 2 oz of water

Blend all of this adding the avocadoes last.

You may add 3/4 tsp of un-iodized sea-salt for taste (best unheated)

Serving Suggestion: Chop some Red Cabbage say a cup or less finely and sprinkle into the soup

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Mr. Zucchini Zeal

-2 medium sized zucchinis

-2 avocadoes

-1 stalk of celery

-1tbs of Dulse flakes

-1/2-1 tsp of sea-salt

You can serve this slightly warmed for a mild and feeling treat, it is wonderful as a first meal after a fast. (For the adventurous Boil Very ripe Plantains in drinking water for 20-25 minutes or until the skin disintegrates, mash the plantains and use a dipping vegetable when Mr. Z is served warm, or raw carrots when Mr. Z is served unheated…

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Okra Ovation

-This is a basic African soup

-2-3 okras (chop the tops off)

-2 avocadoes

-1/2 tomato

-1/2 tsp of salt

Blend all to a desired consistency, starting with the tomato

Heat this up till it starts to bubble like custard. You can have this alone or with say 1-2 cups of boiled rice with the recipe listed below.

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COMPROMISES:

For times when you feel as though you want to treat yourself to something on the wild side just for the tinge of its excitement…that is if you must, rice dishes may suffice and besides their admittedly good taste, these recipes are quite tasty and still healthy enough to know they leave the stomach quickly as well.

Rice-a-Roni

-Soak 3 cups of brown rice (per adult-1-2 per kid) overnight.

-Drain the water off.

-Boil the rice till soft (say 50 minutes)

When it is about 80 % cooked you may add chopped celery. When all is boiled, add some mashed avocadoes or serve with eggplant hash or Okra ovation.

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Coconut rice:

-This is a great Brazilian dish.

-Coconut milk is quite a satisfying drink in itself and can serve as a basis for smoothies and dressings as well. If using this for a smoothie, I recommend it only for ‘Chocolate Foras’ or for a substitute for ‘Real Ranch Dressing’ in the case of young coconuts.

How to make coconut milk

-Heat Drinking water to a medium temperature.

-Pour 24oz of water in a Blender..

-Add some pieces of chopped mature coconuts (the round brown ones available in most grocery stores)

-Now blend till it’s finely chopped.

-Pour this solution through a strainer and press the residue to squeeze out the liquid.

-Blend this pulp again following the preceding steps.

And ensure to drain again pressing on the pulp to squeeze out the nutrients. This is the coconut milk and may be used to replace milk for an infant. Note it may be, the best choice is breast milk.

-Use a quart and a half of coconut milk as the liquid to boil your rice.

-You may add more water as needed.

-You can also make the milk the night before and then the next day blend half of it with 2 tomatoes and add this solution to the remaining half and also boil the rice in it for Spanish rice.

-You can slice some peeled zucchini or chopped celery into the rice and boil all together for a hearty delight.

Closing Thoughts on Using Grains:

Along with Barley, Quinoa and Amaranth, Millet is said to be one of the grains that are alkaline forming (based on the information in Chapter 4 ). Therefore, if you must eat grains, in addition to soaking Brown rice overnight (not only to cut down on cooking time, but to make the rice being used not as harmful), all the alkaline grains listed herewith could be used.

When I used to cook grains a lot more, it seemed that they all can be cooked in pretty much the same way as rice and they all are mostly available in health food stores.

Directions for Boiling Rice:

1. For every cup of rice,  you want to add 2 cups of boiling water

2. Turn the stove OFF at this stage. Add salt to taste (remember; the intensity of the saltiness in the water is an approximate gauge of how salty the rice will be) approximately 1 tsp per pint should suffice. Stir this up and check for the intensity of the salt. (you may also add some olive oil or unrefined coconut oil at this stage-1 tablespoon per cup is a safe gauge)

3. Once it has settled, turn the stove back ON and bring the rice to boiling, (about 10 minutes) then lower it to a low or mid level for it to simmer for an additional 30-40 minutes.

4. You could check for doneness by trying some while it is boiling and this could be a good time to check for saltiness. (after the first few times, you should keep track of the amount of salt used and the time elapsed for the grains to boil so you don’t have to keep checking each time you cook grains.)

*This same method can be used for barley and Quinoa and for these specific grains, you don’t necessarily have to soak them overnight unless you so please.

Directions for Boiling Millet

Step 1:

Get a cup of millet.

Step 2:

Place the millet in a pot and add two cups of water. Set the millet to medium high heat and when it starts boiling turn the heat down to low and cover the pot. (see steps 2 and 3 above if you want to add salt at this stage-which is recommended OR you could add the salt afterwards.)

Step 3:

After 10-15 minutes all the water should be absorbed and the millet will be cooked.

Step 4:

You now have cooked millet..

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Directions for Boiling Barley

What I used to like about this particular grain is the nutty flavor it had.

1. For every cup of Barley,  you want to add 2 cups of boiling water

2. Turn the stove OFF at this stage. Add salt to taste (remember; the intensity of the saltiness in the water is an approximate gauge of how salty the rice will be) approximately 1 tsp per pint should suffice. Stir this up and check for the intensity of the salt. (you may also add some olive oil or unrefined coconut oil at this stage-1 tablespoon per cup is a safe gauge)

3. Once it has settled, turn the stove back ON and bring the rice to boiling, (about 10 minutes) then lower it to a low or mid level for it to simmer for an additional 30-40 minutes.

4. You could check for doneness by trying some while it is boiling and this could be a good time to check for saltiness. (after the first few times, you should keep track of the amount of sort used and the time elapsed for the grains to boil)

*In addition, another trick my mother taught me years ago on how to cook rice (and now applicable to Barley and Quinoa) is to boil it in saline water then drain it off upon reaching doneness. By emptying the pot used for cooking the grains into a colander, placed on a sink or pot of course. (the same way macaroni or pasta is made pretty much. Boil, drain in a colander upon completion etc. This may actually reduce the acid forming qualities of Brown rice in and of itself. )

That said, you can simply prepare healthy grains as the core dish then use either mashed avocadoes with some salt as a sauce of sorts or any of the following dishes listed herewith in which their recipes have been provided.

At this stage, as is the case with the root vegetables and plantains listed above, you could use the Steamed Vegetables, Baked Vegetables, Boiled Zucchini, Eggplant Hash Recipes for a soup or stew for the grain based dishes using the same principle of Spaghetti Sauce for Pasta.

On that note, you could also heat up the Tom-Avo raw soup listed in the soup section of this chapter for the purpose of having a ‘sauce’ for these cooked grains, or mash some tomatoes, and chop some celery and green onions into the mashed fruit vegetable, add salt and olive oil and then heat slowly and use that a sauce/topping as well.

Furthermore, to lubricate the grains (and grains only) and for more flavor, you could add a good quality OLIVE OIL or UNREFINED COCONUT OIL to the grains when they are being boiled in any instance listed above. (1 tablespoon per cup of rice being used is a safe enough range)

In summary, as far as the grains listed here are concerned, the technique for cooking spaghetti is almost the same for cooking most of the afore-mentioned grains with a few variations.

Then the sauce is pretty much any of the Vegetable Dishes listed in this chapter with the Avocado added for creaminess.

Therefore, it shouldn’t be that hard to transition from unhealthy items to healthier ones.

Let’s face it

1. Sweet Fruits can replace Candy, cookies etc
2. Lemon juice can replace Vinegar
3. Dates can replace candy
4. Brown rice, Barley Millet can replace Pasta
5. Making your own Sauces with Tomatoes, Chopped Celery and Green Onions can replace purchasing all the store bought ones.
6. Avocado can replace butter, cream (anything fattening)
7. Using the dressings above can replace store bought ones
8. Experimenting with all the thousands of fruits in the world can replace eating the same junk food.
9. Any of the clean meats (when organically raised) can replace their unclean counterparts…(if you must eat meat that is and if you must, try to consume just one kind of meat on any given day boiled, roasted or baked and consume lots of vegetables and fruits to offset some of its harmful effects-yet again, refer to Chapter 6 for more information.)

10.  Being healthy can and should replace being sick!!

So, it should not be hard to use these dishes to make the change from the previous unhealthy methods of eating to better ones.

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Note again, when indicated, these are compromises and should only be consumed (the rice dishes) once or twice every other week. Furthermore ensure that you soak the rice at least 12 hours prior to boiling, discarding of the water of course and ensuring that the rice is Brown rice only.

I prefer you try to limit yourself to fruits and veggies (leaves and roots) only. Nuts are also an okay snacks, not to be abused (more information on this is given in Chapter 21). Also, if you can try not to use frozen veggies in your diet.

Masticate all foods thoroughly; an old Indian saying is as follows: “Chew your foods well as the stomach has no teeth!” This simple discipline ensures optimal assimilation and if you indulge still in unhealthy foods, it buffers their harmful effects to some, some degree.

In addition, I recommend that you not re-heat foods twice as in heating up leftovers, make just what would be sufficient, if you’d have to cook it.

Of course there are thousands of fruits and vegetables and time and space cannot allow to make recipes for all of them. However, just so you are still eating ‘real’ food, a roadmap/blueprint of sorts is provided herewith.

As long as the ingredients are ONLY fruits and vegetables and some permissible grains and little or no condiments and no fats/frying are used, you can always experiment and explore for yourself how to make the Daniel (mucus-less) diet even more fun.

However, keep this in mind, for the most optimal digestion, the mono-eater of fruit or vegetables is at the best advantage and let’s face it most of the time, that simplicity can’t be beat.

To conclude you DO have several options to be able to eat right-as long as you ARE eating right as prescribed in this book.

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Chapter 27: A Recap Of Some Essentials.

Okay, you have read this book thus far and by now should have been informed and edified on some basic principles for health as given by God in His word and now explained by Science and Medical research.

At this stage, let’s do a recap of sorts of some absolute essentials.

1. Never drink during a meal. The more liquids you consume while eating, the more difficult it is to digest the foods, as the liquids tend to dilute the digestive juices.

2. Use a shower filter. I can tell you right now that if you live or work anywhere near cars, factories, cities, roads etc you need to bathe every day. Furthermore, the afore mentioned shower filter becomes handy as you either filter out what is coming onto and into your body or you become a filter.

3. Avoid microwaves. microwave cooking is not natural, nor healthy, and is far more dangerous to the human body than anyone could imagine for more on this subject, feel free to re-read Chapter 18

4. Use a fruit and vegetable wash designed for that purpose. (For more, please refer to Chapter 24)

5. Do not eat produce items straight out of the refrigerator. In other words, if possible, have your choice of fruits out uncovered the night before and one thing I do to ensure they are at room temperature before consumption is to wash the fruits the morning of a given day. This also guarantees another thing; I don’t cheat on the diet. By the time I get home from a long day doing whatever, the food(s) are already to go.

6. If you can, while on this diet, avoid drinking just plain water. If you do so, the human mechanism cleanses itself, the same as though you would press out a dirty watery sponge, but the dirt in this instance is sticky mucus and in many cases pus and drugs, which must pass through the circulation until it is so thoroughly dissolved that it can pass through the fine structure of the ‘physiological sieve’ called kidneys. In other words, another good analogy will be washing soiled close in a washing machine WITHOUT detergent?!

So even if thirst dictates that you drink water (which should not be very often while eating mostly juicy fruits) a light lemonade of the afore mentioned recipe in chapters 14 and 26, will be the much better option.

7. Keep in mind that just as scientific and scriptural bases have been provided as to why meat eating is only permissible (and in some cases not ideal) for humans, it is worth mentioning that grains and their products (eg: Bread, Cakes, Cookies, Pasta ) WHETHER whole or not are not beneficial to the body and should be consumed minimally as well. All true hygienists do not promote the consumption of grains and the reasons have been provided in Chapter 9 of this text. However, if grains such as Brown Rice, Millet etc are to be used as mentioned in chapter 26, do note that could be seen as transitional items for mastering the new diet.

9. Other Poisons and Habits to avoid are

a. Coffee, tea consumption

b. Alcohol

c. Tobacco

d. Marijuana

e. Drugs (legal or illegal)

f. Spicy, junk, fried foods

g. Products from a factory.

h. Household Chemicals. (a re-read of Chapters 4, 6 & 20 may be a good idea at this point.)

Choose fruits and vegetables locally grown and in season as much as possible. Nature has a way of considering our climate and producing the foods our bodies need at the right time. For example, what season would you choose for watermelon to ripen? Of course, watermelon is a refreshing summertime treat. Also, we do well to store up those foods that ripen in late autumn to stay healthy during winter.

Do not mix fruits with vegetables at the same meal. Eat fruits and vegetables that are compatible and require the same types of enzymes and time to digest (please refer to the food combination section in chapter 26.)

Eat as much raw vegetation as possible. Obviously, many vegetables require some cooking but perhaps fewer than imagined. It is best to eat organically grown plant foods. They are a little more expensive, but you are worth it. (Please refer to chapter 24 for more information.)

As much as possible, try to eat plant foods the way they are served up by nature and do avoid canned foods, pickled foods, refined foods and spicy condiments. If you look down at your plate and see gray, bleached-white, dull brown or artificially colored foods, you may wish to consider dietary reforms and you must now know why if you have read thus far into this book.

Since the remainder of the chapters in this book will be addressed to things of a more spiritual nature (with a few references to physical health here and there), to conclude all the chapters you have read thus far, if long-life, more energy, relief from diseases and much more, in regards to improving and maintaining one’s health interests you, you are now presented with this work aptly titled : ‘The Divine Health Guides” (Everyone should read this for better health.)

Here’s To Health and All the Good Things You May Desire.

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Chapter 28: We Are Just Catching Up With The Bible (Scientific Accuracies of God’s Inspired Word)

No, the Bible is NOT outdated, we are just catching up with The Word in regards to  science and all that this lesser component has to offer for the benefit of mankind. Now, in the preceding chapters, it has been demonstrated what biblical laws apply in regards to the best diet for humans and the reasons why.

However, in this chapter, I am seeking to demonstrate in a sufficient way just how trustworthy the Word of God is from a scientific point of view. These days, for most people, a ‘scientific’, technical or logical proof of certain facts is usually needed before it could be believed. Sadly, this seems to apply even to the Bible sometimes.

Nonetheless, there are so many reasons why the Bible can and should be trusted, not simply because it’s inspired by God (or that some of the quotes in it are directly from the Creator) but in layman’s terms, because it is scientifically accurate, therefore, for most people, it can be readily believed.

Personally, I have to say thanks to God for the invention of the internet, especially Google as these days, just about any question I have about the Bible has the answer right there at my fingertips. It is exciting sometimes to find justifications of some of God’s laws and really makes me believe in Him so much more. Things that I would never have learned on my own or expected to find in the Bible are right there and as of the time of this writing has REALLY intensified by faith in the Almighty.

It should be noted that the Bible is a History book, not a Science book, but it is remarkable that when the Bible touches on Science, not only is it correct, but let’s face it, the writer could not have possibly known what he was talking about! How did the writer know these scientific facts? It must have been revealed to him by the Creator of the universe.

The Bible truly contains information that was far ahead of its time and to validate why it will be wise to adhere to all its guidelines, especially as they pertain to physical health-as this is what this book is about-, I am excited to present here some scientific accuracies of the bible in the hopes that they strengthen your faith in God’s Inspired word if that is necessary for that specific purpose or if like me, you’re simply curious and want to know more.

Here are a few of the more striking examples of scientific accuracy in the Bible:

1) The Genesis account of creation declares that all humans descended from the same parents, Adam and Eve. Apparently, there is now considerable debate in the scientific community over recent genetic studies which indicate that all men have a common father and all women have a common mother. The latter claim is sometimes called the Eve hypothesis and mitochondrial DNA of women around the world has been examined – and surprisingly it has been found to be virtually identical in every woman – using some mathematics and statistics it has been suggested that every single woman has a common ancestral mother. The same theory has been reached for men using this understanding, Y chromosomes of men around the world have been examined – and again, it has been found to be extremely similar in every man .

2) If you ever wondered “If Noah’s Ark landed on Mt. Ararat, how did people and animals for that matter get to be all over the world?” Well, because the continents were once a large mass of land! The answer is in the Bible as Genesis chapter 10 reviews the families after Noah’s sons. Genesis 10:25 says “…One son was named Peleg because the earth was divided during his life.” (NCV) Clearly, the earth (continents)was divided after the Flood. Hence, we have animals in different parts of the world divided by wide expansions of water. Coincidentally, it is now commonly believed that all continents of the earth were once combined into a single continent called Pangaea. This belief is based upon the fact that present continents appear somewhat as pieces out of a puzzle. In addition, there are also other evidences, including several geological similarities on matching continental edges.

3) The Bible declares that the stars are innumerable in Gen 15:5, Gen 17:7, Jeremiah 33:22 and Heb 11:12). This does not necessarily mean that we are incapable of mathematically expressing their number or counting them. It means that no human has the ability to count them individually so as to achieve their sum. It is claimed that there are 100 billion stars in our galaxy alone so if stars were counted around the clock at one star per second, then it would take over 3000 years just to count these.

4) The fact that the earth is of spherical shape is generally considered to be recent knowledge. However, Isaiah 40:22 spoke of the circle of the earth approximately 750 years before Christ. Additional statements in the Bible also indicate that God revealed this truth long ago. For example, David said that God has removed our transgression from us as far as the east is from the west (Ps 103:12). On a spherical surface, east and west are infinitely separated in the sense that one can travel indefinitely in either direction without ever attaining the other.

5) The ancients Greeks believed that the world was held up by Atlas. (which, looking at such a belief now, sounds incredulous) Other civilizations held similar ideas. However, the Bible made an unusual claim: God did not hang the world on anything. In possibly the oldest book of the Bible, Job stated that God hung the earth on nothing (Job 26:7): “He spreads out the northern [skies] over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing”. The first scientist having this understanding would appear to be Copernicus around 1500AD

6) In the bible, God commanded Abraham to circumcise baby boys on the eighth day of their lives. This was further instructed in Leviticus 12:3; Luke 1:59 Why day eight? Is there any good, scientific explanation behind such a command? Or is it mere coincidence?

In 1935, professor H. Dam proposed the name “vitamin K” for the factor in foods that helped prevent hemorrhaging in baby chicks. We now know vitamin K is responsible for the production (by the liver) of the element known as prothrombin which is a blood-clotting protein. Injury to a blood vessel produces a signal which triggers the conversion of prothrombin to thrombin. Thrombin is a protein which plays a central role in inducing the group of other proteins to form the blood clot.

Based on research, if vitamin K is deficient, there will be a prothrombin deficiency and hemorrhaging may occur. Coincidentally, it is only on the fifth through the seventh days of the newborn male’s life that vitamin K (produced by bacteria in the intestinal tract) is present in adequate quantities.

Vitamin K, coupled with prothrombin, causes blood coagulation, which is important in any surgical procedure.

Very tellingly, in their classic work entitled Holt Pediatrics, Holt and McIntosh observed that a newborn infant has “peculiar susceptibility to bleeding between the second and fifth days of life. Hemorrhages at this time, though often without any grave results, are sometimes extensive; they may produce serious damage to internal organs, especially to the brain, and cause death from shock and exsanguination (also known colloquially as bleeding out) which is the fatal process of blood loss, to a degree sufficient enough to cause death. Perhaps this explains the hesitance of people wanting to have their kids circumcised in the first instance.

Very tellingly, if vitamin K is not produced in sufficient quantities until days five through seven, it would be wise to delay any surgery until sometime after that. However, God specifically stated it be done on the 8th day because the amount of prothrombin present actually is increased above one-hundred percent of normal—and is the only day in the male’s life in which this will be the case under normal conditions. If surgery is to be performed, day eight is the perfect day to do it. This is therefore the safest day to circumcise a baby. This is amazing! On a related note, from a medical standpoint, since the skin that is cut off covers the head of the penis it can be difficult to keep clean and thus a breeding ground for infection. The removal of the foreskin is thus of benefit in terms of hygiene.  For this reason Cervical cancer, venereal disease etc are much rarer among the wives of circumcised men. For this reason, among others, circumcision is not exclusively a Jewish practice.  The lack of a foreskin will have no detrimental effect on sexual intercourse when the lad is grown up and married. (for more on this subject, you can refer to its designated section in Chapter 6)

7. When Noah was instructed to build the huge vessel that would preserve his family and two of each kind of land creature, the Lord specified for him the perfect dimensions for a stable water vessel Genesis 6:15: “This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high” 450 divided by 75= 6! Now, that may seem of no relevance but guess what, ship builders today are well aware that the ideal dimension for ship stability is to have the length about six times that of the width. Dr. Werner Gitt demonstrated that the ark had the ideal dimensions to optimize both stability and economy of material. Yet God gave Noah these ideal dimensions over 4,500 years ago.

8. In Jonah 2:5-6, Jonah wrote that there are mountains on the bottom of the ocean floor. This discovery has been validated in the last century, as now we have discovered that there are towering mountains and deep troughs in the sea.

9. In Job 38:16 God challenged Job to find the “springs of the sea.” by saying-”Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? The fact that there are indeed springs at the bottom of the ocean, is also confirmed in Genesis 7:11. However, it should be noted that the ocean is so deep that almost all the ocean floor is in total darkness and the water pressure becomes enormous. It is worth mentioning that it would have been impossible for Job to have explored the “springs of the sea” and until recently, most people assumed that oceans were fed only by rivers and rain. But, in the 1970s, with the help of deep diving research submarines that were constructed to withstand the pressure, oceanographers discovered springs on the ocean floors!

10. In the book of Leviticus 15:13 …he must wash his clothes and bathe himself with fresh water, and he will be clean.

It was not until this century that medical science had a full understanding of the fact that some diseases are caused or aggravated by infection of microscopic organisms and of course an improper diet. Therefore, as to be expected the medical values of sterilization, sanitation, and quarantines were virtually unused. However, the Bible is full with such wisdom notably in Leviticus 11-15 which places the Bible truly ahead of its time and scientifically trustworthy.

11. A simple observation of the Bible will show that it is the only historical account that offers the age of the Earth and Mankind with lists of a genealogy from the First Man (Adam) all the way to Jesus Christ Death and Resurrection. In addition to this, cities, locations and names are given to back up its facts that people can look up as easily as searching on Google. Which leaves me to ask the Atheists or Evolutionists to at least present evidence of the earth/mankind existing for millions of years when Biblical Accounts have a chronology that I could simply add up with a calculator-which has been done and will be shown in Chapter 30. Unlike before, I now understand why some chapters and verses are all about “this person begat this person etc…” in Genesis Chapter 5 and a some other similar ones.

For those who have a foundation in Christianity-in its various denominations or groups- or Judaism, one thing that has to be pointed out is that God is the author of the biblical health laws. When people say that when Jesus died the Mosaic Laws were done away with, that is totally false.

“Mosaic Laws” include the ten commandments and I know you will be hard-pressed to find a Christian or any sane person for that matter that will openly slap his or her parent as that will be a violation of the 5th commandment that says to honor your parents.

It seems to me that people try to justify their actions when they violate certain God-given laws and decrees by saying things like “oh, that’s in the old testament” or “those laws were nailed to the cross with Jesus.”

Really?

The Bible reveals that God does not change (Malachi 3:6), which means that His fundamental laws do not change. The laws of biology and health did not suddenly change, or stop operating, when Jesus died on the cross. The same factors that caused or prevented disease in the days of Moses still operate today and God put these principles in the Bible thousands of years before mankind’s science understood their benefits.

It should be noted that a high portion of the Old Testament Levitical law is comprised of health-related restrictions involving diet, cleansing, and quarantine. The book “None of These Diseases” by David E. Stern & S. I. McMillen shows the benefits of following the laws given and it should be noted that the modern medical fraternity did not realize this until thousands of years after it was written!

For example, the Bible warns against consuming fat Leviticus 7:22-27. At first glance, those verses may appear to be a set of rules that indeed seem to be irrelevant today. However, it is only in recent decades that the medical community determined that fat clogs arteries and contributes to heart disease.

Furthermore, in Leviticus 11 the according to the Bible, God commanded the Jews to avoid sea creatures which do not have fins or scales. As will be elaborated upon in Chapter 6, we now know that bottom-feeders (those with no scales or fins) tend to consume waste and are more likely to carry disease.

Then the Bible also warns against eating birds of prey and swine, but it is just recently that scientists now recognize that those birds which eat carrion (putrefying flesh) and swine, who are scavengers (God’s assigned garbage cleaners of the ecosystem) often spread disease.

In addition, in regards to pork, science has learned that eating pork causes an infection of parasites called trichinosis and a lot more on the subject of pork consumption has been given in Chapter 6 as well.

When dealing with diseases, the instruction was that clothes and body should be washed under running water (Leviticus 15:13). For centuries people naively washed in standing water. Today we recognize the need to wash away germs with fresh running water as in a shower and on a related note, please ensure that you get a shower filter as has been elaborated upon in Chapter 27.

Let’s face it. Most ancient cultures had extensive lists of medicines and procedures for treating disease. However, as the saying goes, prevention is better and much cheaper than a cure. The evidence of this is very applicable to the health laws that God gave to Moses as they did not focus on treating disease, but instead focused on preventing disease and promoting health.

This is why medical historian Ralph Major describes Moses as “the greatest sanitary engineer that the world has ever seen” because “Moses recognized the great principle that the prevention of disease is usually simpler and invariably more far reaching than the cure of disease… His doctrines [in the book of Leviticus] could be summed up by the objects of sanitation today—pure food, pure water, pure air, pure bodies and pure dwellings” (A History of Medicine, vol. 1, pp. 62–64).

It should be noted that the biblical health laws were valid in the days of Moses, and they are just as valid—and useful—today. Moreover, they will be applicable in the future as the Bible reveals that when Jesus Christ returns to establish the Kingdom of God on this earth, the laws of God will be proclaimed to the world from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:2–4). In addition, in Isaiah 65: 17-25, guess what, people will most likely return to the original Bible Diet of Fruits as depicted here: Isaiah 65: 21: “They will build houses and inhabit them; they will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.”

Some people could say: “Why don’t we just wait till then when everyone will supposedly be doing the same thing….?”

That would not be the best choice to make simply because in applying these simple laws, one’s health is inevitably bound to improve. Granted, due to external forces, it may never be perfect, but definitely will be light years ahead of what it is for the average person of these modern times.

Moreover, if anyone asks:

1. Did Jesus Christ abolish the health laws given in the Old Testament, or are they still relevant today?

2. Can biblical health laws, given thousands of years ago, be meaningful and practical in today’s society?

The answers will be a resounding YES.

The Bible clearly states that certain foods are not to be eaten, and that certain behaviors are sinful and an abomination in God’s sight as previously mentioned in chapter 6. Yet people have been claiming for centuries that Jesus did away with these regulations, and that they are burdensome, outdated, bizarre and even barbaric.

In all ‘attacks’ against the laws, nothing could be further from the truth. Moreover, the Lord himself says in Malachi 3:6 : “I am the LORD, and I do not change.” and in describing the Lord, his faithful servant, Moses, says in Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind…”. Therefore, what He has decreed in the past is exactly what will and should be done as they apply.

God says it best himself in Isaiah 55: 11- “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

On a personal note, I have always believed that if a chapter, verse, sentence, phrase or word in the Bible is a direct quote of God, then it should not be questioned, adulterated or changed and one thing that stands out in regards to several of the chapters in the book of Leviticus is that same introductory statement comes first in the listing of other health laws by saying to them, ‘Speak to the children of Israel.”

Specifically, in Leviticus 11–20, where these laws are first outlined in detail, we find that “the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, saying, “These are the animals which you may eat”‘” (Leviticus 11:1–2). Now, do you notice the key word-MAY.

Nowhere does it say, these are the animals you MUST eat, but rather the ones they could eat after they had complained to Moses about the manna he was feeding them with. The scripture says in Numbers 11:4-6 that the “rabble” that were with them began to crave “other food” and seemingly incite Israel to become discontent with the provision God has given from His hand. Furthermore, when you read the whole chapter you will see that indeed God provided them with meat, A LOT of meat that they ate till they could not eat anymore, literally and in verse 33 of that chapter, it shows that they were punished for complaining to him about meat. Still, perhaps to accommodate their request, the Lord permits them to eat certain flesh of course with the health of the Jews in mind.

According to the Bible, the author of the biblical health laws was not Moses-but God himself. God explained to the Israelites that if they obeyed His commandments they would experience “none of the diseases” that plagued other nations (Exodus 15:26).

God gave these laws to His chosen people so they could be an example to the world!

God wanted their better health and overall prosperity to be seen by surrounding nations who could then inquire how they, too, could gain the same results as is stated here, Deut. 4: 6” Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” (see Deuteronomy 4:1–8) conversely, if they were to disobey, the calamites that were to overcome them (albeit not permanently) were to also serve as a lesson to all nations on the erroneous choice of disobeying the Lord and how merciful He must be to not completely eradicate them in spite of disregarding His laws.

In regards to the specific dietary laws, most people (even theologians) have little or no understanding of the health reasons behind these instructions. The scientific wisdom behind the biblical dietary laws is rarely taught today; instead, these laws are commonly viewed as Old Testament regulations that are no longer applicable.

However, as Eerdmans’ Handbook of the Bible comments: “These lists [of clean and unclean creatures] have a significance often ignored. Far from being based on fad or fancy, these lists emphasize a fact not discovered until late in the last century… that animals carry diseases dangerous to man” (p. 176). In fact, the same animals labeled unclean in Scripture still carry parasitic diseases that are still dangerous to human beings today!

As is elaborated upon in Chapter 6, most unclean animals are carnivores or scavengers that can transmit dangerous diseases to human beings. Clean fish have fins and scales. Unclean aquatic organisms like clams and oysters are filter feeders that purify water, and as a result, concentrate poisonous chemicals and pathologic bacteria and viruses in their tissues. Crabs and lobsters are scavengers that eat dead things on the bottom of bodies of water, furthermore, most unclean birds are carnivores or scavengers.

Therefore, it is worth mentioning that God in His wisdom inspired laws to protect humans from contracting dangerous diseases, and to also protect his assigned clean-up crew by making them “off limits” as food for mankind. Therefore, these biological principles still operate today. As a point of illustration: the SARS outbreak was traced to an area in southern China where civet cats (an unclean animal) are eaten as a delicacy.

God’s laws regarding health even extend into the realm of childbirth and circumcision and although I never really paid attention to them and yes, followed the saying that those laws are all done away with, apparently, the rules carry many health benefits that linger to this day and are still very applicable to modern life. In the olden days of the Israelites, at the birth of a male child, a woman was considered unclean for 7 days and continued in a state of purification for 33 days; following the birth of a female child, the mother was considered unclean for 14 days and her purification period was 66 days. (Leviticus 12:2–5)

However, these instructions fit very well with modern scientific discoveries about childbirth and development and disease prevention. By declaring a woman who had just given birth unclean, the biblical health laws required whoever touched the new mother (especially the midwife) to wash and to avoid immediate contact with other people—a practice designed to prevent the spread of diseases such as childbirth fever, which claimed untold lives throughout history. It was not until the mid-1800s that an Austrian physician, Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, recognized that the spread of childbirth fever could be prevented if birth attendants washed after a delivery—yet biblical health laws had promoted this practice almost 3,000 years earlier!

Still, there are even more benefits in these instructions. While a new mother was unclean (7–14 days), she was wasn’t encumbered with the strenuous tasks of cooking and ordinary housework—giving her time to regain her strength after delivering a baby. Very tellingly, During the purification period (33–66 days), she remained in semi-isolation, thus avoiding crowds and contact with disease germs that could harm her or her newborn child.

She was not required to travel to a place of worship to make an offering until the end of her purification period. Since travel was often strenuous, this gave a nursing mother time for her breast milk to form properly, to establish a feeding routine and for the baby to build antibodies and gain strength. The longer period for female babies was not due to male chauvinistic bias. Even today, female babies often have lower birth weights and higher mortality rates, so this longer period at home with the mother was meant to give them a better start in life. The laws of several countries are truly playing catch up with these Biblical instructions given thousands of years ago by issuing the concept of Maternity Leave.

The Bible instructed that male babies were to be circumcised on the eighth day (Genesis 17:12–14; Leviticus 12:3) as mentioned in point 6 above, illustrating the scientific accuracies of the bible, modern scientific studies have shown that the blood-clotting mechanism in a baby is not fully developed until the eighth day, so it was not wise to do a surgical procedure earlier because of the threat of hemorrhage (see None of These Diseases, McMillen, pp. 20–21).

Still, some people consider male circumcision barbaric, however, medical science shows that circumcised little boys have a reduced risk of urinary infections, circumcised men have lower rates of cancer of the penis and women married to circumcised men have much lower rates of cervical cancer.

At this stage, it is worth mentioning that the custom of female circumcision is a totally different matter. It is non-biblical, and should not be confused with biblical circumcision of males, where only the foreskin is removed. Female circumcision, however, actually removes part of a woman’s genitalia, rather than just skin tissue. Female circumcision is simply mutilation, and has nothing to do with biblical circumcision.

In regards to sanitation and cleanliness, though not a biblical phrase per se, the term “cleanliness is next to Godliness” does actually carry some significant weight. The biblical laws of sanitation were clearly ahead of their time. Suffice it to say that there couldn’t have been any real way to fully understand the reasons for these laws until the invention of the microscope, the discovery of bacteria and the pioneering work of pathologists in recent centuries, yet these ancient biblical laws have been proven scientifically valid today.

According to Leviticus 13–15, People who touched a dead or diseased animal or person—or even garments or secretions from a sick person—were to bathe and wash their clothes and avoid contact with others. Contaminated garments were to be washed or burned—important sanitizing principles that are still followed today. Dwellings that showed signs of mold, or that had harbored sick individuals, were to be cleaned, repaired or destroyed, to prevent the spread of disease.

Other useful health laws according to the bible included but were not limited to the following.

1. Porous vessels that came into contact with dead animals were to be broken, since they would harbor bacteria.

2. People showing signs of sickness were to be isolated—quarantined—until examined by a priest and declared well.

3. People were to wash after having sex.

4. Tattoos and cuttings on the flesh were also forbidden (Leviticus 19:28), for reasons that include the risk of contracting disease. Modern physicians warn that tattoos and body-piercing carry a risk for contracting infectious diseases like hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis and HIV/AIDS (International Journal of Infectious Disease, 2001, 5(1), 27–34).

Delving further into these laws, in Deuteronomy 23:9–14, we learn that human wastes were to be buried, away from human dwellings. This is known as sanitary waste disposal, and although its benefits are widely understood sadly they are not always practiced—especially in poverty-stricken 3rd world countries.

Past reports depict that there have been several epidemics of typhus, cholera and dysentery, associated with the careless dumping of human waste into streets and rivers, or feeding human waste to animals that are then eaten.

However, it should be noted that burying human waste breaks the life cycle of many parasitic organisms that spread diseases and this simple practice is much more effective, and less expensive, than treating disease after it breaks out, simply because, again prevention is better (and cheaper) than a cure. Suffice it to say that the Good Lord knows this and that’s why he put these and several health principles in the Bible thousands of years before mankind’s science understood their benefits.

Now that several of them have been laid out barely for the people to see, it should not be difficult now to make the choice of adhering to basic health principles since they truly are for our own benefits.

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 Chapter 29: The Age of The Earth and How that Affects You and I

Dear Reader, the contents of this portion are not assumptions or fabrications, but are in fact words that should be taken to heart. If you have read thus far into this book, do yourself a favor and read on for your own edification.

For those who believe that there is a God, that Jesus is His Son, and that the Bible is His Word, this section offers some food for thought on some spiritual matters, for example the age of the Earth according to the Bible, God’s plan for mankind according to the bible and some personal views and opinions on other related topics.

At this stage, I had read a while back as a kid that mankind reportedly has ‘only’ been on earth for about 2 million years and Dinosaurs had been here much longer. However, I remember as kid  (who had read the Bible) that first, that did not seem to go in line with what the Biblical story of creation taught and after adding up some approximate figures with the genealogy provided in it, I had to reach the conclusion that at least according to the Bible, mankind has only been here for about 6,000 years and Earth is only, at least according the accounts in Genesis, 5 days older than human.

Thus far science and the evolution are yet to provide a detailed chronology of data from the first man to date so their theories could be proven right, so, common sense dictates to go with facts and figures, and only the Bible has both!

I have read what scientists and evolutionists have to offer in regards to the approximate age of mankind on the planet, but personally, I have always been of the belief that the Bible has to be the most accurate based on the following reasons:

1.      It gives names, years and locations in its history.

2.      It has been proven by science ironically enough to be accurate based on the points illustrated elsewhere in this Book in Chapter 28.

That said, according to Biblical chronology, which is the academic study of the dating of events in the Hebrew Bible, suffice it to say that one’s best bet will be to go with what has been proven and documented. In the New Testament, the lineage of Jesus is traced by two of the Gospel writers, Matthew and Luke. Luke describes the “generations of Christ” in Chapter 3 of Luke’s Gospel, beginning with Jesus himself and tracing backwards through his “earthly father” Joseph all the way to Adam.

Matthew’s Gospel opens with the words: The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, descendant of David, descendant of Abraham. With this beginning Matthew makes clear Jesus’ whole lineage:- He is of God’s chosen people, by his descent from Abraham, and he is the “shoot of Jesse” by his descent from Jesse’s son, King David.

It’s pretty much common sense to go with what has a timeline that you can trace, versus what someone tells you a “man-made” machine or contraption says especially when in the case of the latter option, facts and figures are absent.

If the world was really millions of years old, I am quite sure that God would have added a few more generations from Abraham to Jesus in the Bible. However, he does not as he gives the exact number in Mathew 1;17 and in Genesis He covers every one down to Abraham.

Perhaps in its own unique way, the Bible tells us exactly how old the Earth is. In Mark 10:6, Jesus stated: “From the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female.” which means-at least according to what Jesus said “from the beginning of the creation,” mankind has been here since the week of creation as Genesis 1:26-31 explains that God chose the sixth day of the Creation week to form mankind from the dust of the ground.

Exodus 20:11 records: “For in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day….” Quite simply, that piece of information, combined with the information from Genesis 1 and Mark 10:6, informs us the Earth is exactly five days older than humanity. Versus the scientific claim (which keeps changing based on who you ask) that we’ve been here for millions of years.

In order to determine the age of the Earth, then, we must determine how long man has been here—which is not as difficult as it may seem as the Bible offers some genealogies that can be traced. Very tellingly, based on approximate figures, it has been about 2,000 years since Jesus Christ visited the Earth. Even secular history volunteers that piece of information, since it is A.D. 2002 (A.D. standing for anno Domini, meaning “in the year of the Lord”).  (Which makes me wonder, why do some people still NOT believe in God or the Bible-I mean what’s the rebuttal/reason?-Just my thoughts, but to each his/her own huh?)

Next, we must go back some generations and determine how many years came between Jesus Christ and Abraham. Again, secular history also gives this figure, which turns out to be about 2,000 years. These two figures can be obtained from practically any secular history book.

Finally, the last number we have to obtain is the number of years between Abraham and Adam. We know from Genesis 1:1-5 that the Earth was created on day one. We know from Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 15:45 that Adam was “the first man.” And we know from Genesis 1 that Adam was created on day six of the Creation week. If we could determine the number of years between Adam and Abraham, that would place us within five days of “the beginning.”

Therefore, all that would be needed to calculate an approximate age for the Earth would be to add the three figures together—the time from Adam to Abraham, the time from Abraham to Jesus, and the time from Jesus to us. In chapter 3 of the book of Luke, it lists 55 generations between Jesus and Abraham—a time that archaeology has determined to be about 2,000 years In that same chapter, Luke documents that there were only 20 generations between Abraham and Adam.

Genesis 5 provides the ages of the fathers at the time of the births of the sons in the period between Abraham and Adam, it is a simple matter to calculate the approximate number of years during that time span—a figure that turns out to be about 2,000. In chart form it looks like this:

[As a side note, the fact that the 55 generations between Jesus and Abraham cover 2,000 years, while only 20 generations between Abraham and Adam cover the same amount of time, is explained quite easily on the basis of the long ages of the patriarchs (e.g., Methuselah, who lived 969 years—Genesis 5:27).]

Some may argue that the genealogies in Genesis 5 cannot be used to show the age of the Earth because they contain huge gaps. However that is incorrect. How so? In Jude verse 14, the writer noted that “Enoch was the seventh from Adam” (he is listed, in fact, exactly seventh in the genealogies in Genesis 5:21). Therefore, we know that there are no gaps between the first seven patriarchs, because Jude, writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, confirmed the Old Testament account.

Furthermore, if you read the whole of Genesis Chapter 5, it goes all the way from Adam to Noah in the Bible, then in Genesis 11, it goes all the way From Noah’s son Shem to Abraham. To sum it all up, Luke 3: 25-27 has the complete lineage. Therefore, in order to hold the evolutionary setting that man has been on the Earth (in some form) approximately 3.5 million years, one would need to insert approximately 290,000 years between each of the 13 generations.

Now, come on, even a kid will see that is quite ridiculous. Therefore the Bible (and even secular history that you can look up on Wikipedia on the internet yourself) plainly teaches, after all the pieces have been put together, that the Earth is only about 6,000 or so years old.

Let us proceed; the Bible tells us at what age a son was born to the individual before him and gives other dates and years of specific events, throughout the Bible. We will add up all these years and use Adam as the starting point, being the first man in the Bible, and use the term AA (After Adam) to show how many total years had passed from the previous date to the next.

The Bible will indicate how many years had passed, so you only need a calculator to add up the amount of years that have passed from Adam to Jesus. 

So, we see that there has been approximately 4000 years from Adam until Jesus was BORN

and 4033 years from Adam to Jesus’ RESURRECTION.

Now, comes the tricky part … We must determine how many years have passed from Jesus’ resurrection until present day as to continue the Bible Calendar.

Since it has approximately been 4033 years from Adam to Jesus’ Resurrection, we need only determine how much time has passed from 33 AD to present day as to find out how many years it has been from Adam to present day.

Let us take the year 2012.

From 33 AD to the year 201 AD is 1979 years.

So let’s add the 4033 years on Timeline to the 1979 years and we get …

6012 years.

Still, there are some other issues/factors that should be considered here.

The Jewish Calendar which is what God based His prophecies on, is different than other Calendars. It has been changed many times alone and even following other similar calendars has the same roadblock as they have been changed MANY times, over the last two thousand years, by different entities and nations that came into power.

Very tellingly, our present man-made calendar may be off by about 15 to 20 years because of details (such as the accession years of kings) that mankind has failed to calculate precisely, which makes it difficult to determine exactly how many days have passed to find out the exact day, which was probably God’s plan since He said we would not know what day it would be. (Matthew 24: 36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.)

At this stage, some people may ask the following:

1.      What day and what hour is God talking about?

2.      What does the age of the Earth have to do with anything?

3.      Why is this being included in a book that has to do with health?

To answer #1, if you do not already know, I would like to inform you that, our Creator is working out a 7,000-year plan.

It is worth mentioning that almost 6,000 years of recorded human history have now passed and the validation of this is revealed, to a degree thus far as we can plainly see.

This, my friends is very significant to us because there is a Divine Plan afoot.

In a nutshell, what God has planned for mankind is a creation of a timeline where humans and the earth would exist for six thousand years and then rest for one thousand years. Afterwards, it is a period of infinity where all is exactly the way He always intended-Perfect.

To answer #2, please read on.

To answer #3, health has to do with 3 realms/divisions: Physical, Mental and Spiritual and they are all interwoven and intertwined in a way where the condition of when inevitably affects the other(s) and vice versa.

Thus far, this book has addressed health from a physical standpoint, which would of course have effects on the mental components of health. However, for those who have a spiritual foundation, especially in Christianity, this could be immensely beneficial as your physical body starts to become purer. You will find yourself literally wanting to be around and do (to put it aptly) good. I can say first-hand that most of the time, when I have a meal of sweet fruits in their respective seasons (especially mangoes) I literally find myself mouthing the words “Thank you Oh God!” People start to treat you differently, you have your senses heightened, not for any reason except that it seems the mucus membranes are clearer now.

Your sense of hearing, taste, smell, touch and sight will be elevated and you literally feel…Good! This is especially the case as usually experienced in a fast using unflavored light lemonade or fruit juices/concoctions.

That said, it goes without saying that you will have a spiritual craving for a Union with a Higher Power, or quite simply God. I personally think this has to do with the fact that you are now eating and subsisting primarily on a diet that revolves around the second recorded statement He made to mankind in Genesis 1:29: “Look, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you.” That said, with the improvement of your health from a physical standpoint, you will begin to want to improve or maintain an improvement in your spiritual health/well being (as the case may be.) So knowing what lies ahead in that regard is of some importance.

Without a doubt, the purer you become, the more you will be prone to seek Godly and Godlike things and persons. They have been times when I have eaten mangoes in their seasons and had a ‘craving’ or strong desire to read the Bible or burst out in old hymns or Christian songs. This doesn’t happen all the time, but I tell you this much, very rarely do I eat fruit and fill like using cuss words or reading or watching things that I know are not necessarily uplifting or pure.

It is worth mentioning that when things are to be restored to perfection, according to Isaiah 65:21-the plan of the Creator is for us all to become primarily fruit eaters, again as is depicted here: “And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. ” As far-fetched as it may sound, in adhering to the guidelines in this book, barring any unforeseen circumstances, for a Christian, you are getting ready to be eating like folks will be in the Thousand year reign of Christ on this earth, literally. Just food for thought.

In regards to a reinstatement to perfection, we have to see why a restoration has to take place in the first instance.

Where did this all start?

At this stage, as sad as it is, many people seem to view God as uncaring and hardhearted. To many people, the reason for such a harsh assessment of our very maker is that if God cared, would not the world be a very different place?’

Many of us look around and see a world full of war, hatred, and misery. Furthermore, as individuals, we get sick, we suffer, we lose loved ones in death. Subsequently, the general consensus is that ‘If God cared about us and our problems, would he not prevent such things from happening?’ In addition, as mentioned elsewhere in this book, religious teachers sometimes lead people to think along the same lines of secular reasoning, albeit unintentionally. This is the case due to the fact that when tragedy strikes, they say that it is God’s will.

As a result, in an indirect way, such teachers blame God for the bad things that happen. However, could this be the truth about God? What does the Bible really teach? James 1:13 answers: “When under trial, let no one say: ‘I am being tried by God.’ For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone.” Therefore God is never the source of the wickedness you see in the world around you.

Yes, He does allow bad things to happen. But there is a big difference between allowing something to happen and causing it.

Let’s look at an analogy here that efficiently drives this point home. Think about a wise and loving father with an 18-year old son who is still living at home with his parents. Soon, the son becomes rebellious and decides to leave home, his father does not stop him. The son follows a bad way of life and gets into trouble. Is the father the cause of his son’s problems? No. Similarly, God has not stopped humans when they have chosen to pursue a bad course, and he is not the cause of the problems that have resulted. Surely, then, it would be unfair to blame God for all the troubles of mankind.

Nonetheless, it should be noted that the Lord does have good reasons for allowing mankind to follow a bad course.

Now, I remember vividly as a kid asking my mom why so many bad things happen and we ended up referring to the story of Adam and Eve in regards to the origin of the evil in the world. Being the inquisitive person that I am, I remember badgering her with question after question along the lines of :

1. Well, why did God give Adam and Eve free will?
2. Why didn’t He just remove the tree that was there in the first place, that’s like leaving a toy in the center of the room and telling a kid, you can play with ALL those toys, but do not touch the one in the center…any parent will simply not leave the dangerous one there, so why didn’t God just do that?
3. Okay, granted Adam and Eve fell, why didn’t God just start afresh with some other beings and save us all this evil we see daily?

She never could give me a response that answered my questions, but in time, I have found some answers and now disseminate what I have discovered to you.

Some common questions these days is why does God allow suffering? If Jehovah God is all-powerful, loving, wise, and just, why is the world so full of hatred and injustice? Well, very tellingly, even God-fearing people in the Bible has similar questions. For example, the prophet Habakkuk asked Jehovah: “Why is it that you make me see what is hurtful, and you keep looking upon mere trouble? And why are despoiling and violence in front of me, and why does quarreling occur, and why is strife carried?”—Habakkuk 1:3.

Apparently, God didn’t scold the faithful prophet Habakkuk for asking such questions. In its place, God included Habakkuk’s words in the inspired Bible record. God also helped him to get a clearer understanding of matters and to gain greater faith.

Very tellingly, people of various religions have asked of their religious leaders and teachers as to why there is so much suffering. Often, the response is that suffering is God’s will and that he long ago determined everything that would ever happen, including tragic events. Many are told that God’s ways are mysterious or that he brings death upon people—even children—so that he can have them in heaven with him. How ludicrous is that to be associated with a loving God? As has been elaborated upon in the introduction and the first chapter of this book, WE are usually the ones who bring suffering on ourselves either directly or indirectly mostly by the choices we make and of course there is the concept and issue of time and chance. Nonetheless, it should be noted that God never causes what is bad. The Bible says: “Far be it from the true God to act wickedly, and the Almighty to act unjustly!”—Job 34:10.

Most people make the mistake of blaming God for all the suffering in the world because they think that he is the real ruler of this AGE of the world. Most are unaware of  a simple but important truth that the Bible teaches which is that –for a given length of time-the real ruler of this world is Satan the Devil! The Devil has been permitted by God to literally run things- to a curtailed degree that is-for  sometime which would be for about 6,000 years as discussed elsewhere in this chapter.

In addition, very tellingly, it should be noted that Jesus Christ himself never doubted that Satan is the ruler of this age of the world’s existence. Referring back to Sunday school and the temptation of Christ, most of us do remember that in some astounding way, Satan once showed Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.” Satan then promised Jesus: “All these things I will give you if you fall down and do an act of worship to me.” (Matthew 4:8, 9; Luke 4:5, 6)

Let’s  look at the verses with more attention: Folks, that offer would not have been a temptation to Jesus if Satan was not the ruler of these kingdoms. Jesus did not deny that all these worldly governments were Satan’s. In fact, Jesus specifically referred to Satan as “the ruler of this world.” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) and the Bible even refers to Satan the Devil as “the god of this system of things.” (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4) in addition, regarding Satan, the Christian apostle John wrote: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.”—1 John 5:19.

No doubt, Jehovah is the Almighty God, the Creator of the marvelous universe. Many verses say that much and perhaps Revelation 4:11 puts it best: “You are worthy, our Lord and God,  to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things,  and by your will they were created  and have their being.” However, for a given time, Satan is being allowed to run things-under the Watchful Eye of God.

At this point, I have bring it to the forefront that I tend to believe the purpose of the story of Job in the Bible best illustrates these views.

1. Satan seeks to question God and has been doing so since the time of fall.
2. God has allowed and is allowing Satan to do certain things in this universe for a given time.
3. We as humans ultimately have to decide who our allegiance is to God or Satan.
4. Honestly, we shouldn’t question God-even though out of love, He does explain himself.

Another reason why there is so much suffering is that, mankind has been imperfect and sinful ever since the rebellion in the garden of Eden.

It should be noted that above all else, God’s plan for the earth is really wonderful. He wants the earth to be filled with happy, healthy people. The Bible says that “God planted a garden in Eden” and that he “made to grow . . . every tree desirable to one’s sight and good for food.” (Dear reader: this is yet again another reminder as to the diet God sees as best for humans!)

After God created the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, He put them in that gardern and told them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28; 2:8, 9, 15) Therefore, it is quite obvious that it was God’s purpose that humans have children, extend the boundaries of that garden home earth wide, and take care of the animals.

At this stage, to answer why God didn’t just start all over after the fall of man, (not that He has to anyway, let’s face it the Creator doesn’t owe the creature any explanations….), the answer may lie in these verses:

1. Isaiah 55:10-11: ¹⁰ As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish,  so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, ¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty,

   but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

1. Isaiah 49:11-¹¹ From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about;  what I have planned, that I will do.

Therein lie the answers.

Once the Lord has decreed something, it happens just the way He wants it done. If He has said in Genesis 1: 28-“Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” then that is exactly what will eventually happen.

As a matter of fact, albeit it in an imperfect way, that is what is happening now. The human population has increased and humans do have dominion over the earth, but it is going to get even better, a lot better. After mankind’s main enemy is taken out of the picture for good.

But where did he come from?

This in and of itself is a very revealing story.

Naturally, NO LIVING human knows all the details as no one was there except God, Jesus Christ, Satan, The Angels and The ones that fell from grace.

However, it’s not too difficult to piece the components of the issue together.

The first book of the Bible tells of an opposer of God who showed up in the garden of Eden. He is described as “the serpent,” but he was not a mere animal. The last book of the Bible identifies him as “the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth.” He is also called “the original serpent.” (Genesis 3:1; Revelation 12:9) This powerful angel, or invisible spirit creature, used a serpent to speak to Eve, even as a skilled person can make it seem that his voice is coming from a nearby doll or dummy.

It should be noted that Satan (being originally an angel of God) had been present when God prepared the earth for humans as God says in Job 38:4, 7. : ⁴ “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?   Tell me, if you understand. ⁵ Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!   Who stretched a measuring line across it? ⁶ On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone, ⁷ while the morning stars sang together   and all the angels^[a] shouted for joy?

At this stage, it may be questioned that since all of Jehovah’s creations are perfect, however, who made this “Devil,” this “Satan”?

To put it plainly, one of the powerful spirit sons of God turned himself into the Devil. How was this possible? Well, today a person who was once decent and honest may become a thief. How does that happen? The person may allow a wrong desire to grow in his heart and thoughts. If he keeps thinking about it, that wrong desire may become very strong. Then if the opportunity presents itself, he may act upon the bad desire that he has been thinking about.—James 1:13-15.: ¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

Apparently, this happened in the case of Satan the Devil. A wrong desire built up in his heart. Eventually, he took action to deceive Eve by telling her lies about God. (Genesis 3:1-5) He thus became a “Devil,” which means “Slanderer.” At the same time, he became “Satan,” which means “Opposer.”

⁷ By using lies and trickery, Satan the Devil caused Adam and Eve to disobey God.

I truly believe that contrary to some other beliefs I have heard of, there is no allegorical or symbolic significance of the Story of the garden of Eden. Furthermore, when Satan led Adam and Eve into sinning against God, he was really leading a rebellion.

Essentially, he was challenging Jehovah’s way of ruling. In effect, Satan was saying: ‘Humans do not need to have God ruling over them. They can decide for themselves what is good and what is bad. And they will be better off under my rulership.’ How would God handle such an insulting challenge as is illustrated in these verses: Isaiah 14:13-14

¹³ You said in your heart,  “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,

   on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.^{[b] 14} I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;    I will make myself like the Most High.”

Some think that God should simply have destroyed all those who rebelled against Him at that point, however that really wouldn’t have answered Satan’s challenge.

Notice this at Genesis 1:28,” Further, God blessed them and God said to them: �Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.”

Dear reader, the command was for Adam and Eve to be fruitful, and have earthly creation in subjection to them. However, there was only one test that God did place them under, and that was the test of obedience. The account tells us that of all the thousands of varieties of fruit that they could eat, only one special tree could they not eat from.

It should be noted that one of the greatest gifts God gave his intelligent creations (angelic or human) was the capacity of free will … the ability to make choices and to serve Him out of love and desire. I have to side with God here (not because He is God, but…), any human being, as imperfect as we are, will agree that we would rather have people love us of their own choice and not have a bunch of robots or people loving us because they feel they have to.

You can program a computer to do whatever you want it to do, let’s say you program your PC or Mac to have the inscription saying : “I LOVE YOU!!!” on the monitor every 5 minutes and indeed it does that, in comparison to your kid that runs into your arms, looks you in the eye and says “I love you Dad or Mom” or a dog that barks excitedly at the sight of you and runs towards you to show its feelings for you, of the two instances (the computer and human/pet, which do you think would make you feel more loved or which appears to be more genuine. Most will agree that it is the living creatures. I would like to believe the same applies with God-if he wanted ‘robots’ well He could have made just that, but since he wanted Creatures who truly love him, then he has every right to do just that. Let’s face it, He did make all things and by His being all things exist!

Consequently, blaming God for the choices made by intelligent people would be like blaming parents who provide the best environment for their child, including an abundance of love and ensuring that nothing is lacking – including a positive purpose in life, and whose child then becomes a criminal. The problem is not with the parent … it is with the child.

Therefore, in each of these scenarios:  Satan wanting the worship of humans, Eve wanting to be like God (able to independently decide what is good and bad), and Adam valuing being with his wife more than obedience to God, God truly cannot and should not be blamed.

Furthermore, although, He simply could have destroyed the rebellious creatures, this would not have answered the question in regards to the right to rulership in the view of many angels watching the events unfold.

Folks, indeed a vital issue is raised when it comes to exactly why God allows suffering. To find out exactly why, we would have to go back to the time when suffering began. When Satan led Adam and Eve into disobeying God, an important question was raised in the sense that Satan did not call into question God’s power. Satan did say he wanted to raise his throne ‘higher’ than God’s, so obviously he knew God had set the bar. Furthermore,  Satan knows that there is no limit to God’s power. Rather, Satan questioned God’s right to rule.

Read the verses closely: Genesis 3: 4&5: – Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. – For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

By calling God a liar who withholds good from his subjects, Satan charged that God is an incompetent ruler which would have implied that mankind would be better off without God’s control. This was an attack on God’s sovereignty or his right to rule. Therefore, when Adam and Eve rebelled against God, they in effect said: “We can decide for ourselves what is right and what is wrong.”

So, just how could God settle that issue and also teach all intelligent creatures that the rebels were wrong and that his way truly is best? Well, here’s an illustration that puts it best.

Assume there is a teacher who has shown his students how to solve a difficult problem. However, there is a clever but rebellious student who claims that the teacher’s way of solving the problem is wrong. This in effect implies that the teacher is not capable as this rebel insists that he knows a much better way to solve the problem.

Some students think that he is right, and they also become rebellious. At this stage, the teacher is left with a few choices.

1. Throw the rebels out of the class.
2. Allow the rebel to show the class how he would solve the problem.

If he goes with choice #1, there is every chance that the other students could believe their fellow student and join him as all the other students in the class might lose respect for the teacher, thinking that he is afraid of being proven wrong.

However, if he goes with choice #2, in knowing that the rebel and the students on his side are wrong, by allowing them the opportunity to try to prove their point will benefit the whole class. When the rebels fail, all honest students will see that the teacher is the only one qualified to lead the class. Furthermore, they will understand why the teacher thereafter removes any rebels from the class.

Similarly, God knows that all honest hearted humans and angels will benefit from seeing that Satan and his fellow rebels have failed and that humans cannot rule themselves. The rebels: Satan and his demons and to a degree, Adam and Eve were not the only ones involved. According to several verses, millions of angels were watching. (Job 38:7; Daniel 7:10, 1 Kings 22:19) Therefore, how God would have handled the rebellion would greatly affect all those angels and eventually all intelligent creation. So, what has God done? He has allowed Satan to show how he would rule mankind. God has also allowed humans to govern themselves under Satan’s guidance if mankind chooses to out of their own free will go the way of Satan.

We only have to look at the world today to see an evidence of just how incompetent we are in ruling ourselves.

That was what the eating ALL THE OTHER trees in the Garden of Eden meant, versus not eating from ONE tree.

ALL THE OTHER TREES=God giving mankind EVERYTHING as long as mankind obeyed him.

TREE OF GOOD EVIL=Rebelling against God, going the route of Satan and living with the consequences for some time.

Another assessment of this issue is as follows.

God being Almighty and all powerful out of love decided to make mankind in his own image to share in his vast kingdom as is represented in the universe. In addition, he has already designated certain creatures of his to be servants to him and to a degree mankind.

Now, when he made man, Satan, a previous servant of God became envious and decided to rebel thinking that it was unfair of God to make a creature after he had been here a while. In so doing,  Satan questioned God’s right to rule and took it upon himself to convince a third of the other angels to rebel along with him and to wage war against mankind that’s how this whole mess started it seems.

At this time, please allow me to indulge in my tendencies to be very curious-at times that is-by divulging this piece of information to you. Here goes, I stumbled on the pseudepigraphical books of the Bible, which are a collection of historical biblical works that are considered to be fiction and because of that stigma, are not included in the compilation of the Holy Bible.

However, they carry significant meaning and insight into events of that time. It is doubtful that these writings could have survived all the many centuries if there were no substance to them.

Moreover, parts of them are found in the Jewish Talmud, and the Islamic Koran, showing what a vital role it played in the original literature of human wisdom.

I have read some of them for myself and they seem to be in line with the Holy Bible as far as a timeline and appear to be just as presented in a sense of style as the Bible and even the Holy Bible references some of them, so, this does give some credibility to such books and I bring this subject up because even in these books excluded from the Bible, God’s intention for creating mankind and the whole beginning of the rebellion is clearly stated here in The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament as compiled by R.H. Charles (you can view it yourself at these links: http://www.ccel.org/c/charles/otpseudepig/adamnev.htm

 and

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/anderson/vita/english/vita.lat.html

For Christians, what is even interesting is this text outlines what happens after Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, their initial reactions to their fate, Satan’s account to them on how he fell as stated in the book of Isaiah 14:12-17 and why he tempted them, the birth of Cain and Abel and the death of the latter along with other fascinating accounts. No dogma or propaganda here, but even if it’s for entertainment, it’s worth the read.

Here goes:

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xi 1 And when she heard this, Eve understood that (it was) the devil (who) had persuaded her to go out of the river; and she fell on her face on the earth and her sorrow and groaning and wailing

And she cried out and said: ‘Woe unto thee, thou devil. Why dost thou attack us for no cause? What hast thou to do with us? What have we done to thee? for thou pursuest us with craft? Or why doth thy malice

3 assail us? Have we taken away thy glory and caused thee to be without honour? Why dost thou harry us, thou enemy (and persecute us) to the death in wickedness and envy?’

xii 1 And with a heavy sigh, the devil spake: ‘O Adam! all my hostility, envy, and sorrow is for thee, since it is for thee that I have been expelled from my glory, which I possessed in the heavens

2 in the midst of the angels and for thee was I cast out in the earth.’ Adam answered, ‘What dost

3 thou tell me? What have I done to thee or what is my fault against thee? Seeing that thou hast received no harm or injury from us, why dost thou pursue us?’

xiii 1 The devil replied, ‘Adam, what dost thou tell me? It is for thy sake that I have been hurled

2 from that place. When thou wast formed. I was hurled out of the presence of God and banished from the company of the angels. When God blew into thee the breath of life and thy face and likeness was made in the image of God, Michael also brought thee and made (us) worship thee in the sight of God; and God the Lord spake: Here is Adam. I have made thee in our image and likeness.’

xiv 1 And Michael went out and called all the angels saying:

‘Worship the image of God as the Lord God hath commanded.’

And Michael himself worshipped first; then he called me and said: ‘Worship the image of God

3 the Lord.’ And I answered, ‘I have no (need) to worship Adam.’ And since Michael kept urging me to worship, I said to him, ‘Why dost thou urge me? I will not worship an inferior and younger being (than I). I am his senior in the Creation, before he was made was I already made. It is his duty to worship me.’

xv 1,2 When the angels, who were under me, heard this, they refused to worship him. And Michael saith, ‘Worship the image of God, but if thou wilt not worship him, the Lord God will be wrath

3 with thee.’ And I said, ‘If He be wrath with me, I will set my seat above the stars of heaven and will be like the Highest.’ (notice how this correlates with Isaiah 14:13 which says: You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.)

xvi 1 And God the Lord was wrath with me and banished me and my angels from our glory; and on

2 thy account were we expelled from our abodes into this world and hurled on the earth. And

3 straightway we were overcome with grief, since we had been spoiled of so great glory. And we

4 were grieved when we saw thee in such joy and luxury. And with guile I cheated thy wife and caused thee to be expelled through her (doing) from thy joy and luxury, as I have been driven out of my glory.

========================================

Take a look at another documentation from the Pseudepigrapha as well AND I hope that you will be open-minded enough to see that although they are not reported in the Bible, they very well seem to explain a lot of things clearly in my opinion. Although considered to be pseudepigraphic by some, it carries significant meaning and insight into events of that time.

The First Book of Adam and Eve

http://reluctant-messenger.com/eden_1.htm

Chapter VI – God’s reprimand to Adam and Eve in which he points out how and why they sinned.

1 But God looked at them; for they had killed themselves through great grief.

2 But He decided to raise them and comfort them.

3 He, therefore, sent His Word to them; that they should stand and be raised immediately.

4 And the Lord said to Adam and Eve, “You transgressed of your own free will, until you came out of the garden in which I had placed you.

5 Of your own free will have you transgressed through your desire for divinity, greatness, and an exalted state, such as I have; so that I deprived you of the bright nature in which you then were, and I made you come out of the garden to this land, rough and full of trouble.

6 If only you had not transgressed My commandment and had kept My law, and had not eaten of the fruit of the tree which I told you not to come near! And there were fruit trees in the garden better than that one.

7 But the wicked Satan did not keep his faith and had no good intent towards Me, that although I had created him, he considered Me to be useless, and sought the Godhead for himself; for this I hurled him down from heaven so that he could not remain in his first estate — it was he who made the tree appear pleasant in your eyes, until you ate of it, by believing his words.

8 Thus have you transgressed My commandment, and therefore I have brought on you all these sorrows.

9 For I am God the Creator, who, when I created My creatures, did not intend to destroy them. But after they had sorely roused My anger, I punished them with grievous plagues, until they repent.

10 But, if on the contrary, they still continue hardened in their transgression, they shall be under a curse forever.”

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At this stage, it should start to become clear what happened in the Garden of Eden and why it did nonetheless, some might ask, why is God allowing this to go on for so long and why does he not prevent bad things from happening?

To answer these question, we have to consider two things that the teacher in the analogy above would not do.

1.       First, he would not hinder the rebel student from presenting his case.

2.       Second, the teacher would not help the rebel to make his case.

In the same way, consider two things that God has determined not to do. First, he has not stopped Satan and those who side with him from trying to prove that they are right. Allowing time to pass has thus been necessary. Going back to the millennia upon millennia of human history, we as humans  have been able to try every form of self-rule, or human government and granted we have made some advances in science and other fields, but injustice, poverty, crime, and war have grown ever worse. Therefore, human rule with its way has now been shown to be a failure.

Moreover, God has not helped Satan to rule this world.

Let’s face it, if God were to prevent horrible crimes, for instance, would he not in an indirect way be supporting the case of the rebels? Quite easily it would make people think that perhaps humans can govern themselves without disastrous results. Furthermore, consider all the health laws discussed in Chapter 6 of this book given for our own good. If we constantly disobey them and then fall sick, won’t God healing us each time simply mean we can break the rules whenever we want and get away with them. That will be like bailing your rebellious kid out of jail every time they break the law. At some point, the kid will think : “I can do whatever I want, my mom or dad would simply bail me out…?” Now, us as humans know we wouldn’t want such a reaction from our kids. Well, in a similar way it applies to God.

Still, it is comforting to know that in the mean time, God has been actively seeking sincere worshipers and believers in Him and His ways and helping them to endure any suffering that may come upon them in this troubled world as is referenced in 1 Corinthians 10:13 which says: “No temptation has seized you that isn’t common for people. But God is faithful. He won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your abilities. Instead, with the temptation, God will also supply a way out so that you will be able to endure it.”

That said, in regards to the option to start over after the rebellion in Eden where Satan called God a liar and challenged God’s sovereignty (His right to rule), implying that mankind would be better off without God’s rulership. God has allowed both Satan and mankind the opportunity to prove whether or not they can successfully rule independently of His guidance which would not be successful based on this verse, Jeremiah 10:23 “LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own;   it is not for them to direct their steps.”

At the same time he has made arrangements to allow those that want to serve Him an opportunity to learn about him (the Bible), to come into an approved relationship with him (the sacrifice of Christ Jesus) and enjoy the benefits of serving God as was originally offered to Adam & Even (eternal life in paradise on earth).

In addition, not to be overlooked is the fact that God immediately provided a means by which he would undo the effects of this rebellion. In the Bible’s first prophecy (Genesis 3:15) God foretold that he would provide a Seed that would crush Satan (Romans 16:20). 1 John 3:8 tells us that Christ was made manifest to break up the works of the Devil. In short, there is no evil act that has been done or can be done that will not be undone. Isaiah 65:17 foretells that the “former things will not be called to mind” and Revelation 21:1-5 promise an end to tears, death, mourning, outcry and pain.

Nonetheless, several people might still think, could all this suffering have been prevented if God had created Adam and Eve in such a way that they could not rebel?

To answer that question, again, we have to remember: We as intelligent creatures have free will. God could have created a world where evil could not arise in it, but then He would have had to take away free will. However, God wants people to love Him and He doesn’t want to force them to. If you take away free will, then people would simply be pre-programmed robots. God wants people to love Him, but He doesn’t want to force them to. God could either have robots who love Him only because they have no other alternative, or He could have people who love Him and freely choose to. Which would you prefer? Just about everyone would agree they would prefer somebody to choose to love them. That’s how God wants it, too furthermore, let’s not forget that we are HUMANS , He is GOD. We can’t truly know EVERYTHING about what and how he thinks.

Another question I used to ask which might be inquired by other people is that if God knows everything, including what will or will not happen in the future, didn’t He know Man was going to fall before he even created him and if he knew this, why proceed with creation or allow the existence of the tree of knowledge.

Well, although God Himself acknowledges his ability to foreknow the future. (Isaiah 46:9-10: ⁹ Remember the prior things from long ago;  I am God, and there’s no other. I am God! There’s none like me, ¹⁰ who tells the end at the beginning,  from ancient times things not yet done,  saying, “My plan will stand;  all that I decide I will do,”)

Apparently He chooses to be selective when he uses the ability as is evidenced in other Bible accounts (e.g.., the test of Abraham’s faith re: Isaac (Genesis 18:19; 22:11, 12)) and the fact that He extends the opportunity to all mankind to be reconciled to Him. (Acts 17:30, 31) It would be grossly unfair of God to invite all mankind to repent if He already knew which ones would not succeed.

By choosing when he uses this foreknowledge, God gives each of us the opportunity to prove ourselves loyal to Him and provide an answer to Satan’s challenge (Proverbs 27:11) and has the ability to find joy in His own life. Let’s remember, we are made in God’s image and just as we have emotions, he has them on a bigger scale of course, so if you consider how boring your life would be if you knew every facet (the good, the bad and the mundane) of how others would treat you. What might seem advantageous to begin with would quickly grow dull.

It should also be noted that indeed Adam, a previously perfect human being prior to his fall, had the ability to not rebel with Satan as time and again, many of us imperfect beings have been able to resist temptations under way more challenging situations (for example Daniel in the Lion’s Den, Job in his situation with Satan tempting him, Esther) therefore, as to exactly why Adam chose to rebel perhaps since our minds are so finite, that we scarcely can fathom all things, we may never know-I myself have wondered, had it been me or anyone else, would I or anyone else have eaten this forbidding fruit?

In regards to the universal gift of free will that we all have, it should be noted that in a true sense, this is indeed a precious ability. God has made countless animals that are driven largely by instinct. Even man has made some robots that can be programmed to follow every command. Subsequently, the question begs to be asked, would we be happy if God had made us like that? No, we are glad to have the freedom to make choices about what kind of person to become, what course of life to pursue, what friendships to form, and so on. We love to have a measure of freedom, and that is what God wants us to enjoy but of course not abuse.

Satan, Adam, and Eve made the worst possible use of this free will. They rejected God. (Although accounts not included in the Bible per se depict that Adam and Eve were forgiven by God) but as a lesson for the rest of mankind, we now have the opportunity to put the marvelous gift of free will to the best possible use. You and I can join the millions who have taken a stand on God’s side. In doing so, we make God rejoice because we take an active part in proving Satan a liar and a miserable failure as a ruler. Proverbs 27:11 puts it best by saying: Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad. Then I will be able to answer my critics.

Now, even Satan has come to realize that some of Adam and Eve’s descendants are actively (albeit now imperfect beings) seeking to obey and honor God, therefore his goal is to try to steer such people from serving the Lord, thus he constantly accuses us of only fearing God perhaps because He provides and protects us. So at this stage, it should be noted that the issue of integrity to God that was raised by Satan in the instance of Job was not directed against people in Bible times alone.

We are all involved on a daily basis. The words in Proverbs 27:11, written hundreds of years after Job’s death as an example, show that Satan was still taunting God and accusing His servants. When we live in a way that pleases God, we actually help to give an answer to Satan’s false charges, and in that way we make God’s heart rejoice. It should be noted that Satan  has said: “Everything that a man has he will give in behalf of his soul.” (Job 2:4) By saying “a man,” Satan made it clear that his charge applied not just to Job the biblical figure’s story where this was said but to all humans. That is a very important point. Satan has called into question each person’s integrity to God. The Devil would like to see us disobey God and leave a righteous course when difficulties arise.

Consequently we are forewarned of how Satan might try to accomplish this, we have to know that Satan uses various methods to try to turn people away from God. In one instance, he attacks “like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone.” (1 Peter 5:8) therefore Satan’s influence may be seen when friends, relatives, or others oppose your efforts to study the Bible and apply what you learn.

On the other hand, Satan “keeps transforming himself into an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14) The Devil can use subtle means to mislead you and lure you away from a godly way of life. Either way he comes to us as humans, Satan’s challenge remains the same, which is: When a human is faced with trials or temptations, they will stop serving God.

Therefore, for those who willingly love the Lord, how can we answer his challenge and prove our integrity to God, as Job did?

Simply, we can answer Satan’s challenge by living in a way that pleases God. The word says it best in the following instances:

                1. John 14:15: “If you love me, obey my commandments.”

                2. Deuteronomy 6:5 “You must love Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your vital force.”

                3. 1 John 5:3 “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.”

                4. 2 John 1:6 “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”

                5. 1 John 2:3 “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.”

So what are God’s commandments?

Some of them involve conduct that we must avoid and for ease of figuring them out, they are listed herewith shortly.

Now, at a first glimpse, some practices that are listed might not seem so bad or seem the norm in today’s society.

Or avoiding such things may make one appear to be “boring and no fun.” However, just like with the issue of eating right via biblical wisdom for our own good, after meditating on the cited scriptures, you will likely see the wisdom of God’s laws. Folks, living in a way that pleases God brings great satisfaction and happiness and it is something that is within our reach.

Why is that the case?

This is so because God never asks more of us than we can do.

(Deuteronomy 30:11-14: ¹¹ This commandment that I’m giving you right now is definitely not too difficult for you. It isn’t unreachable. 12 It isn’t up in heaven somewhere so that you have to ask, “Who will go up for us to heaven and get it for us that we can hear it and do it?” 13 Nor is it across the ocean somewhere so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the ocean for us and get it for us that we can hear it and do it?” 14 Not at all! The word is very close to you. It’s in your mouth and in your heart, waiting for you to do it.)

He knows our potential and our limitations better than we do. (Psalm 103:14 Because God knows how we’re made…God remembers we’re just dust.)

Moreover, God can give us the strength to obey him. The apostle Paul wrote: “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but along with the temptation he will also make the way out in order for you to be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

So, here are some things God clearly hates:

-  Murder—Exodus 20:13; 21:22, 23.

-  Sexual immorality.—Leviticus 20:10, 13, 15, 16; Romans 1:24, 26, 27, 32; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.

-  Spiritism.—Deuteronomy 18:9-13; 1 Corinthians 10:21, 22; Galatians 5:20, 21.

-  Idolatry.—1 Corinthians 10:14.

-  Drunkenness.—1 Corinthians 5:11.

-  Stealing.—Leviticus 6:2, 4; Ephesians 4:28.

-  Lying.—Proverbs 6:16, 19; Colossians 3:9; Revelation 22:15.

-  Greed.—1 Corinthians 5:11.

-  Violence.—Psalm 11:5; Proverbs 22:24, 25; Malachi 2:16; Galatians 5:20.

-  Improper speech.—Leviticus 19:16; Ephesians 5:4; Colossians 3:8.

-  Misuse of blood.—Genesis 9:4; Acts 15:20, 28, 29.

-  Refusal to provide for one’s family.—1 Timothy 5:8.

-  Use of tobacco or so-called recreational drugs.—Mark 15:23; 2 Corinthians 7:1.

Naturally, there might be some other things not listed herewith, however the Bible with its guidance (especially with this age of the internet) is always within reach.

Moreover, there is more involved in pleasing God than avoiding things that he hates. You also need to love what he loves. The saying is “Birds of the same feather flock together, We all feel drawn to those who share our views, interests, and values and being made in God’s image, the same applies to Him.

Therefore, it is wise to love the things that God holds dear. Some of these are described at Psalm 15:1-5,

¹ LORD, who can live in your Holy Tent ^[a]?

   Who can live on your holy mountain?

2 Only those who live pure lives, do what is right,

   and speak the truth from their hearts.

3 Such people don’t say bad things about others.

   They don’t do things to hurt their neighbors.

   They don’t tell shameful things about those close to them.

4 They hate those who fail to please God

   and honor those who respect the LORD.

If they make a promise to their neighbor,

   they do what they promised. ^[b]

5 If they loan money to someone,

   they do not charge them interest.

And they refuse to testify against an innocent person,

   even if someone offers them money to do it.

   Whoever lives like this will always stand strong.

 In addition “the fruitage of the spirit.” includes such qualities as “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control.”—Galatians 5:22, 23.

Suffice it to say Jesus also gives a simple admonition worth remembering:

Matthew 22:37-40

³⁷ Jesus answered:  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.

3⁸ This is the first and most important commandment.

³⁹ The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.”

⁴⁰ All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets ^[a] are based on these two commandments.

At this stage, keeping all these aforementioned factors in mind, the Bible tells us that whatever God purposes will happen, no matter what (Isaiah 55:11). In the beginning God’s purpose was to have humans living forever on earth in paradise conditions. That is going to happen. No creatures, inferior to God, can permanently stop that from happening. Also we have to look at things from his viewpoint. The Bible says that a thousand years to us, is but a day to God. So while we have had over 6000 years of human suffering based on us constantly rebelling against God, it has been a very short time to the king of eternity.

It is worth mentioning that God originally created a peaceful arrangement and environment for mankind. However, as we have seen in his own account in the texts provided above, Satan who was the first rebel in the universe cleverly induced the first human pair, Adam and Eve to join in his rebellion against God, of course never having their best intention at heart. The saying misery loves company comes to mind here. Nonetheless, Adam and Eve’s selfish act of disobedience resulted in the loss of perfect human life for them and all their offspring.

Consequently, God has worked and is working with fallen man and now there is a system of ordinances for the children who love Him.

So folks, A NEW WORLD IS AT HAND adhering to the advice given above on how to live God’s way will definitely assure that somehow God will reward you and I with eternal life as he aptly stated in Romans 9:16: It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.!

The Bible assures us: “There are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to [God’s] promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.”

Some of what to expect is as follows.

1. 1.       Wickedness, warfare, crime, and violence will be gone. (Psalm 37:10, 11) (Psalm 46:9; Isaiah 2:4) Psalm 72:7.

1. 2.      God’s worshipers will live in security. (Leviticus 25:18, 19) Isaiah 32:18; Micah 4:4.

1. 3.      Food shortages will not exist. (Psalm 72:16) Psalm 67:6.

1. 4.      The whole earth will become a paradise. (Isaiah 65:21-24; Revelation 11:18)Psalm 145:16.

1. 5.      There will be peace between humans and animals. Isaiah 11:6-9; 65:25.

1. 6.      Sickness will vanish. (Matthew 9:35; Mark 1:40-42; John 5:5-9) Isaiah 33:24; 35:5, 6.

1. 7.       Dead loved ones will be restored to life with the prospect of never dying.—Acts 24:15; John 5:28, 29.

Remember God himself has said: “I am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’… I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it” (Isaiah 46:9-11)

As good as all of this sounds, folks, Satan also knows of mankind’s glorious destiny; and, as God’s enemy, Satan is determined to prevent mankind from achieving eternal life. The Plan of God was put in place to make it possible for everyone who has lived to have the opportunity to achieve this incredible destiny. Satan took advantage of the spiritual weakness and ignorance of Adam and Eve and started them on a path away from their destiny. Still, the Plan of God thwarts Satan and his deceptions despite the weakness of Adam and Eve. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ was planned from the beginning to overcome the weakness of mankind.

1 Peter 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. KJV

My honest reasons for putting all of this information here in writing are as follows:

1. I really feel many people as possible need to be equipped with this information as all signs do show that we are in the end times. 
2. I feel God gets a bad rap most of the time for things that are clearly not His doing. 
3. There is so much misinformation in regards to the Church and The concept of Eternal Life out there and although I would not dare say EVERYTHING I have divulged here is the final word, I do believe that out of extensive research, study and common sense we all can reach a clear conclusion as to what the truth is.
4. If an atheist or agnostic person were to ever read this book (and this chapter especially), I want to be able to win them over to seeing the Truth of God.

I was deep in the Christian Faith as a Child into early adolescence, but I admit that in my late teens to early adulthood, I did take another path-never truly letting my roots in Christianity leave me completely. Perhaps because I just had so many questions that so-called church leaders could not answer that had it not been for the internet and books, I probably would still be left in the dark-and out of the faith.

However, now that I have been duly informed and educated on previously unanswered topics, my faith has been strengthened so much more. I truly will be a fool to ever want to steer from God. Therefore, I hope that in having my faith strengthened, my knowledge of things of a spiritual nature increased (albeit gradually), in addition to providing you with all the health related information for the physical body my aim is to divulge what I know in regards to spiritual health and well being.

Now, I will address the possible question of #2 stated earlier about the Millennial Reign Of Christ?

However, before I proceed any further, I will like to stress that for this particular chapter, since there are so many views on the subject even amongst Christians, I am of the belief that just because something is the popular belief, it does not mean it is the correct belief. Therefore, on any topic you always want to ask yourself: What does the Bible say?

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.  It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes (Psalm 118:8-9).

1.  “Test everything. Hold on to the good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
2. “They say, “The LORD declares,” when the LORD has not sent them; yet they expect their words to be fulfilled. Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The LORD declares,” though I have not spoken? (Ezekiel 13:6-7)
3. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book (Revelation 22:18-19).

Therefore God’s instructions are:

1.      Do not trust in man.

2.      Examine the Scripture to see what is true.

3.      Do not add or take away from what the Lord has said.

That said, some of the information you will read here may go totally against what you may have been led to believe, however, the information comes from research and study based on the Bible and nothing else. Therefore, before a viewpoint here is seen as wrong, please read over whatever scripture I present to back it up and at least try to read what is being presented before making a judgment.

At this stage, I was always under the impression that when people die, from a Christian standpoint at least, they either go to heaven or hell. The Catholics even say that purgatory may be the case. Well, based on scripture, the afore mentioned beliefs are wrong. The plan is for there to be resurrections of people in the various categories on how they have lived their lives while on earth, then as is applicable, some inherit eternal life-right away, most are given a chance to know God for the first time AND choose whether they want to serve God or…not.

If this goes against everything you have been taught or heard,  how about reading what is being presented here and checking your own Bible for references and if need be, by all means feel free to read the whole chapters of the verses given so there is no claim of them being taken out of context.

I am a very inquisitive and curious fellow when I am interested in a given subject, so after I had heard about the plan based on Biblical verses on what is to happen to mankind as a whole, I indeed looked up the information given me and in summary this is what I have found and now am sharing with you.

To validate this prophecy that is to be fulfilled according to the body, one of the most concise and informative passages on the millennial reign of Christ occurs in Revelation 20:1-7. This is to occur after the description of the Christ’s second coming in chapter 19, but before the great white throne judgment in Revelation 20:11-15 and the eternal kingdom in chapters 21 and 22.

You can also see a description of how life should be during this 1000 year period in Isaiah 11: 1-9 and the latter portion of Isaiah 65

In regards to Revelation Chapter 20, this passage makes several things very clear. Satan will be bound and unable to influence mankind. The duration of this kingdom will be one millennium. This passage makes this very clear by telling us not just once but six times that it will last one thousand years. Satan will be released for a brief period after the one thousand years. This passage may bring questions to the minds of many readers, but hopefully, the remainder of this paper will adequately address most of them. For a description of the eternal kingdom which will follow this one thousand year kingdom, one may read Revelation chapters 21 and 22.

However, during the 1000 year reign the following will happen:

1.   Animals Become Peaceful again (Isaiah 11:6-9) and return back to being vegetarians as was the original intention of God in Genesis 1: 30.

2.   Everyone will be serving God as Isaiah 11:9  states that, “… the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.“

3.   Life Spans Increased (Isaiah 65:20-25 )

In the Isaiah 65:20-25 passage we also see normal, everyday life taking place. Often people may incorrectly equate the kingdom with some popular idea of heaven. However, this prophecy does not describe people sitting on clouds strumming harps. Instead we see normal activities like building houses, living in them, planting vineyards, eating fruit, bearing children, and sometimes even death.

This passage also provides further evidence of carnivorous animals becoming herbivores, which we have already discussed.

1. An End to Wars -There will be no war during this one thousand years, until Satan is released (Revelation 20:7-9) for a short period at the end. In reference to Jesus Christ, Micah 4:3 says, “And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” Isaiah 2:4 is very similar passage. Not only will there no longer be any war, but the weapons will be dismantled and battle strategies will no longer be taught.

Clearly, from the verses above, Jesus Christ is to come back and reign on this very earth and that will be discussed briefly in the next section.

=============================================== 

The RETURN of Jesus and the FIRST Resurrection

Let’s go over some clear as day points here in regards to what is to happen to mankind according to the Bible which we have seen is a VERY TRUSTWORTHY book to rely upon for how we should and would live as humans-based on our choices.

1.      Jesus Christ said:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God;  and those who hear will live . . . Do not marvel at this;  for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth — those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation (judgment). ” (John 5:25, 28-29).

Clearly, Jesus speaks of two categories of people; those who have done good, and those who have done evil. Two different resurrections for two different purposes. One, a resurrection “of life,” and the other, a resurrection “of judgment” which we will discuss later.

2.      Now, here are the clear statements of Paul concerning the FIRST resurrection:

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.  But each one in his own order (there is a sequence of events, a chronological order of events concerning the resurrections): Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.” (1 Corinthians 15:22-23).

Many details are given concerning this first great resurrection of the “dead in Christ.” Jesus said:

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars (meteorites?) will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will GATHER TOGETHER HIS ELECT from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-31).

3.      Now here is a back-up Scripture:

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep (dead), lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus (the dead in Christ).

“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  AND THE DEAD IN CHRIST WILL RISE FIRST.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (1Thessalonians 4:13-17).

Obviously He is coming “with clouds,” and the dead in Christ are to meet Him “in the air.”

The living saints nor the “dead in Christ” are NOT taken to heaven at His coming. Jesus will resurrect his saints as he comes back to the earth to rule!

Notice:

“Behold, the day of the Lord is coming . . . For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem . . . Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations (see Revelation 19:11-21), as He fights in the day of battle.  And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east . . . And the Lord shall be King over all the earth.  In that day it shall be — ‘The Lord is one,’ and His name one.” (Zechariah 14:1-4, 9)

Jesus Christ is coming back to this earth to rule it with a rod of iron (Isaiah 2:2-4; Isaiah 11:4-16; Revelation 2:26, 3:21; Micah 4). When His startled disciples watched Him depart this earth, as He was literally being taken up into the air, and disappearing into the clouds overhead, the very first message to ever come down to this earth after Jesus went to heaven was:

“And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven?  This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, WILL SO COME IN LIKE MANNER as you saw Him go into heaven.’ ” (Acts 1:10-11)

4.      He is coming with clouds, into the lower atmosphere of this earth, and will continue His descent until He stands upon the Mount of Olives. Not only are the “dead in Christ” resurrected at the moment of Christ’s return, but the living saints are miraculously changed.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all SLEEP (be dead), but we shall all be changed — in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. (at the exact moment of Jesus’ return) For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will (first) be raised incorruptible, and (then) we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

5.      So at the very moment Jesus Christ arrives on this earth as King of kings and Lord of lords, the “dead in Christ” are resurrected, caught up into the clouds, and are transported by Christ’s angels to meet the returning Christ in the air. Then, those living saints in whom the Spirit of God dwells will be changed from mortal to immortal; from flesh to spirit; from human to divine, and will likewise be caught up into the air, to meet the descending Christ over the Mount of Olives.

His feet will stand in that very day on the Mount of Olives, a short walk from Jerusalem! With Him will be all the great men and women of the Bible, from Seth to Noah; from Moses to Elijah; from John the Baptist to Paul. Also with Him will be millions of people you and I have never known — people who lived their Christian lives in the valleys of Europe during the Middle Ages; people who were persecuted, perhaps put to death, for their faith in Christ.

God’s Word tells us that those in the first resurrection are to be “co-heirs with Christ,” that we are to be “like Him: for we shall see Him as He is” (Romans 8:17; 1 John 3:2).

“But we have this treasure (God’s Holy Spirit, which enables a person to be a true Christian) in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.  We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed;  we are perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed . . .

“Therefore we do not lose heart.  Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man (the new creature in Christ being created in those converted) is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory . . .” (2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 16-17)

It appears that millions of deceived, professing Christians absolutely refuse to believe the plain, easily understood statements of God’s Word about the future state of the dead in Christ. However, to you and me, it should be obvious that from the verses (and chapters provided) that the resurrected saints will be co-heirs with Christ, that they shall be like Him for they will see Him as He is!

Such is the Bible description of the first great resurrection. Now, we know who is resurrected when Christ returns. We know the living saints will instantly changed, and that they will not precede the dead in Christ, but that all will be caught up at the same time, the time of the voice of the archangel, the trump of God, and the Second Coming of Christ.

Still this leaves us with the aforementioned second resurrection of which Christ spoke. It goes without saying that there are several people who have never heard the gospel, even if they did, with all the hypocrisy, confusion etc that goes on in Churches with all the denominations and the like, some people simply fall out of it and tend to reject it-and a large amount of the world’s population falls into this category. Moreover, there are several people who have never even heard of Christ and His Word both in the present times, when he was alive and before and after his life on earth.

So WHY is there a SECOND resurrection from the dead?

“But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished . . .” (Revelation 20:5).

The billions of human beings who will be resurrected in the second resurrection — those who are the “rest of the dead” who do not come up until after one thousand years of Jesus’ rule on the earth (the Millennium) — are those who never had a REAL CHANCE for salvation.

From many, many scriptures, it is obvious that only those who make a determined, conscious decision to reject God’s way of life and those who rebel against His laws, and who willfully reject His salvation will be destroyed in Gehenna fire.

Still, there are some who don’t know what the laws are or were.

Several people truly do not know they are sinning when they do certain things perhaps because they were never taught otherwise or see it as the norm. Furthermore, the Bible reveals that the vast majority are blinded; that they are deceived. But a deceived person does not know that he or she is deceived. A deceived person can be completely sincere. He or she can be good, but still be just that-deceived.

Many a times, when a person dies, people automatically say “he or she is with the Lord in Heaven now!” or other phrases that sound good and indeed are comforting but is that really the case.

I am quite sure it is not so-based on the following verses:

The word of God says:

1.     For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them:  AS ONE DIES, SO DIES THE OTHER.  Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.  All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. ” (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20).

God’s Word says men die in the same fashion as cows, horses, dogs, or sheep. Our condition in death is the same as we all owe our lives to the oxygen in the air. When we die, we both decay, and return to the soil from which we were formed according to Genesis 1: 24-31 (re-read these verses and it’s clear as day that we were all formed from the land)

2.     Are the dead conscious in some way?

“For the living know that they will die; but the dead know NOTHING, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them (their memory, their consciousness) is forgotten.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5).

3.     David knew this. He knew that man returns to the dust, to the elements of the soil from which he came. He wrote:

            “What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit?  Will the dust praise You?  Will it declare Your truth?” (Psalm 30:9).

4. For the grave cannot praise thee, death can [not] celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. (Isa 38:18)

5. For in death [there is] no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks? (Ps 6:5)

6. Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom. (Ec. 9:10)

7. “Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day…. For David did not ascend into the heavens” (Acts 2:29,34 RSV)

8. “No one has gone into heaven but He who descended from heaven, the Son of man.” (John 3:13 RSV)

9. “for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29 RSV)

10. “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2 RSV)

11. All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust (Job 34:15)

Thus, the Bible shows that when humans die, they are no longer conscious. They have no thoughts, no memory, no awareness. The Bible describes death as the deepest kind of dreamless sleep, where man is completely unaware of the passage of time. He has no pain, no worry, no memory.

Notice:

“While I live I will praise the Lord.  I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.  Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.  His spirit departs (he dies), he returns to his earth.  In that very day his plans PERISH.” (Psalm 146:2-4).

By now, it should be as clear as day that Biblically speaking, once we die, we simply go into the most profound sleep with no memory. no conscious thought, no awareness.

If we go to heaven or hell upon death, let’s even say heaven, then let’s consider the following instances in the Bible, then I will present you with a question.  

Take into consideration the numbered illustrations below:

 1. The prophet Elijah prays and God raises a young boy from death (1 Kings 17:17-24)

2. Elisha raises the son of the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:32-37); this was the very same child whose birth he previously foretold (2 Kings 4:8-16)  

3. A dead man’s body that was thrown into the dead Elisha’s tomb is resurrected when the body touches Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:21)  

4. These resurrections included the daughter of Jairus shortly after death (Mark 5:21–43, Matthew 9:18–26, Luke 8:40–56) 

5. Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son (Luke 7:11-17) 

6. Jesus Raises Lazarus after being dead four days. (John 11:1-45)

7.  Peter raises Dorcas from the Dead (Acts 9:36-43 )

8. Paul raises Eutychus from the Dead (Acts 20: 7-11)

9. Upon Jesus Death several people are raised to life (Mt. 27:51-53)

What do all these instances have in common? People were brought back to life.

Did anyone complain about being brought back to life from Heaven or express gratitude for being released from the heat of a burning Hell? NO.

This should make it abundantly clear that when people die, they do not go to a Heaven or Hell-on the contrary, they go to their graves.

Even Jesus emphasized this fact in this verse: John 3:13: :”No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man”

Now the common argument that most well meaning Christians bring forward to indicate that the preceding  evidences of people going to their graves and not heaven or hell upon death could somehow be wrong is the acclaimed Parable of Lazarus and The Rich Man.

I even presented this as a rebuttal to the person(s) who pointed out to me that when we die the first physical death, we are in our graves.

However, they brought certain things to my attention that I did not know previously and they are as follows.

First of all what is a parable?

According to Wikipedia, A parable is a short tale that illustrates a universal truth, one of the simplest of narratives. It sketches a setting, describes an action, and shows the results. It often involves a character facing a moral dilemma, or making a questionable decision and then suffering the consequences. Though the meaning of a parable is often not explicitly stated, the meaning is not usually intended be hidden or secret but on the contrary quite straightforward and obvious.

Furthermore, they are an ancient Eastern literary genre that presents comparisons to teach an important moral lesson. The root meaning of the word parable means a placing side by side for the sake of comparison. A parable envisions the whole narrative to generate the spiritual message,

That said, it is quite obvious that it’s not the events or characters in a parable that should be taken literally, but rather the message it contains. Furthermore, There are several other parables in the bible that I am quite sure well meaning Christians know better than to take literally for example the parables of the Good Samaritan, The Talents, The 10 virgins etc. It’s pretty obvious that these could not and should not be taken literally.

Nonetheless, for this specific parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, let’s reexamine it quickly.

“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day; and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table; moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores.

“And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried: and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried, and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and thou art tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed; so that they which would pass from hence to you, cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

“Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham; but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” –Luke 16:19-31.

It becomes apparent that

1. Although they lived on the Earth at one time, we are told that they are both dead. They could not be physically alive and physically dead at the same time. Yet even though they are dead they are both represented as alive in bodies. The tongue, eyes, and finger are all mentioned in this story. This proves that this story it to be taken figuratively, not literally.

2. Abraham is represented as alive. In Luke 20:27 Jesus tells us most plainly that Abraham is dead. He tells us that before God can once again be the God of Abraham, that Abraham must first be alive. The fact that Abraham is dead in Hades and awaits the Resurrection proves that this story it to be taken figuratively, not literally.

3. From Genesis to Revelation the Scriptures teach that the dead are asleep until the Resurrection. So, those who limit this ‘sleep to the body alone do so in direct contradiction of the statements made in the Scriptures. The sleep of death is present to us, according to the Scriptures, as the death of a person, not just his/her body. The Rich man and Lazarus are both represented to us as awake prior to the Resurrection. This little fact proves that this story it to be taken figuratively, not literally.

4. The account of the Rich Man and Lazarus upholds the authority and reliability of the writings of Moses and the Prophets. In these writings it is clear that the dead are dead and that the dead must be Resurrected before they can live again. Death is taught as the opposite of life, in the Scriptures. Furthermore, death is said to be of a person, not just a body. Often times the OT will express this as “he died,” “she died’” or “they died.” Abraham died in Genesis 25:8. Isaac died in Genesis 35:29. Joseph died in Genesis 50:26. David died in Acts 2:29.

If what Jesus said about the Rich Man and Lazarus were to be taken literal, then we would have to discard everything that the OT says concerning the dead as unreliable. Moses and the Prophets must be discarded and the Divine Inspiration of the text must also be denied. However, if the words of our Lord are taken figuratively then the harmony and agreement throughout the Scriptures is preserved.

5. If what Jesus said was to be taken literally, this would contradict all that God had previously revealed about the state of Sheol and Hades.

Sheol and Hades are the same word. The Ancient Hebrew term Sheol literally means unseen or unperceived. The Ancient Greek term Hades is the same word translated into Greek from Hebrew. We prove this by looking at Psalms 16:8-11 and then Acts 2:25-28. 

 (6). In Luke 16, after making it clear that the Rich Man and Lazarus have both died, the Lord immediately represents them as being alive and possessing bodies.   To take this literally is to deny the need for resurrection.

     The teaching of the New Testament does not differ from the teaching of the Old Testament concerning the state of the dead and the absolute necessity for resurrection.   Long after His own resurrection the Lord made it clear, through the Apostle Paul, that apart from resurrection there can be no life after death for anyone.   In 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of the dead are inseparably tied together.   If Christ has not been raised the rest of the dead will not be raised, and if there is no resurrection “then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ have perished.”

     (7). Another reason we want to call attention to for believing that what our Lord says concerning the Rich Man and Lazarus in Hades is figurative is found in Matthew 13:34.   “All these things spoke Jesus in parables unto the multitudes; and without a parable spoke He nothing unto them.”   If our Lord did not speak to the multitudes except in parables, then surely His words concerning the Rich Man and Lazarus in Hades must be figurative.

When Christ spoke to those who were not his intimate disciples, he always spoke in parables. “without a parable spoke he not unto them” (Matthew 13:34). The Rich Man in fire was not a literal fact and Christ did not intend it to be understood that way. This use of fire in the parable is like the allegorical usage of the apostle Paul when he said: “If your enemy hungers, feed him, if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing you shall heap coals of fire on his head” (Romans 12:20). If Paul had literal fire in mind, then one would not be helping his enemy, he would be tormenting him and killing him. The fire in the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man is also figurative, not actual. This is because the whole parable is filled with various figures of speech.

8. Lazarus is symbolically depicted as being in Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:23). Jews at the time reckoned all righteous Jews who were dead to be “gathered to their fathers” and especially to be in father Abraham’s bosom. But obviously, millions of people cannot literally embrace the single person Abraham. Secondly, the rich man is described as being in the torments of fire, yet he was able to have a normal conversation with Abraham which would have been impossible if he were literally in such agony. Also, a little drop of water on the tip of his tongue would not relieve his torment.

So eight reasons have been given here to show that this was not an event that actually happened but a fable with a moral truth.

Therefore, we should consistently believe that yes, when we die, we go to Hades (our graves) and await one of the powerful and miraculous resurrections of the body based on how God sees  us fit to be classified into in regards to how we lived our lives on earth.

It is worth mentioning that contrary to popular belief and doctrine, man is not an immortal soul.

Let’s see how the Bible explains that fact:

  Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul.” Notice that man BECAME a living soul…..not HAD a living soul.  The Hebrew word translated by the King James Version translators as “soul” is NEPHESH. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #5315 defines this word as ” a breathing creature”.  It goes on to include “any beast, body, breath, creature” as also being called a “nephesh” -besides just man.  

This SAME WORD “nephesh” is translated as “creature” speaking of animal life forms in the following passages: Genesis 1:20,21,24; Gen.2:19; Gen 9;10,12,15,16; and twice in Leviticus 11:46. It is also translated as “life” in Gen1:20,30; Gen 9:4,5; Gen 19:17,19; 32:30; Gen 44:30; Exodus 4:19,21; Leviticus 17:11,14; Numbers 35:31; Deuteronomy 19:27,Deut 24:6;and in Joshua 2:14.  In fact ,the Hebrew word “nephesh” is also translated in the KJV as lives, persons, lust, one, body, heart, beast, will, and even as the dead.  This word does not mean “soul” as in an immortal soul that lives on after you die….in fact, Ezekiel 18:4 and 20 tell us “The soul that sinneth, it shall die“.  

God gave man the breath that is life and man became a living, breathing creature. Ge 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.  Man does not have an immortal soul…in fact the term immortal soul cannot be found in the entirety of the bible!  It is a man-made myth….a lie taken after the schemes of Satan when he told Eve “Ye shall not surely die”…..”ye shall be as gods”.  The bible teaches us the truth of these matters and backs up this proof that man is just a living, breathing, fleshy creature and does not immediately “continue on” as some spirit being after death. Let us read on in God’s word!

At this point, some well meaning Christians may bring up the following people: Enoch, Elijah and Moses-as proof that indeed after death we ascend into heaven.

Understandably so, The Bible says that “Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11), “Enoch was translated that he should not see death” (Hebrews 11:5), and “God took him” (Genesis 5:24), and Moses appeared in the transfiguration with Jesus (Matthew 17:3). Do these scriptures prove that the three were in heaven (the throne of God) before Jesus was sent to Earth in the flesh?

Well, Let’s go over each person’s case carefully and see how the Bible, yet again, proves this assumption of ascension into heaven after death wrong.

Enoch:

It should be noted that nowhere in the Bible does it say that Enoch did not die. Moses wrote that  ”Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Gen. 5:24). Paul records the same event by saying that he “was not found, because God had translated him” (Heb. 11:5).    Thus the Scripture records that Enoch was not found because God took him, or “translated” him.

Obviously, yes, Enoch was “translated,” but what does the word “translate” mean?

   Strange as it may seem, nowhere in all the Bible does “translate” mean to make immortal!

   The original Greek word for “translate” is metatithemi. According to Strong’s Concordance it signifies: transfer, transport, exchange, change sides. That is why Moses said that God TOOK Enoch. God removed—translated—him so that he was not found. God took Enoch and buried him!

A similar occurrence applies to the great prophet, Moses as well. In Deuteronomy 34:6 we read also how God took Moses from the people after which he died and was buried by God. “But no man knoweth his sepulcher unto this day.” God removed Moses—God translated him—and he was not found either!

Enoch eventually died, as all humans die. The apostle Paul mentioned the events associated with Enoch in Hebrews 11:5, along with other men of faith, and then stated: “These all died in faith, not having received the promises” (Hebrews 11:13). Therefore, Enoch died, and he did not receive the promise of heaven (verse 16) at the time the book of Hebrews was written.

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Elijah:

Okay, I thought the same thing as well that being that Elijah was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire according to the Bible. However, I was wrong. Is this a Bible contradiction? Did Elijah really ascend to the heaven where God’s throne is—even though Jesus said he didn’t?

If Elijah is not in heaven today, then where did Elijah go?

It should be noted that perhaps due to translations from several languages, passage of time, etc that the word heaven is used in the bible for three different meanings.

Currently, there are three heavens mentioned in the Bible, not just one! And if, as Jesus said, no man, which included Elijah, had ever ascended to the heaven where He came from, then the heaven into which Elijah was taken was a different heaven!

Therefore, let us go over the three heavens in question:

- The first heaven is the ATMOSPHERE, the air surrounding the earth.  Birds fly “in the heaven” – certainly NOT to God’s throne. We read in Gen. l: 2 of “foul that may fly ABOVE THE EARTH in the open firmament of heaven.”  Jacob, when blessing Isaac, said: “God give you of the DEW of heaven,” and Moses was joyful that the “heavens shall drop down dew” (Gen. 27: 28; Deut. 33: 28). The DEW comes from the FIRST heaven – the atmosphere. 

-The SECOND heaven is the expanse of this awesome universe – where the stars,

comets, moons and planets are.  The Psalmists often wrote about the “HEAVENS, the work of Your fingers, the moon, and the stars,

which You have ordained” (Ps. 8:3; Gen. 1:15-17). 

-The THIRD heaven is where the throne of God exists, where the heavenly temple is found and the heavenly Jerusalem.  It is the heaven where Paul

and John were caught up to in vision (2 Cor. 12: l-4; Rev. 4: l-2).

Now, where did Elijah Go?

1.      He didn’t go to the 3^rd heaven as Jesus has said no one has gone up there.

2.      He didn’t go to the 2^nd heaven as we all know he couldn’t have survived without oxygen in space.

3.      So we are left with the last logical option, the sky-the atmosphere.

So, was Elijah left in the sky, is he there till this day?

No.

To find the answer, you will have to go further into the Bible in 2 Kings 1:18 and 3:1.

To summarize this, the new king of Israel was another son of Ahab, Jehoram, or Joram as he is sometimes called. The beginning of his reign marked the year of his removal of Elijah (2 Kings 1:18 and 3:1). During this king’s reign, Elisha was the recognized prophet of God (2 Kings 3:11). In the fifth year of Joram king of Israel, the son of the king of Judah began to reign along with his father in Judah (2 Kings 8:16). His name also was Jehoram. The first thing he did to establish his kingdom rule was to put his relatives to the sword lest they should claim the throne from him (2 Chronicles 21:4). For nearly six years he followed the ways of the nations about him and did evil in the sight of God.

Almost ten years had now expired since Elijah was taken from the people. After this wicked rule by the Jewish king, God chose Elijah to write a letter and have it sent to the king! The contents of the letter are found in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15. From the wording of this letter, it is clear that Elijah wrote it after these events had occurred, for he speaks of them as past events, and of the diseases as future, Two years after the king became diseased the king died, having reigned only eight short years (2 Chronicles 21:18-20).

This proves that the letter was written about ten years after Elijah had been taken to another location by the whirlwind. God used Elijah to deliver the message because he was the prophet of God in the days of the present king’s father, and the son was not going in the ways of his obedient father, Jehosophat. This letter proves that Elijah was alive someplace else. The Bible does not reveal how much longer Elijah lived after writing the letter, but it does say that it is appointed for ALL MEN to die once

Elijah must have died somewhat later. See Hebrews 9:27. All human beings born of Adam, and that includes Elijah, must die—for we read: “In Adam ALL DIE” (I Corinthians 15:22). Elijah was a man “subject to the same passions as we are” (James 5:17)…subject to human nature and death!

The main proof that Elijah died is in the bible itself.  Paul, speaking about the people of faith says, “and what shall i more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jeptha, of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets…” (heb.11: 32).  Elijah was one of the prophets.

 Did Elijah receive the promise of eternal life when taken by the wind into the heaven?  no!  “and these all (including the prophets), having obtained a good report through faith (and faith is the confidence of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen: heb .11:1) received not the promise.”  (heb. 11:39).  why?  ”…that they without us should not be made perfect” (verse 40).  we shall all be made perfect together in the resurrection!

Moses:

Beyond a shadow of doubt, Moses also did die. Besides the verses in the book of Hebrews that show Moses did DIE, we have also the plain statement in the book of Deuteronomy, “So Moses the servant of the Lord DIED there in the land of ……. And He(God) buried him in a valley in the land of Moab… And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he DIED …”  (chap.34:5-7).

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So, that leaves one other puzzling subject that I used as a rebuttal previously and it is the transfiguration of Christ. I remember bringing this up as proof of life after death (or ascension into heaven after death, but yet again, I was proven wrong OR should I say ‘enlightened’ by a key word in the scriptures that depict this event. Very tellingly, it is the only remaining texts that puzzles people, this being the appearances of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus (Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-10, Luke 9:28-36).

However, it need not be so for this underlying factor-After the Transfiguration, Jesus said, while leaving the mountain, “Tell the vision to no man” (Matthew 17:9). Jesus calls the transfiguration a vision! A vision is not a material reality, but a supernatural picture observed by the eyes. The same Greek word for “vision” was used of Peter’s vision of the unclean beasts being made clean (Acts 10:3,17,19; 11:5). They were not real but a supernatural picture. In the case of the transfiguration it was a prophetic vision which would take place in the future. Peter, James and John saw the Son of Man glorified in the Kingdom through a prophetic vision.

Both Moses and Elijah were still in their graves, but in vision both they and Jesus were seen in glory of the resurrection, an event to which Moses and Elijah have not yet attained at that time (Hebrews 11:39). The vision was granted the disciples after Jesus had spoken of the glory of immortality in the coming Kingdom.

Now, we have seen (and this should be as clear as day at this stage) that contrary to popular belief, dogma and misinformation to that effect, we do NOT go into heaven or hell after death but rather return to the dust only to be resurrected again.

Let the Word of God itself reiterate this fact:

- By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3: 19 (note: GOD HIMSELF SAID THIS !)

- All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust (Job 34:15)

- For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them:  AS ONE DIES, SO DIES THE OTHER.  Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.  All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. ” (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20).

BUT THE COMFORTING NEWS IS:

- “For the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29 RSV)

- “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2 RSV)

With all of this addressed, it should be abundantly clear that when we die, based on how we have lived our lives while on this earth, we are grouped according to how God views us based on our adherence to His Laws and resurrected as we are designated to be.

This is where this verse comes into play: – “For the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29 RSV)

Looking at that verse closely:

For those who were actively saved Christians prior to their death and for those who will be alive during His return to this earth to begin the 1000 year reign, which equates to the Sabbath (resting ) day of the earth since it has ‘worked’ for 6 days (6,000 years).  This plan has been revealed in bits in pieces in various parts of the Bible as listed above in discussing the 1000 year reign.

It is worth mentioning that this plan and outline for saving mankind goes back to what the Lord revealed to Enoch, the seventh generation for Adam and we first learn of Enoch in Genesis 5 but it may leave some people with some questions which have been answered previously as is depicted in Hebrews 11. However, it should be noted that although the words of Enoch are not included in the Bible as we have it today, Jude in the New Testament quotes Enoch! It should be noted that Jude came to know of Enoch by the Book of the latter named author.

According to Wikipedia,  The Book of Enoch  is an ancient Jewish religious work, traditionally ascribed to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah. It is not part of the biblical canon as used by Jews, apart from Beta Israel. It is regarded as canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Eritrean Orthodox Church, but no other Christian group.

Western scholars believe that its older sections (mainly in the Book of the Watchers) date from about 300 BC, and the latest part (Book of Parables) probably was composed at the end of the 1st century BC.^[2]

A short section of 1 Enoch (1 En 1:9) is quoted in the New Testament (Letter of Jude 1:14-15), and is there attributed to “Enoch the Seventh from Adam” (1 En 60:8). It is argued that all the writers of the New Testament were familiar with it and were influenced by it in thought and diction.

I am aware that some well-meaning Christians might be quick to say that such scripture perhaps shouldn’t be taken at heart since it’s not in the Bible as we have it. However, I have read some of the Book of Enoch and it seems pretty consistent with God and His righteous nature. Consistent enough that it comes as no surprise that in that book, God’s plan for mankind is revealed and ironically enough several of the same Christians who may be critical of the book of Enoch, preach the same plan or at least believe in it.

Either way, the plan is stated here in Chapter 33 of the book of Enoch where God shows Enoch the age of this world, His plans for its existence of seven thousand years, and the eighth thousand is the new beginning with neither years, nor months, nor weeks, nor days to quantify time.

It states: AND I appointed the eighth day also, that the eighth day should be the first-created after my work, and that the first seven revolve in the form of the seventh thousand, and that at the beginning of the eighth thousand there should be a time of not-counting, endless, with neither years nor months nor weeks nor days nor hours.

2 And now, Enoch, all that I have told thee, all that thou hast understood, all that thou hast seen of heavenly things, all that thou hast seen on earth, and all that I have written in books by my great wisdom, all these things I have devised and created from the uppermost foundation to the lower and to the end, and there is no counselor nor inheritor to my creations.

Well, this excerpt from Enoch’s book seems downright consistent with what many Christians believe which is that since God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:1-3), owing to Adam’s fall and the introduction of sin afterwards, to redeem us humans will have 6000 years to live on the earth under Satan’s influence, but will have a 1000 years to be under Christ’s reign. The 6000 plus 1000 years equals God’s seven thousand year plan.

Many have noted that a thousand years seems to be as one day to God. This is a concept from both the Old and New Testaments:

For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it is past (Psalm 90:4).

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day (2 Peter 3:8).

Our Creator is working out a 7,000-year plan. Therefore, it should be pointed out that almost 6,000 years of recorded human history have now passed. And although our present man-made calendar may be off by about 15 to 20 years because of details (such as the accession years of kings) that mankind has failed to calculate precisely, we likely are now living in the last full generation before our Creator will supernaturally intervene in human affairs.

God has planned a rest for mankind that will last 1,000 years. The first 6,000 years of human history since Adam and Eve represents the work of Satan. This work of Satan is a work of deception and is an attempt to make mankind ignorant of its true destiny and the Plan of God for achieving it.

The Biblical justification of a 7,000-year Plan of God is based on the principal that to God a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. From God’s perspective the plan will only take a week.

Psalm 90:4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. KJV

2 Peter 3:7 By the same word the present heavens and Earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. NIV

The seven-day week represents the Plan of God. The first six days represent the time of mankind’s suffering under the works of Satan. The seventh day represents a rest for the people of God for one thousand years. A non-biblical epistle written by Barnabus, the minister who traveled and preached with Paul, best explains the 7,000-year Plan of God.

The seven-day week represents the 7,000-year Plan of God in overview. The Bible does not lay out the 7,000-year Plan of God as straightforwardly as the Epistle of Barnabas. Despite the fact that the Epistle of Barnabus is not considered canon; it still shows that the early New Testament church understood the 7,000-year Plan of God and the symbolism of the creation week and the seventh day Sabbath.

The Epistle of Barnabas: Chapter 13:

[1] Furthermore it is written concerning the sabbath, in the Ten Commandments, which God spake in the Mount Sinai to Moses, face to face; Sanctify the sabbath of the Lord with pure hands, and with a clean heart.

[2] And elsewhere he saith; If thy children shall keep my sabbaths, then will I put my mercy upon them.

[3] And even in the beginning of the creation he makes mention of the sabbath. And God made in six days the works of his hands; and he finished them on the seventh day, and he rested the seventh day, and sanctified it.

[4] Consider, my children, what that signifies, he finished them in six days. The meaning of it is this; that in six thousand years the Lord God will bring all things to an end.

[5] For with him one day is a thousand years; as himself testifieth, saying, Behold this day shall be as a thousand years. Therefore, children, in six days, that is, in six thousands years, shall all things be accomplished.

[6] And what is that he saith, And he rested the seventh day; he meaneth this; that when his Son shall come, and abolish the season of the Wicked One, and judge the ungodly; and shall change the sun and the moon, and the stars; then he shall gloriously rest in the seventh day.

Therefore, for the professing Christians, we ALL need to stay on track and keep on guard because with all the signs listed in Matthew 24 (for example: Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places…) and with the clear cut fact that give or take the earth is close to having been around for about 6000  years now, we are in the End Times. The point I am trying to stress is inasmuch as all the preceding chapters of this book may have had to do with the physical health with does have an effect on the spiritual aspect of things, now is also the time to NOT neglect our spiritual well-being.

It is worth mentioning that the average person rarely discusses what happens to people who die in tragedies on the news. Most people rarely think about what is to happen to them and to all the other people who die every day. Not to make myself out to be special or anything, I just  have never been oblivious to life after death, starting with my Grandfather’s funeral back in the 80’s when I was a kid and every time I hear of death-close by that is. But for most people, one of the few times they may think deeply at all about the subject of what happens after death, more than just in passing, is really quite rare.

Surveys indicate that a large proportion of the American population—and not just those who profess affiliation with any particular church group—actually believe that the physical world that we live in isn’t “all there is” to reality. Most claim to believe in a “Supreme Being”; many believe in angels; Jesus; some sort of place of reward for good people after death which they call Heaven; a place of punishment for evil people which they call Hell; the Devil, and his helpers called demons.

However, similar surveys also indicate that only a very tiny percentage of the American population has actually ever read much—or any—of the Bible. Even those who have read it have differing views of it. The reality is many people actually go to their graves with such beliefs. Which in and of itself creates the necessity for a second resurrection after the 1000 year reign of Christ.

I am not out to judge anyone, but have you noticed that whenever most people die, their family and friends are quick to say “Oh, he is in heaven now doing this or that with God…” or “She is up there looking down on us…etc” Well, we have seen now that is just not the case. Even if it was, let’s face it, based on the Bible and the Eternal Laws of God in it, most people simply do not and can’t measure up to going to ‘heaven’-really.

Contrary to what you must have read thus far, it still should be noted that most churches teach that in the instance after death, the soul of every person must be immediately sent permanently to one of two destinations, Heaven or Hell.

Could this really be true?

Many churches claim all true Christians go to Heaven. There they will have unlimited joy in the presence of God, and will be eternally happy. All other people go to Hell. There they will be totally cut off from God, as well as from all of their loved ones who ended up in Heaven. They will be consciously and constantly in pain and suffering and mental anguish permanently, with no relief throughout the eons of time. Well, by now based on all the afore-mentioned verses, it should be clear that such a claim is completely erroneous.

In addition, even if, let’s just say that was right, I have always asked, what about the Muslims, Catholics, Jews, Children who really can’t know any better and who is to say churches whose members openly defy God’s law (knowingly and unknowingly) for example by not Keeping the Sabbath, eating pork and so on are destined to eternal life with him when the Lord, Himself said in two instances:

 Isaiah 65:2-4:

New International Version (NIV)

2 All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations-

3 a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick; 4 who sit among the graves and spend their nights keeping secret vigil; WHO EAT THE FLESH OF PIGS, and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;

Then again in Isaiah 66:16-17,

God issues a stern warning against those who eat pork by saying: 16 “For with fire and with his sword the LORD will execute judgment on all people and many will be those slain by the LORD.”

17 “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one who is among those WHO EAT THE FLESH OF PIGS, rats and other unclean things-they will meet their end together with the one they follow,” declares the LORD.

It seems each church teaches its own definition for what qualifies someone as a true Christian. Some churches have a very simple definition. If someone sincerely says he is sorry for his sins, and states publicly that he accepts Jesus as his personal Savior, then people in these churches are convinced he is a true Christian and will go immediately to Heaven when he dies. It is important to note that according to some churches, someone does not have to be a viciously evil person, such as a serial rapist or murderer, to be sent off to Hell according to this set of beliefs.

They say just because someone was a gentle, selfless humanitarian, that doesn’t guarantee him a position in Heaven. Apparently it seems there is no provision of any kind made for those who never even heard of the Bible or Jesus, before he came, while he was here on earth and after he left till now.

Nor is there any provision for the sincere person who wants to know about God, but is so confused in life, by all the conflicting claims made about religion, that he never seems to be able to sort through them all and make a decision what to believe. He realizes that they can’t all be right, but finds he is totally unable to decide which one really is. Thus he too will be on his way straight to Hell when he dies. 

What about the roughly 300, 000 who died in the wake of the gigantic Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004? Most of those deaths were in nations with huge numbers of people who have never heard any version of the Christian Gospel. This raises the issue of the Paradox of 1 Timothy 2

1 Timothy 2:3 states that it is the will of God to save all of mankind. This would include those that lived before Christ as well as those that lived after Christ.

1 Timothy 2:3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, NIV

Critics of Christianity claim that an unsolvable paradox is created by the above verse. Because of the scriptures in the New Testament that teach that people can only be saved by the name of Christ, there is no way to save the people who lived before Christ.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. KJV

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. KJV

Acts 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name [Jesus Christ] under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. KJV

If God wants to save all of mankind, by definition that would include all men born before the time of Christ. But, if the only way a man or woman can be saved is by the name of Christ, how does God save all of the men and women who lived and died before the time of Christ?

In addition, how does God save all of the men and women who lived after the time of Christ but lived in a place or culture that never heard of Jesus Christ?

Some Christian theologians try to solve the problem by stating that those born before Christ could be saved by believing on the prophecies of the coming Messiah.

Do those who died believing a savior would be born someday get the benefit of retroactive salvation?

Even with this solution applied to the question at hand, billions are condemned for not growing up in Israel and knowing or hearing of the prophecies. Even for those who have lived since the time of Christ, there are literally billions of people who may have heard of Christ but live in a culture where the primary religion is not Christianity and, by definition, will not or cannot be saved. Could it really be that many of the 6.5+ billion people on Earth today who die without understanding how to become a Christian are going to an ever-burning Hell the moment they die?

Well, it can’t be the case since in 1 Tim 2: 3, 4 it says:  “…This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” – 1 Tim 2: 3, 4 and in

2 Peter 3:9: it says: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH but that all should come to repentance.

Deuteronomy 29:29

English Standard Version (ESV)

 ²⁹ “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

As diverse as we are as human beings, it should be noted that there are several theories that abound about what is to happen at the end of this age. However, one common belief is that, yes indeed, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High God will return and reign on this earth and at some point ALL things will be restored back to perfection, the way God has always intended as He says in these verse: 1 Corinthians 2:9-However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”–

Isaiah 65:17 “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

Therefore, since we have read thus far in this book that yes indeed the Bible is trustworthy in regards to matters concerning our health, the earth’s history and total way of life, it goes without saying that a wise thing for everyone to do is to simply Love God and Keep his commandments as it says in 1 John 5:3 :”This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome”

However for the billions who have died but were not necessarily saved and for the countless number of people who have been misinformed even by mainstream Christianity but still could not have been saved –but- were truly decent people, I believe that a second resurrection is indeed necessary.

That said, when God resurrects the dead, it will be as though they had been dead for only a short time. It will be as phenomenal and magical that for resurrected people, as far as they are concerned, they were alive one moment: something happened, then, in a split second of time they are alive again.

Their memory, character and the kind of person they were is exactly the kind of person they still are.

A valid justification of this fact is presented herewith: Matthew 12: 39-42

³⁹ He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 THE MEN OF NINEVEH WILL STAND UP AT THE JUDGMENT with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42 THE QUEEN OF THE SOUTH WILL RISE AT THE JUDGMENT with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.

Do you notice the bolded and capitalized texts?

Well, it should be apparent that indeed, people shall rise again who were not necessarily Christian and be given a chance to Know the ways of God AND make the choice of how to live.

Now, the word in John 5:29 translated as “condemnation” is krisis and means “a decision for or against; a tribunal, justice, accusation, condemnation, damnation, judgment.”

Notice the Biblical picture:

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away.  And there was found no place for them.  And I saw the dead, small and great (the masses, peasants and farmers, together with the rich, kings and emperors), standing before God, and books were opened.  And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.  And the dead were JUDGED according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” (Revelation 20:11-12).

First, note that judgment is not the same as sentencing! In a trial, there is the trial phase, or the “judgment” phase, and then, if a person is found guilty, a “sentencing.” Many people confuse the two.

So, Is the second resurrection a RETURN to living in the flesh?

Although it may not be conclusive, Isaiah 65 seems to show that God will grant a one hundred year life span to human beings during the Great White Throne Judgment period, following the Millennium:

“No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days;  For the child shall die ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD, but the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.” (Isaiah 65:20).

This reveals a very important and essential truth. Many scriptures show that during the Millennium the human family will continue to marry and bear children. Many scriptures portray the happy, glorious Kingdom of God, in which families and children are present (see Isaiah 11:4-9; Ezekiel 37:24-26; Zechariah 8:5).

However, during this one-hundred-year period, those who are resurrected as infants, and all the little children born during the last months of the Millennium who have not yet matured, will be the last generation of the human family.

” . . . For the child shall die ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD, but the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.” (Isaiah 65:20).

Obviously, these are two different categories. The child who dies at age one hundred is not classified as a “sinner,” so the logical assumption is that the little infant who began to live at the beginning of this one-hundred-year period of judgment, and who arrives at his one hundredth birthday, simply dies of old age. Then what happens?

One of two possibilities, both completely substantiated in scripture; both already set as precedents by God Himself. One, he is either allowed to die the first physical death (for it is “appointed to men once to die”) and then is instantly resurrected from the dead; or, two, he is changed from flesh to spirit, from human to divine, in an instant, in the “twinkling of an eye”

(1Corinthians  15:50-52 ) at the moment of the completion of the one-hundred-year judgment period.

How will people be JUDGED during the one hundred year period?

God will judge those who are resurrected back to a physical human life just like He now judges those who are true Christians – by His words in the Bible.

I truly believe ONLY He knows who is a True Christian or not. Which is quite fair on his part. Let’s face it, with all the hypocrisy, denominations, flawed Christian Institutions, fanatics, who can authoritatively say they are doing everything God says.

Millions of sincere Christians go to church on ‘Sundays” when the Lord clearly stated the Sabbath should be set aside for his worship. (more on that subject later on)

As you may have discovered thus far, several well meaning Christians break God’s commandments by eating the wrong foods and believe it or not there is a harsh judgment for that as previously stated.

That said, the average well-minded Christian may not be the most authoritative figure to speak on the Bible. Let the book speak for itself and let your own common-sense guide you. Of course you could and SHOULD ask people who may be well learned on the scriptures, but still, as long as you can read and decipher for yourself, then it may be best to read for yourself.

James 4:17 says: “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them..”. Therefore, in all fairness, a fair and Loving God knows that the opposite of that verse should apply which would be: “If anyone doesn’t know what they are doing is wrong (due to a sincere non-awareness of that fact, misinformation etc) then it may not be sin for them”

This applies to even Christians, ‘saved’ Christians.

How many believers unknowingly break the 4th commandment week after week by going to church on Sunday when the Bible clearly states it’s the Sabbath?

For believers who may be reading this, I am not out to offend anyone but to simply shed light on some issues, in regards to Sundays and Sabbaths, here are some quotes from related web-pages on this subject:

The fact of the matter is that there is not one scripture that says, “The Sabbath is now Sunday.” After all, the Ten Commandments are the ONLY thing that God spoke in such incredible fiery majesty, thundering His voice from the mountain top as everyone below trembled in fear and then personally wrote this magnificent law into stone tablets, yet there is not one clear scripture. Just assumptions! One of God’s Commandments supposedly goes and we do not have even ONE clear scripture. Why not? The answer is simple. It was never changed to Sunday by the authority of God so no such scripture exists. It was actually changed as a result of SUN worship, hence the name SUN-day. The English names for the days of the week are pagan names. In over one hundred other languages in the world, Saturday is still called the Sabbath just as it was named at creation.

The big issue is who we worship and what day we worship on. Do we give Satan our allegiance and worship on his day implemented by the Papacy, or do we place our allegiance where it should belong and worship on the day that God blessed and sanctified? This is why Satan works so hard through so many people and web sites in attacking this one Commandment. If Christians don’t start loving God and the truth enough to stop listening to the thoughts and excuses and lies of the enemy, it is going to be a sad day in the end times as many Christians will be like lambs to the slaughter when it comes to who we choose to worship in the time of the mark of the beast. Do we worship the Papal beast power or do we worship God. This is what the Seventh day Sabbath is all about. It is a sign as to who we worship and belong to. So who are you going to worship? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

http://www.sabbathtosundaychange.com /  (This web page is really worth reading)

These three facts are self-evident:

Sunday is the first day of the week. See any calendar, dictionary, or encyclopedia. Is it, then, by BIBLE authority, “the Christian Sabbath,” or truly the “Lord’s Day,” as it is popularly called today?

Jesus kept the SABBATH (Luke 4-16). It was His custom. The Sabbath He kept was the same day of the week the Jews observed, for the minister and congregation were all in the synagogue (verse 20), and the Pharisees continually rebuked Jesus for healing on the Sabbath day.

The Sabbath Jesus kept was the seventh day of the week. Three days after His crucifixion, this Sabbath still was the day before the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1). Therefore it was not just any day in seven, it was the seventh day of the week. See also Luke 23:56 and 24:1.

http://www.biblestudy.org/godsrest/why-do-people-attend-church-on-sunday.html  (This web page is really worth reading as well)

With the issue of Sabbath and Sunday addressed, there is more, in regards to how even saved Christians perhaps unknowingly breaks God’s explicit command on an almost daily basis.

How many believers eat pork and other unclean animal flesh on an almost daily basis and may not realize that this a sin that God says WILL warrant the destruction of such people?

So in a sense, virtually NO one is perfect and in regards to our salvation as human beings, this fact is validated in this verse: “it does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” Romans 9:16

That’s in regards to believing and sincere Christians. So if the Bible says in 2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”  and everyone has to be judged based on His Laws, then it should be fair that there is a resurrection to life for people who died in ignorance to be able to have a genuine window of opportunity to choose whether to serve the Lord the way He has decreed or not.

I hope this makes it clear why, yes indeed there should be a second resurrection so EVERYONE now knows of the word of God universally, THEN they can decide to obey (which should be the case for most …or not.

Now, for these countless millions of unsaved, ignorant, oftentimes savage people, who were in the most primitive, darkened state of Satan-inspired idolatry, are going to learn about God; they are going to learn in the same way you are learning, by hearing about, reading, studying, and being taught from the Word of God!

Notice:

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.  But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create.  For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy.” (Isaiah 65:17-18).

Clearly, this scripture tells us that memories of the old world, the sin-sick, crime-ridden, disease-infested, war-torn world in which you and I live today, “shall not be remembered, nor come to mind.” If this is literal, and not merely metaphor, it indicates God will obliterate bad memories.

Though the following scriptures refer to a period of time called the “Great White Throne Judgment,” they give us a pattern God will use concerning the life span of humans in the Millennium — the amount of time available for people to learn, and to practice, God’s way of life.

God has declared that after one hundred years, if a person is still unrepentant, still unyielding to God’s laws, still stiff-necked and hardhearted, and living in sin, he will be “accursed,” which means condemned. This truly is a “sentencing”!

He is judged from God’s Word during a one-hundred-year lifetime. If he or she is still refusing to obey God, to repent and be saved at the end of this time, a sentence is handed down. The sentence is death – a death that lasts for all eternity (Romans 6:23).

Notice it:

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven.  And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.  And the day which is coming shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, that will leave them neither root nor branch.” (Malachi 4:1).

So far, we have seen there are two great categories of human beings who will be involved in the first and second resurrections.

The first resurrection (Revelation 20:6) is at the moment of Christ’s arrival into the clouds above this earth, the moment of Christ’s angels catching up living Christians and the resurrected saints (Matthew 24:31; 1Thessalonians 4:16-17). This is the resurrection to life, the resurrection of Christ’s saints, including the apostles, Abraham and the patriarchs, and all the converted Christians who have lived and died.

For one thousand years, Christ will reign as KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS on earth, with millions of other members of the God Family reigning with Him (Revelation 2:26, 3:21, 10:5, 20:4; Isaiah 2, 11; Micah 4).

The second resurrection is the greatest of all. It occurs after the one thousand years are finished, and is the resurrection to judgment (Revelation 20:5), when God will allow each individual to live for one hundred years (Isaiah 65:20).

But there is a third category of humans. Christ Himself, and the Scriptures, speak of another category of people — those who have had an opportunity for salvation, and have CONSCIOUSLY rejected it. They are called the “incorrigibly wicked.” They are the ones who WILL NOT repent!

God’s plan is to take care of, once and for all, those who are unrepentant and REFUSE to obey Him by having a THIRD resurrection.

What is the THIRD and FINAL resurrection from the dead?

Now, let’s look into the third and final resurrection.

Notice that after we read of the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-12), we read of another great event:

“Then Death and Hades (meaning the grave) were cast into the lake of fire.  THIS IS THE SECOND DEATH.  And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14-15).

God will ultimately resurrect all those throughout history who are willingly rebellious and who under no instance will obey God. Only God himself, who knows the minds and hearts of all men, will be able to determine those who have deliberately, consciously rejected His truth, love and salvation. Jude says of these people:

“For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ . . . Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.” (Jude 4, 8).

Each human being who refuses his or her “window of opportunity” for salvation will utterly perish by being COMPLETELY destroyed by fire:

What happens AFTER the third and final resurrection?

The apostle Peter stated:

“Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH in which righteousness dwells.” (2Peter 3:13).

What of those “new heavens and new earth”?

God says:

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes;  there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.  Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘BEHOLD, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW.’ ” (Revelation 21:4-5).

ANSWERING COMMON QUESTIONS ON LIFE AFTER DEATH:

-What happens when a person dies?

“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7.

Answer: The body becomes dust again, and the spirit goes back to God, who gave it. The spirit of every person who dies–whether righteous or wicked–returns to God at death.

-What is the “spirit” that returns to God at death?

“The body without the spirit [“breath,” is dead.” James 2:26. “The spirit of God [“the breath which God gave him,”} is in my nostrils.” Job 27:3.

Answer: The spirit that returns to God at death is the breath of life. PLEASE NOTE: Nowhere in all of God’s book does the “spirit” have any life, wisdom, or feeling after a person dies. It is the “breath of life” and nothing more.

-What is a “soul”?

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7.

Answer: A soul is a living being. Therefore, a soul is always a grouping of two things: body plus breath. A soul cannot exist unless body and breath are combined. God’s Word teaches that we are souls.

 -Do souls die?

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:20. “Every living soul died in the sea.” Revelation 16:3.

Answer: According to God’s Word, souls do die! We are souls, and souls die. Man is mortal (Job 4:17). Only God is immortal (1 Timothy 6:15, 16).

-Do good people go to heaven when they die?

“All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth.” John 5:28, 29. “David … is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.” “For David is not ascended into the heavens.” Acts 2:29, 34. “If I wait, the grave is mine house.” Job 17:13.

Answer: No, people do not go either to heaven or hell at death. They go to their graves to await the resurrection day.

But can’t the dead communicate with the living, and aren’t they aware of what the living are doing?

“So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” “His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.” Job 14:12, 21.

“The living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.”  Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6

Answer: No, the dead cannot contact the living, nor do they know what the living are doing. They are dead. Their thoughts have perished (Psalms 146:4).

Belief in reincarnation is expanding rapidly today. Is this teaching biblical?

“The living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything. … Neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6.

Answer: A lot of people on earth believe in reincarnation–a teaching that the soul never dies but is instead continually reborn in a different kind of body with each succeeding generation. This teaching, however, is contrary to Scripture.

The Bible Says

After death a person: returns to dust (Psalms 104:29), knows nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5), possesses no mental powers (Psalms 146:4), has nothing to do with anything on earth (Ecclesiastes 9:6), does not live (2 Kings 20:1), waits in the grave (Job 17:13), and continues not (Job 14:1, 2).

 Reincarnation, channeling, communication with spirits, spirit worship, and the “undying soul” are all inventions of Satan.

This is not the end-all-be-all of this subject of life after death and in keeping with the theme of this book, instead of making this chapter long and drawn out on this topic, listed at the end of this chapter will be helpful resource materials so you can do additional study on your own. However, I have attempted to at least give the foundation that you and all other readers can build upon for true edification.

Now, I have met those who would claim that the kingdom prophecies are only to be interpreted allegorically. That is, they attempt to say that all of these events are figurative or that it’s a Jehovah’s witness belief-when ironically enough, it was a Protestant Christian who told me of these facts.

Personally, I don’t see any figurative meanings attached to the verses that are as clear as day. That said, let’s consider the following, But what could be more spiritual than faith, taking God at His Word? What could be more destructive than assuming that God did not mean what He said, and then trying to invalidate His Word with the doctrine of men?

Currently, there are differing end-times views, some say the millennium is figurative, some say the reign of Christ will be from heaven, some say on earth, some say the rapture will be before the tribulation, some say afterwards. but this should not come as surprise, let’s face it, humans have always been flawed and this will apply to whatever doctrines they come up with.

I have chosen to keep my views and opinions to myself on these views when there tend to be differing thoughts and try to do what I think everyone should do.

God’s word says it best in Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14: Now all has been heard;    here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments,  for this is the duty of all mankind.

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,  including every hidden thing,   whether it is good or evil.

Still, it goes without saying that questions may still remain in regards to all what I have enumerated in this section. As humans, we are left to ponder these things if we care to, but we will not know until it happens. I am satisfied to conclude that God knows what He has planned, He will carry out His plans perfectly, and those plans will be perfectly righteous.

So I will leave those things in His hands and turn my concerns to those things that I do know, which includes how He would have me live my life now..

It certainly is not wrong to wonder about these things. I still wonder about them myself to this day. However, I have found for myself it is more profitable to ponder those things in the Bible which are clear and I have done my best to illustrate them here. Still, I do ask as much as I can that the God should guide me in how to love Him and love my neighbor as myself.

So I offer this advice while beginning to close this chapter: Be a good person, do not be incorrigibly wicked and suffice it to say that upon cleansing yourself physically with this diet, there are very high chances that spiritually you will be cleansed as well. Moreover, if you already are Christian, it will be wise to stand firm in your faith as is, however, I do have strong feeling that based on this email sent to me by a Christian website, God has a merciful plan for everyone that He knows has NOT rejected His way of life KNOWINGLY:

Here is the email:

By reminding His listeners that God does care for and save the people from other nations who might not have the Scriptures. They have God in their hearts and follow the light that they have. This infuriated the people of Nazareth, and they almost threw Him off the cliff for saying that there would be other people saved other than the Jews who had the Scriptures!

Romans 2:14 and 15 says, “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.” Taking this in context with what is said in this whole chapter, it is saying that ignorant Gentiles who have shown by their spirit of love that they are real ?doers of the law? ?are just before God,? while informed, privileged Jews and Christians who show by their lack of love that they are only ?hearers of the law? are not justified.

Even though Gentiles do not know the written law, whenever they reveal love for God and for their fellow men they show that what the law requires is written in their hearts (see Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 10:16). The Holy Spirit is by no means restricted to Jews and Christians, but works on the minds and hearts of men everywhere. This passage must have been hard doctrine for the Jews to accept. It is no less needed today by Christians who are tempted to assume too narrow and selfish a view of salvation

Those who have the Bible have a greater responsibility and privilege. Many are saved through the Bible as “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17. But God is not limited. He has His ways of reaching people everywhere, even through the ages and countries that have not had the light of Scripture.

Therefore, most generally good people will be saved.

I think many fanatical Christians may be in for a rude awakening and this parable says it best:

Matt 20:1-16  “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who was the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. He went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. To them he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. About the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle.

He said to them, ‘Why do you stand here all day idle?’ “They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ “He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and you will receive whatever is right.’ When evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.’ “When those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius.

When the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise each received a denarius. When they received it, they murmured against the master of the household, saying, ‘These last have spent one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat!’ “But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me for a denarius? Take that which is yours, and go your way. It is my desire to give to this last just as much as to you. Isn’t it lawful for me to do what I want to with what I own? Or is your eye evil, because I am good?’ So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”  (web)

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With those factors addressed, I have to say that I am not attacking all Christians. How can I? I am one.

I am just a believer who is not a fanatic and one who believes that the Word itself should be taken for its meanings and not what man interprets it to be. That said for the subject of physical health-trust the Word of God as this book has illustrated, for the subject of Spiritual Well Being, again, trust the word always keeping in mind to keep the “Love (Fear) of God” as the most important duty along with treating everyone the way you want to be treated.

I truly believe it will be well for everyone who does not knowingly and willingly reject the True Word of God and His means of Salvation, the issue is many of us truly are misinformed, however, our merciful God will give us all the needed window of opportunity in His time.

Still, PLEASE don’t take this as a license to do evil, if your conscience pricks you on anything you are doing, chances are it is wrong-so avoid it especially if it has been listed above under what God hates. The whole purpose of this chapter is in a nutshell inform you that in adhering to the principles in all the preceding chapters, the need for spiritual fulfillment will become paramount as the physical body is cleansed, therefore I would like to reiterate (or introduce) the Gospel of Christ the son of the Living God as the case may be.

In other words, I would want EVERYONE to draw closer to God. It only makes sense to do so really.

Now, as previously mentioned, provided herewith also are the following:

REFERENCE URL’S CONCERNING JESUS RETURN:

It should be noted that all of the verses pertaining to the second coming of Jesus to our earth are spread throughout the Bible. So, most of the time, one has to search them out and then match them up like one would do for of a jigsaw puzzle to be able to see exactly what is coming down the road.

Now, based on my research on the subject and gathering from several websites and my own interpretation of the Bible, in regards to the end times, here is a summary of the events which are to take place.

In part 1 of this series of end time articles, I am going to go ahead and outline all of the main events that will be occurring that will be leading up to the 2nd coming of Jesus to our earth. This will be a basic overview of the main end time events. I will then go into additional parts giving you a bit more detail into some of these specific events. The Bible once again, very specifically and very explicitly, lays out exactly what is going to happen before Jesus returns back to us for His second coming.

The challenge, rewarding as it is depending on how you look at it  is that all the verses pertaining to the second coming of Jesus to our earth are all scattered throughout the Bible. You thus have to search them out and then match them up to be able to see exactly what is coming down the road – just like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.

Now provided herewith is a synopsis of the basic Outline of the Main Events

1. Miscellaneous Signs

Here are some specific signs that will be occurring as told to us by Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament.

a. Perilous times will come.

b. False Christs and False Prophets will come to deceive even the elect.

c. Wars and rumors of wars.

d. Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom.

e. Increase in famines, pestilences and earthquakes.

f. Lawlessness and immorality will abound.

g. The love of many will grow cold.

h. Some Christians will depart from the faith giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.

i. Men will become lovers of self, lovers of money, unholy, proud, boasters, blasphemers, unloving, disobedient to parents, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, traitors, headstrong, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God and unthankful.

j. The Holy Spirit will be poured out on all flesh.

k. The Gospel of Christ will preached to the whole world and then the end will come.

m. God will open up end time prophecy for all to understand and interpret so as to prepare for His second coming.

2. Restoration of the Jewish People Back to the State of Israel

3. Rebuilding of the Jewish Temple

4. Rise of the Antichrist, False Prophet and a 10 Nation Confederacy

5. The 7 Year Great Tribulation

6. The Battle of Armageddon

7. The Return of Jesus to our Earth to set up a 1000 year Millennium Kingdom

8. The New Heaven and New Earth

Now, time and space do not permit that I disseminate the information I have gathered from various websites, books and publications, however I have listed below some specific URL’S that you can look into yourself (as some have multiple parts to a given subject) and if this is hardcopy version, you can also do a search for the specific phrases in quote to come up with the associated URL’s.

URL: http://www.bible-knowledge.com/end-times/ | Google Search Term: “End Time Events and The 2nd Coming of Jesus”

URL: http://www3.telus.net/thegoodnews/keychap7.htm | Google Search Term: “Lesson seven – The Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ”

URL: http://www3.telus.net/thegoodnews/keychap8.htm | Google Search Term: “Lesson eight – Beyond the Millennium”

URL: http://www.truthnet.org/endtimes/1/ | Google Search Term: “1. History of the Covenant People” <look to the sidebar on the right for the other articles.

URL: http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/BS/k/14/Basic-Doctrines-First-Resurrection.htm | Google Search Term: “Basic Doctrines: The First Resurrection by Martin G. Collins”

URL: http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/BS/k/7/Basic-Doctrines-Second-Resurrection.htm | Google Search Term: “Basic Doctrines: The Second Resurrection by Martin G. Collins”

URL: http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/BS/k/211/Basic-Doctrines-Third-Resurrection.htm | Google Search Term: “Basic Doctrines: The Third Resurrection by Martin G. Collins”

URL: http://www.biblestudy.org/prophecy/is-there-secret-rapture-of-christians-1.html | Google Search Term : “ Is the NEXT great event in PROPHECY a SECRET rapture of Christians?

URL: http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/does-god-offer-a-second-chance-at-salvation.html | Google Search Term: “ Does God offer a SECOND CHANCE to live forever?

URL: http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/what-happens-when-we-die.html | Google Search Term “ What happens AFTER we die?  

URL: http://www.amazingfacts.org/free-stuff/bible-studies/study-guides/ctl/viewmedia/mid/453/iid/2-10/lng/en/sc/r.aspx?7=are-the-dead-really-dead? | Google Search Term: “Are-The-Dead-Really-Dead? Study Guides”

http://www.ucg.org/booklets/ | Google SEarch TErm : “Free Booklets United Church of God”

In addition, though the following URL details writings deemed as Pseudepigraphal, I do think for what it is worth, everyone could or should read the contents of this webpage:

http://reluctant-messenger.com/eden_1.htm   |Google Search Term “First Book of Adam and Eve”

http://www.ccel.org/c/charles/otpseudepig/adamnev.htm | Google Search Term “Other books concerning the life of Adam and Eve are The Apocalypse of Moses and The Slavonic Adam and Eve”

And finally, in regards to the Sabbath and Sunday topic, may I refer you to this URL: http://www.sabbathtosundaychange.com/

For the unbelieving at this time and the believing persons who may be reading this, may I leave you with the following reading suggestions presented in the next and final chapter before some other helpful articles on health. They are as follows:

1. Job 38-42 (To make it clear Who Runs Things-God almighty)
2. Ecclesiastes 1-12 (Yes, it’s in the Bible but it’s nothing ‘preachy’, just opinions that EVERYONE should know-takes less than an hour to read)

To conclude this chapter, I want you to know that  I was excited putting all this information together for you and re-reading it myself was equally exciting and reassuring of the fact that we do have a caring and loving Father who is mindful of Mankind.

Indeed he has planned for us a wonderful future and He says it best by saying in 1 Corinthians 2:9: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”- ( and remember, loving Him means to keep ALL his commandments as much as we can!)

God wants to share his very life with us so never, EVER underestimate the value of your life. You and I were all born to become one of God’s divine children ABOVE ALL ELSE.

May God Grant us all the willing hearts to surrender our lives to Him so that we may receive this incomparable gift!

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Chapter 30:  Now, These Are Portions in The Bible That EVERYONE Should Read (In case you missed them!)

Of course it will be a good idea to read the entire Bible for reasons I am sure every believer already knows or should know.

However, on a personal note, when it comes to dealing with day to day activities, how to live your life and putting life in its proper perspective for everyone-both the righteous and the sinner, the believer and the atheist, (in addition to the Book of Proverbs in the Bible) , The Book Of Ecclesiastes and the last 4 chapters of Job really bring the message home for me in regards to the following:

1. The Sovereignty and Unquestionable Power of God and why He should be believed in, feared, loved, respected and included in EVERYONE’S lives.
2. The true meaning of life.
3. How to live life with what I dub “cautious fun.”

It’s amazing to me how the words written thousands of years ago are still indeed relevant to this day and as much as possible, I try to

1. Live my life with all the words in the Book of Ecclesiastes in mind in my interpersonal interactions with other people, my plans and goals.
2. Remember the last 4 chapters in the Book of Job whenever I want to question when and why anything goes (or seems to be going) wrong in my life and have a tendency to want to take my anger or frustrations out on God.

*On a related note, to anyone who doubts the existence of God, in addition to the information provided specifically in the chapter 28 of this book on the scientific and historical accuracies of the bible, may I present you this proposal.

Read the chapters from the book of Job (Job 38-41) provided here and I hope that it will make you re-think your stance on God and life in General. (Of course see to it that you PLEASE follow up with the chapters 1-12 of Ecclesiastes or in any order you see fit.)

For the believers, everything presented herewith definitely is worth the read to reinforce (if needed) the true Almighty Nature of God.

That said, by all means feel free to read the ENTIRE word of God if you can, but for me, the following chapters (along with the Book of Proverbs, Matthew 5-7 and a few others) are my absolute ‘favorites’ or the ones that drive home the message of God to me the most leaving the most impact. This may differ for several people but I just thought to share this information herewith considering that

1. 1.      They can be read in half an hour or less-(I have bolded the verses that are most impactful to me to share as well from the Book of Ecclesiastes.)
2. They’ll fit in this book without taking too much space.
3. Well, again, they are my favorite chapters.

Here goes:

Introduction

The book of Ecclesiastes has  long fascinated many people. Some feel it is the most puzzling book in the Old Testament. It has been called one of the most melancholy books of the Bible. It has been used by some to teach that man ceases to exist after death.

It is not a book that Christians should ignore. As with all Old Testament Scripture, it was written for our learning (Ro 15:4) and admonition (1 Co 10:11). It is therefore profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness (2 Ti 3:16-17).

The book has special relevance today in our materialistic society, for it helps us to see the vanity of many earthly pursuits. It contains lessons for all, but especially for the young who have so much to lose should they make the wrong choices early in life.

PURPOSE FOR WRITING

The Preacher wondered what many have asked: “What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?” (1:3). In other words, what value or purpose is there for living?

What is the meaning of life? Having been blessed with great material resources and wisdom, the Preacher was able to explore all avenues in his search. He writes to share with us the results of his own investigation, and to offer observations and words of counsel gleaned from his search.

MESSAGE

There are two main messages. The first is stated in the prologue: “All is vanity” (1:2). This theme is repeated by the Preacher time and again:

w Prior to describing his search for meaning – 1:14

w Throughout the course of his search:

ü The vanity of pleasure – 2:1

ü The vanity of industry (labor) – 2:11,22-23; 4:4

ü The vanity of human wisdom – 2:15

ü The vanity of all life – 2:17

ü The vanity of leaving an inheritance – 2:18-21

w Throughout his words of counsel and wisdom:

ü The vanity of earthly existence – 3:19-21

ü The vanity of acquiring riches over family – 4:7-8

ü The vanity of political popularity – 4:16

ü The vanity of many dreams and many words – 5:7

ü The vanity of loving abundance – 5:10

ü The vanity of wealth without the gift of God to enjoy it – 6:2

ü The vanity of wandering desire – 6:9

ü The vanity of foolish laughter – 7:6

ü The vanity of injustice in this life – 8:14

ü The vanity of the days of darkness – 11:8

ü The vanity of childhood and youth – 11:10

Remember this folks, Leave God and the afterlife out of the equation, and life is truly vanity!

Indeed, Ecclesiastes is certainly a book worthy of careful study!

Ecclesiastes 1

 ¹ These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.

Everything Is Meaningless

 ² “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”

 ³ What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? ⁴ Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. ⁵ The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. ⁶ The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. ⁷ Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. ⁸ Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.

 ⁹ History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. ¹⁰ Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. ¹¹ We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.

The Teacher Speaks: The Futility of Wisdom

 ¹² I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem. ¹³ I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race. ¹⁴ I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.

 ¹⁵ What is wrong cannot be made right.

      What is missing cannot be recovered.

 ¹⁶ I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.” ¹⁷ So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind.

 ¹⁸ The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief.

      To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.

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Ecclesiastes 2

The Futility of Pleasure

 ¹ I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. ² So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” ³ After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.

 ⁴ I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. ⁵ I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. ⁶ I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. ⁷ I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. ⁸ I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!

 ⁹ So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. ¹⁰ Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. ¹¹ But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

The Wise and the Foolish

 ¹² So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?). ¹³ I thought, “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. ¹⁴ For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate. ¹⁵ Both will die. So I said to myself, “Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!” ¹⁶ For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten.

 ¹⁷ So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

The Futility of Work

 ¹⁸ I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. ¹⁹ And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! ²⁰ So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world.

 ²¹ Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. ²² So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? ²³ Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.

 ²⁴ So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. ²⁵ For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? ²⁶ God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

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Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything

 ¹ For everything there is a season,

      a time for every activity under heaven.

 ² A time to be born and a time to die.

      A time to plant and a time to harvest.

 ³ A time to kill and a time to heal.

      A time to tear down and a time to build up.

 ⁴ A time to cry and a time to laugh.

      A time to grieve and a time to dance.

 ⁵ A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.

      A time to embrace and a time to turn away.

 ⁶ A time to search and a time to quit searching.

      A time to keep and a time to throw away.

 ⁷ A time to tear and a time to mend.

      A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

 ⁸ A time to love and a time to hate.

      A time for war and a time for peace.

 ⁹ What do people really get for all their hard work? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. ¹¹ Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. ¹² So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. ¹³ And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

 ¹⁴ And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him. ¹⁵ What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.

The Injustices of Life

 ¹⁶ I also noticed that under the sun there is evil in the courtroom. Yes, even the courts of law are corrupt! ¹⁷ I said to myself, “In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds.”

 ¹⁸ I also thought about the human condition—how God proves to people that they are like animals. ¹⁹ For people and animals share the same fate—both breathe and both must die. So people have no real advantage over the animals. How meaningless! ²⁰ Both go to the same place—they came from dust and they return to dust. ²¹ For who can prove that the human spirit goes up and the spirit of animals goes down into the earth? ²² So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is why we are here! No one will bring us back from death to enjoy life after we die.

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Ecclesiastes 4

 ¹ Again, I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless. ² So I concluded that the dead are better off than the living. ³ But most fortunate of all are those who are not yet born. For they have not seen all the evil that is done under the sun.

 ⁴ Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

 ⁵ “Fools fold their idle hands,

      leading them to ruin.”

 ⁶ And yet,

   “Better to have one handful with quietness

      than two handfuls with hard work

      and chasing the wind.”

The Advantages of Companionship

 ⁷ I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun. ⁸ This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.

 ⁹ Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. ¹⁰ If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. ¹¹ Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? ¹² A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

The Futility of Political Power

 ¹³ It is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who refuses all advice. ¹⁴ Such a youth could rise from poverty and succeed. He might even become king, though he has been in prison. ¹⁵ But then everyone rushes to the side of yet another youth who replaces him. ¹⁶ Endless crowds stand around him, but then another generation grows up and rejects him, too. So it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.

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Ecclesiastes 5

Approaching God with Care

 1 As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. 2 Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.

 3 Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.

 4 When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. 5 It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. 6 Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.

 7 Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead.

The Futility of Wealth

 8 Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. 9 Even the king milks the land for his own profit!

 10 Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! 11 The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!

 12 People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.

 13 There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver. 14 Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children. 15 We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.

 16 And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind. 17 Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud—frustrated, discouraged, and angry.

 18 Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. 19 And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. 20 God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.

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Ecclesiastes 6

 ¹ There is another serious tragedy I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily on humanity. ² God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever want, but then he doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things. They die, and someone else, even a stranger, ends up enjoying their wealth! This is meaningless—a sickening tragedy.

 ³ A man might have a hundred children and live to be very old. But if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn’t even get a decent burial, it would have been better for him to be born dead. ⁴ His birth would have been meaningless, and he would have ended in darkness. He wouldn’t even have had a name, ⁵ and he would never have seen the sun or known of its existence. Yet he would have had more peace than in growing up to be an unhappy man. ⁶ He might live a thousand years twice over but still not find contentment. And since he must die like everyone else—well, what’s the use?

 ⁷ All people spend their lives scratching for food, but they never seem to have enough. ⁸ So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others?

 ⁹ Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

The Future—Determined and Unknown

 ¹⁰ Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny.

 ¹¹ The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they?

 ¹² In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone?

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Ecclesiastes 7

Wisdom for Life

 ¹ A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume.

      And the day you die is better than the day you are born.

 ² Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties.

      After all, everyone dies—

      so the living should take this to heart.

 ³ Sorrow is better than laughter,

      for sadness has a refining influence on us.

 ⁴ A wise person thinks a lot about death,

      while a fool thinks only about having a good time.

 ⁵ Better to be criticized by a wise person

      than to be praised by a fool.

 ⁶ A fool’s laughter is quickly gone,

      like thorns crackling in a fire.

      This also is meaningless.

 ⁷ Extortion turns wise people into fools,

      and bribes corrupt the heart.

 ⁸ Finishing is better than starting.

      Patience is better than pride.

 ⁹ Control your temper,

      for anger labels you a fool.

 ¹⁰ Don’t long for “the good old days.”

      This is not wise.

 ¹¹ Wisdom is even better when you have money.

      Both are a benefit as you go through life.

 ¹² Wisdom and money can get you almost anything,

      but only wisdom can save your life.

 ¹³ Accept the way God does things,

      for who can straighten what he has made crooked?

 ¹⁴ Enjoy prosperity while you can,

      but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God.

      Remember that nothing is certain in this life.

The Limits of Human Wisdom

 ¹⁵ I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people. ¹⁶ So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? ¹⁷ On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time? ¹⁸ Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes.

 ¹⁹ One wise person is stronger than ten leading citizens of a town!

 ²⁰ Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.

 ²¹ Don’t eavesdrop on others—you may hear your servant curse you. ²² For you know how often you yourself have cursed others.

 ²³ I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, “I am determined to be wise.” But it didn’t work. ²⁴ Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find. ²⁵ I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.

 ²⁶ I discovered that a seductive woman is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.

 ²⁷ “This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle. ²⁸ Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman! ²⁹ But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”

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Ecclesiastes 8

 ¹ How wonderful to be wise,

      to analyze and interpret things.

   Wisdom lights up a person’s face,

      softening its harshness.

Obedience to the King

 ² Obey the king since you vowed to God that you would. ³ Don’t try to avoid doing your duty, and don’t stand with those who plot evil, for the king can do whatever he wants. ⁴ His command is backed by great power. No one can resist or question it. ⁵ Those who obey him will not be punished. Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right, ⁶ for there is a time and a way for everything, even when a person is in trouble.

 ⁷ Indeed, how can people avoid what they don’t know is going to happen? ⁸ None of us can hold back our spirit from departing. None of us has the power to prevent the day of our death. There is no escaping that obligation, that dark battle. And in the face of death, wickedness will certainly not rescue the wicked.

The Wicked and the Righteous

 ⁹ I have thought deeply about all that goes on here under the sun, where people have the power to hurt each other. ¹⁰ I have seen wicked people buried with honor. Yet they were the very ones who frequented the Temple and are now praised in the same city where they committed their crimes! This, too, is meaningless. ¹¹ When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong. ¹² But even though a person sins a hundred times and still lives a long time, I know that those who fear God will be better off. ¹³ The wicked will not prosper, for they do not fear God. Their days will never grow long like the evening shadows.

 ¹⁴ And this is not all that is meaningless in our world. In this life, good people are often treated as though they were wicked, and wicked people are often treated as though they were good. This is so meaningless!

 ¹⁵ So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.

 ¹⁶ In my search for wisdom and in my observation of people’s burdens here on earth, I discovered that there is ceaseless activity, day and night. ¹⁷ I realized that no one can discover everything God is doing under the sun. Not even the wisest people discover everything, no matter what they claim.

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Ecclesiastes 9

Death Comes to All

 ¹ This, too, I carefully explored: Even though the actions of godly and wise people are in God’s hands, no one knows whether God will show them favor. ² The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad, ceremonially clean or unclean, religious or irreligious. Good people receive the same treatment as sinners, and people who make promises to God are treated like people who don’t.

 ³ It seems so tragic that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. That is why people are not more careful to be good. Instead, they choose their own mad course, for they have no hope. There is nothing ahead but death anyway. ⁴ There is hope only for the living. As they say, “It’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion!”

 ⁵ The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered. ⁶ Whatever they did in their lifetime—loving, hating, envying—is all long gone. They no longer play a part in anything here on earth. ⁷ So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! ⁸ Wear fine clothes, with a splash of cologne!

 ⁹ Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun. The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil. ¹⁰ Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

 ¹¹ I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.

 ¹² People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a trap, people are caught by sudden tragedy.

Thoughts on Wisdom and Folly

 ¹³ Here is another bit of wisdom that has impressed me as I have watched the way our world works. ¹⁴ There was a small town with only a few people, and a great king came with his army and besieged it. ¹⁵ A poor, wise man knew how to save the town, and so it was rescued. But afterward no one thought to thank him. ¹⁶ So even though wisdom is better than strength, those who are wise will be despised if they are poor. What they say will not be appreciated for long.

 ¹⁷ Better to hear the quiet words of a wise person than the shouts of a foolish king.

 ¹⁸ Better to have wisdom than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much that is good.

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Ecclesiastes 10

 ¹ As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink,

      so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.

 ² A wise person chooses the right road;

      a fool takes the wrong one.

 ³ You can identify fools

      just by the way they walk down the street!

 ⁴ If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit!

      A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes.

The Ironies of Life

 ⁵ There is another evil I have seen under the sun. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake ⁶ when they give great authority to foolish people and low positions to people of proven worth. ⁷ I have even seen servants riding horseback like princes—and princes walking like servants!

 ⁸ When you dig a well,

      you might fall in.

   When you demolish an old wall,

      you could be bitten by a snake.

 ⁹ When you work in a quarry,

      stones might fall and crush you.

   When you chop wood,

      there is danger with each stroke of your ax.

 ¹⁰ Using a dull ax requires great strength,

      so sharpen the blade.

   That’s the value of wisdom;

      it helps you succeed.

 ¹¹ If a snake bites before you charm it,

      what’s the use of being a snake charmer?

 ¹² Wise words bring approval,

      but fools are destroyed by their own words.

 ¹³ Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions,

      so their conclusions will be wicked madness;

    ¹⁴ they chatter on and on.

   No one really knows what is going to happen;

      no one can predict the future.

 ¹⁵ Fools are so exhausted by a little work

      that they can’t even find their way home.

 ¹⁶ What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant,

      the land whose leaders feast in the morning.

 ¹⁷ Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader

      and whose leaders feast at the proper time

      to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.

 ¹⁸ Laziness leads to a sagging roof;

      idleness leads to a leaky house.

 ¹⁹ A party gives laughter,

      wine gives happiness,

      and money gives everything!

 ²⁰ Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts.

      And don’t make fun of the powerful, even in your own bedroom.

   For a little bird might deliver your message

      and tell them what you said.

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Ecclesiastes 11

The Uncertainties of Life

 ¹ Send your grain across the seas,

      for you do not know what risks might lie ahead.

 ³ When clouds are heavy, the rains come down.

      Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls.

 ⁴ Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.

      If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.

 ⁵ Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.

 ⁶ Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.

Advice for Young and Old

 ⁷ Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning.

 ⁸ When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember there will be many dark days. Everything still to come is meaningless.

 ⁹ Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. ¹⁰ So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless.

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Ecclesiastes 12

 ¹ Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” ² Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. ³ Remember him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop. Remember him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding; and before your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly.

 ⁴ Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint.

 ⁵ Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire. Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral.

 ⁶ Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. ⁷ For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

Concluding Thoughts about the Teacher

 ⁸ “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.”

 ⁹ Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them. ¹⁰ The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly.

 ¹¹ The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep.

 ¹² But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out.

 ¹³ That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. ¹⁴ God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.

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My notes: If anyone wants to challenge God in His decision making, wisdom, existence, sovereignty, by all means feel free to read what The LORD himself has to say. I think they should make any person step back and really give HIM his just due as…GOD, THE MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH!!!

Job 38

The LORD Challenges Job

 ¹ Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:

 ² “Who is this that questions my wisdom

      with such ignorant words?

 ³ Brace yourself like a man,

      because I have some questions for you,

      and you must answer them.

 ⁴ “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?

      Tell me, if you know so much.

 ⁵ Who determined its dimensions

      and stretched out the surveying line?

 ⁶ What supports its foundations,

      and who laid its cornerstone

 ⁷ as the morning stars sang together

      and all the angels shouted for joy?

 ⁸ “Who kept the sea inside its boundaries

      as it burst from the womb,

 ⁹ and as I clothed it with clouds

      and wrapped it in thick darkness?

 ¹⁰ For I locked it behind barred gates,

      limiting its shores.

 ¹¹ I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come.

      Here your proud waves must stop!’

 ¹² “Have you ever commanded the morning to appear

      and caused the dawn to rise in the east?

 ¹³ Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth,

      to bring an end to the night’s wickedness?

 ¹⁴ As the light approaches,

      the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal;

      it is robed in brilliant colors.

 ¹⁵ The light disturbs the wicked

      and stops the arm that is raised in violence.

 ¹⁶ “Have you explored the springs from which the seas come?

      Have you explored their depths?

 ¹⁷ Do you know where the gates of death are located?

      Have you seen the gates of utter gloom?

 ¹⁸ Do you realize the extent of the earth?

      Tell me about it if you know!

 ¹⁹ “Where does light come from,

      and where does darkness go?

 ²⁰ Can you take each to its home?

      Do you know how to get there?

 ²¹ But of course you know all this!

   For you were born before it was all created,

      and you are so very experienced!

 ²² “Have you visited the storehouses of the snow

      or seen the storehouses of hail?

 ²³ (I have reserved them as weapons for the time of trouble,

      for the day of battle and war.)

 ²⁴ Where is the path to the source of light?

      Where is the home of the east wind?

 ²⁵ “Who created a channel for the torrents of rain?

      Who laid out the path for the lightning?

 ²⁶ Who makes the rain fall on barren land,

      in a desert where no one lives?

 ²⁷ Who sends rain to satisfy the parched ground

      and make the tender grass spring up?

 ²⁸ “Does the rain have a father?

      Who gives birth to the dew?

 ²⁹ Who is the mother of the ice?

      Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens?

 ³⁰ For the water turns to ice as hard as rock,

      and the surface of the water freezes.

 ³¹ “Can you direct the movement of the stars—

      binding the cluster of the Pleiades

      or loosening the cords of Orion?

 ³² Can you direct the sequence of the seasons

      or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens?

 ³³ Do you know the laws of the universe?

      Can you use them to regulate the earth?

 ³⁴ “Can you shout to the clouds

      and make it rain?

 ³⁵ Can you make lightning appear

      and cause it to strike as you direct?

 ³⁶ Who gives intuition to the heart

      and instinct to the mind?

 ³⁷ Who is wise enough to count all the clouds?

      Who can tilt the water jars of heaven

 ³⁸ when the parched ground is dry

      and the soil has hardened into clods?

 ³⁹ “Can you stalk prey for a lioness

      and satisfy the young lions’ appetites

 ⁴⁰ as they lie in their dens

      or crouch in the thicket?

 ⁴¹ Who provides food for the ravens

      when their young cry out to God

      and wander about in hunger?

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Job 39

The LORD’s Challenge Continues

 ¹ “Do you know when the wild goats give birth?

      Have you watched as deer are born in the wild?

 ² Do you know how many months they carry their young?

      Are you aware of the time of their delivery?

 ³ They crouch down to give birth to their young

      and deliver their offspring.

 ⁴ Their young grow up in the open fields,

      then leave home and never return.

 ⁵ “Who gives the wild donkey its freedom?

      Who untied its ropes?

 ⁶ I have placed it in the wilderness;

      its home is the wasteland.

 ⁷ It hates the noise of the city

      and has no driver to shout at it.

 ⁸ The mountains are its pastureland,

      where it searches for every blade of grass.

 ⁹ “Will the wild ox consent to being tamed?

      Will it spend the night in your stall?

 ¹⁰ Can you hitch a wild ox to a plow?

      Will it plow a field for you?

 ¹¹ Given its strength, can you trust it?

      Can you leave and trust the ox to do your work?

 ¹² Can you rely on it to bring home your grain

      and deliver it to your threshing floor?

 ¹³ “The ostrich flaps her wings grandly,

      but they are no match for the feathers of the stork.

 ¹⁴ She lays her eggs on top of the earth,

      letting them be warmed in the dust.

 ¹⁵ She doesn’t worry that a foot might crush them

      or a wild animal might destroy them.

 ¹⁶ She is harsh toward her young,

      as if they were not her own.

      She doesn’t care if they die.

 ¹⁷ For God has deprived her of wisdom.

      He has given her no understanding.

 ¹⁸ But whenever she jumps up to run,

      she passes the swiftest horse with its rider.

 ¹⁹ “Have you given the horse its strength

      or clothed its neck with a flowing mane?

 ²⁰ Did you give it the ability to leap like a locust?

      Its majestic snorting is terrifying!

 ²¹ It paws the earth and rejoices in its strength

      when it charges out to battle.

 ²² It laughs at fear and is unafraid.

      It does not run from the sword.

 ²³ The arrows rattle against it,

      and the spear and javelin flash.

 ²⁴ It paws the ground fiercely

      and rushes forward into battle when the ram’s horn blows.

 ²⁵ It snorts at the sound of the horn.

      It senses the battle in the distance.

      It quivers at the captain’s commands and the noise of battle.

 ²⁶ “Is it your wisdom that makes the hawk soar

      and spread its wings toward the south?

 ²⁷ Is it at your command that the eagle rises

      to the heights to make its nest?

 ²⁸ It lives on the cliffs,

      making its home on a distant, rocky crag.

 ²⁹ From there it hunts its prey,

      keeping watch with piercing eyes.

 ³⁰ Its young gulp down blood.

      Where there’s a carcass, there you’ll find it.”

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Job 40

 ¹ Then the LORD said to Job,

 ² “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?

      You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”

Job Responds to the LORD

 ³ Then Job replied to the LORD,

 ⁴ “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?

      I will cover my mouth with my hand.

 ⁵ I have said too much already.

      I have nothing more to say.”

The LORD Challenges Job Again

 ⁶ Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:

 ⁷ “Brace yourself like a man,

      because I have some questions for you,

      and you must answer them.

 ⁸ “Will you discredit my justice

      and condemn me just to prove you are right?

 ⁹ Are you as strong as God?

      Can you thunder with a voice like his?

 ¹⁰ All right, put on your glory and splendor,

      your honor and majesty.

 ¹¹ Give vent to your anger.

      Let it overflow against the proud.

 ¹² Humiliate the proud with a glance;

      walk on the wicked where they stand.

 ¹³ Bury them in the dust.

      Imprison them in the world of the dead.

 ¹⁴ Then even I would praise you,

      for your own strength would save you.

 ¹⁵ “Take a look at Behemoth,

      which I made, just as I made you.

      It eats grass like an ox.

 ¹⁶ See its powerful loins

      and the muscles of its belly.

 ¹⁷ Its tail is as strong as a cedar.

      The sinews of its thighs are knit tightly together.

 ¹⁸ Its bones are tubes of bronze.

      Its limbs are bars of iron.

 ¹⁹ It is a prime example of God’s handiwork,

      and only its Creator can threaten it.

 ²⁰ The mountains offer it their best food,

      where all the wild animals play.

 ²¹ It lies under the lotus plants,

      hidden by the reeds in the marsh.

 ²² The lotus plants give it shade

      among the willows beside the stream.

 ²³ It is not disturbed by the raging river,

      not concerned when the swelling Jordan rushes around it.

 ²⁴ No one can catch it off guard

      or put a ring in its nose and lead it away.

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Job 41

The LORD’s Challenge Continues

 ¹