Restricted diet a sign of the times?

[wwjd_kilden]

Like someone else said "the end times" have been ongoing since the time of Jesus (or maybe even Daniel).

but it definitely is a sign of the times. Everyone is looking for some way to heal their bodies or spirits.
For some there is a good reason and it works, for others it seems to be a comforter. ... Maybe because they feel in control?

 

[GaryA]

"forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods..."

Please, realize that this verse is about authorities forbidding people to marry and commanding them to abstain from foods.

It is not about your own decision to stay single (like Paul) or to have a healthy/clean diet (like Daniel).

It is more about the roman catholic church, I would say. So the "latter times" could be 1000 AD, for example

Yes -- 1 Timothy 4:1-3 is referring to the RCC.

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

I know this is a bit controversial so be nice to each other
and eat your chocolate Easter egg if you get mad at each other. Lol

I came across a comment about the following verses.



1 Timothy 4:1-5 NKJV
[1] Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart
from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
[2] speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with
a hot iron, [3] forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from
foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those
who believe and know the truth. [4] For every creature of God
is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving;
[5] for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.



It suggested the above verses show that in latter times, we will start to reject
the idea of all food being good and increasingly people will restrict their diet.
Increasingly people will call what God deemed to be good, to be bad and there
will be an increase in vegetarians, vegans, diary free, gluten free, carb free,
protein free and various fad diets as we enter the last days.

I just wondered what people thought about this. I know there are some
who have to go on restricted diets for various reasons. It might be due to
medical reasons or health reasons, or even allergies, or being over weight
and that is understandable.

There are two things the verses made me wonder about though.

1) Maybe denying the good natural things of God is an increasing sign of turning
away from God and turning to a man made materialistic world.


2) Maybe messing with GM foods, chemically created foods, foods with additives,
or foods with stuff taken out. Is also part of the above prophecy. I can't imagine that
at the time it was written, that by any stretch of the imagination, the biblical writers
would have had any inkling about the way our food is messed with in modern times.

I have a friend who is 87, she is as strong as an ox, still does her own gardening,
decorating. She is a Christian and for years she has refused to eat anything with
additives or anything with things taken out.

She only eats whole grain bread and cereals, she never has fruit juices and
insists the whole fruit is better. She mostly eats organic. She never has anything
with refined sugar etc.

But anyway the above verses got me curious as to what others thought.
Are our increasingly faddy diets and messing with food a sign of end times?

Maybe its inevitable that as we damage the planet, we also damage our food
chain and so will have no alternative but to eat what is man made towards the
end times?

These are very interesting thoughts!
Sometimes people start being very militant about their diet because they have a medical scare and they don't want to die. They want to live longer.
Other times, it happens because they want to look really good and skinny.
In these cases it's either fear of their death or wanting to be impressive to or envied by others.

I've tried to take it easy on sugar because if I eat too much, the next day my ankles are swollen and my joints are swollen (even my fingers if I go too nuts on sugar!) So I do it to avoid pain. But I have a big old coconut cake with cream cheese frosting sitting on the counter and I'm going to eat a big slice of it today after Easter dinner and say, hurt me baby! But then I'll make everyone take the extra so I don't keep eating it. lol.

I guess it's like with everything else - God looks at what the heart is doing. Is the heart fearful of death? Why? It seems to me that to fear your death is a matter of unbelief or mistrust...and to want to look good to be impressive to man seems a matter of self love...

I don't know if I've added to the conversation or just gone off on a tangent...

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

Like someone else said "the end times" have been ongoing since the time of Jesus (or maybe even Daniel).

but it definitely is a sign of the times. Everyone is looking for some way to heal their bodies or spirits.
For some there is a good reason and it works, for others it seems to be a comforter. ... Maybe because they feel in control?

In all of our obsession to live longer and look younger, I always think about the verse in Rev and wonder how it will come about that men will WANT to die but can't! It's an odd verse. Will men finally achieve what they want and find some way to stay alive longer that actually prevents them from dying even when they want to? But there are so many ways to kill yourself, like a gun or jumping off a building. So how will it be that men will seek to die but not be able to?? Odd verse.

 

[preacher4truth]

Certainly Roman Catholicism fits into this:

Forbidding to marry,.... Which points out not the Encratites, Montanists, and Manichees, who spoke against marriage; but the Papists, who forbid it to their priests under a pretence of purity and holiness, and at the same time allow them to live in all manner of debauchery and uncleanness; for these are the persons that forbid marriage in an authoritative way, and in hypocrisy: for that phrase is to be joined to all the sentences that follow it; as through the hypocrisy of those whose consciences are seared; and through the hypocrisy of those that forbid marriage to their priests, this being, by the common people, taken as an instance of great purity and holiness, and hereby they are drawn into the deception; as well as also through the hypocrisy of those that command


to abstain from meats: not from some certain meats forbidden by the law of Moses, as did some judaizing Christians; but from all meats at some certain season of the year, as at what they call the Quadragesima or Lent, and at some days in the week, as Wednesdays and Fridays; and this all under an hypocritical pretence of holiness, and temperance, and keeping under the body, and of mortification; when they are the greatest pamperers of their bodies, and indulge themselves in all manner of sensuality: the evil of this is exposed by the apostle, as follows,


which God hath created; and therefore must be good, and ought not to be abstained from: and besides, the end of his creation of them is,


to be received: to be taken, and used, and eaten; and therefore it is wicked to command men to abstain from them, and evil in those that do it: and the manner in which they should be received is


with thanksgiving; since they are the creatures of God, and useful to men, and men are unworthy of them, having forfeited them by sin; and since they are the bounties of Providence, and a free use of them is allowed; so far then should men be from abstaining from them, that they ought to take them, and use them with all thankfulness: and especially this should be done


of them which believe and know the truth: that is, who believe in Christ, and know the truth of the Gospel, which frees from every yoke of bondage, and from the burdensome rites, ceremonies, and inventions of men; for these have the good creatures as the fruits of divine love, through Christ the Mediator, and as blessings indeed; and who have the best right, claim, and title to them through Christ, being in him heirs of the world, and for whose sake all things are; and therefore these, as they know how to use them, and not abuse them, are to receive them at the hands of God, with thanksgiving, and not put them away, or abstain from them under a pretence of religion and holiness. - John Gill

 

[GaryA]

In all of our obsession to live longer and look younger, I always think about the verse in Rev and wonder how it will come about that men will WANT to die but can't! It's an odd verse. Will men finally achieve what they want and find some way to stay alive longer that actually prevents them from dying even when they want to? But there are so many ways to kill yourself, like a gun or jumping off a building. So how will it be that men will seek to die but not be able to?? Odd verse.

Revelation 9:

[SUP]5[/SUP] And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. [SUP]6[/SUP] And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.


I believe that God will somehow prevent men from dying during that five months so that they receive the "full force" of the torment depicted in verse 5 above.

 

[oldethennew]

1COR. 3:17.
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is Holy,
which temple you are.

1COR. 6:19.
What? know you not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,
which you have of God, and you are not your own?

PRO. 3:21-22-23
My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.

Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.

GAL. 5:22-23.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

 

[Miri]

I have to admit that on Saturday, I bought a roast ready cooked hot bacon
joint from my supermarket. It was delicious, pure melt in the mouth
indulgence, with the most crispy light mouth watering crackling.
It really did cross my mind that people just don't know what they
are missing!

I also got some carrots, parsnip, swede mash so it was relatively healthy. lol

The verses are rather interesting, especially as the dietary restrictions and ways
of eating were set out by God. Maybe people in the NT just missed the mark,
as there was spiritual symbolism tied in with all those dietary restrictions.
Then the bondage was lifted as christ set us free. Maybe its more to do with
spiritual attitude, or just attitude full stop.

I do think though, that as genetics progresses we may well end up eating
Frankenstein beef burgers, steroid chicken legs - oops we do already.
So there is a lot of common sense and health reasons for watching what we eat.
Who knows - maybe in the future there will be less choice. Maybe though there
will come a time when we can't ear certain foods even if we want to.

I had an interesting discussion at work the other week about halal meat.
Some were saying they would not intentionally eat it, while others commented
that we all eat halal meat without even realising it. It is in super markets, in
takaways, served in restaurants etc.

What if at some future point, pork was banned for example to prevent offence to
Muslims. Or Beef was banned to prevent offence to Hindus etc.

When we have team meetings at work or all day training,
often food is provided. The managers have to ensure most of the meat products
are halal for the small number of Muslims at work. Someone even brought in
some halal biscuits and haribo jelly sweets.