The impact of God's final message to the world presented in Revelation 14:6-12 will result in a group of believers who will heed the call of warning, and by the faith of Jesus, will be living in harmony with all of God's revealed will.

Health is a major determining factor in the capacity to understand and respond to the everlasting gospel in the Three Angels Messages. Thus physical health is involved in fearing God and giving Him glory.

"Fear God, and give glory to Him..." (Revelation 14:7).

Before focusing on the components of health reform and its significance to the Three Angels Messages, we may observe practical illustrations of health and temperance within the Scriptures. We may study a few of these examples.

 

 

The Manna From Heaven And The Fleshpots Of Egypt (Exodus 15:26; Exodus chapter 16 & Numbers chapter 11).

 

In choosing man's food in Eden, the Lord showed what was the best diet; in the choice made for Israel He taught the same lesson. He brought the Israelites out of Egypt and undertook their training, that they might be a people for His own possession. Through them he desired to bless and teach the world. He provided them with the food best adapted for this purpose, not flesh, but manna, "the bread of heaven". It was only because of their discontent and their murmuring for the fleshpots of Egypt that animal food was granted them, and this only for a short time. Its use brought disease and death to thousands. Yet the restrictions to a non-flesh diet was never heartily excepted. It continued to be the cause of discontent and murmuring, open or secret, and it was not made permanent.

Upon their settlement in Canaan, the Israelites were permitted the use of animal food, but under careful restrictions which tended to lesson the evil results. The use of swine's flesh was prohibited, as also of other animals and of birds and fish whose flesh was pronounced unclean. Of the meats permitted, the eating of the fat and the blood was strictly forbidden. (Leviticus 3:17; 17:11-14).

By departing from the plan divinely appointed for their diet, the Israelites suffered great loss. They desired a flesh diet, and they reaped its results. They did not reach God's ideal of character or fulfill His purpose. The Lord "gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul." (Psalm 106:15). They valued the earthly above the spiritual, and the sacred pre-eminence which was His purpose for them they did not attain.
The history of the wilderness life of Israel was chronicled for the benefit of the Israel of God to the close of time. Their exposure to hunger, thirst and weariness, and in the striking manifestations of His power for their relief, is fraught with warning and instruction for His people in all ages.

Every week during their long sojourn in the wilderness the Israelites witnessed a threefold miracle, designed to impress their minds with the sacredness of the Sabbath: a double quantity of manna fell on the sixth day, none on the seventh, and the portion needed for the Sabbath was preserved sweet and pure, when if any were kept over at any other time it would become unfit for use.

The manna, falling from heaven for the sustenance of Israel, was a type of Him who came from God to give life to the world.

"I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven..." (John 6:48-51).

 

 

Daniel Purposed In His Heart That He Would Not Defile Himself With The Portion Of The King's Meat, Nor With The Wine Which He Drank (Daniel 1:5-16)

 

When Daniel was in Babylon, he was beset with temptations of which we have never dreamed, and he realised that he must keep his body under. He purposed in his heart that he would not drink of the king's wine or of his dainties. He knew that in order to come off a victor, he must have clear mental perceptions, that he might discern between right and wrong. Four of the Hebrew captives decided that as flesh meat had not composed their diet in the past, it would not come into their diet in the future, and as wine had been prohibited to all who should engage in the service of God, they determined that they would not partake of it. The fate of the sons of Aaron had been presented before them:-

"And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord...And the Lord spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: And that ye may put the difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean." (Leviticus 10:1, 2, 8-10).

The four young Hebrew captives knew that the use of wine would confuse their senses, and that the indulgence of appetite would becloud their powers of discernment. They knew not that their decision would cost them their lives; but they determined to keep the straight path of strict temperance even when in the courts of licentious Babylon. Daniel knew that by the time he was called to appear before the king, the advantage of healthful living would be apparent. He knew that ten days would be time enough to prove the benefit of abstemiousness.

In personal appearance the Hebrew youth showed a marked superiority over their companions. As a result, Daniel and his associates were permitted to continue their simple diet during their entire course of training. The Lord regarded with approval the firmness and self-denial of the Hebrew youth, and their purity of motive; and His blessing attended them:-

"As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams." (Daniel 1:17).

God Himself was their teacher. Constantly praying, conscientiously studying, keeping in touch with the Unseen, they walked with God as did Enoch. The same mighty truths that were revealed through these men, God desires to reveal through the youth and children today. The life of Daniel and his fellows is a demonstration of what He will do for those who yield themselves to Him and with the whole heart seek to accomplish His purpose.

 

 

Man Shall Not Eat By Bread Alone, But By Every Word Of God

 

"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:1-4).

Christ is our example in all things. As we see His humiliation in the long trial and fast in the wilderness to overcome the temptations of appetite in our behalf, we are to take this lesson home to ourselves when we are tempted. If the power of appetite is so strong upon the human family, and its indulgence so fearful that the Son of God subjected Himself to such a test, how important that we feel the necessity of having appetite under the control of reason. Our Saviour fasted nearly six weeks, that he might gain for man the victory on the point of appetite. It is a painful fact that habits of self-gratification at the expense of health, and the weakening of moral power, are holding in the bonds of slavery at the present time a large share of the Christian world. Christ knew that appetite would be man's idol, and would lead him to forget God, and would stand directly in the way of his salvation.