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The Creation Diet

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Photo Credit: A. Laczek

A few days ago I received this comment on my post titled, The Eight Laws of Health:

Joyce wrote: I have an issue with your creation diet comments. There is no where is scripture that it says we will be vegetarians in Heaven. In fact Jesus ate fish in his RESURRECTED body. Just because there is no death does not mean that we will be vegetarians. It is a big leap you are making scripture wise with no support. A God that can breathe creation into being can certainly create all kinds of food without death. Since scripture is silent on what we will eat in Heaven we should be as well.

Hi Joyce! I am so glad you brought up these interesting questions!

I believe that anytime we have a question that our first response should be to go to the Scriptures to see what the Word of God has to say on the subject.

Will we be vegetarians in heaven?

While the Bible does not tell us exactly everything we will eat when we enter the Kingdom, it is NOT silent! There are some examples of things we will be eating. The Bible says:

“In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:2

Revelation 22 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. The Tree of Life is large and it grows on either side of the river of life that flows out of the throne of God. It bears twelve fruits, one fruit for each month. I can’t even imagine how luscious that fruit will taste!

The Bible also says:

“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Revelation 22:14

The Tree of Life was originally in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were told by God that they could eat from the Tree of Life at the time of the Creation. Unfortunately, after the fall of sin, Adam and Eve were no longer allowed to eat from the Tree of Life and they began to die.

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:16, 17

The Tree of Life is just that – it is nourishment for our bodies and souls! God could no longer allow them to eat from the Tree of Life.

“And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” Genesis 3:22 NIV

The Tree of Life was guarded by angels wielding flaming swords when Adam and Even were driven from the Garden. How sad they must have been!

“So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the Garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” Genesis 3:24

In the beginning, when God created Adam and Eve, He created them to be vegetarians. God said:

“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” Genesis 1:29

After they left the Garden of Eden, God told them that they would have to till the earth for food and that it would be hard work.

 “To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 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 3:17-19 NIV

Jesus did eat fish while here on earth. I never said that eating clean fish was wrong. Just that when we get to heaven, we will not eat fish. There is no death in heaven.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4

And I believe, respectfully, that it is a far stretch of the imagination to believe that God would create flesh meat (animal) from nothing just so that we can eat steak and fish. Our appetites will not be indulged like that in heaven. Eve’s appetite is what got us into this mess to begin with. She looked and saw that the fruit was good for food and pleasing to the eye. (Genesis 2:6)

“And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.” Proverbs 23:2

In fact, in Daniel we find that a vegetarian diet was healthier than the king’s lush feasts. Let’s look at the story together:

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned youra food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.

To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.” Daniel 1:8-17 NIV (emphasis mine)

I believe that since God created Adam and Eve in their perfect state to be vegetarian and to eat the fruit of the Garden that when we go to heaven, we will return to our perfect nature and again be vegetarian.

It was not until after the flood that God told Noah they could eat the clean meats. Many people do not realize that only two of each unclean animal (male and female) went onto the ark while SEVEN of each clean animal went onto the ark. That was so Noah’s family would have food after the world and all of it’s vegetation was destroyed by the flood.

“Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate.” Genesis 7:2 NIV

Interestingly enough, the lifespan of man almost immediately dropped from over 900 years to what Psalm 90 said we have today – three score and ten – about 70 years. Is there a direct correlation between a vegetarian lifestyle and long life? I’ll talk about that next time.

“Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures…” Psalm 90:10 NIV

While I can’t imagine the glory God has waiting for us in Heaven, I do know I can’t wait to partake of the wedding feast with Jesus!

“Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” Revelation 19:9

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Of these ye may freely eat... {a real food series} @ AVirtuousWoman.org - Will we be vegetarian in heaven? #realfood

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4 Comments

  1. Heaven will be awesome indeed, regardless what we eat. According to the verse you sited above, Rev. 19:9, "Then he said to me, 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!'", we will be eating meat: Lamb! Hahah. Seriously though, people didn't live longer due to being vegetarians before the flood. They lived longer... because it was before the flood! The climate radically changed.
  2. hello i think the Lord made the animals as our brethen, His breath is in them as it is in us, and he gave us the fruit of the trees and shrubs and herbs and grains of the fields to nourish us. I believe it was never that we should kill and eat our little brothers and sisters, the animals, for he loves them and created them as he did us, and he gave us so much good and healthy food to eat and to maintain our health and life! Thank you for this thoughtful and interesting discussion. Theresa

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