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Special note: this article should be read in conjunction with “Alcohol and Christians,” feature #86 on this website. Even if you’ve read this article previously, please stop now and review it. Then return to this message of truth and deliverance.
Man’s carnal nature is to resist the good, to resist the truth, to resist the light. Because of this resistance to doing the right thing, the results are devastating. Proverbs 13:15: “...but the way of transgressors is hard.” One glaring example is man’s rejection and misunderstanding of the Bible’s prohibition of alcoholic beverages. Consider the following short list of detriments taken from statistics recorded from 1994 to 2000:
1. 7.4% (or nearly 15 million) of Americans meet the criteria for alcohol abuse or alcoholism.
2. 48.2% of 21-year-olds are binge drinkers.
3. The annual cost of America’s alcohol problems is a staggering $175.9 billion.
4. About one in four children under 18 are exposed to alcohol abuse.
5. Women with alcoholic partners are 360% more likely to be physically assaulted than other women.
6. Alcohol is a major contributor to liver damage, pancreatitis, cancer, brain shrinkage, and the second leading cause of dementia.
7. Children from alcoholic homes are admitted to the hospital 62% more often, with stays 29% longer.
8. 25-40% of all patients in U.S. hospital beds, excluding maternity and intensive care patients, are being treated for alcohol-related problems.
9. In 1998, alcohol-related accidents killed 15,935 Americans on the open highways.
Truly, “the way of transgressors is hard.”
Are you bound by the grip of sin? Is your life far from what you would like it to be? Is your mind filled with pain and confusion? Click onto “Further With Jesus” on this website for immediate answers. NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.
GOD SAID, Proverbs 23:29-35:
29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
GOD SAID, Habakkuk 2:15:
Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!
GOD SAID, Proverbs 20:1:
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
MAN SAID: A little moderation—a little bit of wine, a little bit of beer, a little bit of whiskey, marijuana, cocaine. Besides, Jesus made wine, didn’t He?
Now THE RECORD. In the early 1900s, evangelical churches across America stood united in their opposition to all alcoholic beverages and applied major pressure on the U.S. Congress for the purpose of passing the 18th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States on July 16, 1919. This amendment outlawed the manufacturing, sales, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. This law was repealed in 1933.
Bootlegging caused a law enforcement nightmare. But, just in case you think prohibition was an utter failure, consider the following data found on the op-ed page from around 20 years ago (note that some of the data reflects dated numbers):
During the Prohibition Era (1919-1933):
1) Crime decreased 54 percent.
2) The death rate due to liquor decreased 43 percent.
3) Ninety-seven of the 98 Keely Alcoholic Clinics closed for lack of patients.
4) Insanity decreased 66 percent.
5) All 60 Neil Cure Clinics closed for lack of patients afflicted with alcoholism.
During The Post-Prohibition Era:
1) Drunkenness shortly increased 350 percent.
2) Crime has spiraled till it is now rampant.
3) Some 50 percent of all traffic accidents are alcohol-related.
4) There are 10 million alcoholics today.
5) Of this number, 3.5 million are 14-17 years of age. [End of quote]
Current numbers, of course, are sizably different.
From the repeal of prohibition until today, huge numbers of evangelical churches have capitulated to the lust-driven social pressures, just as they have done in regard to permitting paganism, feminism, etc., in their churches. It is obvious why the Word of God declares that judgment must first begin at the House of God.
The following e-mail came from Dwain:
The article on alcohol doesn’t mention Deuteronomy 14:26. It appears that God is telling the people to buy some wine and strong drink and have a party. Could you clarify this for me?
The full context of the verse in Dwain’s question is found in Deuteronomy 14:22-26:
22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.
24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:
25 Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:
26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,
This passage deals with tithes and offerings that were to be brought before God at the place He designated. If the distance between their homes and the designated place was afar off, the Israelites were instructed to convert their offerings into cash. When they arrived at God’s designated place, they would purchase the things they desired. Then they offered their gifts unto the Lord, and ate and rejoiced with their families before the Lord. Much of the sacrifice offered unto God was eaten by the priest and his family, as well as the one bringing the sacrifice and his family. The part of the sacrifice God required for Himself—that part to be utterly consumed in the fire—was that part of the animal, for example, which would be harmful to the eater. God required all the animal’s blood to be purged and poured out upon the earth. He also required all fat, the kidneys, and the caul above the liver to be consumed in the fire. These animal products are detrimental to physical health. For more information on this subject, click onto the following GodSaidManSaid articles:
God Requires What You Can’t Handle
God required from the sacrifice that which was not good for His people to consume. So then, concerning Dwain’s question, God gives the answer in Numbers 28:7:
And the drink offering thereof shall be the fourth part of an hin for the one lamb: in the holy place shalt thou cause the strong wine to be poured unto the LORD for a drink offering.
As in God’s pattern for sacrifice, that which was not good for the believer was wholly sacrificed unto God. The strong wine was poured out before the Lord.
Additional information is being offered in this article, “Alcohol and Christians (Part Two),” for the purpose of enlightening all, but especially those adversely affected by much of the church’s compromised doctrines regarding the consumption of alcohol. Many have been bitten by the devil of alcohol, but surely Jesus Christ can and will forgive, and supernaturally deliver those who come unto Him with all their being.
The popular doctrine of moderation is basically anchored in one verse found in Philippians 4:5:
Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Moderation does not mean to do just a little sin—a little booze, a little homosexuality, a little murder, a little cocaine. Drinking wine that has passed the line as well as consuming other alcoholic beverages is condemned in the Word of God.
In part one, GodSaidManSaid thoroughly established that, in the Bible, all grape juice is called wine. It is the non-fermented juice of the grape, as well as the fermented. Scripturally, it is called wine right from the cluster on the vine. Also, as an aside, I should note that the ancients had various techniques for preserving unfermented wine. Additional information regarding the wine issue follows below.
Concerning the Marriage Supper and Jesus
In the first article on this subject, we explained the miracle of turning water into wine, performed at Cana by Jesus. We fully dispelled the notion that this wine would cause drunkenness. Here’s more on this subject. John 2:9-10:
9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
Concerning the words good wine in verse 10, ancient writers Pliny and Plutarch stated that “good wines” were those which would not intoxicate, having had their alcoholic content removed. Concerning “good wine,” Dr. S. Bacchiocchi of Andrews University, author of Wine In The Bible, said:
Scriptural and moral consistency requires that "the good wine" produced by Christ was fresh, unfermented grape juice. This is supported by the very adjective used to describe it, namely kalos, which denotes that which is morally excellent, instead of agathos, which means simply good. [End of quote]
Concerning the Last Supper
In regard to the wine that was drunk at the Last Supper (the Passover supper), Dr. Bacchiocchi states:
The "fruit of the vine" Christ commanded to be used as a memorial of His redeeming blood (Matt 26:28-29; Mark 14:24-25) was not fermented wine, which in the Scripture represents human depravity and divine indignation, but pure unfermented grape juice, which is a fitting emblem of Christ’s untainted blood shed for the remission of our sins. This conclusion was established through a study of the language of the Last Supper, the Jewish Passover wine, the Passover law of fermentation, the consistency of the symbol and the survival of the use of unfermented grape juice at the Lord’s Supper. Most telling is the fact that Josephus calls the freshly squeezed grape juice "the fruit of the vine." This establishes unequivocally that the phrase was used to designate the sweet, unfermented juice of the grape. The evidences submitted shows that Jesus abstained from all intoxicating substances and gave no sanction to His followers for using them. [End of quote]
The Christian Courier notes the following quote from the “Theological Workbook of the Old Testament:”
...To avoid the sin of drunkenness, mingling of wine with water was practiced. This dilution was specified by the Rabbis in NT times for the wine customary at Passover. [End of quote]
Also, it is known that ancient Romans watered down their wine: three parts water to one part wine.
Concerning Timothy’s Stomach
Much to do has been made about the instructions that the Apostle Paul gave Timothy in I Timothy 5:23:
Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.
Again, from A Preview of Wine In the Bible:
Ancient writers such as Aristotle, Athanaeus, and Pliny indicate that unfermented wine was known and preferred to alcoholic wine for medical purposes, because it did not have the side effects of the latter. In the light of these testimonies and of the other Biblical teachings regarding wine, it is reasonable to assume that the wine recommended by Paul for medical use was unfermented grape juice.
The conclusion of this whole study on the Biblical teaching regarding the use of alcoholic beverages can be summarized in one sentence: Scripture is consistent in teaching moderation in the use of wholesome, unfermented beverages and abstinence from the use of intoxicating fermented beverages. [End of quote]
Alcohol consumption is Satan’s snare.
GOD SAID, Proverbs 23:29-35:
29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
GOD SAID, Habakkuk 2:15:
Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!
GOD SAID, Proverbs 20:1:
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
MAN SAID: A little moderation—a little bit of wine, a little bit of beer, a little bit of whiskey, marijuana, cocaine. Besides, Jesus made wine, didn’t He?
Now you have THE RECORD.
References:
Authorized King James Version
Bacchiocchi, S., Ph.D., “A Preview of Wine In The Bible,” www.Biblicalperspectives.com
Jackson, W., “Was the ‘Fruit of the Vine’ Fermented?” Christian Courier, 7/11/2000
