Butter & Honey--Don’t Miss This One!

John 3:3:

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Jesus Christ speaks these strange and unusual Words, and, for the first time, the mystery of redemption was revealed to the world.  It’s truly a mystery still for most.  Romans 16:25:

Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

Born-again is not a product of natural deduction, not even close.  It cannot be had through academic pursuit.  Scour the natural world over, and its explanation will not be found, for born-again is not of this world. 

I know I am born-again, which is a product of God’s grace and the activation of the faith of Christ, which is in me.  And I know I am born-again because the Spirit of God says so, and I believe it.  Consider these beautiful verses:

✞ Ephesians 2:8-10:

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

✞ Romans 8:15-17:

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Born-again is of the Spirit, and natural rationale is insufficient, for born-again is only spiritually discerned. Born-again is an actual, second birth, this time of the Spirit of God, and the proof of this reality is demonstrated in the new life it creates.  Prior to salvation, we “were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), but we entered into this eternal new life through the veil of Christ’s flesh.  At this place, everything changes. II Corinthians 5:17 is so literal:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Through the glorious Christ, “all things are become new.”  That includes:

✤ A new Father, God the creator of all, who seeks my good (John 1:12-13);

✤ My new name, written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life, God’s book of birth certificates (Revelation 21:27);

✤ A new Holy Ghost to dwell within us, even in our bellies (John 7:38-39);

✤ A new eternal purpose, with results that will live forever (II Corinthians 5:18-19);

✤ A new growing and dynamic faith that even swallows up death itself in final victory (I Corinthians 15:54-57);

✤ A new joy and new friends and family, and new entertainment;

✤ A new way of eating and working;

✤ A new supreme and inexhaustible power to live a Christian life; and so much more. 

Born-again means born a second time.  Have you been born a second time?  Will today be the day all your sins and its shame are expunged from your record, and where everything begins anew?  Will today be your day when all of Satan’s bondages are broken, no matter how formidable they seem?  Today, your soul is in your hand.  On this decision, your present life and your eternal destiny hang.  This could veritably be your last opportunity to make peace with God.  In just a moment, if you’ll follow me in this simple prompt, everything changes for you.  Are you ready to choose life and live?  Here we go!  Click onto “Further with Jesus”  for childlike instructions and immediate entry into the Kingdom of God.  NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.

GOD SAID, Isaiah 7:14-15:

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

GOD SAID, Proverbs 24:13-14:

13 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:

14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

GOD SAID, Psalm 19:7-11:

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

MAN SAID: You can’t take the Bible literally! It is full of statements that strain any semblance of today’s “enlightened mind.”

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The Word of God is to be taken literally.  There are two literals—literal spiritually, and literal physically—and the switch one needs to flip is in plain view.  But the Biblical issues typically challenged by the carnal-minded are of the physical sort.  The contenders feel mighty smug in their railings, but oh, how they shouldn’t be! 

Come and dine, the master calleth (John 21:12).  In this feature, GodSaidManSaid will set the table, and, in it, demonstrate spiritual literal and physical literal realities. You personally represent two entities—one spiritual and one physical—and both have bodies with minds, eyes, lips, hands, and feet.  One of these entities will last forever in God’s new heaven and earth, or in the lake of fire.  The other is a vapor.  Consider this: Both entities eat.  Job 12:11:

Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?

Job 34:3:

For the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat.

The physical man eats hotdogs and beans, and the spiritual man eats words—and you and I choose the menu.  Here’s some food for thought:

🍞 Jesus said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).

🍞 John 6:51: I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

🍞 John 6:53: Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

🍞 Revelation 19:13 speaks of Jesus and declares, “…and His name is called The Word of God.” 

We each represent two entities—one spiritual and one physical—and both are very literal, and both very much eat. 

Before we serve up the main course, let’s review, in very rapid fashion, subjects skeptics have challenged and ridiculed relentlessly.  To keep up the dining metaphor, we’ll dub them appetizers:

🍤 Did God create the earth and its universe in six, 24-hour days, and did He create it out of that which is invisible (Romans 1:20)?  Scientists now report the earth’s physicalness is literally spiritually sourced. 

🍤  Did God create the earth and its universe in six, 24-hour days, and is it literally just over 6,000 years old?  Check out the GodSaidManSaid series “The 6,000s” for the latest undeniable proof. 

🍤 Did God literally create a first man, Adam, and a first woman, Eve, as the sole source of the world’s population today, and create them out of dirt? Does that sound fantastical?  In Hebrew, Adam’s name means “Red dirt.” It is certainly common knowledge today that we are made out of dirt, but it was only recently that microbiology turned evolution on its head when it was discovered that all humans on this earth count one common mother and one common father as ancestors.  These common parents of all living are referred to as “mtDNA Eve” and “Y Chromosome Adam” (Genesis 2:7-25). 

🍤 Was the whole world literally covered and destroyed by a flood in the days of Noah, as described in the Bible?  Marine fossils on all the world’s mountain peaks say yes (Genesis 7:19-23).  Check out the Noah Series for some serious convincing. 

🍤 Is there life in outer space?  A bunch of folks, scientists included, think so. This may surprise you, but they’re right! God and His mighty Son, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, the angels, and all the heavenly creatures—all literally live in outer space in what the Scriptures call the third heaven (II Corinthians 12:2-4). 

The Word of God is to be taken literally—literally spiritually and literally physically—and the switch one needs to flip is in plain view.

Strange words and strong claims set the enemies of the Cross of Christ into a tizzy, but do remember: Wrangle as they will, they will never win—never!   Isaiah 7:14-15 is a prime example:

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

Approximately 750 years before Jesus Christ comes to this earth and is born of a virgin, the prophet Isaiah proclaims the event.  Verse 15 speaks of dietary issues that gave Him the ability to know to refuse evil and choose the good. 

Does a person’s dietary habits—as in, what we eat, drink, or smoke—actually affect the brain?  A headline from England’s Daily Mail states: “Smoking Just One Cannabis Joint Raises Danger of Mental Illness by 40%.”

As little as one alcoholic beverage during a mother’s pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome.  It is the number-one cause of birth defects and children born with fetal alcohol syndrome have IQs 13 to 16 points lower than their non-affected counterparts.  What we consume affects the brain and the entire body. 

Again, take note of Isaiah 7:15:

Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

As you should suspect, God’s Word will be fully vindicated and those who apply the directives found within will reap the benefits of doing the right thing. 

Does raw butter and raw honey literally affect the brain and its decision-making capabilities?  YES!  Thousands of years before today’s science arrives in the headlines of their publications, God’s Word is already there, and God’s children enjoy the benefits of obedience.  A patchwork of articles follows on the subjects of raw honey and butter. 

The headline from Jehovah-JirehFarm.com reads, “Raw Honey and Its Ability to Improve Brain Function.”  Much of the feature follows:

Another food that we produce here on the farm that is important for school students for success in school is raw honey.  On the containers of raw honey that we sell here on the farm, Joel has this quote: “Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.”  (Isaiah 7:15) 

I have often wondered why milk [butter is a milk product] and honey would enable a person to be able to refuse evil, and to be able to choose properly between right and wrong.  The ability to make wise decisions is a skill that many children, and adults, lack today.  Parenting would be a lot easier if you could feed your child food that would help them behave.  School would be a lot better if kids didn’t have to be drugged so that they could sit still and behave.  In Barnes’s Bible Commentary, commentator Barnes expresses what most people think: “As this translation now stands, it is unintelligible.  It would ‘seem’ from this that His eating butter and honey would ‘contribute’ to His knowing good and evil. But this cannot be the meaning.”  But what I have found in my research is that milk and honey can have an effect on a person’s brain, and the brain’s ability to function properly.

Here are some pieces of the puzzle that I have been able to put together recently.  I did a Google search for “calcium brain.”  What I found is that calcium is used by the brain’s cells to conduct the electrical signal using protein ions.  Nitrogen (protein) is an electrolyte and conducts electricity in a liquid.  Each brain cell has to have calcium in it for the electrical signal to work.  Calcium is an alkaline earth metal and conducts electricity.  The protein ions conduct the electrical signal from one brain cell to another to communicate messages.  If there is not enough calcium, the brain will not function properly.  If there is not enough protein, the brain will not function properly.  Raw milk is an important source of calcium and, as such, is an important food for brain function.  So yes, milk can be a food that makes a person make wise choices.

I also learned that honey helps the body to absorb calcium.  Therefore, eating both milk and honey together helps the brain to assimilate and use calcium properly.  The brain needs the calcium in order for it to make wise choices and decisions.  One interesting piece of research that I found was on calcium and the affect of calcium on the honeybee in memory and learning.  They found that calcium is crucial for long-term memory in honeybees.  When honeybees were deprived of calcium, they were not able to remember their food source.  Within three days after receiving calcium, the bees were able to again learn and remember their food source.  [End of quote]

Milk products (like butter) are heavy calcium sources and honey helps the body absorb the calcium.  The combination is important.  BrainFacts.org writes:

Calcium doesn’t just make your bones strong—it’s a crucial element in how the cells in your brain communicate.  As an electrical signal speeds down the axon, it opens pores that let calcium ions rush into the cell.  The high calcium concentrations let the neuron know that it’s time to release its neuro-transmitters, the chemical messages neurons use to communicate with each other. [End of quote]

Butter is high in cholesterol, and so is the brain.  The following paragraphs are from the GodSaidManSaid feature, “Just One Book and Trans-Fat Pandemic:”

Pat Shannan published an article in the Free Press newspaper dealing with the trans-fat/butter debate. The beginning of his article follows:

There seems to be a lot of question about which "healthy" spreads should be used to replace butter. One says, "I can’t believe it’s not butter." Well, I can. Since the word is finally spreading about the harmful nature of trans fat, margarine has been officially declared as a substance to be avoided. In its place have rushed countless other butter alternatives which do not contain hydrogenated fats. But now that refined vegetable oils, additives and preservatives are coming under fire, it leaves the question, "What in the world can we spread on our toast?" The answer is simple and natural: go back to butter.

Of course, most people balk at the suggestion of eating real butter. After all, won’t butter cause heart disease and other frightening health conditions? Although the claim that butter is harmful has been a popular one since World War II, it’s an assumption with no foundation. In fact, statistics show the rate of heart disease has increased as butter consumption has decreased.

Butter is filled with essential vitamins and antioxidants in their most natural and absorbable state. Butter is actually a better source of vitamin A than carrots, especially for people who have trouble converting the beta-carotene in carrots into vitamin A. You can also find vitamin E and selenium in butter. These along with vitamin A actually protect the heart from free-radical damage, which is a factor in weakened arteries. On the other hand, fabricated spreads are filled with rancid and refined vegetable oils that cause free-radical damage.

The vitamin A in butter is a vital nutrient which strongly impacts growth in children. Deficiencies can affect the development of teeth, bones, and vision. Low-fat diets are often recommended for children even though these diets have been linked to a failure to thrive, as published in Pediatrics in March of 1994. Low-fat diets which remove butter from children’s lives may be cutting out their only source of absorbable vitamin A.

Another common misconception propagated by modern industry is that the fat in butter is bad for us. Butter is comprised of mostly short and medium chain fatty acids. These fatty acids can protect against cancer and boost immunity. They are also antifungal. Short and medium chain fatty acids are also more easily broken down for energy, which means it’s actually less likely that the fat in butter will be stored in the body. [End of quotes] 

Several excerpts follow from a feature printed in March of 2007 from Harvard Health Publishing that detail cholesterol and its function in the brain:

Despite its well-deserved notoriety as a cause of heart disease, cholesterol is essential for human health.  It is the building block of steroid hormones, including the stress hormone cortisol and the male and female sex hormones, including testosterone and the estrogens.  Cholesterol is also an essential component of the membranes that surround all human cells.  More than simply holding cells together, these membranes have a crucial role in regulating cell function and allowing chemicals to pass into and out of cells. 

The brain has a higher cholesterol content than any other organ.  In fact, about 25% of the body’s cholesterol is found in this small organ, which accounts for less than 2% of the body’s weight.  Most of the cholesterol is in the myelin sheaths that surround the axons of nerve cells, protecting the cells and facilitating the speedy transmission of the electrical impulses that govern thought, movement, and sensation. 

The brain is highly dependent on cholesterol, but its cholesterol metabolism is unique. Because the blood-brain barrier prevents brain cells from taking up cholesterol from the blood, the brain must produce its own cholesterol.  Like the liver, brain cells depend on HMG-CoA reductase to produce cholesterol.  The brain’s cholesterol is much more stable than the cholesterol in other organs, but when it breaks down, it is recycled into new cholesterol right in the brain.

There are two types of blood cholesterol.  It turns out that high HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels protect against ischemic strokes without affecting the risk of hemorrhagic strokes one way or the other.  As in the case of heart disease, though, LDL cholesterol is a culprit, and high levels increase the risk of ischemic stroke. 

More research is needed to sort this out, but even now, investigations of HDL cholesterol and mental function have consistently reported that high levels appear to help preserve mental function in older people. [End of quotes]

TheHealthImprovementCenter.com published the following two paragraphs under the heading “Butter and Your Brain:”

Every cell in your body has a protective outer layer called the cell wall or cell membrane.  This cell wall contains both fat and water.  The type of fat found on the cell wall is, not surprisingly, saturated fat.  Both the fat and water are arranged in such a way to allow both water-soluble and fat-soluble nutrients to gain access to the interior of the cell through certain parts of the cell membrane. So, as you might imagine, if you are chronically dehydrated, your cells may not be able to receive the water-soluble nutrients obtained from your diet.  And if you don’t have enough fat in your diet (saturated fat), the fat-soluble nutrients won’t have any way to access your cells either.

Every cell membrane requires saturated fat and even more importantly, your brain is made of 60% fat.  That makes it even more important to ensure you are getting enough fat in your diet to have healthy cells and a sharp mind.  In fact, there has been significant research into the benefits of including saturated fat and reduction of Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia, and age-related cognitive decline.  [End of quote]

“Eating Healthy Can Make You Smarter,” declares an article published by NectaHive.com.  Several paragraphs from that article follow:

Honey, especially active healing honey, has many health benefits.  It has natural antimicrobial properties and can help to treat wounds and burns. But did you also know that honey can make you smarter? 

Researchers have found that pinocembrin (which is extracted from honey and other plants) has many neuroprotective effects. 

This means that it has properties that protect brain and nerve cells from damage.  Studies into the positive effects of honey on patients with conditions that affect the brain are an exciting area of research.  Conditions include strokes, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.

Pinocembrin also has anti-inflammatory properties.  An anti-inflammatory agent works to reduce the amount of inflammation in the body.  Essentially, inflammation is a good thing.  It’s a sign that our immune system is working to keep us healthy.  But we can only have so much of a good thing.

Chronic inflammation can lead to heart disease and type 2 diabetes.  It can also lead to degenerative brain conditions such as dementia.  Pinocembrin has demonstrated an ability to target so-called “neuroinflammation.”

So, honey can have a beneficial effect on the health of our brains as we age.  But another interesting area of research is the relationship between honey and how smart we are. 

Cognition is a measure of how well we learn new things through thinking, experiencing, and sensing things in our environment.  Studies have found that pinocembrin can enhance cognition by protecting brain cell structure.  So far, these studies have only been on animals, but the science is looking promising.

The antioxidants in honey are known to help improve our memory, too.  They do this by counteracting the effects of oxidative stress.  Oxidative stress is caused by free radicals stressing the cells of the body.  Reducing oxidative stress helps to improve a poor memory.  Having a better memory helps us to learn and retain information more effectively.  [End of quotes]

In March 2015, ResearchGate.net printed an abstract from PubMed addressing pinocembrin.  It reads, in part:

Pinocembrin is a natural flavonoid compound extracted from honey, propolis, ginger roots, wild marjoram, and other plants.  In preclinical studies, it has shown anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects as well as the ability to reduce reactive oxygen species, protect the blood-brain barrier, modulate mitochondrial function, and regulate apoptosis [cell death].  Considering these pharmaceutical characteristics, pinocembrin has potential as a drug to treat ischemic stroke and other clinical conditions. [End of quote]

Strange words and strong claims set the enemies of the Cross of Christ into a tizzy, but remember: Wrangle as they do, they never win—NEVER!  Butter and honey –the secret to making the right choices. God’s Word is true and righteous altogether—all the time. It is a place to build a life that will last forever.

GOD SAID, Isaiah 7:14-15:

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

GOD SAID, Proverbs 24:13-14:

13 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:

14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

GOD SAID, Psalm 19:7-11:

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

MAN SAID: You can’t take the Bible literally! It is full of statements that strain any semblance of today’s “enlightened mind.”

 

Now you have THE RECORD.

 

 

 

References:

Authorized King James Version

“Butter and Your Brain,” TheHealthImprovementCenter.com

“Cholesterol, the Mind, and the Brain,” Harvard Health Publishing  

“Eating Honey Can Make You Smarter,” NectaHive.com

GodSaidManSaid, “Just One Book and Trans-Fat Pandemic (The Remedy Follows)”

Horst, M., “Raw Honey and Its Ability to Improve Brain Function,” Jehovah-JirehFarm.com, September 13, 2011

Lan, X., et al, “The Natural Flavonoid Pinocembrin: Molecular Targets and Potential Therapeutic Applications,” ResearchGate.net, March 2015

Richardson, M., “Calcium Sends the Signal,” BrainFacts.org, November 2, 2018

 

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