The Bible on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

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Leviticus 19:19, Livestock breed with another kind…sow your field with mixed seed.

What does the Torah have to say about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or foods? This verse addresses the issue. The type of genetic modification of plants and animals that we’re concerned about is that of forcing the DNA of one species into that of another. In reality, it’s a form of man-induced macro-evolution where one species takes on the characteristics of another species. Micro-evolution is a natural phenomenon that occurs between like plant and animal species (e.g. diverse kinds of cats, apples, palm trees, etc.).This can occur naturally (called adaptation) and through the human-induced processes of hybridization. This isn’t a bad thing, in most cases. However, there are no examples of macro-evolution in the creation despite evolutionists’ best efforts to prove otherwise. Evolutionists have failed to find the missing links between monkeys and men, or lizards and birds, or slime and amphibians—at least not until genetic engineering came along. Now through genetic engineering they can create the missing link. This is not only an affront to the Creator, and goes contrary to the Bible, but it’s the opening of a Pandora’s box of all sorts of unintended evil consequences where man is playing God, while not knowing what the consequences will be.

The ancient biblical writings are amazingly prescient on this issue when the Torah forbids the mixing of dissimilar species (such as seeds and animal species), which were separated in the creation by Elohim, and which he established to reproduce after their own kind.

The Creator simply commands men not to mix diverse kinds (species) without giving the reasons. We are to assume that he knows best whether we understand the technical reasons or not.

Since the recent emergence of the science of genetic engineering and the negative consequences of some aspects of it, perhaps the Creator’s prohibitions against mixing dissimilar species now makes more sense.

Here are the scriptural prohibitions:

Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee. (Lev 19:19)

Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled. (Deut 22:9)

Here are some excerpts from some Bible commentaries on Leviticus 19:19 pertaining to this subject:

These practices might have been considered as altering the original constitution of God in creation; and this is the view which the Jews, and also Josephus and Philo, take of the subject. (The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on Lev 19:19)

God in the beginning made the cattle after their kind (Gen 1:25), and we must acquiesce in the order of nature God hath established, believing that is best and sufficient, and not covet monsters. Add thou not unto his works, lest he reprove thee; for it is the excellency of the work of God that nothing can, without making it worse, be either put to it or taken from it, Eccl 3:14. As what God has joined we must not separate, so what he has separated we must not join. (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Lev 19:19)

By these laws the observance of the natural order and separation of things is made a duty binding on the Israelites…as a divine ordinance founded in the creation itself (Gen 1:11, 12, 21, 24, 25). All symbolic, mystical, moral, and utilitarian reasons that have been supposed to lie at the foundation of these commands, are foreign to the spirit of the law. (Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the OT on Lev 19:19).

God created the world with certain distinct species, and His wisdom decreed that these species remain intact and unadulterated. For man to take it upon himself to alter the order of Creation suggest a lack of faith in God’s plan. Moreover, each species on earth is directed by a Heavenly force, so that the earthly species represents profound spiritual forces. To tamper with them is to cause harm that earth-bound man cannot fathom. (The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash on Lev 19:19)

…God’s Creation should be permitted to function according to the laws of nature that He instituted, without tampering by man. It should be noted that these laws of mixture are limited to specific matters [i.e. cross-mixing of species], and do not limit the infinite number of alloys or combinations that are so much a part of modern life. To the contrary, man is duty bound to improve the world and, in a sense, “complete” the work of the Creation. (The ArtScroll Tanach Series Levticus Commentary on Lev 19:19)

With regard to GMO foods, there is also the issue of what is biblically kosher or not. If foods are genetically altered, who knows if what one thinks he is eating actually is totally that. Within the milk you’re drinking or the steak that you’re eating, for example, there may be genes from an unkosher animal. 

 

On Vengeance, Retribution, Vindictiveness and Bearing Grudges Against Others

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Leviticus 19:17–18, Not hate your brother. 

The KJV and NKJV translations of this verse are difficult to understand. What is this verse really telling us?

Various Bibles translate this verse differently.

  • The NIV reads, “Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.” 
  • The NAS has, “You shall not hate your fellow-countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him.” 
  • Finally, the ASET reads, “You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall reprove your fellow and do not bear a sin because of him.” 

What we learn from these various translations is that when your brother treats you improperly, honestly confront him, or as Yeshua said, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone” (Matt 18:15). However, if he ignores you and is still prone to vengeance or bearing a grudge against you, don’t become like him and retaliate against him (Lev 19:18). Instead, love him as yourself, or treat him with love as you wish to be treated (ibid.), or else you will incur his sin by becoming like him (v. 17). 

Yeshua summed up this godly principle of not giving in to vengeance and retaliation when wronged this way, “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matt 5:39). This is loving one’s neighbor as oneself and is the summation of the second half of the Torah (Mark 12:29–31) as summed up by the last six of the ten commandments (Exod 20:12–17). 

The bottom line is that exhibiting vengeance, retribution, vindictiveness or bearing a grudge against one’s neighbor demonstrates a lack of self control, is a result of anger and is a form of hatred, which are all works of the flesh resulting in contentions between people (Gal 5:20). These are sinful behaviors and are the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22–24), and people who habitually practice these sins along with the other works of the flesh are in danger of not being in the kingdom of Elohim (Gal 5:21).

 

On Helping the Poor

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Leviticus 19:9, Corners of your field.Leaving the corners of the fields unharvested, and leaving the gleanings in one’s field for the poor was a wonderful way to help the impoverished and disadvantaged. There was no welfare system in the Torah for those who were able to work. The Bible teaches that if a man doesn’t work, neither should he eat (2 Thess 3:10), and that a righteous man provides for his household (1 Tim 5:8). At the same time, Yeshua said that there will be poor people (John 12:8). Helping the poor is a timeless principle of how YHVH expects his people to show love for others. The Torah here as understood by the Jewish sages teaches that we are first obligated to help the needy of our spiritual family, immediate physical family, extended family, and then any poor in general (Deut 15:7–8 cp. Deut 14:28–29 and 26:12–13). What do you do to help the poor? When was the last time you extended your hand of love to a person in need? (Let’s not forget what Yeshua teaches us in Matt 25:31–46. Also note Jas 1:27; John 3:16.)

 

Get “saved” now before it’s too late!

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Leviticus 19:6–7, It shall be eaten. The terms first, second and third day are often significant prophetically (e.g. Hos 6:2; Gen 22:4; Luke 13:32; Exod 19:11, 15) referring to the salvific work of Messiah Yeshua that occurred at his first coming, and which will occur in the first, second and third millennia after his first coming. Day three would correspond with the beginning of year 7000—a date we must be very near. 

If Torah reveals that the peace offering was not accepted on the third day, what is this prophetically telling us? Leviticus 7:17–18 says of the same offering that the portion of the sacrifice which remains until the third day shall be burnt with fire, while 19:6–8 says that the person who eats the peace offering on the third day will “bear his iniquity” and “will be cut off from his people.” That is, the peace offering will be of no avail to that person and they will not have peace with their Redeemer.

Is a day coming when the door of opportunity for salvation will be shut (as was the case when the door of Noah’s ark was shut before Elohim brought judgment upon the earth by the flood, Gen 7:16), the period of grace that we are now in will end when the wrath of Elohim will be poured out upon the unregenerate (Rev 15–16) just prior to the return of Yeshua? Are you saved by the blood of Yeshua, the Lamb of YHVH? Have you repented of your sins (violation of YHVH’s Torah-laws [1 John 3:4]), and are you walking in a righteous and obedient relationship with your Heavenly Father through Yeshua the Messiah by the power of the Ruach Kodesh (Set-Apart Spirit)?

For he says, “I have heard you in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured you: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor 6:2)

 

Addressing the Homosexual (“Gay”) Movement From a Biblical Perspective

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Leviticus 18:22, You shall not lie with mankind.(Also Lev 20:13) Some modern proponents of homosexuality claim that this verse, which has traditionally been taken to mean that the Bible prohibits homosexuality actually is speaking of cultic prostitution. The LXX clears up this misinterpretation when it describes the sin in question by saying, literally: as a man having sex with a man as he would a woman (kos an koimethe meta arsenos koithen gnaikos).

Today I looked at the headlines of a number of major internet news sources (as I do every day). These included both conservative and liberal news outlets as well the major mainstream media outlets along with some smaller, yet respectable news networks. I was amazed at how many headlined stories relating to “gay” issues I found. Some news sites actually had several stories on their front pages on the subject. This phenomenon is no longer a unique occurrence. 

The fact is that even though homosexuals make up a tiny minority of the population, they get a disproportionate amount of news coverage. Whether the “gay” agenda is being pushed on the majority of Americans who are heterosexual or not by a vocal and powerful minority isn’t the issue. Rather, it’s that “gay rights” is a front and center issue in America’s culture war pitting the clash of traditional Christian values with the post-Christian, more morally loose, modern generation. 

It’s obvious to see that government at all levels along with the public educational system, the major media and the entertainment industry are actively forcing homosexuality as a normative and acceptable behavior on the American people. Those trumpeting the homosexual cause have as their weapons punitive so-called antidiscriminatory laws, the threat of lawsuits as well as boycotts and other means of exerting social pressure. In their cross hairs are any who oppose them including organizations, businesses, churches, schools, or individuals who dare oppose them. Already, the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts have caved in to the pressure. The traditional family is being redefined by homosexual activists, as well as the concepts of “male” and “female.” Restrooms and locker rooms are now the new battlefield for those wanting to erase the lines between the sexes. Regardless of one’s stand on homosexuality, we have to deal with it. Ignoring this issue isn’t an option!

With the current lay of the cultural landscape in mind, I would now like to express my views on the subject of homosexuality from a loving, yet solid biblical position.

What the Bible Says About Homosexuality

It was the opinion of the early apostles at the first Jerusalem council to establish minimal requirements for those being given the right hand of church fellowship. Those who failed to meet those basic standards were excluded from participation in church life. This was the case with those living in all sexual sin including homosexuality (Acts 15:20). 

Exclusion may not be a popular notion in our day where “inclusiveness” as part of the political and social atmosphere demands — even at times under the threat of punitive legal action — that Bible believers not only love the sinner, but unquestioningly accept the sin as well whether they want to or not. 

Such isn’t the biblical norm. The Bible calls homosexuality a perversion and an abomination (Lev 18:22–23). YHVH’s people aren’t to involve themselves in the perverse practices of the nations such as homosexuality (Lev 18:24). Sexual perversion of any kind defiles a nation (Lev 18:24–25) and brings YHVH’s judgments against it (Lev 18:25, 28; Rom 1:18–27). Such people are to be cut off from the nation of Israel (Lev 18:29), and from entrance into the kingdom of Elohim (1 Cor 6:9–10). In modern times, cut off simply means exclusion from church fellowship, which is exactly how the Jerusalem council ruled.

Homosexuals in the Church?

Continue reading →
 

Premarital Sex and Passing Children Through the Fire

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Leviticus 18:21, Pass through the fire.In the juxtapositioning of this passage directly after the Torah’s prohibition of illicit sex, it would appear that YHVH is broadcasting a clear message to his people. Extra-marital sex often results in unwanted babies. In our day, many choose to murder their unwanted offspring through abortion. In ancient times, some of these undesired children were likely sacrificed to the pagan Canaanite god Moloch by being burned alive. That is certainly the implication in this passage. Whatever the case, YHVH hates the murder of children for any reason!

This passage (along with Exod 21:22) is one of the strongest pro-life, anti-infanticide verses in the Scriptures. The penalty for those who sacrificed their children to Molech (or Moloch) was that the land of Israel would vomit the people out of it (vv. 25 and 28.) Could any clearer statement be made about how the Creator feels about the sanctity of life? 

The murder of the innocent children is perhaps the greatest sin that a nation can commit. Abortion is a form of child sacrifice, which is something many ancient cultures practiced (the Aztecs, Incas, Phoenicians, pre-Islamic Arabs, and the biblical Canaanites). In the Bible, YHVH condemns the practice of heathens and apostate Israelites who made their children pass through the fire in worship of the demon-god Moloch (See Lev 18:21; 20:2–5; Deut 12:30–31; 18:10.) What judgment did YHVH place on the Jewish nation for sacrificing its children to Moloch? (See Jer 7:30–34; 32:35–36.)

 

Women in Ministry—Can a Woman Lead a Congregation?

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Acts 16:40, House of Lydia.

Was Lydia a woman pastor?

The Bible, both the Tanakh (OT) and the Testimony of Yeshua (NT), promote male leadership, eldership and priesthood as normative. However, there have been times when men were not available to fulfill the plans and purposes of Elohim, so he used woman. A most notable example was Deborah who was both a prophetess and a judge in Israel (although she was most likely the wife of Barak who was a military leader in Israel, which would have made her the co-leader of Israel with her husband). Huldah was a prophetess, a judge and a counselor to kings. 

The Testimony of Yeshua carries the idea of male leader into the church. In the apostolic era, the Head Leader, of course, was Yeshua himself, then there were his twelve male apostles, and then there were male elders over each congregation (1 Tim 3:1–7; Tit 1:5–9), and the head over each family was the husband and father (Eph 5:22–33). 

The apostolic writings also promote the idea of the priesthood of all believers (e.g. 1 Pet 2:9; Rev 1:6). When it comes to salvation and spiritual equality, in YHVH’s eyes there is neither male or female, Jew or Gentile. All are equal and one in Messiah (Rom 10:12; Gal 3:28; Col 3:11). 

However, the New Testament Scriptures record that the church was still led by male elders. Nevertheless, there are examples of husband and wife ministry teams. In Romans we see the husband and wife apostolic team of Andronicus and Junia (Rom 16:7). Another example of such a evangelistic-pastoral team was Aquila and Priscilla. They worked so closely together that sometimes Scripture mentions wife first, and sometimes the husband (Acts 18:2, 8, 26. Rom 16:3; 1 Cor 16:19; 2 Tim 4:19). 

One example of a likely woman pastor is Lydia who, apparently, led a church in her home (Acts 16:40). The Bible reveals that if there is no man to do fulfill YHVH purposes, he will raise up a woman to do it. The only caveat is that to follow a biblical authority structure, she needs to be under the authority of or accountable to a male elder in some way. Lydia would have been under the eldership of Paul who led her to Yeshua and baptized her (Acts 16:14).

If a woman is leading a congregation and she is married, she should be doing so in conjunction with her husband, with his blessing. If she is not, then she is out of order spiritually. If she’s not married, then she needs to be working in conjunction with male eldership.