None of These Diseases
We Are Promised Health If We Follow God’s Laws!
For a long time, I have been intrigued by the words God spoke to Israel through Moses, shortly after they had left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea. They had ventured out into the Wilderness of Shur, and arrived at the waters of Marah, where the bitter waters could not be drunk. There Moses cast a tree or bush of some sort into the waters, and they become sweet and drinkable.
Then God said through Moses,
“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you” (Exodus 15:26; NKJV).
Jesus Christ reiterated this premise in John 10:10: “ I have come that men may have life, and may have it in all its fulness” (TNEB), and John stated, “My dear Gaius, I pray that you may enjoy good health, and all may go well with you …(III John 2; TNEB). Our great God wants us to avoid disease and be in excellent health, just as Jesus was all of His life. To do so requires us to take a preventative approach by avoiding diseases in the first place.
The Diseases of Egypt
The Egyptians suffered certain diseases and maladies as a result of their not following the diet and lifestyle of the Creator, but what were they? These diseases are reiterated in Deuteronomy 7:15, 28:27, and 28:60, especially in Deuteronomy 28:27.
“The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors, with the scab, and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed” (NKJV).
Four maladies are mentioned here: boils, tumors, scab, and itch. Let us take a brief look at these illnesses that were endemic among the Egyptian people.
Boils = Hebrew shechiyn, “an inflamed ulcer, a boil,” The word is translated botch in the KJV, and according to some scholars may refer to “black leprosy,” or elephantiasis, where the feet and legs swell and the skin becomes black and scaly.1 The word is translated botch in Deuteronomy 28:27 and 35, but translated boil everywhere else in the KJV (Exodus 9:9-11; Leviticus 13:18-23; II Kings 20:7; Job 2:7; Isaiah 38:21). Boils seem to be the most likely candidate for this ailment since Deuteronomy 28:35 refers to these outbreaks occurring “from the sole of your foot to the top of your head,” reminiscent of Job’s boils that gave him misery for months on end, so painful that he preferred death over life (Job 2:7; 3). It was the grievous affliction, placed on the Egyptians during the sixth plague.
Tumors = Hebrew tchor, “to burn, a boil or ulcer (from the inflammation), especially piles.”2 The KJV translates this word emerods, as it does in I Samuel 5:6, 9, 12 and 6:4,5,11, and 17. The Hebrew root gives the idea of a, swelling or mound, and is used for “tower” in II Kings 5:24, and “fort” in Isaiah 32:14. “Tumor” fits this idea quite well. If hemorrhoids are implied here, then a very uncomfortable ailment is described.
Scab = Hebrew cappachath,” the mange (as making the hair fall off).”3 Mange is a skin disorder caused by a parasitic mite that invades the skin and causes severe itching. This ailment is mentioned in Leviticus 13;2, 6-8; 14:56; 21:20; 22:22; Deuteronomy 28:27; and Isaiah 3:17
Itch = Hebrew charcah, “ to scrape; the itch.”4 It is mentioned only in Deuteronomy 28:27, immediately after scab, so it may be related closely to it in the sense of causing severe skin irritation.
Eating Unclean Foods
These are only some of the diseases the Egyptians could expect to experience since they ate unclean foods and engaged in devious sexual and other practices that also lead to various ailments. Let us first look at the afflictions that can arise from eating unclean foods such as pigs, horses, rats, shellfish, and crustaceans.
Hepatitis. Eating pork and certain other unclean meats leads to a much higher incidence of Hepatitis E, especially when the much-desired liver is consumed. In today’s developed nations, pork liver is the top food-based transmitter of this disease that can cause fever, fatigue, jaundice, vomiting, joint pain, other pains, liver failure, and death. A whopping 20 million people each year contract this illness, and it would be naive to assume that ancient societies such as Egypt also did not experience it. Ten-percent of all U.S. hogs test positive for Hepatitis E.5
Multiple sclerosis (MS). There is a close relationship between pork consumption and MS, the myelin-attacking autoimmune condition which affects the central nervous system. In countries such as Germany and Denmark, where pork is consumed liberally, the pork intake versus MS correlation is nearly perfect (0.87), whereas the beef intake to MS correlation shows no relationship. It has been found that some pork slaughter plant workers developed MS-like symptoms after inhaling “pig brain mist” created by pig brain tissue blasted into the air during processing. The workers’ immune systems formed antibodies to the foreign porcine antigens, which closely resemble myelin proteins surrounding and protecting their nerves. Then the workers’ own immune systems began attacking the myelin, causing MS.6 To suggest that the Egyptians did not suffer from autoimmune disease identical or similar to MS, due to eating unclean meats, is being disingenuous.
Liver cancer and cirrhosis. While liver problems are closely related to hepatitis B and C infection, aflatoxin exposure, and excessive alcohol intake, pork consumption also shows a very high correlation to liver cancer and cirrhosis. Beef, on the other hand, has shown protective effects on the liver. The liver-pork connection may be due to the typical use of nitrates and nitrites as curing agents for bacon and ham, which leads to cancer-causing nitrosamine formation.7 It is not known if the Egyptians used curing agents for their meats, but they could have.
Yersinia. Eating uncooked or undercooked pork can lead to yesiniosis, caused by Yersinia bacteria which produce fever, pain, and bloody diarrhea. The long-term consequences are much more serious: various types of arthritis, in particular reactive arthritis, a type of inflammatory joint disease that is 47 times higher in Yersinia victims, and other diseases such as liver abscesses, eye problems, and Grave’s disease.8 The Egyptians may have eaten undercooked pork and other unclean animals, leading to these maladies.
Trichinellosis. Trichina worms have been prevalent in pigs, bears, and certain other unclean animals, more so in hogs in years past than today, but a significant percentage of hogs still harbor the worms in their muscle tissues. Symptoms of trichinellosis include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, and abdominal pain, which can graduate to headaches, joint pain, coughing, eye swelling, and constipation The trichina worms travel to muscles in the body where they create cysts and can remain for years.9 The Egyptians most certainly experienced some trichinellosis, as have many pork eaters throughout the past centuries, since it was a common ailment.
Worm infestation. Roundworms (such as Trichina worms, mentioned above), pinworms, hookworms, and tapeworms can be contracted by eating pork and most unclean animals.10 While cooking kills these worms, not everyone in Egypt or the Old World likely understood this need for heating meat to rid it of worm eggs. As a result, the insults of internal parasites plagued ancient societies, as they do many modern cultures who avoid cooking meat thoroughly, or who eat unclean animals.
Bacterial infections. Pork and other unclean meats can harbor several pathogenic organisms, including Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus.11 These microbes existed in Egypt, as they do worldwide today. Though cooking will kill most of them, the Staphylococcus aureus toxins are not deactivated by heat and cause acute food poisoning and, the usual nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea associated with tainted unclean meats.
Vibriosis. A bacteria in warm, saltwater coastal environments, infects, oysters and clams which, when eaten raw or undercooked, leads to watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, fever, and chills.12 The Egyptians most certainly consumed unclean creatures from the Nile River and Mediterranean coastal waters.
Other seafood transmitted microbes. Shellfish, lobsters, shrimp, and other unclean creatures in ocean or lake environments filter the water and accumulate whatever microbes are present. Some are pathogenic, including vibrio species — as shown above — Salmonella, Shigella species, Clostridium botulinum, Staphylococcus species, Norovirus, Hepatitis A virus, helminths (worms), and protozoa such as Giardia and Amoebas.13 Whether cooked or not, the residents of Egypt most certainly partook of many unclean creatures from the waters around them, in particular, the many Nile Delta tributaries, and suffered from the discomforts of food-borne illnesses.
Another major disease of Egypt was leprosy (Hebrew tsaraath). It is mentioned in Leviticus 13 and 14 and Deuteronomy 24:8, and was a particularly nasty, contagious disease that required careful quarantine of victim. The causative organism could even infect walls of homes and be transmitted by household objects and clothing This ailment has been plaguing civilization throughout recorded history, in China, Egypt, India, and the Middle East. The modern term for it is Hanson’s Disease, caused by the Mycobacterium leprae bacteria. Not particularly contagious, it nevertheless affects the peripheral nerves and causes disfiguring skin sores, lumps, and bumps that remain after weeks or months. Skin sores are pale-colored. Victims lose feeling in their arms and legs, and muscles become weak. The symptoms usually take 3 to 5 years to appear after initial infection but may take as long as 20 years. The manifestation of the disease is either tuberculoid (only one or a few patches of flat, pale-colored skin that feels numb) or lepromatous (widespread skin bumps, rashes, numbness, and muscle weakness, and nose, kidney, and male reproductive organ involvement), or somewhere between.14 Having come out of Egypt, the Israelites were carefully instructed in dealing with this insidious disease with the purpose of eradicating it from the nation.
Sexual Deviancy and Disease
Besides the aliments arising from unclean and microbe-contaminated foods, or infectious diseases transmitted by contact with disease carriers, there were sexually transmitted diseases the Egyptians had to contend with. The Egyptian people were, like the Canaanites, noted for sexual deviancy, which Israel was warned to avoid lest the “… land vomits out its inhabitants” (Leviticus 18:25; 20:10-21; NKJV). These aberrations included incest, adultery, homosexuality, and bestiality (Leviticus 18). Moreover, prostitution (Leviticus 19:29) and ceremonial prostitution to idols (Leviticus 20:5-6) were not uncommon and were forbidden for Israel.
“You shall, therefore, keep all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out. And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them” (Leviticus 20:22-23).
What are the diseases that can be passed on through illicit sexual activities? We call these “sexually transmitted diseases” (STDs).15
Chlamydia. Caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, this disease leads to discharges, pain, urinary tract, and pelvic inflammation, pregnancy problems, and infertility.
Herpes. The Herpes simplex virus produces blisters, headaches, backaches, itching, skin lesions, and pain.
Human papillomavirus (HPV). This common STD can cause cervical cancer and other skin manifestations.
Gonorrhea. The causative bacterium causes swelling, discharge, pain and other symptoms.
Syphilis. A spirochete (Treponema pallidum) causes this STD, which will attack any organ in the body and, if left untreated, will kill, maim, or cause insanity.
Trichomoniasis. This protozoan disease can cause a wide array of symptoms, including infertility.
AIDS. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is caused by a virus that is normally innocuous. However, when recreational or other drugs are used by homosexuals and certain others, thus inhibiting immune function, the virus can multiply and damage the body’s immune system, especially CD4 cells (white blood cells). This leads to infections like pneumonia that the body would normally fight off, but cannot due to suppressed immunity.16
Several of these STDs — and others too numerous to list here — were most certainly spread through Egyptian society, just as they were within the immoral Canaanite tribes. The laws of God prohibited Israel from partaking of the evil behavior that would precipitate these STDs.
Avoiding These Diseases
Now we have a fairly good grasp of the diseases of the Egyptians, which the Eternal said he would not lay upon Israel if they would “… give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes” (Exodus 15:26). That begs the question, how does keeping God’s commands and statutes keep a person from acquiring any of these hideous diseases? After all, it is the normal state of humankind to be healthy.
We must understand first of all that God never causes illness. He is the Author of exuberant and endless health, even as Jesus stated, “I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Notice that this statement follows His declaration that “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10). Jesus Christ is the great Healer, the One who removed the afflictions of countless people during his time on the earth (Matthew 4:23-24; 9:35; 10:1-8; Mark 1:29-34; Luke 8:49-56; etc.), and who commissioned His disciples to do likewise (Matthew 10:10; Luke 9:1; Mark 16:18; etc.).
This tells us that the author of death, illness (the precursor to death), and destruction is the one who is a thief, obviously an allusion to Satan, the great law-breaker from the beginning. We know from numerous examples that Satan and his minions are the instigators of disease and death, such as the affliction of Job with boils (Job 2:7), the killing of the firstborn of Egypt by the death angel (Exodus 12:12-13), and the killing of many in Israel from an angel sent by Yahweh due to David’s sin of numbering Israel (I Chronicles 21:9-15). While Job 42:11 states that the misfortunes Job had to endure were brought about by Yahweh, we know from Job 2:7 that it was Satan who did the “dirty work’ and actually caused the afflictions.
Recall that the Serpent (nachash, or Satan) in Genesis 3:17-19 tempted Adam and Eve to sin, which brought on aging and death not only to them but to the entire human race thereafter. We also have records of certain individuals throughout the centuries — including during the time that Jesus walked the earth — who have been afflicted by diseases caused by spirits (Luke 13:16). Note the following scriptures that show Satan is the instigator of sickness: Matthew 4:24; 12:22-28; Mark 9:25; Luke 7:21-22; 8:1-2; 13:11-16; Acts 10:38; 19:11-12; I Corinthians 5:1-5; Hebrews 2:14.
It is not the Eternal Creator who afflicts. Rather, He commissions spirits to carry out His work for specific purposes to fulfill His plan.
The Function of the Law
God’s laws and statutes define sin, for “… sin is the transgression of the law” (see also Romans 4:15 and I John 5:17). For Exodus 15:26 to be true, then there has to be a connection between the law of God and illness. Let us take a look at the commandments of God as they relate to the prevention of disease. Recall that breaking one commandment breaks all ten (James 2:10).
Commandment 1.“You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). Placing some other spiritual entity before the one true living God leaves a person open to following whatever moral code he desires. This is humanism at its core, making God in Your own image. By doing so, the perfect instructions that protect one’s health will be voided.
Commandment 2. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image… You shall not bow down to them nor serve them” (Exodus 20:4-6). Closely tied to Commandment 1, worshipping idols is essentially worshipping the demonic entities the makers of these images believed inhabited the idols. Such faith in evil spirits cannot lead to health and longevity, as Adam and Eve sadly learned. Such idol worship is a renunciation of the source of all good reserved for a full, abundant, healthful life, who created mankind to be in excellent health and live forever if people would but follow His commands.
Commandment 3. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain …” (Exodus 20:7). The Hebrew for vain is saw, meaning “worthlessness, vanity, falseness.”14 This commandment means much more than cursing while using His Name, but it means denying His power: who He is and what He has done as Creator, and what He will do as the fulfiller of prophecies and prayers. To deny His omnipotence and the truth that He is our Creator and Sustainer — as do evolutionists and atheists — is taking the name of God in vain. It is the denial of God as the giver of life and health, the denial of His ability to heal our every disease (Psalm 103:3; 147:3; Jeremiah 17:14; James 5:14-15).
Commandment 4. “Remember to Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work …” (Exodus 20:8-10). Weekly rest is essential to human kind’s well-being. Such is not the case for spirits (Psalm 121:4), but people in their sinful fleshly nature require a certain amount of it. Without adequate sleep of at least seven hours a day, most people’s immune systems grow weaker and they fall prey to diseases.17 A severe lack of rest leads to psychotic abnormalities.18
Commandment 5. “Honor your father and your mother …” (Exodus 20:12). This commandment carries with it the promise of long life, a direct reflection of good relationships with one’s parents that reduces anxiety and stress throughout life. In fact, mental stress is perhaps the major cause of illness in the world, a fact attested to by S.I. McMillan in None of These Diseases.19. As a medical doctor, he estimated that 80% or more of hospital beds were occupied by people suffering from anger, frustration, jealousy, and negative emotions that lead to real physical disorders. So closely are the body and mind intertwined that dishonoring one’s parents — the very ones who brought you into the world — does indeed lead to disease and a shortened lifespan. So important is the matter of treating one’s parents with love and respect that the Levitical law rewarded cursing or disrespecting one’s father or mother with stoning (Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9; Deuteronomy 20:16)! Families are meant to live in peace and harmony, children supporting their parents as they grow older and less firm. Jesus made this principle clear when He castigated the scribes and Pharisees.
“All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban” (that is a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition….’” (Mark 7:9-13; NKJV).
Commandment 6. “You shall not murder.” The very act of murder implies a state of mind that is corrupted with hate and vengeance towards one’s fellow man, which S.I. McMillan assures us will lead to disease and early death. He stated in the opening paragraph of the preface to None of These Diseases,
“Peace does not come in capsules! This is regrettable because medical science recognizes that emotions such as fear, sorrow, envy, resentment, and hatred are responsible for the majority of our sicknesses. Estimates vary from 60 percent to nearly 100 percent.”19
Not only is the life of the victim cut short, but the lives of everyone affected by death is negatively impacted, leading to illness. Cain suffered the automatic agonies that accompany murder:
“So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on earth” (Genesis 4:11-12).
Moreover, the very thought of hate [Greek miseo, “regard with ill-will, detest, abhor”] towards one’s brother makes you a murderer. Once again, the very close association of ungodly thoughts with sickness and death leaps from the pages of God’s word.
Commandment 7. “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Having sexual relations with someone else’s mate, committing fornication (sex before marriage), or practicing other forbidden sexual practices opens one up to a host of STDs that have already been discussed. Moreover, horrible diseases can be passed on from certain animals to men through bestiality, such as Ebola in Africa.20 The animosity created among men and women due to adulterous affairs and pre-marital liaisons leads to bitterness, stress, and heartache, and thus physical and mental diseases.21 Jesus made it clear that even to look lustfully upon one of the opposite sex [Greek epithumeo, “to have an earnest desire for”] is akin to committing adultery (Matthew 5:28). Such hurt within one’s heart cannot lead to harmony and love in life that engenders health and longevity.
Commandment 8. “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15). The mindset required to steal someone else’s property is in itself a recipe for disease. The conflict, anger, greed, and jealousy that move a person to steal lead to the distress of body and mind, which S.I. Mc Millan tied so intimately to illness. Let us not forget also the principle of stealing as related to foods themselves. By refining flour and other foods, much of the nutritional value — vitamins, minerals, and fiber — is removed, which leads to deficiencies of essential nutrients.22 Coupled with the addition of preservatives, coloring agents, emulsifiers, artificial flavors, and other chemicals the native nutrition of foods is compromised — stolen from! Then figure in crop varieties such as hybrids and GMOs that further dilute nutrients with extra starches, and add toxins, plus crop fertilization practices that produce high yields of nutrient-deficient crops,23 which sit on store shelves for weeks or months, and a complete recipe of “foods having been stolen from” is set before the typical family.
Commandment 9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). Lying to or about one’s neighbor produces great stress and anger between fellow human beings. The issue does not only concern testimonies in a courtroom, but day-to-day associations with others in the home, at work, at play, or wherever people interact. A long, disease-free life cannot be expected for someone who languishes in heartache and guilt because he or she lied about someone or something. The effects of such false witnessing are automatic, and illness is the fruit.
Commandment 10. “You shall not covet …” (Exodus 20:17). Coveting [Hebrew hamad, “to lust, delight in, or are fond of either properly or improperly”] here refers to strongly wanting something that belongs to someone else: his house, mate, servant, livestock, or anything else he might possess that you believe would profit you, but which you cannot possess because you do not need it, cannot afford it, or it belongs to someone else. This commandment is in truth the precursor to most of the other commandments, for it is a morbid attitude that precedes worshipping false gods, stealing, murdering, and committing adultery. You want something you cannot have. It is the state of mind that Ahab had when his wife Jezebel convinced him to expropriate Naboth’s vineyard after having she had Naboth killed (I Kings 21:1-16), that David had when taking notice of Bathsheba bathing and deciding to have her (II Samuel 11:1-4), and that Cain had when he desired the attention for his offering that Yahweh gave Abel before Cain slew him (Genesis 4:3-5). Coveting leads to untold trouble and death, as these examples show.
The Statutes
In addition to the Ten Commandments, Yahweh put many statutes in place within the nation of Israel to insure long and abundant life. A few of these statutes are given below.
l Clean and unclean meats. Israel was commanded to eat only animals, birds, and fish that were considered “clean.” These included mammals with cloven hooves that chewed the cud, fish that had fins and scales, seed-eating birds, and locusts. All other creatures were considered unclean, not fit for food, the reason being that their flesh was harmful to health and longevity. Thus, swine, horses, rats, catfish, eagles, bats, and ants were all disallowed as food (Leviticus 11:1-30; Deuteronomy 14:3-20).
The facts about pork and shellfish being undesirable foods were discussed earlier. Similar scientifically-verified facts were also mustered for other unclean foods, such as catfish, rats, and Junebugs. The desire of our great God is to guide all of us through life in health and vigor into old age. We know we will someday die since we have all sinned in the shadow of Adam, but we desire a long and relatively disease-free life, one blessed by the Creator because we follow His eternal laws. Remember the Fifth Commandment with a promise … to have a long life on the earth.
l The statute requiring the building of a parapet (short fence) on the flat roof of one’s house helps prevent accidental falls (Deuteronomy 22:8).
l Keeping a dangerous ox under control helps prevent accidental goring of an unsuspecting passerby (Exodus 21:28-31).
l Avoiding unlawful sexual liaisons prevents the spread of STDs and avoids the awful psychological consequences of lewd behavior (Leviticus 18 and 20; Deuteronomy 27:20-23).
l Blood and fat. No blood was to be consumed but was to be poured out on the ground, and fat, was to be avoided (Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 3:17; 7:26-27; 17:10-14; 19:26; Deuteronomy 12:16, 23, 15:23; Acts 21:25). Blood has very negative effects on the body,24 as does fat.25
l Laws of quarantine. To avoid the spread of the disease of leprosy, strict statutes were in place to segregate those infected with the dreaded disease from the rest of the population (Leviticus 13 and 14). This principle of quarantine is useful for so many other communicable diseases such as diphtheria, measles, chickenpox, Ebola, and bubonic plague. It is a major secret for containing contagious diseases that might otherwise devastate a population.
None of These Diseases
We have explored the meaning of Exodus 15;26, which states that the Eternal God would not place the diseases of the Egyptians upon the Israelites if they would listen to His commandments and keep His statutes. The Decalogue, as well as many statutes based upon that royal law, do indeed, protect all people from undue sickness and early death. We cannot avoid aging and ultimate death in the flesh due to sin having entered with Adam, but we can do so very much to live healthfully by following the basic laws of heath:
1. Eat nutrient-densefoods, and drink pure water.
2. Exercise regularly and properly.
3. Get plenty of sunshine.
4. Rest adequately.
5. Avoid accidents.
6. Practice good hygiene.
7. Think the, positive thoughts, of our Creator.
We have explored how keeping the laws of God leads to healthful living and the prevention of disease. But there is another very important facet of this promise so we might avoid the afflictions of the Egyptians. Note the last sentence. “For I am the Lord who heals [rapa, ‘to heal, to be cured’].” We cannot avoid all sickness. That is impossible in this world. Yet, when we do God has promised He will heal us! That promise was not afforded the Egyptians. Oh, the Egyptians had immune systems to fight off diseases just like the Israelites did, but they did not have the instructions from the commandments and statutes that aided their immune systems to throw off disease. Much more, they did not have the marvelous healing power of the Creator, the Yahweh Rapheka, to cure them when sickness came.
See what James said.
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much,” (James 5:14-16).
As stated at the beginning of this study, Jesus Christ came “… that men may have life, and may have it in all its fulness” (John 10:10; TNEB). He wants us to avoid disease and remain in excellent health, but to do so requires a preventative approach against disease.
It is our great living God who heals and sustains us, and pleads with us to obey His commandments and statutes so we will not become sick in the first place. Let us bow down to and obey Him, for He, and He alone, holds the keys to life, and life abundant. It is He who has made us in our natural state to be healthy, and to inherit none of the diseases of the Egyptians!
Bibliography
1. Shawn Brasseaux, What is the “botch of Egypt?” www.forwhatsaiththescriptures.org/2017/05/24/botch-of-egypt/.
2. John Kohlenberger, III, and James Swanson, The Hebrew-English Concordance to the Old Testament, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998.
3. See 2.
4. See 2.
5. Denise Minger, June 22, 2017, www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-pork-bad/.
6. See 5.
7. See 5.
8. See 5.
9. Sara Ipatenco, www.livestrong.com/article/555801-diseases-from-pork-that-pass-to-humans/.
10. Anonymous, Diseases in pork, www.wikipedia.org/wiki/pork/.
11. See 9.
12. Anonymous, The dangers of eating raw shellfish, www.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/vibriosis/dangers_of_eating_raw_shellfish.htm.
13. Martha Iwamoto et. al., Epidemiology of seafood-associated infections in the United States, Clinical Microbiology Reviews, April 23, 2010, 399-411.
14. Anonymous, Leprosy symptoms, treatments, history, and causes, www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/leprosy-symptoms-treatments-history#2/.
15. Anonymous, Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), www.wikipedia.org/wiki/sexually_transmitted_infection/.
16. Anonymous, What are HIV and AIDS? www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/about-hiv-and-aids/what-are-hiv-and-aids/.
17. Eric Olson, Lack of sleep: can it make you sick? Mayo Clinic Patient Care and Health Information, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/expert-answers/lack-of-sleep/faq-20057757
18. Jill Thompson, Surprising link between sleep deprivation and mental illnesses (psychosis), Sleep Advisor, June 5, 2018, www.sleepadvisor.org/sleep-deprivation-psychosis/.
19. S.I. McMillen, None of These Diseases, Fleming H. Revell Company, Old Tappan, New Jersey, 1963.
20. Louis Terrance, www.change.org/p/petition-to-denmark-bestiality-is-very-dangerous-to-public-health-due-to-zoonotic-diseases/.
21. M. Rosie Shrout and Daniel Weigel, Infidelity’s aftermath: Appraisals, mental health, and health-compromising behaviors following a partner’s infidelity, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, April 21, 2017.
22. Chris Kresser, 10 ways refined flour can damage your health, April 16, 2019, www.chriskresser.com/10-ways-refined-flour-can-damage-your-health/.
23. Anonymous, GMO Facts, www.nongmoproject.org/gmo-facts/.
24. Ian York, What would happen biologically if someone drank blood? How would it be processed in the body? uora, March 10, 2013, www.quora.com/What-would-happen-biologically-if-someone-drank-blood-How-would-it-be-processed-in-the-body/.
25. Anonymous, Animal fat, www.nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/.