Dear Friends:
David Prather wrote an excellent anti-hunting article with a 'twist",
which we hope you like and share with others: 18.3 Million Unoccupied Houses
in the U.S.
http://www.all-creatures.org/cre/art-18.3million.shtml
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If we REALLY want God to bless
America and the earth, GO VEGAN!
Long, long ago on a planet called Earth, Charlie went for a walk. He saw
his neighbor and shouted, "Hey Joe, how are you doing this morning?" Joe
just looked at Charlie like he was a nut case and walked back, shaking his
head, and returned to his "bayith" or "banah" which is what they called
houses or buildings. The title of this article has nothing to do with this
story but it's great for fishing for people: it's called a hook and I hope
you swallowed it. Back to the story, Charlie continued on his walk and saw a
woman who baked bread for him. She always ran to get his order and he
couldn't dilly-dally either because the delicious hot bread contained stone
crushed barley and wheat, flaxseed and dates. When Esther came to the
counter, he said, "Five loaves of my regular please." She looked at him like
he had a few loose marbles and said something that sounded like, "Boomba
Boggawagga." Esther didn't move or bat an eye. Charlie rushed home to tell
his wife and children of his experiences. As they listened intently his wife
said in response to his story, "Cooley mok drumski abalos." Charlie was
startled. Had he just entered the twilight zone? Hummm!
I was thinking about Nimrod who built a ziggurat on the plains of Shinar.
Some people referred to it as a city and a tower that would reach to heaven.
(Genesis 11:4) Babel is not only a place for these structures which serve as
homes or condominiums, but Nimrod probably hunted on this plain regularly.
He was a tyrannical urban developer and hunter in a cruel and arbitrary way.
This is according to the definition of tyrannical. This tells me that he
ruled by force and not by authority. The arbitrariness indicates he did not
recognize the voices that were on the side of God's creation, but demanded
"his desire" to kill animals. This was a bold change from the way Adam had
originally been instructed. Nimrod employed many people from the city of
Babel, later called Babylon. He also built houses to rent and sell to them
so they could live in these homes from which they could go out onto the
plains of Shinar to hunt. Revenues from these animals could enrich Nimrod or
be exchanged for what was owed by them to the tyrant.
Babel was the
first or one of the first cities in the world. It had great influence and
impact on the earth. The British Hudson's Bay Company and later The Pacific
Fur Company invaded Native America to massacre the beaver for their pelts.
This invasion led to great wealth for the companies, the near extinction of
the bison and the killing of native men, women and children. What had just
happened to Charlie our make believe character, was that God had visited
Charlie's city. (Genesis 11:9) And when God visited Babel he said, "He
confounded their language that they may not understand one another's
speech." (Genesis 11:7) This is why I included our make-believe "Charlie,
Joe and Esther" so you could get a feel of what this confusion was like. God
confused them so that they could not accomplish their evil will. Even the
name Babel means confusion. God was not in the mindset to create cities. The
only city besides Jerusalem God has been interested in creating is and was
the New Jerusalem. "To whence we are come in the spirit." (Hebrews 12:22)
Other than those cities, "the cities of the nations fell." (Revelation
16:19) The Greek word for cities is "polis" which means a "walled city."
Cities tended, especially in Old Testament times, to have fortification,
walls and armaments. Perhaps some of the people in Babel did not want to
live without this protection because they feared being caught on the plains
and used as slaves and being forced to make bricks in place of stone. Not
only animals but perhaps people were also hunted by Nimrod to be slaves who
made bricks.
All of God's creativity was removed from the bricks
which were burned in a furnace. Being ignored foreshadows the fact that
these people ignored the creativity that they had been given by God and
relied on the baser sort of ability: killing. The Jews were commanded that
if they built an altar to God, "You shall not build it of hewn stone: for if
you lift up your tool upon it, you have polluted it." (Exodus 21:25)
Not only was Babel confusing to the people who lived there so that they
probably all were dispersed because of their different languages to many of
the island groups or continents according to their own languages and the
location of the newly formed property. (See Peleg in Genesis 10:25) One of
the first things God showed me when I became a new Christian was that
originally the earth was one land mass extending in and out of the water.
Today it is called Pangaea.
God also showed me in His word and by
His Spirit that Pangaea was divided in the days of Peleg. (Genesis 10:25)
The name Peleg means a "mighty earthquake." Surely tectonic plates during
his day were broken away from each other and moved apart to their present
location from which some of them continue to move. It appears that the
inhabitants of Babel which means confusion moved to their present places
which according to their speech group were more satisfactory and this
separation further incited them to war. They did not know one another after
some time, and could not communicate very effectively because of the
language barrier.
After I began to be a follower of Christ I got in
a friendly argument with a beloved brother in the Lord and this continued
all night until the next day. I said one thing and he did not understand and
he said another, which I did not understand. Ultimately we hugged one
another when he asked me, "Is this really what you believe?" I said,
"Absolutely." He laughed and said, "My brother this is exactly what I have
been trying to tell you I believe." As you can see from the illustration
even when two people speak the same language miscommunication is easy. How
much more difficult must it be when they do not speak the same language and
have come to different conclusions. No doubt wars and rumors of wars have
started because of a lack of communication.
Not only were the people
of Babel confused, but no doubt so were the animals. We hear much about Adam
bringing about the fall of humanity but Nimrod also had much to bring this
to pass. Today even the animals are confused. Part of humanity loves the
animals and wants to protect them while part of humanity follows the Nimrod
road and kills animals either for target practice or for food. Thus the
animals suffer in unbelievable numbers and only some people care. These
people who under Nimrod's guidance became debtors to hunt and kill for him
in order to support the city and its increase fit into the category of
those, "Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto
lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness." (Ephesians 4:19)
The dictionary describes "lasciviousness" as improper sexual desires and
lusts. Strong's adds that this word sometimes means "other vices" besides
sexual ones. The dictionary says vices means wickedness. I would inject
"addictive wickedness." Some people are so addicted to hunting that they
would rather lose their wife than lose their buck. My experience as an
ex-hunter is that hunting can be a vice. It is definitely wickedness because
it is inconsiderate, unloving, unkind, damaging or murderous to the animals.
No sane person would ever kill and eat another person and justify it by
saying they were hungry.
My dogs eat a vegetable based diet and they
do incredibly well on it, much better than when they were carnivores. They
are both happier and healthier.
Some people love to hunt even though
they don't eat anything they kill. It is like some men I have met that go to
prostitutes even though they are married. Once they start the behavior it is
hard for them to give it up. Thank God, He can give a reason and response to
help you get away from addictive vices. The next time somebody writes a
cheerful story addressing Nimrod as the ever courageous hunter, you might
take note that they are lascivious and unfeeling concerning the situation of
hunting and that God demands we be both feeling and compassionate.
How many times have I heard somebody say they hunt because they love nature
and being out in the creation as one televangelist might say, "That was the
dumbest thing I ever heard." Some people say they hunt because they need the
meat. Most of these people have a job and could buy all the nutritious food
their body needs. This is a very poor excuse. You know people and you are a
Christian. You know the world that God reigns over will soon be all
vegetarian. Christians believe that the lion will lie down with the lamb.
How many people do you know who are successful and happy in becoming
vegetarians overnight? Of course we all know people who are delighted to
become vegetarians and have found some wonderful ways of preparing fruits,
nuts and vegetables in a much more than sustainable delicious and
nutritional way. Often they are much more satisfied with this new way of
life and thank God they discovered it but it took them some time to get over
their meat addiction and their craving for fats and unnecessary amounts of
sugars. Usually we grow into becoming a vegetarian. It is a process and
generally we need some biblical insight to become a dedicated one, however,
seeing how the animals are actually treated is usually more persuasion than
you want.
So, what is the point of this article? Many people are
affectionately call Nimrod's by sportscasters who wish them a happy first
day and some organizations even celebrate Nimrod as part of their royalty.
We must place Nimrod where he belongs. God placed him and looked upon their
man-made city with disgust. God was insulted that His intention was not
honored. Nimrod had no concern for the things of the God who made heaven and
earth. God saw their city as something representing confusion and error. We,
the body of Christ, need to do the same thing as you heaven and you holy
apostles and prophets did when Babylon fell. Let your voices be heard!
Educate the ignorant. Revelation 18:20 says about the fall of Babylon,
"Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God
hath avenged you on her."
Right before I was saved I was given a
vision. In it the entire sky was dark and stormy and the atmosphere closer
to the earth was filled with wispy black clouds swirling through the lower
atmosphere. As I observed they turned into witchy looking horses and black
robed riders but remaining clouds simultaneously. Suddenly the sky opened up
like a zipper had held it together and the brightest light shone from one
horizon to the other. Immediately the "ghost riders" attacked the ribbon of
golden light like cannonballs. Each time they hid it, they were cast to the
earth as small blazing fires shaped like ping-pong balls. I asked the Lord
after I was saved the next day what this vision meant and He said, "Before
the consummation of this age, everything will be polarized. Either you will
be on the side of the darkness or on the side of the light." (Matthew 12:30)
Since the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters
fill the sea, some will choose to turn away from the light because their
deeds are evil. (John 3:19)
Since that vision I have reflected upon
its meaning several times and I have concluded as the bible teaches that
everything, good or evil, begins as a seed. Sometimes this seed is like the
mustard tree seed: it is so tiny yet it grows up into something incredibly
large. The tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was like that. It had a
lot of good things it could produce, but mixed in with that good stuff was
the equivalent of a deadly poison. Let me give you an example. Someone might
start out their employment by calling their boss and saying they were sick
when they were not and actually were intending to go to the beach. This may
seem harmless enough to some of us. After the passing of time it was easy
for them to lie about their name and activities and become an identity thief
who robbed people. Just that tiny seed of lying to their boss grew until it
was absolute criminal behavior. Tossing Nimrod's name around like a champion
or a girl's goose hunting club may seem cute but in reality it
"immortalizes" someone who is an offensive villain who started things God
was against.
We must begin to point out the evil doers and make them
infamous to our listeners, our children and society in general. The bible
says, "Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil; that put darkness
for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for
bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20) People who shoot animals, or trap for a living as
some do in our fair state, must be made aware that names like Nimrod must be
obliterated from our remembrance as a well doer or our vocabulary. Nimrod
was a servant of darkness and so are all those who elevate him. The days of
Nimrod are over. Tell them clearly we no longer admire the infamous Nimrod
and then let them fall into their own devices or stand with Jesus who has
subjected all of nature to hope. "The flowers appear on the earth; the time
of the singing of birds is come and the voice of the turtle is heard in our
land; the fig tree puts forth her green figs and the vines with the tender
grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one and come away." (Song
of Solomon 2:12-13) This is confirmed by 2 Corinthians 6:17.
Photo courtesy of JD Photography
