Audio - 16 Mar 2024

Latest Audio - 2024-03-16

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World Tomorrow
by Mr Armstrong
Choose
broadcast in the 1980s - played Wales UK 16 Mar 2024
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Sermon
by Ian Henderson
The Place Of Safety
given Wales UK 16 Mar 2024
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Pastor’s Report - 15 Mar 2024
Tailor-Made Training

Tailor-Made Training

"The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands." (Psalms 138:8)

Any parent with more than one child will soon realise they each have different personalities, strengths and weaknesses and therefore each must be handled differently to bring out the best in them – correcting faults and building on strong points. And so it is with our Heavenly Father and us. We read of Christ taking this into account when dealing with a rich young ruler;

  • And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
  • And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments ...
  • ... The young man saith unto him, All these [commandments] have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
  • Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. (Matthew 19:16,17,20,21)

Notice ... "if THOU – singular – will be perfect". Possessing wealth is certainly not wrong: both Abraham and Job were exceedingly wealthy. But Christ was not only aware that this young ruler "had great possessions" (verse 22) – but that the accumulation of riches was his god. The LOVE of money (I Timothy 6:10) was his problem. So for him, he needed to forsake those possessions. For others Christ pointed out what they – as individuals – needed to change if they were to be a disciple:

  • And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
  • And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. [Christ was not always welcome – verse 34]
  • And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. [ i.e."my family comes first"]
  • But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. (Matthew 8:19-22)
  • If any man come to me, and hate not [love less by comparison] his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
  • And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
  • So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26,27,33)

And so it is today. We are not just one of a "job lot" but each of us in God's church is being dealt with on an INDIVIDUAL basis ... whether we have been born into a church family of parents and grandparents, uncles and aunts – all in God's Church – or conversely, find ourselves as the only one ... it makes no difference. This personalised, tailor-made training applies to us all. For some, that includes unemployment and financial hardship. For others, it could be chronic illness, bereavement, loneliness, family breakdowns etc etc. The whole gamut of human experience ... all of which God can use to refine us, mould and shape us to bring us to perfection. (Ephesians 4:13) Occasionally God will bring a trial into our lives, but more often than not, it's our own human nature and the society around us which gives Him the opportunity to coach and guide us:

  • In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2)

And by inference, prepare you for that place.

OT Key Personnel
  • "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." (Hebrews 13:8)

It's easy to think that the examples given in the Old Testament don't really apply to us today in our 21st century – they happened thousands and thousands of years ago. But in God's perspective – a day being a thousand years and a thousand years a day (II Peter 3:8), this makes His hands-on training with certain key individuals just this past week! Knowing these examples are written for us it's worth taking a little time to consider the uniqueness of their training.

Abraham

As a key, foundational individual in His Plan, God worked with Abram (as he was called at first) for decades. Abram was very wealthy and had many servants – but He wasn't asked to give up his riches. What Abram needed to do initially was to move out of the bright lights of Ur of the Chaldees to somewhere God would eventually show him. (Genesis 12). Very much a "come out of the world" scenario.

Throughout his life, Abram's training was focused on trusting God in family situations that seemed totally impossible ... becoming a first-time father at 100 with a wife who was barren, then commanded to sacrifice the son through whom God had said he would be the "father of a great multitude" (Genesis 17:5,6). That took faith!

  • And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. (James 2:23)

Abraham was once without any children, but when resurrected, he might well be astounded to see the "over and above" fulfilment of God's promise, in millions upon millions of descendents . And not just physical descendents and royalty either .. the Messiah – the King of kings, was part of his lineage! "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1)

Abraham's training, severe as it was, was indeed tailor-made for him because of the exalted position God had in mind for him and his "seed", far into the future.

Jacob/Israel

From the very day he was born, Jacob's name carried the inference of "supplanter" (Genesis 25:26) and for many years this is how he operated – devious and unscrupulous. He obtained the birthright promise from his brother Esau in an underhanded and selfish manner, (verse 31-33) but he met his match in his uncle Laban, who was as unscrupulous as Jacob himself;

  • This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten.
  • That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.
  • Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.
  • Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times. (Genesis 31:38-41)

Jacob certainly did not have an easy life! There was constant aggravation between his two wives and two handmaids, and his beloved wife Rachel died in childbirth (Genesis 35:18). He also thought that Joseph "the son of his old age" had been killed by a wild beast (Genesis 37:33). His comment to Pharaoh summed up how he felt: "... few and evil have the days of my life been" (Genesis 47:9)

God knew though that a converted Jacob had real potential and saw him as one of the key players in His overall Plan, so He continued to work with him right through his life, changing his name to Israel ... the name carried by his descendents to this day. Israel's life was indeed one of heartache and hardship, but once reunited with Joseph – who he'd given up for dead – he was able to say : "And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed." (Genesis 48:11). And the names of each of his children will live on throughout eternity:

  • ... the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
  • Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
  • And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: (Revelation 21:10-12)

Joseph

As a teenager of 17, Joseph was given two dreams which seemed to indicate that one day he would be someone of great importance. (Genesis 37) It no doubt would have been wiser not to discuss these with his brothers – but God used their animosity towards him, as Joseph was destined to go to Egypt one way or another; "Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life." (Genesis 45:5). Even though he handled himself circumspectly and within God's law, he found himself thrown in prison on a trumped-up charge, which must have seemed so unfair. But knowing now what position God had in mind for him – this was obviously part of HIS individual, tailor-made training programme:.

  • And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.
  • But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. (Genesis 39:20,21)

We can't know what went through Joseph's mind those 13 years in prison – though presumably he thought of his dreams from time to time. All these years later we have the advantage of seeing how all the jigsaw pieces fell into place. It's obvious to us – although not to him back then – that he was being specifically trained for an incredibly high-profile position, and that eventually and overnight he would be thrust into being second in command under Pharaoh. (Genesis 41:40-42). An astounding turn-around of events!

Moses

As recorded in Exodus chapter 2, Moses was a Levite by birth ... a tribe that by nature wasn't known for a laid-back attitude to life! (Genesis 49:5) In Book 2 of the Antiquities of the Jews by Josephus, we have a word portrait of a cunning and courageous general in the Egyptian army – who was not averse to using devious means to gain any advantage over the enemy. For example:

Tharbis was the daughter of the king of the Ethiopians: she happened to see Moses as he led the army near the walls, and fought with great courage; and admiring the subtilty of his undertakings ... she fell deeply in love with him; and upon the prevalency of that passion, sent to him the most faithful of all her servants to discourse with him about their marriage. He thereupon accepted the offer, on condition she would procure the delivering up of the city; ... No sooner was the agreement made, but it took effect immediately; and when Moses had cut off the Ethiopians, he gave thanks to God, and consummated his marriage [to Tharbis], and led the Egyptians back to their own land. (Chapter 10)

Years of commanding thousands, if not tens of thousands of men would certainly be an advantage to the person God would choose to lead His people out of Egypt, but there was a certain amount of individual and tailor-made training Moses obviously needed before God could use him in that capacity. It appears that after fleeing from Pharaoh, he spent 40 years in the wilderness, shepherding sheep – no doubt to mellow his combative nature. (Exodus 3).

Even so, years later we can see the Levite blood coming out in Moses when he smashed the original tables of stone on which God had written the 10 Commandments, and had to hack out replacements. (Exodus 32 and 34) And again at the waters of Meribah, when he disobeyed God's command to just speak to the rock, but hit it twice instead, failing to give God the glory. Although God backed him up, it was vitally important – for all – that this blatant disobedience would not go unpunished. So Moses was to die before entering the land of Canaan (Numbers 20:10-13). No doubt though, God had revealed to him that in the next moment of his consciousness he would indeed be in THE Promised Land – and in a high position of authority. (Matthew 17:2,3)

David

Even before Saul finally disqualified himself from being king over Israel, it's clear that for some time, God had had his replacement in mind;

  • And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. (I Samuel 16:1)

David's father Jesse hadn't even bothered to call him in from tending the sheep, but God knew David's potential – even as a teenager he'd shown courage and trust in Him. (I Samuel 17:37). With David's future kingly role in mind, God orchestrated a certain amount of training in the royal court – initially as Saul's armour bearer and later ... "Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants." (I Samuel 18:5)

But David had to wait many years to become king over Judah – years spent in hiding from Saul who wanted him dead. But all that time, although he had more than one opportunity to kill Saul, building faith, he waited on God's timing (I Samuel 24 and 27).

The chances are adultery and murder wasn't unusual during David's reign but because of what God had in mind for David far into the future, when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and organised the death of her husband the correction had to be severe – the death of the child and a shameful assault on his other wives. (II Samuel 11:27, 12:9-12). God was specifically working with and training David so his later error in numbering Israel, recorded in II Samuel 24 also had to be dealt with very seriously.

Although God didn't allow David to build a temple (as he was a man of war), He did promise "And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever." (II Samuel 7:16) And at Christ's return: "... they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them." (Jeremiah 30:9)

End-Time Key Personnel

Important as it was two thousand years ago for God the Father to guide the choice of the apostles (Luke 6:12), choosing the right person to teach and train the end-time church was just as critical. With not much time left before the end of the 6000 year "week", the man God called for the role of His end-time apostle would have to be someone exceptional, and one who would submit to His tailor-made training programme.

Consider the responsibility He would lay on this man's shoulders;

  • Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
  • And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:5,6)
  • And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14)
  • I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. (Revelation 3:8)
  • And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. (Revelation 10:11)
Mr. Armstrong

Years of experience in the advertising profession became of great benefit to the Work in later years. But Mr. Armstrong admitted quite openly that in his 20's he was a "cocky, self-assured" young man who was incredibly successful financially. His goal in life at that time was to be seen as important in the eyes of the world's most eminent men. But there were other attributes – strengths – that God knew he had and could use to great effect. From the Autobiography volume 1, chapter 5:

But, if there was ego and cocky conceit, there also was ambition, determination, fire, drive, and honest and sincere effort toward what then seemed to be a right goal.

When the Unseen Hand mentioned in the introductory chapter took a hand, shook me up, knocked me down, took away what financial success I appeared headed toward, beat out the proud conceit and punctured the inflated ego, my eyes were opened to what they had not seen before.The goal was changed.The self-confidence was replaced with faith.But the fired-up desire now flamed forth in the new direction.The sincere drive, and energy now was applied with increased zeal to the new and far better goal. (Autobiography - Chapter 5)

It's not easy to think of a hardship and heartache that Mr. Armstrong wasn't personally acquainted with; 28 years of poverty, death of his first-born son, backstabbing from another son, slander, character defamation, disloyalty, bereavement, and as the apostle Paul mentioned: "Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches." (II Corinthians 11:28)

Having now replaced his main goal of being viewed as being a success in the eyes this world, God gave him real status in later life in the eyes of kings, presidents, rulers, emperors and prime ministers. Almost 40 years after his death, character assassination and libel continues but, as recorded in Revelation: "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee." (Revelation 3:9)

Firstfruits

Since the time of Mr. Armstrong's death in 1986, the church has suffered crisis after crisis, shattering after shattering, with many long-time and faithful ministers and brethren dying. It can appear that what is happening to the church just doesn't make sense, and many times, neither do our personal trials.

Like so many God has used throughout history, 99% of the time we don't see the big picture and know the whys and wherefores of our trials and adversities. We can rest assured though that – as key personnel in the coming government of God – we are continually being worked with individually and our training is tailor-made to our specific and distinct needs. If we can keep this at the forefront of our minds, it becomes a little easier to agree with what the apostle James had to say:

  • My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into [various trials];
  • Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.[endurance]
  • But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (James 1:2:4)

After all ... like humanity at the time of Noah, this world relies on "an elect" if it is to remain! (Matthew 24:22)

Joseph - and the Firsfruits

At the time, those "key personnel" throughout history had only an vague idea – if any at all – of how God would work things out, or turn adverse conditions around, whereas we have the benefit of reading their life histories and seeing God's loving and miracle-working hand in their lives. And if there is one individual that we, as part of the end-time church can identify with – and take courage from – it has to be that of Joseph. His story is OUR story also:

  • Joseph was excited about his dreams, but his family certainly were not! And how many of us – when initially called into the church – have enthusiastically tried to share with others, what was to us some wonderful truths, but with a negative response?
  • He spent many years in prison as part of his training. We too are living in a "world held captive", often suffering what appears to be unfair and undeserved "punishment" – sometime for years on end.
  • But his life was turned around in the "twinkling of an eye" when he was in effect, shot to glory overnight and given the opportunity now to use what he'd learnt in those years of tailor-made training.
  • Joseph was reunited with his brothers, father and many other family members born since his incarceration. And his family given status in Egypt and the best of the land: "And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed. (Isaiah 61:9)

There are not many people, even if they are unfamiliar with the whole story, haven't heard of Joseph and "his coat of many colours". In fact, by 2008 more than 20,000 schools and amateur theatre groups had staged productions of the original musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat" (1973). Far, far more than merely having a musical named after us, at the conclusion of OUR training, as Sons of God we have this promise:

  • Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.
  • Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:
  • That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.
  • For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.
  • As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
  • And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies. (Isaiah 66:9-14)
  • Now to him, who by the action of His power within us, is able to do all, aye far more than we can ever ask or imagine, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3:20 Moffatt)
News Review - 8 Mar 2024
Food 2024

…Butylated hydroxyanisole… Calcium disodium… Aspartame… Ethylenediamine … Carrageenan… Disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate acid… Gellan gum… Sucralose… Saccharine…

FOOD 2024

Did you enjoy your morning yogurt, laced with corn starch, modified corn starch and thickeners, followed by a slice of toast, laced with “diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides” along with some glycerol monostearate and sodium stearoyl lactylate, not forgetting the calcium propionate added to stop food going mouldy?

The rest of the day’s food might include…

“Sweeteners, emulsifiers, humectants, stabilisers, dyes, firming agents and bulking agents, while our calories come increasingly from modified starches and invert sugars, hydrolysed protein isolates and seed oils that have been refined, bleached, deodorised, hydrogenated and interesterified.”

If we are what we eat, perhaps we should be taking a closer look at WHAT has been added to what we eat! Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had this to say about today’s food:

“Suppose you were baking your own loaf. You wouldn’t make the dough and then say to yourself, ah yes, time for a little soya flour, and a dash of rapeseed oil. You wouldn’t go to the kitchen shelf, and get some emulsifier E472e, E471 and E481 followed by a smidgen of preservative E282. You wouldn’t even know where to buy such things.

Now go through everything else in your fridge or on the shelves — and ask yourself this simple question. This food, this stuff I feed my family: does it contain anything that I would not normally find in my home — any ingredients that are not generally used by people to prepare their own meals?

If it does, then you are looking at the new Public Enemy number 1. A revolution in taste is under way, a growing consciousness of what we call ultra-processed food (UPF) — and a growing anxiety that it may be doing incalculable harm to the human race.

Let us consider the circumstantial evidence alone. In the past few decades our population has got fatter and fatter, to the point where we are now seriously endangering our health.

Since 1993, the overall proportion of those who are either overweight or obese has leapt from roughly half the population to 64 per cent, and a third of British people are now properly obese.

Our children are swelling like gourds before our eyes, eating so much, and so badly, that one in four Year 6 pupils are now obese — up from one in five in 2019.

Think of the psychological stress those kids must put up with, the chronic low self-esteem — only assuaged, sadly, by more eating.

How can we allow this? It is rampant and institutionalised cruelty to children. And the saddest thing of all is that once children get fat, it is very hard for them to change their basic body shape; and the long-term consequences of this obesity timebomb are yet to be seen.

We know that our general levels of obesity are, of course, associated with cardiovascular disease, but also with cancer of all kinds — ovarian, prostate, gall bladder, kidney, colon, you name it.

Indeed, we are getting so collectively fat, that for the first time in decades we are seeing a plateauing in the increase in life expectancy.

We have to look at the stuff we are putting in our mouths, and the growing evidence that there is something about it — something cunning in the way it is made — that is inducing us to eat much more of it than we really want or need. The food industry has filled our shopping baskets with sweeteners, emulsifiers, humectants [moisturising agents], stabilisers, dyes, firming agents and bulking agents, while our calories come increasingly from modified starches and invert sugars, hydrolysed protein isolates and seed oils that have been refined, bleached, deodorised, hydrogenated and interesterified.

You don’t need to be a scientist to see the evidence all around us: UPFs are making us fat, and making us ill; and with around 75 per cent of school meals now composed of UPFs, they are a betrayal of younger people.

Their presence should be announced loudly on the front of the packet, preferably with a tobacco-style pictorial warning — of the giant pot belly and the other health consequences that may follow.

People are fed up with being constantly told that obesity is all their fault — because they find it very hard to fix. That’s why it may well be time to stop blaming the people, and start blaming the ultra-processed food that we are all unwittingly eating.” (dailymail.co.uk)

‘An Industrially Produced Edible Substance’

“On a freakishly warm autumn day, I headed with my family to a North London park and bought our three-year-old daughter Lyra a treat. Her ice cream, I noticed, was a glistening green ball of pistachio. It took a moment to dawn on me that this was most peculiar. How was it still a ball? The sun was blazing and the outside of the tub was warm to the touch. Something had clearly stopped the ice-cream from melting. Back home, I looked up the ingredients online. Some were what you ’d expect: fresh milk and double cream, sugar, salt, a tiny dash of pistachios.

Others, however, rang alarm bells: soy protein, soy lecithin, coconut oil, sunflower oil, chlorophyll, glucose, dextrose, stabilisers (locust bean gum, guar gum, carrageenan), emulsifier (mono and fatty acids). These are all hallmarks of ultra-processed food (UPF). Far from buying my little daughter a proper ice cream, I’d given her what one scientist later memorably described to me as ‘an industrially produced edible substance’.

These substances can’t even really be called ’food’. Increasingly, the calories we consume come from modified starches, from invert sugars, hydrolysed protein isolates and seed oils that have been refined, bleached, deodorised and hydrogenated.

Added to these are synthetic emulsifiers, low-calorie sweeteners, stabilising gums, humectants, flavour compounds, dyes, colour stabilisers, carbonating agents, firming agents and bulking – and anti-bulking – agents.

What this means is that everything from chicken nuggets to ice cream can be made from the same base liquids and powders. ‘In the UK, we eat more ready meals than any other European country. And almost 90 per cent of us eat them regularly’.

What about the gums in my daughter’s ice cream? If you look at food labels, you’ll see lots of these, including guar gum, locust-bean gum, alginate, carrageenan and the near-ubiquitous XANTHAN GUM. The last of these is quite revolting. It’s the slime that bacteria produce to allow them to cling to surfaces. Think of xanthan gum next time you scrape the gunk from your dishwasher filter.” (dailymail.co.uk)

Ultra-Processed Food And Health

“Ultra-processed food (UPF) is directly linked to 32 harmful effects to health, including a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, adverse mental health and early death, according to the world’s largest review of its kind. The findings from the first comprehensive umbrella review of evidence come amid rapidly rising global consumption of UPF such as cereals, protein bars, fizzy drinks, ready meals and fast food. In the UK and US, more than half the average diet now consists of ultra-processed food. For some, especially people who are younger, poorer or from disadvantaged areas, a diet comprising as much as 80% UPF is typical.

The findings published in the BMJ suggest diets high in UPF may be harmful to many elements of health. The results of the review involving almost 10 million people underscored a need for measures to target and reduce exposure to UPF, the researchers said.

Writing in the BMJ, they concluded: ‘Overall, direct associations were found between exposure to ultra-processed foods and 32 health parameters spanning mortality, cancer, and mental, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and metabolic health outcomes.’ They added: ‘Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorders and mortality outcomes.’

Ultra-processed foods, including packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary cereals, and ready-to-eat or ready meals, undergo multiple industrial processes and often contain colours, emulsifiers, flavours and other additives. These products also tend to be high in added sugar, fat, and/or salt, but are low in vitamins and fibre.

The review articles were all published in the past three years and involved 9.9 million people. None were funded by companies involved in the production of UPF.” (theguardian.com)

How To Spot A UPF

“A general rule of thumb dictates that foods with five or more ingredients are classed as ultra-processed, meaning they’ve been altered from their natural state. ‘If you’re reading ingredients on the packaging you wouldn’t find in a normal kitchen, then you’re looking at an ultra-processed food,’ explains Daisy.” (thesun.co.uk)

UPF’S Hiding In Your Diet

“People may instantly think of ready meals, crisps and sweets but forget about the things that are already in their cupboard…

Defined as food and drink products that have not only been processed (canned, baked, frozen, pasteurised) but have been industrially refined using products not normally available in a home kitchen – emulsifiers, stabilisers, sweeteners and so on – the structure of the foods’ components have been deliberately altered to improve their taste and texture without necessarily aiming to retain the nutrients in the original ingredients.

For example, shelf stable sauces, which often have additional emulsifiers added, says Kerrison. ‘We know in terms of research that potentially some of those emulsifiers are not so good for certain groups of people, specifically people with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], but they are often added to balance the texture.’

Despite often being marketed as good for your health, Kerrison says that cereals are very often ultra processed. ‘When you have a look at their ingredients list it’s often as long as your arm and will have a lot of additional additives, e-numbers and sweeteners’ she explains.

This is also true for many of the snack bar versions too. Yoghurts are also a food marketed as healthy, but not all yoghurts are created equal – especially if they advertise themselves as ‘low-fat’.

Bread being a UPF is still something that surprises people, even though in many ways it’s ‘the obvious one’. This, again, is because of the level of processing that goes into the ingredients, and all the additives that supermarket sliced breads need to keep them not only edible but soft and palatable when bought – to stop them going stale in a short period.

Kerrison says that ultra processing is particularly present in breads if you are choosing a free-from option, as ‘they have to add in many additional ingredients to help bind that product’.” (inews.co.uk)


“Leading doctors have said that 90 to 92 percent of all sickness and disease results from FAULTY DIET! Some of the them have said that the average Western meal is a dietetic HORROR!

Few people, it seems, realize that FOOD has any connection with health or sickness.

The FACTS are appalling!”

(The Plain Truth – January 1982)

What Is Wrong With America’s Food?

“Stand-up comedian Atsuko Okatsuka, who was the second Asian American Woman to have a stand up special on HBO, recently ignited a viral discussion with her joke about dietary allergies and intolerances. She has now unintentionally shone a light on a pervasive issue: the questionable state of American food. The punchline, rooted in the observation that dietary issues such as gluten intolerance seemed to be predominantly a ‘white’ problem, had people not just laughing but thinking and sharing their experiences on social media.

One user stated, ‘I am lactose intolerant and gluten intolerant until I leave the US. I can eat anything in other countries just fine… it’s insane.’ This comment opened the floodgates, with numerous others sharing anecdotes of their dietary woes disappearing abroad but re-emerging upon returning to the States.

Another user commented on this joke, he wrote: ‘I think it’s how food is processed in the US. I know folks who have severe gluten sensitivities but can eat bread and pasta in Europe in moderation with no problems. Another example is a friend of mine who loved a dish that has a sauce that is peanut based, no issue eating it back in the Philippines but when she made the same dish in US, she had hives and her eyes got all swollen right after ingesting a small portion of it.’

The study defines ultra-processed foods according to the NOVA Food classification system. These foods are hyper-palatable ‘industrial formulations’ that stray from their organic origins. Most processed foods are derived from substances such as oils, fats, sugar, starch or are synthesized from flavor enhancers, colors, and other additives. Examples of ultra-processed foods include ice cream, candy, soda, chips — foods that are highly caloric but offer little nutritional value.

These personal accounts are underpinned by recent research from Northeastern University’s Network Science Institute, which found that a staggering 73 percent of the United States’ food supply is considered ultra-processed. This research, which aims to provide a clearer picture of the American diet, suggests that ultra-processed foods are not only prevalent but also significantly cheaper than their less processed counterparts.(thegatewaypundit.com)

How Can We Survive In Today’s World With A Diet Full Of ‘Industrially Produced Edible Substances’?

One Bible principle is found in II Corrinthians 6:17 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you…”

The principle is to - as far as possible - AVOID these ‘Industrially Produced Edible Substances’.

Or, put another way, when Mr Miyagi (from the Karate Kid franchise) instructed the Karate Kid on how to handle dangerous situations he said, “No be there!”

Mr Armstrong - A Man Before His Time

Today’s world has at last caught up with what Mr Armstrong was teaching over 40 years ago. He warned us back then to beware of “FOODLESS FOODS”.

Writing in the Plain Truth Magazine, in January 1982, he explained:

Let Me Give You Some Important Facts!

First, just what are we?

Of what are we composed?

God Himself ought to know – and He says, ‘Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’ And again, ‘The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground’ (Gen. 3:19; 2:7). Dust – ground – is matter – material substance. In the ground are approximately 103 elements. But the human body is basically composed of 16 of them.

And these are the 16 that grow in food.

So it is literally true that ‘we are just what we eat’.

Each of our bodies started from a small ovum, no larger than the period at the end of this sentence – and even that was developed through food that grew in the ground. And that ovum had to be fertilized by a sperm cell only one-fiftieth as large. But what caused that tiny embryo to GROW until you were born? It was developed from food that grew out of soil – out of dust. But you are now much larger and heavier than when you were born.

Where did all the rest of you come from?

From FOOD AND WATER which came from the ground - from DUST!

Is it not plain that whatever FOOD you put into your mouth has a very great deal to do with WHAT you are – and WITH YOUR HEALTH or lack of it?

Today nearly everything we eat passes through man’s hands – or his factories – before it comes to the consumer.

In the interests of bigger profits the gigantic food industry is giving us a diet of FOODLESS ‘foods’.

Take wheat. Wheat is almost a perfect food. It contains all 16 major food elements, in near perfectly balanced proportion. But they take that perfect grain of wheat apart, rob it of the 12 mineral elements, and turn it into white flour – containing the four carbohydrate elements.

Why?

Well, if they were to give you real WHOLE wheat flour, it would spoil after so long a time. And in the BIG BUSINESS distribution system, the flour may not reach the consumer until after it spoils. That would mean a loss to the food industry.

One dietician gave this advice,

My BASIC RULE in diet is:
Eat only those NATURAL FOODS THAT WILL SPOIL –
and EAT THEM BEFORE THEY DO.’”
(The Plain Truth – January 1982)

Transcript - 31 May 2022

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HWA Bible Study:
I Corinthians 1 and 2 20 Jul 1980
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