Meishu-sama said that in the world of Miroku, all humanity will be following a vegan diet. Now, would any Christian accept this vision of Meishu-sama regarding diet? For, after all, Meishu-sama said that his Church works in concert with Christianity, and if we cannot convince Christians to practice this diet that Meishu-sama indicated to us, our working in concert with Christians will never be fulfilled. That is, we will not be able to correspond to the will of Meishu-sama. You at World Church of Messiah might think that this is difficult, that it is almost impossible to have Christians practice the diet of Meishu-sama. But me personally—I don’t think so. I don’t think it is impossible. In the Bible, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, it is written: When Christ came into the world, he said [to God]: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.’”First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (Hebrews 10:5–14) This is what is written in the Bible. Here, the term “burnt offering” means the act of burning a whole animal like a cow or a sheep at the altar to express gratitude to God. In essence, this was food offered to God, as it is written, “It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord” (Leviticus 1:9). A burnt offering was a food prepared for God that had a pleasing aroma of cooked animal flesh, or rather, cooked meat like beef. People believed and presumed that God liked eating meat and that He liked the smell of cooked meat, that is, the smell of barbecue. But look at what Jesus is saying here. Jesus is telling us that God did not even desire these foods, these meats, that were offered to Him. We thought that the aroma of barbecue was pleasing to God, but no, it was unpleasant for Him. God did not have the desire to eat meat nor was He pleased with the smell of barbecue. Roast beef, steak, grilled meats, barbecue—God did not desire these. The smell was not pleasing for Him. Now, we all agree that God lives within each one of us, don’t we? After all, don’t we pray to God every day through the Words of Prayer, saying “God, I acknowledge that You are alive. Within me, You are alive”? If God lives within us, don’t we want to please this God? I mean, if God is not happy, how can our life be filled with happiness? In other words, how can we desire barbecue and its smell when God within us does not even desire them? But wait. We like eating meat, don’t we? We like the smell of cooked meat, don’t we? I mean even for those who decided to go on a vegan diet, the diet Meishu-sama said humanity will be following in the earthly paradise, you liked meat before, didn’t you? Don’t we all desire to eat meat and think that the smell of barbecue is amazing, to say the least? The question we must ask ourselves is this: if God who dwells within us does not want to eat meat and is not pleased with the smell of barbecue, who desires them? Who makes us desire meat and its smell? Well, if it is not God, it can be no one else other than Satan. I mean, if we are desiring something that God does not want, who else could it be but Satan, the enemy of God and Jesus? Before, we thought that God liked meat and offered it to Him. Or rather, maybe it was us who liked meat and conveniently assumed that God liked it too. We thought that by offering the blood and meat of animals to God, our sins could be forgiven and we could be made holy. But Jesus is telling us that none of these things have made us holy, and they do not cleanse our sins. Look at the part I quoted earlier. “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Through Jesus, we already have been made holy! “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Everyone, through Jesus, we have already been made holy and perfect! Our sins have been cleansed completely, and there is no need for us to offer meat or its smell to God for the atonement of our sins. Why, then, are we continuing to eat meat? Are you saying that you want to eat something that God living within you does not even desire and whose smell is unpleasant for Him? This just does not make any sense if you say that you believe in God and Jesus. I mean, Satan’s rule has to end, doesn’t it? And actually, it already ended two thousand years ago! Don’t let Satan within you take over your senses and make you give in to that desire, that craving for meat, that mesmerizing smell of barbecue. The issue at stake here is not whether you want to eat it or not. Rather, there is no need for you to eat meat since all the blood necessary has already been shed on the cross. What about fish, then? Okay. Fair question. Even after the resurrection, Jesus did eat fish. Jesus ate fish—I give you that. But I would say that we live in a completely different time compared to that of Jesus’s. We live in a world where billions of fish are caught for commercial fishing every day. I don’t think we can justify the sacrifice of all these fish just because Jesus ate some from the Sea of Galilee two thousand years ago. Meishu-sama composed the following hymn: “I will construct heaven / Where all living creatures under the sun / Will rejoice and be happy.” For Meishu-sama, in the ideal world to come, all living creatures under the sun will rejoice and be happy—all living creatures. All living creatures of course include fish. Meishu-sama advocated that in the world of Miroku, all humanity will be following a vegan diet. That is, in the ideal world of Meishu-sama, no animals are killed for human consumption. So, in conclusion, I say that, except for fish, it would be very difficult for any Christian to justify eating meat, considering all the obvious reasons I have talked to you about today. And about the issue of fish, let’s simply embrace the spirit of Meishu-sama who envisioned the happiness of all living creatures under the sun and convey this joy to all Christians. Who knows, maybe some of them will come to share the view Meishu-sama had. Can I just say that for any follower of Meishu-sama, once Meishu-sama declared that an earthly paradise is where people practice a vegan diet, there is absolutely no way you can justify eating any meat, including fish. All followers owe it to Meishu-sama to practice this diet and spread it. I mean it’s so simple. If we can make all humanity eat a vegan diet, that is a paradise on earth. Why wouldn’t you want to do it? Let us not be an obstruction to Meishu-sama but be a part of the construction of an earthly paradise. Instead of exploiting living creatures for our consumption, let us believe that we are one with them and return to God, to the One who created all that exists in the entire universe. One more thing: let us enjoy vegan barbecue together, because this is the kind of barbecue that God, Jesus and Meishu-sama desire and are pleased with. I am going to Brazil this coming November. All of you in Brazil—let us enjoy the barbecue that is pleasing for God. And together, let’s have fun. A lot of fun. See you then.