Alcohol and Society / Alarm bell!

Testimony of a judge: The connection between crime and intemperance is well understood by those whose job it is to deal with offenders. Here is the testimony of one of the… judges: “We can say with a high degree of certainty that four-fifths of all crimes are committed under the influence of alcoholic beverages. Of twenty murders, in nineteen cases alcohol is either a direct or indirect cause of the crime. Alcohol and blood, or rather, bloodshed, go hand in hand.”

A significant portion of crimes are related to alcohol consumption: Nine out of ten people behind bars abuse alcohol.

Drunkenness leads to crime: When people abuse alcohol, they voluntarily bring to their lips a poison that makes man, created in the image of God, worse than an animal. Alcohol paralyzes the mind, clouds judgment, excites animal passions, and all this leads to the most heinous crimes.

Why are alcohol and crime rates so closely linked? Regulars of saloons that open their doors to anyone foolish enough to mingle with the deadly evil they harbor are following the path to eternal death. They sell themselves—their body, soul, and spirit—to Satan. Under the influence of the liquor they consume, which deprives them of reason, they commit acts that would make them recoil in horror if they were sober. Under the influence of liquid poison, they surrender themselves to Satan’s power. He controls them, and they cooperate with him.

The nature of crimes committed while intoxicated. We see the result of alcohol abuse in the horrific murders that people continually commit. How often does it turn out that theft, arson, and murder were committed under the influence of alcohol! And yet, this curse continues to be sold legally, despite its devastating effects not only on the unfortunate victims of this addiction but also on all members of their families.

Brothels, brothels, criminal courts, prisons, poorhouses, houses of sorrow, hospitals—all these establishments are filled with people, not least thanks to wine merchants. Like the mysterious Babylon of the Apocalypse, they trade in “the bodies and souls of men.” Behind the wine merchants stands a powerful enemy of souls, who resorts to the most vile tricks to subjugate people to his power.

His snares are set everywhere—in cities and villages, on trains, in ship cabins, in shopping malls, in entertainment venues, in medical clinics, even in churches on the tables holding the sacrament. Everything is done to awaken and fuel the desire for intoxicating beverages. On almost every corner, you’ll find a pub, enticing workers, wealthy idlers, and naive youth with its bright lights and carefree merriment. This work continues day after day, month after month, year after year.

Drunkenness has no excuse—while intoxicated, a person can commit any crime, and yet criminals are often acquitted because they allegedly didn’t know what they were doing. Intoxication in no way mitigates the offender’s guilt. After all, he personally raises the glass to his lips and voluntarily consumes its contents, knowing that alcohol will deprive him of his ability to judge clearly. He bears full responsibility for all the harm he caused while intoxicated, for he allowed his shameful craving to overcome him and exchanged his reason for an intoxicating poison. He willingly places himself below the level of an animal and commits a crime. A crime committed while intoxicated must be punished no less severely than an offense committed while of sound mind and memory.

Drunkenness and Crime Before the Flood and Today – The destruction of the antediluvian world was brought about by the same vices that are so evident today. “In the days before the Flood,” one of the prevalent sins was drunkenness. From the Book of Genesis, we learn that “the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.” The world was mired in crime; life had lost its value. People, driven mad by intoxicating drinks, did not hesitate to take the lives of their neighbors.

“As it was in the days of Noah, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” The widespread drunkenness and crime today were foretold by the Savior Himself. We are living in the final days of earthly history. This is a most solemn time. Everything points to the imminent return of our Lord.

God’s Judgments in Our Day — God’s judgments are falling upon the earth today because of wickedness, which has spread primarily as a result of alcohol consumption.

San Francisco as an Object Lesson — After a devastating earthquake struck the California coast, authorities in San Francisco and other smaller cities ordered the closure of all drinking establishments. This drastic decision so improved the situation in these cities that thoughtful people across America, and especially in the western part, began to speak out in favor of permanently closing these establishments. For many weeks after the earthquake, drunkenness was practically nonexistent in San Francisco. Alcohol was not available for sale. Due to the lack of order and disorganization in city life, officials feared a sharp rise in crime. Imagine their surprise when the opposite occurred. Those expected to cause trouble showed virtually no signs of doing so. Such low levels of violence and crime are primarily attributed to a decline in alcohol consumption.

The editors of several leading daily newspapers took a firm stance: closing the saloons permanently would be a great benefit to society and in the best interests of the city’s residents. However, their wise advice fell on deaf ears. Just a few weeks passed, and liquor merchants were granted permission to reopen their establishments and shops, though the license fees, collected for the city treasury, became significantly more expensive.

With the disaster that befell San Francisco, God intended to wipe out the saloons, the source of great evil, numerous misfortunes, and crimes; yet those who guard the public good have betrayed their trust by legalizing the sale of liquor.… They know that by doing so, they have effectively written a license to commit crimes; yet this does not faze them in the least.… The citizens of San Francisco will have to answer to God for the opening of saloons in their city.

The Significance of Current Events — Despite numerous testimonies of rising crime and lawlessness, few today seriously consider the significance of what is happening. With few exceptions, people boast of the enlightenment and progress of this age.

Those to whom God has given great light are entrusted with the sacred duty of drawing the attention of their neighbors to the pernicious rise of drunkenness and crime. Furthermore, they must reveal from the Scriptures the state of society immediately prior to the Second Coming of Christ. They must be God’s faithful standard-bearers and raise their voices against the legalization of the alcohol trade.

The Alcohol Trade Promotes Fraud and Violence — The liquor trade is permeated with fraud and violence at every stage. The houses of liquor merchants are built on ill-gotten gains and are maintained by violence and oppression.

Millions are wasted on misery and death—”Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper chambers by wickedness… who says, ‘I will build me a spacious house and roomy upper chambers,’ and cuts out windows for himself, and panels them with cedar, and paints them with red paint. Do you think you will be a king, because you have enclosed yourself in cedar?… But your eyes and your heart are only for your own gain, and for the shedding of innocent blood, for committing oppression and violence.”

This biblical text describes the work performed by those who produce and sell intoxicating beverages. Their trade is tantamount to robbery. For they receive their money for a commodity that brings no good. Every dollar they put in their pockets brings a curse on the one who spent it.

Every year, people consume many millions of liters of alcoholic beverages. They spend millions of dollars, and in return receive misery, poverty, disease, degeneration, lust, crime, and death. For profit, wine merchants sell their victims something that corrupts and destroys their minds and bodies. They condemn the drunkards’ families to poverty and suffering.

A striking contrast in prosperity—the Drunkard is capable of more. God has entrusted him with talents with which he can glorify Him. But his neighbors have set a trap for his soul, having escaped poverty at his expense. They live in luxury, while their poor brothers, whom they robbed, live in poverty and decay. But God will hold those who pushed the drunkard onto the path to destruction accountable.

Lawmakers and wine merchants bear responsibility—Lawmakers and wine merchants may, like Pilate, wash their hands, but they cannot wash away the blood with which they have stained their souls. No matter how much they wash their hands, they won’t come out any cleaner, because they bear the responsibility of those whom they directly or indirectly helped become drunkards. They will be held responsible for the millions of dollars their customers spent to their own destruction. No one should turn a blind eye to the terrible fruits of the alcohol trade.

The newspapers clearly demonstrate that the suffering, poverty, and crime generated by this trade are not elaborate fables, and that hundreds of people are getting rich off the meager pennies of the millions they push to their doom with their horrific drinking business. Oh, if only society would finally come to its senses and put an end to the alcohol trade, close down the drinking establishments, and allow these poison-addled people to reflect on eternal values!

This money could be spent on educational institutions – Think of the money spent in saloons, where people lose their minds and fall completely under the power of Satan. How society would be transformed if this money were used to establish educational institutions where children and youth could study Bible principles, learn to help their neighbors, and seek and save the lost!

We must work for all classes of society… We must not forget the ministers, lawyers, senators, and judges, many of whom drink strong liquor and smoke tobacco… Offer them the money they spend on indulging their harmful passions to establish institutions that will prepare children and youth for useful service in this world.

Feed the hungry – The cries of the starving millions on earth would soon be silenced if the money settling in the liquor stores were spent on alleviating the suffering of humanity. But this evil continues to increase. Young people are being accustomed to the use of alcohol, which destroys them spiritually and physically. They refuse to do their appointed work in God’s vineyard.

This money could be spent on establishing missions—Think of the thousands and millions of dollars spent on liquor, which turns men into beasts and deprives them of reason.… All this money could be of great benefit if it were spent on supporting missions in those corners of our world where the light of the Gospel has not yet penetrated. People are depriving God of what is rightfully His.

More literature could be published—When we heed the apostle’s admonition: “Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God,” the thousands of dollars now laid upon the altar of pernicious lust will flow into God’s treasury, multiplying the output of literature in various languages, which will cover the world like autumn leaves. Missions will be established in foreign countries, and then the followers of Christ will truly become the light of the world.

The more holidays, the more drunkenness—Drunkenness, disorderly conduct, violence, crime, murder—all this occurs when people deprive themselves of reason. Numerous holidays only exacerbate drunkenness. These holidays and weekends do nothing to promote morality or faith. On these days, men spend money on drink that their families need, while wine merchants reap a bountiful harvest.

The more alcohol a person consumes, the less reason they retain. An hour of darkness arrives when, completely at its mercy, a person is capable of any crime, when soul and body obey their passions. And how can these passions be curbed? How can they be tamed? These souls are tossed about on the waves without an anchor. Weekends bring them nothing but temptation, for many believe they have every right to do as they please on their day off.

Millions into the Devil’s Treasury – Look at those who indulge in wine, beer, and strong drink. Let them consider how much money they spend on this potion. How many thousands and millions of dollars flow into the devil’s treasury to perpetuate evil and bring decadence, corruption, and wickedness.

Alcohol and the Family

Moderate Drinking – Moderate drinking is a school where a person receives an education before embarking on a career as a drunkard.

God’s Blessings Turn into Curses – Our Creator has generously bestowed His bounty on man. Had all these gifts of Providence been used wisely and moderately, poverty, disease, and disappointment would have long since vanished from the face of the earth. But alas, we see everywhere how God’s blessings are turned into curses by human wickedness.

No one is more guilty of grossly corrupting and insulting His precious fruits than those who use the fruits of the earth to produce intoxicating beverages. Nutritious grains, healthy and delicious fruits are transformed into drinks that pervert the senses and deprive the mind. As a result of the consumption of these poisons, thousands of families are forced to live in miserable conditions, unable to meet their basic needs. Violence and crime are on the rise; Fatal diseases drive thousands upon thousands of alcohol’s victims to their graves.

Marriage vows melt in fiery waters—Turn your gaze upon the drunkard’s family. Notice the squalor of their home, their unhappy faces, the inexpressible grief in their eyes. Watch as the once-happy wife flees her distraught husband. Listen to her pleas for mercy under the cruel blows raining down on her frail body. Where are all those sacred vows uttered at the marriage altar? Where is the love he promised to cherish? Where is the strength that should protect her? Alas, these vows have melted like precious pearls in fiery waters, in a chalice filled with abominations! Look at these half-naked children. They were once tenderly cared for. They were unafraid of the winter blizzard, nor the cold breath of a cruel and contemptuous world. Fatherly care and motherly love transformed their home into a paradise. Now, everything has changed. Day after day, the cries of the sufferers—the drunkard’s wife and children—rise to heaven.

He has lost his human form—Turn your gaze upon the drunkard. See what alcohol has done to him. His eyes are clouded and bloodshot. His face is swollen and expressionless. He walks unsteadily. His entire appearance bears the mark of Satan. Nature itself refuses to recognize him; for he has abused the powers given to him by God and sacrificed his very being to his addiction to alcohol.

One of the manifestations of Satanic violence—This is precisely what he [Satan] does when he tempts a person to sell their soul for alcohol. He takes possession of body, mind, and soul, and it is no longer man who acts, but Satan. And when a drunkard raises his hand against the wife he promised to love and cherish for the rest of his life, the cruelty of Satan is revealed within him. A drunkard’s actions are one manifestation of Satan’s violence.

Abuse of intoxicating beverages places a person entirely under the power of the demon, who invented this intoxicant to distort and destroy the moral image of God.

No Peace, No Patience – A person who abuses alcohol is incapable of maintaining a calm, balanced spirit, and if he gets his hands on a dumb animal, the extra lash he inflicts on God’s creation speaks of the disorder of his digestive organs. He manifests the same spirit in the family circle.

A Shame and a Curse for Every Country – Everywhere there are drugged, pitiful imitation of man – souls for whom Christ died and for whom angels mourn. They are a stain on our vaunted civilization. They are a shame, a curse, and a grief for every country.

A Deprived Wife, Starving Children – The drunkard knows not what he is doing when under the influence of a mind-destroying drink, yet the one who sold him the potion that renders him insane is protected by law and bears no responsibility for his destructive work. He has the right to deprive a widow of the food she needs to survive. He has the right to condemn his victim’s family to starvation, sending helpless children out into the streets to beg or scavenge for scraps. Day after day, month after month, year after year, these shameful scenes are repeated, and the wine merchant’s conscience feels seared with a hot iron. The tears of the suffering little ones, the sorrowful cries of the mother, only irritate the liquor merchant…

The wine merchant will not hesitate to collect the drunkard’s debts from his impoverished family and take the last crumbs from their home to pay the bills of the deceased husband and father. What does it matter to him that the deceased’s children will starve? He views them as pathetic, vile, ignorant creatures, to be mocked and humiliated without shame. He cares nothing for their well-being. But God, who rules the heavens, did not lose sight of either the root cause or the consequences of the unspeakable misfortune and humiliation that befell the drunkard and his family. Every twist and turn of their difficult life is recorded in the heavenly books.

The drinker bears the guilt of his drunkenness—Let not the man who abuses alcohol think he can cover up his wickedness by shifting the blame to the wine merchant, for he will have to answer for his sin and for the degradation of his wife and children. “They that forsake the Lord shall be destroyed.”

Under the shadow of vice—Day after day, month after month, year after year, this mad work continues. Fathers, husbands, and brothers—the support, hope, and pride of the nation—relentlessly wander into the wine merchant’s net, only to return home with ruined health and doomed to perish.

What is even more terrible is the curse that strikes the very heart of the family. More and more women are becoming addicted to alcohol. In many families, small children, even innocent and helpless infants, are exposed daily to great danger due to the neglect, abuse, and baseness of their alcoholic mothers. Sons and daughters are growing up under the shadow of this terrible evil. What does the future hold for them except that they will sink even lower than their parents?

The Cause of Accidents

The Drunkard in the Hands of Satan — People who consume alcohol enslave themselves to Satan. Satan tempts those in positions of responsibility on railroads and waterways, those who operate ships and other means of transport filled with people gathered for idolatrous pleasures. He tempts them to indulge their appetites and forget God and His laws. He lures them into the net of temptation so that, succumbing to their bad habits and passions, they fall completely under his control, where he can control them like a master with his tool. And then he sets about destroying these pleasure-lovers.

Thus, people collaborate with Satan as his minions, his tools. They fail to see the danger they face. They send false signals, causing catastrophes that terrify with the number of injuries and deaths. And this state of affairs will only worsen. Newspapers will report many more horrific incidents. But the saloons will not be empty. Alcohol will continue to be sold to poor, lost souls who no longer have the willpower to stand up and say, “I am a man,” but who demonstrate by their actions, “I am not self-controlled. I cannot resist temptation.” All such people have severed their connection with God and have become victims of Satan’s deception.

Alcohol deprives one of common sense—Those who drink alcohol are under the pernicious influence of Satan. He instills in them false ideas, and their judgment is completely unreliable.

Consider the terrible accidents that occur every day under the influence of alcohol. For example, a train engineer ignores a signal or misinterprets an order, resulting in a collision and the death of many people. Another example: a steamship runs aground, and the passengers and crew find their graves in the water. An investigation reveals that the man at the helm was drunk.

A Drunkard Is Accountable Before God – Do the men who operate huge ocean steamships and manage railroad traffic abstain from alcohol? Are their minds free from the influence of intoxicants? If not, the God of Heaven will hold them responsible for the disasters they cause, for the men and women who suffer belong to Him.

People who bear grave responsibility for the lives and safety of others often fail to live up to this high trust. Due to their addiction to tobacco and alcohol, they neglect the clarity and purity of their minds, like Daniel in the courts of Babylon. They cloud their minds with intoxicants and gradually lose the ability to think clearly. Many shipwrecks on the high seas are associated with alcohol consumption.

Invisible angels guard ships on the ocean because there are praying passengers on board who trust in God’s protection. The Lord has sufficient power to hold back the raging waves that seek to destroy and devour His children.

Condemn Alcohol Use — We need people who, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, will condemn gambling and alcohol use, vices so prevalent in these last days.

The Only Safe Path — How many terrible disasters occur because of those who abuse alcohol… What is the limit of alcohol a person can accept and still perform his duties without risking lives? That limit is zero. His mind must be perfectly clear. He must not touch intoxicants, and then, even if disaster occurs, he will be able to do his best and, come what may, look people in the eye with a clear conscience.

The Social Factor

They Sold Their Willpower – There are countless degenerates in the world who, having succumbed to the temptations of tobacco and alcohol in their youth, have poisoned their bodily tissues and perverted their thinking abilities, allowing Satan to achieve his ends. Their minds are clouded. The victims succumb to the temptation of alcohol and sell their minds for a glass of liquor.

Look at a man who has lost his mind. What is he like? He is a slave, obeying Satan’s will. The ancient apostate imbues him with his own qualities. He is a slave to fornication and violence. There is no crime he cannot commit; for he has put into his mouth that which has intoxicated him and made him a veritable demon.

Look at our young people. I will write what causes my heart great pain. They have lost their willpower. Their nerves are weakened because their strength is exhausted. Their faces lack a healthy glow. Their eyes lack a healthy sparkle. They have become dull. The wine they drink weakens their memory. They look more like old people. Their brains have lost the ability to produce brilliant thoughts when needed.

Moral Vice and Physical Illness – The victims of intemperance include representatives of all social classes and professions. People in high positions, possessing outstanding talents, and achieving enormous success, indulge their passions until they become completely helpless before temptation. Some who were once wealthy are now homeless, friendless, and left utterly alone in their suffering, poverty, illness, and degradation. They no longer have control over themselves. Unless a helping hand is extended to them, they will sink to the very bottom of life, from which there is no return. For such people, indulging in their weaknesses is not only a moral vice but also a physical illness.

Desperate – A person who has already developed a habit of drinking intoxicating beverages is in a desperate situation. Their brain is diseased, their will is weakened. All their passions and desires are uncontrollable. It is impossible to persuade or convince them to give up alcohol.

Enslaved Body and Soul – Numerous drinking establishments are scattered throughout every city and village… A traveler enters such an establishment in his right mind, walking upright and with a firm gait; but look at the state in which he emerges. His gaze has dimmed. He can no longer walk straight; he is tossed from side to side, like a ship on the waves. His reasoning powers are paralyzed, the image of God obliterated. The poisonous, mind-numbing potion has done its work… His body and soul are enslaved, and he cannot distinguish good from evil. The wine merchant has intoxicated him, and now he breathes cruelty and murder. Maddened by the drink, he actually commits murder.

Then he is brought before the earthly court, and those who legalized the alcohol trade are now forced to deal with the fruits of their labor. They gave this man permission to indulge his craving for alcohol, which transformed him from a sane citizen into a madman. And now they must send him to prison and the gallows for his crime. His wife and children are left in destitution and poverty, at the mercy of the society in which they live. This man’s soul and body are lost—he is exterminated from the face of the earth without hope of eternal salvation…

Powerlessness in the Face of Temptation – Victims of alcohol addiction go mad under the influence of alcohol and are willing to sell their minds for a glass of whiskey. They do not keep the commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” Their moral powers are so weakened that they are unable to resist temptation, and their desire for drink is so great that it eclipses all other desires, and they do not realize that God requires of them that they love Him with all their hearts. They are, in essence, idolaters; For alcohol, by separating man from the Creator and undermining his moral strength, usurps the throne of God and assumes the service that belongs to God alone. Ultimately, all these idolaters worship Satan.

Anyone who indulges in wine is playing a deadly game with Satan. Satan has many minions who turn those who have begun to drink into drunkards. Satan has a firm intention—by intoxicating the drunkard’s mind with alcohol, plunging him into madness and pushing him to some heinous crime. He gives this person an idol to worship, one that carries within itself filth and crime, and this idolatry destroys both soul and body and spreads its evil influence to the drunkard’s wife and children. The drunkard’s vicious tendencies are passed on to his children, and through them, to future generations.

Demonic Power at Work—But are not the rulers of the land largely responsible for the grave crimes, the flood of deadly evil, that result from the liquor traffic? Is it not their duty to counteract this deadly evil? Is it not within their power? Satan has devised his plan, and he advises the legislators, and they accept his advice, thus enacting through legislation manifold evils that bring in their wake misfortunes and crimes so terrible that the human pen cannot describe them. Demonic power works through human hands, driving people to indulge their appetites until they lose all control of themselves. The sight of an intoxicated person, were it not a common occurrence, would cause public indignation and lead to a ban on the liquor trade; but the power of Satan has so hardened human hearts, so distorted human judgment, that people look at the grief, the crimes, the poverty that have flooded this world because of the wine trade, and remain indifferent.…

Day after day, month after month, year after year, Satan sets his deadly traps—in our cities, at our doors, at street corners, wherever he can ensnare souls, to rob them of their moral strength, destroy their image of God, and lower them to a level far below that of beasts. Souls are endangered and perishing, but why don’t Christians make effective and decisive efforts to sound the warning signal, enlighten their neighbors, and save their perishing brethren? There’s no point in discussing how to save those who are already lost; we must get down to business and work for those who can still be helped….

By legalizing the sale of liquor, legislators sanctioned the destruction of many souls and refused to stem the tide that has filled the world with evil. Let them consider whether it was really necessary to endanger people’s lives, their physical health, and their moral character. Are all these steps, leading to human destruction, really so necessary?

The wine merchant is responsible for evil. Those who sell intoxicating liquors to their neighbors… take from drunkards the money they earn, but give them nothing worthy or good in return. On the contrary, they give them that which deprives people of reason, drives them to foolish actions, and turns them into evil and cruel demons…

But God’s angels record every step downwards and track all the consequences that follow the wine merchant’s desire to raise a bottle to his neighbor’s lips. The seller of liquor is listed in heaven’s records among those whose hands are stained with blood. He is condemned for distributing a poisonous potion that tempts his neighbor to his destruction and brings grief and ruin to families. The Lord holds the wine merchant responsible for every penny that comes into his pocket from the hands of a poor drunkard who has lost all moral strength and drowned his humanity in wine.

He will have to answer to God—no matter how rich, powerful, or prominent a person may be in the eyes of this world, no matter what the laws of the land where he lives, if he sells poisonous liquor to his fellow men, he will have to answer before Heaven for degrading the souls redeemed by Christ and stand judgment for the defilement of his character, which should have reflected the image of God but instead has become worse than that of a beast.

By luring people into the abuse of alcohol, the wine merchant actually plunges their souls into wickedness and pushes them to become the wretched slaves of Satan. The Lord Jesus, the Prince of Life, wages war against Satan, the prince of darkness. Christ proclaims that His mission is to exalt men…

Jesus left the heavenly courts, laid aside His royal glory, and clothed His divinity in human nature in order to enter into close communion with humanity and, through His precept and example, to elevate and ennoble them and restore the lost image of God in the human soul. This is the work of Christ; but what is the influence of those who legalize the sale of alcoholic beverages? What is the influence of those who lift a bottle to the lips of their neighbors? Compare the work of the liquor merchant with the work of Jesus Christ, and you will be forced to admit that those who sell liquor and those who support it work in close collaboration with Satan. Through their trade, they do more to perpetuate human misery than any other businessmen in this world…

The wine merchant takes the same position as Cain, as if to say, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” And God answers him as He once answered Cain: “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.” Wine merchants will have to answer for the grief and suffering they brought into the homes of those who lacked moral strength and who fell, succumbing to the temptation of alcohol. They will be held accountable for the misery, suffering, and despair that the liquor trade brings to this world. They will have to answer for the plight and poverty of mothers and children who suffer without food, clothing, or shelter, having buried all their hopes and joys. He, without whose knowledge not a sparrow falls to the ground, who clothes the herbs of the field, which today are but tomorrow are cast into the oven, will not pass by those created in His image, redeemed with His own blood, and pays no attention to the cries of the afflicted. God is not indifferent to all this wickedness that gives rise to suffering and crime. He places responsibility for it on those who help the evil one open the doors of temptation for the human soul.

God’s sentence on the wine merchant: He neither knows nor cares that the Lord has something to ask of him. And when his victim perishes, his stony heart remains indifferent.

He ignores the instruction: “Do not oppress the widow or the orphan; do not oppress the fatherless; do not oppress the widow or the fatherless; do not oppress … “But if you oppress them, then when they cry to Me, I will surely hear their cry, and My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will become widows and your children orphans.”

There will be no excuse for wine merchants on the day when each will be repaid according to his deeds. Those who have ruined lives will have to pay with their own lives. God’s law is holy, just, and good.

Do not encourage the craving for alcohol – Let every soul remember that it is entrusted with the sacred duty of doing good to their neighbors. Everyone must be careful not to arouse in their neighbors a craving for alcoholic beverages. By advising their friends and neighbors to drink cognac for medicinal purposes, a person risks bringing ruin upon their friends. I recall many sad cases where, by heeding such simple advice, men and women became slaves to this pernicious habit.

Many have become addicted to alcohol due to the fault of doctors. Knowing the addictive nature of alcohol, they are not afraid to prescribe it to their patients. If they had reasoned from cause to effect, they would have known that stimulants have the same effect on each organ as on the whole body. How can doctors justify themselves when they push fathers and mothers onto the path of drunkenness?

The Lord warned them so that they could avoid the disastrous consequences. We are all well aware of the dire consequences of abusing intoxicating drinks. So why do people who claim to believe in God’s Word not shy away from tasting and drinking wine or stronger drinks? Such behavior is in no way consistent with the faith they profess….

The Lord has given specific instructions in His Word regarding the use of wine and strong drinks. He has forbidden their consumption, accompanying His prohibitions with serious warnings and threats. However, these warnings against intoxicating drinks are by no means an exercise of His despotic power. He warned people to avoid the harmful consequences of alcohol abuse…

The alcohol trade is a terrible scourge plaguing our country. It is supported and legitimized by those who call themselves Christians. These churches thereby assume responsibility for all the consequences of this deadly trade. The alcohol trade has its roots in hell itself and leads to destruction. They need to think very seriously about this.

Source: the book “Temperance.”

Please share this post on your social media pages, in groups, or via private messages. We hope that this will help many people gain a clearer understanding of the detrimental effects of alcohol consumption (even in small quantities) on our society and help them overcome their addiction to these intoxicating beverages, making this world a little better and safer!