The necromancer might also surround himself with morbid aspects of death, which often included wearing the deceased’s clothing and consuming foods that symbolized lifelessness and decay such as unleavened black bread and *unfermented grape juice.

Huh? This is the definition of a necromancer according to the dictionary. A necromancer consumes *unfermented grape juice??? Is unfermented juice a beverage of a necromancer? Re-read Deuteronomy 18:11 once again. Am I reading this incorrectly?

Here is what may be confusing.

KJV: Deu 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 

LITV: Deu 18:11 or a magic charmer, or one consulting mediums, or a spirit-knower, or one inquiring of the dead. 

ESV: Deu 18:11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead.

ASV: Deu 18:11 or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 

It seems quite unusual, doesn’t it? Several translations use necromancer yet do not list or use this word in other translations?

The association of unfermented grape juice with necromancers might be perplexing at first glance. Deuteronomy 18:11 mentions practices that are forbidden, including consulting the dead, but it does not delve into specifics about dietary habits. Perhaps this imagery was created to evoke a sense of the uncanny and the otherworldly, using symbols that are starkly different from everyday life.

Many have been instructed since childhood to avoid consuming fermented juices (wine). However, this verse and dictionary suggest otherwise. The dictionary mentions that drinking unfermented grape juice is associated with necromancy, as referenced in Deuteronomy 18:11 (KJV, ASV, ESV, etc.). It is noteworthy and raises a question about drinking unfermented juices.  Does this mean drinking unfermented juices aligns a person with necromancy? The simple answer is… of course not. Like God intended from creation, he gave mankind CHOICE.

Often a sin can be “excessive or overindulgence” of, or in anything. How can one know the Word of God if his or her Bible sits on a shelf or table collecting dust. This article is NOT intended to give allowance to what some fundamentalists call “drinking.”  It is a brief discussion of Deuteronomy 18:11. In the Bible, “looking” at something often means choosing to consider or dwell on it. In the Bible, “looking” at something often means choosing to consider dwelling on it. Rev. Charles Stark often stated in his messages or counseling, “If in doubt, don’t.”

Look not unto the wine when it is red to the eye (Proverbs 23:31). This means grammatically that the eye is beginning to react to the wine. Mark 7:18- 19, “Nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him unclean, for it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach and then out of his body. And saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.” Paul said the same thing about food.

Rev Dr. Jstark – 2025

People tend to assume that the Book of Matthew, the first New Testament book, means it was the first New Testament book written. This is not necessarily true. None of them were written in Jerusalem. All but Luke is written by Israelites (Jews). Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are three Synoptic Gospels. They contain 30 common stories and teachings. The wording along with the placement of these parables within each one is similar. 

Just as the three gospels share common parables, there are over a couple hundred verses shared between Matthew and Luke alone. These couple hundred verses are known as the double tradition. These verses encompass about a quarter of the content found within the gospels of Matthew and Luke. 

What makes Mark and Luke different if most of what Mark wrote is also found in Matthew?  

Writer	Date Written	Author’s Community or Target Market
Mark (second-generation Christian and follower of Peter)	65–70 CE	Gentile Christian community in Rome undergoing persecution
Matthew (Jewish Christian; known as Apostle Matthew)	75–80 CE	Jewish Christians
Luke (Gentile Christian; physician and Paul’s traveling companion)	80–85 CE	Theophilus, meaning lover of God (could represent all Christians)

The Book of John is the exception to the four Gospels. Matthew and Luke’s focus is to distinctly different groups of people.  

It covers a different time span. 

It locates much of Jesus’ ministry in Judaea. 

It portrays Jesus discoursing at length on theological matters. 

It is highly literary and symbolic. 

It does not follow the same order or reproduce the same stories as the synoptic gospels. (Gospel According to John | Description, Authorship, & Facts | Britannica) 

The Book of Matthew differs from the other Gospels by the way it begins. From chapter 1, the first verse through Verse 16, it traces the genealogy of Jesus beginning with King David. Why? Matthew is trying to show the Jews that Jesus not only is the promised messiah but is truly in the line of King David. Luke also lists a gentile genealogy of Jesus beginning with the Book of Genesis and Adam.  

– Matthew is targeting the Jews and Israelis.  
– Luke targets the rest of humankind (Gentiles).  

The commonly accepted view, according to Halley’s Bible Handbook; 1965, is that Matthew gives Joseph’s family line, showing that Jesus is within the Abrahamic line, and Luke gives Mary’s blood line going back to Adam and Eve. Both show a Jewish heritage. Being politically incorrect but historically correct, the Jews crucified one of their own.  

In the early part of chapter one of Matthew, he refers to Jesus as Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. In Matthew’s later part of chapter 1, he also refers to him as Christ, Jesus, Immanuel. Next week… who really were the Wise-men who visited Jesus.  

NOTE: SYNOPTIC means “pertaining to or constituting a (common) synopsis; affording or taking a general view of the principal parts of a subject.” Matthew, Mark, and Luke are synoptic. The Book of John is one of the four Gospels but is not synoptic.  

Rev. Dr. Jstark – 2024