Peter sees a vision
Acts 10:9-16; 8/20/2023; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang
Introduction
The story is divided into two parts. We mentioned earlier that Cornelius received a vision in Caesarea, and the angel commanded him, saying: “Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. (Acts 10:5)” On the other side, the angel again caused Peter to have visions in the city of Joppa. Let’s look at the first point:
Fell into a trance
Fell into a trance, in layman’s terms, is daydreaming? In fact, it is not entirely true, because today Peter’s trance was caused by the Holy Spirit. First, the greeting in prayer. Obviously, God wanted to accomplish His will between Peter and Cornelius. God first moved Cornelius to send people to invite Peter, and when the people who invited Peter approached the city, that is, Joppa, God moved Peter to go up to the roof at noon to pray. Here God lets us see a spiritual principle, that is, God will give His mission and vision to those who have a life of prayer. Peter’s prayer is not only a habit of life, but also a testimony of co-working with the Holy Spirit. We seem to see God’s hand arranging both sides at the same time, making things work for each other, so that both Cornelius and Peter benefited together. It can be seen how important a life of prayer is, especially the foundation of a mission.
Second, preparation of hunger and thirst for righteousness. It is normal for people to eat when they are hungry. However, his hunger appeared between prayer and trance, which seemed a little unusual. It is believed that Luke was expressing that Peter needed to be prepared to hunger and thirst for righteousness before he went into a trance. The Bible says that to come to God, one must believe in God. Similarly, if a person wants to draw close to God, he must have a heart that longs for God. In other words, if a person does not have a heart that longs for God, he cannot afford to be touched by the Holy Spirit. Knowing this truth, it is not difficult to understand why we are not easily filled with the Holy Spirit. Yes, being filled with the Holy Spirit is God’s promise, not man’s efforts. But the only thing man has to do is to thirst after God. Otherwise, when the Holy Spirit comes, it would be so embarrassing to meet someone who is “spiritually cold”!
Lastly, Peter went into a trance. The Bible says:“Then the Lord God formed a man[a] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Today Luke said in Acts 10:10 that “Peter was in a trance” does not necessarily refer to the out-of-body state, but a state of trance and astonishment. The Greek word is εχτασις, and the English word is trans. The Chinese translation of “hunyouxiangwai” is a bit strange. If I were to translate it, I might choose to translate it as “Peter was a little out of his mind and even at a loss”. The core meaning here is that the Holy Spirit is in control here! In Peter’s conscious, subconscious, and even unconscious, the Holy Spirit had complete sovereignty. According to His will, the Almighty conveyed to Peter exactly what God wanted to convey to him. Let’s look at the second point:
Break stereotypes
Can we accept that we are prejudiced people? Some evangelical friends have told me that they cannot accept that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Or people can be justified by faith, and even ask me: How can a person be resurrected and have eternal life after death? First, heaven opened. There are many scenes in the Bible that describe the opening of heaven, such as the great flood experienced by Noah’s Ark, the heaven opened. The Lord Jesus Christ was baptized and heaven was opened. When Jacob was at Jabbok’s ford, he saw the heavens opened and angels of God ascending and descending. Stephen was martyred for the Lord, saw heaven opened, and saw the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. John, who had a vision on the Varman Islands, said: “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. (Revelation 19:11)” Therefore, Peter was mentally prepared for the opening of heaven. He knew that heaven was opened and something great was about to happen. So, here, the heaven that Peter saw was opened, what would God say to him?
Second, things descend. Luke said: “He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. (Acts 10:11)” This was undoubtedly a wonderful experience, and it was reasonable for Peter not to understand it. However, man’s ignorance must also have a God-given understanding, although a very limited one. To a Jew, a large piece of cloth is very reminiscent of the tabernacle God used to lead the Israelites in the wilderness, right? The difference is that this time the large sheet came down from heaven. From the perspective of the core values revealed by God, this large sheet should refer to the church. Judging from the revelation that the veil of the temple has been rented, this large sheet refers to the sum total of the churches including the Old and New Testaments. Looking at the actual situation of Peter at that time, God was telling him to be prepared to accept the Gentiles who would come to the church!
Finally, animals, reptiles and birds. This is an obstacle for the New Testament church to expand the kingdom of God. It originates from the Old Testament church and ends with the revelation of the New Testament. According to the Jewish law, especially the record in Leviticus 11, all four-legged animals and reptiles on the ground and birds of the sky were inside the large cloth, which was unclean. Just as in the Jewish concept, Gentiles are unclean and unacceptable. Therefore, when the New Testament church wants to move forward and expand the kingdom of God, the concept of the Gentiles must be renewed. The unclean Gentiles previously defined in the Jewish law must now be adjusted by Peter and the New Testament church. In fact, God’s definition of the Jewish people is also being renewed. Ben Gurrian, the first Prime Minister of Israel restored in 1948, said: Who is a Jew? It is no longer necessary to be determined by the mother’s lineage. As long as you believe in Judaism and learn Jewish culture and language, you will have the basic requirements. As if God is preparing for the salvation of the whole family of the Israelites in the last days, let’s look at the third point:
Three exhortations
This time it was God himself who gave the order to Peter, and there was no room for bargaining. First, straightforward commands. What do people sow, and what do they reap. In the same way, what a person eats, the body or the likeness of life will grow into the likeness. What people plant and what they eat indicate the direction of our life choices and the significance of their effects. This is God’s command to the New Testament church, and it is an unquestionable command. God gave three orders in a row: “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” This is God’s command to New Testament believers from a Jewish background. The Chinese say that food is the paramount necessity of the people. The Israelites ate manna for 40 years in the wilderness. We also ate chickpea paste every day when we went to Israel this time. Some people value it, while others find it annoying. We have only eaten for fifteen days, but the Israelites have eaten for forty years!
Second, overcome the bondage of the law. I have never denied the law, because the Lord said that not one stroke of the law can be abolished. What Paul said is that you should obey the spirit of the law, which is the heart of Jesus Christ, to save all people. When the law of the gospel meets the law of food and drink, there is no doubt that the law of the gospel should prevail. Therefore, when God commanded the New Testament church to “rise up, kill and eat” for the sake of the gospel, the only attitude of the church was to obey. Of course, God understood Peter’s struggle and difficulties. After all, thousands of years have passed, and the law of cleanliness in the law has long been worn out in people’s hearts. According to the Bible, Peter said, “This is not lawful, Lord. I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” Peter seemed aggrieved, but his standard for judging right and wrong at this time was his historical habits, not Christ.
Finally, the Son of God is the Lord of the law. Just like the law of the Sabbath, the Jews were also puzzled. You cannot work on the Sabbath, which should include doctors! Jesus came and rebuked the Jews for being hard of heart! Is it possible to ignore death on the Sabbath? To save people or to harm them, what is the best thing to do? More importantly, Christ has now come and declared the Son of Man to be Lord of the Sabbath. What Peter is facing now is the same reasoning! Gentiles whom God has cleansed, you, Peter, shall no longer call them profane. God wants to combine the Gentiles and the Israelites into one, and when God’s time is full, the whole family of Israelites will be saved. New Testament believers are also called the New Israelites, who carry God’s kingdom together with God’s elect.
Conclusion
Thank God! The visions given by God should be cherished, there are times when they are given, and there are times when they are taken back. The vision God gave to Peter also commanded the gospel of universal redemption, which is also given to every one of us who follow the Lord’s footsteps.
Let us pray……
Acts 10:9-16
9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.
10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.
11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.
12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds.
13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
