Read Part One HERE
A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS
PART X - III
"Have you ever had a vision?.... I, Peter, had one this afternoon... And I am very puzzled about he meaning of it... As you know I am staying at the home of my friend Simon the Tanner... He lives in Joppa.... Around midday I went to the roof of his house... I went there to pray.... While praying I realised I was hungry.... So I asked the servant to prepare some food for me.... I then continued praying... Suddenly I saw a vision... It was a very unusual one... I saw a large sheet coming down from heaven... It contained all kinds of animals.... A Voice told me to kill and eat one of these animals... That was a very tantalizing offer... For I was very hungry... I was about to choose an animal... But I then realised that I had to say "No" to that offer....For there were "unclean" animals in that sheet.... And as a good Jew, I could not eat them.... The same Voice then spoke to me again... He told me not to call anything unclean that God has made clean.... This happened three times... Then the sheet went back up into heaven....I am completely mystified by the experience.... What can it mean?"... Please read the typed out attachment to learn of Peter's experience at the roof top of his friend's home....
ATTACHMENT A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS
PART X - III
The next day, when the men who had been sent by Cornelius neared the city of Joppa, Peter was at the rooftop of the house of his friend Simon the Tanner praying as you can read in Acts 10:9
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.
It was lunchtime. Peter was getting hungry so he asked for someone to prepare a meal for him. While he was praying God sent him a vision. The vision that God sent Peter was very different from the vision God had sent to Cornelius. For the visiton that God sent to Peter was that of a sheet coming down from heaven. And that sheet contained al kinds of animals. What a mouth watering invitation for Peter since he was so hungry. We would expect Peter to be very glad and ready to eat because a Voice even told him, "Peter, kill and eat" as you can read in Acts 10:10-13
He became hungry and wanted something to ear, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a Voice told him, "Get up, Peter, kill and eat."
Peter looked at all these animals expectantly thinking which animal he would choose. But then his face changed when he checked these animals out for he realised he could not eat all of them. So he said, "No," to this tantalizing offer. Why would he say "No" to this offer from heaven? Because that sheet contained so-called clean as well as unclean animals, at least for Jewish people, since according to their dietary laws they were not allowed to eat every animal as you can read in Acts 10:14
"Surely not, Lord," Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."
Peter was confused. Why would God send him a sheet with these animals knowing full well that he was not allowed to eat all of them? God, knowing Peter's thoughts. spoke again as you can read in Acts 10:15-16
The Voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
Peter was totally mystified by his experience. Did God not know that he had always lived as a good Jew? And as a good Jew, even a hungry good Jew, he was most certainly not going to eat certain animals for that would make him unholy.
Read Part Five HERE
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