Acts 10:
9 On the next day, as they were on
their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the
sixth hour to pray.
(This would have
been around the
10 But he became hungry and was desiring
to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance;
(Fell into a
trance~Some say a dream; some say a state between sleep and consciousness,
others say, he was taken like John, and shown the things G_d would have him
do.)
11 and he saw the sky opened up, and an
object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground,
(My personal opinion
is I do not think this is just an ordinary sheet. Notice the term “four corners”. That strongly suggest what this sheet may
have been, it was probably a “Tallit”, or a prayer shawl. Yeshua himself would
have had one, there is a commandment in B’Midbar/Numbers, whereby Adonai said
to Moshe: (CJV) [38. Speak to the people of Isra’el, instructing them to make,
through all their generations, tzitziyot on the corners of their garments, and
to put with the tzitzit on each corner a blue thread. 39. It is to be a tzitzit for you to look at and thereby remember all
of Adonai’s mitzvoth and obey them, so that you won’t go around wherever your
own heart and eyes lead you to prostitute yourselves; 40. but it will help you
remember and obey all my mitzvot and be holy for your G_d. 41. I am Adonai your G_d, who brought you out
of the
The Tallit is a
rectangular piece of cloth, usually wool, that bears the tzitzit (fringes) on
it “four” corners (one fringe per corner).
It is worn in prayer and in worship service and if you ever get to go to
the Western Wall, you will see many men wearing them. It is placed over the shoulders and at times,
covers the head. It is also been
referred to as “wings”. Remember, “with
healing in his “wings”. The woman with
the issue of blood more than likely touched the tzitzit that hung from the
Tallit of our Messiah, and was healed. I
believe what Kepa/Peter saw, was a great Tallit, (Prayer Shawl) being lowered
by it fringes, or tzitziyots.)
12 and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling
creatures of the earth and birds of the air.
Within it, being
sustained (not around it, or under it, or over it) was all kinds of four-footed
animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. Both Clean & Unclean.)
13 A voice came to him, "Get up,
Peter, kill and eat!"
(Kepa/Peter must
have been totally confounded. He knew
Torah, and he knew that there were some unclean animals within the Tallit, and
by eating them he would be in direct opposition to the Torah of G_d.)
14 But Peter said, "By no means,
Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean."
(Kepa/Peter affirmed
that he has been following G_d dietary laws, perhaps he figured G_d was testing
him.)
15 Again a voice came to him a second time, "What God
has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.
(Peter’s psyche is
probably going in circles by now. G_d is
unchangeable, so how can this be? If I
eat, I disobey his command, if I don’t, I disobey his command, seemed like a
loose-loose situation.
16 This happened three times, and
immediately the object was taken up into the sky.
(The sheet
containing the wonder was “raptured” caught up into the sky. Apparently Kepa/Peter did not eat of the
animals. Keep in mind after the resurrection of Yeshua, Yeshua told Kepa/Peter,
three times to tend his sheep.)
17 Now while Peter was greatly perplexed
in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be…..
(Kepa/Peter was
beside himself, he was at a complete loss as to the meaning and the
interpretation of this vision. BUT, it
was revealed to him in verse 28, what the vision meant.)
28 And he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful
it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him;
and yet God has shown me that I should not call
any man unholy or unclean.
( It was about accepting the unclean “man”, the gentiles, the goy,
into the faith and had nothing to do with giving a license to eat unclean
animals. I’m sure at the time there was
a good bit of debate going in within Jewish Messianic Circles about the
“Gentile” situation. We know there were
debates regarding circumcision, treating new converts into the faith as “Babes
in Messiah/Christ”, as well as how to indoctrinate them into the faith at a
pace they can keep up with. Remember,
Paul said: "For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who
preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath." Apparently, Paul encouraged the new converts
to attend the synagogues and learn Torah/Moses preached. This seemed to be the diplomatic method by
which he relentlessly followed.)
The truth is we all have today (within
our own personal circle of things fit for human consumption) things outside our
circle we don’t consider fit to eat.
Now, as many perceive via an exegesis of the above verses that somehow
G_d gave license for us to eat unclean animals and crawling creatures, then we
have to expand our circle of things fit for human consumption to include bat,
dog, cat, horse, centipede, armadillo, monkey, skunk, and etc. The difference being that the Hebrews had within
their circle of edible things, fit for human consumption, only those things
which the L_rd himself established and permitted. In their minds, all things outside of this
circle were considered inedible meat, and thus unfit for human
consumption. Being obedient to the
Commandments of HaShem will bring the blessings of G_d, and at some future
point will be the law of the land again, such as during the 1,000 year reign of
Messiah Yeshua, the reign to come.
From Zion will go forth the “Torah”
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem!!
Hasten the Day!