1In the city of Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a Roman Army Officer in what was called the Italian Unit. 2He and all the others who lived in his house were dedicated followers of Alahim. He gave much of his money to help the poor people and always prayed to YAHUAH. 3One afternoon about three o’clock, Cornelius had a vision. He clearly saw an Angel from YAHUAH coming to him and saying, “Cornelius!”
4Staring at the Angel and feeling afraid, Cornelius said, “What do you want, Master?”
“YAHUAH has heard your prayers and has seen your gifts to the poor. He remembers you and all you’ve done. 5Send some men now to the city of Joppa to get a man named Simon, who is also called Peter. 6He is staying with someone also named Simon, a leatherworker who has a house beside the sea.”
7The Angel who spoke to Cornelius left. Then Cornelius called two of his servants and a soldier. The soldier was also a dedicated man, one of his close helpers. 8Cornelius explained everything to these three men and sent them to Joppa.
WHILE THIS GENTILE, CORNELIUS IS NOT PERMITTED TO OFFER SACRIFICES OF ATONEMENT AT THE TEMPLE ALTAR, HIS PRAYERS AND BEHAVIOUR OF KINDNESS HAVE ASCENDED TO YAHUSHA MUCH LIKE THE SMOKE OF THE BURNT OFFERINGS, AND (UNLIKE THE CORRUPT, DEAD-HEAD LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD) ... YAHUSHA IS HAPPY WITH THIS SORT OF SACRIFICE!
HEBREW 13 Through Yahusha let us offer up a sacrifice of praise continually, for this is the natural behaviour of lips that acknowledge His Name.
9The next day they were coming near Joppa about noon, when Peter was going up to the roof to pray. 10He was hungry and wanted to eat. But while they were preparing the food downstairs, YAHUSHA put Peter into a trance. AN `OUT-OF-BODY' EXPERIENCE TO SEE & HEAR DIVINE TRUTHS FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION.
WHAT COMES OUT OF PETER'S MOUTH WAS NOT HIS OWN, FOR HE WAS IN A YAHUSHA-INDUCED TRANCE, ESSENTIALLY OBSERVING A CONVERSATION BETWEEN HIMSELF AND YAHUSHA!
13Then a voice said to him, “Get up Peter - kill anything you want here and eat it.” 14But Peter said, “No way! I can’t do that Master! For i’ve never eaten anything common or unclean!"
11He saw the Heaven opened and something like a big sheet being lowered to the ground by its four corners. 12In it were all kinds of animals, reptiles, and birds.
15And a voice came to him again the 2nd time, “What I've cleansed you don't call COMMON!”
16This happened three times, then the whole sheet was taken back up into the Heaven. And Peter was left, doubting inside himself and wondering what the vision meant.
WHY SO CONFUSED?
“What I've cleansed you don't call COMMON!”
HEBREW UNDERSTANDING:
Search results for "COMMON":
120 ADAM - ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.) hypocrite, + common sort, low, man (mean, of low degree), person.
776 ERETS - to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land), country, earth, field, ground, land, nations, way, wilderness, world.
2455 CHOL - exposed, profane, unholy (NOT SET-APART), prostitute, stain, wound, be pushed away or removed.
What has this word got to do with food?
PETER WAS NOT PONDERING WHY YAHUSHA WOULD TELL HIM TO GO AND EAT FORBIDDEN ANIMALS - NOT AT ALL!! HE WAS CONFUSED BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH WHAT HE SAW WAS ANIMALS (FOOD) THE WORDS BEING USED HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH FOOD ??
WHY DO I SAY THAT?
Because both Peter and Yahusha use the word COMMON. Peter says "I've never eaten anything COMMON" and Yahusha says "What I've cleansed you don't call COMMON" ... yet no where in any Scripture is food (animals) ever referred to as COMMON ...
IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE, BECAUSE 'COMMON' ISN’T A `FOODY WORD' IN THE FIRST PLACE - AND (BY THE WAY) THE ONLY FOOD ALL HEBREWS EVER ATE WAS NORMAL, EVERYDAY (COMMON) FOOD, SINCE ONLY THE PRIESTS GOT TO EAT THE DEDICATED `SET-APART FOOD' OFFERED TO YAHUAH!
Peter also says "I've never eaten anything UNCLEAN" yet anything edible and permitted to eat was called PERMITTED and anything forbidden and not considered food was called FORBIDDEN (according to Moses' Torah). The issue of an animal becoming UNCLEAN was all based on how it was raised and slaughtered. So even an everyday normal animal that a Hebrew was PERMITTED to eat could become FORBIDDEN if slaughtered the wrong way (CRUELTY, STRANGULATION ETC) ...
BUT YAHUSHA WAS NOT TELLING PETER TO KILL ANY OF THE ANIMALS IN A CRUEL HIDEOUS WAY ... SO AGAIN ... THE LANGUAGE IN PETER'S TRANCE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FOOD !!
SET-APART MEANS RIGHTEOUS, ATONED BY BLOOD AND USEFUL FOR YAHUAH IN SERVING THE SANCTUARY. (YISHARAL WAS SEPARATED FROM THE REST OF THE 'COMMON' NATIONS TO BE YAHUAH'S CHOSEN ROYAL PRIESTS)
COMMON IS NOT SET-APART TO YAHUAH. IT DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY MEAN EVIL, WICKED, BAD, OR UNCLEAN THOUGH. (MANKIND & THE EARTH'S NATURAL FALLEN STATE)
UNCLEAN IS A CONDITION OF DEFILEMENT THAT MEANS AN OBJECT OR A PERSON CANNOT COME ANYWHERE NEAR YAHUAH'S PRESENCE, AND TO TRY AND DO SO WILL RESULT IN DEATH OR DESTRUCTION. (SICKNESS, SIN, FLUIDS, CRIMINALS, IDOLATRY etc - ALL GOT PLACED OUTSIDE THE CAMP)
So Peter was bewildered because the words referring to the animals in his trance weren’t food terms at all - it was like a hidden parable and the terms were NOT DESCRIBING ANIMALS, BUT THE SPIRITUAL STATUS OF PEOPLE!
But which people were Yahusha speaking about?? We're about to find out!!
17But right then, the men Cornelius sent had found Simon’s house, and they were standing at the gate. 18They asked, “Is Simon Peter staying here?” 19While Peter was still thinking about the vision, YAHUSHA said to him, “Listen, three men are looking for you. 20Get up now and go downstairs. And no more doubting or wondering what’s going on ok! Because I sent them.” 21So Peter went downstairs and said to them, “I think I’m the man you’re looking for. Why did you come here?”
22The men said, “A set-apart Angel told Cornelius to invite you to his house. He is an Army officer, a good man who serves YAHUAH, and all the Jewish people respect him. The Angel told him to invite you to his house so that he can listen to what you have to say.” 23So Peter asked the men to come in and stay for the night.
WHAT?? HE INVITED GENTILES IN TO STAY THE NIGHT?? AND ROMANS (WHO WERE HATED) AT THAT!! THAT'S A BIG `NO NO' FOR JEWS !!
24The next day they came to the city of Caesarea, and Cornelius was waiting for them, and had already gathered his relatives and close friends at his house.
27Peter continued talking with Cornelius, before going inside, where he saw a large group of people gathered there. 28Peter was surprised and said to the people, “You understand that it’s against our law for a Jew to visit or associate with anyone who's of a different nation, don’t you? ...
Then the next day Peter got ready and went away with the three men. Some of the believers from Joppa also went with him.
25When Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him, falling down at Peter’s feet. 26But Peter said, “Stand up! I’m just a man like you.”
But YAHUAH has shown me that I shouldn’t consider anyone common or say they are unclean. 29That’s why I didn’t argue when your men asked me to come here. Now, please tell me why you sent for me.”
30Cornelius said, “Four days ago, I was praying in my house. It was at this same time, three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly there was someone standing before me wearing bright, shiny clothes.
31He said, ‘Cornelius, YAHUAH has heard your prayer and has seen your gifts to the poor. He remembers you and all you have done. 32So send some men to the city of Joppa and tell Simon Peter to come. He is staying with another man named Simon, a leatherworker who has a house beside the sea.’ 33So I sent for you immediately. It was very good of you to come here. Now we’re all here before YAHUAH to hear everything the Master has commanded you to tell us.”
34Peter began to speak: “WOW, I can really see that YAHUSHA shows no partiality, DOESN'T LIFT UP ONE PEOPLE OVER ANOTHER 35for whoever fears Him and behaves righteously is accepted by Him…no matter what nation they come from.
36YAHUAH has spoken to the people of Yisharal and sent them the Good News that peace has come through YAHUSHA MESSIAH, the Master of all people.
38And you know about YAHUSHA from Nazareth, Who YAHUAH anointed as the Messiah by giving Him His Divine Spirit and power. YAHUSHA went everywhere doing good for people and hearing those who were oppressed by the Devil, showing that YAHUAH was with Him.
40But on the third day YAHUAH raised Him back to life and let Him be seen openly, 41not by everyone, but only by us, the ones YAHUAH chose to be witnesses. We ate and drank with Him after He was raised from the dead.
43And all the prophets bear witness of this truth: that everyone who believes in YAHUSHA will have their sins forgiven through His Name.”
37You know what’s happened all over Judea don’t you? It began in Galilee after John told the people they needed to repent and be immersed.
39We witnessed all that YAHUSHA did in Judea and in Yerushalim. But then they killed Him on a timber stake.
42Then YAHUSHA told us to go and be His witnesses, telling the people that He is the one YAHUAH chose to be the Judge of all who are living and all who have died.
44And while Peter was still speaking these words, the set-apart Spirit rushed down on all those who were listening to him. 45Then those of the circumcision (JEWS) who came with Peter were amazed that YAHUSHA'S Spirit had also been poured out as a free gift on those of the uncircumcision (GENTILES).
46They heard them speaking different languages (TONGUES) and praising YAHUAH through the power of YAHUSHA'S Spirit. Then Peter said, 47“Wow, well so be it! How can anyone stop these people from being immersed in water now? Afterall, they’ve received the set-apart Spirit the same as we did!” 48So Peter told them to immerse Cornelius and his relatives and friends in the Name of YAHUSHA MESSIAH. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
DOES PETER'S VISION MAKE SENSE NOW?
THE ONLY WAY A GENTILE COULD GAIN SET-APART STATUS (BEFORE THE COMING OF YAHUSHA) WAS TO BECOME A HEBREW. BUT YAHUSHA’S DEATH AND RESURRECTION INDEED CHANGED THAT, FOR NOW THROUGH REPENTANCE, TRUST IN YAHUSHA AND A DIVINE HEART OPERATION, BOTH JEW AND GENTILE COULD ATTAIN THE SAME SPIRITUAL STATUS OF SET-APARTNESS, AND THROUGH THE BLOOD OF YAHUSHA, BE CLEANSED, WASHED AND HAVE OPEN-PORTAL ACCESS TO HIM - IRRELEVANT TO BECOMING A NATIONAL HEBREW THROUGH CIRCUMCISION OR ANY OTHER CULTURAL OBSERVANCE.
Likewise, we have been made Royal Kings and Priests and been raised to a `Set-Apart Status' among the nations of the world, able to be clothed, trained and used in His Divine Service ... Yahusha declares us clean and righteous because of His blood, and has removed our 'Common Status', allowing us to enter His Throneroom without frackling up ... however the battle is still raging over our hearts and Satan is relentless ... hurling everything UNCLEAN at us to pester and hinder us from maturing, entering in, praising and partaking of the Tree of Life more often.
YAHUSHA SEES US AS SET-APART, BUT DUE TO IMMATURITY, UNBELIEF AND NOT ARRESTING THOUGHTS (which turn into feelings) WE STRAY FROM THE SET-APART WAY AND FORGET WHO WE ARE ... BEHAVING THE COMMON!
No flesh will ever see His face and we need to overcome and actually behave set-apart just as He has legally declared us to be !