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gry. Just before noon Peter fell into
a trance. In vision he saw heaven
opened and a sheet was Jet down to
the earth. This sheet contained
"all
manner
of fourfooted beas ts of the
earth, and wi ld beasts, and creeping
things, and fowls of the air" (verse
12).
Notice this carefully. This sheet
contained every type of animal
imaginable, including wi ld a n i–
mals- Iions, tigers, hyenas, mon–
keys, skunks. And creeping things
- snakes and lizards, vermin and
spiders. And fowl like vultures and
crows and eagles!
Peter was shocked by the sight of
all these creatu res. Then, of all
things, God commanded Peter to
kili and eat of these creatures!
What did Peter say?
" Not so, Lord; for 1 have
never
eaten any thing that is common or
unclean" (verse 14).
Peter had lived day and night
with J esus for more than three
years. He certainly understood
from Jesus' teaching that
t~ere
were sorne c reatures that are sim–
ply not fit for human food. That is
why when this vision carne
JO
years
after the rituals and cere–
monies were aboli s hed at t he
c ross, Peter refused to eat. He
knew that God's law of clean and
unclean meats was sti ll in full
force and cffect!
Now notice what the voice from
heaven told Peter when he refused
to eat: "What God hath cleansed,
that call not thou common" (verse
J5) .
.lt
does not say that what God
c Jeansed were these revoJting
unclean repti les, fowl and wiJd ani–
mals.
1t
does say that what God
cleansed is not to be called com–
mon! But what did God cleanse?
What God Really Cleansed
In this vision that Peter saw, the
voice from heaven spoke three
times, then the sheet was received
up into heaven again. And what did
Peter do? "Peter doubted in him–
seJf what this vision which he had
scen shouJd mean" (verse J7). He
did not immediately assume like so
many people that God suddenJy
changed his laws 1
O
years after the
crucifixion!
Now noti ce what happened!
"While Peter thought on the vision,
the Spirit said unto him, Behold,
July / August 1983
three men seek thee. Arise there–
fore, and get thee down, and go
with them, doubting nothing: for
1
have sent them" (verses 19-20).
The voice from heaven in the
vision spoke unto P eter three
t imes because three gentile men–
two servants and a soldier (verse
7)- were at that moment on their
way to see him. Peter went with
them to see Cornelius. T his is
when Peter unders tood the vision!
He confessed in verse 28,
" ... God hath shewed me that 1
should not call any
man
common
or unclean."
" What God cleansed" were not
thosc unclean animals, but those
We must
realize there are
physical laws
working in our
bodies,
regulating our
health. This
meat question has
todo
with these laws.
gentile men, formerly regarded as
unclean by the Jewish peopJe.
Those unclean animals in Peter's
vision were used to symbolize the
gent ile races of
men.
The Jewish
people had been forbidden to asso–
ciate with thcm because of their
abominable practices. But now this
wall of spiritual separation had
been broken down and salvation
was extended to the gentiles. Peter
finally realized that this was the
meaning of the vision and said, "Of
a truth 1 perceive that God is no
respecter of persons: but in every
nat ion he that feareth him, and
worketh righteousness, is accepted
with him" (verses 34-35) .
Yes, to be accepted with God,
wc must fear him and work righ–
teousness. What is righteousness?
" ... Al! thy commandments are
righteousness" (Psa. 119: 172). And
among those commandments are
the laws that tell us which kinds of
flesh are clean and which are
unclean!
Wo uld You Eat Skunks and Rats?
But suppose God had been trying
to tell Peter- and us-that he
should eat all the things contained
in the sheet that was Jet down in
vision. Would you eat those "creep–
ing things"- Ji zards, snakes, spi–
ders? Would you eat skunks and
hycnas? Of course you wouldn't!
Why? Because you have your own
law of what you think is clean and
unclean!
Common sense tells us that God
did not intend for us to eat every
creature. But we just aren't willing
to Jet our Creator tell us which
meats will give us Jasting health
and st rength, and which ones are
injurious to our bodies, and will
eventually bring on more sickness
and disease.
lt
is time we Jet God
tell us what is clean and what is
unclean instead of using our faulty
human reason!
Sorne peopJe, however, still want
to argue with God. One text they
will bring up is found in 1 Timothy
4: J-3. Read it carefully.
Notice that these " doctrines of
devils" include "commanding to
abs tain from mea ts, which God
hath created to be received with
thanksgiving ...." By whom?
" ... of them which beJi eve and
know the truth." What is truth?
Christ said, "Thy word is truth"
(John 17:17). Then the BibJe itself
rcveals the truth concerning which
mea ts are good, for food. We
should not refuse to eat any food
that, accordi ng to truth , G od
created to be eaten with thanksgiv–
ing. But this does not mean tha t all
meats are healthfuJ and fit for the
human body.
Notice that the fa Jse doct rine is
commandi ng to abs tain from meats
that are thankfully received by
those who belicve and know the
truth- who know God's Word. But
God 's Word- the Holy Bible–
tells us that therc
are
sorne meats
that are "unclean," and are not to
be rcceived with thanksgiving!
Now consider what verses 4 and
5 tell us: "For every creature of
God is good , and nothing to be
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