Title A bowl/Acts 10:9-23
Content [Jerusalem, and all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth] is the area of the mission of the gospel of Jesus (Acts 1:8). In other words, in the created world, all spatial areas where humans exist are the stage of evangelism.
The two visions in Acts 10 were an important revelation from God in which the gospel of Jesus Christ was transferred from Judea to the Gentile world. It was God's own supernatural work.
Cornelius, a Roman centurion stationed in Caesarea at that time, was a Gentile who feared the God of Judaism. He was a man who helped the people a lot and always prayed to God. One day while praying, he received a vision from God. The vision was to send someone to Joppa to ask for a man named Peter, who is staying at the house of a man named Simon who is buried. It was even said that Simon's house in Pijan was on the beach of Joppa. So Cornelius sent his godly servants to Peter (10:1-8).
By the time the servants sent by Cornelius arrived in Joppa, Peter was wondering what it meant when he saw a vision repeated three times during prayer on the roof of Simon's house in Joppa.
At that time, Cornelius' servants from Caesarea found and met Peter. They told Peter all the details of the vision that their master Cornelius had received. The Holy Spirit directed Peter to go to Cornelius's house. Eventually, Peter went to the home of Cornelius, a Gentile, to preach the gospel of Jesus. As a result, Cornelius, who was listening to Peter's sermon, and all those who were gathered there were poured out by the Holy Spirit. Eventually he and his family and associates were baptized to become Jesus Christians (10:44-48). This made us know that the gospel of Jesus is a universal gospel that is not only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles.
The reason that Peter, as a Jew, went to the homes of Gentiles, preached the gospel to them, and became brothers and had fellowship, was the result of seeing a vision of a bowl like a large cloth hanging on the ground with his ears tied.
A bowl of fantasy!
I. It was a vision that came to Peter while he was praying in the house of Simon Joppa.
In Acts 9:43, it says, “Peter stayed in Joppa many days, and stayed in a house of mortals called Simon.”
Peter toured all Judean churches, Galilee, and Samaria churches (Acts 9:31), and went down to Lydda to heal Ania, an 8-year-old paralytic in the name of Christ (Acts 9:33-34). At that time, Tabitha, a woman of good deeds living in neighboring Joppa, also died, and the saints who loved her were grieving. When she heard the news that Peter was nearby, she invited him and Peter came to Joppa. Of course, Tabitha was brought back to life by Peter's prayer, and because of that, Peter stayed there.
Peter had a vision while he was praying at 6 o'clock (12 o'clock) on the roof of Simon's house in Joppa (10:9).
II. It was a fantasy that came down from heaven.
1. It was a fantasy that appeared in a dream.
In 10:10 it says, “He was hungry and wanted to eat. It is a fantasy that appeared between nightmares and nightmares. Whereas the vision Cornelius received earlier ( ) was objective, the vision Peter received here was 'unlucky. This word( ) means a ecstatic psychological phenomenon caused by the subjectivity of the recipient. It refers to a kind of mystical phenomenon, but it does not mean that Peter fell into a state of oblivion (?) where he lost consciousness. It refers to a highly mystical state in which God supernaturally asserts Peter's heart.
2. It was a heavenly vision that appeared from heaven.
In 10:10-11, it is said that [the heavens are opened in the dark...]. This shows that the vision Peter received was not the product of human subjective, but God's product, that is, a divine revelation. As the heavens opened, Jacob saw a ladder. As the heavens opened, Stephen saw the Lord Jesus standing. Peter had a vision coming down from heaven when the heavens were opened. Every good gift of light is coming from the God of heaven. The God of heaven is the treasury of all kinds of grace.
3. The content of the vision was a bowl.
In 10:11, it says, “And I saw heaven opened and a bowl coming down, and it was like a large sheet of cloth, and tying up your ears and casting them to the ground”
On that blue Mediterranean beach without a single cloud, this amazing sight is coming down from the blue sky with a bowl hanging down on the ground like a large cloth! Wasn't it noon? Wasn't that a spectacle that only Peter could see! Wasn't it a revelation from heaven that only those who gave and those who received it knew!
Peter said he saw this. Each time this scene was repeated three times, Peter clearly saw the same scene. I saw it clearly. I definitely saw it. It had to be a real ecstasy. A bowl looked like it was wrapped in a large cloth, but it looked like a square bowl.
(1) What looks like a square bowl symbolizes that it points to all the four directions of the earth, east, west, north, and south. In other words, it refers to all nations and peoples, that is, trans-region, trans-historical, trans-blood, trans-sexual content. In other words, it is thought that the square bowl symbolizes the area (space) in which all mankind in the world lives.
(2) In the vessel were [every four-footed beast of the earth, and creeping things and flying things] (10:12).
These were the unclean animals specified in Deuteronomy 14:3-20, which were forbidden to the Jews to eat.
So, Peter could not help but be amazed at the contents of the mysterious vessel that came down from heaven and arrived before him. To say that there is [adaptation] in it means that all things common and unclean were included. What surprised Peter even more was that at that time there was a voice saying, “Peter, get up, kill and eat” (10:13).
Peter's answer was clear. [Lord, I can't. I never ate unclean and unclean things.] (10:14). It was a faithful response to Jewish legalism. The vessel that appeared in front of him then went up to heaven again.
Peter said it was unclean and unclean, but a voice from heaven said, "Do not call what God has made clean, do not call it unclean."
A little later the vessel reappeared from heaven and arrived before Peter. The same sounds and replies of refusal were repeated. This was repeated three times (10:10,15,16). It was to show the certainty of this illusion. And it was to show the importance of this vision. It was to show Peter the clear and holy will of God. It was asking for a complete new faith from Peter.
Indeed, Peter must have had a close relationship with No. 3. He swore to the Lord and denied it three times (Matthew 26:69-75), and after the Lord was resurrected, Peter made the oath of love that he confessed to the Lord three times on the Sea of Galilee (John 21: 15-19).
III. The true meaning of a bowl fantasy
In 10:17, it says, “He doubted within himself what the vision that Peter had seen meant.” Peter doubted the vision that had been repeated three times in himself. Here, [doubt]( ) means 'the way out is blocked', and it refers to the situation in which Peter is struggling because he does not understand the true meaning of this vision and is at a loss for what to do.
At that time, those sent by Cornelius from Caesarea found Peter (10:17). At that time, Peter was 'thinking' about this vision. At that time, the Holy Spirit showed Peter's way (10:19-20), and he realized it through those sent by Cornelius (10:21-23). As a result, Peter went to the Gentile Cornelius, and finally the gospel of salvation came to the Gentiles as well.
The true meaning of the 'one bowl' vision was a revelation from heaven that showed the gospel's advancement to the Gentiles, the gospel's conquest of the Gentiles, that is, the universal gospel movement. He informed us of the movement to advance the gospel to the Gentiles and to globalize the gospel.
IV. A modern lesson in a bowl fantasy
A bowl that came down from heaven! A large cloth hanging on the ground by tying your ears! It is clearly a parish for world missions. It refers to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. That one vessel is clearly the stage of evangelism where the gospel of the Lord should be preached.
The fact that it came down from heaven shows that the gospel movement is a divine product, a heavenly product. It shows that Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth are the realms created by God.
The various unclean beast-like beings that appeared profane in the vessel refer to mankind who have fallen because of sin. The unclean beasts in the vessel refer to the chosen sinners destined to be saved in God's eternal economy.
They were ugly and unclean in Peter's view of the Jewish law. However, “Do not call what God has cleansed you unclean” (10:15) means that they are the predestined people who have already been cleansed by salvation in Christ. To 'take and eat' means to make clean by preaching the gospel of salvation of Jesus Christ.
Even now, the illusion of 'a bowl' from heaven actually continues. It is the movement of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ on this earth by Him. The church that the Lord establishes is like a vessel that has been given to us from heaven. It is the vessel of the Lord. It is a vessel that is hung over several lands in the east, west, south, and north.
There are many kinds of sinners in that vessel. Various kinds of people come and go in the church on earth. All are sinners before God. We must make them clean with the gospel of the cross of the Lord. You must make it a savior.
Those who see this spirit world have bright eyes. The wider the mind, the larger the range of action. And we do not arbitrarily exclude what God has made clean as unclean. Such a person makes the most of the gospel mission's chance. We never delay or miss the expansion of the Gospel movement. You will be guided by the correct Holy Spirit. We face the providential events of the gospel movement that God revealed. We boldly break off the old fences of the Jewish tradition and venture out into a large foreign missionary fishing ground. We run to find the unclean animals (sinners) in the vessels that God has cleaned and wash them with the gospel of life and the blood of purification.
Dear saints,
This is the house of God that our tendencies have received!
New Temple! This is the great vessel God has given us. A bowl that came down from heaven. This is a vessel that God gave to us from heaven while Kyunghyangin prayed for over 20 years.
In this large vessel is the people God has already placed in His people. Various people (sinners) are included. We need to be able to see this. Clearly, the vessel we received is the vessel to contain the world. It is the church that has received the world. With the completion of the new temple, God's people are already in the vessel (the new temple). Finding it is the 3.3.3 movement.
The vessel we received (the new temple) is the vessel that will receive the world. Centering on this new temple, the 21st century world mission movement will unfold. Therefore, that vessel (the new temple) is the vessel that will receive the world.
Eyes open! he sees this. Those with open ears! He hears the sound of heaven. Open minded one! He is directed by the Holy Spirit. May we see the vessels that have been brought down upon us from heaven. This is God's great blessing to us. - Amen -