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Food Vision
Acts 10:12,14 “In the sheet were all kinds of four-footed animals, reptiles, and birds“, “But Peter said, Not so, YHWH; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.“
The entire Chapter of Acts 10 and 11 is about this vision involving a large sheet (or vessel) full of various animals, both clean and unclean by YHWH’s law and Peter repeats the meaning of this vision. The meaning of the vision is not about literal food, but a symbolic message from YHWH to the Apostle Peter regarding the inclusion of Gentiles into the Christian faith. The key message is found in the voice that tells Peter in Acts 11:9, “What YHWH has made clean, do not call common“. Verse 18 says, “When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then YHWH has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”” The meaning of clean, is getting rid of the old, so that we can be forgiven and start fresh. YHWH can make us clean, and get rid of the old wrong way of living. Click here to see our posts on “Cleansing”, like Psalm 19 with reference to Yeshua, forgiveness and cleansing.
Today however, the majority christian view and teachings are that the vision in Acts 10 has a dual meaning, applying both to people and to food, using the top half of the vision as the pivotal moment where they say God abolished the Old Testament dietary laws, including the prohibition on eating pork. However this view can be strongly debated, and for each one of us, this should be a stopping point where you ask – on which side of the fence do you sit? Peter clearly tells us what the meaning of the vision is, and Peter stood by his decision not to eat unclean foods. And can one really with good conscious say that YHWH has changed His mind about unclean foods?
Acts 11 also starts a debate with Peter, where the people are upset that Peter spent time with the uncircumcised gentiles.. Here is the thing: YHWH has taught His people from Torah the following, Leviticus 10:10, “And that you may put a difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean“. Click here to see our previous posts on “Clean and Unclean”. Since the time of Adam and Eve’s sin, everyone has become unclean. But through Torah, some guidance is given on how to clean ourselves. Living in a sinful world, we constantly become unclean – and that in inevitable sometimes. Woman have their periods, men and woman have relations, babies are born, we have to bury our dead, getting certain skin diseases or certain sickness. Torah gives certain instructions on how to clean ourselves and our houses, to prevent sickness and mould. Included in those instructions are food, because certain animals have been created as the “clean up crew”, where they will consume anything, including anything that is dead. Therefor these animals are known to contain parasites and sickness, and it should be avoided to eat these animals – for our own benefit. It is not something strange, or old man’s tales, these are basic rules to help us. But keeping these rules, doesn’t make us more important than the people who don’t clean themselves. And this is what YHWH says, He can also make us clean. But the fact remains, we cannot stay dirty and think it is ok – we have to become clean. Even Yeshua said in Matthew 5:48 “Therefore, be perfect, as your Father in the heavens is perfect“.
The problem was, the Jews even back then, saw themselves as being superior because they are clean. Even though, they are not constantly clean, they still have to regularly clean themselves. But the fact is, that they eat correctly, they are circumcised as babies, and they do their cleaning rituals. Even today, a lot of Jews believe they are chosen and superior to the rest of the world. And this is the exact purpose of the Vision – to give people a reality check, any people who think they are superior, that YHWH has the final say. This battle of clean vs. unclean continues throughout Acts, and also into the other letters of the new testament. Very soon after this vision, when Paul is confronted with this same issue, the other Apostles realize one thing: The first step isn’t to get circumcised, eat clean foods and suddenly act and look like a Jew. In tomorrows’ post (Acts 15) Peter and the Apostles come up with a list of absolute basic things a new follower should try to do, and from there on in their daily life forward, they will slowly change the way “they think and act”. The greek word for Repentance is Motaneo G3340 – metanoeō, meaning to change your thinking and the way you act. Click here to see previous posts on Repentance, as well as the Hebrew meaning of it – and why it falls in line with living clean, which is a process of transformation.
Christians, Followers of "The Way"
Acts 11:26 “The disciples were called Christians for the first time in the city of Antioch“
The term “Christians” originated in the city of Antioch (in Roman Syria, modern-day Turkey), where it was coined by the non-Jewish, Greek, and Roman inhabitants to refer to the followers of Yeshua. The name was not initially used by the believers themselves, who referred to each other with terms like “disciples,” “brethren,” “saints,” or “those of the Way”. The Greek word used, Christianos, combined “Christos” (Greek for “Anointed One,” a translation of the Hebrew “Messiah“) with the Latin-derived suffix -ianos. This suffix was common in Roman society to denote allegiance to a person or party (e.g., Herodiani, followers of Herod), so the term literally meant “followers of Christ” or “belonging to the party of Christ”. However, Antioch was known for its tendency to invent sarcastic nicknames, so the term was initially intended to be a derogatory or mocking nickname. It was used to associate the believers with their leader, whom the Romans had crucified. There is also evidence that it was sometimes pronounced “Chrestians,” a pun that could mean “the goody-goody bunch”.
The term quickly circulated throughout the Roman Empire and appears only twice more in the New Testament. King Agrippa II says to Paul (probably meant as sarcastic), “In a short time you would persuade me to be a Christian” (Acts 26:28). And in 1 Peter 4:16 Peter writes, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify Adonai in that name”.
From our post back in Proverbs 16 (click here to read more), we mentioned how the initial followers of Yeshua was called “Followers of The Way“. This name is once again lost because of our translators, and when we read the word “the way”, it doesn’t seem like a name. From the Proverbs 16 post, we listed a few places in Scripture that mentions “The Way”. When Thomas asked which way to go, Yeshua replied He is the Way in John 14:6. From there, we see people like Saul/Paul prosecuting the “followers of the Way” in Act 9:2, “And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this Way G3598, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.” At the end of Acts, we see a converted Paul proclaiming that he is now a believer of “The Way” as well as the Laws and Prophets, in Act 24:14 “But this I confess unto thee, that after the Way G3598 which they call heresy, so worship I the Adonai of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets”
The Greek word in the new testament for “the way” is Hodos G3598 – hodos, meaning The Way, but also the journey, the way you think, feel and decide on things.
Risen, being Raised Up and Born Again
Acts 13:33 “as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” Other translations say, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father”. This type of translation makes it very confusing, as YHWH was Yeshua’s Father even before He was born in the flesh.
This verse in Acts mentions where exactly he is quoting from, the second psalm, which Psalm 2:7 “I will declare the decree: YHWH hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” One might think from Psalm, it was the day when Yeshua was born in the flesh, or as some might even refer to Yeshua’s baptism and Matthew 3:17 which says, “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” However, Paul is talking specifically here about the day Yeshua was risen from the dead, in Acts 13:30, “But God raised him from the dead”.. and then in this verse 33, “YHWH hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Yeshua“.
The translation might be confusing, in that “begotten thee” sounds like “getting someone”. The Hebrew word from Psalm is Yalad H3205 – yālaḏ, meaning to bear, bring forth, a child birth, to assist in bring forth (like a midwife). Using the original meanings for Yeshua’s resurrection, and even our own one day, just sounds amazing : “You are my child, this day I’m bringing you forth”.
