“Test Everything” 119 Act 10 Video Peter’s Vision Test Results Pt. 1
Grace be to all and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus the Christ.
About a week ago, while on the Disqus social platform, I came across a channel entitled “Let’s Talk Torah”. I found this channel via following a gentleman who was actively commenting on the channel. Thinking that this was an active friendly discussion, I joined in, only to discover that I had entered an all out faith feud in progress. The topic of discussion was centered around the apostle Peter’s vision in Acts chapter 10 and 11 of the New Testament.
The members of the channel, believed that God was not literally telling Peter it was okay to eat unclean animals, while the gentleman believed that He was. Upon joining the discussion, one of the members referred me to a video which was created by a group know as “119 Ministries”.
In the 13 minute video, entitled “Acts 10 Peter’s Vision” , a gentleman suggests that God was not telling Peter that the laws of separation ( clean and unclean) were abolished for both him and the Gentiles, but rather Peter was being corrected by God.
Using Abraham as a comparison, he suggests to the audience, that Peter like Abraham, was being told to do something, which God did not plan for him to actually carry out; that God did not mean literally what He said to Peter, concerning eating unclean animals.
He suggests that Peter was being corrected over the false understanding that Gentiles were unclean, and that Peter got this
law from the Pharisee’s traditions (Talmud)(Jewish Oral Law), and not the Old Testament law; stating that:
“Nowhere in the Scriptures do we find this to be true. This was NOT Yahweh’s law. It was man’s law.That which was passed down from the Pharisees.”
These representations were made under a challenge slogan, inviting visitors to “Test Everything, hold onto what is good – 1 Thessalonians 5:21”, which I decided to do, as a means of examining the basis for these teachings.
What I discovered, I will now present as a means to reveal, what is truly represent in the Holy Scriptures.
In the video the following comments and questions were present:
“I’ve heard some say, “If God didn’t want Peter to eat the unclean animals in that sheet, then why did he
tell him to?” With this in mind, then why did God tell Abraham to kill Isaac? Did He REALLY want Abraham to kill his son? Of course not”.
I started here to test the legitimacy of this question. To see if Abraham could be used as a valid similarly situated person, in comparison to Peter’s situation before God, and if not, were there others more deserving of this comparison. This is what I discovered
- Fact: God proved (tested) Abraham’s faith, love, and obedience, when He instructed him to offer up Isaac (Gen22:1-18)
- Fact: Prove – to test the truth, validity, or genuineness of.
- Fact: God gave Peter a visual analogy, when He instructed him to eat of the unclean animals. (Acts 10:9-19)
- Fact: Analogy – a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification, a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based.
- Fact: Peter thought about the analogy, and made an inference based on it.(Acts 10:19-20)
- Fact: Inference-an idea or conclusion that’s drawn from evidence and reasoning.
- Fact: Peter shared his conclusion with those around him. (Act 10:28)
- Fact: Being proved, is not similar to being given an analogy.
Conclusion: Because the the two situations have no qualifying similarities, no just, honest, or valid comparison can be made between the two events; nor can they be honestly use as the basis to suggest or support the belief that God did not literally mean what he said to Peter.
Having concluded that Abraham was not a valid comparison, nor the question being posed a legitimate one, I continued to examine the scriptures, to see if there were others more deserving of this comparison. This is what I discovered.
Ezekiel 4:9-15
(9) Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof.
(10) And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it.
(11) Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink.
(12) And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.
(13) And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.
(14) Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.
(15) Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow’s dung for man’s dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.
- Fact: God commands Ezekiel the priest to defile himself by eating food baked with man’s dung. He pleads with the Lord about it, then is allowed to defile himself with cow’s dung instead (Ezekiel 4:9-15)
- Fact: God used Ezekiel to symbolize the siege of Jerusalem.
- Fact: God defiled Ezekiel as visual analogy for the people of Jerusalem ( Ezekiel 4:12-13)
- Fact: God meant this literally, and Ezekiel took it literally.
- Fact: This violated Ex29:14, Lev 4:11, Lev 16:27 and Num 19:5
- Fact: Ezekiel and Peter both are commanded to partake of things they considered unclean.
- Fact: Ezekiel and Peter both make identical pleas to God.
- Fact: Both their pleas contain identical expressions, that show they believed God meant literally what He commanded.
- Fact: In both situations God used symbolism and analogy to convey is plan and purpose.
Conclusion: Because the two situations have very unique qualifying similarities, a valid, just, and honest comparison can be made between the two events; and can be honestly use as the basis to strongly support the belief that God literally meant what he said to Peter.
Having concluded that Ezekiel was a valid comparison, and that his was far more a legitimate one, I continued to examine the scriptures, to see if there were any others, more deserving of this comparison as well. This is what I discovered.
Hosea 1:1-11 The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
(2) The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.
(3) So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.
(4) And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.
(5) And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.
(6) And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.
(7) But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.
(8) Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.
(9) Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.
- Fact: God commands the prophet Hosea to marry a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms. (Hosea 1:2-3)
- Fact: God used Hosea to symbolize the whoredoms of Israel and Judah. (Hosea 1:2-3)
- Fact: God defiled Hosea as visual analogy for the people of Israel and Judah.( Hosea 1:4-9)
- Fact: God meant this literally, and Hosea took it literally.
- Fact: This violated Ex20:14, Deu 23:17-18 and caused Hosea to live in adultery.
- Fact: Ezekiel, Hosea, Peter are all commanded to partake of things that are considered unclean.
- Fact: In each situation, God used symbolism and analogy to convey is plan and purpose.
Conclusion: Because all three situations have very unique qualifying similarities, a valid, just, and honest comparison can be made between the three events; and can be honestly use as the basis to strongly support the belief that God literally meant what he said to Peter.
Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
(9) For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Selah
This concludes Part 1. “Test Everything” results