Acts 10:1-8: Cornelius and His Vision

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The Acts of the Apostles
Acts 101-22 Peter with Cornelius the Great
Sheet

• Acts 101-8 Cornelius and His Vision
• Cornelius was a Roman and centurion
• A non-commissioned officer who commanded a
  division in the Roman army, consisting of a 100
  men.
• A regiment (band) was 600 men, 10 of a Roman
  legion of 6000 soldiers.
• Five centurions mentioned in the NT
• Cornelius and others in Matt 85-13 Luke
  2346,47 Acts 2224-26 Acts 271
• Caesarea was on the Mediterranean 30 miles north
  of Joppa.
• Was Cornelius a believer?
• He was described as devout (pious), one who
  feared God and gave alms generously and prayed
  continually (presumably to the Jews God).
• More about Cornelius - Acts 1028,34,44 111,8
  157
• The vision occurred at the 9th hour - 300 PM,
  the hour of prayer.
• See also Ps 5517 Dan 610

June 8, 2014 Bob Eckel
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The Acts of the Apostles
Acts 101-22 Peter with Cornelius the Great
Sheet

• Notice the gender of the angel (v4) masculine
• Why were Cornelius alms and prayer called a
  memorial before God?
• See the prayers of the saints in Rev 84
• If Cornelius is unsaved, doesnt this experience
  remind you of Paul?
• Whats similar?
• Whats different?
• Why didnt the Lord bring Peter to Cornelius
  rather than the opposite?
• Notice the command was to send men not himself.
• Acts 109-16 Peters Vision
• The men are on their way and 1200 Peter is up
  on the (flat) roof praying.
• And Peter got hungry and proceeded into a trance
  (ecstasy) (hypoglycemia?) and then had a vision
  of clean and unclean animals coming down on a
  white sheet.

June 8, 2014 Bob Eckel
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The Acts of the Apostles
Acts 101-22 Peter with Cornelius the Great
Sheet

• Like similar states described in II Cor 122 Rev
  110
• Seems like a reasonable vision for a hungry man
  doesn't it.
• And he saw heaven open up (v11)
• Like Steven in Acts 755,56
• And there are other visions in the book of Acts
• Acts 731 910-12, 129, 169,10, 189
• What do make of the sheet being bound at the four
  corners?
• And this was difficult for Peter because these
  animals were not all Kosher (Lev 211-45).
• Who was speaking to Peter?
• What was the message repeated 3 times?
• An important turning point - lets leave the Law
  behind Peter!
• Constable He had either not understood or not
  remembered Jesus' teaching in which He had
  declared all foods clean (Mark 714-19, Rom.
  1414). Peter's "No, Lord," is, of course, an
  inconsistent contradiction. Nevertheless Peter's
  response was very consistent with his impulsive
  personality and former conduct. He had said,
  "No," to the Lord before (Matt. 1622 John
  138).

June 8, 2014 Bob Eckel
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The Acts of the Apostles
Acts 101-22 Peter with Cornelius the Great
Sheet

• And calling someone common should have become
  invalid Acts 1028
• Can you think of ways in which our response to
  legality continues today?
• Acts 1017-22 Peters Response to the Vision and
  Men Sent by Cornelius
• Peters response of wondering or doubting about
  the white sheet phenomenon was in the imperfect
  tense continual and repeated wondering and
  doubting
• Notice how the Holy Spirit leads (v19)
• The timing of the visit related to Peters
  roofly experience
• That Peter was to come down and greet the men
  sent by Cornelius and realize the Lord had
  brought them to him.
• In addition to being called by angels of the Lord
  (vv.3,22) and the ascended Lord Jesus Christ
  (vv.4,14).
• How unexpected this all must have seemed to Peter
• Gentile men being sent to him from another town.
  

June 8, 2014 Bob Eckel
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The Acts of the Apostles
Acts 101-22 Peter with Cornelius the Great
Sheet

• Summoning him to the house of Cornelius and
  sharing words with him.
• Presumably the gospel.
• The heart of Cornelius had been prepared.
• Is this the way God works today?
• How important do think it was for them to
  describe the attributes of Cornelius?
• I Pet 315 But sanctify the Lord God in your
  hearts and be ready always to give an answer to
  every man that asketh you a reason of the hope
  that is in you with meekness and fear

June 8, 2014 Bob Eckel
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