g.acts 9:32-43 – peter’s prominence 1.acts 9:32 – peter left samaria and went to lydda, a...

Panorama of the

New Testament

Peter’s Prominence

G. Acts 9:32-43 – Peter’s prominence 1. Acts 9:32 – Peter left Samaria and went to

Lydda, a major caravan crossroads.2. Acts 9:33-34 – In Lydda, Peter completely

healed Aeneas, a paralytic. Peter made certain that everyone understood that Jesus’ power had accomplished the miracle.

3. Acts 9:35 – Aeneas’ miraculous healing verified Peter’s message and led to the salvation of everyone in the area.


a. Acts 9:35a – Turning to the Lord means they changed their minds about Jesus Christ as Savior. Acts 9:42, 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10,

b. Acts 9:35b – The major port city of Joppa (in the coastal area called the land of Sharon) opened up the door for the Gospel to go to the Gentiles.

EARLY TRAVELS OF PETER (Acts 8:14 - Acts 11:18)


4. Acts 9:36 – Tabitha was a believer-in-training (disciple) who was well-known for her good works. James 1:22, Ephesians 2:10, Titus 3:8, 1 Peter 2:12

5. Acts 9:37-38 – After Tabitha’s death, several disciples entreated Peter to come help.

6. Acts 9:39 – By figuring mileage, we can assume that Peter arrived twelve or more hours after Tabitha’s death. Believers showed him garments she had made for needy fellow saints.


7. Acts 9:40-41 – Knowing that God was the source of healing, Peter prayed to Him, and He restored Tabitha’s life to her. This miracle verified Peter’s message in this new town.

8. Acts 9:42 – This miracle brought about the salvation of many in that region.


9. Acts 9:43 – Peter stayed with Simon, a leather worker who handled dead animals, a prohibition for Jews. Staying with him may have helped prepare Peter for God's upcoming vision about clean versus unclean.

Cornelius’ Vision

H. Acts 10:1-7 – Cornelius’ vision1. Acts 10:1 – Cornelius, a Roman officer in

charge of 80 to 120 men, lived in Caesarea, a city on a man-made port.

Cornelius’ Vision

2. Acts 10:2 – Cornelius was a God-fearer who had responded to the light he already had; therefore, Peter could begin directly with the Gospel instead of taking him back to the Creator/creature distinction (Creation) as he did with those who didn’t already know or fear God.

3. Acts 10:3-4a – Cornelius immediately and respectfully responded to the angel’s greeting, showing that he understood the angel’s superiority over him.

Cornelius’ Vision

4. Acts 10:4b – Cornelius had prayed to God. The prayer of the unrighteous to know God or to receive mercy does not save them, but God hears that prayer. Luke 18:13

5. Acts 10:5-6a – Using a military term (dispatch), the angel instructed Cornelius to send for Simon Peter. Because Simon Peter was staying with Simon the Tanner, Cornelius had to ask for the right Simon!

Cornelius’ Vision

6. Acts 10:6b – God the Holy Spirit would bring Peter together with the right men at the right time.

7. Acts 10:7-8 – Cornelius explained everything to his most trusted men and sent them 48 kilometers (30 miles) to Joppa to find Peter and bring him back to Caesarea.

CreationRomans 1:18-20

Eternity in the heartEcclesiastes 3:11

God exists

CreationRomans 1:18-20

Eternity in the heartEcclesiastes 3:11

God existsOFF

Dreams and Visions

I. A SHORT DOCTRINE ON DREAMS AND VISIONS1. Generally speaking, God used both dreams

and visions to communicate with His people before and during the completion of the canon of Scripture. Daniel 2, Matthew 1

2. Dreams = Special revelations from God given while the dreamer was asleepa. Studies show that everyone dreams as he

sleeps. Many factors, including the following three, influence our dreams.

Dreams and Visions

1) Physical factors, such as exhaustion, poor diet, chemical imbalance, and drug consumption, can affect dreams. Isaiah 29:7-8

2) Emotions, such as worry, anxiety, fear, depression, joy, and euphoria, also affect dreams. Ecclesiastes 5:3, 7; Ephesians 4:26-27

Dreams and Visions

3) Supernatural (demonic or Satanic)sources affect dreams. Colossians 2:18, Deuteronomy 13:1-2, Jeremiah 23:25-32

Dreams and Visions

b. The interpretation of these dreams was not to come from man but from the Lord. Genesis 41:16, Daniel 2:28

c. False prophets eagerly told everyone their false dreams, but true prophets were faithful to tell only those words they received directly from God. Jeremiah 23:28-32, 29:8-9, Daniel 2:29-30, 47

Dreams and Visions

d. God used dreams as one way of revealing truth directly to man (special revelation). Hebrews 1:1a, Genesis 37, 40-411) God the Holy Spirit recorded only

twenty-two dreams in Scripture, not many considering that the Bible spans 3,000 years of human history. We can be sure he included all the dreams that we need to know in the Word of God.

Dreams and Visions

a) Sixteen dreams are recorded in the Old Testament. Genesis 20:3, 6, 28:12, 31:10–11, 24, 37:5, 9, 40:5, 41:1, 5; Judges 7:13; 1 Kings 3:5; Daniel 2:1, 4:5, 7:1i. Eleven of the sixteen dreams

occurred before any part of the Old Testament had been written.

Dreams and Visions

ii. The Old Testament dreams were mainly about national or global issues.

1) Many were about the nation of Israel (Genesis 37:5-11) and issues that directly or indirectly affected her future. Genesis 40

2) Some were about the future of Gentile nations. Daniel 2

Dreams and Visions

iii. Although they sometimes involved individuals (Genesis 20:3, 28:12, 31:24, 37:5,9, 40:8), every dream was about the advancement of God’s greater plan for Israel or about the role of Gentile nations in the completion of His plan. Genesis 41:1

Dreams and Visions

b) The New Testament recorded six dreams. Matthew 1:20, 2:12–13, 19, 22, 27:19i. All six of the dreams in the New

Testament occurred before the writing of the New Testament.

ii. The last recorded dream in Acts occurred just prior to the writing of Paul’s first epistle.

Dreams and Visions

2) While God sometimes spoke to people using dreams, later He spoke directly to man through His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2) and now through the Scriptures, the Word of Christ. Colossians 3:16, Romans 10:17

Dreams and Visions

3) We do not need to have dreams that reveal new knowledge to us today because we have all that we need for life and godly living through the true knowledge of His Son as recorded in God's Word. 2 Peter 1:2-4

Dreams and Visions

4) A person places himself in danger if he looks to dreams for God’s answers or plans for life (Colossians 2:18). We are to look only to His Word, the Bible, His sole revelation to us, His children. Psalm 1:1-2, 119:105, Proverbs 3:5-6, 6:23, Colossians 2:11

Dreams and Visions

3. Visions = Special revelations given to someone while awake, either at night or during the day. Genesis 46:2, Job 4:13, 20:8, 33:15, Isaiah 29:7, Daniel 2:19a. A biblical vision was radically different from

pagan trances or modern ecstatic or mystical experiences. Daniel 8:1

b. A biblical vision was often like looking through a window to watch a scene unfold. Zechariah 1:7-10, Acts 10:10, Revelation 1:1

Dreams and Visions

c. Every person in the Bible who had a vision was able to think logically and interact with either angels or God during his vision. Zechariah 4:5-6

d. If God wanted the vision understood, it was explained to the recipient. God did not allow the individual to interpret his vision.

Dreams and Visions

e. Sometimes, actual people were in visions in person. Examples: Cornelius and an angel (Acts 10:3), Jesus personally encouraging Paul (Acts 18:9).1) The apostle John received a revelation

APOKALYPSIS while in the spirit EN PNUEMATI. Revelation 1:10-20

2) John’s vision was called a vision HORASEI. Revelation 4:3, 9:17

Dreams and Visions

f. The Old Testament Scripture recorded 39 visions. Daniel 8:1-2

g. The New Testament recorded several visions, including Ananias’ vision (Acts 9:10, 12), Peter’s vision (Acts 10:17, 11:5), Paul’s Macedonian call (Acts 16:9-10), and John’s vision (Revelation 9:17).

Dreams and Visions

4. Dreams and visions differed in three ways.a. Dreams emphasized what was seen. Visions

emphasized what was said. Numbers 12:6b. Only believers had visions. Both believers

and unbelievers received dreams. (Genesis 37 and 40-41)

c. In every dream in the Bible, the dreamer was passive and asleep; however, during a vision, the recipient was always mentally and spiritually engaged.

Dreams and Visions

5. God’s Word gives us all the special revelation we need; therefore, God no longer uses dreams or visions to communicate new information.

6. Dreams and visions will return during the dark days of the Tribulation just prior to the Lord’s return to set up His kingdom (Joel 2:28-32) and inaugurate the New Covenant with Israel. Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 8:8-12.

Peter’s Vision

J. Acts 10:9-23a – Peter’s vision1. Acts 10:9 – As Cornelius’ men approached

the city, Peter went to the rooftop to pray.2. Acts 10:10 – The Holy Spirit was

orchestrating events as Peter fell into the trance-like condition.

Peter’s Vision

3. Acts 10:11-12 – In Peter’s vision, something resembling a great sheet of cloth came down to the ground carrying all kinds of moving animals, both clean and unclean. In Genesis 6, Noah took these same animals on the ark.

Peter’s Vision

4. Acts 10:13-14 – Peter refused to obey God's command to eat the unclean animals because they violated the Jewish dietary laws of Deuteronomy 14 and Leviticus 11. These laws created a huge barrier between Jews and Gentiles.

5. Acts 10:15 – God told Peter to not call unclean anything that He had made clean.

Peter’s Vision

6. Acts 10:16 – God repeated the vision three times to emphasize that He had opened the door for Gentiles to receive the Gospel. The church is composed of both believing Jews and Gentiles and, therefore, does not have the same dietary rules the Jews had under the Law.

Peter’s Vision

7. A summary of basic New Testament dietary principles a. Mark 7:15-20 – Jesus declared all food

clean for eating. Acts 10:14, Romans 14:14

b. Romans 14:2 – A believer can eat a vegetarian diet.

Peter’s Vision

c. Romans 14:3 – A believer can eat meat. Only three clarifications were given on this issue, two of which were not addressed in the epistles. You’ll have to judge these issues for yourself and do what your conscience says based on your study of the Word of God.

Peter’s Vision

1) Acts 15:29a – They were not to eat meat sacrificed to idols. This is not a common problem in most western cultures today. Paul clarified this issue in 1 Corinthians and Romans. Under certain circumstances, believers can eat meat sacrificed to idols.

Peter’s Vision

2) Acts 15:29b – They were not to eat meat from animals that had been improperly slaughtered, i.e., strangled. This teaching was not repeated in the epistles.

3) Acts 15:29c – They were not to eat raw blood. This teaching also was not repeated in the epistles.

Peter’s Vision

d. Romans 14:20-21 – We are never to destroy God’s work (divide a church) because of differences in our dietary preferences. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

e. Believers are to abstain from certain foods under the following circumstances.1) Romans 14:22-23 – We are not to eat

any food that would offend our own consciences. Titus 1:15, Romans 14:23

Peter’s Vision

2) Romans 14:13-21 – We are not to eat any food that we know would offend the conscience of a weak (immature) believer. 1 Corinthians 8:4, 7, 9-13; 10:31-33

Peter’s Vision

f. 1 Corinthians 8:8 – Be aware that eating or rejecting certain types of food does not make you closer to God or more spiritual.

g. 1 Corinthians 10:25-28 – Eat whatever is put before you without asking questions that affect the conscience, either yours or that of your host. Hebrews 13:9

Peter’s Vision

h. 1 Corinthians 10:29 – Don’t follow the rules of others about eating. You must base what and how you eat on God's Word, understanding that every decision is between you and God alone. Colossians 2:16a, Romans 14:4-6, 1 Timothy 4:3

i. 1 Corinthians 10:30 – Be thankful for all your food. 1 Timothy 4:4-5

Peter’s Vision

j. 1 Corinthians 10:25-27 – Eat whatever you eat by faith (prayer). 1 Timothy 4: 5

k. Philippians 3:19 – Gluttony is not allowed in the New Testament and falls under the area of self-control, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.1 Peter 1:13, 1 Corinthians 9:27, 1 Corinthians 11:22-23, Galatians 5:20-21

Peter’s Vision

l. So what?1) Do not to go back to living under the

Jewish dietary Law. Galatians 5:3, Hebrews 13:9

Peter’s Vision

2) If you want to follow some of the Jewish dietary rules because they seem healthier to you, do not be tempted to think you are holier than others, and most certainly do not force your ideas on others or judge others by your standard. 1 Corinthians 10:31-32

Peter’s Vision

3) Do not fall into the world’s philosophies concerning foods. Food fads, ideas, and taboos change often. 1 Timothy 4:1-3, Colossians 2:8

4) Watch out for churches or sects that seek to control what you can and cannot eat. Colossians 2:18-19, 20-23

Peter’s Vision

5) Don’t allow others to judge you concerning your diet or your family’s diet. Diet is a conscience issue between you and the Lord. Colossians 2:16

6) Don’t offend weak believers by your food liberties. Romans 14:1-4

Peter’s Vision

8. Acts 10:17-18 – While Peter was trying to understand God’s message (that he should no longer discriminate between clean and unclean), Cornelius’ men arrived.

9. Acts 10:19 – Peter was not aware of the men’s arrival until the Holy Spirit told him.

Peter’s Vision

10.Acts 10:20 – To make it clear that salvation through Christ was for Gentiles as well as Jews, the Holy Spirit gave confirming messages to both Peter and Cornelius.

11.Acts 10:21-23a – Peter accepted Cornelius’ men’s testimony because it matched the Holy Spirit’s words to him. The next day, Peter and six other believers went to Caesarea.

g.acts 9:32-43 – peter’s prominence 1.acts 9:32 – peter left samaria and went to lydda, a...

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