What is the meaning of Acts 11:5? I was in the city of Joppa praying Peter sets the scene in the coastal town where Jonah once fled (Jonah 1:3). Joppa had long been a gateway for God’s plans to reach the nations. While staying there, “Peter went up on the roof to pray” (Acts 10:9). Prayer positions the believer to receive divine guidance (Matthew 6:6; Philippians 4:6). This opening clause reminds us that God often speaks when His servants intentionally seek Him. and in a trance Acts records several moments when God suspends normal awareness to deliver revelation—Paul in the temple (Acts 22:17) or Abram’s deep sleep (Genesis 15:12). The word underscores that Peter’s experience was supernatural, not imagination. God can still interrupt routine to clarify His will (Numbers 12:6). I saw a vision of something like a large sheet “Vision” (Acts 10:11) signals symbolic communication with literal implications. The “large sheet” suggests completeness—ample enough to hold “all kinds of four-footed animals” (Acts 10:12). Visions in Scripture often convey God’s redemptive program—Ezekiel 1:1; Revelation 21:2. Here, the sheet anticipates the church’s worldwide mission. being let down from heaven by its four corners The origin “from heaven” confirms divine initiative (James 1:17). Four corners call to mind the four winds (Revelation 7:1) and the gathering of exiles “from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:12). The imagery points to God’s intent to reach every nation; no corner is excluded. What Peter deemed unclean God was declaring accepted through Christ (Acts 10:15; Ephesians 2:13-16). and it came right down to me God’s message was personal and direct. The sheet “came right down” so Peter could not miss it (Acts 10:14-16). Revelation becomes responsibility: Peter soon applies it by welcoming the Gentile messengers and preaching to Cornelius (Acts 10:34-48). As Acts 1:8 promised, the witness moves from Jerusalem outward, and Peter is God’s chosen instrument for this pivotal step. summary Acts 11:5 recounts how God broke through Peter’s prayer time in Joppa with a vivid, heaven-sent vision. Each detail—the setting of prayer, the trance, the immense sheet, its heavenly descent, and its nearness—underscores that the inclusion of Gentiles was God’s sovereign plan, not human innovation. The verse teaches that when believers earnestly seek the Lord, He can clearly reveal His purposes, expanding our horizons to match His heart for the whole world. |
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