Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.
(Leviticus 19:36) KJV
People point to Newton who wrote math which shows that an ellipse can have one focus. Math is theoretical fudge which can be made into any shape you want based entirely on whatever you want to believe.
Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.
(Leviticus 19:36) KJV
We have developed a 3D spherical hollow Earth model (SHEM). If the Earth has experienced radial shrinkage and it’s diameter decreased, we can so some simple calculations to figure out what the original radius was.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Again, you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘Whoever of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who gives any of his descendants to Molech, he shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. I will set My face against that man, and will cut him off from his people, because he has given some of his descendants to Molech, to defile My sanctuary and profane My holy name. And if the people of the land should in any way hide their eyes from the man, when he gives some of his descendants to Molech, and they do not kill him, then I will set My face against that man and against his family; and I will cut him off from his people, and all who prostitute themselves with him to commit harlotry with Molech.
(Leviticus 20:1-5) NKJV
Molech, Milcom or Malkam, was the god of the Ammonites to whom they offered new born babies as burnt offerings. In case you weren’t sure, who gives any of his descendants to Molech, means destroying babies.
And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.
God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
(Job 28:23-25) KJV
If you want to believe that earth is flat no one’s going to stop you. However nothing in the Bible, either in the meaning of words or in the context of passages, requires you to believe that earth is flat and has an edge.
Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.
(Proverbs 17:24) KJV
The proverb above has a familiar ring to it. How about this for comparison?
All his life has he looked away… to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was… what he was doing.
– Master Yoda
This isn’t talking about the edge of a flat earth, it’s talking about someone who lets his or her mind wander off into… the Star Trek universe of SciPop.
12 Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. 13 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: 14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. 15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, 16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: 17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. 18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. 19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: 20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. 21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.
( Acts 15:12-21 ) KJV
Silence
Seek
Sentence
1. Silence
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
( Psalms 46:10 ) KJV
2. Seek
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
( Matthew 6:31-33 ) KJV
What does the Word of God say?
11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: 12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.
( Amos 9:11-12 ) KJV
3. Sentence
Back to the basics.
pollutions: ἀλισγημάτων – alisgéma
fornication: πορνείας – porneia
things strangled: πνικτοῦ – pniktos
blood: αἵματος – haima
But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
( Genesis 9:4 ) KJV
10 And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. 12 Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. 13 And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. 14 For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.
There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do. And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually; And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.
On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
( Acts 10:1-16 )
Ecstasy
The Big Picture
We have learned about Saul’s road to Damascus experience and his meeting with Ananias where he learned that he was a chosen vessel who would take the gospel of salvation to the gentiles.
This was followed by an evangelistic revival in the area around Antioch where followers of Christ were first called Christians.
Barnabas goes to Tarsus to find Saul, being well aware that this is what he has been called to be a part of.
Today’s passage is more spiritual motion in the direction of helping the Jews understand that their time of Divine exclusivity has ended. Grace is for everyone. However, this is going to be tricky.
a displacement (of the mind), bewilderment, ecstasy
(properly: distraction or disturbance of mind caused by shock), bewilderment, amazement; a trance.
completely remove
properly, take out of regular position (standing) and bring into a state of ecstasy (rapture)
like a person “carried out” in trance-like amazement. This state of mind reaches far beyond the powers of ordinary perception.
Peter’s trance is designed to help him understand that the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law don’t apply to Christians. By extension, this means that everyone can be a Christian, it is not just for the Jews.
Leviticus 11
Allowed Animals
v. 3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud
In the Waters
v. 9 whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters
Arthropods
v. 21 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth;
Locust
Bald Locust
Beetle
Grasshopper
Forbidden Animals
v. 4 cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; v. 7 clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud
Camel
Coney (rabbit)
Hare (rabbit)
Swine
In the waters
v. 12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.
Fowls
Eagle
Ossifrage
Osprey
Vulture
Kite
Raven
Owl
Night Hawk
Cuckow
Hawk
Little Owl
Cormorrant
Great Owl
Swan
Pelican
Gier Eagle
Stork
Heron
Lapwing
Bat
Terrestrial Animals
Weasel
Mouse
Tortoise
Ferret
Chamelion
Lizard
Snail
Mole
And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten. Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
( Leviticus 11:41-42 )
This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.
And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.
(Leviticus 5:1) KJV
If the words that Jesus Christ spoke are words of life to those who hear and believe them, then what are swear words? The words of death? Swearing is an indicator of a soul’s condition.