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DOMINOES

Part III

In Dominoes, we've been trying to communicate how the LORD reveals prophecy, in a sequential pattern which is calculated to prepare our earthly vessels to receive His revelations.

Several interesting examples of this aspect of God's will are seen rolling out in the lives of the disciples found in the early church. We've already diagrammed how Peter and the other disciples had to be convinced Jesus was the prophesied Saviour, before Christ could reveal the stunning fact that Jesus was to be sacrificed for the sins of mankind.

"From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things…" (Matthew 16:21). 

There is an equally momentous move of God after Christ had ascended to the Father, and it helps to illustrate how He continues to lead us, even in the modern timeline, from the heavenlies.

It is clear the prophets spoke about the calling of the Gentiles, and we may presume the "grafting" of the Gentiles into Israel (Romans 11:17) ran decidedly against the centuries of Jewish expectation. Yet the prophecies were there all along. Perhaps the prophet Isaiah best articulated the prophecy of God bringing the Gentiles into the fold, more clearly than anyone, when he penned this prophecy seven centuries before Jesus:

"In that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious" (Isaiah 11:10).

All of the Jewish people knew that Jesse was the father of David, because it was recorded in Scripture. Further, the prophecy that the Saviour of Israel was to be a Son of David was widely known. When Jesus came forth preaching the Good News that God had remembered His people Israel, the people began to refer to Jesus as the Son of David.

"And all the people were amazed [at Christ's miracles] and said, Is not this the son of David?" (Matthew 12:23).

The word "ensign" in Isaiah's prophecy is especially significant. The Hebrew dictionary says ensign mean the following:

"Nakah; to strike, beat, give [wounds]…kill, make [slaughter] , punish, smite, (give) stripe, wound" (Ensign, Strongs Exhaustive Concordance).

Essentially, a paraphrase of Isaiah 11:10 might then read:

Then there shall be a descendant of Jesse, which shall stand out as punished or slain for the people. The sign of this slaughter shall be sought by the Gentiles; and his rest shall be glorious 

Despite the fact there were multiple prophecies concerning how the Saviour to come would draw the Gentiles to God, there is no indication that when the people began to recognize Jesus as the "Son of David," the Jewish people anticipated the calling of the Gentiles to salvation.

"The Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth…I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is the Lord" (Jeremiah 16:19, 21).

After centuries of attempting to keep the laws of God amid the inflexibility of the Old Testament, the Israelites were deeply committed to their traditions – which featured a command to remain separate from the rest of the nations.

"Thou didst separate them from all the peoples of the earth, to be thine inheritance" (I Kings 8:53).

Thus, if one were to tell them the Gentiles were to be added to the chosen people body of Israel, and the divine inheritance mentioned above was to be given to all nations through the Son of David, they simply would be unable to accept such a radical revision to their unique relationship to God.

Once again, the Apostle Peter was at the forefront of the moves God made in this breakthrough aspect of the New Covenant.

The timing in the sequence of events that brought all of this about are superb, as they demonstrate that God was aware of what it would take for the Dominoes of Doctrine to fall so the Jewish disciples of Christ were adequately prepared to receive this magnificent move of the LORD.

At a certain hour, in Caesaria, a devout Gentile named Cornelius, was visited by an angel. The angel told him that God was aware of his prayers, and his generosity to those less fortunate. The angel told him to send a message to the city of Joppa, and summon Simon Peter, a Jewish man, to Caesaria.  The angel told him that Peter had something to tell Cornelius.

While the servants of Cornelius were still traveling to Joppa to carry out the instructions that Cornelius had given them, in Joppa, Peter was in prayer, when he became very hungry. As he was preparing a meal, the Scriptures say he entered 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…where were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and creeping things, and fowls of the air" (Acts 10:11,12).

It is self evident some of the meats were forbidden to Jews to eat under the strict mandates of the Old Testament (the "kosher" food commandments), yet a voice told him to prepare these animals as food.

"But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean" (Acts 10:14).

The voice from heaven told him not to refer to anything "unclean" that God has "cleansed." This occurred three times, and this is something we've seen before when the LORD wanted to be sure the importance of the communication was understood. For instance, on the third occasion that Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after His resurrection, Jesus asked Peter if he loved him.

Of course Peter said yes, and Jesus then told him to feed his sheep.

"And Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee, Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep" (John 21:17).

Obviously, Peter would have realized the vision of the sheets with the animals in it was very important – especially since he saw the same vision three times. The Bible says it was at that time three Gentile servants of Cornelius arrived. The text says the Spirit of God told Peter to go with the men to Caesaria, for He had sent them.

Under the Old Testament, it was unlawful for the Jews to "keep company, or come unto one of another nation" (Acts 10:28), as they were sternly commanded to remain separate from the Gentiles – a term that simply means the nations. It is clear that Peter was already beginning to suspect that the vision of the "things" that God had pronounced were now "cleansed" meant that God was moving in this matter, and the text tells us the Spirit of the Lord indicated God wanted Peter to go with the men to Caesaria.

"The Spirit said unto [Peter] three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing, for I have sent them" (Acts 10:19, 20).

When he arrived in Caesaria with six others (making Peter the seventh) he found Cornelius and asked him why he had sent for him. Since Cornelius was following the instruction of an angel, he had excitedly told his family and his friends what had happened, and they were all gathered to hear what God had certainly arranged for the Gentiles to hear.

Peter perceived the Lord wanted him to tell the story of Jesus, and how he had impacted the lives of the Jews who followed him, so he began to present the Gospel.

"The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ" (Acts 10:36).

No sooner had Peter told of how Jesus was condemned and executed, and had risen from the dead three days later, than the Spirit of the LORD fell on the assembled Gentiles, and they all began to praise God:

"While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word…because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 10:44,45).

The six Jews who accompanied Peter were "astonished," and as soon as the Jewish Christians returned to Jerusalem, predictably, the Jewish believers there "contended" with Peter. Remember, they had not seen the vision of the "cleansed" animals, or the house of Cornelius bathed in the Spirit of God.

Upon studying the account more closely, we find that the timing of each aspect of the story was clearly initiated by the LORD Himself, as He made sure every heart was properly prepared so that at precisely the right time, they would recognize the fingerprints of God. For instance, when Cornelius explained to Peter why he sent for him, he inserted an important detail in the chronology.

"Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house [in Caesaria], and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing" (Acts 10:30). 

This set the circumstances in motion, and when Peter began to pray much later while he was yet in another city, the entire episode was supernaturally calculated so the emissaries of Cornelius arrived in Joppa just as Peter came out of the trance!

What we can conclude is that, although it was thought that God still wanted Israel to be separate from the nations at that time, the common denominator was that Cornelius had an open heart to hear what God wanted him to hear – precisely the same frame of mind as Peter the Apostle. Jesus is the obviously the bridge between Cornelius and Peter.

"[Cornelius was] a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always" (Acts 10:2).

At the same time, Simon Peter the Jewish Apostle, was in regular contact with the Lord through prayer:

"Peter went up upon the housetop to pray" (Acts 10:9).

Both men wanted to hear instructions directly from the LORD, regardless of their tradition, and we should be of the same mind – constantly seeking what it is that God desires of us, even if it means there is a "Domino" that is blocking what God wants us to see.

-- James Lloyd

To Be Continued