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Caution to students of God's Word - Please remember two things when using our studies: #1. Our commentary is not God's Word. It is only our interpretation or understanding of "His Word" and even though we try our best to be accurate we may or may not be correct. #2. The King James translation, or any other translation, of the original Hebrew text has some words which were given different translations at different places probably because of the interpreters preconceived ideas of what they think God meant to say. For example: According to the notes in the "Dake's Annotated Reference Bible" the Hebrew word hayah in the KJV is Trans. (became) 67 times, (becamest or came to pass) 505 times, (become) 66 times, and (come to pass) 131 times, but for some reason in Genesis 1:2 it is translated (was)! That sure changes the way a person perceives the original creation of the earth, doesn't it? Gen. 1:2 And the earth was (became) without form, ... Having said that, let us continue with our "Key Knowledge" lessons. These are pamphlets containing knowledge, we believe, you must have to fully and accurately unlock and understand the Word of God.

John 15:26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13-14
[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [14] He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

This Bible Study was originally written by Roger Christopherson,
published at http://www.theseason.org/

Without the leading by the Holy Spirit, there is no understanding of the truths, for all the truth of the Scriptures are revealed to us by God's Spirit.

Acts 11:1 "And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God."

This was shocking news that reached Jerusalem. This is because up until this time a Gentile could go into the Porch of Solomon, but not inside the temple. A Gentile simply could not enter the Temple, for only an Israelite could enter the Temple of God. The Gentiles could only have what little knowledge they could get from the Israelites that passed.

Acts 11:2 "And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him."

The Circumcision are the Jews, i.e. members of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, from the ancient "House of Judah"/Jews. There might possibly have been some members of the ancient "House of Israel" in Jerusalem at the time. These would not be called Jews, they not being descendants of Judah or Benjamin, but rather of the other ten Israelite tribes which made up the "House of Israel". If any were there they would also have been of the circumcision.

These men heard what Peter had done, and they were filled with indignation that Peter would do such a thing as give the Gospel of Christ to the Gentiles. They wanted to know why Peter would even go into a Gentile house? They don't eat as we eat and believe as we believe. There was great contention with Peter in Jerusalem.

Any time a person is so deep in the traditions of men, it is very difficult for God to reach that individual. The traditions of men had been taught, lived and believed for a long time, and very few men or women have the ability to fight their own conscience to check out their traditions, and question what they had accepted before as absolute truth. There are many sayings that are of tradition, that are believed to be in the Word of God, but are not there. This is as true today as it was 2000 years ago. Possibly more so in our Christian churches.

An example of that is the word "rapture", when that entire concept is opposed to the teaching of both the Old and New Testaments. The word rapture is not in the Bible, but it is a tradition that has built up since May of 1880, when Margaret McDonald dreamed it, and the majority of Christians take that tradition as being of the Bible. They are too lazy to look into the Word of God, and see that the whole idea of a rapture is a fairy tale.

Sure Christ is coming back and He will bring us saved Christians, who have already died in the flesh, with Him. If you believe in the name of Jesus and have repented of your sins, you will go to be with Jesus, who is now in heaven, when your life here in the flesh ends. We are the angels who will gather the tares at His return.

People have taken passages like I Thessalonians chapters four and five, where Paul is answering the question of "Where the dead are"; and from that they have twisted Miss McDonald's words to fit their fairy tale. The dead refered to in the book of Revelation and elsewhere in the Bible are not saved Christians but unsaved brothers and sisters who still have mortal souls, they are spiritually dead, and there is a great gulf between them and where Christ and our Christian brothers and sisters now are.

Christ is coming back at the last trumpet, and bringing with Him all our Christian brothers and sister, who preceded us in the death of our flesh life , and then we, who are still alive in the flesh, will be gathered as a cloud, meaning in a large group, all of God's children gathered together here on earth, but we will be in the "air", meaning spiritual body, the "breath of life" body. We will be in our spitural bodies, having been changed into our angelic bodies in an instant at the seventh trump, i.e. His return. The Bible doesn't say anything about flying out of here, but it does speak of those that teach such a fairy-tale, God speaks of what He thinks of those that would teach such a thing in Ezekiel 13:18-21.

Ezekiel 13:18 "And say, `Thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the {women} that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of My People, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?"

"The women" are the preachers and people that consider themselves the "bride of Christ" who preach tradition, and the "pillows are their false doctrines, while the "stature" is the places that they hunt the souls, your church houses. When they "hunt souls" the are asking, "are you saved?", when the person has no idea of what they are talking about.

Ezekiel 13:19 "And will ye pollute Me among My People for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to My People that hear your lies?"

God is asking, "Are you going to pollute My Word for money [barley] and for the taking of vows [bread]. Those "Souls that should not die", are the ones that are studing God's Word, and hunting for the truth.

Ezekiel 13:20 "Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; `Behold, I am agaist your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly."

Have you ever wondered what God thinks of your fly-away doctrine? Well, there it is.

God said, Behold, wake up, I am against your false doctrines [pillows], wherewith ye hunt the souls to make them fly. Did you get that, God is against it when you go out to teach the souls of men and women and tell them they are going to fly out of this world age.

What you are doing is using your whitewashed religion to paint over what the Bible teaches to prepare them for the time of the Great deception of Satan, when he comrd to earth, in person, as the spurious messiah. You are covering over the signs of the end times that is a must to prepare them to stand against the false-christ and his one world religious system, by telling them it is not necessary to understand the part of the Scriptures dealing with the Great deception. The "rapture doctrine" is a lie, and God will judge you severely for that lie. Wake up.

The "rapture doctrine" is taught in most of the Christian churches today, and it seems they don't know any better, nor do they care. Why? They are steeped in traditions. It only took a couple of generations to accept this lie as the truth, and you are pulled away from the Word of God when you believe it. Most Christians today would swear that "this is what the Bible says". Don't let these men deceive you.

So here in Jerusalem we have this great contention. God appeared to Peter in this vision, and to Cornelius through the angel, and from these visions God has given us a lesson for one and all times. The contention then is because Peter has not yet told of those visions and what happened because of them. In any group there are always a few that have crept in that will contend to save a tradition, no matter how far off it is.

Ezekiel 13:21 "Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver My People out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to he hunted; and ye shall know that I am the Lord."

Peter went in to explain what had happened, and before he could speak, they accused Peter of eating with those non-Israelites, the uncircumcised.

Acts 11:3 "Saying, "Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them."

Acts 11:4 "But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying,"

Peter retold, or rehearsed what had happened from the beginning, when he was sitting on the roof at Simon the tanner's house.

Acts 11:5 "I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me:"

This vessel came down from heaven to earth. The number four in biblical numerics means "earth". It is this flesh earth age.

Acts 11:6 "Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air."

Acts 11:7 "And I heard a voice saying unto me, `Arise, Peter; slay and eat.' "

This is not tradition that Peter would not eat scavenger foods, because they are part of the food laws that will never change. The sin of violating them will not condemn your soul, but they do not deal with the health and condition of your physical body. When you are in the flesh, there are certain things that God did not intend to be eaten by man, for they are the garbage collectors of the earth. The scavengers are created for that purpose, and eating them is like eating the filth out of your garbage can.

Flesh hasn't changed, and the same things that made the flesh sick two thousand years ago will still make it sick today.

Acts 11:8 "But I said, `Not so Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth.' "

Acts 11:9 "But the voice answered me again from heaven, `What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.' "

Pay close attention to what is talked about here. It has nothing to do with eating any food, for God is giving Peter a lesson, and He will not allow Peter to even touch those things that are in the sheet. God is using this as an analogy, to show that the different peoples, called the uncircumcision, will be acceptable through salvation by Jesus the Christ.

Acts 11:10 "And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven."

It was done three times for emphesis. Those scavengers were not left there for Peter to eat, but this was in reference to people. It was a triple witness.

Acts 11:11 "And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Casarea unto me.' "

Acts 11:12 "And the spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house:"

That angel told Peter to go with Him, "nothing doubting", was the words of the angel to Peter. The angel told Peter to go and don't let doubt enter your mind. Peter went with six men; three were the ones that Cornelius sent, and three were of the brethren from Jappa, and entered into Cornelius' house. So with the six, and with Peter makes seven men, and in biblical numerics the number seven means, "spiritual completeness".

This "spiritual conpleteness" of the seven will establish salvation for all Gentiles by order from God, given three times for emphisis.

Acts 11:13 "And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, `Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter:' "

Cornelius explained to Peter how the angel of God came into His house, and what that angel said to Peter.

Acts 11:14 "Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved."

Peter was to go and tell Cornelius how to receive true salvation through Jesus the Christ. How Jesus had paid the price on the cross, and raised from the dead, to join His Father in heaven, and now sits on the right hand of the Father. There Jesus will remain until all His enemies will be made His footstool.

If Christ is on His throne in heaven, then who will make His enemies His footstool? You are starting to catch on. Those that make Christ's enemies His footstool are God's elect. It is you and me, armed with the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. We go into that battle with all our armor on and in place, ready to stand for the battle that is upon us even today. That battle is a spiritual warfare, fought with words from the Scriptures, with ideas, and concepts according to God's Word, and the battlefield is in your mind. The sooner you know where the battle is, and how it is to be fought, the sooner you can start to prepare for it.

\Our gospel armor is the truth of every part of God's Word, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, it is truth, and not traditions and fairy-tales. Ephesians 6:10-20 tells us how we put that armor on to protect us from our head to our feet. Our armor is facts and not false doctrine, it is truth and understanding, and not confusion and babbling.

Ephesians 6:10-20

Then the disciples came privately to Christ and, since it was a mystery even to them, they asked Him to explain the parable.

[36] Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

And He did explain it, simply and without parable!

Matthew 13:37-39
He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; [38] The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; [39] The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

So the tares are the children of Satan himself, the offspring of our "number one" enemy.

This is extremely important, because Paul is about to tell us how to put on the "equipment" necessary to do battle. Don't you think it would be a good idea to know who the enemy is before we go to war?

Here, then, is Paul giving his final instructions:

Ephes. 6:10
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Why of course! It is He Who has ALL power both in heaven and on earth. And through Him we have power over ALL our enemies.

Luke 10:19
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Who are the serpents and scorpions? Now you have to possess enough common sense to know that Christ is not talking about stomping snakes and scorpions in the desert with your hiking boots. Who was that old serpent in the garden? Jesus is talking about our enemies, Satan and the tares, his children.

So, Paul says:

Eph. 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Did you notice that we put on the whole armour, not just some, and that the reason we do it is to enable us to STAND, and fight! We are Christian soldiers and we KNOW that we have the power over ALL our enemies, including the head serpent. So we win! Why then do so many teach that we are going to "fly" up into the air to avoid confronting the enemy? (I speak of the rapture theory) Why would we want to run when we have the victory? Beats me. I have a little story I tell about this:

Once upon a time there was a kingdom ruled by a righteous king. But alas, as with all righteous kings, he had an archenemy who was very powerful and possessed the forces of a mighty army.
The righteous king knew that someday his kingdom and its subjects would be attacked by this king of fierce countenance. So in preparation of the inevitable, and being wiser than his serpentine opponent, he set his most faithful and loyal subjects upon the gates of the cities to "watch" for signs of this vile king's approach.
The righteous king then instructed his elect corps of mighty and valiant knights and warriors, men of great courage, to put on their suits of armor and be prepared to take a stand and defend the kingdom against the impending onslaught of this devouring, locust-like army. The king's elect had NO FEAR of death or personal injury in defending their loved ones, their homeland, the kingdom that they loved so dearly.
Then the momentous day finally came and the sixth trumpeter sounded the alarm of the approaching desolator. The righteous king's elect army of well prepared and well trained troops were all set to squish some locusts, stomp on some scorpions and kick some dragon..... BUT WAIT! WHAT'S THIS?
The righteous king is pulling all his troops! He's telling them to retreat and run and save their own necks!
Sadly, the subjects of the kingdom were slaughtered brutally and mercilessly and there was a great needless loss of souls.

Do you like how this story ended? Would you respect a king who prepared his troops to fight, only to have them turn and run when things got HOT? We Christians are NOT running! Paul now makes it quite clear that the battle of the end time does not involve blood and guts.

[12] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

If only the teachers and preachers of Christianity realized this, they would better understand the "battle scenes" of Revelation. It seems they can't elevate their thinking above the flesh level.

[13] Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Here Paul repeats the reason we prepare with armour, to stand. And that "evil day", when Satan, the little horn, appears in person, is fast approaching.

[14] Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

To "girt", according to Strong's concordance, is to "fasten on one's belt". This, of course, will help you to keep your spiritual pants up.

The breastplate covers your heart which should be in the right place, in righteousness.

[15] And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

How prepared are you with the gospel of peace? I.e., how familiar are you with God's Word?

[16] Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

The Lord Jesus Christ is our shield, the One Who has ALL power. It was declared in the beginning:

Genesis 15:1
After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

It is declared in the Psalms:

Psalm 119:114
Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.

It is declared in the Proverbs:

Proverbs 30:5
Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

Next we take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

Eph. 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Paul further explains in 1 Thes. that our helmet is our hope of salvation:

1 Thes. 5:8
But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

And finally, we take the greatest offensive weapon in the universe, more powerful than all the nuclear bombs ever conceived in the mind of man. It is the Word of God!

Rev. 1:16
And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

Here is reason the Word of God is so powerful:

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

That's right, the Word of God, His Sword, can even "cut" the soul and spirit, while man's metal swords can only cut your flesh. Which would you rather have in a spiritual battle?

Eph. 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Pray earnestly on every occasion and always remember each other.

[19] And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

And Paul did "open his mouth" boldly and tell it like it is. That didn't always make him popular. Remember what happened to him on Mars Hill?

[20] For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Paul was a direct ambassador of Christ, bound by Him, to speak boldly, as he ought to speak. We all should speak boldly, not as in "cocky" or as a "loud mouth", but as to the plain truth of God's Word, whether it pleases man or not.

Acts 11:15 "And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning."

Peter goes on to tell these men at Jerusalem, how that the Holy Spirit of God fell upon them, exactly as the Holy Spirit fell on them in Jerusalem in the beginning [recorded in Acts 2:6]. These men at Jerusalem knew what that evidance was, for most of them were part of that group that was filled with the Holy Spirit. When that Holy Spirit speaks with the cloven tongue, where when it is spoken, every man hears those words clearly and with understanding as it was spoken in his home dialect. There is no need of an interperter when the Holy Spirit speaks through any person. That cloven tongue went out in many direction, in many languages, all understanding at the same time.

Acts 2:6 "Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language."

Acts 11:16 "Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that He said, 'John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.' "

Peter is now remembering what Jesus said, way back when Jesus was teaching all the disciples, when He was on earth, before the crucifixion. The Holy Ghost is the Comforter, and is better translated "the Holy Spirit". You must know the Holy Spirit to understand John 14, the promise from God that He would sent the Comforter, and He still remains to this day. We need Him to lead and guide us in prayer and living our daily lives, and in understanding God's Word.

When one is baptized with the Holy Spirit, usually they are given a gift, and when man uses his gift given him, there will be success in doing that work that the gift was intended for, and it is God that gets all the credit for that gift. The fall of man comes when he attributes his successes to himself, and not to where it belongs, to God.

Acts 11:17 "Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as He did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?"

That is the qualifier in receiving the Holy Spirit of God, you must "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ". Peter is telling these other Apostles, `Who am I that I could argue with God?' God said give it to them, and I gave it to them.

Acts 11:18 "When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God saying, "Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." "

When the men that called Peter to Jerusalem had heard Peter they understood fully what had happened. They knew that God had now offered eternal life to all Gentiles, that upon repentance they also could be saved. The word "Gentile" is "ethnos" in the Greek and means all peoples. These Gentiles would have eternal life, if they believed and if they repented of their sins in Jesus name. It is so simple and so wonderful that God loves all of His children that He created, so why should He not offer all men salvation equally.

Acts 11:19 "Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only."

Remember that the ten tribes were scattered long before Judah went into Captivity, and because of this, the term "but to the Jews only", should read "but to Israel only." Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 10:6 "But rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." This is not the house of Judah, the Jews, but to the "House of Israel".

So we see that the Christians that were scattered at the time of Stephen's death, were preaching to only those of the scattered Israelites, all twelve tribes, thirteen when you consider Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph's double portion.

Today this house of Israel is scattered over all the world, and Hosea has told us long ago how we would recognize them, in Hosea 1:10; "Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, `Ye are not My People,' there it shall be said unto them, `Ye are the sons of the living God'. "

Where ever those people are in the world today, two thingS are for sure in identifing these people. First is that they do not know that they are of Israel, they call themselves something other then Israel, like Americans, British, French and so on. Secondly those people will call themselves Christians, a Christian nation. Jesus Christ is the Living God, and those that are of Christ are sons of the Living God.

Acts 11:20 "And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus."

Where ever they went they spoke of the salvation through Jesus Christ, the eternal life that only comes by beliving in Him and obeying His Word.

Acts 11:21 "And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord."

When you are doing the work of the Lord, the hand of the Lord is always with you.

Acts 11:22 "Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch."

Remember that Barnabas was the person that the angel of God appeared to, assuring them that Saul, [Paul] was truly converted. That Paul was of the way.

Acts 11:23 "Who, when he came, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord."

To "cleave unto the Lord", is to remain with the Lord, and in His Word. It is quite common that when the full Word of God is not taught, those that receive the Word and repent, will drift away, back into the old worldly ways. When the times get tough and even when there is great prosperity, they abandon the way of the Lord.

God's Word will stand on it's own merits, when taught properly. When it is taught properly there will never be any need for the begging bag. Beggers are works of men, and if a teaching is of God there is no need to beg to have the sheep of the flock to give, they will automatically give them joy. It doesn't matter how tempted you are to teach tradition, and say things that the others want to hear, teach the Word of God, as it is given in the Word; Chapter by chapter, and verse by verse, with understanding.

Acts 11:24 "For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord."

Acts 11:26 "And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people, And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."

Paul had left Jerusalem when the Jews had sought to kill him, and went to Tarsus, the place of his birth. Barnabas went to Paul, and brought him back to Antioch were Paul taught the people the Word of God. Before this church that started in Antioch, the Christians were either called "Israelites, or Gentiles". The thing that seperated the Israelite from the Gentile was circumcision. But now they were both believers, and Christ became their circumcision. They were now called "Christ's mans" which is to say, "Christians". It all started at this church where Paul was preaching and teaching in Antioch. They were followers of the way, Christ.

Acts 11:28 "And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar."

"Agabus" means "locust" and that should give us a clue to look out for what is coming. This time period would be from 41 A.D. to 54 A.D., in the reign of Claudius Caesar.

Acts 11:29 "Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea:"

Acts 11:30 "Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul."

It is true that the elders in the Church at Jerusalem had a rough time, because of both the Romans and the Kenites. The Romans gave a political persecution, the other the religious persecution. Christianity was not popular in Jerusalem, because it brought into question the very traditions of the Kenites, and pointed out their laws and customs, from that taught by the prophets of the Old Testament, and Jesus Christ Himself. Those Christians that lived in Jerusalem were the ones that were called "the poor".