Acts

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ACTIVITIES of the DELEGATES
(Acts of the Apostles)

Renewed Covenant Home Page

Background to the Book A proper understanding of this book will clarify many misconceptions about how the Renewed Covenant relates to the First. A new translation is forthcoming.
The Mount of Olives viewed from near the Temple CHAPTER 1 1. Indeed, O lover of YHWH, I authored the first account of all that Y'shua began not only to do but to explain I: Luqa, or Luke. Began: or, was the first. (The Gospel of Luke.) 2. until the day He was taken up, having given orders on account of the Spirit of Holiness to the delegates whom He had chosen for Himself, 3. to whom, after [having undergone] His suffering, He had presented Himself to be among the living through many indisputable proofs, being seen by them over the course of forty days and discussing the things concerning the Kingdom of YHWH. 4. And, meeting together with them, He gave them orders not to leave Yerushalayim, but to wait around for [what] the Father had promised, "which you have learned about from Me, 5. "because Yochanan indeed immersed in water; you will also be immersed by the Spirit of Holiness after not many of these days." 6. So indeed, those who had come together were confronting Him with a question, saying, "Master, is this the time when You will restore the kingship to Israel [just as it was]?" Why would they ask this? They knew this was one of the tasks Messiah had to fulfill. Indeed, one reason today's Jews by and large have rejected Y'shua is because he did not bring the Lost Tribes back. Or did He?? He had just spent 40 days teaching them, and this was the foremost question in their minds. Almost every time He mentioned the Gospel, He associated it with the Kingdom. Some say the Kingdom simply means "YHWH's rule in the hearts and minds of men." While it is certainly that, there is much more to it than that. Who is the Israel spoken of here? The Jews? Not directly. YHWH said He would choose one place in the Land of Israel to establish such a "habitation". (Deut. 12:5) When King Shlomo built the Temple, He recognized that this is what YHWH had promised. (2 Chron. 6:2) His reign was a foretaste of the Kingdom! But Solomon allowed his foreign wives to bring idolatry into Israel. YHWH split Israel into two kingdoms. David's throne remained with Judah, but the name "Israel" stayed with the ten tribes given to Jeroboam, who had tried to persuade Solomon's son Rehoboam to lighten their burdens. But Jeroboam took the liberty of setting up alternatives to the dwelling place YHWH had selected. The Northern Kingdom also kept mixing religions, and walked more and more "in the laws of the Gentiles" (2 Kings 17:8; Hos. 7:8; 8:8). They wanted to be just like the others, so they were taken from the Land and BECAME Gentiles! Remember the prodigal's father, who had one son still at home, looking expectantly for his other son to return? At this time, Judah was still at home, safe in the sheepfold, and though YHWH had forsaken Ephrayim "for a moment", His heart longed to have His firstborn back! "How can I give up you up, my son?" (Hos. 11:8) Despite a long estrangement, Israel's calling was still irrevocable. (Rom. 11:29) So when Messiah's work of being a Kinsman-Redeemer was completed, the Kingdom was indeed to be restored to Israel. But in the right order: 7. So He told them, "It is not yours to have knowledge of the chronology or the critical epochs which the Father has established for Himself as His own prerogative, Established: fixed; He will not change them. We cannot alter the fact that they are going to take place. However, if He had told them there were some 2,000 years left, it might have drained their motivation and tended to sidetrack them, as indeed happened when it became evident that the Master had "delayed". 8. "but you will receive [effective] power [as] the Spirit of Holiness arrives upon [and becomes operative in] you, and you will be witnesses for Me, not only in Yerushalayim, [but] also in all of Yehudah, Shomron, and up to the farthest extremity of the earth." Shomron: Samaria, the nearest area where there was a substantial number of "Lost Sheep of the House of Israel". (Yochanan 4) Farthest extremity: or until the end point in time. He told His disciples to do what YHWH had said: "Declare it to the far-off coastlands [a synonym for particular Gentiles, Gen. 10:5, who would inhabit Shem's tents] that He who scattered Israel will regather him and keep watch over him like a shepherd." (Yirmiyahu 31:10) An integral part of restoring the Kingdom is to provide a population for the King to rule over, and their job was to make them into citizens worthy of His Kingdom. (Compare Mat. 28:19-20.) 9. Then [upon] saying these things, while they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. Took Him out of their sight: literally, separated Him from their eyes. 10. And while they had their eyes fixed on the sky while He was departing, lo and behold, two men in white clothing presented themselves beside them, 11. who also said, "Galilean men, why are you standing [there] with your eyes turned toward the sky? This [same] Y'shua, who is being taken up away from you into Heaven, will likewise come in the same way you have seen Him being transferred into Heaven." Will come the same way: with clouds (v. 9), an allusion to Daniel 7:13. One of the titles the Messiah is known by is "the Master of Clouds". 12. Then they went back into Yerushalayim from the Mount called "Olives", which is near Yerushalayim, a Sabbath's holding away. Sabbath's holding: by tradition, if someone feels he needs to be in a different location from his home on the Sabbath, he establishes a temporary "base" within a short distance of that location, staying there so he can consider it his "home" during that Sabbath and avoid breaking the Sabbath by going further, which would constitute work. A Sabbath day's journey outside a walled city, according to rabbinical regulations (which follow those of the Prushim), was 2,000 cubits (about .57 mile, a little less than one kilometer.
Chapters 2 - 3 CHAPTER 2 1. Now when the day of Shavuoth was completely filled up, they were all together with one passion in the same [place], Completely filled up: Shavuoth is the "Feast of Weeks", the day after a "week of weeks" (49 days) reaches its culmination. The Greek text has "Pentecost", which means "50th". It is the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and so symbolizes a completion of the maturing process of a crop that is used for many of the secondary sacrifices in the Temple. On this feast alone, leavened loaves are brought to the Temple as an offering. For this reason, it is only waved before the altar, not burned thereon. And indeed we see a harvest on this day. (See below.) There is another festival of firstfruits--that of the barley harvest. It is the day in which Pharaoh was killed in the Red Sea and the Israelites escaped on the other side. It is also the day Y'shua rose from the dead. He was called the "firstfruits of those who rise from the dead." (I Cor. 15:23) Starting that day, we are instructed to count the days (the omer: the measure) until Shavuoth. (Lev. 23) With one passion: according to Strong, "a compound of two words meaning to 'rush along' and 'in unison'. The image is almost musical; a number of notes are sounded which, while different, harmonize in pitch and tone. As the instruments of a great concert under the direction of a concert master", all their gifts (see Eph. 4) were working together to bring the entire Body to readiness. That chapter is especially in season during the time leading up to Shavuoth. When they were in such agreement, YHWH acted: 2. when, suddenly [out of Ã¢â‚¬Å“nowhereÃ¢â‚¬Â] there came a [roaring] sound out of the heavens as if being borne along by a forceful wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Many Christians believe that this was the first Pentecost, and that the church was born on that day. Actually, the first Shavuoth was at Mt. Sinai, on the day YHWH gave the Ten Commandments. The ram's horn grew louder and louder and louder. The mountain was set ablaze. Everything that was done historically had a fulfillment in Y'shua's day. As they sat in the Temple on Pentecost, there was a rushing, roaring wind, like that ramÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s horn, and again there were tongues of flame. The Hertz authorized Prayer Book (p. 790) says, in a section on Shavuoth, that the desert of Sinai (now in Saudi Arabia) belongs to no one nation exclusively. The shofar blast was heard, not by Israel alone, but by the inhabitants of all the earth. House: Since there were 120 of them, it was probably The House, i.e., the Temple, where they continued to meet thereafter. (v. 46) But they had also been built together into one house of living stones as a dwelling place fit for YHWH's Spirit. Sitting: another allusion to Psalm 133: "Behold, how appropriate and how pleasant it is when brothers sit together in unity." 3. And there appeared to them tongues like of fire being divided [and distributed], and each sat on one of them, They were able to see these tongues as if they were of fire. They "saw no form, but only a voice". (Deut. 4:11) They saw the voice! 4. and they were all filled with the Spirit of Holiness, and began to speak in different languages, as the Spirit gave them [the ability] to be eloquent. The tongues of flame and the gift of tongues here were the fulfillment of this initial outpouring. History repeated itself. Ecclesiastes says, "That which happened before will happen again." Traditionally, the voice of YHWH at Sinai divided itself into the 70 tongues then spoken on earth, so that all of mankind might understand its world-embracing and man-redeeming message. The Torah was given to the nations of the world, not just to Israel. Y'shua and all of His students would have been counting the days. The Samaritans would too. There is a blessing each day, then Psalm 67 is read: "YHWH, be merciful to us and bless us. Cause Your face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O YHWH; let all the peoples praise You, and let the nations be glad, for You shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations on the earth...Then the earth shall yield her increase. YHWH, our own Elohim, shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him." 5. And there were present in Yerushalayim Jews, devout men out of every nation that was under heaven. Out of every nation: At Sinai it was a mixed multitude; many peoples came out of Egypt with Israel. These people hearing them at Pentecost may have been descendants of all of these. Or perhaps they were those who had in recent times converted to Judaism, having been drawn back from among the nations that the other tribes had been scattered to, for "nation" here can mean "tribe" as well. Each festival is called a mikrah qodesh, or a "set apart calling from". They were in Yerushalayim for this second of the pilgrimage festivals to which every able-bodied Israelite was commanded to come. 6. But when this sound began, [that] whole multitude assembled and were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own dialect! 7. And they were all thrown into wonderment and expressed admiration, saying to each other, "Aren't all of these who are speaking indeed Galileans? 8. "How is it, then, that we are each hearing in our own native dialect-- 9. "Parthians, Medes, Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, both Yehudah and Kappadokia, Pontos and Asia, 10. "both Frugia and Pamphilia, Egypt and the parts of Libya toward Kurene, and the Roman sojourners, both Jews and proselytes, 11. "Cretans and Arabians--[that] we hear them recounting the excellencies of YHWH in our own languages?" 12. And they were all beside themselves and utterly at a loss, saying to one another, "Whatever can the purpose of this be?" ... 41. Then, indeed, those who were gladly receiving his teaching were immersed, and that same day there were added [to their company] as if [it were] three thousand souls, 42. and they were consistently devoted to the Delegates' teaching, participation in the community, breaking of the bread, and prayers. Those who had come up for the Feast stayed on in Yerushalayim! They left their other homes behind and stayed where YHWH was moving. 43. And reverence came upon every soul, and both many miracles and distinguishing signs came about through the Delegates. 44. And the believers were together and had all things in common. Believers: or, faithful ones. They all moved in together, a picture again of all Israel being reunited in Yerushalayim--a foreshadowing of the Messianic Kingdom. ... CHAPTER 3 1. Now the same day, Kefa and Yochanan were going up to the Temple at the hour of prayer--the ninth [hour]. Ninth hour: that is, 3:00 p.m. by the sun, one of the three prayer times that come at three-hour intervals during the day. 2. And a certain man, being already lame from his mother's womb, whom they set daily near the gateway to the Temple which is called Beautiful, was being carried [there] to beg charity from those who were entering the Temple. Beautiful: or blooming, but from a word meaning timely, belonging to the right hour, or in season. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, literally, that there is a time for everything to be a delight unto heaven. Begging alms is a delight when done at the right time, for it affords the worshipper in YHWH's house the privilege of doing a deed of righteousness (the same word in Hebrew which is used for "charity" of this type). The last vestige of the Temple, the Western (Wailing) Wall, is still a commonly haunt of those in Yerushalayim who need to beg alms.
	Chapter 8 CHAPTER 8 26. But a messenger of YHWH spoke to Philippos, saying, "Get up and change your course [and go] southward along the highway that goes down from Yerushalayim into 'Azzah, which is deserted. 'Azzah: called Gaza today because of the Greek rendering of the guttural beginning of the word. 27. So, getting up, he changed his course, and lo and behold, a n Ethiopian man, an officer of the court, a royal minister having great authority [under] Kandakey the queen of the Ethiopians, who was [in charge] over all of her wealth [and] who had come to Yerushalayim to worship, Officer of the court: often rendered "eunuch", and sometimes validly so, but eunuchs were not allowed to worship in the Temple. (Deut. 23:1) Quite often court officers, especially those in charge of watching over the king's harem, were indeed made eunuchs, and thus the word came to be a synonym for any court officer. To worship: or to do homage. By tradition, King Shlomo (Solomon) married the Queen of Sheba and their son became the patriarch of the royal Ethiopian dynasty, which continued to do homage to Yerushalayim even now after there was no longer an earthly king there. 28. and was returning, sitting in his chariot and reading the prophet Yeshayahu. 29. And the Spirit told Philippos, "Approach and be joined to this chariot." Be joined to: or, keep company with. 30. So, running to it, Philippos heard him reading the prophet Yeshayahu, and said, "So do you understand what you are reading?" ...
Chapters 10-11 CHAPTER 10 1. Now in Caesarea there was a certain man, Kornelios by name, a centurion from what was called the Italian Detachment, Caesarea (pronounced Kaisaria): King Herod's showcase city on the Mediterranean coast, the Roman capital of the province of Judea. It boasted a deep, dredged harbor with a lighthouse, a hippodrome, and a theatre that was so well-preserved that with minimal restoration has again become acoustically fit for outdoor concerts. Centurion: a leader of a company of 100 soldiers. Detachment: specifically, one part of a legion. 2. [one who was] devout and a fearer of Elohim along with his entire household, who made many charitable donations to the People and was constantly making petitions to YHWH. A fearer of Elohim: a particular designation for a non-Jew who attached himself to Judaism but chise not to undergo formal conversion. They are known in Judaism as “proselytes of the gate”, i.e., they were inside (worshipping one Elohim) but stayed "at the gates" rather than coming all the way into circumcision and public immersion. (Stern) The People: a specialized usage understood to refer to the Jews. 3. Around the ninth hour of the day, in a vision he plainly saw an angel coming toward him, and saying to him, "Kornelios!" Ninth hour: three in the afternoon, one of the three daily times of prayer practiced by many. Plainly: Aramaic, in sight as a face, openly. 4. And as he was looking intently at him, he began to be terrified, and said, "What is it, master?" And he told him, "Your prayers and your donations [to the poor] have risen up to [be] remembered in the presence of YHWH. Risen up: mounted or stacked up, perhaps due to their large quantity as well as sincerity. 5. "So now, dispatch [some] men to Yafo and send for Shim’on who is [also] called Kefa. Yafo: a Mediterranean coast city just south of present-day Tel Aviv, from which the prophet Yonah sailed when trying to escape YHWH's order to call Nin'veh to repentance. Thus the city was already tied to YHWH’s concern for the nations. It is about 30 miles south of Caesarea. Kefa: Petros in Greek; both mean "a stone". 6. "This [man] is a guest of a certain Shim'on [who is] a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you have to do." Tanner: of animal-hide leather. The house was by the sea for a breeze because of the stench of dog manure used in the tanning process. 7. As the angel who [was] speaking to Kornelios departed, he called two of his domestic servants and a devout soldier [from among] those continually waiting on him, 8. and having recounted all [these] things to them, he dispatched them to Yafo. 9. Now the next day, as they were traveling and getting close to the city, Kefa went up onto the housetop to offer prayers near the sixth hour. Sixth hour: noon, the second time of daily prayer. 10. Then he became very hungry, and wanted to take some food. But while they were preparing [some], a trance came over him. Trance: a waking glimpse into another dimension; literally, an ecstasy; Aramaic, an amazement. 11. And he perceived the sky being split open and, coming down over him, a certain container like a large sheet tied at the four corners, and being let down to the ground, Sky split open: compare Yeshayahu 64:1. Container: This term is often used in Greek as a metaphor for the human body; Aramaic, garment. Sheet: the term is also used for fine linen for women's clothing, which hints at the priestly garments (2 Chron. 5:12 et al) and the white garment of Messiah's righteous bride. (Rev. 3:4-5; 7:13) Tied at the four corners: as with tzitziyoth, the fringes prescribed in Numbers 15:38-39 to remind us to keep YHWH's commandments. It symbolizes the descendants of Israel that were scattered to the four corners of the earth now being brought back as promised (Yeshayahu 11:12), again to be bearers of His Torah. The ground: alt., the earth, or, especially, the Land (a bordered country)--a bride in white linen and tzitziyoth (symbolizing that she keeps the commandments) being brought back to the Land of Israel. 12. in which there were coming forth all the four-footed beasts of the earth, as well as the wild animals, the reptiles, and the birds of the air. These symbolize Gentiles, who love to make images of all these creatures, and become like what they worship. (Psalm 115:1-8; 135:15-18; Rom. 1:18ff. The latter speaks of those who suppress the truth, indicating that they once knew it, i.e., departed from the covenant. Indeed, Hoshea 2:28 says YHWH would place the Northern Kingdom in particular in the position of a covenant with these very types of animals.) 13. And a voice came to him: "Get up, Kefa, slaughter and eat!" 14. But Kefa said, "By no means, sir, because I have never eaten anything that is defiled or unclean!" Defiled or unclean: according to the kosher laws (regarding what is acceptable to eat) laid out in Leviticus 11. 15. Then for the second time a voice came to him: "Do not consider what YHWH has cleansed to be defiled." 16. This happened three times, then the container was taken back up into the sky. 17. Then as Kefa was perplexed within himself, [at a loss] as to what this vision that he had seen might mean, just then the men who had been sent by Kornelios (having asked around for Shim'on's house), were standing at the gate Perplexed: The meaning was not self-evident, contrary to the popular interpretation that this vision gave blanket permission to literally eat beasts that YHWH had told Israel were not to be considered food for us. 18. and calling out and asking whether Shim'on, who was [also] called Kefa, was being lodged there. 19. Now as Kefa was deliberating [in himself] about the vision, the Spirit told him, "Look! Three men are looking for you, Men: Avi Ben Mordechai points out that in first-century Jewish usage, this would refer only to Israelites; others were known as the kinds of animals seen in Kefa's vision. (See v. 28.) Yehezqel 34:30-31 in particular identify this term "men" with the House of Israel, the Northern Kingdom that was now beginning to return, in part through these very men! 20. "so stand up, go down, and accompany them [on their] journey without any hesitation, because I have sent them." 21. So Kefa went down to the men who were sent to him by Kornelios, and said, "Here, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason you have come [here] for?" 22. So they said, "A righteous man [named] Kornelios, a centurion who fears Elohim as witnessed by all the Jewish people, was instructed by a holy angel to send for you [to be brought] to his house and to hear from you what you have to say." 23. So calling them inside, he provided them with lodging, then the next day Kefa went with them, and some of the brothers from Yafo accompanied him. 24. The following day, they arrived in Caesarea, and Kornelios was waiting for them, having called together his relatives and closest associates. Closest associates: literally, friends he could not do without. 25. As Kefa was coming in, Kornelios met him, falling down at his feet and was [beginning to] bow prostrate in obeisance. 26. But Kefa raised them up, saying, "Stand up! I myself am a man [just] the same [as you]." 27. And as he was talking with him, he went inside and found many who had assembled. 28. So he told them, "You are aware of how it is taboo for a man--a Jew--to be associated with or [even] come close to someone from another race. However, YHWH has shown me that I should never affirm a person [as] defiled or unclean. Taboo: contrary to established custom; this was never against YHWH's actual instruction, but was an added fence built to keep one from even coming close to breaking a commandment. It began with noble intentions, but ended up going beyond YHWH's intent, and thus had to be corrected. (See also Eph. 2:14.) But this type of added distinctions persisted in rabbinic Judaism, constituting much of the Mishnah's tractate Avodah Zarah. Another race: or, a different tribe. Undoubtedly most of the "proselytes of the gate" were actually returnees from the "lost tribes", who, like those today who are returning in the same way, realized that they were not meant to become Yehudah, yet knew they had to be connected to Israel. Affirm: i.e., assume by prejudicial means, and speak of him as such. YHWH has shown me: What follows is the only point the vision was intended to make. It cannot be misconstrued to mean YHWH was rescinding His eternal commandments. 29. "Because of this, I indeed came without misgivings when I was sent for. Consequently I am asking, what is the reason you sent for me?” 30. So Kornelios said, "Since four days ago until this [very] hour I have been fasting. When, at the ninth hour I was offering prayers in my house, then, lo and behold, a man in brilliant, transparent clothing stood in front of me Brilliant, transparent clothing: Aramaic, wearing white. 31. "and said, 'Kornelios, your prayer has been heard, and your donations are remembered in the presence of YHWH. 32. "'So send [men] into Yafo, and summon Shim’on, who is [also] known as Kefa; this [man] is a guest in the home of Shim'on, a tanner, by the sea. After he comes, he will tell you [what he has to say].' 33. "So I sent for you immediately, and you have been so beneficent as to show up. So now, here we all are—ready in the sight of Elohim to hear everything that is being assigned to you by Elohim." 34. Kefa therefore opened his mouth and said, "I am truly catching for myself [the point] that Elohim is not one who accepts outward appearances, Not one who accepts outward appearances: Aramaic, does not reject by the face. 35. "but among any ethnic group the one who fears Him and carries out what is right is granted access to Him. 36. "The [embodiment of the] message that He sent to the descendants of Israel, proclaiming the glad news of peace through Y'shua the Messiah (who is possessor of everything)-- Peace: includes the idea of national unity; Aramaic, shalom (total well-being) and quiet. 37. "you are familiar with the matter that was carried out publicly throughout all of Judea, beginning from the Galil after the immersion that Yochanan heralded: 38. "Y'shua, the one from Natzereth--how Elohim anointed Him with the Spirit of Holiness and with capability, who passed through, bestowing benefits and making whole all who were subjugated by the Slanderer, because Elohim was with Him. With Him: or, behind Him (i.e., empowering what He was doing). Subjugated by the Slanderer: Aramaic, oppressed (or harmed) by evil. 39. "We indeed are [eye]witnesses of all that He did, both in the Land of the Jews and in Yerushalayim, whom they did away with, suspending Him on a beam. 40. "Elohim recalled that one [to life] on the third day and allowed Him to be seen openly in public [as evidence], 41. "not to the whole populace, but to witnesses who were hand-picked in advance by Elohim--to us, the ones who ate and drank with Him after He rose from [being] dead. 42. "He also gave us orders to proclaim to the populace and to earnestly testify [to the fact] that He is the one who was appointed under Elohim to be the judge of the living and the dead. 43. "To this one all the prophets give testimony that through His Name, anyone who has confidence in Him [is] to receive release from the penalty of wandering from the [right] path." The penalty of wandering: One had to be on the right path once to wander off it. Hebrews 9:15 makes it clear that those the renewed covenant chiefly addresses are those who transgressed the earlier covenant, that is, the descendants of Israel. (v. 36) 44. While Kefa was still speaking these words, the Spirit of Holiness rushed down upon all the ones listening to the message. 45. Then the faithful from among the circumcision, all who had accompanied Kefa, were thrown into amazement, because the gift of the Spirit of Holiness was distributed upon the Gentiles as well, 46. because they heard them speaking [other] languages and declaring Elohim's greatness. Then Kefa remarked [in reference to this], 47. "Can anyone withhold water so that these [men] may not be immersed who have also received the Spirit of Holiness just as we did?" 48. So He ordered them to be immersed in the Name of YHWH. Then they begged him to remain [for] some days. In the Name: not a proselyte immersion of conversion. But this suggests that most immersions of the day did not use YHWH's name, but the apostles emphasized this. For some days: Aramaic, toward day (i.e., until the next day). CHAPTER 11 1. Now the Delegated Envoys and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the message of YHWH, 2. and when Kefa went up to Yerushalayim, those from the circumcision [faction] set themselves at variance toward him, The circumcision: Sometimes a description of the Jews in general, but often (as here) used to designate a particular party that insisted that Gentiles joining the Messianic community had to be circumcised before being fully welcomed. (15:5; 21:20; Gal. 2:12; Titus 1:10) 3. saying, "Since you approached men having foreskins and ate with them!" 4. But Kefa began to explain [it] to them in the order [in which it happened], saying, 5. "Being in the city of Yafo, I was praying, and in a trance I saw a vision—a certain container coming down, like a big sheet being let down out of the sky by four corners, and it came all the way [down] to me. 6. "When I gazed into it, I was paying close attention to it, and I saw the four-footed creatures of the earth, and the wild animals, the reptiles, and the birds of the air. Four-footed creatures of the earth: animals, yet "from the Land", that is, having once been Israelites, but having turned away from the covenant. The term used in verse 3 for having foreskins is also used in the Makkabees of persons who were once circumcised but had an operation to reverse their circumcision so they would look just like Gentiles. 7. "Then I heard a voice telling me, 'Get up, Kefa, slaughter and eat!' Slaughter: If this is really only talking about people, why the command to kill? Avi Ben Mordechai points out that (other than the Passover lamb, which is also specially identified with Y'shua is also called in 1 Cor. 5:7), the only type of sacrificial offering with which the Hebrew term for "slaughter" is directly connected in the Torah is the peace offering (shelem), upon which the offerer was required to share the meat in a communal meal. One invited family, friends, and acquaintances and gave special praise to YHWH for a particular benevolent act He had done. (Lev. 7:11ff; 19:5; Deut. 27:7; 1 Shmuel 11:15; 1 Kings 3:15) It often bespoke a hearty reconciliation and covenant of unity between the parties sharing the meal, mending a past division. (Gen. 31:54) Thus the point being made to Kefa is the reunion between the two formerly-estranged Houses of Israel. All parties who share in it must be ritually pure, since it was eaten in YHWH's presence (at the Temple). And eating with these now-cleansed men is precisely what he ended up doing. (v. 3) These Israelite souls being gathered from among the Gentiles are no longer strangers, though they still appeared unclean, but were now the Jewish believers' friends, restored to the same covenant. "He is our peace [offering], who has broken down the wall of division." (Eph. 2:14) 8. "But I said, 'By no means, sir, because never has anything that is defiled or unclean ever entered my mouth!' Unclean: Aramaic, what abominates. 9. "Then a voice answered me a second time out of the heaven, 'What YHWH has cleansed, don’t you consider defiled.' 10. "Now this happened three times, then everything was pulled back up into the sky. 11. "Then, lo and behold, three men already stood by the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea. Already: Aramaic, within the hour. 12. "And the Spirit told me to go with them without any hesitation. So these six brothers also came with me, and we went into the man's house, Six brothers: counting Kefa and the three men who had sent for him, there was thus a minyan (quorum) of ten to form an entire congregation made up of those from both Yehudah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel. 13. "and he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and telling him, 'send [men] into Yafo, and summon Shim'on, who is [also] known as Kefa, 14. "'who will speak to you [about] matters by which you and all of your household can be restored.' Restored: made well again, saved, rescued from danger of destruction, delivered from the penalty of judgment. Thus though they themselves were devout, they carried a sentence upon them that had to be removed. Hebrews 9:15 reveals that the message was that Messiah's death had covered the sins of their ancestors, committed under the first covenant, "so those who had been called out might receive the promise of the everlasting inheritance." 15. "And as I began to speak, the Spirit of Holiness rushed down upon them, just as it also had on us as the first. 16. "And I remembered the thing the Master mentioned when He said, 'Yochanan indeed immersed with water, but you will be submerged in the Spirit of Holiness!' 17. "So if YHWH had given them the [very] same gift He also [gave] to us [who] trust in the Master, Y'shua the Messiah, who was I to be able to stand in the way of YHWH?" 18. When they heard these things, they quieted down and gave honor to YHWH, saying, "So then YHWH has extended to the Gentiles a repentance [leading] to life!" Repentance: return from a particular guiltiness. (See note on v. 14) To life: Deut. 32:47 defines the Torah as the life of those called into covenant with YHWH.

Chapter 15 19. "Therefore, it is my judgment [ruling] that we do not trouble those who are turning to YHWH from among the Gentiles. Turning: If they were merely Gentiles, they would merely be turning, but since Y'shua was sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, these include the alienated tribes who assimilated with the Gentiles, and lost their identity. But YHWH did not forget who they were. So He sent the envoys after them so He could begin reuniting the two houses of Israel. In this case, we could just as well translate the word "returning". 20. ...because Moshe is taught in the synagogues every Sabbath Do not trouble them: I.e., do not lay on them too heavy a burden all at once". But if they are truly Israel, they are responsible to gradually come back into the fullness of Torah-observance insofar as it is possible outside the Land and with no Temple intact. By attending the synagogues, they would learn little by little, and assimilate each aspect into their lives at a realistic pace by which it could sink in and really become part of them.

Chapter 19
	Chapter 20 ... 6. And we departed by ship from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and within five days we came to them in Troas, where we spent seven days. 7. On the first of the Sabbaths, the disciples having gathered to break bread, Paul was speaking to them, since he intended to leave the next day, so he continued the discussion until the middle of the night. First of the Sabbaths: Aramaic, On the day of First Sabbath; alt., on the first of the week. (See note on v. 8.) It is the seventh day of the Counting of the Omer (or sheaf, i.e., the counting of seven weeks from the firstfruits of the barley harvest until Shavuoth, the firstfruits of the wheat harvest), and thus the first of seven special Sabbaths that mark this time of focus on the maturity of the Body through each oneâ€™s gift functioning together in unity with the others. (Eph. 4) This counting begins hard on the heels of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (the lag time varying between one and six days before the counting begins, since it must begin on the day after the Sabbath following Passover, the same day Yâ€™shua rose from the dead), as we see in verse 6. 8. Now there were plenty of torches in the upper chamber where they were assembled. Plenty of torches: or the right number of torches, an idiom for the ceremony of havdallah, which closes and sets the Sabbath apart from the rest of the week. Six candles, representing the uniting of six days to form the seventh, or the completeness (hence, â€œplentyâ€), are traditionally used, and this ensemble is called â€œtorchesâ€. Fires may not be lit during the Sabbath itself (Ex. 35:3), so by tradition they are lit as soon as the sun is all the way down. The middle of the night on the first day of the week is â€œSaturday nightâ€, so this verse cannot be used, as many try, to prove that the believers had already started meeting on "Sunday" instead of the Sabbath. The faithfulness of the Delegates to all the other festivals shown in this passage immediately precludes such a thought which would have been unimaginable to them, this being the Roman day dedicated to sun-worship. 9. And a certain young man named Eutychos, sitting in the window, had been overcome by a deep sleep, since Paul had spoken for a very long time. And, having sunk into the deep sleep, he fell down from the third story, and was not moving [when he] was picked up. Third story: literally, third loft or level. 10. But Paul went down and rushed to him, and, putting his arms all the way around him, said, "Donâ€™t be troubled, because his life is in him." Life: literally, soul. 11. And, going [back] up, he broke and partook of bread, and, upon conversing adequatelyâ€”until daylightâ€”he thus left, 12. and they brought the lad away breathing, and were not moderately encouraged! Another resurrection took place during the Counting of the Omer (as with Yâ€™shuaâ€™s).
Chapter 21

Chapter 23 5. Shaul said, "Brothers, I was not aware that he was the high priest--because it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of the People'." The Romans had usurped the right to appoint the high priest (see note on Yoch. 11:49), and had also confiscated his garments. They would lend them back at each festival if the Jews were "behaving", to deter them from revolting against the hated tyrants. The high priest had to wear these specific garments, not a copy of them, to officiate at a number of the ceremonies. They had very costly precious stones in them, and his wearing them brought Israel a special blessing. Shaul, having been abroad for a long time, would not have known who'd bought the position of high priest that year, especially since he was not wearing his garments, it not being a festival time.