Made A Fisher Of All Men

Acts 10:9–16 (NKJV)

9 The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. 10 Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” 15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” 16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

So far in our study of Cornelius and his visitation of the angel we have concluded several things. One was that he was seeking God for who He is and how He has chosen to reveal Himself. Cornelius was an objective man of conscience and was committed to judge things based on reality and facts. He was prevented to be among the Jews for fellowship and to continue as a disciple of Judaism unless he jumped the hurdle of circumcision. This had left him wondering if it was possible for him to be saved. But he continued to search for answers from the Holy writings and sought God in prayer. We also uncovered the object, which was sent by God to bring Cornelius orders to subpoena Peter for his apostolic witness. The object was an angel who was in close proximity to the throne of God, because he had heard and seen the prayers that had come up to God in remembrance of the saints. We also discovered that Cornelius was justified by his peers, but was awaiting the witness of the necessary justification from God. Cornelius understood that he needed more than his peers to grant him peace and forgiveness; he was searching for a vindication from God, as he now possesses a conscience informed by the Hebrew Law which was unwilling to pardon him. His will and his desires were now enslaved to coming to a logical conclusion of how he was to escape his conscience, which is now aware of his sinfulness. And he wasn’t receiving any vindication from the Jews. He is like Christian in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress with the burden of the law upon his back.

However, now that the angel has appeared to him and commanded him to send for Peter, he is anticipating the witness of his justification from God. In a sense he has already been given the assurance through the appearance of the angel, but only needs the proper facts to fill his mind and heart with the joy of salvation. In other words he has been given many pieces to the puzzle, but is awaiting the final pieces to complete the big picture and admire the fullness of its beauty. Peter will bring the final piece that will complete the holy train of thought in the mind of Cornelius. However, in this study, we will look into what must be completed in Peter’s holy train of thought before Cornelius will have his assurance. We observed how Cornelius was approaching the Lord in prayer and study, and discovered that he was seeking God, fully aware of his sinfulness; crying, “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner. I believe, help my unbelief; do not pass me by.”

We also know and should aim at remembering that Philip, the evangelist, was last known to be in this city in a previous study; and we can liberally assume that he was in this seaport interceding for Cornelius on behalf of the saints who received his graciousness. We also briefly discovered that Cornelius will be a secret weapon for the church as he will use all his resources within his disposal for the kingdom of God. He was a man who had wealth and honor and could use it to further the progression of the gospel. He was godly man who not only taught himself the fear of the Lord, but all who were in service to him and indebted to him. He withheld nothing from God that was freely given to him by God. However, he was still a servant of the enemy of the church of Jesus Christ – the Caesar of Rome; so far as his conscience would allow. He had godly men who feared the Lord at his command and was in a position to protect and serve the sacred and holy means of grace within his realm of influence.

9 The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.

We come upon our study, on the following day, after Cornelius has received the visitation of the angel of God. We see here, that as the men are drawing near to Joppa, Peter has gone up to the roof of the house of Simon, the tanner, to pray around lunch time or noon. The sixth hour correlates to around twelve o’clock during the midday sun. The housetop is a wonderful place to pray when located at the beach. Peter would have had a clear view of the Mediterranean Sea, and during the night hours a clear view of the starry sky. I imagine that it was a beautiful spot to connect to the Creator of the universe through an intimate picture of moving art made by the Master’s hand for men to observe the declaration of the stars and the seas.

Psalm 97:6–7 (NKJV) 6 The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory. 7 Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods.

Psalm 69:34 (NKJV) 34 Let heaven and earth praise Him, The seas and everything that moves in them.

Psalm 93:4 (NKJV) 4 The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea.

Psalm 148:1–7 (NKJV) 1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! 2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light! 4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created. 6 He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away. 7 Praise the Lord from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths;

Isaiah 24:15 (NKJV) 15 Therefore glorify the Lord in the dawning light, The name of the Lord God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea.

Isaiah 42:10 (NKJV) 10 Sing to the Lord a new song, And His praise from the ends of the earth, You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, You coastlands and you inhabitants of them!

Jeremiah 33:22 (NKJV) 22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.’ ”

Habakkuk 2:14 (NKJV) 14 For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 60:1–5 (NKJV) 1 Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. 2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. 3 The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 “Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. 5 Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.

10 Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance . . .

Most commentators directly connect the intentions of the vision of Peter to Cornelius. But I don’t believe that is Luke’s only intention as he gives the narration of these events. I do believe the vision has a direct effect on Cornelius, but I believe the vision was more for Peter to be more closely associated with Simon, the tanner. We read here that Peter went up on the roof to pray, but he is not in prayer and fasting with Simon during this time. Peter has gone up to the roof to seek solitude from the business of the lower chambers. I believe Peter was in a season of fasting, having a group of the circumcision accompanying him on this commission, to establish churches out of the scattered believers who fled the persecution of Saul roughly eight years earlier (vs.23,45).

Peter was most likely fasting with the other circumcised believers to avoid eating with the Hellenist Jews; and though Simon was not a Gentile citizen like Cornelius, he was probably of a mixed heritage as the Samaritans were, and dealing with various kinds of animals as a Tanner, he also may have eaten what was known to be unclean animals according to the Mosaic law. The meal that was in preparation may have been one of those forbidden animals that Peter sees in the vision. But what we need to expound on here is the weakness of Peter’s flesh as he approaches God about eating and acquiring a taste for the food of the Tanner. It’s very possible that Peter sought refuge on the roof to avoid disputing with the Tanner over the meal and was beside himself (outside of himself) in prayer with God. Therefore, through his severe hunger because of the fasting since the healing of Aeneas, and the weakness of his flesh to taste the foods of temptation by the Tanner, he falls into this state of ecstasy where he wrestles with God.

The Greek verb egeneto (became) and the pronoun prospeinos (very hungry) describe Peter’s hunger becoming stronger, and the following Greek verb thelo (wanted) describes that Peter’s inclination to eat became uncontrollable. His desire was increasing as the meal was being prepared and therefore he falls into this ecstasy with the Lord. It could be translated this way: “Now in weakness he became increasingly hungry and desired a strong taste; while they made preparations for the meal, he fell upon the Lord in resistance.” The Greek verb epepesen (fell) means to throw oneself down or ‘fall on’. The idea here is that Peter was throwing himself upon the Lord in resistance against these desires to eat the unclean foods. Simon probably offered to show Peter how the meal is prepared since he was spending many days lodging with him (9:43). And Peter decided to flee the temptation and seek the Lord’s help to overcome, upon the roof, far away from being distracted to fight his internal war to sin against his conscience. We observe this war later on in his vision (vs.14).

We also studied the Greek noun ekstasis (trance) in a previous study regarding Saul and his war with himself, and with God, to depart from the temple traditions and go sailing to Tarsus. Essentially, the word means to be beside oneself in prayer and weakness before God (2Cor.5:13). Therefore, Peter is at the point of breaking and giving in to the inclinations of his heart to ‘taste’ the so-called unclean animals of the Tanner. The Greek verb geuomai (eat) is most often translated ‘taste’. In our context it means to taste for the purpose of enjoyment. Peter’s inclination was to taste and enjoy this food, which made his battle even greater having a conscience trained through the Hebrew tradition of the Mosaic dietary laws. A tradition laid down by God Himself; and to go against conscience would be a grave sin (Rom.14:23). Imagine Peter’s struggle within himself! God had already revealed to Peter that the practices of Simon’s trade was not something that prohibits salvation, nor fellowship in the church, nor fellowship in the Spirit. Now, therefore, are we to destroy the work of God for the sake of food? Romans 14:20 (NKJV) 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.

. . . and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.

First, we need to address, that within Peter’s struggle, he saw heaven opened. The vision is more for Peter, than for Cornelius, to be made ready for fellowship in the Spirit among the Gentiles. However, in the greater scheme of God, the prayers and alms of Cornelius, and Peter’s obedience to carry the gospel to the Gentiles are working together in the spotless sacrifice of Yahweh to open the windows of heaven in fulfillment of Malachi’s prophesy for the churches of Jesus Christ in the nations.

Malachi 1:5–14 (NKJV)

5 Your eyes shall see, And you shall say, ‘The Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel.’ 6 “A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’ 7 “You offer defiled food on My altar, But say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying, ‘The table of the Lord is contemptible.’ 8 And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” Says the Lord of hosts. 9 “But now entreat God’s favor, That He may be gracious to us. While this is being done by your hands, Will He accept you favorably?” Says the Lord of hosts. 10 “Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you,” Says the Lord of hosts, “Nor will I accept an offering from your hands. 11 For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” Says the Lord of hosts. 12 “But you profane it, In that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled; And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’ 13 You also say, ‘Oh, what a weariness!’ And you sneer at it,” Says the Lord of hosts. “And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; Thus you bring an offering! Should I accept this from your hand?” Says the Lord. 14 “But cursed be the deceiver Who has in his flock a male, And takes a vow, But sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished— For I am a great King,” Says the Lord of hosts, “And My name is to be feared among the nations.

Malachi 2:1–9 (NKJV)

1 “And now, O priests, this commandment is for you. 2 If you will not hear, And if you will not take it to heart, To give glory to My name,” Says the Lord of hosts, “I will send a curse upon you, And I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have cursed them already, Because you do not take it to heart. 3 “Behold, I will rebuke your descendants And spread refuse on your faces, The refuse of your solemn feasts; And one will take you away with it. 4 Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, That My covenant with Levi may continue,” Says the Lord of hosts. 5 “My covenant was with him, one of life and peace, And I gave them to him that he might fear Me; So he feared Me And was reverent before My name. 6 The law of truth was in his mouth, And injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, And turned many away from iniquity. 7 “For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. 8 But you have departed from the way; You have caused many to stumble at the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” Says the Lord of hosts. 9 “Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base Before all the people, Because you have not kept My ways But have shown partiality in the law.”

In summary the priests were not doing their job in discerning the purity of the people’s sacrifices, especially from the rich who were extorting the poor. The meaning and purpose behind the sacrifices was lost as they were pointing to “the Messenger” – Jesus Christ. The sacrifices of the temple cease when the one who fulfills the covenant is made the final sacrifice and therefore the priesthood can only continue in Him. The covenant was “with Him” and He feared and revered His Father’s Name. He is the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophesy because Israel has corrupted and failed to keep the covenant. Therefore, the more they reject the Messenger the more they corrupt the covenant. The covenant is to go into all the nations as a pure offering to honor the name of the Father, but they made it impossible for the covenant to go as a pure offering because of their traditions that were exalted above the law.

Malachi 2:10 (NKJV)

10 Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another by profaning the covenant of the fathers?

This rebuke is addressing the prejudices of the corrupted priests and governors of Israel. Malachi is pointing out that the temple is a house of prayer for all nations and peoples, and that all are to be given the opportunity to come near enough to observe the full counsel of God. Therefore, they are “to go” to all the nations and offer these sacrifices of prayer (incense) or else He will shut the doors of the temple and curse their children, for His Name is to be great among all the nations. God will not accept their offering until they offer the pure offering, one that is undefiled and able to cleanse all sin and satisfy the anger of the Lord.

Malachi 3:1–5 (NKJV)

1 “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts. 2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord An offering in righteousness. 4 “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the Lord, as in the days of old, as in former years. 5 And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien— Because they do not fear Me,” Says the Lord of hosts.

Notice that the Lord is sending His own messenger who will come to the temple, the messenger of the covenant, the covenant (the Old Covenant) that they delight in. But that covenant will not be a delight to them when the Messenger refines them through it and cleanses them with it. Malachi is saying that this Messenger will be able to make their offerings undefiled and pure and presentable in righteous perfection, offerings acceptable by God. For He will be the offering as He sits in judgment over them. Israel has forgotten the Name of their Lord and have not offered in His real Name. They have not offered by who He has declared Himself to be. They have offered in their own name and in their own ways and have committed idolatry in His house of prayer for the nations. They have turned away the alien who was seeking refuge (salvation) in the Name of Yahweh.

Malachi 3:8–10 (NKJV)

8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.

The priests of the temple were not using the offerings of the Lord as He desired but were robbing God of His true glory. They had made a class of people who were superior to others and were not accepting the offerings of the poor, but rather extorting the poor to profit themselves and abusing the law to create a standard that was the same for the rich and the poor alike. The Lord was not seeking a standard (10%) for all, but a pure offering from the heart. Because the rich increased the Lord’s standard for the poor, the poor turned away from offering at all; and because the rich had more to offer, they did not offer from the heart. The Lord was robbed of the pure offering; and ritualism and legalism defiled them.

Malachi 3:16–18 (NKJV)

16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name. 17 “They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.” 18 Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him.

Those who had ears to hear and eyes to perceive turned from their sin as the Lord promised to make His people His own “jewels” (a precious possession) that was purchased in the discernment between the righteous and the wicked; between the one true Son of God and those who have not kept the covenant. For it was Christ who loved the Lord His God with all His heart, soul, mind, and strength. It was Christ who was obedient from His birth to His death. For it was Christ who was risen in glory. For it is Christ who sits at the Father’s right hand. For it is Christ who makes the prayers of the people a pure and holy offering for the Father of lights.

. . . and saw heaven opened . . .

The Holy Spirit is reminding Peter of truth that has already been exposed to him. Some commentators suggest that because ‘heaven was opened’ that it signifies that God is giving a new revelation. But that is the furthest thing from the truth. Jesus had been with Peter and the other disciples for three years, and both Matthew and Mark record a significant teaching that was directed at the Pharisees before a large crowd of people, and was readdressed a second time when He was alone with the disciples. Let’s look at their account:

Mark 7:5–9, 13–23 (NKJV)

5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?” 6 He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 7 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.” 9 He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. 13 . . . making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.” 14 When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and understand: 15 There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. 16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” 17 When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. 18 So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” 20 And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

Matthew 15:15–20 (NKJV)

15 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.” 16 So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

We can easily see here that the religious leaders were making standards, for all the people, which God never intended to place upon them. Washing hands and eating certain foods were not commandments that were given to all peoples to be acceptable offerings to God. Those commandments were only for those priests who served in the tabernacle and temple of God. It was a covenant for the Levites, for their inheritance was the Lord Himself; if they kept His covenant. However, their covenant with God, through their own false mediation, became a standard for all of Israel and the Gentiles, and replaced their traditions and customs upon all men as commandments of God, but at the very expense of the law and the covenant that God gave others who are Israel as well. This became a wall of separation to the Gentiles, which God Himself never built to separate Himself from the sin of the nations (Ps.127:1). This was the stumbling block of Israel, to understand the difference between law and custom. It was a law (for them) to keep to be able to remain in Israel as the nation that mediates (administrates) the Name of God, but it was made into a standard that God had not made for all nations. Therefore, God took the mediation (administration) away from them and gave it to the church (Matt.21:43). But also notice Peter’s lack of understanding, because of the false traditions engrained into him from birth by believing lies. First, he thought the Lord was giving a parable. But there is no parable here. It is a straight forward rebuke about their false applications of the customs. The Lord was not concealing a revealed truth in a parable. These things have already been revealed and it would have been a sin for the Lord not to expose their misuse of the law (Deut.29:29).

. . . and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.

As Malachi prophesied, the widows of heaven are being opened to the Gentiles through the pure and spotless sacrifice of Jesus Christ, but Peter has to be reassured in his conscience and more informed of the liberty to which Christ has set him free to fulfill His command to extend the Name of Christ to all nations. The vision is for Peter to be reminded to feed the Shepherd’s sheep (Jn.21:17). Christ has made Peter a fisher of all men, not just a fisher of the circumcised Jews (Matt.4:19). Peter has to learn and be reminded to lay down his own preferences and prejudices to be the priest that God has called him to be, a priest that offers prayers for all the nations who fear the Name of Yahweh. I hate to say it like this but it’s like God saying, “Buck up, Peter; for this is to which you were called.”

Now to understand this vision we need to know Peter a little bit. Peter was first called by the Lord as a fishermen who casted nets in the Sea of Galilee. Imagine yourself within a fishing vessel looking up into the heavens and a sail unfolding down by four corners above your head. Peter has thrown himself down in ecstasy before the Lord about his desire to partake of the forbidden food and is taken back to the place to which he was called out from to be the Lord’s fishermen. The vision is a condescending of the Lord to the familiarization of Peter’s memory of his time spent with the Lord in the flesh, to call him again to remember his training and why he was called and what he is to teach.

First, let me rephrase this verse with my own translation: Then witnessing the heavens opened and descending above him something like a great sail tied to four beginning dominions, being let down to the earth. The Greek verb theorei (saw) has more to do with understanding and experience than it does with actual vision or sight. It is more of a spiritual term to express spiritual understanding and insight. Therefore, I translated theorei “witnessing,” for it is written in the present tense and active voice. What Peter witnessed is that the heavens were opened (through Jesus Christ), but to what remains to be understood until Peter ponders the vision later. But the vision does give us (the reader) a hint as to what heaven was opened to; if we have been paying attention thus far. Stephen saw heaven closed (to the Jews) as Christ sat in the clouds of judgment, but Simon is observing heaven opened to the Gentiles through the intercession of Christ’s sacrifice (Acts 7:55,56;Rev.1:7;Mk.14:62;Gen.3:24). This is key to understanding the windows of heaven.

The Greek noun archais (corners) is really a term that means beginnings and is most often directly associated to authority and power. It may have been translated corners to express the idea of a foundation, but I don’t see a foundation being set here. These four new dominions are letting down this sail. The foundation (in Christ) and the apostles has already been laid, but these four new “rulers” are tied to and letting down the Holy Spirit through prayer, if you will, to blow upon the sail of the apostles. Proverbs 21:1 (NKJV) 1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. The Greek verb deo (bind) can also mean to tie together. This is what is being described here, that there are four rulers who are tied together in prayer and are filled with the Holy Spirit to send the apostles and exercise holy dominion in the earth. There are four beginning authorities (or churches) in Samaria, Damascus, Joppa, and now Caesarea; each having a pastor or shepherd who lead the people of God in the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. They are tied together in their support of the apostles' doctrine and in the liberty in connection to the foods and trades of their own heritage. Each authority has its own liberty to offer God thanksgiving for the foods they partake and the work God provides in truth. But these authorities are not described as pillars (foundations) because their authority can be removed unlike the foundation that has been laid in Jesus Christ and the apostles. All those who serve under and after the apostolic era are not to be considered as a sure and steadfast foundation, for their traditions and practices are not treated as the commandments of the Lord; but are subject to the completed revelation of God (the 66 books of both Old and New Testaments).

ἀρχή (archē). n. fem. beginning, ruler. That which is first, either in time or in rank and authority.

Occurring 130 times in the nt, the word archē always carries a sense of primacy; it can denote primacy of time (e.g., “beginning”) or primacy in authority (e.g., “ruler”). The noun archē often occurs along with the word ἐξουσία (exousia, “authority”) in the nt when it has the sense of “dominion.” For example, Luke 12:11 and Titus 3:1 use archē and exousia to denote governmental authorities, while Eph 6:12 uses the pair of terms to refer to spiritual forces at work in the heavenly realms (compare Eph 3:10). In the Septuagint, the word frequently refers to dominion and power as it is expressed in official positions of leadership (Gen 4:13, 1 Chr 26:10; Neh 9:17). The related masculine noun, ἄρχων (archōn) appears frequently in the nt. Its basic meaning is “ruler,” “lord,” or “prince.” In the nt, it can be applied to earthly authority (Acts 4:26), evil spirits (Matt 9:34), or Christ himself (Rev 1:5). It can also suggest a lower-level administrative leader or official (Matt 9:18; Acts 16:19). Matthew 12:24 refers to Beelzebul as the archōn of the demons.

Merrill, R. (2014). Authority. D. Mangum, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, & R. Hurst (Eds.), Lexham Theological Wordbook. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

The Greek noun othonen (sheet) is actually describing the sail of a floating vessel. Most times it is translated linen cloth like the burial clothes of our Lord (Lk.24:12), but because the Greek adjective megas (great) is used, it should only be translated as a sail for this context (Jn.3:8). The wind of the Sovereign Spirit can blow upon any of these new churches to bring revival to the whole body of Christ. These four authorities are tied to the supreme authority of the Holy Spirit who blows upon their sail to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Together they are holding the rope of prayer that supports the apostles’ missionary efforts throughout all the churches and planting new authorities throughout the Gentile world. Therefore, these are not corners as in a foundation, but are indeed tied like a rope to Christ.

Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 (NKJV)

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

The application for us, thus far in this vision, is to look upon the Liberty to which the death of Christ has set the church free; to obtain the power and the resources to go into all the world and make the Name of Jesus Christ great among every tribe, tongue, and nation. We are to unite ourselves to prayer and hold the rope, so to speak, with the universal body of Jesus Christ for the sanctification and the discernment of the Lord’s body that we may not fall under the same judgment as the Levitical priests of the Old Covenant (1Cor.11:29). Therefore, when we gather to obey the Lord’s commandment, and partake of the bread and the cup of His sacrifice, we are to discern truth from error, salvation from damnation, and sin from liberty through the means by which He has ordained.