Cornelius and Peter's Vision

A centurion named Cornelius resided in Caesarea and was described as a devout man who feared God with all his house, gave alms, and prayed to God always (Acts 10:1-2). At approximately the ninth hour of the day, he saw a vision of an angel of God who instructed him to send men to Joppa to retrieve Simon, whose surname was Peter, who was lodging with a tanner also named Simon (Acts 10:3-6). The text does not say the specific distance the messengers traveled, but the following day, as they approached the city, Peter went up to the housetop to pray at about the sixth hour (Acts 10:9).

While Peter was hungry and waiting for food, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and a vessel descending like a great sheet knit at the four corners (Acts 10:10-11). Inside the sheet were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and fowls of the air. A voice commanded Peter to rise, kill, and eat, but Peter refused, stating he had never eaten anything common or unclean (Acts 10:12-14). The voice spoke a second time, stating that what God had cleansed, Peter should not call common; this occurred three times before the vessel was received up into heaven (Acts 10:15-16).

While Peter doubted the meaning of the vision, the men from Cornelius arrived, and the Spirit told Peter to go with them (Acts 10:17-20). Peter traveled to Caesarea, where Cornelius had gathered his kinsmen and near friends. Peter stated it was unlawful for a Jew to keep company with one of another nation, but God had shown him not to call any man common or unclean (Acts 10:24-28). As Peter preached about Jesus of Nazareth, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the word, which astonished the believers of the circumcision who had come with Peter (Acts 10:44-45). Peter then commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord (Acts 10:48).