Acts 28:1-31  Paul Thanked God and Took Courage

[Study Aired October 29, 2023]

Act 28:1  And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita.
Act 28:2  And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.
Act 28:3  And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
Act 28:4  And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
Act 28:5  And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
Act 28:6  Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.
Act 28:7  In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously.
Act 28:8  And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.
Act 28:9  So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed:
Act 28:10  Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.
Act 28:11  And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux.
Act 28:12  And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days.
Act 28:13  And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli:
Act 28:14  Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome.
Act 28:15  And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.
Act 28:16  And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.
Act 28:17  And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
Act 28:18  Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me.
Act 28:19  But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of.
Act 28:20  For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.
Act 28:21  And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee.
Act 28:22  But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against.
Act 28:23  And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
Act 28:24  And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.
Act 28:25  And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,
Act 28:26  Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
Act 28:27  For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Act 28:28  Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
Act 28:29  And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.
Act 28:30  And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
Act 28:31  Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

Our study today is the 28^th chapter, the last chapter of the book of Acts. There is an easily discernable spurious 29^th chapter of Acts which would have us believe that Paul left Rome and went to Spain and then to Britain where the Druids convinced Paul that they were the descendants of the northern ten tribes of Israel. From Britain this spurious 29^th chapter of acts has Paul traveling through France to the Belgae (Belbium) preaching the gospel to Roman garrisons and to the people. From Belgium this spurious 29^th chapter of Acts affirms that Paul went to Switzerland, called Helvetia, where he come to “Mount Pontius Pilate” where we are told in this spurious work that Pilate had cast himself down headlong and had perished, but immediately water had gushed out of the mountain and washed Pilate’s dead body into a lake of which lake we are told:

“Verse 20. And Paul stretched forth his hands upon the water and prayed unto the Lord, saying, O Lord God, give a sign unto all nations that here Pontius Pilate, which condemned thine only-begotten Son, plunged down headlong into the pit.
Verse 21. And while Paul was yet speaking, behold there came a great earthquake, and the face of the waters was changed, and the form of the lake like unto the Son of Man hanging in an agony upon the cross.
Verse 22. And a voice came out of heaven saying, Even Pilate hath escaped the wrath to come, for he washed his hands before the multitude at the blood-shedding of the Lord Jesus.” (End Quote)

Contrast all this heresy with these true words of our Lord:

Mat 12:39  But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

Mar 8:12  And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

So much for the heresies of the 29^th chapter of Acts. It is really nothing more than an attempt by the adversary to legitimize the false doctrine of British Israelism, and the desires of Catholicism to see signs as proof of their legitimacy as the one true church.

Coming back to The Truth:

Act 28:1  And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. [Modern day Malta]
Act 28:2  And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.

This gracious reception by these ‘Barbarous people’ signifies how the Gentiles were prophesied to receive the gospel after it was rejected by the Lord’s own people, the Jews:

Mat 13:57  And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

Joh 1:11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

The people on the island of Malta graciously received and ministered to those who the Lord has saved from the tempestuous sea.

Act 28:3  And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

The Lord’s apostle was not above pitching in and doing manual labor to get the job done and to help minister to those needing help. Luke earlier had used the pronoun ‘we’ when speaking of work done on the ship to help save the lives of all:

Act 27:19  And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

Contrary to the lies of Babylon of a pitchfork-wielding devil stoking the fires of hell, the truth is that the adversary (“that old serpent the devil and Satan”) cannot stand the fiery Truths of the Word of God, and he flees from that heat, attempting to poison and destroy the Lord’s elect in doing so. However, the Lord’s elect simply shake off that lying serpent into the Truths of the Lord’s words and are not at all hurt by the serpent’s futile attempt to destroy the manchild of the woman.

This is the only example of anyone in all the New Testament literally taking up a serpent and not being hurt by doing so. Paul did not go out looking for rattlesnakes to bring into the church and tempt the Lord for the sake of the attention and the entertainment of others. Paul’s example is how we handle serpents without suffering any harm:

Mat 4:6  And [the devil] saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Mat 4:7  Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Mar 16:18  They shall [inadvertently] take up serpents; and if they [inadvertently] drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Act 28:4  And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
Act 28:5  And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

Paul was the Lord’s messenger. He had no interest in putting on an unscriptural show for the people of the island. He was not deliberately taking up a serpent to entertain men. The only time he deliberately ‘took up serpents’ was each time he entered a synagogue, knowing from experience that those who were of their father, the devil, would be right there to withstand his gospel message. There were 275 others on that ship, plus all the natives of Malita who were right there and could have been attacked by that serpent, but the Lord caused it to attack Paul, who signifies each of us, the Lord’s messengers in this dark and barbarous world.

Act 28:6  Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

The carnal mind, without the direction of the Lord’s Word, is so easily led to worship the messenger. That is true even for the Lord’s elect as the apostle John twice demonstrates for us:

Rev 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Rev 22:8  And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Rev 22:9  Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

Act 28:7  In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously.

Lodging 276 people for three days was no small task, but it certainly paid off well for Publius who was “entertaining angels unawares”:

Heb 13:1  Let brotherly love continue.
Heb 13:2  Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Luke, Aristarchus and Paul were all angels of the Lord, carrying the gospel of the Lord, being ‘lodged courteously’ by Publius, the chief man of the island of Malita. It turned out to be a great blessing to Publius and to his family, as is always the case when we show any kindness to the least of the Lord’s children:

Mat 25:34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Mat 25:35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Being totally unaware of the spiritual status of some of his guests, Publius was showing kindness to no less than Jesus Christ Himself, and he was about to reap the blessings of doing so:

Act 28:8  And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.
Act 28:9  So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed:
Act 28:10  Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.

Paul himself healed no one by his own power. He was the Lord’s agency for healing the father of Publius of his “bloody flux”, and that was just the beginning, as others also, who had diseases in the island came and were healed. That is the Lord’s method of operation. What we give in this life will redound a hundredfold to the glory of God:

Mat 19:29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Act 28:11  And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux.

Three months of adverse winter weather had constrained Julius to wait until Spring to continue on toward Rome in another ‘ship of Alexandria’ which had also “wintered in the isle” waiting for milder weather. The harsh winter months, notorious for bad sailing conditions, were now past, and Julius was ready to continue his trip to Rome to deliver his prisoners to Caesar. Castor and Pollux were the mythical twin sons of the head Roman God, Jupiter. They supposedly had the power of saving men in danger at sea. The fact Luke takes time to mention them as the sign under which this ship was sailing indicates that someone in the group thought it was good to have the Roman Gods on their side as they approached Rome. That ‘someone’ certainly was not Paul, Aristarchus, or Luke who all knew there was but one God, the Father:

1Co 8:6  But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and [besides this “one God, the Father” there is also] one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. [Paul here totally ignores ‘the third person of the godhead’ because there is no such ‘person’]

Act 28:12  And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days.

No reason is given for this three-day layover in Syracuse, therefore I will not speculate, but I will say that the spiritual significance of the number ‘three’ indicates that a process is taking place, and that process is judging us and bring us to maturity if we are ‘in Christ’.

Luk 13:32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

Act 28:13  And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli:
Act 28:14  Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome.

Julius apparently granted Paul and his traveling companions to spend seven days to visit with Christian brothers in the city of Puteoli. It is a work of the Lord that Julius the centurion was given to honor his prisoner, Paul, at every opportunity. He knew Paul had been prominent in the Jewish religion before being blinded for three days by Christ. Julius knew all about Paul’s experience with the Lord, and he had witnessed in the most severe fashion the fallacy of ignoring Paul as the Lord’s spokesperson. Paul was never once treated as a mere prisoner, not even by King Agrippa, and Julius was more than willing to accommodate Paul and his Christian friends whenever possible.

What happens next reveals how well-known Paul had become even in Rome:

Act 28:15  And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.

Appii forum is, according to Gill’s Commentary, 51 miles south of Rome and The three taverns is 33 miles south of Rome.

The gospel had first come to Rome via the pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost:

Act 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Act 2:2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Act 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Act 2:5  And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Act 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.
Act 2:7  And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
Act 2:8  And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Act 2:9  Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Act 2:10  Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

About three years earlier, near the end of his third missionary journey, Paul had written his most profound epistle to these Romans, expounding on the reformation of Jesus and what that entailed. These Roman Christians were coming out to meet the author of that incredible epistle and the man who had once persecuted Christians before being blinded by Christ on the road to Damascus. It was common to travel a long distance to meet an emperor, or a high government official, and escort him back into the city. Paul was being given an emperor’s welcome by the church at Rome, and it had the affect of causing him to “thank God and take courage.”

Paul’s special treatment continued while being kept as a prisoner in Rome:

Act 28:16  And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.

The Roman government saw fit to let Paul rent his own home, and they provided a personal security guard for the apostle Paul. Why the Roman system did this is not explained, but anyone who knows that God is working all things after the counsel of his own will knows that it was all, in the final analysis, a work of the Lord for His own purposes:

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

The Roman Governor, Festus, had asked King Agrippa to help him formulate a letter to Augustus concerning why Paul was being sent to Rome:

Act 25:24  And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men which are here present with us, ye see this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerusalem, and also here, crying that he ought not to live any longer.
Act 25:25  But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself hath appealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him.
Act 25:26  Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, I might have somewhat to write.
Act 25:27  For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him.

Paul’s testimony before the king of his zeal for the traditions of his fathers, and his subsequent conversion to becoming a servant of Christ, was so persuasive that Agrippa confessed to almost becoming a Christian convert:

Act 26:26  For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things [Christ’s ministry, death and resurrection, and Paul’s efforts to extinguish Christ’s followers before becoming a convert to Christ] are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.
Act 26:27  King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.
Act 26:28  Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

King Agrippa was not much help in finding a reason to send Paul to Augustus as he told the governor, Festus:

Act 26:30  And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them:
Act 26:31  And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds.
Act 26:32  Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.

It is not adding to the scriptures at all to say that Festus realized that if Paul had not appealed to Caesar, he “might have been set a liberty”, therefore it logically follows that any letter to Augustus sent from Festus by Julius the centurion would not have condemned Paul. That helps to explain why Paul was never treated as a common criminal because everyone knew he was innocent and undeserving of being treated as a criminal.

Now Paul is ready to be a witness of the gospel of Christ in Rome, first to the Jews, but also to anyone who wants to come and hear what he has to say. As he had said in the beginning of his epistle to the Romans, which was penned over three years before his arrival in Rome:

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Rom 2:10  But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

Judaism was the established church of Paul’s day. The application today is ‘to the established Christian first and also to the rest of mankind.’ Paul wasted no time taking the gospel to the Jew first. We are not given the particulars of how he did it, but considering the favor he was being shown by the Roman authorities it is obvious that he had no problem calling “the chief of the Jews together” and first assuring them that he was not teaching the Jews among the Gentiles to forsake Moses. Nevertheless, the Jews in Jerusalem had falsely accused him of doing just that, and they had also falsely accused him of defiling the temple by taking a Gentile into it.

Act 28:17  And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
Act 28:18  Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me.
Act 28:19  But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of.
Act 28:20  For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.

It was indeed “for the hope of Israel” and for the hope of all men that Paul was “bound with this chain”, but he had never taught the Jews to forsake Moses.

Paul had agreed with the consensus of the elders which stipulated that the Jews must continue to keep the customs of Moses while the Gentiles need to do “no such thing.” Paul and Silas had shared with all the churches these “decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.”

Act 15:28  For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
Act 15:29  That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
Act 15:30  So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:
Act 15:31  Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.

Act 16:4  And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.
Act 16:5  And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.

Years later James repeats the words of that epistle to the Gentiles in:

Act 21:17  And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
Act 21:18  And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.
Act 21:19  And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
Act 21:20  And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
Act 21:21  And they are [falsely] informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
Act 21:22  What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.
Act 21:23  Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
Act 21:24  Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
Act 21:25  As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.
Act 21:26  Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.

Paul had no compunctions about doing what was requested of him by James because that was what he had been doing all along. When he went to the temple of purify himself with the four men who had a vow, the Jews of Asia who had been persecuting him there in Asia continued their false accusations here in Jerusalem:

Act 21:27  And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,
Act 21:28  Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.
Act 21:29  (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)

How much of this Paul shared with “the chief men of the Jews” in Rome is not known. We do know that when he told them…

Act 28:17  And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.

…he was telling the Truth.

The holy spirit had kept any words against Paul from getting to the chief men of the Jews at Rome and they had to confess that they had heard nothing at all against Paul personally, but they did tell Paul that the message of the gospel was spoken against by the Jews “everywhere”:

Act 28:21  And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee.
Act 28:22  But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against.
Act 28:23  And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.

The holy spirit has now made good on the promise twice made to Paul, first in Jerusalem right after witnessing to the Sanhedrin…

Act 23:10  And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.
Act 23:11  And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

…Also, at sea when all hope of being saved was taken away in the midst of a two weeklong storm that hid the sun by day and the stars by night:

Act 27:20  And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
Act 27:21  But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.
Act 27:22  And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.
Act 27:23  For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
Act 27:24  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

We will not read of Paul being brought before Caesar, but we do read of Paul’s witness in Rome to “the chief men of the Jews”, and as always his message is rejected by most of the Jews, but there was always a remnant who believed.

Act 28:24  And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.

Paul quoted the same verses Christ quoted when His words were rejected by all but a remnant of the Jews. It is the same words we witness to the leaders of apostate Christianity until this very day:

Act 28:25  And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,
Act 28:26  Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
Act 28:27  For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Compare these words to Christ’s words of Matthew 13:

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you [the remnant] to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them [signifying the masses of Christianity] it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Act 28:28  Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.

Then they, too, will apostatize and become “the multitudes” to whom “it is not given… to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven”.

“The last days [and] the ends of the world [ages]” have been with us since the death and resurrection of Christ:

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come [aorist tense].

Act 28:29  And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.
Act 28:30  And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
Act 28:31  Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

Paul had “his own hired house.” It is obvious that the church in Rome was supporting him while he was there in prison. He “received all that came in unto him” as he ministered to the church in Rome. They were the first church to read the epistle to the Romans which He had penned near the end of his third missionary journey three years before he arrived in Rome as a prisoner.

Act 19:21  After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.

Rom 15:24  Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company.

Rom 15:28  When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.

‘When… I… have sealed to them this fruit’ refers to the gift he had gathered from the Gentile churches “for the poor saints at Jerusalem” (Rom 5:16) on his third journey, which dates the timing of the epistle to the Romans to be near the end of that third journey.

If Paul’s experience signifies our experience, and indeed it does, then we need to be aware that our lives in every generation witness for Christ, both within His body and to the leaders of this world. Paul witnessed to the entire Sanhedrin, Lysias, the chief captain in Jerusalem, Felix, and Festus, the governors of Judea, King Agrippa in Casarea, and Julius the centurion who accompanied Paul through all the trials of the entire trip to Rome, and Publius, the chief man of the island of Malta. This is how we will conclude our studies in this book of the Acts of the Apostles:

Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mat 5:15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Acts 27:1-22 Except These Abide in the Ship ye Cannot be Saved

[Study Aired October 15, 2023]

Act 27:1  And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus’ band.
Act 27:2  And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.

The phrase “certain other prisoners” could have included others who had also appealed to Caesar. Aristarchus and Luke, “Paul’s companions in travel”, are with Paul on this voyage. Paul calls Aristarchus “my fellow prisoner” in his epistle to the Colossians, indicating that Aristarchus had also been arrested and had also appealed to Caesar. Luke could simply be a paying passenger who was led to stay with Paul as he endured his imprisonment. At any rate, both Aristarchus and Luke are with Paul on this voyage to Rome.

Here is the verse in Colossians, which is one of Paul’s prison epistles, where we are informed that Aristarchus was indeed a “fellowprisoner”:

Col 4:10  Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)

Aristarchus is first brought before us in Acts 19 where Paul is in Ephesus, the city where Demetrius, a silversmith fearing the loss of his income, set the whole city into an uproar against Paul shouting, “great is Diana of the Ephesians.”

Act 19:28  And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
Act 19:29  And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre.

We are not given any details about Aristarchus, but this 27^th chapter of Acts is well over two years after that uproar in Ephesus, because we are told that by the time Paul left Caesarea for Rome, he had been a Roman prisoner in Caesarea for over two years. The events at Ephesus took place several weeks before Paul was apprehended by Lysias the Roman captain in Jerusalem, and Aristarchus is still faithfully by the side of the apostle Paul.

Act 24:27  But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.

Now Aristarchus is once again “Paul’s companion in travel” as a “fellowprisoner” on this voyage to Rome. Luke is still using the pronoun ‘we’, so we know that there are at least two men of the church who are traveling with Paul on this journey to Rome to appear before Caesar Augustus.

Act 27:3  And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself.

This tells us that Julius, the centurion, knew Paul well enough to know he would not attempt an escape. It is still amazing, because had Julius lost a prisoner under his charge, he would have had to forfeit his own life, as was the case for the guards watching over Peter:

Act 12:19  And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode.

Julius is the centurion who was charged with ensuring that all these prisoners be delivered to Augustus at Rome. We are not told the exact number of prisoners, but in verse 37 of this chapter we are told that the exact number of people on the ship at the time of its destruction at sea was two hundred and seventy-six:

Act 27:37  And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.

Once again, the Lord makes even Paul’s enemies to be at peace with him, and Julius allows Paul the liberty of going to his friends in Sidon “to refresh himself”. What incredible favor the Lord shows us even as we serve Him in bonds!

Act 27:4  And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.

The Greek word translated as ‘we sailed under’ here in verse 4 is ‘hupopleo’ and it is defined as to sail “to the lee of” by Thayer, and “to sail under the lee of” by Strong. All we are being told is that they had to go in the direction the wind was blowing, and that happened to take them north of Cyprus along the coasts of Cilicia and Pamphylia instead of the much more direct route to Asia, which would have been sailing south of Cyprus.

In the Hebrew scriptures, the Hebrew word for ‘the wind’ is ‘ruach’ (H7307). It is the exact same word which is translated as ‘spirit’. Here is a verse which describes what the spirit of the Lord is doing with Paul and all those in the ship with him:

Isa 17:13  The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind [H7307: ruach; wind or spirit], and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.

The Lord uses the wind as He uses His spirit to work all things after the counsel of His own will:

Isa 19:11  Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?
Isa 19:12  Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.
Isa 19:13  The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.
Isa 19:14  The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit [H7307: ruach] in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.

Jer 51:1  Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind [H7307: ruach; wind or spirit];

The Lord used “a lying ruach”, a lying spirit”, to persuade King Ahab to go up to Ramothgilead to die there:

1Ki 22:19  And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven [good and evil] standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
1Ki 22:20  And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
1Ki 22:21  And there came forth a spirit [H7307: ruach], and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.
1Ki 22:22  And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit [ruach] in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.
1Ki 22:23  Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit [ruach] in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.

It is nothing less than a spirit from the Lord which is driving these two ships all around in the Mediterranean Sea working every detail of this voyage “after the counsel of His own will” (Eph 1:11).

Act 27:5  And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.
Act 27:6  And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein.
Act 27:7  And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone;
Act 27:8  And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.
Act 27:9  Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,
Act 27:10  And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.

Paul is speaking for the Lord, and “the Lord hath spoken evil concerning” (1Kg 22:23) this journey, but the ship’s captain and owner persuaded Julius the centurion to try to make it to the next port instead of listening to the words of the Lord via His servant Paul.

Everyone knew that bad weather sets in on the Mediterranean Sea after “the fast”. ‘The fast’ refers to the day of Atonement when all law-abiding Jews fast as commanded in the law of Moses:

Lev 23:26  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:27  Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Lev 23:28  And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.
Lev 23:29  For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

“Afflict your soul” means to fast and deny oneself any food from sunset to sunset on “the day of atonement.”

Act 27:11  Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.

This centurion, Julius, typifies each of us when we place the words of men of this world, be it scholars like Noah Webster or James Strong or the words of any other ‘man’ or any minister, above the words of Christ. Paul is a proven and faithful servant of Jesus Christ. Julius, being a centurion with a hundred soldiers under his command was without a doubt one of “the principal men of the city” who was present when Paul was permitted to speak for himself before the Roman governor, Festus, and King Agrippa and Bernice “and all the principal men of the city” of Caesarea (Act 25:23). This centurion, Julius, knows Paul’s story of meeting the risen Christ.

He was also aware of Paul’s statement to King Agrippa that “this thing was not done in a corner.” Julius the centurion knows that when Paul said, “this thing was not done in a corner”, Paul is referring to the death and resurrection of Christ, and all the undeniable miracles which followed that miraculous event. The miraculous delivery from prison of the twelve disciples and the miraculous delivery from Herod’s prison by Peter were not done in a corner. The death of Agrippa’s father who was eaten with worms shortly after killing the apostle James and intending to do the same to Peter was well known throughout the Jewish world because it all happened in and around the Passover, when Jews from all around the world were at Jerusalem for the Passover:

Act 12:1  Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
Act 12:2  And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
Act 12:3  And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
Act 12:4  And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter [G3957: pascha; Passover] to bring him forth to the people.
Act 12:5  Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

There is every reason for Julius to listen to Paul, but he is persuaded by the captain and owner of the ship to ignore Paul and attempt to make it to Phenice, the next and better port on the eastern end of the island of Crete.

The fact that Julius allowed Paul to visit his friends in Sidon demonstrates how well he knew Paul, and how much he trusted Paul’s judgment. Nevertheless, he is a man of this world, and he listened to and “believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul” (vs 11). It is all by God’s design “for our admonition.”

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

If the “them” of 1 Corinthians 1:11 refers to the people of the Old Testament, how much more do the people of the New Testament signify each of us, as indeed the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

2Co 3:2  Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
2Co 3:3  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

The apostle Paul, who speaks for Christ and who is always rejected of this world and in this age, signifies us as we witness for Christ and against the present evil world. Just as Christ and His words were rejected, so we must expect to be rejected by this world in this age:

Mat 10:25  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Act 27:12  And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west.

To tell the truth, the port of Fair Haven “was not commodious to winter in.” Nevertheless, the Lord, through the apostle Paul, admonished Julius to stay put. The Lord knew that Julius and the captain and owner of the ship would want to sail to Phenice on the east end of the island of Crete. The Lord always gives us a good excuse for disobeying His commandments, just as He gave Eve a reason to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3:4-5), and just as He gave “the man of God” a reason to disobey Him when another prophet lied to the man of God and told him that the Lord had told the lying prophet that the man of God should come to his house for dinner. The Lord always provides Himself an occasion to judge our rebellious and sinful flesh.

1Ki 13:18  He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.

This ‘man of God’ was set up by God to succumb to the severe hunger and thirst he was enduring, and it was all done to admonish us against giving in to our own weaknesses (1Co 10:11, 1Pe 1:9-12):

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

Now the Lord has lured Julius and the captain of the ship back into the sea, and the worst is yet to come:

Act 27:13  And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.

“Their purpose” was to make it to Phenice on the west end of the island of Crete. Their purpose had no regard for the warning they were given from the Lord through the apostle Paul. The Lord who warned Paul of the impending disaster, which was to destroy this ship, knew just what to do to lure Julius, the centurion and ‘the master and owner of the ship’ to attempt to make it to Phenice. He gave them a “a south wind [which] blew softly” just long enough to get them out of the “Fair Haven” harbor and out to sea. However, as soon at that soft south wind had them out at sea, things began to change for the worse very quickly:

Act 27:14  But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.
Act 27:15  And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.

“We let her drive” is just another way of saying ‘We completely lost control of the ship which was being driven of the winds beyond any ability of the crew to direct it.”

Act 27:16  And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:

“The boat” means the lifeboat which is contrasted with ‘the ship’ to which ‘the boat’ was attached. All larger ships have lifeboats which hang off the sides of the ships in calm seas and are brought on board in very bad weather to keep them from being lost in the storm. The lesson for us is that our works, which the Lord causes us to undertake as we fight against the storms He places in our lives, cause us to sweat, and it is all in vain because our works cannot save us when the Lord Himself is against us:

Mic 6:14  Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.
Mic 6:15  Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.

This stormy voyage to Rome in this ship signifies how the spirit of God deals with us all. Our lives are driven by His will for us, and we are just as helpless to resist His will as this ship and its crew were helpless to resist the winds of this storm.

Nevertheless, we work hard to save ourselves:

Act 27:17  Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.

“Strake sail” means they let the sail down to keep the ship as stable as possible under the stormy winds they were facing. This whole story is written for our admonition. It is telling us that Christ is working with us while we are in this ship, and that being in this ship we are “in Him”, and He is our only hope. Taking down the sails signifies that we are beginning to submit to His guidance in our own stormy lives. There is more for us to learn about the work of the Lord in our lives as this story progresses:

Act 27:18  And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;

“Being exceedingly tossed with the tempest” is just another way of telling us what Paul and Barnabas told all the churches they had raised up on their first journey:

Act 14:22  Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

“Much tribulation” refers to great physical and spiritual trial in this physical life, affecting and producing wars in the spiritual heavens of our hearts and our minds. Here is how Peter makes this same admonition to all who are given to accept and rejoice in it:

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
1Pe 4:14  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

“On their part he is evil spoken of” refers to the carnal mind within each of us. The carnal mind within us blasphemes the name of the Lord when He sends fiery trials into our lives:

Rev 16:8  And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
Rev 16:9  And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Rev 16:10  And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
Rev 16:11  And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

Revelation 16 is speaking of you and me:

Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God [the “fiery trials” of chapter 16], and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled [the “fiery trials” of chapter 16].

We are one and all blasphemers of God before we repent of our God-will-burn-sinners-in-hell-for-all-eternity blasphemy. We repent of our blaspheming only when the seventh vial is poured out upon us and Babylon the Great and all her lies within us begin to be destroyed, revealed for what they are. When we see how badly we presented the Lord to this world, that is when the man of sin begins to be destroyed by the brightness of the Truth as it begins to come into our lives and destroy the man of sin within us:

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

2^nd Thessalonians 2:8 is a condensed version of these words about the fruit of experiencing the pouring out of the seventh vial in our lives:

Rev 16:17  And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
Rev 16:18  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
Rev 16:19  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
Rev 16:20  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Rev 16:21  And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

We all “blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail.” What does that mean? The religious world of Babylon wants us to believe that the Old Testament has nothing for us. That is what I was taught when I was submerged in Babylonian doctrine. The adversary knows that the proper meaning of all the signs and symbols of the New Testament are revealed only in the Old Testament, so of course the Great Whore churches of this world do not want us to understand the function of hail in scripture. That function is revealed only in the Old Testament:

Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

Hail is formed by the winds up in the heavens, and it comes down to us out of heaven. It is this product of the winds of heaven which “sweep[s] away of the refuge of lies.” It is the Lord’s ‘wind’ which creates the storms of life which bring us all to our “wits’ end” and drag us to repent of believing all those lies. That is what the scriptures teach from Genesis to Revelation. It is a loving heavenly Father who raises up all the storms in our lives. The storms and trials of our lives are “His wonderful works to the children of men” which bring us to repentance:

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Psa 107:21  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psa 107:22  And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.
Psa 107:23  They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
Psa 107:24  These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Psa 107:31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psa 107:32  Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

That is the lesson of this stormy trip to Rome. From the very beginning, the wind, signifying the spirit of the Lord, decided where the ships Paul sailed would go. The first one wanted to go straight to “the coasts of Asia” by sailing south of Cyprus, but the winds took them north of Cyprus and eventually to Myra in the province of Lysia.

Look at the verses which tell us how the wind dictated where the ship would go:

Act 27:2  We set sail on a ship from the city of Adramyttium. The ship was going to stop at ports on the coast of the province of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from the city of Thessalonica, went with us. (GW)

Act 27:4  Leaving Sidon, we sailed on the northern side of the island of Cyprus because we were traveling against the wind.
Act 27:5  We sailed along the coast of the provinces of Cilicia and Pamphylia and arrived at the city of Myra in the province of Lycia.
Act 27:6  In Myra the officer found a ship from Alexandria that was on its way to Italy and put us on it. (GW)

Julius, the centurion, “put us on… a ship… to Italy”, but they were still “traveling against the wind.”

Act 27:7  We were sailing slowly for a number of days. Our difficulties began along the coast of the city of Cnidus because the wind would not let us go further [westward]. So at Cape Salmone, we started to sail for the south side of the island of Crete. (GW)

When Luke writes that “the wind would not let us go further” he is telling us that the wind would not let the ship go directly west to Italy. Instead, the wind drove the ship south to Salmone, a city on the eastern most tip of the island of Crete. From there the wind forced them to sail on the southern side of the island to the port of Fair Haven.

Act 27:8  We had difficulty sailing along the shore of Crete. We finally came to a port called Fair Harbors. The port was near the city of Lasea.
Act 27:9  We had lost so much time that the day of fasting had already past. Sailing was now dangerous, so Paul advised them,
Act 27:10  “Men, we’re going to face a disaster and heavy losses on this voyage. This disaster will cause damage to the cargo and the ship, and it will affect our lives.”
Act 27:11  However, the officer was persuaded by what the pilot and the owner of the ship said and not by the revelation Paul had been given

The Lord “knows our frame”, and He gives us hope when we have no hope, and He delivers us when we cannot see a way to be delivered.

Act 27:19  And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

The third day signifies the process of the judgment of our old man and the beginning of the birth of our new man. It is at this point that we are more than willing to “cast out with our own hands” everything we would have used to save ourselves, and we place ourselves at the Lord’s direction and at His mercy.

Act 27:20  And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

Exactly what King David said would happen to everyone occurs to each one who aspires to truly come to know the Lord:

Psa 107:25  For [the Lord] commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.

Act 27:21  But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

‘Long abstinence’ refers to abstinence from food which is exactly what happens to us when we are being judged for our transgressions against our Lord. This is exactly what King David says will happen to us right here in this same 107^th chapter of Psalms:

Psa 107:17  Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
Psa 107:18  Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.

This desperation is essential to bring us to repentance, and once we acknowledge our transgressions and repent then this happens:

Psa 107:19  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.

Only “when all hope that we should be saved [is] taken away” can the Lord come to our rescue with words of hope for the hopeless:

Psa 107:20  He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

“His Word” is Christ:

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Christ is “the beginning” because He was “in the beginning” (Rev 3:17). “The Word of God” brings us great hope, and “we are saved by hope.”

Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Paul, who everyone knew had advised that they stay in the Fair Haven harbor, was a proven prophet, and was now extending words of hope to everyone on this ship:

Act 27:22  And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.

Next week we will learn why the ship had to be destroyed, and why Paul is so confident. We will learn that we, too, must ‘abide in the ship’ if we want to be saved and to be disciples indeed:

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue [G3306: meno; abide] in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Joh 8:31  Therefore, Jesus began saying to the Jews who had trusted and were now believing by Him [or in Him], “If you should remain [dwell, abide] within My word [My message; My communication; My expressed thought; My Idea], you folks are truly [really, genuinely] My disciples.

What we will see in our next study is that we must ‘remain’ and ‘abide’ in Christ if we hope to be saved.

Faith – The Response of the Elect in These Perilous Times

[Study Aired November 21, 2022]

Introduction

This is a follow-up of what Brother Mike wrote on “Our Faith Overcomes the World” for the recent conference. Before the conference I was thinking of writing to encourage the participants of the conference regarding the stressful times in which we live. Unfortunately, I was not able to write due to my workload. I was therefore glad to see that Mike had written on the theme I had in mind which touched on our faith, being what will cause us to overcome in these trying times. I will therefore call this the second part of what Mike wrote.

There is no doubt in the mind of all of us that the times we live in are very challenging. The reason the world is getting worse as we get close to the end of this age is that men will get worse in character because of deception by the devil.

2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 

Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Apostle Paul gave us insight into what it means when men grow worse in character.

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 
2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 
2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 
2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 
2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

The outcome of men’s behavior is seen in the worsening of the economies of various countries making lives unbearable as we see the general rise in prices resulting from the greed of men and the desire to control the world. Apart from conflicts or wars plaguing the world, there is increased polarization of political parties in various countries. It is therefore becoming increasingly difficult to live in these perilous times.

In spite of all these occurrences, we must bear in mind that it is all part of the grand scheme of God to humble humanity to intensify their desire for the revealing of the sons of God at the end of this age. This desire will culminate in the first resurrection of the Lord’s elect to rule the world.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 

Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it.    

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

All of what the world is going through is the beginning of sorrows as indicated by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mat 24:6  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 
Mat 24:8  All these are the beginning of sorrows.

In trying to understand our response to these perilous times, two examples will be provided – one from the New Testament and one from the Old Testament. These examples show us the desperate situation in which the Lord’s elect found themselves and how the Lord wrought deliverance on their behalf. As we look at these examples closely through the Lord’s eye, the Lord will grant us the grace to know our response in these perilous times.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Our Response – New Testament

Let’s now take a look at the response of Paul when he was traveling with other prisoners by sea to Rome to face trial as the ship encountered a storm.

Act 27:8  And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.
Act 27:9  Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them, 
Act 27:10  And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. 
Act 27:11  Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul. 
Act 27:12  And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west. 
Act 27:13  And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete. 
Act 27:14  But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. 
Act 27:15  And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. 
Act 27:16  And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat: 
Act 27:17  Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.
Act 27:18  And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; 
Act 27:19  And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.
Act 27:20  And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
Act 27:21  But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. 
Act 27:22  And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. 
Act 27:23  For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 
Act 27:24  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 
Act 27:25  Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. 
Act 27:26  Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island. 
Act 27:27  But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;
Act 27:28  And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms. 
Act 27:29  Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day. 
Act 27:30  And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship, 
Act 27:31  Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. 
Act 27:32  Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off. 
Act 27:33  And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. 
Act 27:34  Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you. 
Act 27:35  And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat. 
Act 27:36  Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.
Act 27:37  And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls. 
Act 27:38  And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea. 

As we can see, this was a life and death situation Paul encountered, and he even gave up hope of surviving until an angel of the Lord came to him to assure him that he will survive and that because of him, the Lord has also spared the lives of all those traveling with him (verse 24). One of the lessons we can glean from this situation is that we need the Lord’s words of assurance to survive in these perilous times. We must therefore take consolation in the words of assurance that the Lord has given us in His words.

2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises (words of assurance): that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ is using what every joint supplies to assure us of His deliverance in these times. We should therefore not take for granted what our brothers and sisters say to us as they represent the angel of the Lord.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

What is insightful is the fact that the angel of the Lord mentioned that not only will Paul be saved from the storm but also all those with him. It is reassuring to know that in these times, the Lord is not only preserving us but also those we care about (our families).

Act 27:24  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

In these perilous times, it is the word of the Lord that shines as light to show us what to do. It is this spiritual food that we are required to eat in these times to give us the strength to continue our journey of life.

Act 27:33  And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
Act 27:34  Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.
Act 27:35  And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat. 
Act 27:36  Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.

When Paul talked about the perilous times in 2 Timothy 3, he also emphasized the need to continue with the word of the Lord. This is the light that shines in our darkness until the day dawns and the morning star (Christ) rises in our hearts.

2Ti 3:14  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 

Another lesson we can learn from this desperate situation Paul encountered is that we should be of good cheer in these perilous times.

Act 27:22  And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.

The reason we should be of good cheer is that nothing in these perilous times can harm us as we hold on to Christ. Fear of the unknown can stifle our relationship with the Lord as fear undermines faith. Many of our fears in life never materialize, and it is because the Lord knows how to preserve His own. Being of good cheer is anchored on the hope we have in Christ that no matter what happens around us in this life, our lives, together with our families, will be preserved and that we will finish successfully the race marked out for us. If we have this hope, then it necessitates that we wait for it with patience.

Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

The third point to note is that in order for Paul and the others to remain safe on the ship, they had to offload many weights such as equipment, cargo, wheat, etc. that may facilitate drowning of the ship in the storm. As we journey in these storms of life, we have to let go of every weight of sin in our lives so that we can run the race of the kingdom of God with patience.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 

As we are aware, letting go of these weights of sin is not our work but that of the Lord. What we have to do is to cry to Him to deliver us as He shows us our weights of sin. Since this is in line with the will of God, our prayers will surely be answered!!

1Jn 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 
1Jn 5:15  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (ESV)

It is worth noting that some of the wheat was thrown away from the ship to lighten the weight. Here the wheat is shown in a negative light. It represents the false doctrines in our heavens that must be cleansed as we journey through the sea of life.

Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

The fourth point to note here is that when finally Paul, and those traveling him on the ship, were getting near land, the sailors wanted to use the lifeboat to run away. Paul noted what the sailors intended to do, and so he warned the centurion and the soldiers about this.

Act 27:30  And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship, 
Act 27:31  Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.

What we can learn from this is that unless we stay on the ship, we shall be lost, that is, the storm of life will sweep us away. The ship is where the miracle of God’s deliverance is taking place, not outside. The ship here represents our gathering together or the church of the firstborn sons of God.

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Mal 3:16  Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. 

The fifth point to observe is that the soldiers cut off the lifeboat to ensure that nobody left the ship. The lifeboat represents all that we depend on that have taken the place of Christ.

Act 27:31  Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. 
Act 27:32  Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.

Jesus warned us against mammon (material wealth) which can easily derail our commitment to the New Jerusalem – the church of the firstborn.

Luk 16:13  No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

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The love of money has destroyed many servants of the Lord. We have to depend on the Lord to be content in every situation. That is what will keep us in the “ship” to be saved!!

1Ti 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1Ti 6:7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 
1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

Finally, the soldiers took counsel to kill the prisoners, including Paul, lest they run away. However, the captain of the soldiers intervened and saved the prisoners.

Act 27:42  And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
Act 27:43  But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: 
Act 27:44  And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land. 

In these stressful times, the Lord will cause us to have favor in the sight of men who will help us when the need arises.

Pro 3:3  Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 
Pro 3:4  So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

Our Response – Old Testament Example

Let’s now take a look at the response of Mordecai and Esther when they faced being destroyed together with the Jews in Shushan.

Est 4:5  Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king’s chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it was.
Est 4:6  So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the king’s gate. 
Est 4:7  And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.
Est 4:8  Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people. 
Est 4:9  And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
Est 4:10  Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai; 
Est 4:11  All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days. 
Est 4:12  And they told to Mordecai Esther’s words. 
Est 4:13  Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. 
Est 4:14  For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? 
Est 4:15  Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,
Est 4:16  Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

The situation facing the Jews in Shushan was precarious as Haman had obtained a writ from the king which empowered him to destroy all the Jews in Shushan, including Mordecai and Esther. As we are aware, Esther was the king’s wife and therefore was uniquely privileged to intervene on behalf of the Jews. We, His elect, are also the bride of Christ, and therefore are in the same position as Esther in the sense of being favored by the King (our Lord Jesus) as we navigate through the storms of this life.

The first thing Esther suggested to Mordecai was that he should assemble all the Jews together. This is echoing the need to meet regularly as it is through our assembling together that we know the mind of Christ regarding what we should do in these distressing times.

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 

Mal 3:16  Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

The second thing Esther suggested was that the Jews must fast. We know that the spiritual significance of fasting is to keep ourselves from taking in false doctrines and to walk in righteousness as the Lord breaks the yoke of sin in our lives through the judgment of our old man (fasting for three days). That is what the Lord wants us to do as we “fast” in these stressful times.

Isa 58:6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Isa 58:7  Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 
Isa 58:8  Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. 
Isa 58:9  Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;  

These distressing times are all part of the Lord’s design for the elect with the view to perfect His work in us. As we are aware, all things are ours, that is, all things are designed by the Lord for our sakes, and that includes what is happening in this world now and what is to come. It is all for our good!!

1Co 3:21  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 
1Co 3:23  And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

The third observation here is that when Esther was faced with death, she was prepared to lose her life in a bid to save the Lord’s people. Her statement that day, “If I perish, I perish” shows us her resolve to lose her life to gain it one day.

Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

To lose your life in this sense means to die to the flesh. To gain your life means to inherit the promises of God. So, what this means is that Esther was prepared to die to the deeds of the flesh so that she will inherit the promise of eternal life. Dying to the deeds of the flesh is the work of God which is achieved through the trials that we face. The confidence we have is that what the Lord starts, He is able to complete!!

Nobody is saying that living in these times is easy. However, we have an advantage in the sense that the Lord is with us. This reminds me of what my mother told me about her life. She had just buried her son and was very apprehensive about what the future held for her family and was getting ready to sleep when my dad (a Minister of the Methodist church) told her that they should pray before they sleep as was their habit. My mum’s response to my dad was that if Jesus really is alive and well, why didn’t He intervene in their circumstance but allowed her son to die? This was about the third son she had lost.

After saying this, she turned and slept without praying, leaving my dad to pray alone. Immediately as she slept, she had a dream in which she was traveling on a journey and came to a big river and was wondering how to cross when she heard a voice saying to her, “You say that the crocodile in this river is dead but I want you to know that the crocodile is alive and well. The light you see at the end of the river is his light.” My mum then lifted up her head and saw a great light at the end of the river. Suddenly, she saw a great army on her right and left come to escort her and her family across the river to the other side. Immediately, she woke up and woke my dad up saying, “Jesus is Alive!! Let us pray!!” This experience impacted greatly on my Mum and Dad’s lives, and it influenced the way my siblings and I were raised.  This is all to let us know that the eye of the Lord is on us, His elect, and will never fail us!!

2Ch 16:9  For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

I will end with this encouragement from the Lord that whatever the circumstances we find ourselves in, the Lord is with us and will see us through these perilous times!! May His name be praised!!

Psa 46:1 To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psa 46:2  Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 
Psa 46:3  Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
Psa 46:4  There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 
Psa 46:5  God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
Psa 46:6  The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. 
Psa 46:7  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.