Featured Articles

[Featured][twocolumns]

Acts 27 and the End of the Church Age


I'm publishing this paper on behalf of our friend Jim. The credit goes to him for this intriguing analysis of the prophetic picture revealed in the book of Acts. Nestle down in a comfy spot and grab a cup of joe—this one will take some time. I pray it blesses you!

 - - -

When I was young, a fad came on the scene called the “magic eye” book. Maybe they existed before that time, but they became really popular in the early 90’s. The book was full of pictures that looked like random dots or splotches on the page, that looked like nothing but some abstract pattern. Until you learned to unfocus your eyes and look past the page into the void beyond. Then the dots magically lined up into a stunning 3-D image right before your eyes! Interestingly, some people tried multiple times and could never learn to see the 3-D image. For them, it was all a bunch of nonsense. Since they never saw what everyone else saw, they poo-pooed the whole idea.
                I have learned that this is true for disciples of Jesus Christ as they study the Bible, too. Some can only see the literal words on the page, and the basic meaning behind them. Others see a vast sea of rich symbolism and intricately linked themes and pearls of meaning behind the basic words of the text. Others are only willing or able to see the basic, primary meanings laid out in the Word of God.
                Don’t get me wrong. Studying and applying the basic meanings will get you a long way in your walk with the Lord. If that’s what you do, I do not wish to detract from the benefits you receive from the basic meanings of Scripture. The Word of God is powerful in every aspect of its being. And we can trust the entire Bible to be the true inerrant Word of God.
                But what about the additional meanings derived from symbolism and other devices? Did God, or did He not, weave these beautiful adornments into the tapestry of His Word? What purposes do they serve? How do we know if we can interpret them accurately? I wish I could write a full book on this extensive subject, but time is short.
                For now, I hope you will agree that there is extra symbolic meaning in the Scripture. There are several types of symbolism, including objective symbolism, numerology, typology, and so on. The symbolism we will examine here has most to do with typology.
                Many other people have written about typology. Some works are helpful, others not so much. I will not outline the entire system here. Suffice it to say, typology is “a doctrine of theological types especially one holding that things in Christian belief are prefigured or symbolized by things in the Old Testament.” —Merriam Webster.
                In my study over the years, I’ve found that Biblical typology actually is far more extensive than Merriam Webster’s definition. I’ve found that many of the Old Testament types are truly prophetic in nature, whether anyone could have known that at the time or not.
                The Book of Hebrews endorses the study of typology in Scripture, so we needn’t think it is an arcane or forbidden topic. However, it has never in my experience been popular to suggest that even New Testament historical accounts could include typology in them! But why not? Wouldn’t God put together His Bible the same way in the New Testament as he did in the Old? He is rather consistent, after all.
                If you’ve gotten this far without calling me a heretic or a fool, let’s move on.


What is the Book of Acts?

The Book of Acts is sometimes referred to as the only historical book in the New Testament. This seems a strange way to describe it, since the Gospel accounts are also historical in nature. However, the Gospel accounts deal with the life of Christ in a way that is not merely historical, but also very commentary. I have not delved into the possibility of typology in the Gospel accounts. I won’t rule it out, but ultimately they are filled to the brim with FULFILLMENTS of typological prophesies. Acts, on the other hand, lacks a lot of that commentary that sets the Gospels apart. Its narrative description of events is far closer to the feel and flow of the Old Testament history books.
                Acts is the account of the “Acts of the Apostles”, or the account of the early Church. It begins with the last words of Jesus Christ to His apostles, and ends with Paul’s arrival in Rome. Many events are recorded in this book, and it is not my purpose to relate them all. What I have surmised is that this book, probably more than any other, gives us the synopsis of what the Church is and does—and its history.


Ok, but what about typology and prophecy?

I am a firm believer in John 16:13. Jesus promised his disciples:


Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

                Some people, especially Baptists, get all squeamish when it comes to talking about the Holy Spirit. This is sad. Jesus asked the Father to send us the Holy Spirit for our benefit while He is away preparing a place for us. John 16:13 tells us some of what the Holy Spirit does for us: He guides us into all truth... and shows us things to come.
                Clearly, one of the most obvious ways the Holy Spirit does these things is through the Scriptures. When we read the Bible, the Holy Spirit illuminates the page for the disciple of Christ. The Bible was penned by holy men operating under the direction of the Holy Spirit, so who better to reveal the meaning to the reader, than the Author Himself?
                Once I learned to see typology in the Word of God, it popped out at me dramatically in many Old Testament accounts. I saw the historical David defeating Goliath, yes, but I also saw a picture of the coming King Jesus defeating Satan and the Antichrist at the Second Coming! I saw the historical Micaiah dragged in before Ahab and Jehosophat, yes, but in that was a picture of Jesus Christ being hauled in before Pilate! I saw the historical Jacob roll the stone away from the well for Rachel’s sheep to drink, and realized it was a picture of Jesus rolling the stone of the tomb away to consummate the act of redemption and allow his sheep to drink freely of the waters of life.
                But when I got to the New Testament, I wasn’t really looking for typology. I read through Acts looking for what a true Biblical church should look like. I must say, the church(es) of Acts did not much resemble the churches I see in America today. When I got to Chapter 27, which has always been one of my favorite chapters of Acts, certain elements in the narrative leapt off the page and smacked me between the eyes. I caught my breath. If what I was seeing was correct, Acts 27 and 28 were not only a historical account of Paul’s journey to Rome—they were also a typological prophesy of the end of the Church Age.
                This was several months ago now. As I have studied this passage out and prayed and meditated, I have bounced my thoughts off several men I know who are close to the Lord and are either pastors, missionaries, or Bible scholars in their own right. I met resistance from some, but the majority were floored by the possible implications. Only one suggested maybe I was off base. In due respect to him, and others who may agree, I can say that I do not find myself to be any type of authority on Scripture. Let the Bible speak to you for itself, under the power and direction of the Holy Spirit. If He does not show you what I believe He showed me, then let’s not part ways over the matter. I humbly acknowledge that I cannot prove that what I am holding forth is true—I can only offer it as evidence. If you can work on that framework, let’s continue.


The Position of the Church Age in history

One of my biggest sorrows, theologically speaking, is the lack of context many Christian believers have today regarding the position of the Church in God’s ultimate plan for the universe.
                First, let’s talk about chronology of ages past. Theologians (not to mention historians) break down the times of the past into ages with specific names. Many Bible scholars, and especially lay members, are content to think only in terms of the Old Testament age and the New Testament age. It is true that these two ages are pivotal. But let’s break it down a little more.
                Based on the chronology found in the Masoretic Hebrew text of Genesis and the other Old Testament books, we learn that the earth was created from nothing, by God, approximately 6,000 years ago. The Septuagint text disagrees by a significant but not drastic amount. Liberal interpretations (or ignorations) of the text do away with this time count and accept a far less literal interpretation of the timeline, to allow for their belief in the idolatrous doctrine of Evolution of the Species. James Ussher was one of the earliest men to make a mathematical catalogue of the age of the earth and timing of events based on Scripture. He found the birth of Christ to be approximately (within a few years) 4,000 years after the creation of the earth in Genesis 1. His margin of error was great enough, from what I understand, to allow for the possibility that Christ might actually have been born exactly 4,000 years after creation, at least to the year. Or 4,000 years to the year after the Fall. It is important to realize that the covenants and dispensations of the Old Testament did not begin with Moses and the Ten Commandments. I will not make a lengthy look at these covenants and dispensations, but it should suffice to say that many people followed God long before the Mosaic Covenant was instituted, circa 1445 BC. Some 2,550-odd years had already gone by before God gave them the law. Likewise, God’s covenant with Abraham, sometime after 1900 BC, was not the beginning of worship either. Therefore we had several important covenants and dispensations between Adam and Christ.
                Secondly, there is the false belief today that the Church effectively replaces Israel as God’s chosen people, for once and forever. Countless Old and New Testament passages put to rest this false doctrine of “Replacement Theology,” but those who cling to it will not listen to the reasoning of the pages of Scripture. How sad! To make a very long story short, these people have an inflated view of what the Church is.
                The Church Age essentially began with the ascension of Christ to heaven [in conjunction with Pentecost ten days later], leaving his Apostles in charge. But this new age—unforeseen in its nature by most if not all Christ’s disciples—was only to be a temporary parenthesis in God’s ultimate plan.  Romans 11:11-29 clearly shows that God’s focus will revert to Israel as the apple of his eye when they turn back to Him. The totality of Scriptural prophecy shows that this event will not occur until the Tribulation. (Except for the few Israelites who believe during the Church Age and are included in the Church dispensation).
                From a misunderstanding (inadvertent or deliberate) of Scripture, many scholars and other individuals, especially from denominations of the “High Churches”, have errantly come to believe that the Church is God’s overwhelming and ultimate program for the ages. Many of them believe we are “living the Kingdom now” to the exclusion of a future 1,000-year millennial reign of Christ, physically, on a throne in Jerusalem. To believe this, they must twist or ignore dozens, if not hundreds of passages from practically every book of the Bible.
                It is important, then, to realize the Church’s position in time and the ultimate scheme of God’s prophetic blueprint. Yes, the Church is glorious, and a gem and showpiece of God’s work and delight. But it is not the only, nor the greatest work of God. That distinction belongs to the entity of Israel. Much more could be said about that.


The Beginning of the Church

While the genesis of the Church could be debated in depth, for our purposes, I choose to make the general assumption that the Church Age began with the ascension of Christ to heaven. In the time between His resurrection and ascension, Jesus taught his disciples a huge parcel of truths they would need to understand during His time away from them. Little did they probably realize that He would be gone for some 2,000 years, and that all those present would die before His return.
                Christ actually started preparing His disciples for the Church Age even before He went to the cross. He let some tidbits fall early on in His ministry, but He really began to elaborate on His plans for the future during the Last Supper and the discourse He held with His apostles there. One of the chief takeaways He left them was that He would not leave them comfortless—He would ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to dwell within them continually.
                After Christ ascended into heaven, the 11 remaining apostles gathered in a single location and prayed. It is not particularly clear from Acts 1 and 2, but it appears the 120 +/- disciples present prayed more or less continually for 10 days from the ascension through to Pentecost. The thing I want to emphasize here was the prayer. The people gathered and prayed. They probably didn’t know exactly what was about to happen. But when it did, it was a glorious and joyful occasion. The Holy Spirit of God swept over them and indwelt them, kicking off a major session of street preaching that resulted in the salvation of some 3,000 souls in one day.
                Now I’d like to remind you—the disciples were essentially hidden, in a house, praying together, when the Holy Spirit came upon them.


The Symmetry of Scripture and God’s Ages

One of the things you’ll find about God and His plans is the symmetry of it all. I’ll be brief. Basically, for instance, the Bible begins and ends with creation. In Genesis, God created the heavens and the earth. At the end of Revelation, God makes all things new—the New Heavens, New Earth, and New Jerusalem.
                Adam and Eve’s sin has a mirror image event, too. Just after creation, Adam and Eve sinned, bringing death into the world. Right before the creation of the New Heavens and New Earth, God will have the Great White Throne Judgment to deal with sin once and for all.
                The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is spiritually the central event of the universe.
                Many smaller events in Scripture can be seen to be balanced and symmetric also. The account of Noah’s flood is one such account, and so is the book of Job. At the end of the book, all Job’s riches are restored unto him.
                I don’t think it is any stretch to suggest that the Church Age may also end up having a symmetry to its beginning and its end. Even the account of the 7 churches in Revelation 2 and 3 has a symmetry to it, for what it’s worth.
                Romans 13:11-12 suggests a time at the end of the age when the church ought to awaken:

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

                Some would disagree that these verses have anything to do with the end of the Church Age. I acknowledge this disagreement. I believe this meaning is found in this passage, even if it is not the primary message. God often embeds multiple messages within a single verse or passage. If Romans 13:11-12 and following, means the church needs to wake up and do works of righteousness at the end of the age, then I see this as another evidence for the symmetry. If the baptism of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost was the first great awakening, quite possibly a mirror-image great awakening is anticipated at the end of the age.
                What I plan to show you from Acts 27 matches this symmetry with great intensity.


The Historical Context of Acts 27 and 28

It would probably be irresponsible of me not to touch on the historically accurate account that Acts chapters 27 and 28 portrays.
                The Apostle Paul, having been arrested several chapters earlier, had made his appeal to be tried before Caesar. Thus, by Roman law, he had to be transported from Caesarea to Rome to seek that audience. Transportation being what it was, they made the journey by ship, guarded by Roman soldiers under the leadership of a centurion named Julius. They changed ships in Myra, and continued on toward Rome, under contrary weather. Eventually the weather became a huge named storm, Euroclydon, and the vessel was shipwrecked on Malta. By God’s grace, all 276 people on the ship were spared, but the ship was destroyed. After partaking of the hospitality of the people of Malta, the company went on to Rome in a third ship.
                It is particularly interesting that just in 2019, researchers form the Bible Archaeology Search and Exploration Institute, using a computer program, were able to locate the exact place where the shipwreck occurred on the southeast coast of Malta. The location had previously been thought to have existed on the north side of that island. Four stone anchors found decades ago in the newly-recognized location confirm the spot by the account of four anchors thrown out of the Acts 27 ship.


Some basic assumptions

It may help to make some initial statements regarding what I observe is meant by some of the symbols in the passage.

The Ship I believe symbolizes the worldwide church, indistinct from denominational  or regional differences, but including all those who truly put their faith in Christ.




Paul I believe represents the original apostolic authority, particularly regarding the teachings of the New Testament Scriptures. He may also refer to those Christian people, abiding in Christ, who have a clear understanding of God and the end times.




The Centurion, and Master of the Ship: Recognized Christian leaders of the modern church age. Could also reference any political leaders who are Christians.




The Sailors and the Soldiers seem to represent rank and file Christians under the leadership of various denominations and churches. These are lay people or minor leaders who do little study or spiritual thinking for themselves but rely on their leaders.




The Storm is the unprecedented onslaught of Satan at the end of the Church Age. It is a spiritual / political / physiological attack unlike any experienced before.




The Tackling of the Ship may refer to the arbitrary practices and assets of the collective Church—
traditions and practical procedures adopted over time to accommodate the workings of the individual churches and denominations. Could also possibly refer to false doctrines accepted by individual churches and denominations over time.




The Wheat, based on the parables of our Lord in the Gospels, represents the precious seed of the Gospel of Christ.





The Sea, as usual in the Bible, refers to the vast humanity of the gentiles and nations.





Crete represents the worldly, fleshly pleasures available around us.




Malta, meaning honey, represents either heaven in general, or at least the place in the clouds where the raptured souls and resurrected saints will meet Christ. Honeymoon, anyone?




The Bonfire and Reception by the islanders represents the Bema seat judgment.




Rome seems to indicate either the eternal state of the New Heaven and New Earth, or possibly being taken on to heaven proper, from the raptural meeting place in the clouds, to meet God the Father.




I cannot state without a shadow of doubt that I am correct in any of the assumptions. Evaluate them for yourself in the illumination of the Holy Spirit.


The Voyage

We’ll begin in Acts 27:6. Julius, the Centurion, in charge of his prisoner Paul and others, hires a ship to take the company on its second sage of the journey to Rome. It is interesting that Paul has been put under the ward of someone who knows a lot less about God and His workings than He himself does. Julius, a well-intentioned man, is focused on earthly things, including fulfilling his duty to government. He does not understand the intricacies of Paul and his message. Thus in our day, the worldwide church in many cases is led by men who are not well-versed in the proper knowledge of God. They have a worldly understanding of events, and miss the proper spiritual impact.
                27:7-9 As the ship tries to make its way to Rome, the winds are contrary. After much dangerous sailing, they came to a harbor called the Fair Havens, where they anchored for a while, evidently waiting for better weather.
                27:9-12 Paul warns the centurion and the master of the ship that they ought to wait out the winter, because any passage on the sea at this time of year was likely disastrous. The master, or captain, of the ship, took no thought to Paul’s “layman’s advice.” Julius trusted the ship’s master over Paul’s judgment. The ship’s master, being no doubt an expert in his field, saw no reason to heed the word of a non-sailor prisoner. He did not like the Fair Havens as a place to winter in, so he wanted to sail just around the end of Crete to Phenice, which he deemed a better, more comfortable harbor. The symbolism shows that official church leadership oftentimes leans to their own understanding based on their own theological positions and those of scholars, universities, and denominations they blindly trust. They do not take the writings of the Bible for their true meanings. Sometimes they look for what they are more comfortable with—a more popular theological doctrine, or church practice. They overlook the clear Word of God, symbolized here by Paul’s advice. The fact they wish to winter in Phenice, Crete, instead of God’s Fair Havens. One meaning of Phenice is palm tree. Crete was known as a worldly place. Many of the leaders of today’s churches want the comfortable life, the worldly life, the nice car, the nice house, the vacations to the Caribbean. They are willing to ignore the teachings of God by the Apostles in the Bible in order to achieve their goals.


The storm

27:13-17 Seeing an opening in the weather, the master of the ship quickly put out to sea, hoping to make the short journey around Crete to Phenice. Scarcely had they commenced their voyage when a gigantic storm appeared, bearing the name Euroclydon. Evidently even in those days major storms were named by the weather service! It rapidly became impossible to steer a course, so the master allowed the ship to run before the wind, hoping eventually to regain control. At one point they gained some temporary relief and managed to do some emergency repairs to the ship near the island of Clauda. The storm then continued to drive them onward.
                This account shows how the master of the ship still relies on his own understanding. He pulls out all the tricks in his seaman’s bag and figures he and the crew can only do their best to repair the ship at sea and try to ride out the storm. How often church leaders do the same! And government leaders, for that matter. Too often they miss the advice and instruction the Word of God has on offer. Maybe their skills would have succeeded in other storms, but this was Euroclydon, a storm so great no ship could escape to survive at sea. The name Euroclydon is defined by Thayer as “a violent agitation.” It derives from the word euros, which means east wind, and kludon, a dashing or surging wave. It should be noted that the east wind is often used in the Bible to represent unprecedented, inescapable trouble. Our Euroclydon today is a crisis so intense, unforeseen, and unfathomable that church leaders are totally at a loss what to do about it. At every stage of the disaster, both church leaders and government leaders make decisions, more and more drastic to mitigate a crisis they do not fully understand. They are not its match. Certainly not on their own power and understanding.
                27:18-20 The ship’s master and crew began to throw out all non-essential items from the ship. The next day, the prisoners and soldiers were pressed into service to help throw out the actual tackle and rigging of the ship. At this point, the ship master’s only objective was to survive the storm with his ship intact. The tackling and rigging could be replaced at a cost. They could hope to limp into a harbor and refit the ship eventually. Even so, it was not enough. With the storm as furious as ever, the inhabitants of the ship lost all hope of being saved alive.
                At this point in the narrative, the master and sailors realized they must take drastic measures to save the ship and their lives. They had no concept of saving their lives apart from keeping the ship intact. This is reflected today by many churches in the world where the leadership and people put undue trust in the church itself rather than in God. In some cases, especially in certain denominations, but not limited to any in particular, the church itself becomes an idol in the hearts of the people. The church becomes their hope of salvation, not Christ Himself. So in the time of worldwide crisis, many of the leaders are still thinking of only what they can do to save the church as a whole. Or it is at least a broad concept in their mind. They cannot fathom pulling through the crisis without the church being the means of salvation, whether spiritually, socially, or politically. They at least expect their church to be repairable and useful again once the storm eventually passes. They look for normalcy to return to the world. But even the staunchest leaders and church members will come to the day when they realize there is no hope for the present crisis to be averted, and the church worldwide will be lost, in one form or another. It is significant that the ship, or church, floats on the sea, or nations of the earth.  The nations are extremely agitated today, and the church and its people are or will soon be threatened directly.


The turning point

27:21-26 During the preceding ordeal, Paul held his tongue and didn’t give any more advice. After receiving a special word from an angel of the Lord, he stood in front of all the important persons on the ship and told them they should have listened to his earlier warning. He told them about the message from the angel, where God promised that Paul would make it to Rome to stand trial before Caesar, and that everyone on board would survive, although the ship would be lost. He also stated that they would be cast upon an island.
                Sometimes the disciples of Christ who are most familiar and skilled in studying doctrine and prophecy become weary of being rebuffed by the so-called experts. In the past couple decades, there seems to have been a noticeable decline in the study of prophecy and church-age doctrine in many churches and denominations. Theologians, preachers, and church members alike have studied these things more for academic consideration rather than feeling there is an actual impact on their life. Still, many of those whose finger is on the pulse of eschatology are ready and eager to teach the church and government leaders who should have made it their business to study them out on their own. It is noteworthy that Paul’s information came from God, not of his own concoction.
                God assured Paul that he would be brought to Rome, which was his goal. God assures the believer today that he will fulfill his ultimate goal of eternity with God. Interestingly, God also assured Paul that the lives of all on the ship would be spared as well. I understand the ship to represent the TRUE church of God, meaning all persons who have truly believed on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ unto salvation. I believe this shows that all the true believers will participate in the Rapture of the Church. This was a new and glorious concept to the master of the ship and the centurion (that everyone on the ship would be saved). This would be a new and glorious concept to some Christian leaders who doubt if you can know your salvation, or who disbelieve the doctrine of Christ’s Rapture. Instead of having to ride out the wrath of the Tribulation, all saved Christians will be “uploaded to the cloud.”
                The concept of the loss of the ship was no doubt a blow to the vessel’s master. The ship was wrapped up in his identity. To think of the loss of the church as the work of God on earth is devastating to Christians whose pride and identity is linked to the current earthly church.
                The news that they must be shipwrecked on “a certain island” was also new information for the master and crew of the ship. So too, the concept of the meeting in the clouds at the time of the Rapture is a concept that most mainstream denominations do not teach or accept. Church leaders look to enter a harbor of their own theological understanding, not the rapture taught in the New Testament.


Preparation for the Shipwreck

27:27-32 It is unclear how long the ship drifted after Paul’s speech to the ship master and centurion. However, a timeframe of 14 days is given in verse 27: “when the fourteenth night was come.” This may have been the 14th night since the ship left the Fair Havens. Or possibly since the storm began. Regardless, it is a distinct time reference—remember it for later.
                On the 14th night, the sailors spotted land nearby. They sounded the bottom and found it shallow. They cast 4 anchors out of the ship and waited for daylight. At some point, the sailors pulled a fast one and tried to escape in the ship’s boat. Paul perceived their ruse and stopped them, telling Julius that they would all be lost if the sailors abandoned them. Therefore Julius’s soldiers cut the ropes to the boat, dropping it overboard to keep anyone from deserting.
                The 14 days seems to be numerically significant to our current worldwide unpleasantness. Many times the word has been given for different groups to be quarantined for two weeks, and shutdowns of various organizations and activities has been mandated for a two-week period.
                At some point all or many of the church leaders around the world will wake up to the fact that the end is here. Because they weren’t thinking along these lines, they will wake up to the idea in stages, like the sailors in verse 28 testing the depth of the water and finding it shallower and shallower as they progressed. By this time they were looking for Paul’s word to be true—that they would be cast on a certain island. By this point in the end-time narrative, the previously oblivious church leaders will belatedly start to assess what God’s plan is for them at the end of the age.
                The four anchors, I believe, represent the church leaders’ desire to salvage the church tradition and keep the church relevant to sustain the institution through the storm. They are still not fully convinced the Lord’s Rapture will happen as written by Paul in I Corinthians. The number 4 represents the planet earth in Scripture. Out of fear of destruction, they try to keep the church firmly attached to planet earth. The 4 anchors settled to the bottom of the sea and into the seabed. Then the inhabitants of the vessel give it some thought—they wait for daylight, hoping to survive until they can see their way clear to respond to the situation.
                Meanwhile, a conspiracy arose. The sailors—possibly including the ship’s master—tried to deceive the others and make for shore in the ship’s boat. What this suggests to me is that the cooperation with God’s plan for the end of the age will not be unanimous. Some churches or church leaders or denominations, when faced with the truth, will choose to abandon the other believers and strike out on their own—probably involving some sort of political or social betrayal. Paul was adamant—they must not leave the ship. When he told Julius and his soldiers, they intervened and cut the boat adrift empty. This insured that all the ship’s company and passengers were now dedicated to a single plan of action. This tells me that all believers, worldwide, must and will be drawn into the same plan.


The breaking of the fast

27:33-37 Before the day broke, Paul admonished everyone to take breakfast. In the fourteen days previous, no one had eaten. It is not stated, but Paul and his fellow prisoners no doubt had been praying continuously, sequestered in the hold of the ship. Taking the food shows that the time of sequestration will come to an end, and it will be a time for action. But first, a meal must be had. The meal evidently symbolizes the Passover/Easter feast. I suspect this means that our turning point may be at Easter. If not, there will still be a day when it will happen. It could also refer to taking the Lord’s Supper. The solemn formality with which Paul officiated this meal is highly symbolic of the Lord’s Table.
                When they had the meal, they were of good cheer. At this point, it seems that all 276 people aboard the ship were of one mind regarding their plans. This is an important point. By the time in our narrative when this becomes possible, we must be unified in purpose before the Lord. Of course we will be of great cheer, knowing we will soon see Him.
                I submit to you that I suspect at this time the Worldwide Church will explode in a Holy Spirit-filled revival that could rival the original Pentecost event. This would provide a perfect symmetry with the beginning of the Church Age. The church began with a bang, why should it end in a whimper?


Dumping the grain in the sea

27:38 To lighten the ship further, the cargo had to be thrown out. Up to now, the ship’s master had retained the cargo of wheat. Realizing the ship must be lost, and that they must lessen the draft of the keel, the cargo was cast out. Can you imagine the billions of grains of wheat floating all over the water? In Scripture grains of wheat are picturesque of the Gospel, as sown by the Sower. The rich fool was reprimanded for storing up grain in his barns and planning to take his ease. One thing often missed about this parable is the aspect of the grain not being planned to be planted. He was hoarding the gospel for himself, and not planting and/or sharing it. He had far more Gospel than he needed for himself, but he had no plans of sharing it.
                I believe on the new day of revival, the Gospel will explode outward from the church onto the “sea of nations.” The sea of gentiles will eagerly soak up the kernels of good news, and there will be a huge soul harvest. Some of the Gospel effort may not see immediate results. The testimony and literature made massively available in this last hurrah of the church will last to some degree until after the Lord’s Rapture of the Church. Bibles, tracts, booklets, blogs, websites, and other testimonies of the Gospel will remain behind as the Church makes its glorious exit. Why have we not used our hoarded resources already to “blow out the Gospel?” It takes a crisis to cause us to realize that the only thing to do with the Gospel is to disperse the precious seed abroad. Whatever is hoarded is lost. Throw it on the waters—the waters represent the Gentile nations.


The dash for shore

27:39-41 When day broke, nobody on the ship recognized the land they saw. None of them had ever been there before. However, they could see a creek, and they supposed this was their best option to ground the ship on shore. The sailors took up the anchors, loosed the rudder, hoisted the mainsail, and basically hoped for the best. The ship went aground before it could get to shore, at a place “where two seas met.” The bow of the ship sat securely on the bottom, but the stern broke up with the raging waves.
                It is important to remember that no Christian here on earth knows that heavenly shore by experience. It is new to all of us. The church leaders still believe they have to be in control as much as possible even at this late hour. They attempt to steer the ship (church) toward the creek. But enough people realize by this point that the rudder must be loosed. In James, a person’s tongue is compared with the rudder of a ship. Loosening our tongue means we freely preach the Gospel in full force by the Holy Spirit’s direction. They commit themselves to the sea—this may mean they give up on trying to hold back at the anchor spot, and turn full attention to the Rapture which is known to be very close at hand. They give up all thought of remaining in the present world. The sailors hoisted the mainsail, which means allowing the Holy Spirit, symbolically identical with the wind, to direct them with the full force of His power.
                When they fell into a place where two seas met, I’m not sure of all the implications, but I will say that at other times of deliverance or ushering in, the seas were parted in two. The Red Sea was parted for Moses and the Israelites to escape Egypt (a type of the world) and then in Joshua the Jordan was parted to allow the Israelites to cross into the Promised Land. The symbolism matches up with other typological accounts. One colleague of mine suggested a connection with the firmament as mentioned in Genesis—the separation of the waters above from the waters below. We, the raptured saints, will pass through the firmament.
                The ship went aground before the leaders expected it to, and began to break up. This, I believe, symbolizes the breaking up of the church infrastructure, earthly organization, and extra-biblical practice. We hopefully have always realized that the true Church is the people, not the buildings, the trappings, the traditions, the ceremonies, or the denominations. None of that will be needed by the Church Age saints any longer. God does not particularly care for the man-made structures. The people are His precious prize.
                27:42-44 Just as they were deciding what to do next, one last crisis occurred—the soldiers turned on the prisoners and wanted to kill them, lest they escape. That was because any guard who lost his prisoners alive would forfeit with his own life. Julius intervened, trusting Paul and wanting to keep him and the others alive. Taking command, Julius told all who could swim to go ahead and jump into the water and make for shore. Then the non-swimmers would make their way by improvised flotation device. Everyone who didn’t know how to swim grabbed a piece of wood and plunged in, making it to the shore. All 276 were saved.
                I’m not sure if the final crisis, just before the Rapture comes from within the church group (the soldiers) or actually without. It appears that in the last moments before the Lord calls us home, there is one last existential threat to the people of God. Exactly how this threat shapes up is still a bit of a mystery. It may be betrayal from within the group. A bloodbath from the world’s government soldiers might be a more realistic interpretation, but we won’t know until it happens. It could involve some martyrdom. The Church needs to be ready and committed for this.
                The part about some of the survivors swimming and some clinging to wood to get to shore is a little difficult to parse. It could refer to the dead in Christ rising first, followed by those who are alive and remain. Regardless, they all get to the same place. Another possibility may be that some hangers-on may not be truly saved until that moment, and they have a chance to “cling to the Cross” and trust Christ and be saved at the last moment. After all, the cross was made of wood. I’m not sure about this point, but it seems to be significant nonetheless. The takeaway is that everybody made it to land.


The bonfire in the land of honey

Acts 28:1-2 When the shipwreck survivors got to shore, they found out they were in Malta (Melita). Melita means “honey.” The residents of the island welcomed the castaways with hospitality and built a bonfire to warm them up.
                It is interesting that in the Old Testament, the Promised Land was described as flowing with milk and honey. The name of Malta then, meaning honey, is easily symbolic of having arrived in the place of blessing. The residents of the island welcoming them is probably a toned-down reference to Jesus Christ and His angels welcoming the saints home. (Possibly the Dead in Christ saints, who rose first, are also included in the people of the land).
                The bonfire is very interesting, as we shall see. Baptist doctrine (and Biblical teaching) tells us that the Judgment Seat of Christ takes place immediately after the Rapture. Jesus will judge us for our good deeds and we will give account of our stewardship during the Church Age. I Corinthians 3:11-15 tells that our deeds will be tried by fire.
                28:3-6 Paul, doing his part to help with the proceedings, gathered a bundle of sticks to put on the fire. He did not realize he had picked up a venomous snake with the sticks, and it crawled out of the fire and bit his hand. The people watching supposed this must be retribution for his evil deeds. He was a prisoner, after all. They supposed he must be a murderer and the snake was administering nature’s justice on him. Paul shook the snake off into the fire, and felt no harm. When the people saw that Paul was not harmed, they no longer thought he was a murderer, but a god.
                This part of the account is one of my favorites. I believe the bonfire represents the judgment of our works by Christ. Paul came up to drop his bundle on the fire. A lot of Paul’s works were wood, hay and stubble, that burned up. (We’re not shown particularly the gold, silver, and precious gems here!).  In Paul’s bundle of works was a serpent—and it’s fairly consistent that snakes represent Satan, our accuser. Paul had been a murderer and persecutor of Christians. Do all murderers deserve to die and go to Hell? Certainly. For that matter, all of us have sinned, and deserve to go to Hell. But Paul had divine protection—he was saved by the Blood of the Lamb. The accuser, the serpent of death, had no power over him. He cast the evil beast off into the fire, and it was burned up (all enemies of God will be thrown into the Lake of Fire in the end).
                The people watching supposed Paul must have been a murderer. He was! They were right! But even murderers can be saved by Christ. They waited to see if he would perish. He did not! When he was spared, they decided he must be a god instead. This is significant. When we are transformed into our new bodies, we will not be gods, but we will be joined together as one unit with the living God, Christ Jesus. As an integral part of His body, we will be joined to God, and in our newly transformed bodies, we will seem as gods ourselves to the casual observer.


Aftermath

As is often the case with Biblical typology, the symbolism begins to unravel as the story trails on into the next passage. I find a few things left to note, however.
                28:7-10 Paul was able to bring God’s healing to the people of the island. Publius’ father was healed, followed by many of the locals. In gratitude, the local people honored Paul and his fellows with many gifts.
                The healing, I think really refers to us, the saints, having all our diseases and problems healed. Our new bodies will be flawless. The Bible says Jesus will wipe away the tears from our eyes.
                Don’t miss the gifts. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, we the saints will receive our crowns and possibly other gifts and awards. This will be a time of great honor and rejoicing.
                Other elements of the account in Chapter 28 may continue to pertain to our future, but I will leave them for others to investigate.


Conclusion

Could I be wrong about all this? Sure. I’m a fallible human. But I believe this is something the Lord has led me to lift out—a treasure He embedded in the Scripture many years ago, just for us to find now.
                My key takeaways to learn from this are these:

1. We should live in the full realization that our Lord Jesus may return very soon.

2. The time we are asked or forced to spend in isolation should be a time of prayer and preparation before the Lord.

3. We need to take courage in the Lord to face all that lies ahead.

I John 2:28:


And now, little children, abide in Him; that when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

God bless you all. In Christ,
Jim S. Davis

Post A Comment

64 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Bible is indeed rich in typology which is very illuminating. Perhaps there is something akin to "revival" through the 2 witnesses after the church is gone in the rapture. However any "revival" at this point in our depraved world not only appears very unlikely BUT there is No Biblical foundation for end of days revival since these are the Days of Noah and only 8 people got on the ark. All the while Noah was mocked as are Bible believers today. Similarly there was never a revival in Lot's time either. Even his wife showed some longing for her past life in depravity. Unrealistic thoughts of church revival have no substantiation in the Bible especially if one reads Christ's 7 letters to the church. Revival wishing is as American as Trump making America "great again." Neither are based in sound doctrine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do agree with you 100%. There certainly was no revival during the time of Lot nor the time of Noah while the people in his time simply scoffed and mocked him since there had never been any rain in the land before, much less a worldwide flood. It's the same now, as we've never seen a supernatural snatching up into the clouds a rapture of only the believers in the true Messiah, both the dead and ones alive and remaining. The revival in my mind will only be those made alive and risen up in their new glorified bodies!

      Delete
  3. Hi Gary, that was an a outstanding article by your friend Jim. Thanks for posting it, it was very edifying. And now that he draws those similaes to how Acts 27-28 seems to be speaking of the end of the Age of Grace, I have to concur. Amazing!!

    I also found the number of those saved 276 to be quite interesting, 276 looks very similar to 726 which in Strongs means Rapture.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I can see something different in the two groups who went to shore. The 'swimming' old testament saints who had to do it under their own power (but for whom the cross was already credited to them before it happened) and those of us after the cross who 'cling to the wood' of it by faith.

    As for the rest, we will have to wait and see. I trust that our Lord Jesus knows what He is doing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Interesting article. I'm a literal person myself and don't see double meanings, for the most part, but God made all kinds, including those who do view the world this way, and it's always interesting to hear their point of view. Personally, I think God has layers of meaning in the Bible, typology being one of those layers and I look forward to eternity when we'll be able to study these things from a perspective of perfection. God's Word is eternal, and I don't think we'll ever come to an end to the depth of his revelation.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I find it interesting that like 153, so also is 276 a triangular number. Swap those letters around and you also get 726. =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are 4 three digit numbers in the New Testament and all 4 are triangular numbers ....triangular numbers are very rare numbers..... 153, 120, 276, and the most triangular of all numbers, 666

      Delete
  7. The age of grace didnot begin when Jesus ascended, no one during the next 10 days after could get born again. The new birth was made available on the day of Pentecost.

    Jesus said that" the works that I do you shall do also and even greater works". John 14:12. When? After he ascended? No, the day of Pentecost.

    Before Pentecost the holy spirit was UPON men. Isaiah 42:1, and Jesus Luke 3:22. After Pentecost the holy spirit was put IN the body of man.

    The Church is living far below par and has been for centuries. Every born again person has the inherent spiritual potential to do the things Jesus did. Paul lists the nine manifestations available to all in 1 Cor. 12. And no, these abilities were not just for the first century church. There is no basis for that belief.

    In 1 Cor. 14:5 Paul said "I would that you all spoke in tongues" and 1 Cor.14:8- I thank God I speak in tongues more than you all.

    No one is going to tell me that this cant be done anymore. I speak in tongues everyday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that is understood and was noted in brackets "[]".

      Delete
    2. Sorry Gary, this is not understood by 99.99% of Christians. Do you speak in tongues as part of your personal prayer life? ( I doubt it) In brackets.

      Delete
    3. I do (: I speak in the English tongue.

      Delete
  8. Gary, great stuff, thanks. This seems to me to be one place where Our Lord Encourages Our Child-like explorations, To His Glory. Your exposition felt very familiar as I had gone down a similar path with Mark 6 back 11/2019, alongside a deeper look into a dream, at that time, by Loved By The King YTC. Brad was kind enough to post my work on it as a side bar thread, on our page, and it is much more rambling and 'stream of consciousness' than yours, also covering a much bigger scope, but definitely of the same stripe.

    Seeing the 7 movements within Mark 6 paralleling the internet's explosion as a Witnessing/Evangelizing/Fellowship/Teaching tool, encompassing things from Late Great Planet Earth through the www times to attacks on Grace in our current moments, arose from looking though Typological eyes at NT patterns so clearly fitting and teaching us. Of course, HS led both our efforts, IMHO. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you my brother! The great thing is that all the prisoners were saved, no one died. Same for us if it's typology. Believers born again will all be in the clouds with Jesus despite an attack from the enemy or the like. Maranatha! Carole

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank the Lord that there are folks who read and pray and study and pray some more for wisdom and understanding in parsing out His Word.
    I do my own Bible study, but it's on the backs of others, with much greater spiritual insight than I possess and for which I am grateful.
    * * * *
    One thing that came to mind in the section on The Position of the Church Age in History, re: Genesis 1, is the Genesis Gap. There are Biblical scholars who posit both a beginning and then a new beginning such as what will happen again as stated in Revelation, between verses 1 and 2 based on what happened in heaven when Satan and the his followers rebelled against God (largely accounted for in Isaiah).
    If the Genesis Gap theory proves true, then Genesis 2 really is an true parallel with regard to the world be made "new" (versus Genesis 1 wherein it is first created by God from nothing).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yea you pretty much got it right. Between vas 1 and 2 there is a gulf of time.
      Ver 2 should read "and became a waste and desolation" .
      Kinda looks like an aftermath of judgement (Lucifer's rule, crowning cherub, song leader of Heaven, till inequity was found in him, I will send above the clouds and enter into the sides of the north) sorry for rambling on.

      Delete
    2. I disagree, but that discussion is not for this forum. There is NO gap between v1 and V2 of Gen 1. See www.creation.com for a full refutation of the Gap Theory.

      Delete
    3. No..No I think we should. Cause Lucifer was ruling down here at some point.
      When was it?

      Delete
    4. Another point is obvious that God doesn't create without form, and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. Looks like destruction to me!

      Delete
    5. Here are some Hebrew meanings
      Was (Heb. hayah) became.
      Without form and void (Heb. tohu ya bohu) meaning waste and empty.

      Delete
    6. RE: The Gap Theory
      There's LOADS more, but sticking with the literal interpretation of Genesis 1, I've copied the following from Grace Through Faith (jack always said it best and backed everything up chapter and verse):
      "I accept the Gap Theory as it was originally proposed. And that is that the most literal translation of Genesis 1:2 is “But the earth became formless and void” rather than “and the Earth was formless and void.” This allows for the creation of angels and the judgment of Lucifer prior to the beginning of the Creation account in Genesis 1:3. A long gap of time between verses 2 and 3 while the Earth lay in darkness as a result of the judgment (and darkness was on the face of the deep) also reconciles the evidence for an old Earth with the Biblical claim of a young civilization without contradicting the 6 Day Creation story . Both Jeremiah 4:23 and Isaiah 45:18 seem to support this, being the only other places where the Hebrew words for formless and void are found."
      * * * *
      Both Biblicaly and scientifically, the Gap Theory makes sense.
      Also, as a scientist, I'd like to state emphatically that there is a difference between theory and fact. Theories are suppositions based on known facts. Facts are facts and can be proven. Too often, the media especially, confuse theory with fact.
      As believers, here's what we do know:
      God gave us His Word.
      God does not lie.
      Therefore, we can take God at His Word.
      That is, God's word is fact.
      It's our interpretation of said facts that are "iffy".
      * * * *
      Gregg's right - Satan did rule the earth; it was his domain first!
      When did the rebellion take place - had to be BEFORE we came on the scene (Genesis 1:6).
      We're arrogant thinking it's always been about us!
      We are not the first created beings.
      There's a LOT goes on in just a few verses right off the bat.
      * * * *
      Again, Jack says it best (though there's several white papers online if you're so inclined).

      More from Grace Through Faith:
      According to the Bible in Genesis 1:1 God created the Earth and its atmosphere. In Genesis 1:2 "something" happened and the Earth become an uninhabitable ruin (formless and void), covered in darkness. There’s no way to tell how much time passed because time had not yet begun. In Genesis 1:3 God said “let there be light” and began the 6 day creation process with day 1. On day six he created the animals and man.

      In Isaiah 45:19 God said He didn’t create the world formless, but made it to be inhabited, lending support to a judgment before Genesis 1:2. Job 38:7 says the angels, presumably including Satan, were there when God laid the foundations of Earth. In Genesis 3 Satan was present in the Garden, having already become God’s adversary. Since no mention of his rebellion was made after Genesis 1:3 it must have occurred before then.

      Delete
    7. Jenny, I agree wholeheartedly. Genesis 1:1 says "In the beginning"...we have no way to know how long that was. It could in fact be billions of years like the scientists say. This is the era of the dinosaurs and later just prior to the God/Satan war in heaven and Satans subsequent removal with one third of the angels prehistoric man walked the earth. I have always had an issue with the dinosaurs and the 6000 yr. concept. There is no contradiction here, makes perfect sense.

      Delete
    8. Nonsense. Utter nonsense. Just accept what the bible says and if you doubt the science behind 6 literal days check out the huge resources available at www.creation.com. if the world is billions of years old and all this happened before Adam and eve, then jesus lied. He said they were created IN THE BEGINNING.

      Delete
    9. I have to agree that 6000 years is what harmonizes Science and Bible. While it’s true that the Lord is eternal and existed before Genesis 1:1, it is also true that there rest of Genesis 1 go on to describe in great detail what he did on each day where the heavenly bodies came into existence on the fourth day:

      “And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years’” Gen 1:14

      At the end if Genesis 1 the previous 7 days work is complete. The in Genesis 2:1 God reinforces everything He has just proclaimed.

      “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” Gen 2:1-2

      Sure, we can postulate that stuff happened before this, to deny there was nothing would be just as foolish as to deny that God exists, but God does not tell us what was before so we cannot know, we can only speculate. The problem with Billions of years is that it was created as a theory for the very purpose of denying that there is a Creator God. There are LOTS of scientific problems with that; I will name just a few.

      1. We were not there to see it (see the Lord talking to Job)

      2. There is real soft tissue with real proteins and DNA in many fossils. DNA has a half-life of 521 years. In engineering, we would say that 10 of these periods are enough to say it is gone.

      3. All fossils that that have been tested contain Carbon-14, which has a half-life of 5730 years. Apply that engineering rule of 10 and now they cannot possibly be older than 57300 years. Even if we extend this to 100,000 years, we are orders of magnitude from what the materialistic evangelists claim.

      Sorry cannot fit it all so continued below

      Delete
    10. There is so so much more and as previously pointed out a good resource is Creation.com as well as Answers in Genesis and The Creation Research Society; these are just the ones that bubble to the top. The problem with these places is that their science, which is evidence based, is not accepted by the Atheistic establishment because it falsifies their narrative.

      One more point. If God’s Word implies that the world is just 6000 years old, and we say that is wrong, then not only are we calling God a liar, but we are condemning many sheep who will no longer trust their master. This is the bigger problem; this is why we live in such a godless society today, they have been taught many lies.

      -Joe

      Delete
  11. When in Europe the Revived Roman Empire, consisting of 10 European nations, is formed and the antichrist comes to power from these 10 nations, it won't be a world government at all. It will be a regional government with world wide influence. But when the antichrist puts himself into the Temple he alone will have absolute control over the world. There won't be a UN-based world government.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We keep having this same conversation you and me!
      Daniel reveals the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. Whereas thou sawest iron mixed with clay, they shall mingle, and in the days of these kings. A mixture of kingdoms, some strong as iron, like the Romans, others weakly united, shall be formed is an out growth of the Roman portion of the
      Moslem Empire, Revelation 17's seventh Empire. Wherever this iron kingdom spreads it's influence, and whatever part of the Moslem Empire that the Roman kingdom had
      spread to, out of that territory, will come a ten toed kingdom, a confederacy of kings, and here's the important line, IN THE DAYS OF THESE KINGS the confederacy of ten, shall the God of heaven, set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed.

      Delete
    2. It may not start as global, but it certainly will become that (Rev. 13:12, 14, 16–17; cf. Dan. 7:23).

      Delete
    3. I'm starting to reevaluate the Global thing, cause he doesn't get Edom and Moab. He does get a hook in the jaw and gets yanked around a lot.
      The globalist have there agenda and the antichrist has his and God has his (keeping His word) and it doesn't go well with either one of those other ones.
      But that's what Faith is, even if you have to die in the process.
      So those who don't believe now, will but some don't.

      Delete
  12. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/mar/26/gordon-brown-calls-for-global-government-to-tackle-coronavirus

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't ironic that countries have closed their borders to help control the spread of the virus, yet simultaneously call for a one world order?
      From a world view, it's all seems rather contrived and continues their mantra of not allowing a good crises to go to waste.
      I'm just shaking my head knowing they don't have a clue!
      God's in control, no matter how much they seek to control us!

      Delete
    2. And they don't care about anything but there agenda (world depopulation ).
      Billy boy Gates has a patent on cover-19.
      The 5G radiation which transmits at 60 GHz. That is a weapons-grade radiation which has several effects. One of the most serious effects is that it causes a major change in oxygen molecules.
      That change weakens the link between the two oxygen atoms and that makes it difficult for your blood to pick up oxygen from your lungs and if you are not in very good health, then that can be a major problem for you. The cruise ships which are quarantined and the cities and countries which have been closed down are those which have implemented 5G technology.
      And there I go again rambling on.....sorry bout that!

      Delete
    3. Gordon Brown calls for global government to tackle coronavirus

      Quoting, The Guardian,

      "Gordon Brown has urged world leaders to create a temporary form of global government to tackle the twin medical and economic crises caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

      The former Labour prime minister, who was at the centre of the international efforts to tackle the impact of the near-meltdown of the banks in 2008, said there was a need for a taskforce involving world leaders, health experts and the heads of the international organisations that would have executive powers to coordinate the response.

      A virtual meeting of the G20 group of developed and developing countries, chaired by Saudi Arabia, will be held on Thursday, but Brown said it would have been preferable to have also included the UN security council."

      "'This is not something that can be dealt with in one country,' he said. 'There has to be a coordinated global response.'"


      As though we could not see this coming. The plot thickens.

      Delete
    4. PR, at least we know the ending - the GOOD guys win!

      Delete
    5. Indeed, WE WIN!!!

      MercyMe - We Win

      One of my favourite songs for obvious reasons!

      Delete
  13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JLBXfKDbbI&feature=youtu.be

    https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615370/coronavirus-pandemic-social-distancing-18-months/

    The projections detailed in the above links extend the successive waves of viral outbreak (and government response) to fall of 2021. This dovetails with the Psalm 90:10 generation of 80 years from 1948, and possibly indicates a fairly large "gap" between the rapture and beginning of Daniel's 70th week. The new moon of 10/6/2021 tracks 2550 days to 9/29/2028, which is the projected Day of Atonement per torahcalendar.com. From 4/12/2020 (Easter) to 10/6/2021 is 542 days, or 77 weeks.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Acts and the Gospel was written by Luke to Theophilus.
    If I just start with he Gospel of Luke and go right into the book of Acts, should be a good read for me with that cup of Joe.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I’m baptist, and I’m not squeamish about talking about the Holy Spirit at all!! That was a pretty insensitive comment!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. unknown

      If your directed at me, I didn't say anything about the Holy Spirit.

      Delete
    2. Hello,
      I can see how you would feel that it was an insensitive comment if you are unaware of how the baptist church, as a pretty general whole, has shunned the talking of the Holy Spirit to the point of having people leave the church if they wanted to do so. Way back in 1960s my grandma who had been going to the baptist church for 10 years or so and loved it and loved the people in it, was told that she would have to leave if she talked about the Holy Spirit! And so she left.

      The Baptist Church has had a REVIVAL Awakening take place over the last few decades so I'm glad that you as a Baptist believe in the Holy Spirit and live in his indwelling.

      Please don't be insulted by the authors comment because I'm sure he is going off the fact that MANY baptist churches generally shun the Holy Spirit.

      God Bless you and your family and PRAISE THE LORD you have the Holy Spirit

      Delete
    3. I grew up Baptist and still remember sermons that fell on the edge of "the Holy Spirit is a first century thing. Not for you and I.", So I get where the author is coming from.

      Delete
  16. I've been a Baptist all my life! (59 years) We have always believed in the Trinity: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit! We believe when you become a Christian the Holy Spirit comes and resides in you. Never heard otherwise.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I Think we should get back to topic.

    Acts 27 and the End of the Church Age

    I will address the end of the Church Age, Is Rapture day (body of Christ going up, Ascension day).

    And by all accounts it should be pretty darn soon.

    Well...... I'll just leave it at that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are many interesting possibilities but only for those who place their trust in Christ Jesus. All others are standing on sinking sand.

      Today is the day to board the Ark! All tickets are pre-paid and FREE of charge to those who seek, ask and accept. Everything you need will be provided onboard so expect to leave your baggage behind.

      The no smoking lamp is lit. Have a seat and fasten your seat belt as we will be departing the gate as soon as we have been given clearance to leave.

      Enjoy the journey.

      We have barely begun!

      Delete
  18. AFTER the Rapture of the Church...
    Today's headlines are just a shadow of the "real" thing to come.
    Current events give us a foretaste of that scenario when the situation will escalate far, far beyond everyone's control.
    No food. Well some, but it'll cost you a day's wages!
    If you're working!
    Ultimately famine.
    The financial bubble will burst.
    Rampant rioting and civil discord will ensue.
    Countries and politicos/world rulers will try to gain some semblance of control through war!
    Disease. Pestilence. Rampant and blatant corruption.
    Everything that's happening now, but on steroids! And, then some!
    EVERYTHING stated Biblically in black and white that God said will happen will come to pass.
    Literally.
    Scary, scary stuff.
    I'm so glad God sees me through His son and not me as me.
    I'm so grateful God gives Believers a pass on the Tribulation.
    * * * * *
    QUERY: think we'll know what is going on during the Tribulation? A part of me thinks not, especially with regard to loved ones left behind. But, another part thinks we will albeit with a much different perspective than we can even consider at this point.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And during the Tribulation Period disabled people will face death by forced euthanasia and jobless people will be put into forced labour, just like Adolf Hitler did.

      Delete
  19. Thought provoking and relevant in my humble opinion. :)

    🚫 🍇

    ReplyDelete
  20. https://goldsilverbitcoin.com/denmark-passes-forced-coronavirus-vaccinations-law/

    ReplyDelete
  21. https://www.foxnews.com/world/coronavirus-israel-jerusalem-holy-sites

    ReplyDelete
  22. BY REQUEST: WANDERINGS OF A PASTORAL MIND

    The closure of churches with lights out and sanctuaries sitting in darkness reminds me of the second day, the Sabbath rest of Christ in the tomb.  Even churches that meeting as mobile campuses are in darkness.  It is down to virtual campuses and gatherings of family home churches that are shut-in.

    We are shut-in as in the days of Noah.

    But as for the sanctuaries of planet earth?  All are in darkness and at rest.  Just like on the second-day rest of our Lord before that third glorious day!

    Remember the second day of creation?  Read it again.  (Genesis 1:6-8)  Did God say, "it was good"?

    Now read the third day of creation.  (Genesis 1:9-13)  Did God say, "it was good"?  If so, how many times?

    Hmmm...

    Tuesday, the *third day* of the week by Jewish reckoning is called, "Twice blessed" because of this. Jesus rose on the third day and according to research, some, myself included, believe that Christ was crucified on 4/3/0033 by the Gregorian calendar.    

    Dig on this and you may see patterns and watermarks as potential evidence to the days in which we live. Parallels between the days of creation and the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    Could the darkness we see in the sanctuaries of the world be testimony to the days we are living in? The days of Easter? The second day?

    What does Scripture record about the second day? The chief priest and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate pressing him to secure the tomb,

    64 "Therefore order the tomb to
    be made secure until the third
    day, lest his disciples go and
    steal him away and tell people,
    'He has risen from the dead,'"

    (Matthew 27:64 ESV)


    65 Pilate said to them,
    "You have a guard of soldiers.
    Go, make it as secure as you
    can."

    66 So they went and made the
    tomb secure by sealing the
    stone and setting a guard.

    (Matthew 27:65-66 ESV)


    ...and now for the first time in 626-years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. By 1000 IDT on 4/3/2020 the moon will be in the "Manger" or Beehive Cluster in Cancer invisible to observers in Jerusalem.  "The woman" (Virgo) is alone as in the wilderness with no planets visiting her.  "Heaven" (Uranus) stands at the ram (Aries) while the Sun is in Pisces and Mercury in Aquarius.

      Most interesting is this,

      1.  The bright morning star (Venus) holds the Seven Sisters (Pleiades)
      2.  The king planet (Jupiter) stands in Sagittarius against Saturn and Mars

      12  Then I turned to see the
      voice that was speaking to me,
      and on turning I saw seven
      golden lampstands,

      13  and in the midst of the
      lampstands one like a son of
      man, clothes with a long robe
      and with a golden sash around
      his chest.

      (Revelation 1:12-13 ESV)


      16  In his right hand he held
      seven stars, from his mouth
      came a sharp two-edged sword,
      and his face was like the sun
      shining in full strength.

      (Revelation 1:16 ESV)


      Sagittarius has been recognized since the beginning of recorded time as a constellation representing a dual nature.  (Part man and part beast).  This is parallel to the nature of Christ being both fully man and Emmanuel (God).  Sagittarius has long been seen as a warrior figure -- his bow drawn against the serpent (Scorpius).

      Delete
    2. The king planet (Jupiter) is that which was "born" of the "woman" (Virgo) on 9/9/2017. This is when Jupiter completed nine months of retrograde motion inside the "womb" of "the virgin" (Virgo) followed by the R12S 14-days later on 9/23/2017.

      5 She gave birth to a male
      child, one who is to rule all
      the nations with a rod of iron,
      but her child was caught up to
      God and to his throne

      (Revelation 12:5 ESV)


      The king child will rule all nations. The king planet that rules (by size) in our solar system is Jupiter -- fifth from the Sun. But on Monday, October 7, 2019 (M8D8 AM 5779) or 8 Tishrei, 5780 (being Gregorian/Spiritual/Civil calendars); SATURN was announced as having 20-newly discovered moons. Up to that time, JUPITER was KING in the solar system as having the greatest array of moons. Today SATURN (the sixth planet) is king having 82-satellites -- the greatest planetary system in our solar system.

      Mars is in conjunction with Saturn now. Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars was also the guardian of agriculture. Mars as a false god has a dual nature -- like Cain, the brother of Able, Mars has a dual nature of violence and husbandry. Mars has two tiny moons named in Greek for the sons of Ares (Mars) Phobos (meaning, panic/fear) and Deimos (meaning, terror/dread).

      Ares is the name given the mythological Greek god of war and equal to the Roman counterpart. This is where the bright red star in Scorpius gets its name, "Antares" -- meaning like Ares (although Barry Setterfield has an interesting twist on this concept given in his video "Star Stories").

      It's interesting to me that Mars (Ares) has two moons. Are we to expect two who come bringing in the spirit of "Phobos" and "Deimos"? Is this the same spirit that came to Cain and Haman and Herod and Judas Iscariot?

      Hmmm...

      May we be seeing a false king (Saturn) being lifted up over the true king (Jupiter) to reign among the stars with its array of satellites (angels) arrayed with Mars and all it represents as standing against the true king represented by Jupiter?

      Where does Saturn get its name? Saturn is the mythological Roman god of wealth and agriculture.

      Remember, these are symbols with ancient and consistent mythologies that are consistent and cross-cultural. Meaning they seem to come from a common root history (as in BEFORE human language was confused by God). Star stories as promised in (Psalm 19:1-5 ESV).

      Is this not, perhaps, a story of the war in heaven?

      Could be.

      But on this Preparation Day, Friday, April 3, 2020, approximately 2,020-years since the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, on what may be the Day of the Cross; the tenth day upon which all Israel is to take a lamb -- one for each household; the day that Israel crossed through the River Jordan by way of the Ark -- Venus, the bright morning star, will visit the Pleiades, the seven stars/seven sisters in the heaves -- but not visible in Judah, it will be invisible to Jerusalem being hidden in the Sun.

      But the moon in "the manger" will be visible in the west to the Gentiles. Early the next evening, the Gentiles will see Venus in the Pleiades.

      Too many details, too little time and space to share! Please forgive typos as I don't have time to flesh this out as much as I would like at the moment.

      Blessings


      PR

      Delete
    3. Another great post, PR.

      I look forward to each and every one of them, and this has been a treat.

      DW

      Delete
    4. Wow, Pastor Rich. Just wow! It's all right there, isn't it? I am wondering whether the moon represents the body of Christ as we do not have our own light, but only reflect the Son's light. So, in the manger, like the night He was born? Perhaps representing the night we are born? Venus in the Pleiades, the 7 churches? Christ giving His message to the 7 churches, the beginning of the Book of Revelation.

      I'm so excited I don't think I will be sleeping much over the next few days. Could it be? Might it be? Even so, Come Lord Jesus!!!

      Delete
    5. We have our light, faith that keeps the oil in our lamps lit.
      The Moon also has its own light,that's no reflection. But that's another subject.

      Delete
  23. PR, more please. When you have time.
    I've read a white paper series on Satan's fall, but they don't have the correlation to the signs in the sky that you put with them. "
    It irks me that folks who continue to spout off about science not jibing with Biblical "fairy tales" don't put the two together. No amount of coincidence can account for bodily organs and ecosystems, and astronomical conjunctions, and the myriad of other science-y things that all fit together so absolutely perfectly in order to work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm right there with you Jenny...

      As sang by Hillsong UNITED in their song, "So Will I",

      "All nature and science follow the sound of your voice."


      I HIGHLY recommend devoting serious time to review and study of Barry Setterfield's work. It is all encompassing and offers answers to some of the Bible's most perplexing questions in a rational and scientific way that honours the gospel and the Word of God.

      His video "Star Stories" is linked in my post above.

      Study well!

      Delete
  24. I found this so enjoyable because I was on the first expedition (Bob Cornuke) of Paul's Shipwreck trip ending in Malta. The drift of the boat as described in the Bible was confirmed by US Navy documentation of where the boat would have actually gone. Our trip was in April which is still a little "iffy" for the Mediterranean. We had a storm getting there with waves coming over the bow. A lot of people missed dinner. LOL We went to the place in southeast Malta where the seas came together and learned that Cornuke had located the 4 anchors - 2-3 had been melted down for scuba diving weights which had just come into practice (this was learned from the families of the divers) but there were photos and some anchors survived and were in the museum in Malta. We were to go to the museum to view these but then a big dispute came about with the dignitaries - 95% Catholic. But the main issue was that the infallible Pope said the shipwreck was North in the Bay of Paul. Not. We were allowed a private one day viewing and there was documentation that these anchors definitely came from a 1st century grain frigate as the Bible described. We scuba dived where the anchors were found - not me - I stayed safe up top on the boat drinking coffee. But all in all I found this article intriguing - probably because I had the rare privilege to reenact Paul's journey.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan, that's awesome! It's been five months since I published this article--actually closer to 6 since I wrote it. While the intervening time has given some better perspective, I still think all my main points are probably accurate. It gets tricky when we deal with timing--I was hoping for some great breaktrhough by Easter or Pentecost--but God has his timing!

      Delete
  25. My comment is more of a question. Do you see the End Times testing of believers through these chapters in Acts? It would be great to receive a short, yes or no answer if you have a moment, I hope you will, as I am wanting to write an article on the testing I feel all believers are going through right now in preparation for the Rapture. I've been searching and your article is the only one that even hints at this End Times feature, that I think I'm seeing anyway...THANKS, Your Friend in Christ:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Linzy, I believe and hope you will agree that there is confusion running rampant that believers need to suffer to pass some sort of a test to qualify for rapture. Faith in Jesus' sacrifice alone as one's atonement is all that is required to qualify for rapture, to overcome, to be found worthy, to be made spotless.

      Delete
  26. The End Of The Church Age

    While I was revisiting past post’s I happened on this one.

    Rev 3:22 ends the church age.

    Jesus makes clear "John the Revelator" is a type of church being raptured.

    While considering the Parable of the 10 virgins Matt 25:1-12.
    The wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
    And we all know vessel is, your body your housing unit.
    And the oil is the Holy spirit kept in you by FAITH.

    Remember Pauls words “Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Gal 3:2.

    Paul defines (faith) and James tells us what (faith) looks like.

    Coupled with the advice to the Laodiceans, to buy of me gold tried in the fire.
    Gold (Divinity,faith) tried in the fire of (life’s Tribulation from the world).

    They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them, like the Laodiceans.
    They both get rejected!!

    Jesus makes clear to the Jews of His day the only sign of the Messiah given is Jonah.

    The Jews and the Muslims are expecting there messiah is clear from the every day news accounts.
    And both from the same father Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael.
    And Mount Moriah is where the Jews want to build there Temple, where the Dome of the rock is.

    The covenant the false deliverer confirms or makes stronger is already there and has been since October 17, 2000, at Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.
    In the days of these Kings, (the days of the loose confederacy) Daniel 2:44.
    That covenant, as suggested in the prophecy, will contain a provision for the Jews to resume their worship practices on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

    History has recorded the rise and fall of the Moslem Empire, and the emergence of a number of strong and weak kingdoms which are the residue of that Empire which is left living on the land which was once ruled by Rome in her day.

    The Jews will get there Jonah sign again and a lot of them will wake up others.
    Two being adequate witness will be to say “I told you so”.

    Paul makes it very clear that traditions make void the word of God.
    And col 2:16,17 is no different.
    First Fruits (resurrection) was a shadow cast, along with others who rose with Him.
    40 day warning as Jonah was to the Ninevites.
    Ascension day cast into the future, promise of the full harvest yet to come.
    Pentecost shadow cast, the offering of the Messiah again, then by the Apostles this time by the Two whiteness.

    Today everyone has an opinion about what is going on in the world and rightfully so.
    If one takes in all the information ( fake and real news ) and objectively looks at it then you can make an informed decision.

    Ether way you will pick a side, left right or indifferent.

    These are great times to live in, Faith opportunities abound.
    Gold tried in the fire, the money of Heaven!

    The most High ruleth in the kingdom of men Daniel 4:17

    ReplyDelete


Recommended

[Top Post][grids]

World News

[Top World News][bleft]

Highlights

[Highlights][twocolumns]

Bible Study

[Bible Study][list]

Astronomy

[Astronomy][bleft]

Politics

[Political][twocolumns]

Wolf Watch

[Wolves][bsummary]

Birth Pangs

[Birth Pangs][bleft]

Archaeology

[Archaeology][twocolumns]

Science

[Top Science][list]

In-Depth Articles

[In-Depth][bleft]