The Cost of Truth & Reason in Government
Paul was on his way to Rome to meet with Ceasar and he was standing before King Agrippa and Festus the procurator giving his personal account and revelation of Jesus Christ along with the words of the prophets and a call to repentance.
Festus responded to Paul by saying, “Paul you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”
Interestingly, Paul responded with an unlikely question: “King Agrippa, DO YOU BELIEVE THE PROPHETS? I know that you do believe.”
Now, Paul could have asked Him about Jesus, or God The Father, or God the Holy Spirit….but he asked Agrippa very pointedly about what he believed in regard to what The Lord’s prophets had said.
Sadly, Agrippa replied, “You ALMOST persuade me to become a Christian.”
He apparently didn’t believe the prophets and neither did Festus. It is implied in this Scripture that the words of the prophets are actually connected to the faith of God which brings forth salvation.
Nevertheless, soon afterward Paul was delivered to a centurion of the Augustan Regiment named Julius and he was put on a ship with other prisoners which was sent out to sea and headed for Italy. The ship was from the port of Adramyttium (“I will abide in death”) and they went only a little ways when Paul was suddenly transferred to another vessel, an Egyptian ship from Alexandria, which was headed in the direction they wanted to go.
That journey started out very slow, it was difficult, and the wind was very contrary. And because so much time had passed trying to push through the opposing forces (one translation even says “the spirits were against us”), they stopped in a place called the “Fair Havens” until all looked well in their eyes again. The real problem was that the season for storms had now arrived. The great Fast of Atonement had now passed and they still weren’t where they wanted to be. They would have to go into dangerous waters to get there.
Paul began to perceive that a difficult time was coming for everyone on the ship and that the waters were about to rise. So, he warned the others of what was coming and not to take the journey. But the Scripture says, “Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul. And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest and winter there.”
The word helmsman is the Greek “kybernetes”, which means a sailing master. It’s root is found in the word “kybernesis”, or government. The word owner is a word that describes a “captain who hired out his vessel for transport”. He’s getting paid to go where he is told. The harbor of Crete is a harbor of the “fleshy”.
So up to this point, Agrippa and Festus had a chance to listen to the Lord through a man yet did not believe the prophets. Now, the centurion also thinks prophetic perceptions are madness and instead chooses to align with the thought patterns of the majority, if by ANY means they could achieve their own desires to make it to Rome. The people so belonged to the culture of Roman rule that they thought the government, the wealthy, and the plurality of men knew better than God and the pursuits of their flesh were going to make it back to safe covering.
So it happened that the wind started out soft on their journey. It didn’t seem like much of a problem and Paul was surely “off his rocker” at this point. The wind was blowing from the south at that time and it was so mild that it fooled them greatly into thinking they were well on their way. They were “supposing that they had obtained their desire..”. The translation of that phrase says that “they judged that they had mastered dominion for their desire.”
Yet “not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called ‘Euroclydon’. And so when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive.”
Euroclydon is a nor’easter storm often arising in the north eastern waters, usually affecting us here in the upper north Atlantic Coast of the United States. It is however no respecter of land and local weather history verifies that we have had many of these storms through the years, most often between Novemember and March, in the winter season. It often manifests in the form of heavy rains, blizzards, severe flooding, and/or hurricane force winds. Euroclydon means, “a violent agitation”.
It is certainly not prophetic to call out a storm in our day when we can predict the weather patterns with state of the art gadgets and tech. There are one or more nor’easters recorded every year since 1888, according to that which I could find online. But in Paul’s day, it was only by the prophetic knowings of the Holy Spirit that it could be revealed to him regarding that which was to come.
A violent agitation of the wind was coming.
So, suddenly the east wind became an uncontainable gale force which they had not heeded to and certainly never expected. It was so powerful that they had to give up their reigns and surrender the ship over to its driving force.
They were panicking, throwing things overboard, maneuvering to save the vessel, longing for the sun….until they were beaten down and “all hope that we would be saved was finally given up”.
“Paul stood up and said, “Men you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete (the flesh) and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to TAKE HEART, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you. Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.'”
We are in a moment for the ages in our nation. We have seen government leaders and the common man mock the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the message of repentance, and the words of God’s prophets. Anyone who stands on God’s Word is seen as a mad man and woman. They are shackled in the marketplace and accused.
All things in the eyes of men look as though they are well on their way to getting the unbelieving carnal man where he wants to go. It seems that the journey to take all the things of the corrupt flesh, once exposed, and put them back undercover is underway. Ignore the prophets they say. It’s starting out slow. But soon a head wind shall come and its force will be unstoppable because it will be The Lord’s doing. Many will long for the SON again. Many, many lives will be saved and preserved. The will of God is that NO MAN SHOULD PERISH. However, I believe this nation is the ship that so many have put all of their hope in and it will have to be rebuilt. The vessel can no longer hold.
Nonetheless, God’s Angels are here and the Word of the Lord spoken to His prophets shall indeed come to pass. America shall be saved!
“Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7, NIV)
So, what should we do as Believers?
Acts 27 gives us at least 5 keys to thrive in the storm:
- Don’t Jump Ship. “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 27:31) Don’t abandon God’s Word, His prophets, or this nation. Don’t turn your words or your heart against it. Pray for all men, including Biden and those who have ignored and mocked God to turn back to the Lord, and stay on board. That’s where the Angel of the Lord is; on board. Stay in rest and believe what God has said for this nation even while we watch many of its high places be dismantled.
- Commune with God and Fellow Believers. “Therefore I urge you to take nourishment, for this is for your survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you. And when he said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat. Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves.” (Acts 27:34-36) The bread and the cup of our Lord contain the power and authority of the governing body and the blood of Jesus through union with Him and other believers.
- Lighten Your Load. “So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea.” Don’t fear or hoard. Be prepared in all things by the counsel of God’s wisdom, but loose yourself from the weight of negative emotions, sin, and the idea of self-preservation with all of its fears.
- Strike The Ground. “When it was day, they did not recognize the land; but they observed a bay with a beach…and they let go the anchors and left them in the sea…and made for shore. But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground..” (Acts 27:39-41) Worship God and decree the promises of God’s Word through the storm. I’m reminded of the lyrics of a song which say: “We strike the ground on the wells of revival, burst forth, burst forth. There’s a war going in the heavenlies and we’re tearing down wicked principalities. There’s a war going on in the heavenlies and we’re raising up righteousness.” We do this in full surrender of our lives, knowing that when we strike the ground our man made anchors are going to be let go. Jesus alone is our anchor.
- Take Heart & Trust God. “…the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape. But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded..” (Acts 27:42-44) The Lord always takes care of his people and preserves the lives of the unrighteous under the covering of His people who are moving in His will, just as Paul was. We are going to make it through the storm and “of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end”!
Our Decree: Through the blood of Jesus, we decree the people led by the Spirit of God will not jump ship in this hour. We decree because of God’s favor upon this nation and upon His sons and daughters, He has given us the lives of everyone who is sailing with us! We decree courage is infusing every heart! We decree that God will protect and preserve lives, just as he said He would do, even if we have to strike unfamiliar ground to be saved!! America shall in fact be saved! The Third Great Awakening is here! Have mercy O’ God! We magnify Your name, Jesus, in all the earth!
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