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!
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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 devises? 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 actively? 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 the lie to 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.
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
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