Paul Sails for Rome—Ship boarded for journey to world capital amidst hurricane season.

Acts 27:1-12

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

• Ship boarded for journey to the world capital amidst the stormy winds.
• Change of captain, crew, and ship during the stormy winds.
• Advice of the pilot and owner of the ship followed over the words of the Holy Spirit.

Ship boarded for journey to the world capital.
“When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to August’s Imperial Regiment. We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us.” Acts 27:1-4

Before boarding this ship to Rome, Paul spent a little over two years in prison in Judea, under Felix and Porcius Festus [Acts 24:27]. Paul was being transferred to Rome because he appealed to be tried in Rome and away from Judea. In Rome, Paul was imprisoned for another two years [Acts 28:30-31].

The decision was made to set sail for Rome, Italy, the capital of the world. The ship was transporting prisoners, and Paul was a prisoner for spreading the Gospel of Christ throughout the Roman Empire. Paul’s imprisonment was initiated by the Jewish leaders. Paul was being transported to Rome to face his final judgment and sentencing. The captain of the ship was a military leader from the very best of the Roman government. Today, we live in a culture, which is global, in which Christians are kept “prisoners” to prevent the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The captains of the “ship” are those who serve the entity that gives them what to think, feel, say, and do. The “ship” is this present world that is sailing towards the world capital. The world capital is the United Nations as it progresses in being established as the one world government. Christianity is not compatible with the atheistic global culture, so it is kept under “lock and key”.

Aristarchus was a Christian friend of Paul’s, not a prisoner but allowed to travel with him. The phrase “…was with us…” is the voice of the writer, who is known as Luke, the writer of the gospel of Luke, as explained in Acts 1:1-3. Altogether, with prisoners, crew, and friends, there were about 276 on the ship, [Acts 27:37]. The 276 would include the Roman centurion [captain], the soldiers he brought with him [probably all 100 under his command], the pilot, ship owner, the prisoners, the crew, and Paul’s two companions. That describes the world we live in today, we are all on the same boat in this atheistic world, some as Christians, some as friends of Christians, some neither Christians nor part of the community culture, the masses of the global culture, and those who govern over the cites, states, and nations.

Julius was the Roman military commander, the captain of the ship, and in kindness to Paul, he allowed him to visit his friends to have his needs provided for [I’m sure a “shower” and fresh shave was included]. The kindness of the Roman commander would have had a lot to do with Paul being a Roman himself, a naturally born Roman citizen, as described in this verse, “The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.” And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.” Acts22:28 In those days, it was possible to pay money to become a Roman citizen, but Paul was a Roman citizen by birth. Paul’s father was a Roman and his mother was Jewish. On his mother’s side, Paul was from the Tribe of Benjamin, and a Pharisee, as quoted in Philippians 3:5.

The Roman commander had no intention of freeing Paul but was only “playing nice” towards him as a Roman citizen. In today’s atheistic culture, every effort is made to put on a pleasant face and to “play nice” with Christians as Christianity is driven to extinction, as described in the post on Revelation 12. Today’s culture, which is global, prides themselves in being humanitarian, as humanism is the fig leaf worn by the entity replacing the conscience and spirit to give people what to think, feel, say, and do. Humanism is “An outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.” 

As the ship set sail, the winds were against it, meaning stormy winds were blowing in and the ship would face many difficulties trying to stay on course. The people and nations of today’s world feel the stormy winds blowing against them with so much violence, crime, economic woes, food shortages, illegal immigration, etc. These stormy winds are driving the peoples and nations to accept the agenda of the United Nations as it progresses in becoming the one world government. This ship set sail immediately after WW2. The United Nations was established at that time in 1945 and brought the government of the beast with it, as described in Daniel 8:1-14.

Change of captain, crew, and ship during the stormy winds.
“When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.” Acts 27:5-8

With the stormy winds blowing, the ship made landing at Myra, and there the Roman commander commandeered a ship. He took command of an Alexandrian ship built for hauling grain and would have been much larger than the previous ship. The captain [Roman centurion], his 100 soldiers, crew, prisoners [Paul was a prisoner], and two friends of Paul, were put on the Alexandrian ship as the journey to the world capital continued, in the stormy winds. After WW2, the world’s populations were all put on the same boat, the boat sailing towards the global culture, the one world government. This is a government that desires to commandeer the supply [grain] of the world’s needs, to be the world’s “bread and butter” and to blasphemously be the grain of the world’s spiritual/emotional needs.

On the map below, you can see Myra where the first ship landed, and the bigger Alexandrian grain ship was commandeered. The stormy winds were blowing and with difficulty the ship made it to Cnidus after many days. Just like the people and nations of today having hard times as this world is driven towards the one world government. Then the ship sailed for the lee of Crete until coming to Fair Havens. The “lee” of an island is the side sheltered from the winds. As the people and nations of this world are driven by the stormy winds to the one world government, the false Christs of government leaders promises shelter from the storms. As we see, there is no let up from the stormy winds in this world, and the ship drives forward to establish the one world government. The shelter given to the people and nations of the world does not diminish the storms. For example, mass shootings, crime, and violence of all sorts are constant, and so are the false hopes coming from the community leaders who use smooth words, flatteries, and candlelight vigils [day or evening] to shelter, appease, and calm the people.

“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” Revelations 7:10. There is Salvation in no other than God, through His Son Jesus Christ.

As we see today, the stormy winds are blowing in cities across the globe as people riot and protest for change from the difficulties and turbulence in the world today. They are seeking shelter from the storms. The stormy winds are blowing cities, states, and nations in the direction of the world capital, in the direction of seeing the United Nations as the solution to what ails them. Through the 17 goals of the United Nations, the peoples and nations of the world are promised shelter and peace.

Our Lord Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

As we read in the next verses, when Paul saw the place called “Fair Havens” he wanted to dock there for the winter, through the storm season, until Spring arrived. The Roman commander said “No!” The goal of the United Nations is to be established as the one world government and to solidify their global culture, they have no intention of settling for less, they will not harbor in “Fair Havens”. They will use the stormy winds to propel them forward towards the world capital, the government of the world.

Advice of the pilot and owner of the ship followed over the words of the Holy Spirit.
“Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement.  So, Paul warned them, “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.” Acts 27:9-12

Sailing was dangerous after the Day of Atonement because that meant hurricane season had approached. The “Day of Atonement” is the day that our Lord Jesus Christ atoned for sin. In spiritual terms, it is dangerous to sail when the atonement made by Jesus Christ is left in the past. Unfortunately, the global government and its global culture have done just that, leaving what Christ did for us on the Cross in the past, and after that they sail for the world capital to be established as the one world government.

Paul warned the Roman commander, and all that were on the ship, that it was too dangerous to sail after the “Day of Atonement”, which meant hurricane season was at the door. Paul made it clear that sailing forward would be disastrous and bring great loss to the ship, cargo, and human lives. Paul was concerned for everyone on the ship; the life of the Roman commander, the crew, the prisoners, and his Christian friends. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are aware of the disaster and great loss coming to this world as well as the loss of human life. The Gospel of Christ has been left behind as the quest for the earthly Garden of Eden, through the one world government, presses forward. The events of the Seven Trumpets of Revelation 8, 9, 11 and of the Seven Plagues of Revelation 16 reveal the disaster and loss coming to this world.

There is Salvation for those who hear and listen to the word of God, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 This is for the leaders of today’s society, on a local, state, national, or global level. This is for every person living for the global culture. This is for every non-Christian “prisoner” of the atheistic global culture, and for every friend of Jesus Christ and His children.

The Roman commander [captain of the ship] ignored the warning of Paul and followed the advice of the pilot and owner of the ship. In today’s culture, the local, state, national, and global leaders refuse to listen to the word of God. Instead, they listen to the “pilot” and “owner” of the world agenda, which is the atheistic entity that has power over physiology to give people what to think, feel, say, and do. This entity gives life to the image of the beast to speak and live through people in every city around the world. People are groomed to the mark of the beast by what they are given to say and do.

The majority on the ship agreed with the “pilot” and “owner” of the ship, that “Fair Havens” was an unsuitable harbor to dock in for the winter. Today, the “majority” are the people in every city around the world that agrees with the entity that gives them what to think, feel, say, and do. They are the global culture who plainly say that they do not want to “make port” in a world experiencing spiritual winter, as they riot, protest, and in other ways demand compliance to the goals of the United Nations. They rally for the establishment of the one world government. They want to sail on as they use the stormy winds to propel further along the way. They choose their own “suitable” winter harbor instead of listening to the word coming through the Holy Spirit. For example, they take refuge in a political party, or other affiliations, that most closely embraces the agenda of the one world government. They will change “harbors” as the stormy winds dictate, to reach the global port. They despise the Gospel of Christ and the prophecies of the Bible.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11