Paul healed the father of the chief official of Malta and then the rest of the sick came to him.

Acts 28:7-10

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

“There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and a bloody flux. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.” Acts 28:7-8

The “us” in the phrase, “He welcomed us” refers to Paul and Luke. Everywhere that Paul and Luke looked, the people of Malta were “unusually kind” [Acts 28:1-2], except when they said Paul was a murderer after being bit by a venomous snake. They changed their mind and called him a god after he shook the snake off into the brush fire, without dying from the venom [Acts 28:3-6]. The people of Malta were showing the traits of what we would call an atheist culture of humanism [as described in the post on the “Introduction to Malta”].

For three days, the chief official of the island had Paul and Luke in his home as guests. During that time, the “unusual kindness” of the Maltese people showed through the chief official in his generous hospitality towards Luke and Paul. We have to keep in mind that the description of the people of Malta is not praise for them but rather an observation of them. If Paul and Luke were praising their spiritual character, they would have praised God for them, calling them brothers and sisters in Christ, and speak of the Holy Spirit working in their life. For the whole three months that Paul and Luke were on Malta, there is no record of anyone coming to live for God through Jesus Christ. In fact, there is no record whatsoever of the Gospel of Christ being presented to the Maltese people.

In all of the “unusual kindness”, hospitality, generosity, and welcoming attitude of the inhabitants of Malta, they were not receptive to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even so, the Holy Spirit was alive in Paul and Luke, with the compassion of Jesus Christ stirring within them. After three days with the chief official of Malta, the Holy Spirit moved Paul to heal the chief’s father. The father was bedridden, with a fever and bloody flux [bloody bowel movements]. Paul did pray and placed his hands on the chief’s father, and he was healed. The chief saw the faith that Paul had in the God of Jesus Christ, the same as the Maltese people saw how Paul did not die after being bit by a lethal venomous snake. As followers of Jesus Christ, in this atheistic culture of today, the only testimony we have is what people see in our life.

As Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” John 9:4 The work is to bring the word of the Gospel of Christ to others. In these dark days, overcomers feast on the hidden manna, the manna of the word of God within our heart, “To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat.” ’Revelation 2:17

“When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.” Acts 28:9-10

The word spread quickly through the population of Malta about the chief’s father being healed. When that happened, everyone who were sick wanted some of that healing, and they were cured. They weren’t coming for the spiritual healing by the forgiveness of sin, but their focus was on the physical body, on physical healing. I notice the word “cured” is used instead of “healed”. This would draw an image of people being cured in a medical clinic and not quite the same as the miraculous healing of the chief’s father. We have to recall that Luke was a doctor “Luke the beloved physician…” Colossians 4:14 I’m sure Luke was practicing his profession at this time, amidst the atheist culture of the Maltese. This is what the missionaries of today are doing when it comes to providing medical services, but the true healing is that of the soul when a person comes to God through Jesus Christ.

Today’s culture wants physical healings, but they close out anything to do with the healing of the soul by acknowledging their need for Jesus Christ. Today’s culture lives for the atheistic entity that has power over physiology and provides for physical needs. This is the same entity that gives people what to feel, think, say, and do as it gives life to the image of the beast to speak and live through people. The people of today’s culture are groomed to the mark of beast by what they are given to say and do.

After Paul and Luke performed a service to the Maltese people, the people of Malta honored Paul and Luke in many ways. When they were ready to continue their journey to the world capital, Rome, the Maltese people showed more “unusual kindness” by supplying Paul and Luke with all the supplies they needed for their journey.

In today’s culture, when people serve the community culture they are honored in many ways and are given the supplies needed for the journey through life. Not all they want, but all they need. To serve the culture of today is to serve the entity living within them, which is the entity that sets within thoughts, feelings, words, and behaviors as if it is God. This entity is the one “...who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4 The “he” in this verse is the “man of sin”. Click here for a post on the “man of sin”

From Malta, everyone boarded a ship and headed to the world government. Likewise, from the metaphorical place of Malta, the peoples and nations of the world board ship sailing to the one world government, which is the United Nations as the undisputed government of the world. The “ship” that is being boarded is the atheistic world culture of humanism, which is the fig leaf worn by the entity that has power over physiology to live within the thoughts, feelings, words, and behaviors of people.

A sneak peek into the next post is to reveal the ship that was being sailed on to arrive at the world capital. The figurehead of the ship was the twin brothers, Castor and Pollux. “After three months we sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the Twin Brothers…” Acts 28:11 The twin brothers were Castor, a mortal human, and Pollux a god. This reveals a union of human beings to a false god. We are the human beings, and the false god is the entity that joins itself to us with its power over physiology. It intertwines itself within our thoughts, feelings, words, and behaviors. The “Twin Brothers” is what carries the global culture to the formation of the one world government.

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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