Acts, chapters 27 & 28

Throughout the O.T. & Gospels all words highlighted:

• in medium blue were said by GOD the FATHER;
• in apricot were from GOD the Son (Jesus Christ);
• in light purple were from GOD the Holy Spirit.

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Chapter 27

Locations (the 3 highlighted below) of Paul (provinces are larger/defined areas, regions are general areas, districts are smaller/defined areas); below, enclosed in <pointed braces>, is info. from The Zondervan "Pictorial Bible Dictionary":

• Caesarea of the region Judea* was a city ~50 mi. NNW of Jerusalem; Paul boarded a ship from Adramyttium of Mysia* there, which he sailed in until reaching Myra of Lycia*;
• Sidon of the region Phoenicia* was a city ~80 mi. NNE of Caesarea;
• Cyprus* was a medium-sized island NW of Phoenicia*, in the NE section of the Great/Mediterranean Sea; Paul passed by there, from the SE to the NE of Cyprus*;
• Cilicia* was a region N & NW of Cyprus*; Paul passed by there, from the NE to the NW of Cyprus*; 
• Pamphylia* was a region NW of Cilicia*; Paul passed by there, continuing to the NW of Cyprus*;
• Myra of the region Lycia* was a city on the southern coast of Lycia* (SW of Pamphylia*, ~150 mi. NW of Cyprus*); Paul boarded an Alexandrian ship there, which he sailed in until the shipwreck off Malta* (indirectly, ~900 mi. west);
• Cnidus of the region Lydia* was a city ~150 mi. WNW of Myra (WNW of Lycia*); Paul passed by there, going SSW toward the island Crete*;
• Crete* was a medium-sized island SSW of Lydia*, in the central section of the Great/Mediterranean Sea; Paul went towards there, SSW from Cnidus;
  • Salome of Crete* was a city on the NE coast of Crete*; Paul passed by there, proceeding SSW, & then W;
  • Fair Havens of Crete* was a place near the town of Lasea, on the southcentral coast of Crete*
  • Phoenix of Crete* was a city on the SW coast of Crete*; the decision was to go there, but after heading a little west, the ship was blown S to the east of the island Cauda*;
• Cauda* was a small island ~30 mi. WSW of Fair Havens; Paul passed by there, continuing SW; <Cauda, 25 mi. S of Crete, is now called Gavdo (p. 150)>;
  • Syrtis of Cauda*; Paul passed by there, & went on across the Ionian Sea to be shipwrecked off Malta*; <The Syrtis were banks of quicksand; The Greater Syrtis (this great shoal) was west of Cyrene (p. 821)>; below we shall see these banks being called the sandbars of Syrtis.

<1>

Paul's Trip to Rome

When it was decided that We would sail for Italy, Paul & some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, & We put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with Us. The next day We landed at Sidon; & 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 & passed to the lee (wind-protected side, in this case near the coast of Phoenicia & Syria) of Cyprus because the winds were against Us. When We had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia & Pamphylia, We landed at Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy & put Us on board. We made slow headway for many days & had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow Us to hold Our course, We sailed to the lee (east) of Crete, opposite Salome. We moved along the southern coast with difficulty & came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

Much time had been lost, & sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast-- the season of the winds had started. So Paul warned Them, Men, I can see that Our voyage is going to be disastrous & bring great loss to ship & cargo, & to Our own lives also. But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot & 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 & winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest & northwest-- though maps show it only on the southern coast, ~10 mi. from the western end of Crete (the Zondervan book does not cover it).

<2>

When a gentle from the south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor & sailed partway along the southern shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm & could not head into the wind-- they were headed west; "northeaster" means the wind was coming out of the NE, blowing towards the SW; so We gave way to it & were driven along. As We passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, We were hardly able to make the trailing lifeboat secure-- i.e., they were able to go south & avoid the island, because the island diverted the northeaster; shortly they were driven SW. When the men had hoisted it aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor & let the ship be driven along. We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the 3rd day, they threw the ship's tackle (rigging) overboard with their own hands.

When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days & the storm continued raging, We finally gave up all hope of being saved-- but we shall soon see God renewing Paul's & their hope. After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them & said, Men, you should have taken My advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage & loss of cargo. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not 1 of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an Angel of GOD whose I am & whom I serve (which angel advises me; which God I serve) stood beside Me & said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; & GOD has graciously given You the lives of all who sail with You.' So keep up your courage, men, for I have Faith in GOD that it will happen just as He told Me. Nevertheless, We must run aground on some island.

<3>

On the 14th night We were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea-- in ancient times the Adriatic Sea extended well south of Italy; today that southern portion is the Ionian Sea (or simply part of the Mediterranean/Great Sea); only the part NE of Italy is the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. They took soundings & found that the water was 120' deep. A short time later they took soundings again & found it was 90' deep. Fearing that We would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped 4 anchors from the stern (rear) & prayed for daylight. In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let down the lifeboat into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow (front). Then Paul said to the centurion & the soldiers, Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved. So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat & left it fall away. Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. For the last 14 days, He said, you have been in constant suspense & have gone without food-- you haven't eaten anything. Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not 1 of you will lose a single hair from his head. After He said this, He took some bread & gave thanks to GOD in front of them all. They were all encouraged & ate some food themselves. All together there were 276 of Us on board. When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.

When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea & at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. They hoisted the foresail to the wind & made for the beach. But the ship struck a sandbar & ran aground. The bow stuck fast & would not move, the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf. The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away & escaping. But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life & kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard 1st & get to land. The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land in safety.

Chapter 28

Locations of Paul (provinces are larger/defined areas, regions are general areas, districts are smaller/defined areas); below, enclosed in <pointed braces>, is info. from The Zondervan "Pictorial Bible Dictionary":

• Malta* was a small island ~70 mi. S of the large island of Sicily* (SW of the "toe" of Italy*);
• Syracuse of Sicily* was a city on the southeastern coast of the island Sicily*;
• Rhegium of Italy* was a city ~60 mi. NNE of Syracuse, on the extreme southern coast of Italy*;
  • Puteoli of Italy* was a city ~200 mi. NNW of Rhegium, on the southwestern coast of Italy*;
  • Rome of Italy* was a city ~130 mi. NW of Puteoli, on the western coast of Italy*.

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Once safely on shore, We found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed Us unusual kindness. They built a fire & welcomed Us all because it was raining & cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood &, as He put it on the fire, a viper, driven by the heat, fastened itself on His hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from His hand, they said to each other, 'This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, formal Justice has not allowed Him to live.' But Paul shook the snake off into the fire & suffered no ill effects. The people expected Him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time & seeing nothing unusual happen to Him, they changed their minds & said He was a god. There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed Us to his home & for 3 days entertained Us hospitably. His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever & dysentery. Paul went in to see him &, after prayer, placed His hands on him & healed him. When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came & were cured. They honored Us in many ways & when We were ready to sail, they furnished Us with the supplies We needed.

<2>

After 3 months We put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island. It was another Alexandrian ship but with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor & Pollux. We put in at Syracuse & stayed there 3 days. From there We set sail & arrived at Puteoli. There We found some brothers who invited Us to spend a week with Them. And so We came (proceeded) to Rome. The brothers there had heard that We were coming, & They traveled as far as the Forum of Appius <this was a place 43 mi. SE of Rome; it was a station on the famous Appian Way to Naples (p. 290)> & the Three Taverns <this village was on the Via Appia, some 33 mi. from Rome, near modern Cisterna (p. 850)> to meet Us. At the sight of these men Paul thanked GOD & was encouraged. When We got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard Him.

<3>

3 days later He called together the leaders of the Jews. When They had assembled, Paul said to Them: My brothers, although I have done nothing against Our people or against the customs of Our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem & handed over to the Romans. They examined Me & wanted to release Me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar-- not that I had any charge to bring against My own people. For this reason I have asked to see You & talk with You. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain. They replied, 'We have not received any letters from Judea concerning You, & none of the brothers who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about You. But We want to hear what Your views are, for We know people everywhere are talking about this sect.'

They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, & came in even larger numbers to the place where He was staying. From morning till evening He explained & declared to Them the Kingdom of GOD & tried to convince Them about Jesus from the Law of Moses & from the Prophets. Some were convinced by what He said, but others would not believe. They disagreed among themselves & began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to Your forefathers when HE said through Isaiah the prophet: Go to this people & say, 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; You will be ever seeing but never perceiving.' For this people's heart has become calloused; They hardly hear with Their ears, & They have closed Their eyes. Otherwise They might see with Their eyes, hear with Their ears, understand with Their hearts & turn, & I would heal Them. (Isa 6:9-10).

Therefore I want You to know that GOD's Salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, & they will listen! For 2 whole years Paul stayed there in His own rented house & welcomed all who came to see Him. Boldly & without hindrance He preached the Kingdom of GOD & taught about the LORD Jesus Christ.