Acts 27:1-12 - Corps Notes - January 13, 1977
Publication Date: January 13, 1977
Victor Paul Wierwille was a Bible scholar and teacher for over four decades.
By means of Dr. Wierwille's dynamic teaching of the accuracy and integrity of God's Word, foundational class and advanced class graduates of Power for Abundant Living have learned that the one great requirement for every student of the Bible is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Thus, his presentation of the Word of God was designed for students who desire the in-depth-accuracy of God’s Word.
In his many years of research, Dr. Wierwille studied with such men as Karl Barth, E. Stanley Jones, Glenn Clark, Bishop K.C. Pillai, and George M. Lamsa. His formal training included Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees from Mission House (Lakeland) College and Seminary. He studied at the University of Chicago and at Princeton Theological Seminary from which he received a Master of Theology degree in Practical Theology. Later he completed his work for the Doctor of Theology degree.
Dr. Wierwille taught the first class on Power for Abundant Living in 1953.
Books by Dr. Wierwille include: Are the Dead Alive Now? published in 1971; Receiving the Holy Spirit Today published in 1972; five volumes of Studies in Abundant Living— The Bible Tells Me So (1971), The New, Dynamic Church (1971), The Word's Way (1971), God's Magnified Word (1977), Order My Steps in Thy Word (1985); Jesus Christ Is Not God (1975); Jesus Christ Our Passover (1980); and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed (1982).
Dr. Wierwille researched God's Word, taught, wrote, and traveled worldwide, holding forth the accuracy of God's "wonderful, matchless" Word.
Acts 27:1-12
January 13, 1977
This record in Acts 27 historically, from a historian’s point of view, is the finest record of a
travel aboard ship and a shipwreck, in all history. There is no more detailed record in any place
in secular history at all. In other words; this 27th chapter, as reported by Luke, under the
inspiration of the Father, is just a fantastic piece of work.
Acts 27:1
“when it was determined” - as it was decided
There was more than one group of a hundred who were the emperor’s crack troops. The Pope
has the Swiss Guards. Are they not his crack troops? I think so.
Acts 27:2
“entering” – embarking
“meaning” - being about
“being” was
“Aristarchus” - Luke and Aristarchus were with Paul. I think, according to Roman law, only
two people, at any time, were allowed to accompany a prisoner, I forget what the detail was on
it.
“Adramyttium” - this city, Adramyttium, was a city in Mysia. They are going north from
Caesarea along the Asian coast. Mysia was a province of Asia. Adramyttium was right at the
head of the Gulf of Mysia, on the west coast of it.
Acts 27:3
“touched” - landed “liberty” = the privilege
The Phoenicians were the great builders of ships; the first major navigational group.
Tyre and Sidon were like Minneapolis - St. Paul, where one is always in competition with the
other. That is an interesting place. Even the ruins of the famous naval base there are still
visible, you know, the great pillars and stuff. This area in here blessed me very much, Tyre and
Sidon, I enjoyed seeing that, the excavations and so forth. Sidon was a Phoenician port.
“Julius [the centurion] courteously entreated Paul” - I assume he did this because he was given
orders, and was informed by Festus as to how to handle him; what to do.
“gave him liberty” - he gave Paul the privilege to go to his friends to refresh himself. I imagine
after two years in the “hoosegow” it would be sort of nice to have the freedom to go to your
friends and refresh yourself, but he could not go except he was handcuffed to a soldier.
Sidon is about 67 -68 miles north of Caesarea.
Acts 27:4
“Cyprus” - the lee of Cyprus
They sailed north along the Asian coast on the east side of Cyprus, past the northeast part of the
island. The lee of Cyprus is that tongue that sticks up toward the northeast. That’s why they
made pretty good time until they turned west, because this lee was the sheltered side from the
wind. The wind was from the northwest and west.
Acts 27:5
“over” - across
“the sea of Cilicia” – the sea which is off of Cilicia
“came to” landed
The winds threw them further north than their route would have gone. It kept driving them
further north. That’s why they sailed across the sea, which is off of Cilicia and Pamphylia, to
Myra, which was a city of Lycia. The city was about 2 1/2 miles inland from the coast and it
was near the mouth of the river Andriacus, which is still in existence. The Lycia province was
just west of the province of Pamphylia. According to the best reckoning here, it must have
taken them about 15 days to travel from Sidon, around the lee of Cyprus, and up to Myra. Now
if you look very carefully on your map you can see that this ship was protected on the north by
the lands of Pamphylia, but the headwinds from the west is what sent them up further north.
Acts 27:6-8
Ships leaving Cnidus turned southwest and sailed under the lee of Crete over against Salmone,
which was at the east end of the Island of Crete. Here they turned west and were protected from
the north winds by the island of Crete, sailing along the south coast of Crete.
“ship of Alexandria” - This was a grain ship from Egypt going to Italy. These ships were not
steered by a helm. They had two broad oars at the back of them, off the stern. They had only
one large, square, massive sail. Then they carried their flags or their banners on top of that.
According to the best logs we have of the early days of seafaring, they said they could go
within seven points of the wind. They could not sail directly, but within seven points. Their
speed was approximately seven knots an hour. A knot is a nautical mile; 6,085 feet. A land mile
is 5,280 feet.
These ships, like this ship of Alexandria sailing to Italy, carried between ten and twelve
hundred tons of wheat. They were not small. Josephus has a record that on one of these ships
there were 500 passengers in addition to the grain they carried. They were carrying grain from
Egypt to Italy.
“Cnidus” - Cnidus was at the extreme southwest corner of Asia Minor. The prevailing winds
were from the northwest. That’s why you can see why they went that route, because they had
only one sail. They had to do the best they could. From Myra to Cnidus is about 130 miles, and
of course, moving that direction, the way they were up against the coast, it took about 2 1/2 to 3
weeks to make that little trip. The island of Crete was also called Candia. Salmone was its
eastern cape.
Acts 27:7
“scarce were come” – with great difficulty - they sailed slowly because of the tremendous
winds.
The time here, was toward the latter part of September, first of October; somewhere between
September 22 and October 5. That’s when this occurred, or close to that period of time. I think
October is the most treacherous month for traveling, even to this day, the same thing is true for
this area. The reason they sailed slowly is; they had too much wind and in the wrong direction.
“over against” – on that side of
“suffering” – allowing
Acts 27:8
“hardly passing it” – that with great difficulty
“The fair havens” – Fair Havens
Fair Havens is on the south coast of Crete, a few miles east of Cape Metala. As you look at
your map, you’ll see that it breaks north very quickly after Lasea. Fair havens and Lasea were
only about an hour and a half or two hours apart. The interesting thing to me is; that in past
years, the people said that there never was a city like Lasea. Fair Havens is still in existence
today, I guess. Then some archaeologist from Germany, in 1856 found the ruins of the city of
Lasea.
What has gotten me through the years is; people can always criticize the Bible. But then usually
two things happen. When the real truth is found, which is already in the Word, which they
won’t believe: by the time this archeologist had found that, then that critic who was so adamant
against the Bible is dead. You can’t get him out of the grave and beat the hell out of him. He
made his statement; he hurt people, then he died. The way this archaeologist found this was that
he just read the Bible and believed what was written in here was true, so he went looking and
he found it. There’s a lot of this city of Lasea in the Bresteds Institute in Chicago at the
Divinity School. That’s where I saw it.
I don’t know why they always want to think these guys were so stupid that they wouldn’t even
know their town was New Knoxville, and they lived there all their life. I live 1,000 years later
and I’m smarter than they were who lived there. A man’s got to be crazy to believe that, right?
They said, for instance, about those astronomers that came from the east to visit Jesus’ place;
how they could not have been that smart at their time to know all that astronomy stuff. Well,
I’m convinced that they perhaps knew more than we know today. I am convinced that maybe
the forefathers, many centuries before, knew more, because the Word says God wrote this stuff
in the stars. He told Adam and Adam told his kids; it went down the line.
There’s a place in India where they just did nothing but look at the stars and the ruins of that
place are still there. I describe it like a chute, or like a cement runway. It was like cement, but
it was some other stuff. It is still there in India. And by the way, they have iron that has stood
outside for 2500 years and it has not rusted. The Buddhistic scriptures are written on those
cylinders, they just stand in the ground and they’re iron. You can read their scriptures on it and
they’ve never rusted in all those years.
When I read things like this in the Word and know some of the things that the critics have said
about it, it’s always interesting to me. When they do find it, then they say, “Well the Bible was
right to begin with.” Why didn’t somebody start out with the idea like The Way Ministry; the
Bible is right, then we have no problem with it. The Bible is accurate. It just takes men to get
around to believing it.
They would not have gone this route, you know good and well, had the weather been better.
But they were going very late in the season. It perhaps was the last boat out. I’m quite confident
it was, because of the time of the year.
Acts 27:9
“now” - already
“fast was now already past” – this is the Feast of Purim, and when that thing occurred, nobody,
if he was in his right mind, sailed the Mediterranean. Only under extreme conditions would you
sail it.
I’ve often wondered why they sailed this particular ship of Alexandria. The owner was
responsible to travel on his own ship. They had sort of a law; that if the owner’s ship went, the
owner went with it. If he was real wealthy and had two or three ships, he’d have to wait till he
got back with one before he could take the other. They could have it loaded and he could ship
right out again. He’d take his family along; all his kids, all his in-laws and out-laws. Why this
owner, who was aboard this ship here, allowed this wheat ship to go through at this time, I just
don’t know. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. Sailing was already dangerous, because of
the time of year, so Paul spoke to them at Fair Havens.
“admonished” - spoke
Acts 27:10
“voyage” - sailing
“hurt” - injury
“damage” - loss
“lading” – cargo
“also of our lives” – of our lives also
How Paul, a prisoner, got permission to address these people and to say this to them, I can only
venture to think in terms of the centurion and the instructions he had been given by Festus; and
how this Paul was really not a criminal; and that he should have been set free, but in order to
please the Jews, was sent to Rome. This is why I think Paul had this freedom, like in verse 3,
where he went to refresh himself with the believers there.
This is revelation. This is what Paul knew by revelation.
“perceive” - to see - God gave it to him by seeing; by a vision. God showed him that this
sailing, if they continued, would be with hurt and much loss, not only of the cargo, but of the
lives of the people. What Paul spoke is what he knew by revelation.
Acts 27:11
“nevertheless” - but
“master” – captain - some people have steersman. I don’t think that’s right, because I think
“captain” is what it really is.
“owner of the ship” - I told you the owner had to ride along.
The owner and the captain influenced the centurion.
Acts 27:12
“haven” - harbor
“commodious” - ideal
“more part” – greater group of them - in other words; the captain and the owner of the ship
apparently discussed it with the rest of the crew.
“depart” - launch forth
“if by any means” - so that
“attain to” – in other words; be able to get to
“there to winter” – winter there
The detailed descriptiveness of Luke here; every detail, is really something. I really get blessed
by how accurate the Word is and how just every little detail is covered. I’ve wondered why
God was so concerned about the details of this little old shipwreck. But, as you begin to see that
this now is going to carry the Word by the man of God into the great city of Rome. I can see
why this record here becomes so important. The Adversary does everything in his power to
obstruct Paul; does everything he can to deter them, to injure them, to hurt them, to destroy
them. As a matter of fact,
before we finish the chapter, you will see that when they finally get shipwrecked on the island
of Melita, or Malta, that all the people thought he was going to die. Then, he lived, and they all
thought he was God. It’s just beginning to build.
Why did Paul not stop the storm? Have you ever asked yourself that? Jesus said, “Peace, be
still,” and it got so quiet they had to blow the sails. Paul; tremendous man of God, why didn’t
he? The only answer I know; he just didn’t have any revelation. I don’t know any other answer.
He had revelation that the voyage would be with a lot of hurt, much loss; the cargo, even their
very lives. You’ll see this all develop because even the sailors wanted to jump ship.
Every detail in here, to me becomes increasingly important as I begin to see that what the
Adversary is really after is to destroy this man one way or the other.
We’ll also see, before we finish this chapter, that when Paul does get to Rome, as a prisoner,
and he spends two years there, he writes Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians in prison.
Can you imagine Ephesians coming out of a situation where he’s handcuffed to a prisoner,
dictates the Word, they write it, send it out? - - the greatness of the revelation coming to a man
in prison?
Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and that book he wrote to Onesimus; Philemon was written
out of prison, in Rome.
We’ll come back and pick you up on “the south wind blowing softly” in verse 13.