Acts 21
In Chapter 21 of the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul was directed by the Holy Ghost at least twice and perhaps three times, not to go to Jerusalem. Having made up his mind to go however, he ignored the warnings and walked straight into the arms of the Jews and eventually met his death at the hands of Caesar.
Paul claimed he was going to Jerusalem as a testimony for Jesus; quote: “I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:13) However, by saying that He was doing this thing in the name of the Lord Jesus was a contradiction, because the Holy Ghost had instructed or advised him not to go.
What prompted Paul to ignore the supplications of the Holy Ghost? It would seem that Paul may have been going up to Jerusalem for other reasons. In David Berg’s writings about the Law of Love (see “Dad on the Law of Love”… pdf on this site) David throws some light on this point by saying: “However when reading through the New Testament, you’ll find that even Paul and some of the Apostles still had a few old legalistic hangovers, some of their old Judaism and Jewish “old wine” that they just couldn’t quite dump! (Luke.5:37-39) You can see by some of Paul’s writings, because of his love for the Jews, (Romans 9:3; 10:1) which led to his final compromise with them (Acts 21)”…end of quote.
Paul was called by Jesus to be a minister to the Gentiles, in his travels however, he consistently went to his “brethren” the Jews, in an attempt to convince them that Jesus was the Chosen One. Most of the persecution he received during his travels was at the hands of the Jews. Paul had done such a good job of evangelizing the Jews that all men everywhere had heard of “his” doctrine.
Acts 21:20,21 “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.
They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs.”
Verse 28: “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple area and defiled this holy place.”
As was brought out by David Berg, Paul had some old hang-ups that actually caused him to eventually compromise his own teachings, “to all men everywhere”, that the laws of Moses, through Jesus Christ, were dead to the believers in Jesus Christ.
In verses 23 and 24 you can read that the church elders themselves prompted the compromise by convincing Paul to go to the temple and cleanse himself in the traditional manner.
1 Corinthians 10:11 The ensample Paul left us; “upon whom the end of the world has come”, is very straight. By agreeing to follow the voice of the spirit of God through the Holy Ghost, you have in effect made a vow to put away your own desires and wishes in submission to the will of God. The stronger the vow, the more intently you must follow and the stricter the obedience. The followers of Christ have been warned that in the time of the End compromise would come to some: “Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.” Daniel 11:33, 34, 35
The Holy Ghost is our light through the darkness ahead; whilst perfecting the gift of hearing the voice of God through the Holy Ghost is vital; without implicit obedience to that voice, compromise will come.
Below is a prophecy received from the Apostle Paul on this matter:
“Dearest Brother in Christ, may the love of the Holy One be upon you and all those in the household of faith. The enemy as a roaring lion goeth about seeking his prey. Those of the House of David are especially targeted because of the Word they have in their possession. Pray for your family and for the road ahead, for it lieth in darkness. Yesterday was one of those attacks; it came from the darkness and was intended to put out the candle that is being used to light other candles; who in turn will light others as the revolution explodes. Jesus has promised that the trickle will turn into a small stream and then into a river and then a flood of new wine that will sweep this earth as a cleansing agent.
The enemy is fighting the candles, the light that will very soon turn into a hurricane of overcoming power. You, my brothers and sisters of faith, have been chosen as lights in the darkness. That light must not be extinguished, not one word must fall to the ground. This is a big job, and it has been given into the hands of a chosen few; you and those around you that hold up the light to others that they may see the road ahead. Use my testimony and bad example; it is a powerful example of not following the Light but the desires of the flesh and pride. I submit to the will of God, my brother in arms, that others fall not into the same trap. The carnal mind is our enemy, the world is our enemy, and even our brethren can be out worst, most dangerous enemy. Only the Holy Spirit of God can light the way in the darkness ahead. The Spirit reigns and must be allowed full sway, full possession. Learn, my brothers and sisters, learn to follow, learn humility and selflessness. Learn in order that you be not overcome by the lusts of your own flesh and carnal mindedness as I was on that fateful day. I was called to bring light to the Gentiles and that is where I should have stayed and lived out my days ministering to the flock my Saviour had given me. But no, instead I insisted on going back to a people who had rejected the pure light of salvation, those that loved the old and not the spirit, the letter that killeth, that letter that eventually killed me. You my dear ones are called to bring the light of a new day with new wine for a new millennium. Stagger not at the promises of God but in newness of heart and spirit be ye transformed into the pillars of light that this world desperately needs.”
