Why Did Agabus Bind Himself?

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UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES

We resume our excursion through the Book of Acts. Here again are Dave and Tom. This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment, we’re in the Book of Acts Chapter 21, and we are going to pick up with verse 10. “And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet, named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, (that is, his belt) and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him, (that is, Paul) not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, verse 13, “What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Now Dave, thinking back to our last program, we’re trying to explain, or hopefully, you’re going to explain whether Paul is being obedient to the Holy Spirit, or whether he’s doing his own thing. I think some people are confused by that.

Dave:

Well, it does seem that there is some conflict here. We went back to verse 4, “Finding disciples we tarried there seven days who said to Paul through the Spirit that he should not go up to Jerusalem.” That’s even a little more in opposition than this passage. Here he is being bound, and Paul says, “I’m ready to be bound, I mean, I’ll die!” So, the Holy Spirit is not telling him not to. Now what is happening? Then Paul is going to go. Is he disobedient? Well, first of all, I have the utmost confidence in Paul. I know Paul better than I know Agabus or any of these others that it says.

Tom:

And Paul did say, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he said, “That which you see in me that you are to do. Look at my life it’s a pattern for how you are to live your life.” So, certainly as he follows Christ, but I don’t know anybody else in the scripture who points to his own life as teaching his doctrine and so on like Paul does.

Dave:

Well, if we went to chapter 23, verse 11, Paul is in the midst of being arrested and imprisoned and brought before judges, and so forth. Verse 11 says, “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.”

Tom:

Now Dave, that doesn’t sound like a rebuke.

Dave:

No. Tom, you notice that the Lord says, As you have testified of Me in Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also at Rome. Now, Jerusalem was the route to Rome, that’s how he got to Rome was going to Jerusalem. And God doesn’t say, You will bear witness at Rome, you must bear witness at Rome. So it sounds to me as though it was God’s will all along for Paul to go to Jerusalem, and then on to Rome. Now I would say that Paul knew what God wanted, and what the Lord wanted, and he was not wavering. Now, then how do we explain where he says, He says to him—let’s go back to verse 4, chapter 21, verse 4, “We found some disciples there, we stayed with them seven days, and they said to Paul, Through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.” Now, is God contradicting himself? God has told Paul—Paul knows, I’m going to Jerusalem, I’m in God’s will. Now, the Spirit tells these to say, No, you’re not supposed to go. Tom, I think myself, if we went back to 1 Kings 13, you remember this man of God, it says it a number of times, He is really a man of God, he’s an amazing prophet. And let me read the first couple of verses there. This is 1 Kings 13:1, “Behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of he Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam, (he was the king) stood by the altar to burn incense. And he, (that is, this man of God) cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord” and so forth. Well, this is an amazing prophecy. And it came to pass and Jeroboam reaches out and says, Lay hold on him, grab that man, and his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up so that he could not pull it in again to him. I mean, Wow! this is amazing. The altar also was rent, as he said, right there before their eyes, it’s torn, split down the middle. The ashes are dumped out from the altar. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored. So, all we are saying, we are establishing, this man is really in touch with God. God is working through him powerfully, and what happens? God told him, Don’t go back the same way you came, go another way and you don’t spend any time there, you don’t spend the night there, you just get out of there now, you’ve done your duty, get out of there. And, away he goes. But in his heart he really misses because the king had offered him some great honor, and so forth, you come and be my prophet, etc. So, he’s kind of dilly dallying a bit, and there’s an old prophet in this place, and his sons tell him about this man of God. He overtakes the man of God, so he is going too slow, and he says, No, no, no I am a prophet too, and God told me to tell you to come back and have a meal with me. But it says, He lied! The man of God went back. Now, here we have an instance where the man of God knew what God wanted him to do, God had told him. Now, he’s willing to accept the word of some other prophet because that tells him what he wants to hear. Now, I guess Paul could have been very happy to be told don’t go to Jerusalem because they are going to mistreat you, they are going to bind you, and they are going to kill you, and so forth. Well, I guess I had better not go, Lord, I don’t want that to happen to me. No, Paul knows what God told him, he is sticking by it, and these other prophets are there like this prophet, the old prophet, he’s there to tempt this man to see whether he will stick with what God told him to do, or whether he will cave-in, and he caved-in. It’s one of the most tragic cases, Tom. Such a man of God, so promising, how could he be in touch with God, and God is working these amazing things through him, and then he goes back. Well, Paul did not go back, and that would be my understanding of this passage. No matter who said it, Agabus or prophets or what, Paul knows what God wants him to do and he is heading to Jerusalem because that is his route to Rome.

Tom:

Verse 14, “And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.” Now Dave, I think that’s a confirmation, that God’s will is most important here, and we believe Paul had God’s will in all of this.

Dave:

Well, they are willing for that, too, God’s will be done. Now when they say, God’s will be done, whatever happened that was God’s will, as we have it recorded in the Book of Acts.

Tom:

“And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem.” Now Dave, I think we will end there.

Dave:

Okay, we will come back and pick it up next week.

Dave and Tom will resume their discussion on the topic of salvation next week, we hope you can join us. This is Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call. The apostle John in Revelation 17 describes in detail characteristics of a beast which comes in the last days. Virtually all attention these days is focused on the coming Antichrist, but he is only half the story. Many are amazed to discover that that same passage reveals another mysterious character at the heart of prophecy, a woman who rides the beast. Who is this woman? John depicts her as a false church which will be a partner of the Antichrist. Tradition says she is connected with the church of Rome, but isn’t such a view outdated? After all, today’s Vatican is eager to join hands with Protestants world wide. We are told the Catholic church has changed, or has it? In A Woman Rides The Beast, prophecy expert Dave Hunt sifts through biblical truth and global events to present a well defined portrait of this woman, and her powerful place in the Antichrist future empire. Eight remarkable clues in Revelation proves the woman’s identity beyond any reasonable doubt. Was John describing the church of Rome? To answer this question Dave has spent years in historical research primarily from Catholic sources, and provides indisputable documentation. Video host, author and lecturer Dave Hunt: “There’s over 500 pages and about 800 footnotes, I think, of documentation that will surprise, perhaps even Catholics as well as non Catholics, as to the official teaching and practices of the Roman Catholic church. Its history, what it really has stood for, ad stands for today. I’m not making it up, I think it is worthwhile, I think it is something you need to read.”

A Woman Rides The Beast, the book and the video are available from The Berean Call. Information on how to order in just a moment. And now, to tell you more about our ministry, here’s TBC Executive Director, Tom McMahon: “The name, The Berean Call, is taken from the Book of Acts chapter 17, verses 10 and 11, where we find the apostle Paul entering the synagogue in the Greek city of Berea after he had just come from Thessalonica. To these Bereans he preached that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah sent from God. They were commended for being noble or fair minded, not only for their willingness to hear what Paul had to say about the matter, but more specifically, because they searched the scriptures daily to find out whether or not what the apostle was saying was found in God’s Word. That’s what we hope to encourage through this ministry. Our mission is to alert believers in Christ to unbiblical teachings and practices impacting the church. We want to exhort believers to give great heed to biblical discernment and truth regarding what they are accepting as spiritual. We hope to supply those who profess to be biblical Christians with information and materials that will encourage the love of God’s truth. Hopefully we can help mobilize believers in Christ to action in obedience to the scriptural command to earnestly contend for the faith, found in Jude 3. And finally, our prayer is that we can be used of God to stimulate Christians to look to the Bible alone as their rule of faith, authority and practice in living lives pleasing to our Lord and Savior. Gary.”

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Next week, we continue our new series of programs based on Dave Hunt’s book, Yoga and the Body of Christ, What Positions Should Christians Hold? and, is yoga Christian? In Religion in the News, Congressional Chanting, we’ll take a look at that story and address the question: Can men bless or curse? We hope you can tune in. If you have questions or comments about this program we urge you to contact our offices. Search the Scriptures Daily Radio Ministry is made possible by God’s grace, your prayers and your financial support. I’m Gary Carmichael, and for Dave, Tom and everyone here at The Berean Call, I would like to thank you for joining us and invite you to tune in again next week. Until then, if you desire to know God’s truth, search the scriptures daily. For more information about The Berean Call, write to us at PO Box 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708. Call us toll free at our order number 877-882-4253, that’s 877-88Bible, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.