Acts 27:1-12
27: And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.
9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.
Reflection
Having now testified to King Agrippa, Paul sets sail on the long and difficult journey to Rome. As the voyage progresses, Paul offers sailing advice to the centurion who is responsible for guarding the prisoners. The centurion trusts the captain of the ship more than the prisoner Paul, and decides to push the voyage ahead, despite the dangers (Acts 27:9–11). For now, Paul’s words do not seem credible to the centurion, but soon he will begin listening more carefully (see vv. 21–26).
Revelation 21:1-8
21: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Reflection
The final two chapters of Revelation describe the completed purposes of God in the gospel. Using the imagery of marriage, John describes the people of God (represented in the new Jerusalem; Rev. 21:2) being married to the Lamb (symbolizing our eternal union with Christ; vv. 2–3).
We also see here the completion of a new creation (vv. 1–4) in which we will fully experience the destruction of death (v. 4). Those who have trusted and followed Christ have conquered with Jesus and will be rewarded as Jesus himself has been rewarded (v. 7). Christ is now the eternal dwelling place of saved humanity —the true temple (v. 3; cf. Ex. 29:44–46; Lev. 26:11–12; 2 Chron. 6:18). In these final two chapters of the Bible, then, we see the creation reaching its final restoration and goal—only this time without any possibility of sin or damage entering in, for Satan has been destroyed once and for all (Rev. 20:7–10).
Psalm 37:27
27 Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever.
One day all of sin’s influence will be gone forever (Rev. 20:7–10), and we will live in a completely restored creation. Pray, therefore, that this promise would protect you from making shortsighted goals and decisions that sinfully indulge in the temporary pleasures of this world while compromising God’s eternally good standards.