The dispute grew so violent that the commander was afraid they would tear Paul to pieces. He ordered the soldiers to go down and remove him by force and bring him into the barracks.When a great argument arose, the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him into the barracks.And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the castle.
4 sermons cite this verse
We'll stop there. So here is Paul in prison again. I mean, Paul's middle name could have been Trouble. It was always something with him. Everywhere he went, it was either a riot or a revival. There was never a dull day hanging around the apostle Paul. But I think here, he was probably discouraged. He was probably feeling down. And it's no wonder. He's in a Roman dungeon. And the Lord says to him, Paul, be of good cheer. But actually, if we look at the original language, we find a better translation would be, have courage. And that makes a lot more sense. It's a unique phrase that is used multiple times in the Bible, each one showing a different facet of how to find courage in our lives. The first is the story of a man who was a paraplegic in Matthew 9. He was carried by his friends to Jesus. And Jesus looks at this guy who is unable to walk. And he says to him, be of good courage. Your sins are forgiven. Now the guy was probably thinking, well, okay, I'm glad my sins are forgiven, but I'd actually like to walk. That was kind of why I was brought here to you. And there's a protest among the religious leaders who can forgive sins but God alone. Oh, I hear what you guys are saying. Jesus says, but just so you know that I, the Son of Man, have the power to forgive sins, I say, your sins are forgiven and get up and walk. And that man …
We'll stop there. So here is Paul in prison again. I mean, Paul's middle name could have been Trouble. It was always something with him. Everywhere he went, it was either a riot or a revival. There was never a dull day hanging around the apostle Paul, but I think here he was probably discouraged. He was probably feeling down. And it's no wonder. He's in a Roman dungeon. And now the Lord comes to him and brings these encouraging words. Verse 11 says, The following night the Lord stood by him. Maybe he second guessed his decision to go to Jerusalem. Maybe he thought, I shouldn't have done this. Maybe I should have listened to Agabus after all. And the Lord appears to him and encourages him. and the Lord says to him, Paul, be of good cheer. Be of good cheer. How can you have good cheer when you're in a dungeon? You know, it's like when someone comes to you when you're feeling down and they say, hey man, smile. …
… Then here's the last time this word is used. It's found in Acts chapter 23 and verse 10. There were some people who wanted to do Paul harm and there were those who came to rescue him. And here's what it says. And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them. That is to rescue him. So there you have an idea of what the rapture really means. It means to catch away speedily. It has the idea of seizing by force. It has the idea of being taken from one place to another place. It has the idea of being delivered from danger. All of these words are the same word that is translated here in 1 Thessalonians 4, which means that we are caught away to meet the Lord in the air. Now, this rapture is a mystery. That's the reason why I called it a mystery. …
"And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle. And the following night the Lord stood by him and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as you have testified of Me in Jerusalem, so must you bear witness also at Rome. And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy." Acts 23:10-13. FROM the midnight whisper of the Lord to Paul we may draw forth sweet encouragement. Those of the Lord's children who have been engaged in His work and are called to suffer in it, have here a special word of consolation! Paul had been in a great tumult and had been roughly rescued from the wrath of the people by the chief captain who saw that otherwise he would be pulled in pieces. Paul was like the rest of us, made of flesh and blood and, therefore, liable to be cast down. He had kept himself calm at first, but still, the strong excitement of the day had no doubt operated upon his mind and when he was lying in prison all alone, thinking upon the perils that surrounded him, he needed good cheer—and he received it. The bravest man may find his spirit sinking after the battle and so perhaps it was with the Apostle. …