And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Pauls girdle, 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 not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, 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. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done. Acts 21:10-14 It is interesting that Agabus gave a prophecy that the Jews would bind the man who owned this girdle and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles and then the disciples tried to persuade Paul not to go to Jerusalem so that what was said in the prophecy would not happen. After all, the purpose of a warning is that the one being warned might avoid what is being warned about. So it is evident that these Early Christians believed that the prophecy of Agabus could be cancelled and the future changed by Pauls free will. They assumed that Pauls choices were determining his future so if they could persuade him to change his choices they could consequently change his future, despite the prophecy. They believed that the prophecy was about the current course of the future given the current circumstances and that if they could change the current circumstances they could change the course of history and the tendency of Pauls life. They assumed that the future had alternative possibilities that men like Paul were free to choose between. The early Christians here did not have a fatalistic mentality about prophecy but must have understood, as it amply taught throughout the Old Testament, that prophecies can be cancelled and reversed and events prophecied about can be avoided.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 18:56:43 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015