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| There was a foundation-rocking earthquake but the prison buildings were not affected! Why? The Lord intended to save the prisoners. |
https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10207407669245410
October
11, 2016
The
foundation-rocking earthquake that saved many!
Acts 16
25 And
at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners
heard them.
26
And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the
prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's
bands were loosed.
27
And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison
doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing
that the prisoners had been fled.
28
But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all
here.
29
Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down
before Paul and Silas,
30
And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and
thy house.
32
And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his
house.
33
And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was
baptized, he and all his, straightway.
There
was the foundation-rocking earthquake...
-
the prison building remained...
-
the doors to all the cells and entrances were opened...
-
the metal chains on ALL the prisoners' were loosed...
-
NONE of the freed prisoners escaped, contrary to all human nature, and the
jailor's expectation...
The
jailor called for a light. (Some imagine his wife or toddler daughter responded
and brought him one!)
Paul
and Silas preached the gospel to him and ALL that was in his house (some think
this refers to his wife and some toddlers and babies - they find infant/household baptism
here!).
He
and all that were in his house, i.e. he and "all his" heard the word
of the Lord and believed, and were baptized.
What
an earthquake! Bless the LORD God of heaven and earth!
----------
p/s
1. The death of Christ was marked by an earthquake:
Matthew
27
51
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the
bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52
And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53
And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city,
and appeared unto many.
This is the FIRST resurrection of the saints. Regeneration is NOT resurrection.
2. The resurrection of Christ was marked by an earthquake too:
Matthew 28:1
1 ¶In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
[The "first day of the week" began at 6am Sunday morning; the first night of the week began at 6pm Saturday evening- a Jewish 24hr-day consisted of a 12hr-evening (night) and a 12hr-morning (day)
