Was It the Will of God or Not, for Paul to Return to Jerusalem Considering All the Prophecies Along the Way That He Should Not?
1) Direct Answer
Yes. It was God’s will for Paul to go to Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit bound him to that path; the prophecies along the way warned of suffering, but did not forbid the journey.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Acts 20:22–24: “I go bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem… the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me… that I might finish my course.” The Spirit bound him; the Spirit also warned him what awaited.
- Acts 21:11–14: Agabus prophesied Paul would be bound. The saints wept and begged him not to go; Paul answered, “I am ready… to die at Jerusalem.” Then they yielded: “The will of the Lord be done.” The prophecy revealed what would happen; the pleading was their human response.
- Acts 23:11: After Paul was arrested, “the Lord stood by him” and said, “as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.” God confirmed Paul was on the appointed road.
- Acts 19:21: Paul had already “purposed in the spirit” to go to Jerusalem and then to Rome.
- Acts 9:15–16: From the start God told Paul he was a chosen vessel and “I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.” Suffering was part of the commission.
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- The Holy Spirit does not contradict Himself. He cannot bind Paul to go (Acts 20:22) and at the same time forbid him to go. So what were those “don’t go” appeals? The Spirit revealed the danger; loving believers, feeling the weight of that revelation, urged Paul not to go. The warning was divine; the prohibition was human.
- If Paul had stepped outside God’s will, would the Lord have stood by him in the prison and commissioned him on to Rome (Acts 23:11)? No. God’s approval there shows Paul was walking in the path appointed.
- This follows the pattern of Jesus: He set His face to go to Jerusalem knowing suffering awaited (Luke 9:51; 18:31–33). When Peter tried to turn Him aside out of love, the Lord rebuked it (Matthew 16:21–23). Human love often tries to spare God’s servant from a cross that God has already willed as the very road to fruitfulness.
- You see, prophecy often prepares the heart for trials, not to divert the obedient servant from God’s plan.
4) Reinforcing Statement
Now notice, the Spirit’s warnings steeled Paul, the brethren’s tears tested him, and the Lord’s visitation in custody sealed him. Therefore, Paul’s journey to Jerusalem was in the will of God.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Identification
64-0216 §71
Would you stand and see the gospel suffering today; or would you go with a popular-loving crowd, like Demas did? Or are you going to stand by Him, live or die, like Peter did? "I'm ready to go to prison, or wherever with You." When the issue comes forth in the church---whether women should cut their hair, or what they should do, like it did in Corinthians---what side do you take then? What's your present state do that time? Think of it, sister. When Paul said, "I suffer not a woman to teach or usurp any authority,...
Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ
63-0717 §49
But Paul just waited for the Spirit to tell him what to do. Wherever the Spirit said. He stood one night preaching and walked out there he seen a crippled man. And all at once the Spirit spoke to him, and he said, "I perceive." How? The same way he perceived he was going to be wrecked upon an island. "I perceive that you have faith to be healed. Stand up on your feet! Jesus Christ has made you well." There you are---he was yoked. He might have held a week's revival there and nothing would happen, but yet he waited...
Position of a believer in Christ
55-0227A §30
Now, in Ephesians, let's hear Paul's speaking, now, as you read, everyone if you will, and try to be just as reverent as you can as we're speaking the Word. Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God... The first introduction shows how he is apostle: Paul an apostle of God by ... apostle by the will of God. In one place he said he wasn't called of man, neither was he sent of man, but God sent him. Now, the first thing, he was the apostle... The word apostle means "a missionary" or "one sent." Missionary mea...
The Evening Messenger
63-0116 §119
The same thing, Paul, he said, "All... Demas has forsaken me. All men forsaken me for the Word." I don't believe Demas went to night clubs and things. But Demas wanted to go, Demas was a rich man. And he wanted to go with the popular group, and so he went off there where all the rest of them did. And then Paul said, "All men has forsaken me." Why? His ministry, he was coming to the capstone of it, coming down to the end. His desire was to be a martyr because he'd killed Stephen, he witnessed his death and sanctione...
Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ
63-0717 §70
harnessed you with power to go down there and deliver my people. Take that stick in your hand as a witness because you seen a miracle done by it. Just like David with a slingshot. Harnessed himself, and he went down. Finally, God had a man that was subject to Him, harnessed to Him and could not move until the Word of God moved him. If people would just do that today. Then he was his prisoner---a prisoner of love. Yoked up in the bond of love with God, as Paul was yoked up in the bond of love to God---just like Paul...