When Paul Was Bitten By The Deadly Snake On The Island of Malta

November 22nd, 2023
by Jonathan Rindos

After Paul had gathered some wood and had put it on the fire, the heat caused a snake to crawl out and it bit him on the hand. When the local people saw the snake hanging from Paul's hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer! He didn't drown in the sea, but the goddess of justice will kill him anyway."

Paul shook the snake off into the fire and wasn't harmed. The people kept thinking that Paul would either swell up or suddenly drop dead. They watched him for a long time, and when nothing happened to him, they changed their minds and said, "This man is a god."

Acts 28:3-6

This passage in Acts 28 holds a very special place in my heart. Back in February of this year (2023) I wound up being hospitalized for an anxiety attack that I originally thought was a heart attack. At that time, I was experiencing tremendous amounts of anxiety due to the Ohio train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

Shortly after that catastrophic event, we've begun experiencing weird rain and it has never been the same since that massive chemical spill. I started noticing these huge bubbles running along the surface of rain puddles. I had no idea what this meant but I never saw it before in my life and I knew this couldn't be anything good.

After watching some videos on Tik Tok, I discovered that these "weird" bubbles in the rain puddles were an indication of acid rain. Some people have argued over this with me, but that is not the point or objective of this writing. The bottom line is this; this sort of rain did NOT occur until AFTER the Ohio train derailment. So whether it is or it isn't acid rain, something is definitely not right. Okay, let's move on.

So as I stated previously, I was experiencing a lot of anxiety over this due to the potential health hazards that this could potentially bring about. Some time after I was released from the hospital, I was laying in bed one night reading my Bible and still experiencing anxiety. At some point I passed out while reading the Bible.

When I woke up after some time had passed, I saw that my Bible was opened up to a completely different part of the Bible, nowhere near where I was reading before falling asleep. I looked and saw that it was opened to Acts 28, and after reading it, I knew this was a direct message from God, telling me not to worry; that He is in control of everything.

That snake should have been Paul's demise, but it wasn't because God is in control, and that didn't fit God's plan for Paul's life.

Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Matthew not to worry but to cast all of our worries and cares upon Him. Now whenever I start to feel anxious about current events or things going on in the world, I try to remind myself of that night I woke up and my Bible was mysteriously opened to Acts 28.

For extra added comfort and relief from anxiety I also like to refer to Psalm 91 and I strongly encourage everyone to read it, especially if you struggle with anxiety.

Throughout the Old Testament it repeatedly says how the Lord is in control of everything and all human events. Nothing happens without the Lord knowing about it and nothing happens without His approval. We see this fact bright as day in Acts 28 when that deadly snake had no effect on Paul. The Lord said Paul would stand trial before the emperor and nothing was going to stop or spoil the Lord's plan.

Something to remember and keep in mind. Jesus wants to give us rest and peace. He tells us to cast all our worries onto Him. So whatever anxiety or fears you are struggling with are coming from the enemy. The Lord doesn't want any of us to live in fear. That is what the enemy wants. So I challenge you to lean on the promises of God and seek after Jesus and ask for His peace today.