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Acts 28:1-31  Paul Thanked God and Took Courage

[Study Aired October 29, 2023]

Act 28:1  And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita.
Act 28:2  And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.
Act 28:3  And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
Act 28:4  And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
Act 28:5  And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
Act 28:6  Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.
Act 28:7  In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously.
Act 28:8  And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.
Act 28:9  So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed:
Act 28:10  Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.
Act 28:11  And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux.
Act 28:12  And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days.
Act 28:13  And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli:
Act 28:14  Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome.
Act 28:15  And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.
Act 28:16  And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.
Act 28:17  And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
Act 28:18  Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me.
Act 28:19  But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of.
Act 28:20  For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.
Act 28:21  And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee.
Act 28:22  But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against.
Act 28:23  And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
Act 28:24  And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.
Act 28:25  And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,
Act 28:26  Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
Act 28:27  For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Act 28:28  Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
Act 28:29  And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.
Act 28:30  And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
Act 28:31  Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

Our study today is the 28^th chapter, the last chapter of the book of Acts. There is an easily discernable spurious 29^th chapter of Acts which would have us believe that Paul left Rome and went to Spain and then to Britain where the Druids convinced Paul that they were the descendants of the northern ten tribes of Israel. From Britain this spurious 29^th chapter of acts has Paul traveling through France to the Belgae (Belbium) preaching the gospel to Roman garrisons and to the people. From Belgium this spurious 29^th chapter of Acts affirms that Paul went to Switzerland, called Helvetia, where he come to “Mount Pontius Pilate” where we are told in this spurious work that Pilate had cast himself down headlong and had perished, but immediately water had gushed out of the mountain and washed Pilate’s dead body into a lake of which lake we are told:

“Verse 20. And Paul stretched forth his hands upon the water and prayed unto the Lord, saying, O Lord God, give a sign unto all nations that here Pontius Pilate, which condemned thine only-begotten Son, plunged down headlong into the pit.
Verse 21. And while Paul was yet speaking, behold there came a great earthquake, and the face of the waters was changed, and the form of the lake like unto the Son of Man hanging in an agony upon the cross.
Verse 22. And a voice came out of heaven saying, Even Pilate hath escaped the wrath to come, for he washed his hands before the multitude at the blood-shedding of the Lord Jesus.” (End Quote)

Contrast all this heresy with these true words of our Lord:

Mat 12:39  But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

Mar 8:12  And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

So much for the heresies of the 29^th chapter of Acts. It is really nothing more than an attempt by the adversary to legitimize the false doctrine of British Israelism, and the desires of Catholicism to see signs as proof of their legitimacy as the one true church.

Coming back to The Truth:

Act 28:1  And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. [Modern day Malta]
Act 28:2  And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.

This gracious reception by these ‘Barbarous people’ signifies how the Gentiles were prophesied to receive the gospel after it was rejected by the Lord’s own people, the Jews:

Mat 13:57  And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

Joh 1:11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

The people on the island of Malta graciously received and ministered to those who the Lord has saved from the tempestuous sea.

Act 28:3  And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

The Lord’s apostle was not above pitching in and doing manual labor to get the job done and to help minister to those needing help. Luke earlier had used the pronoun ‘we’ when speaking of work done on the ship to help save the lives of all:

Act 27:19  And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

Contrary to the lies of Babylon of a pitchfork-wielding devil stoking the fires of hell, the truth is that the adversary (“that old serpent the devil and Satan”) cannot stand the fiery Truths of the Word of God, and he flees from that heat, attempting to poison and destroy the Lord’s elect in doing so. However, the Lord’s elect simply shake off that lying serpent into the Truths of the Lord’s words and are not at all hurt by the serpent’s futile attempt to destroy the manchild of the woman.

This is the only example of anyone in all the New Testament literally taking up a serpent and not being hurt by doing so. Paul did not go out looking for rattlesnakes to bring into the church and tempt the Lord for the sake of the attention and the entertainment of others. Paul’s example is how we handle serpents without suffering any harm:

Mat 4:6  And [the devil] saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Mat 4:7  Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Mar 16:18  They shall [inadvertently] take up serpents; and if they [inadvertently] drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Act 28:4  And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
Act 28:5  And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

Paul was the Lord’s messenger. He had no interest in putting on an unscriptural show for the people of the island. He was not deliberately taking up a serpent to entertain men. The only time he deliberately ‘took up serpents’ was each time he entered a synagogue, knowing from experience that those who were of their father, the devil, would be right there to withstand his gospel message. There were 275 others on that ship, plus all the natives of Malita who were right there and could have been attacked by that serpent, but the Lord caused it to attack Paul, who signifies each of us, the Lord’s messengers in this dark and barbarous world.

Act 28:6  Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

The carnal mind, without the direction of the Lord’s Word, is so easily led to worship the messenger. That is true even for the Lord’s elect as the apostle John twice demonstrates for us:

Rev 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Rev 22:8  And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Rev 22:9  Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

Act 28:7  In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously.

Lodging 276 people for three days was no small task, but it certainly paid off well for Publius who was “entertaining angels unawares”:

Heb 13:1  Let brotherly love continue.
Heb 13:2  Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Luke, Aristarchus and Paul were all angels of the Lord, carrying the gospel of the Lord, being ‘lodged courteously’ by Publius, the chief man of the island of Malita. It turned out to be a great blessing to Publius and to his family, as is always the case when we show any kindness to the least of the Lord’s children:

Mat 25:34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Mat 25:35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Being totally unaware of the spiritual status of some of his guests, Publius was showing kindness to no less than Jesus Christ Himself, and he was about to reap the blessings of doing so:

Act 28:8  And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.
Act 28:9  So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed:
Act 28:10  Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.

Paul himself healed no one by his own power. He was the Lord’s agency for healing the father of Publius of his “bloody flux”, and that was just the beginning, as others also, who had diseases in the island came and were healed. That is the Lord’s method of operation. What we give in this life will redound a hundredfold to the glory of God:

Mat 19:29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Act 28:11  And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux.

Three months of adverse winter weather had constrained Julius to wait until Spring to continue on toward Rome in another ‘ship of Alexandria’ which had also “wintered in the isle” waiting for milder weather. The harsh winter months, notorious for bad sailing conditions, were now past, and Julius was ready to continue his trip to Rome to deliver his prisoners to Caesar. Castor and Pollux were the mythical twin sons of the head Roman God, Jupiter. They supposedly had the power of saving men in danger at sea. The fact Luke takes time to mention them as the sign under which this ship was sailing indicates that someone in the group thought it was good to have the Roman Gods on their side as they approached Rome. That ‘someone’ certainly was not Paul, Aristarchus, or Luke who all knew there was but one God, the Father:

1Co 8:6  But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and [besides this “one God, the Father” there is also] one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. [Paul here totally ignores ‘the third person of the godhead’ because there is no such ‘person’]

Act 28:12  And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days.

No reason is given for this three-day layover in Syracuse, therefore I will not speculate, but I will say that the spiritual significance of the number ‘three’ indicates that a process is taking place, and that process is judging us and bring us to maturity if we are ‘in Christ’.

Luk 13:32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

Act 28:13  And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli:
Act 28:14  Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome.

Julius apparently granted Paul and his traveling companions to spend seven days to visit with Christian brothers in the city of Puteoli. It is a work of the Lord that Julius the centurion was given to honor his prisoner, Paul, at every opportunity. He knew Paul had been prominent in the Jewish religion before being blinded for three days by Christ. Julius knew all about Paul’s experience with the Lord, and he had witnessed in the most severe fashion the fallacy of ignoring Paul as the Lord’s spokesperson. Paul was never once treated as a mere prisoner, not even by King Agrippa, and Julius was more than willing to accommodate Paul and his Christian friends whenever possible.

What happens next reveals how well-known Paul had become even in Rome:

Act 28:15  And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.

Appii forum is, according to Gill’s Commentary, 51 miles south of Rome and The three taverns is 33 miles south of Rome.

The gospel had first come to Rome via the pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost:

Act 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Act 2:2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Act 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Act 2:5  And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Act 2:6  Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
Act 2:7  And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
Act 2:8  And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Act 2:9  Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Act 2:10  Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

About three years earlier, near the end of his third missionary journey, Paul had written his most profound epistle to these Romans, expounding on the reformation of Jesus and what that entailed. These Roman Christians were coming out to meet the author of that incredible epistle and the man who had once persecuted Christians before being blinded by Christ on the road to Damascus. It was common to travel a long distance to meet an emperor, or a high government official, and escort him back into the city. Paul was being given an emperor’s welcome by the church at Rome, and it had the affect of causing him to “thank God and take courage.”

Paul’s special treatment continued while being kept as a prisoner in Rome:

Act 28:16  And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.

The Roman government saw fit to let Paul rent his own home, and they provided a personal security guard for the apostle Paul. Why the Roman system did this is not explained, but anyone who knows that God is working all things after the counsel of his own will knows that it was all, in the final analysis, a work of the Lord for His own purposes:

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

The Roman Governor, Festus, had asked King Agrippa to help him formulate a letter to Augustus concerning why Paul was being sent to Rome:

Act 25:24  And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men which are here present with us, ye see this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerusalem, and also here, crying that he ought not to live any longer.
Act 25:25  But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself hath appealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him.
Act 25:26  Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, I might have somewhat to write.
Act 25:27  For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him.

Paul’s testimony before the king of his zeal for the traditions of his fathers, and his subsequent conversion to becoming a servant of Christ, was so persuasive that Agrippa confessed to almost becoming a Christian convert:

Act 26:26  For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things [Christ’s ministry, death and resurrection, and Paul’s efforts to extinguish Christ’s followers before becoming a convert to Christ] are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.
Act 26:27  King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.
Act 26:28  Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

King Agrippa was not much help in finding a reason to send Paul to Augustus as he told the governor, Festus:

Act 26:30  And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them:
Act 26:31  And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds.
Act 26:32  Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.

It is not adding to the scriptures at all to say that Festus realized that if Paul had not appealed to Caesar, he “might have been set a liberty”, therefore it logically follows that any letter to Augustus sent from Festus by Julius the centurion would not have condemned Paul. That helps to explain why Paul was never treated as a common criminal because everyone knew he was innocent and undeserving of being treated as a criminal.

Now Paul is ready to be a witness of the gospel of Christ in Rome, first to the Jews, but also to anyone who wants to come and hear what he has to say. As he had said in the beginning of his epistle to the Romans, which was penned over three years before his arrival in Rome:

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Rom 2:10  But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

Judaism was the established church of Paul’s day. The application today is ‘to the established Christian first and also to the rest of mankind.’ Paul wasted no time taking the gospel to the Jew first. We are not given the particulars of how he did it, but considering the favor he was being shown by the Roman authorities it is obvious that he had no problem calling “the chief of the Jews together” and first assuring them that he was not teaching the Jews among the Gentiles to forsake Moses. Nevertheless, the Jews in Jerusalem had falsely accused him of doing just that, and they had also falsely accused him of defiling the temple by taking a Gentile into it.

Act 28:17  And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
Act 28:18  Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me.
Act 28:19  But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of.
Act 28:20  For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.

It was indeed “for the hope of Israel” and for the hope of all men that Paul was “bound with this chain”, but he had never taught the Jews to forsake Moses.

Paul had agreed with the consensus of the elders which stipulated that the Jews must continue to keep the customs of Moses while the Gentiles need to do “no such thing.” Paul and Silas had shared with all the churches these “decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.”

Act 15:28  For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
Act 15:29  That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
Act 15:30  So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:
Act 15:31  Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.

Act 16:4  And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.
Act 16:5  And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.

Years later James repeats the words of that epistle to the Gentiles in:

Act 21:17  And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
Act 21:18  And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.
Act 21:19  And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
Act 21:20  And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
Act 21:21  And they are [falsely] informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
Act 21:22  What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.
Act 21:23  Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
Act 21:24  Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
Act 21:25  As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.
Act 21:26  Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.

Paul had no compunctions about doing what was requested of him by James because that was what he had been doing all along. When he went to the temple of purify himself with the four men who had a vow, the Jews of Asia who had been persecuting him there in Asia continued their false accusations here in Jerusalem:

Act 21:27  And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,
Act 21:28  Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.
Act 21:29  (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)

How much of this Paul shared with “the chief men of the Jews” in Rome is not known. We do know that when he told them…

Act 28:17  And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.

…he was telling the Truth.

The holy spirit had kept any words against Paul from getting to the chief men of the Jews at Rome and they had to confess that they had heard nothing at all against Paul personally, but they did tell Paul that the message of the gospel was spoken against by the Jews “everywhere”:

Act 28:21  And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee.
Act 28:22  But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against.
Act 28:23  And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.

The holy spirit has now made good on the promise twice made to Paul, first in Jerusalem right after witnessing to the Sanhedrin…

Act 23:10  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.
Act 23:11  And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

…Also, at sea when all hope of being saved was taken away in the midst of a two weeklong storm that hid the sun by day and the stars by night:

Act 27:20  And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
Act 27:21  But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.
Act 27:22  And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.
Act 27:23  For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
Act 27:24  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

We will not read of Paul being brought before Caesar, but we do read of Paul’s witness in Rome to “the chief men of the Jews”, and as always his message is rejected by most of the Jews, but there was always a remnant who believed.

Act 28:24  And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.

Paul quoted the same verses Christ quoted when His words were rejected by all but a remnant of the Jews. It is the same words we witness to the leaders of apostate Christianity until this very day:

Act 28:25  And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,
Act 28:26  Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
Act 28:27  For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Compare these words to Christ’s words of Matthew 13:

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you [the remnant] to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them [signifying the masses of Christianity] it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Act 28:28  Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.

Then they, too, will apostatize and become “the multitudes” to whom “it is not given… to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven”.

“The last days [and] the ends of the world [ages]” have been with us since the death and resurrection of Christ:

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come [aorist tense].

Act 28:29  And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.
Act 28:30  And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
Act 28:31  Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

Paul had “his own hired house.” It is obvious that the church in Rome was supporting him while he was there in prison. He “received all that came in unto him” as he ministered to the church in Rome. They were the first church to read the epistle to the Romans which He had penned near the end of his third missionary journey three years before he arrived in Rome as a prisoner.

Act 19:21  After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.

Rom 15:24  Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company.

Rom 15:28  When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.

‘When… I… have sealed to them this fruit’ refers to the gift he had gathered from the Gentile churches “for the poor saints at Jerusalem” (Rom 5:16) on his third journey, which dates the timing of the epistle to the Romans to be near the end of that third journey.

If Paul’s experience signifies our experience, and indeed it does, then we need to be aware that our lives in every generation witness for Christ, both within His body and to the leaders of this world. Paul witnessed to the entire Sanhedrin, Lysias, the chief captain in Jerusalem, Felix, and Festus, the governors of Judea, King Agrippa in Casarea, and Julius the centurion who accompanied Paul through all the trials of the entire trip to Rome, and Publius, the chief man of the island of Malta. This is how we will conclude our studies in this book of the Acts of the Apostles:

Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mat 5:15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.