He ends up in Rome under house arrest — he preaches in Rome and has some success, although some Jews are not convinced. And then we read:. Acts He lived there two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
And … What happened next??? Was Paul released? Was he brought to trial before the emperor, convicted and martyred??? We are not told!! What a strange way to end. Why on earth does Luke end this way? Perhaps he finished writing Acts while Paul was still in prison — that would be about 62 CE - and so this was as far as the story had got?
This is unlikely — since Luke almost certainly wrote after 70 because he used Mark, and Mark was written around Well, what is Acts about? The life of Paul? What is it about? Rather it is the development, the working out of Acts The Spirit is mentioned 59 times in Acts.
And the book of Acts is about being witnesses - witnesses to Jesus you will be my witnesses — think of Stephen, and Peter, and Paul.
And it is about being witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria.. So Luke tells this story — Jerusalem first, then they go to Samaria and then the Gospel expands. Does it reach the ends of the earth? Where are the ends of the earth? From a Greco-Roman perspective, Rome was the Centre of the earth. Rome was the centre. But for either Jews or Romans or Greeks, the world extends far beyond Rome!
To the rest of Europe, to Spain and onwards to Britannia. The earth is seen as a flat disc — with sides. The ends of the earth is the ends of the earth!! The ends of the earth is the whole of the inhabited world — the ultimate limits of civilisation! The story is not complete! Witness is to be to the ends of the earth — this is a target beyond Rome, which is not reached in Acts. So where are the ends of the earth?? The early church epistle of 1 Clement, which appears to have been written around the 70s AD possibly around ten years after Acts was completed, and therefore close in time to Paul , says the following about him:.
Clement seems to be claiming that Paul achieved his goal in going to Spain "the extremity of the West" [Romans This would seem consistent with Paul's desires within Scripture, that the Holy Spirit enabled him to achieve each missionary goal he set out to do. In fact, the early Church quite widely appeared to believe that Paul went to Spain.
Muratorian Fragment: " Chrysostom, Second Timothy, Homily "For after he had been in Rome, he returned to Spain, but whether he came thence again into these parts, we know not. Cyril of Jerusalem, Jerusalem Catecheses, Lecture So while none of us can be certain, Paul was possibly released at Rome just after the events which Acts 28 mentions being released seemed the most likely outcome anyway , and possibly did indeed later travel to "the extremity of the West. Against this, Acts 28 does state that he was in Rome for two years and this would seem to eat up a lot of the time he had available.
We know he was martyred at Rome circa AD Much Christian tradition has Paul being beheaded in Rome around the mid 60s A. Several Bible dictionaries and some commentaries can give us details on the traditions surrounding Paul's death.
The Great Persecution administered by the emperor Nero who would shortly die himself , was raised against the Christians about A. Looking at the dating of Acts, it might appear that Paul had another months during which he could indeed have travelled to Spain and possibly even beyond , assuming he was released when first sent to Rome.
But we must remember that Acts states that Paul was in Rome for a full two years - would there have been sufficient time for him to have travelled so widely after being released? One must say that it is somewhat debatable! We should not appeal to Acts to find our doctrine, or a pattern for us to follow, lest we wind up in confusion! Galatians 2. The primary reason for the Book of Acts is to show how God was just, fair, in setting Israel aside for a time.
Saul of Tarsus led the rebellion! With Saul, the Apostle Paul, a new Gospel would be offered to man. There can only be one dispensation in effect at a time. Many heresies and hang-ups have sprung forth from Acts because it is not handled dispensationally. Acts is not our pattern; chapter 2 is not the beginning of the Body of Christ as commonly taught.
It was designed to show us how God spoke to unbelieving Israel—first through the 12 Apostles, and then through the Apostle Paul. The doctrinal details of Pauline theology are found in Romans through Philemon! Acts does not end abruptly. Israel is not only fallen , but now diminished entirely.
Read the last 15 verses of Acts 28 very slowly, and you will see the Book end right on schedule. Remember, Paul is in Rome, the world capital at the time. Isaiah , Matthew As you read through the various Articles and Study Series I've posted in this website, you will note that the topic of my writing always concerns Christ and our living relationship with Him. I thought some may want to know who I am and my point of view.
Every Christian is the product of their life experiences and God's intervention in their lives. I'm just like you if you too are a believer who has received the regenerating "Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Christ literally indwells our spirit cf. See more. The IDF carried out airstrikes against targets belonging to the Syrian military in southern Syria on Monday night, in response to an attempted terrorist attack that was thwarted along the Syrian border the night before.
The targets hit in the strikes included lookout points, intelligence gathering mechanisms, anti-aircraft weapons and means of control and command at Syrian military bases.
The Bibvle says in the last days Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins. Isaiah What is the purpose of the Book of Acts? Then, after Acts , God warns Israel no further.
Questions or Comment? You can make comments or ask questions using this form. I welcome your questions and comments for discussion but … I will not engage in arguments with anyone. We can always agree to disagree. Best of ArtLicursi. God's Turn from Israel to the Gentiles.
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By Arthur J Licursi The short answer to the titled question is this. A Jew today can be saved in exactly the very same way a Gentile can be Cleansed of ALL Unrighteousness. By Arthur J Licursi 13 And you, Does God cause or does He simply permit the events and happenings that come to us in our lives? In answer to these questions, we must consider that Few people know all that Father God does the very instant a sinner believes on the Lord Jesus Christ.
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