
The end of a chapter in a book may leave you in suspense as the author tries to draw you into what lies ahead. Some have looked at the end of Acts and wondered if the author of the Gospel of Luke, followed by Part 2, the Book of Acts, had a Part 3 in mind. Actually, the end of the last chapter rounds out the book and appropriately concludes it. Acts 28:28 assures you that, although you may live in a world that seems as pagan as the empire in Paul’s day, the kingdom of Jesus Christ prevails.
The gospel results in both rejection and faith. Many of the Jews rejected the gospel Paul preached. Paul had finally arrived at Rome, the capital of the world empire. But he entered the city as a prisoner. While awaiting trial he presented his case to the local Jewish community and proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ. As had been true on his missionary travels, some responded in faith, others rejected the good news. Paul himself is an example of the remnant of Israel who believed. Particularly the early chapters of Acts describe large numbers coming to faith in Christ (2:41: 3,000; 4:4: to grew to 5,000 men; 5:41: more and more; 6:7: the number increased rapidly and a great number of priests believed). But many rejected the Messiah, and that pattern characterized the response to much of Paul’s evangelistic preaching (13:45 Antioch, 14:2 Iconium, 17:5 Thessalonica, 17:13 Berea, 18:6 Corinth, 19:8–10 Ephesus).
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