Act 28:25-27 | KingComments | STEP | After the acquaintance meeting, an appointment is made to go deeper into the matter. On that occasion even more people come to Paul in his lodging. He explains to them what the kingdom of God is and declares its importance. This is the sixth time in this book that reference is made to the kingdom. Speaking about and living in the kingdom means speaking about and living under the reign of the Lord Jesus. That kingdom will be established in glory when the Lord Jesus comes to reign on earth. Now that He has been rejected, the kingdom of God is not visible, yet it is there. For it is everywhere where people confess the Lord Jesus as Lord and show that in the power of the Holy Spirit in the practice of every day in their lives ( ). If every believer in his life would realize more of what it is to be a subject in the kingdom, the truth of the church would be better put into practice. Many divisions in the church would then not have taken place. Paul ‘is explaining’, which means making its meaning known, and ‘testifying’, which means that he speaks insistently about the fact that it must also be lived according to it. He does that all day long. There was no one watching the clock. It must have been breathtaking to hear him speak about the Lord Jesus from the law of Moses and from the prophets. He put his whole heart into it because he was so eager to persuade them concerning “Jesus”. If they would acknowledge in Him the Messiah sent from God, they would be saved and that was what he was all about. Here we see that intensive Bible study with explanation is also a possibility to win people for Christ. The reactions are not lacking. As always, the preaching of the Word brings a division among the hearers. Some are persuaded, but others do not believe. They go away discussing after Paul has quoted a serious word of Isaiah ( ). Isaiah spoke this word to the unbelieving people as a whole, and Paul now applies it to the unbelieving Jews he spoke to. The Lord Jesus also used this word for the purpose of the people in His days ( ). The great question whether the people will still come to faith is clearly answered by this quotation. It seems a hard word, but it is fully applicable to them because of their rejection. It is the final and definitive judgment of the hardening observed by Paul. They have closed their hearts so that they cannot absorb the Word of God. They are of “those who shrink back to destruction” ( ). This observation of their hardening leads Paul to the last words we have of him in this book. Those words contain the point we have been led to in this book that because of the rejection of salvation by the Jews, the door of salvation has opened to the nations ( ; ). To them the Word will not go in vain. They will also hear. Although not all nations have accepted the gospel, over the centuries many of the nations have heard and accepted it ( ).

‏ Acts 28:25-27

Second Discussion With the Jews

After the acquaintance meeting, an appointment is made to go deeper into the matter. On that occasion even more people come to Paul in his lodging. He explains to them what the kingdom of God is and declares its importance. This is the sixth time in this book that reference is made to the kingdom. Speaking about and living in the kingdom means speaking about and living under the reign of the Lord Jesus. That kingdom will be established in glory when the Lord Jesus comes to reign on earth.

Now that He has been rejected, the kingdom of God is not visible, yet it is there. For it is everywhere where people confess the Lord Jesus as Lord and show that in the power of the Holy Spirit in the practice of every day in their lives (Rom 14:17). If every believer in his life would realize more of what it is to be a subject in the kingdom, the truth of the church would be better put into practice. Many divisions in the church would then not have taken place.

Paul ‘is explaining’, which means making its meaning known, and ‘testifying’, which means that he speaks insistently about the fact that it must also be lived according to it. He does that all day long. There was no one watching the clock. It must have been breathtaking to hear him speak about the Lord Jesus from the law of Moses and from the prophets. He put his whole heart into it because he was so eager to persuade them concerning “Jesus”. If they would acknowledge in Him the Messiah sent from God, they would be saved and that was what he was all about. Here we see that intensive Bible study with explanation is also a possibility to win people for Christ.

The reactions are not lacking. As always, the preaching of the Word brings a division among the hearers. Some are persuaded, but others do not believe. They go away discussing after Paul has quoted a serious word of Isaiah (Isa 6:9-10). Isaiah spoke this word to the unbelieving people as a whole, and Paul now applies it to the unbelieving Jews he spoke to. The Lord Jesus also used this word for the purpose of the people in His days (Mt 13:14-16).

The great question whether the people will still come to faith is clearly answered by this quotation. It seems a hard word, but it is fully applicable to them because of their rejection. It is the final and definitive judgment of the hardening observed by Paul. They have closed their hearts so that they cannot absorb the Word of God. They are of “those who shrink back to destruction” (Heb 10:39).

This observation of their hardening leads Paul to the last words we have of him in this book. Those words contain the point we have been led to in this book that because of the rejection of salvation by the Jews, the door of salvation has opened to the nations (Acts 13:46 ; Acts 18:6; Rom 11:25-32). To them the Word will not go in vain. They will also hear. Although not all nations have accepted the gospel, over the centuries many of the nations have heard and accepted it (1Tim 3:16).