At the end of the book of Acts, Paul finally arrived in Rome where he was placed under house arrest. Just three days after his arrival, Paul called the leading men of the Jews and told them of his arrest because of Jews in Jerusalem, but mainly to tell them that he was wearing his chains (of imprisonment) for the sake of the hope of Israel (Acts 28:20). We know from our recent study of Zechariah that the hope of Israel is the coming of their Messiah! And verses 23-29 are also tied to Zechariah’s prophecy. For example:
And when they had set a day for him (Paul), they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God, and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening (Acts 28:23).
What was Paul trying to persuade these Jews concerning Jesus from the Old Testament? That Jesus is the Messiah, the hope of Israel, who is the King who will come to establish His kingdom promised to Abraham, David, and through the Prophets – what we know as His millennial kingdom – and then reign forever in God’s heavenly kingdom. However, in verses 26 and 27, Paul uses the words of Isaiah to describe what we also learn in Zechariah: that most of Israel was still a Christ-rejecting nation. Acts concludes:
And he (Paul) stayed two full years in his own rented quarters, and was welcoming all who came to him,
Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered (Acts 28:30-31).
It’s a repetition of the two themes of the kingdom of God and the Lord Jesus Christ from verse 23; but even more, a perfect bookend to the opening of Acts, where it said Jesus presented Himself to His apostles after his resurrection: speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God (1:3). In fact, it was the very topic the apostles wanted to ask their Lord about before He departed. Verse 6 says:
And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?
Jesus did not deny that He is the Lord who one day will restore the kingdom to Israel. Instead, His exhortation for His men was to not to be concerned with the timing of that event – that is the responsibility of God the Father alone. Instead, their responsibility was to wait for what the Father did promise; namely, His Holy Spirit would come upon them to be powerful witnesses of the Lord Jesus (vv. 4-5, 8). That is His same exhortation to us!