1. Paul Arrives in Rome, at last!
Acts 28

2. “Once we were safe on shore,
Acts 28:1-6 
“Once we were safe on shore,
we learned that we were on the island of Malta. The people of the island were very kind to us.
It was cold and rainy,
so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us.
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3. "However, we must run aground on a certain island."
Acts 27:25-26
"Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.
"However, we must run aground on a certain island."
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4. “Malta, also called Melita (meaning refuge, which it proved to be for Paul and his companions), lies about 60 miles south of the island of Sicily. It is about 18 miles long and 8 miles wide.
It is also about 500 miles west of Crete. People of Phoenician origin inhabited it in Paul’s day. Luke called them “barbarians” meaning people whose culture was not Greek.”
Tom Constable
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6. “As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake,
driven out by the heat,
bit him on the hand.
The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.”
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7. But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed.
The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead.
But when they had waited a long time and saw that
he wasn’t harmed,
they changed their minds and decided he was a god.”
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8. “Paul didn’t let it bother him. He didn’t scream, “Why God?
I can’t take any more of this!” or
“Can’t You see I’m serving You?” Paul didn’t look at those sitting by the fire and say, “You lazy people!
If you gathered wood instead of me, this wouldn’t have happened to me!”
David Guzik
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9. He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days.
Acts 28:7-9 
“Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island.
He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days.
As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery.
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10. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him,
he healed him.
Then all the other sick people
on the island came
and were healed.”
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11. Acts 28:10-11 
“As a result we were showered with honors, and when the time came to sail, people supplied us with everything we would
need for the trip.
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12. It was three months after the shipwreck that we set sail on another ship that had wintered at the island—an Alexandrian ship with the twin gods as its figurehead.”
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13. 2. At Syracuse they stop for 3 days.
On Malta, Paul recovers from a snake bite and heals other sick people. They stay 3 months, until the bad weather has passed.
2. At Syracuse they stop for 3 days.
3. They reach Puteoli, one of the great ports of the empire. Paul and friends stay with the local believers for a week.
4. They now set out on the 100 mile journey to Rome. Paul is worried and apprehensive, but is encouraged when believers from Rome come out to welcome him.
5. Paul is kept under house arrest in Rome, awaiting his trial.
For 2 years he rents a house and has considerable freedom to preach.
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14. a south wind began blowing,
Acts 28:12-14 “Our first stop was Syracuse, where we stayed three days. From there we sailed across to Rhegium. A day later
a south wind began blowing,
so the following day we sailed up the coast to Puteoli.
 There we found some believers, who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome.”

15. “Archimedes, the famous mathematician, had lived at Syracuse.
When the Romans
conquered the island,
a solider put a dagger to his throat as he worked on a math problem, drawing in the dirt. Archimedes said, “Stop, you’re disturbing up my equation!”
and the solider killed him.”
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16. Acts 28:15
“The brothers and sisters in Rome had heard we were coming, and they came to meet us at the
Forum on the Appian Way.
Others joined us at
The Three Taverns.
When Paul saw them,
he was encouraged and
thanked God.”

17. “One could say that they treated Paul as if he were a king.
‘It was a custom when an emperor visited a city
for the people to go out and
meet him and
escort him back into the city.’”
Horton
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18. “When we arrived in Rome,
Acts 28:16-20 
“When we arrived in Rome,
Paul was permitted to have his own private lodging, though he was guarded by a soldier.
Three days after Paul’s arrival,
he called together the local Jewish leaders.
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19. written from this Roman custody,
“In Philippians 1:13,
written from this Roman custody,
Paul told of how his message reached the palace guards of Rome.
Though he was the prisoner,
he had a genuinely captive audience.”
Guzik

20. even though I had done nothing against our people or
He said to them,
“Brothers, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Roman government,
even though I had done nothing against our people or
the customs of our ancestors.
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21. But when the Jewish leaders protested the decision,
The Romans tried me and wanted to release me, because they found no cause for the death sentence.
But when the Jewish leaders protested the decision,
I felt it necessary to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no desire to press charges against
my own people.”
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22. “I asked you to come here today so we could get acquainted and
so I could explain to you that I am bound with this chain because
I believe that
the hope of Israel—
the Messiah—
has already come.”
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23. anyone who has come here.
Acts 28:21-22
“They replied, ‘We have had no letters from Judea or reports against you from
anyone who has come here.
But we want to hear
what you believe,
for the only thing we know about this movement is that it is denounced everywhere.”
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24. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets,
Acts 28:23-24 
“So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures.
Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets,
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25. morning until evening.’ Some were persuaded by the things he said,
…he spoke to them from
morning until evening.’
Some were persuaded
by the things he said,
but others did not believe.”
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26. “And after they had argued back and forth among themselves,
they left with this final word from Paul: “The Holy Spirit was right when He said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet,
‘Go and say to this people:
When you hear what I say,
you will not understand.
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27. you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened,
When you see what I do,
you will not comprehend.
For the hearts of these people
are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
so their eyes cannot see,
and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to Me and
let Me heal them.’
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28. and they will accept it.”
“So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles,
and they will accept it.”
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29. He welcomed all who visited him, boldly proclaiming the
“For the next two years,
Paul lived in Rome
at his own expense.
He welcomed all who visited him,
boldly proclaiming the
Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ.
And no one tried to stop him.”