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The Acts of the Apostles.
#48.
From Jerusalem to Rome (22: 1 - 28: 22).
The section as a whole, and Paul's opening speech (22: 1 - 22).
pp. 1 - 5
With this speech, made by Paul to the assembled throng in the Temple area, we
commence the great section of the Acts which leads from Jerusalem to Rome; to the
rejection of Israel and the suspension of their hope; to the prison ministry of the Apostle
and to the revelation of the Mystery. While, therefore, the whole record of the Acts--
being Scripture, and dealing as it does with the opening years of Christian testimony--
must be of the greatest importance to all believers, this closing portion is of particular
interest to all those who, by grace, realize the change of dispensation with which this
imprisonment of Paul is associated.
Before we examine the Apostle's speech, we must obtain a view of the section as a
whole (Acts 22: - 28:). We discover that it preserves the record of several of Paul's
speeches, not only to the Jews at Jerusalem, as in the opening section, but also to the Jews
at Rome, in the closing section, and in between these two we have recorded the
utterances before the two Roman Governors, Felix and Festus, and also the defence
before King Agrippa.
The structure reveals the organic oneness of this great section. We observe two
recurring items,
(1) A pointed reference to hope (Acts 23: 6; 24: 15; 26: 6, 7; 28: 20).
(2) A testimony to the Apostle's innocence (Acts 23: 29; 25: 11, 25; 26: 31; 28: 18).
Moreover, in every case where the Apostle is permitted to plead he refers not only to
his doctrine but to his manner of life. Before proceeding further we must set out the
structure of this whole section in order that these items may be given their rightful place.