In other words, Israel has been constantly covered with a veneer of blindness even way back in Isaiah's and Ezekiel's day and before. And here Paul is saying the same thing. "I'm in the same situation. I have tried to get you to see the truth, but you would not." and what was the Truth, Jesus was and is the Truth, which many search for by looking in all the wrong places, directions and in the wrong way. What does scripture tell us about these days? Lets look at what is said about John the Baptizer to find out. We'll find our answer in both Matthew and Luke. First Matthew chapter 11 verses 12 and 13 in particular and then Luke chapter 16 verse 16:
Matthew 11:7-19
“As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John, What went you out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went you out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went you out for to see? A prophet? yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, which shall prepare your way before You. Verily I say to you, Among them that are born of women there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (12-13) And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John (they spoke of the end of days which John ushered in unnoticed by Israel and its Religious leadership). And if you will receive it, this is Elias (meaning: my God is Yehovah, who was a true Israelite), which was for to come. He that has ears to hear, let him hear. But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like to children sitting in the markets, and calling to their fellows, and saying, We have piped for you, and you have not danced; we have mourned for you, and you have not lamented. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He had a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.”
And now Luke 16 and verse 16: 14-17 “The Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. And he said unto them, You are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knows your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. (16) The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presses into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law (in this case love or faith as to the doling out of food) to fail.”
What is here revealed is this; John was the promised and was the expected herald who would usher in the promised New Covenant or kingdom/Church age and was in effect the end of the old. How is this revealed? By this phrase "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached," so he ushered in the New through repentance from unbelief and idolatry in which the hole of the nation of Israel was overwhelmed. It was also because of this that Paul could say, a partial hardening had come upon Israel, because they were already being governed by a familiar spirit of Religion which blinded them and caused their not knowing the time or the season of Christ's first visitation. Not to mention the spiritual aspect of God's language through out the Old Testament. This same spirit caused the nation to be looking for a national military leader who would rise up a worrier mentality to over through the Romans and reestablish the Kingdom of David before their eyes. What they and the religious of this present darkness could not see or understand was this; that God in Christ was activating His promised New Covenant and kingdom/Church age in His son and through His actions and words. Now I used the lower case for "son" because it was in Jesus' flesh as the "son of man" that this was done and which His statement from the cross brought about when He said, "It is finished". But more importantly it was while He was with the disciples in the garden, the garden because it was in the garden that Adam gave away the Glory of God for a bite of the forbidden fruit to fall into death and sins grip and slavery. Making all mankind sinners in their nature or natural state of being, that is to say sons of the devil, Satan. And now for the cup of affliction was welcomed and received by these words "not My will but Your Will O' God be done", paraphrased. It is through this revelation that we are all required to pass in order to enter the kingdom/Church and the Body of Christ and the New Covenant for a seed has to fall into the ground and die before Newness of Life can come from it (John12:24). The doling out of food is the receiving of Christ in the flesh of those who have by trusting as Abraham trusted that faith's activity of Divine Love restored and Faith causes Grace to be operative within those who have entered Salvation. Wherein God is doing all for His glory in the receive being, Christ-one...."Christian".
All right now, verse 28 of Acts 28. And remember where Paul is. He's in Rome in prison. Now he says-
Acts 28:28
"Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it."
He had told them earlier in his ministry that if they're not going to believe it, then we'll go to the Gentiles, so this isn't the first time, but it's the final time (in fact in total in Acts alone the Hebrews had rejected God's offer no less than six times). He told them earlier, "I'm going to go to the Gentles," and of course he always did, but he would still come back and appeal to the Nation of Israel. But now it's final, he's taking the higher road less traveled and taking it as we saw in verse 28.
Acts 28:28
"Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it."
It doesn't say they will all believe it, but rather they will hear it. That was Israel's problem from the get go back there in Exodus where they refused to hear God's voice and harken unto Him only. By so doing they remained in the fog of darkness and the deepest of nights just like the cloud that followed and separated them from the Egyptians as recorded in Exodus 14:18-20. And because they chose to remain in this fog they were given a familiar spirit to believe the lie (Isaiah 29). And now verse 29.
Acts 28:29
"And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves."
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