Acts stops, but does not conclude.

Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him. Acts 28:30-31

We come to the end of the Book of Acts. We’ve been at it for nearly three years. The first post in Acts was on May 26, 2020.

The last verses in Acts are the last details recorded by Paul’s dear friend and traveling companion, Luke. What is of particular interest is why Luke stopped where he did. There are several theories.

Realizing that Acts stops, but does not conclude, someone wrote “The Last Chapter of Acts.” The text tells of Paul’s travels to Spain and the British Isles. The authorship, date, and therefore authenticity of this alleged 29th chapter of Acts is unknown, and it is therefore not worth wasting the three minutes it takes to read it.

Some theorize the rest of Acts was somehow lost. Unlikely.

Some have theorized that Luke (who actually wrote Acts as Volume Two of the Gospel of Luke) died. Possible, but had Luke died leaving Acts unfinished, we might expect that Church history and tradition would say something about it. Yet they are silent.

That leaves me with the theory I think is best. What the Holy Spirit wanted recorded and included in scripture was recorded and included in scripture. Nothing more and nothing less.

God does not tell us all we might like to know (about a lot of things!). But we must rest in the Lord, trusting that He has told us all He wants us to know—for now. And if He wants us to know more when we get to Heaven, He’ll tell us. But if He doesn’t, it won’t matter!