Trials before kings and governors, two years in a Caesarean prison, sailing the Mediterranean Sea as a Roman prisoner, a shipwreck on Malta, and a potentially deadly viper bite had plagued Paul before he finally arrived in Rome. These weren’t the conditions he had envisioned back in Corinth when he wrote to the Romans saying, “Whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you” (Romans 15:24). Even as he arrived in the city he was under Roman guard as a prisoner. But, just like so many times before, his circumstances didn’t keep him from spreading the gospel.

“In the beginning—” is the very first phrase recorded in the Bible, but how often do we take time to consider the importance of the account it begins? It is difficult to imagine, but there was a point in time where time itself began. There was and is also existence outside of time: God just is, and He created all that has been and all that will ever be. It is also difficult to picture the earth formless and empty. Not only did God create the material we see, but more than that, He created the very concept of physical existence.