Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire, the most powerful city in the world in the first century after Christ. From there the emperor governed a territory that stretched from Britain to North Africa.
Even before visiting the city, Paul had already written to the believers who lived there, a church he had not founded. He longed to meet them in person.
Years later, as a prisoner, Paul finally arrived in Rome, after appealing to Caesar as a Roman citizen. There he lived two full years in a rented house, preaching the kingdom of God without hindrance.
The letter he had written before arriving, known today as Romans, remains one of the most important texts in the Bible on grace and salvation by faith.
Later, imprisoned again, he was sought out and found in Rome by his friend Onesiphorus, not long before the end of his life.
The history of Rome in the Bible shows that no center of power is too great or too closed for the gospel to penetrate, even under guard and in chains.
