What did Paul write about the whole then-known world hearing the plan of salvation?
Paul wrote by inspiration that the whole then-known world—primarily the Roman Empire—had heard the plan of salvation. He could say this because during his Roman house arrest, soldiers guarding him heard the gospel and then carried it as they rotated throughout the empire.
Les explains that Paul wrote by inspiration that the whole then-known world, which was primarily the Roman Empire, had heard the plan of salvation. Although Paul's ministry lasted only about thirty years—converted around 37 and put to death in 67—the gospel still spread widely. Les points to Paul's house arrest in Rome, where Roman soldiers guarded him twenty-four hours a day. The Roman army rotated soldiers in places of duty, so during those two or three years many guards had duty watching Paul. As they rotated out, they went to the far reaches of the empire; in one place Paul said they even got into Caesar's palace. Les believes anyone who spent time in Paul's house left a believer, and through Paul ministering to his guards, who then went into service throughout the empire, the whole then-known world had heard the plan of salvation.