Paul told them that they would never see him again.

Acts 20:22-31

22 “And now note this: I am going to Jerusalem, because God’s Spirit has clearly shown me that I must go there. I do not know what will happen to me while I am there. 23 But I do know that in each city where I have stopped, the Holy Spirit has ◄told me/caused the believers to tell me► that in Jerusalem people will put me in prison [PRS] and will cause me to suffer [PRS]. 24 But I do not care even if people kill me, if first I am able to finish the work [MET] that the Lord Jesus has told me to do. He appointed me to tell people the good message that God saves us by doing for us what we do not deserve. 25 I have preached to you the message about how God desires to rule people’s lives. But now I know that today is the last time that you fellow believers will see me [SYN]. 26 So I want you all to understand that if anyone who has heard me preach dies without trusting in Jesus, it is not my fault [MTY], 27 because I told you [LIT] everything [HYP] that God has planned for us (inc). 28 You leaders must continue to believe and obey God’s message. You must also help all the other believers [MET] for whom the Holy Spirit has caused you to be responsible [MTY]. Watch over [MET] yourselves and the other believers as a shepherd watches over his sheep. God bought them with the blood that flowed from his Son’s body on the cross. 29 I know very well that after I leave, people who teach [MET] false doctrines will come among you and will do great harm to the believers. They will be like fierce wolves that kill sheep. 30 Even in your own group of believers there will be some who will deceive other believers by teaching them messages that are false. They will teach those messages so that some people will believe them and will become their followers. 31 So watch out that none of you stops believing the true message about our Lord Jesus. Remember that day and night for about three years I repeatedly taught you that message, and warned you with tears in my eyes not to believe any other message.”