The first account I wrote, Theophilus, was about all that Jesus began to do
and to teach
until the day that he was taken up into heaven, after he had
given commands through holy spirit
to the Apostles he had chosen. 3 To them also he showed himself to be alive, after he suffered, by many convincing proofs. Over a period of forty days he was seen by them, and he spoke to them about the Kingdom of God.
[750] 4 While he was meeting with them he commanded, “Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for what the Father promised,
which you heard about from me. 5 For John baptized in water, but you will be baptized in holy spirit in a few days.”
6 And so when they had come together they were asking him, “lord, is this the time when you are going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?”
[751] 7 He replied, “It is not for you to know times or periods which the Father has set by His own authority. 8 But you will receive power when holy spirit has come
upon you. You will then be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the farthest regions of the earth.” 9 When he had said these things, as they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud caused him to disappear from their sight.
10 While they were looking intently
into the sky as he went up, suddenly two men in white clothes stood next to
them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing gazing into the sky? This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will come back in just the same way as you saw him going into heaven.”
[752] 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain known as Olives
which is near Jerusalem, a distance of a Sabbath day’s journey. 13 When they had
come into the city, they went up to the upstairs room where they were
staying: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew,
Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of
James.
14 All these were devoting themselves to prayer continually with one
mind, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. 15 It was in those days that Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples
(there were about 120 believers gathered)
16 and said, “Brothers, it
was necessary that this scripture be fulfilled which the holy spirit prophesied
through David, about Judas, who guided those who arrested Jesus.
17 For he was one of us and had a part in this ministry.” 18 (Now this man Judas bought a field with the money which he took for his wickedness, and falling headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines gushed out.
19 This fact became known to everyone living in Jerusalem, so that
in their language that field was called ‘Hakeldama,’ that is, ‘Field of blood.’) 20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his house become empty; may no one live in it’ and ‘Let someone else take his office.’ 21 “So then, of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the lord Jesus was with us[753] — 22 beginning from his baptism by John to the day when he was taken up from us — of these men one must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
23 So they put forward two: Joseph called
Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24 They prayed, “You, Lord,[754] who know the hearts of everyone, show us which one of these two You have chosen 25 to take part in this ministry and hold the office of Apostle from which Judas fell away to go to his own place.”
26 They drew lots
for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was added to the eleven
Apostles.
Commentary
Acts
[749]
In the NT the holy spirit is the operational presence and power of God or Jesus Messiah,
expressed in different ways and activities. In 1 John 2:1 the paraclete is identified as Jesus the mediator.
Jesus said that he would be going away and in the same breath promised that he would come to them,
in his invisible spirit-presence (Jn. 14:16-18). Hence it can be said “the lord [Jesus] is the spirit” (2 Cor.
3:17). There is no third Person. The Spirit is never worshipped or prayed to, and never sends greetings.
[750]
The first Kingdom text in Acts. The Kingdom of God is the core of his teaching and the label
given to his saving Gospel. His whole purpose, as ours today also must be, was to announce the Gospel
of the Kingdom. Acts 8:12 provides a brilliant summary of the faith needed to be believed before water
baptism into the church. See also Acts 19:8; 20:24-25; 28:23, 31. For Kingdom see always Dan. 2:44;
7:18, 22, 27; Lk. 4:43; 19:11ff; Rev. 15:15-18. The Gospel begins with the preaching of John the
Baptist, who introduced Jesus (Lk. 16:16; Jn. 1:17). Heb. 2:3 shows how the New Covenant had its
beginning with the teaching of Jesus.
[751]
The second Kingdom text in Acts. The Gospel about the Kingdom includes not only the
promise of world peace and international disarmament but also the important promise of a restored
remnant of Israel (along with Egypt and Assyria, then converted, Isa. 19:23-25) being in that future
Kingdom. The international church will be immortalized and supervise this new world with Jesus (1
Cor. 6:2; Rev. 5:10). The restoration of the Kingdom is a simple, political hope and is so recognized in
the OT when in 2 Chron. 11:1 the Kingdom was to be restored. The meaning is clear, and so also here
where Jesus is the great expected King of Israel (Mt. 19:28). The restoration is political and very
spiritual since Jesus will be ruling in Jerusalem. The fundamental error in much Bible reading is to
think that spiritual things belong only to the invisible. But Christians are going to have a “spiritual
body” (1 Cor. 15:44). Jesus had a spiritual body, too, but he was still visible and palpable and he ate
food! (Lk. 24). At present much scholarship and commentary simply contradicts Jesus’ definition of the
Kingdom as the restoration of the Davidic throne in Jerusalem (Acts 3:21; Lk. 22:28-30, etc.). Dr.
Geoffrey Lampe is at his most misleading when he asserts that Jesus taught in Acts 1:6 a
“reinterpretation of the Kingdom.” “The disciples learned,” Lampe maintains quite wrongly, “that the Gospel was not to include the restoration of the Davidic kingdom in Israel, but that the Messiah’s reign
was to be established through the witness which they themselves would bear to him from Jerusalem to
the ends of the earth” (God as Spirit, 1976, p. 9). The plain fact is that the disciples’ question, after
extensive instruction from Jesus on the Kingdom, was the right one, and indeed looked forward to a
future political empire in Israel. That fact was not doubted by Jesus. The time when it would come was
not to be known. Unbelieving commentary is a tragic repetition of Calvin’s regrettable comment on
Acts 1:6: “there are as many errors in the disciples’ question as words”! See my article “Acts 1:6 and
the Eclipse of the Biblical Kingdom,” Evangelical Quarterly 66:3 (1994) at focusonthekingdom.org
[752]
Certainly and positively not a pre-tribulation rapture/resurrection! There will be one single
visible return of Jesus and it will happen after the Great Tribulation and the heavenly signs. Matt. 24:29
settles all argument.
[753]
The necessary qualification for an Apostle at the level of the 12 is that he must have personally
seen Jesus. Paul qualified for the office of Apostle in the same way.
[754]
The prayer may be directed to the Lord God or the lord Messiah. Most prayer in the NT goes to
the Father through the Son, but prayer to the Son is approved by John 14:14 and 1 Cor. 1:2. Paul thanks
Jesus (1 Tim. 1:12).
Acts