The historical book of the Acts of the apostles (or, more accurately, of the Holy Spirit) begins with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and ends with the imprisonment in Rome of the Apostle sent to the Gentiles. This Apostle brought the Gentiles the gospel of the grace of God — a gospel that was rejected among the Jews in Rome as well as by those in Judea.
In this marvelous book, we are told of the foundation of the church — the Christian assembly — in the world and the transition from Judaism to Christianity that slowly took place.
The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen: To whom also He showed himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. ({vi 26925-26927}Acts 1:1-3)
“Luke, the beloved physician” (Col. 4:14), wrote his first treatise (which is called the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke) to the most excellent Theophilus, and, years later, he was inspired again by the Holy Spirit to write the second. Theophilus (which means “lover of God”) saved the documents, and they were later incorporated into the New Testament by the will and sovereign providence of God. We will never be able to sufficiently bless our God and Father for having given us the Holy Scriptures that present to us Christ, His beloved Son, and at the same time show us the divine road of a pilgrim in this evil world — a road walked by Jesus Himself.
“He shewed himself alive ... by many infallible proofs.” The resurrection of Jesus is a great work. There were many witnesses: Cephas (Simon Peter), the rest of the apostles, more than five hundred brethren together, James, and Paul. (See {vi 28724-28727}1 Corinthians 15:5-8, where the women are not mentioned). And with two exceptions, all of the 27 inspired books of the New Testament speak either of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus or of the fact that He lives.
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard from Me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. ({vi 26928-26929}Acts 1:4-5)
“The promise of the Father” refers to what we see written in {vi 26685-26686}John 14:16-17: “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you and shall be in you.” And in verse 26, “But the Comforter; which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
John baptized the Jews that repented: “Confessing their sins” (Matt. 3:6) “with the baptism of repentance” — a baptism made with water (Acts 19:4). But the baptism with water did not impart anything divine into their being. It was an outward manifestation of a change in conviction. But, according to the promise of the Father, He was going to impart the Holy Spirit to the believers through the Lord Jesus. This Holy Spirit would stay with them forever — producing an internal and permanent result in their inmost being — and give them spiritual power to testify of Christ: “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me” (John 15:26).
When they therefore were come together, they asked Him, saying, Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And He said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. ({vi 26930-26932}Acts 1:6-8)
The Jewish disciples could not yet imagine anything other than the nation of Israel being restored to its independence as the head of the other nations under the scepter of Christ. But, obviously, they did not know what God was about to do. He would impart the Holy Spirit to the believers and send them out with the pardoning Gospel of the grace of God. They would go, not only to the Jews, but also to the Samaritans and even to the Gentiles. This was something that would have been inconceivable for a Jew!
It should be noted that the Lord commanded them to start with the guiltiest, those in Jerusalem — where He had been crucified! “But where sin abounded, Grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20). He also sent them to preach the Gospel to “the ends of the earth.” This Gospel has reached even to us — lost Gentile sinners.
“Oh! Even to man in his ruin the news proclaim,
wherever the sinner is found — in his pain;
Christians, proclaim that, the Father,
in His goodness Sent the Savior.”
And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven. ({vi 26933-26935}Acts 1:9-11)
Not only were there many witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus, but there were also many witnesses of His ascension. He ascended on a cloud; He will return in the same way: “One like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven” (Dan. 7:13), and “Behold, He cometh with clouds” (Rev. 1:7). The two angels who appeared in the form of men told the disciples that “this same Jesus” would come back the same way He had left. Notice that this is talking about when He comes back to the earth to reign — not about the rapture of the church, which did not yet exist. The revelation of the Church’s rapture was not given until the Lord inspired Paul to write to the Thessalonians about the way in which the Lord Jesus would come to reclaim His beloved church:
For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. ({vi 29620-29621}1 Thess. 4:16-17)
The Lord is not going to walk on the earth, but rather is going to raise us up to the clouds to meet Him in the air. Nor are we going to enter into the earthly Jerusalem, but rather into the heavenly Father’s house. It is very important to distinguish between the return of the Son of Man to the earth to reign among His earthly people, and His coming only to the atmospheric heaven to take to Himself His church — the entire body of the congregation of the redeemed, both dead and alive — and bring them to the Father’s house in heaven.
Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day’s journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. ({vi 26936-26938}Acts 1:12-14)
Obeying the Lord’s commandment, the disciples stayed in Jerusalem and continued in prayer and supplication. Here, the name “Mary, the mother of Jesus” is mentioned for the last time in the Bible. Mary disappeared before the church existed. Not one single time is her name mentioned in the fourteen Christian epistles of Paul (including Hebrews), Revelation and the three epistles of John, the two epistles of Peter, or those of Judas and James. Why? Because the Christian doctrine is not about a child in His mother’s arms, nor is it about a young man submissive to His earthly parents. It is not even about a man living on the earth. Rather, it is about the Son of God who died for our sins, was resurrected for our justification, ascended to the right hand of God the Father, and was extolled and glorified in the highest heavenly place. “Christ is all” (Col. 3:11). Before Him, everyone else disappears: Abraham, Moses, Aaron, the prophets, David, Solomon, and even Mary. They all disappear. “Lifting their eyes to Him, they saw no one, save Jesus only” (Matthew 17:8).
“Look to the Lamb, there crowned in light!
Who is more worthy of honor than Jesus?
It is given to Christ — all power,
Already enthroned in His high majesty.
The throne — He fills it — the celestial throne.
It extols Him — the “Just” — from eternal glory.
The Object of the Father, of love ineffable,
Eternal Theme of the saints in glory.”
“And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of the names together were about an hundred and twenty,) Men and brethren, it was necessary that this scripture be fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost prophesied by the mouth of David concerning Judas — who led the men that captured Jesus. For he was considered one of us, and was a part of this ministry.
Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of Blood.
For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that He was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of His resurrection. And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, that he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles” ({vi 26939-26950}Acts 1:15-26).
The disciples had not received the Holy Spirit yet, but the Lord, in resurrection, had opened “their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures” (Luke 24:45).
Therefore, they could understand the meaning of Psalm 69:25 and 109:8. Judas went to his place, Perdition, and there needed to be twelve apostles (compare Matt. 19:28). They would choose two eligible men out of those that had been with the apostles from the beginning of the ministry of the Lord Jesus. Later, they prayed to the Lord to choose which one would please Him in place of Judas. And they cast lots, according to the scripture that was written for the Israelites: “The lot is cast in the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord” (Prov. 16:33). Matthias was chosen. This is the last time that lots were cast to determine anything. Why? Because when the Holy Spirit was given to the believers, they then possessed the spiritual capacity to discern the Lord’s will — not only according to what was written in the Old Testament, but also by the revelations and writings of the New Testament. For example, in the letter written from Jerusalem to the “Brethren of the Gentiles,” we read the following: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us . . . .” ({vi 27466;27471}Acts 15:23, 28).
How great and blessed the difference between the position of the Christian and any of the believers in times past — whether Abraham, David, or John the Baptist! They did not have the Holy Spirit; but the Christian — from the moment he believes that the blood of Jesus Christ was poured out for the remission of his sin — receives the Holy Spirit of God. (See {vi 29220-29221}Ephesians 1:13-14, etc.) Things that kings and righteous men of old were unable to understand, the Christian does understand, “for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:10). Neither could the saints of old say, “Abba, Father,” but the Christian can enjoy the same paternal relationship as Jesus Himself. He cried, “Abba, Father” (Mar. 14:36); and to us it is written, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). “And because ye are sons, God hath set forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:6).