Acts 1:1-26

What is the theme of this chapter?

Our Lord's commissioning of the 12 apostles.

What is the key verse(s) of this chapter? Verses 7-8

He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

What can I apply to my life from this chapter (things to do/avoid)?

This is something I can definitely apply to my own life:  "These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer..." 

Additional observations/questions:

The Book of Acts presents many problems, especially since much of it is transitional. But these problems are greatly multiplied by the theory that this book is the record of the birth and growth of the Church today. I can't help but think that one of the main reasons for Pentecostalism's tremendous growth these last hundred years is due to this kind of thinking. In fact, Acts has so often been called the account of the "birth and growth of the Church" that the statement has come to be accepted almost without question.  But "the Church which is His body" doesn't even enter into the first large portion of the book, and while it does have an important place in the latter half of the book, it isn't even designated by its distinctive name there. It's only in Paul's epistles that we learn that the Body had indeed begun during the latter part of the Acts period. 

I sincerely believe that if we go through this book, verse by verse, honestly — without spiritualizing away the hard bits and without reading what Paul says in his epistles back into its early chapters (it says what it says!) — the whole of the NT will become so much more clearer, so much more understandable.  Truly, it will alleviate much of the confusion in the Church today.

See also: http://tis-justme.blogspot.com/2011/11/pentecostalism.html
               http://tis-justme.blogspot.com/2011/12/pentecostalism-part-2.html  

Acts 1:21-26

Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.


drew lots - "Two names were written on stones and placed in an urn.  The one that fell out first was taken to be the Lord's choice (cf. Prov 16:33; Jonah 1:7).  The occasion was unique, for the Lord was not there in person to appoint and the Spirit had not been given in the special way of Pentecost." (Ryrie)

"We do not know the mode of their procedure.  Possibly, each person present wrote the name of one of the candidates on a small tablet, after which the tablets were placed in a vessel and shaken till one of them fell out, deciding the election.  The casting of lots was permissible under the Mosaic law (Lev 16:8; Num 26:55; Prov 16:33); but this is the sole instance of its being employed by the apostolic Church, and it has often been pointed out that it occurs significantly between the ascension and Pentecost, while the disciples were in an orphaned condition.  We never find the lot employed in later Scripture.  The practice of using lots and lotteries for money purposes finds no support in the New Testament, and is to be strongly deprecated in every way." (T Walker)

See also: http://tis-justme.blogspot.com/2009/07/divine-communication-casting-lots.html

"The question arises at once about the legitimacy of Peter's action.  Was it right to act in this way?  Was he authorized to address the assembled company and propose the addition of another apostle in the place of Judas?  Or was his action another evidence of his impulsiveness, wholly wrong?  We are aware that some good brethren, teachers of the Bible, declare that Peter made a mistake.  They tell us that this action was not according to the mind of the Lord.  They assert furthermore, that not Matthias, but Paul, should have been the Apostle in the place of Judas.

"We do not agree at all with their teaching.  Peter and the gathered company did not make a mistake.  He acted by inspiration and what they did was not only according to the mind of the risen Christ, according to the Word of God, but it was a manifestation of Christ in their midst.  It was the Lord who added Matthias to the twelve.  To say that Paul was meant to be the twelfth apostle is a great blunder.  Paul's apostleship is entirely different from that of the men, who were called to this office by our Lord, in connection with His earthly ministry.  Paul is the apostle of the Gentiles and received from the risen and glorified Christ the double ministry, that of the Gospel, which he called 'my Gospel' and the ministry of the church.  Not till Israel's failure had been fully demonstrated in the stoning of Stephen, was Saul of Tarsus called to his apostleship.  Furthermore twelve apostles were necessary.  Twelve is the number denoting earthly government.  Inasmuch as there was to be given another witness to Jerusalem after the ascension of our Lord, a national witness, a second offer of the Kingdom (Acts 3:19, 20) twelve apostles were necessary as a body of witnesses to the nation.  If only eleven apostles had stood up on the day of Pentecost, it would not have been in harmony with the divine plan and order.  How strange it would have sounded if the record said 'but Peter standing up with the ten' instead of 'with the eleven' (Chapter 2:14).  Twelve had to stand up on Pentecost to bear witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, therefore another one had to be added before that day.  Besides this, there is positive proof that the Holy Spirit endorsed the action of the disciples in the upper room.  In 1 Corinthians 15:5 the Holy Spirit mentions the twelve, who saw the Lord, to whom He appeared.  Paul then is mentioned apart from the twelve; he saw the Lord in glory as one born out of due season (Verse 8).

"A closer examination of the record of their action shows that the Lord guided them in this matter.  Peter begins by quoting scripture.  He does it in a way which clearly proves that he was guided by the Lord.  'The Scriptures should be fulfilled' is what Peter said.  How different from the Peter in Matthew 16 when he took the Lord aside and said after he had announced His coming death, 'far be it from Thee.'  He had then no knowledge of the Scriptures.  Repeatedly it is said that they knew not the Scriptures and that their eyes were holden.  Here, however,  he begins with the Scriptures.  Surely this was the right starting point, and thus ordered by the Lord.  He quotes from the Psalms.  Part of Psalm 70:25 and Psalm 109:8 are given by  him as the foundation of the purposed action.  These Psalms are prophetic of the events, which had taken place.  The Lord Himself had opened his understanding as well as that of the other disciples.  In Luke 24 we read that He spoke of what was written in the law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms.  'Then He opened their understanding to understand the Scripture (Luke 24:46).  It was a gift of the risen Lord and here Peter guided by the Spirit of God uses the prophetic Word.  All the company is one with Him in the undertaking.  It must be done.  The Lord moved them in this matter.

"Here [Acts 1:21-22] defines the qualification of an apostle.  He must be a witness of the resurrection of Christ as well as of what He said and did in His earthly ministry.

"[Acts 1:23-26]  How simple it all is!  How can anyone say that they erred in this action!  Two are selected.  Then they prayed; no doubt Peter led in audible prayer.  And the prayer is a model of directness and simplicity.  They address the Lord and believe that He had made a choice already.  What they pray for is that the one chosen by Him may  now be made known by Himself.  The lot was perfectly legitimate for them to use.  The Scriptures speak of it.  'The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord' (Prov 16:33).  As they were still on Old Testament ground, it was perfectly right for them to resort to the lot.  It, however, would be wrong for us to do it now.  We have His complete Word, and the Holy Spirit to reveal His will.  The Lord selects Matthias.  His name means 'the gift of the Lord.'   Thus the Lord gave him his place.  The Apostolate complete, all was in readiness for the great day of Pentecost." (A Gaebelein)

See also: http://tis-justme.blogspot.com/2009/08/matthias-right-man-for-job.html

Acts 1:12-20

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said, “Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was counted among us and received his share in this ministry.” (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out. And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘LET HIS HOMESTEAD BE MADE DESOLATE, AND LET NO ONE DWELL IN IT’; and, ‘LET ANOTHER MAN TAKE HIS OFFICE.’


then they returned to Jerusalem - "The apostles now returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is but a sabbath day's journey, a very short distance from the city proper.  In his gospel record Luke adds the significant detail that the apostles 'worshipped Him [Christ] and returned to Jerusalem with great joy' (Luke 24:52).  This was far from a sorrowful bereavement.  Once before it had seemed that He was taken away from them, and that by the death of the cross, yet He had proved Himself to be Lord of all.  How could they doubt now?  This, or all times, was a time when they would rejoice and worship Him.  Having spent forty days with the risen Christ, having now seen Him ascend to heaven in the shekinah glory and having been assured by the 'men...in white apparel' that He would return in the same way — all this must have called forth from the hearts of the apostles the most profound adoration and have given them a deep sense of confidence and joy.  With all this fresh in their minds, and with their Lord's parting promise of the Spirit still ringing in their ears, it is not strange that they, and the other disciples with them, gave themselves to prayer for the next ten days.  Mark well, however, that it was not their prayers that were to bring the outpouring of the Spirit.  This had already been specifically promised and a definite day was set for it." (CR Stam)

from the mount called Olivet - "The name denotes the range of hills which faces Jerusalem on the east and, lying round about from north-east to south-east, is separated from the city by the valley of Jehoshaphat or Kidron.  Its whole length, from north to south, is about two miles, and its average height above the level of the sea is about 2,600 feet, though it has several summits of a slightly  higher altitude.  It rises about 400 feet above the bed of the Kidron, and towers 200 feet above the highest part of Jerusalem.  During the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans, it was denuded of the olive trees which once luxuriated there." (T Walker)
a Sabbath day's journey - "About 2,000 cubits, or a little more than half a mile (almost one km) — the distance the rabbis allowed Jews to journey on the Sabbath.  This limitation was apparently arrived at on the basis of Ex 16:29 interpreted by Num 35:5." (Ryrie)

"See Matt 24:20.  The traditional distance allowed for a sabbath day's journey was 2,000 cubits, or about six furlongs.  The Rabbis arrived at this measurement by a fanciful connexion and interpretation of Ex 16:29; 21:13; and Num 35:5, 26-27; and by giving an allegorical meaning to the word 'place'.  Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells us that the mount of Olives is five or six furlongs distant from Jerusalem, so that the statement of this verse is seen to be correct." (T Walker)

Simon the Zealot - "As in Luke 6:15 Simon is called "Zelotes" (the Zealot; the equivalent Green term for Cananaean, a resident of Cana).  He likely belonged, before following the Lord, to the extremist part of Zealots who advocated the overthrow of Rome by force." (Ryrie)

Judas - "Not Iscariot the betrayer, but Thaddaeus.  There are four list of the apostles given in the NT (Matt 10:1-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:13-16 are the others).  Thaddaeus (Mark 3:18; Matt 10:3) is apparently the same as Judas the son or brother of James (Thaddaeus may represent a corruption of 'Yaddai', a form of Judas)." (Ryrie)

"Peter had made a full recovery of confidence and authority from the night of his denial and was now fulfilling Matt 16:19: 'I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.'" (Ryrie)

Scripture...fulfilled - "David's betrayal by a false friend pictures Judas's betrayal of Christ (John 13:18-19, where this Ps (Ryrie)

burst open in the middle - "Probably due to Judas's ineptness in trying to hang himself (Matt 27:5)." (Ryrie)

"According to St Matthew's account, Judas 'hanged himself,' and this has led some to conclude that we have in the two narratives separate and irreconcilable 'tradition'.  But no real discrepancy exists.  The facts recorded here are clearly supplementary, no contradictory, to those contained in the Gospel account.  It would seem that, when the traitor hanged himself, the rope or girdle with which the noose was made broke under his weight, or possibly the knot became unloosed, and so he fell with violence on to one of those jutting rocks which, as we have seen, emerge from the clayey soil of the potter's field.  By headlong, is meant 'head foremost', and, perhaps, 'face downwards'.  The word rendered 'burst asunder' occurs only here in the New Testament and really means to 'crack with a loud noise.'  All these circumstantial details serve to call attention to the tragic fate of the traitor and so to mark out for special detestation the heinousness of his sin." (T Walker)

Field of Blood - probably SE of Jerusalem

Acts 1:9-11

And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”


a cloud received Him out of their sight -  "It is interesting to observe that God first appeared to Israel in a cloud — not a rain cloud, of course, but the shekinah cloud, the visible vehicle of the divine presence and majesty.  Enshrouded in what appeared as a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night, Jehovah Himself led His people through the wilderness (Ex 13:21-22; 1 Cor 10:1)  (It has been suggested that this "cloud" was the host of His attending angels.  This suggestion is at least not inconsistent with the Scriptural use of the word, for the same root is used in Heb 12:1, where we read of "a cloud of witnesses."  This would also agree with the fact He is frequently shown as appearing in "clouds" (plural) and is called, again and again, "the Lord of hosts.")  After our Lord had "given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen," it was this cloud that "received Him out of their sight."  They could not have looked upon the sight that later blinded Saul of Tarsus.  It was not theirs to behold the greater glory of the Son of God as He ascended "far above all."  The cloud received Him out of their sight." (CR Stam)

"And that cloud was not a cloud of vapor.  It was the same cloud which had appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration, the Shekinah.  It was the same cloud of glory which had filled Solomon's temple, which so often in Israel's past history had appeared as the outward sign of Jehovah's presence wit his people  The Glory-cloud came to take Him in, to bring Him back to the Father from whence He had come." (A Gaebelein)

in just the same way - The second coming of Christ, like the ascension, will be personal, visible, and to the mount of olives (Rev 1:7; 19:11-16; Zech 14:4).

"This fact should be clearly  noted, for it is significant of the distinction between the ministries of the twelve apostles and Paul.  The twelve had seen Christ only on earth, never in heaven, while with Paul it was the very opposite.  He had never seen Christ on earth and only in heaven.  This distinction is further seen in the matter of His return, for of His actual return to earth we read:  "And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Lk 21:27).  But of our Lord's coming for us, the member of His Body, we read:  "...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..." (1 Thes 4:16-17).  Israel's calling and prospect were earthly; ours are heavenly.  He will return to earth to reign over them, but first he will call us to heaven to be with Him.  Indeed, positionally we are already raised from the dead with Christ and, as members of His Body, are made to sit together in the heavenliest, blessed with all spiritual blessings (Eph 1:3; 2:4-6)." (CR Stam)

"However, we must beware of confounding this event given here with that blessed Hope, which is the Hope of the church.  The Coming of the Lord is His visible Coming as described in the prophetic books of the Old Testament; it is His coming to establish His rule upon the earth.  It is the event spoken of in Daniel 7:14 and Rev 1:7.  When He comes in like manner as He went up, His Saints come with Him (Col 3:4; 2 Thes 1:10).  The Hope of the church is to meet Him in the air and not to see Him coming in the clouds of heaven.  The coming here "in like manner" is His Coming for Israel and the nations.  The Coming of the Lord for His Church before His visible and glorious Manifestation, is revealed in 1 Thes 4:16-18.  It is well to keep these important truths in mind.  Confusion between these is disastrous.  He left them to enter into the Holy of Holies, to exercise the priesthood which Aaron exercised on the day of atonement, though our Lord is a priest after the order of Melchisedec.  And when this promise of the two men in white garments is fulfilled, He will come forth to be a priest upon His throne." (A Gaebelein)

"What, then, was the prophetic significance of the ascension?  Basically it bespoke the divine displeasure at the rejection of Christ (even though God was to offer another opportunity for repentance) and foretold the judgment to be visited upon His enemies (Ps 110:1).  Prophetically the Lord also ascended, however, that He might send the Holy Spirit to sustain and empower His own in preparation for the great tribulation and His return to reign.  We must not forget that according to prophecy the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was the harbinger of the great tribulation and the day of the Lord (Joel 2:28-31).  As in the law the feast of Pentecost preceded that of Trumpets, so in prophecy the true Pentecost was to precede and introduce the trumpets of the great tribulation.  The prophetic Scriptures know nothing of a dispensation of grace between." (CR Stam)

Acts 1:6-8

So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”


the kingdom of Israel -  The messianic, Davidic, millennial kingdom on this earth.  The time of its coming is unrevealed (Matt 24:36, 42).

"It is sometimes said that the apostles in asking this question, betrayed carnality and ignorance of the true nature of the kingdom which our Lord was to establish, but this charge is most unjust.  The ignorance and carnality lie, not with the apostles but with their critics.  Had not God in solemn covenant promised David: "And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee:  they throne shall be established for ever?? (2 Sam 7:16).  Had He not written in the Psalms: "Once have I sworn by My holiness that I will not lie unto David.  His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before Me?" (Ps 89:35-36).  Do we not read in Jer 23:5-6, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.  In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely..."?  Had not John the Baptist's father, filled with the Holy Spirit, said: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David; as He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began:  That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant; the oath which He sware to our father Abraham, that He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life"? (Lk 1:68-75).  And had not our Lord Himself led them to expect the establishment of a physical kingdom on earth?  Had he not said: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth"? (Matt 5:5).  Had he not taught them to pray: "Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven"? (Matt 6:10).  Had he not distinctly promised them: "Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel"? (Matt 19:28).  Had not our Lord just spent forty days with them, "speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God"? (Acts 1:3).  And had He not already, at the beginning of this period, "opened their understanding that they  might understand the Scriptures"? (Lk 24:45).  Why should these men be charged with ignorance when we are told that they understood the Scriptures?  (We do not insist that this means that they understood every detail of the Old Testament prophecy, but rather that they understood the prophetic plan.)  Why should they be charged with carnality for taking God at His Word and believing the statements of their Lord and Master?  Is faith carnality?  It is rather the very essence of spirituality." (CR Stam)

v 7 - There is no rebuke in Christ's answer, for God is not through with Israel, and the kingdom will eventually come (Rom 11:26).

"In our Lord's reply that it was not for them to know when the kingdom would be restored there was the clear inference that in due time it would be restored.  In this matter, then, His honor was at stake.  If He did not intend to restore the kingdom to Israel, His answer was certainly misleading and dishonest, for that which will not come cannot have "times and seasons."  The implication, therefore, is that the apostles' question was legitimate and intelligent." (CR Stam)

"This passage places those who do not recognize the truth of the mystery in an awkward dilemma.  If, for example, our Amillenarian brethren were right in their interpretation of Scripture, our Lord would have answered "Yes," to the apostles' question (though perhaps correcting their 'carnal view of the kingdom) for according to the Amillenarian view the Church is Israel and Christ is now sitting on the throne of David.  Amillennialism "spiritualizes" the kingdom promises.  If, on the other hand, the average Premillenarian were right our Lord would have answered "No," for the vast majority of Premillenarians contend that Israel was set aside at the cross and that the Body of Christ began at Pentecost.  But the interesting fact is that our Lord answered neither "Yes" nor "No," but "It is not for you to know the times and the seasons.  The reason for this becomes unmistakably clear in the light of the mystery later revealed through Paul.  Our Lord knew something which for the time being still had to be kept secret.  He knew that Israel would reject Him even in His resurrection; that the "great commission" would become "bogged down," as it were, through Israel's unbelief and would give place to another, a greater commission to proclaim the gospel of the grace of God, that the ministry of the twelve would give place to that of Paul and that the kingdom would give place to "the Church which is His Body.  Had our Lord told the apostles what the outcome of their message was to be they could not, of course, have made the same impassioned plea to Israel to accept Messiah.  There would have been no heart in their offer of the kingdom.  In turn Israel might then have complained that she had not had a fair chance; that there had been no earnest call to repentance nor any bona fide offer of the kingdom.  Therefore the Lord Jesus did not tell the apostles that, humanly speaking, the restoration of the kingdom hung in the balance, but simply said: "It is not for you to know the times...but...ye shall be witnesses unto Me..."  This course was taken so that Israel might receive a whole-hearted offer of the kingdom and be left with no excuse for rejecting that offer.  Certainly our Lord's answer makes one fact crystal clear:  that God's purpose to form "the Body of Christ" out of reconciled Jews and  Gentiles, as the masterpiece of His grace, was still a mystery at that time." (CR Stam)

v 8 - "Instead of concerning themselves with the time of the coming kingdom, the disciples were instructed to witness to the remotest part of the earth, a reference to Rome, the center of civilization.  Acts ends with the gospel reaching Rome (Acts 28:16)." (Ryrie)

"It is interesting to compare the apostles' question in this opening chapter of Acts with Paul's statement in the closing chapter, some thirty years later:

"Acts 1:6:  "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"

"Acts 28:28:  "Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it."

"These two are key verses in the Book of Acts.  In the interval between them Messiah and His kingdom were offered to Israel amid the wonder of Pentecost, but Israel contemptuously rejected the offer and the privilege of bringing salvation and blessing to the nations...There was, however, a deeper reason why the kingdom was not yet to be established.  The prophecy could not be fulfilled until the mystery had been revealed.  God would allow men, even His chosen people, to show the utter perverseness of their hearts so that He might show that salvation is, and must be, by grace and grace alone.  This is the lesson He began to teach as He reached down to save the chief of sinners (1 Tim 1:12-16), sending him forth to proclaim "the gospel of the grace of God."  This is the lesson He is teaching today.  And this is the lesson that even the favored nation must learn and will learn when finally "all Israel shall be saved." (CR Stam)

to the remotest part of the earth - "The simple solution to the problem is that while the so-called "great commission," as recorded both in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts, was indeed given to the eleven, it is not our commission at all.  The reason they did not complete it was not because they would not, but because they could not.  It was due to Israel's stubborn rejection of Messiah.  The eleven (increased to twelve after the ascension, Acts 1:26) would gladly have made disciples of all nations but they had received explicit directions to begin with the nation Israel.  The reason for this will be clear to those who remember that according to the great Abrahamic and Davidic covenants and according to prophecy the nations were to be blessed through that nation.  This is why the apostles labored so earnestly to bring Israel to Messiah's feet...But Israel spurned the plea and God cast aside the rebellious nation until a future day.  However, we learn from Rom 11:15 that "the casting away of them" opened the way for "the reconciling of the world." (CR Stam)

"The legalism of Matthew 28:20, the baptismal salvation and miraculous signs of Mark 16:16-18, the authority to remit sins (instrumentally, by water baptism, Acts 2:38) of John 20:23 and the "Jerusalem first" of Luke and the Acts all harmonize perfectly with the program which the twelve apostles actually followed during the Pentecostal period, but they do not harmonize with our great commission (2 Cor 5:18-21) and whenever men try to practice them today frustration and confusion follow.  For the most part Fundamentalists merely talk about "obeying the great commission" but do not — indeed, cannot — obey any record of it.  But our glorious commission is perfectly appropriate to the day in which we live.  In our offer of salvation there is nothing for the sight, neither baptism with water nor miraculous signs.  Works for salvation are not required or even permitted, for "Now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested."  Neither is our message related to the earth, that we should begin at the capital of one nation and go from there to make disciples of other nations.  It is simply a message to poor lost sinners everywhere, offering them reconciliation to God by grace, through faith in His rejected Son.  This is our commission.  May be faithfully carry it out!" (CR Stam)

Acts 1:1-5

The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”


the first account - the first account was the book of Luke

"Acts is the sequel to Luke's Gospel and this introduces us immediately to a fact which is vital to a proper understanding and a correct interpretation of the book. If the former treatise concerned what Jesus had begun to do and to teach until His ascension, then this treatise must concern what He continued to do after His ascension." (CR Stam)

Theophilus - means "dear to God" or "friend of God" He was probably a Roman official, since the title "most excellent" (Lk 1:3) indicates an official position in Acts 23:26; 24:3; 26:25. (Both the Book of Luke and the Book of Acts were addressed to Theophilus.)

"From the frequent explanations of places and customs which occur in the two narratives addressed to him, it would appear that he was a Gentile convert, residing elsewhere than in Palestine. We may reasonably suppose also that he must have been a man of culture, in view of the fact that St. Luke wrote, largely for his information, two such books as the Gospel and the Acts. The fact that both treatises were addressed to him is a strong argument for the identity of their authorship." (T Walker)

"From a reliable source dating back to the second century we learn that he was an influential and wealthy man residing in the city of Antioch. He dedicated his magnificent palace, called a Basilica, to the preaching of the Gospel. Luke came most likely also from Antioch. He may have belonged to the household of Theophilus. It is not unlikely that Luke had received great kindness from Theophilus; some claim that he used to be a slave and became through Theophilus a free man." (A Gaebelein)

forty days - This is the only reference to the length of Christ's ministry on earth between His resurrection and His ascension.

"It is interesting to notice that, under the Mosaic dispensation, fifty days elapsed between the bringing of the sheaf of the wave offering, of which our Saviour's resurrection was the anti-type, and the Feast of Pentecost (Lev 23:15-21). If we add to the forty days of our Lord's post-resurrection life on earth the ten days during which His people waited for the Holy Ghost after His ascension, we arrive exactly at the fifty days which, according to the type, were to elapse between His resurrection and the day of Pentecost." (T Walker)

"In showing Himself alive by many infallible proofs for forty days, our Lord was preparing His apostles to bear powerful testimony to the people of Israel that the One whom they had crucified was indeed alive again and this it would be wisdom on their part to turn to Him in repentance and faith rather than continue their rebellion." (CR Stam)

Acts 1:3 and all four gospels give evidence that Christ was still preaching the kingdom after His resurrection.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:18-20)

These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mk 16:17-18)

 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. (Lk 24:45-47)

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” (Jn 15:26)

baptized with the Holy Spirit - This promise was first fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 11:15-16). The mention of the coming of the Spirit made them think that the kingdom was about to be established. That's why they asked about this in verse 6.

"Our Lord clearly had the prophetic plan in mind here. According to prophecy Jerusalem was to be the glory of all the earth. It was from Jerusalem that blessing was to flow to the nations. It was at Jerusalem that He was to reign as the Son of David. Indeed, according to His own promise, the twelve were to reign there with Him, sitting on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt 19:28). Until Jerusalem, the capital of the Hebrew nation, accepted Messiah, world peace and prosperity could never be. Therefore the apostles were instructed to begin their ministry at Jerusalem...This baptism with the Holy Spirit was not, of course, the baptism of Jews and Gentiles into one body. The baptism into one body was to be effect by the Spirit (1 Cor 12:13), but this is associated with "the mystery," which was then as yet unknown. The baptism here referred to was to be a baptism with, or in, the Spirit for miraculous power. With regard to this subject too we find additional light in the parallel passage at the close of Luke's gospel, where we find the Lord saying: "And, behold, I send the promise of my father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" (Lk 24:49, and cf. Acts 1:8). Aside from other miraculous powers which this baptism was to bestow, it was also to empower them to live as worthy representatives of the King. The Apostle Paul exhorts us today to be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18) but the very fact that he exhorts indicates that today this filling is a provision of grace to be appropriated by faith. This was not so with the Pentecostal believers. They were filled with the Spirit because they were baptized with the Spirit, not in response to prayer or faith but in fulfillment of a promise. The Holy Spirit was to come and baptize His own at the very time, at the very place and for the very purpose predicted. The prophetic clock had not yet stopped ticking...True, the same Spirit who came in fulfillment of prophecy has stayed in connection with the mystery revealed through Paul, but His manifestation and operations in the present dispensation differ in many respects from those of the Pentecostal era. The Spirit who now baptizes believers into the death, the burial and the resurrection of Christ, into Christ Himself and into one body, was then to empower His servants to live pleasing to God, to speak by inspiration as prophets and to perform miracles." (CR Stam)

Acts - Introduction

"I doubt whether the peculiar importance of this Book of the Acts of the Apostles has ever been exhibited or felt as fully as it might have been...A careful consideration leads us to think of the Acts of the Apostles as the key-stone of the arch of the New Testament..." (D Howson)

"Our present generation of Bible students would do well to heed these words [of D Howson above] and engage in a serious and prayerful re-study of the Book of Acts, for a correct interpretation of the Acts of the Apostles is essential to a clear understanding of God's eternal purpose and of His message and program for the present dispensation, and it is certainly a pre-requisite to an appreciation of the exalted truths of the Pauline epistles." (CR Stam)

"Nearly all writers on Acts have assumed, without the slightest foundation, that it is the record of the birth and growth of the Church...that in Acts we find the doctrine and practice of the Church in its earliest and purest form; that it is a spiritual story book containing inspiring examples of what we might do if we but possessed the faith of the first century believers...Nevertheless, in the light of the written Word of God this view of Acts is erroneous — not merely in certain details, but fundamentally and essentially so — and accounts largely for the confusion that has gripped the Church in our day." (CR Stam)

"In a word, if 'To the Jew first' is characteristic of the Acts of the Apostles as a whole, 'To the Jew only' is plainly stamped upon every part of these early chapters, described by theologians as the 'Hebraic section' of the book.  The fact is clear as light.  And if any are prepared to account for it by Jewish prejudice and ignorance, they may at once throw down this volume, for it is here assumed that the apostles of the Lord, speaking and acting in the memorable days of Pentecostal power, were Divinely guided in their work and testimony." (Sir Robert Anderson)

"Perhaps the best way to see at a glance the value and significance of this book of the New Testament, would be to image the New Testament without the Acts of the Apostles.  What a gulf would then be opened between the Gospels and the Epistles!...What discrepancies, what oppositions would be found between the earlier books and the later!" (D Howson)

"Suppose again the Epistles were there, but the Acts of the Apostles left out, how startling would appear the heading 'To the Romans,' which would confront us on turning from the study of the Evangelists! How could we account for the transition involved? How could we explain the great thesis of the Epistles, that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile ...? The earlier Scriptures will be searched in vain for teaching such as this. Not the Old Testament merely but even the Gospels themselves are seemingly separated from the Epistles by a gulf. To bridge over the that gulf is the Divine purpose for which the Acts of the Apostles has been given to the Church. The earlier portion of the book is the completion of and sequel to the Gospels; its concluding narrative is introductory to the great revelation of Christianity." (Sir Robert Anderson)

See also:  http://tis-justme.blogspot.com/2011/01/acts-rough-overview.html