As school ends, and summer begins, it means that kids have a change of pace. Instead of day to day studies and supervision, there tends to be more unscheduled time in new locations. If those new locations include a summer camp, it gives a testing opportunity to see if those lessons made a difference. Have the kids learned anything about respect, teamwork and conflict resolution? With that testing, comes the realization that although the lessons are finished, the work of training young adults still goes on.
The work of Jesus Christ is both finished and unfinished. His great work of providing redemption is finished, and nothing may be added to it (cf. John 17:4). His work of ministry and proclamation, however, is not finished. That work He only started. Along with the other gospels, the first book/account composed by Luke for Theophilus (The gospel of Luke), records all that Jesus began to do and teach during His life on earth. The rest of the New Testament describes the continuation of His work by the early church. We are still finishing it until He comes. Acts chronicles the initial stages and features of that unfinished work, and sets the path the church is to follow until the end.
As the book of Acts begins, an important transition takes place. During His ministry on earth, the work of preaching and teaching was done primarily by our Lord Himself as He trained His disciples. Now it is time to pass that responsibility on to the apostles, before He ascends to the Father. The burden of proclaiming repentance and the good news of forgiveness to a lost world will rest squarely on their shoulders. The apostles will also be responsible for teaching the truths of the faith to the church.
From a purely human standpoint the apostles were in no way ready for such a task. There were things they still did not understand. Their faith was weak, as evidenced by our Lord’s frequent reprimands of them (cf. Matt. 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; Luke 12:28). Nor had they acquitted themselves well during the traumatic events surrounding Christ’s arrest and crucifixion. They had not only failed in public witness but also in private loyalty and in personal faith. Peter, their acknowledged leader, had vehemently and profanely denied even knowing Jesus. His faith and spiritual character were not strong enough to withstand the challenge of a lowly servant girl (Matt. 26:69–70). With the exception of John, all the disciples had fled in fear of their own lives and were nowhere to be found at the crucifixion site. Although Jesus had explicitly predicted His resurrection, the disciples scoffed at the initial reports that His tomb was empty (Luke 24:11). When Jesus appeared to them, He found them cowering behind locked doors for fear of the Jewish authorities (John 20:19). Thomas, not present at that first appearance, refused to believe even the testimony of the other ten apostles (John 20:24–28). Only a second appearance, and the Lord’s invitation to touch His crucifixion wounds, cured Thomas of his skepticism.
Although you may have heard the truths of scripture many times, it is an entirely different phenomena when you are tested. Perhaps it is a co-worker who has challenged you about a factor of Christianity. Maybe, your spouse relied on you to do something, and purse distraction caused you to botch the job. Or what about when your kids push your buttons, and you responded in a harsh way. When you’ve really blown it, how do you pick up the pieces and move on?
The apostles failed when first tested, they lacked the understanding, and spiritual power to complete Jesus’ unfinished ministry of evangelism and edification. However, in these His last words to them before His ascension, the Lord Jesus Christ reiterates (cf. John 20:22) the promise of the Spirit. He will empower the apostles, and all subsequent believers with those resources necessary to finish the Savior’s unfinished work. To do this we receive the correct 1) Message (Acts 1:1-2), 2) Manifestation (Acts 1:3), 3) Might (Acts 1:4-5, 8a), 4) Mystery (Acts 1:6-7), 5) Mission (Acts 1:8b), and 6) Motive (Acts 1:9-11).
1) The Message (Acts 1:1-2)
Acts 1:1-2 [1:1]In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, [2]until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. (ESV)
Ancient books were generally written on papyrus scrolls. It was practical to have a scroll about thirty-five feet in length. When it got any longer it got too bulky to carry around. This physical limitation has determined the length of many books of the Bible (Boice, J. M. (1997). Acts : An expositional commentary (12–13). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.).
Luke calls his Gospel “my first/former book/account” (ton prôton logon). Luke uses the word logos (usually translated “word” or “message” in the NT) in the technical sense of a section of a work that covers more than one papyrus roll. It was dedicated/composed for “Theophilus” (etymologically, “Friend of God” or “Loved by God”). (We don’t know exactly who this was, yet it can also be:) a symbolic name for either an anonymous person or a class of people. The practice of dedicating books to distinguished persons was common in his day. (Longenecker, R. N. (1981). The Acts of the Apostles. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 9: John and Acts (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.) (252). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
The Gospel of Luke was largely concerned with the earthly life and ministry of our Lord, revealing all that Jesus began to do and teach. Even though Luke’s Gospel is more extensive than the other three Gospels, Luke does not mean that he has recorded everything Jesus said and did (compare John 21:25). He uses the adjective all to include all the things that he has mentioned about Jesus in the third Gospel. Luke implies that his account in Acts is a continuation of what Jesus said and did as recorded in the Gospel (Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 17: New Testament commentary : Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles. New Testament Commentary (47). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.)
Jesus set the pattern of consistency in behaving and proclaiming because, as Luke observed, He began both to do as well as to teach. He perfectly lived the truth He taught.
Please turn to Colossians 1 (p.983)
Two major factors contribute to the church’s powerlessness today. First, many are ignorant of biblical truth. Second, those who may know biblical truth all too often fail to live by it. Proclaiming an erroneous message is leads people astray, yet so is proclaiming the truth but giving scant evidence that one’s life has been transformed by it. Such people cannot expect others to be moved by their proclamation.
Paul’s prayer for the Colossians eloquently expresses his longing that all believers be mature in knowledge:
Colossians 1:9-11 [9]And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, [10]so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. [11]May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, (ESV)
"We will return to Colossians one in our next point"
Quote: The exemplary nineteenth-century Scottish preacher Robert Murray McCheyne gave the following words of advice to an aspiring young minister: "Do not forget the culture of the inner man—I mean of the heart. How diligently the cavalry officer keeps his sabre clean and sharp; every stain he rubs off with the greatest care. Remember you are God’s sword, His instrument—I trust a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name. In great measure, according to the purity and perfections of the instrument, will be the success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. (Such) is an awful weapon in the hand of God". (Andrew A. Bonar, Memoirs of McCheyne [Chicago: Moody, 1978], 95)
Even after His resurrection, verse two notes that Jesus continued to teach the essential realities of His kingdom until the day when He was taken up, a reference to His ascension. (Luke uses this term four times in this chapter, vv. 2, 9, 11, 22.) That day, marking the end of our Lord’s earthly ministry, had arrived. As He had predicted, Jesus was about to ascend to the Father (cf. John 6:62; 13:1, 3; 16:28; 17:13; 20:17). During His ministry, He had given commands/orders to the apostles through the Holy Spirit, who was both the source and the power of His ministry (cf. Matt. 4:1; 12:18, 28; Mark 1:12; Luke 3:22; 4:1, 14, 18). The verb entellô (given commands/orders) (cf. Matt. 17:9), emphases the force of the truth. It encompasses a series of commands to obey God, as well as threats in light of the consequences of disobedience.
Jesus’ ministry in the Spirit’s power demonstrated the pattern for believers. They, like the apostles, also are to obey Him (cf. Matt. 28:19–20). The Holy Spirit is the source of power for believers’ ministry and enables them to obey their Lord’s teaching.
While Jesus instructed thousands of people in His days on earth, His primary and constant learners were the apostles whom He had chosen. Equipping them for their foundational ministry was a critical goal of His teaching. Their qualification was simply that the Lord had chosen them for salvation and unique service (cf. John 15:16). He saved, commissioned, equipped, gifted and taught them so that they could be eyewitnesses to the truth and recipients of the revelation of God.
Quote: The effectiveness of every believer’s ministry in large measure depends on a clear and deep knowledge of the Word. No wonder Spurgeon said: "We might preach ’til our tongue rotted, ’til we exhaust our lungs and die—but never a soul would be converted unless the Holy Spirit uses the Word to convert that soul. So it is blessed to eat into the very heart of the Bible until, at last, you come to talk in scriptural language and your spirit is flavoured with the words of the Lord, so that your blood is Bibline and the very essence of the Bible flows from you". (Partly cited in Richard Ellsworth Day, The Shadow of the Broad Brim [Philadelphia: Judson, 1943], 131)
2) The Manifestation (Acts 1:3)
Acts 1:3 [3]He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. (ESV)
The apostles, and all those who will follow Christ, need not only the proper message but also the confidence to proclaim that message even if it costs one’s life. The apostles could hardly have been enthusiastic about proclaiming and facing martyrdom for a dead Christ. They needed to know that He was alive and would fulfill His promise of the kingdom. To secure that necessary confidence, Jesus presented Himself alive, after His suffering, to them. He offered them many convincing proofs (cf. John 20:30). The word for “proofs” (tekmçriois) is a technical term from logic, meaning “demonstrative proof, evidence.” Luke had already given vivid examples of these proofs in his Gospel: on the Emmaus road (24:13–32), to Peter (24:34), and to the disciples (24:36–43). The appearances to the apostles are absolutely essential for their primary role in Acts of being witnesses to his resurrection (Polhill, J. B. (2001). Vol. 26: Acts (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (81). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
Most convincing, though, was His appearing to them during a period of forty days, beginning with the day of His resurrection. Though He was not with them continuously, He did appear in their presence at intervals. Although it is by no means exhaustive, the most extensive summary of those appearances is found in 1 Corinthians 15:5–8.
Look once again at Colossians 1(p.983)
Luke reveals that during this time the Lord was speaking about/concerning the kingdom of God. He taught them more truth related to the domain of divine rule over the hearts of believers. The kingdom of God, is the realm where God rules, or the sphere of salvation. “The kingdom of God is conceived as coming in the events of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and to proclaim these facts, in their proper setting, is to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.” (C. H. Dodd, The Apostolic Preaching and its Developments (London, 1936), pp. 46–47. )
Colossians 1:24-29 [24]Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, [25]of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, [26]the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. [27]To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. [28]Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. [29]For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (ESV)
• The suffering of Christ, and believers willingness to suffer for the sake of the Gospel, are visible manifestations of the invisible kingdom of God.
Illustration: Believers in Christ have always been faced with two great temptations where this assignment is concerned. One is the temptation to idleness, to say, “Well, Jesus has saved me, my wife (or husband), and my children. I have a nice church. Everything is comfortable. I think I’ll just sit around and wait for Jesus to come back. We’ll be patient. We’ll wait.”
The second temptation is the one the disciples were already caught up in. It is the temptation to think that we are to do the Lord’s work in the world’s way. We are to establish the kingdom politically—by law, by getting Christians into high positions in government, and by imposing our vision of society on the world.
Of course, there is a proper place for a political and legal expression of the Christian world and life view. Christians should seek proper public expression of their beliefs, but they must not suppose that they can bring in the kingdom of God by imposing their views on others. Moral reform will not come by political power or power tactics. Only the Holy Spirit can take the gospel to the hearts and minds of men and women and change them into disciples of the Lord (Boice, J. M. (1997). Acts : An expositional commentary (19). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.).
3) The Might (Acts 1:4-5, 8a)
Acts 1:4-5, 8a [4]And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me; [5]for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." [8]But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, ... (ESV)
Having received the message, and witnessed the manifestation of the risen Christ, the apostles may have been tempted to assume they were ready to minister in their own strength. To prevent that error while Jesus was staying with them He ordered/commanded them not to depart/leave Jerusalem (cf. Luke 24:49). To the apostles, who were no doubt fired with enthusiasm and eager to begin, that must have seemed a strange command. Yet, it illustrates an important point: All the preparation and training that knowledge and experience can bring are useless without the proper might. Power had to accompany truth.
To make certain the apostles were not only motivated but also supernaturally empowered for their mission, Jesus commanded them to wait for the promise of the Father. That promise, made repeatedly during the Lord’s earthly ministry (cf. Luke 11:13; 24:49; John 7:39; 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7; 20:22), was that the Holy Spirit would be sent (cf. Acts 2:33). God’s pledge was to be fulfilled just ten days later on the Day of Pentecost. (cf. Ezekiel 36:25–27)
Jesus further defines the promise of the Father for them as what you heard of from Me (cf. John 14:16–21; 15:26; 20:22). Jesus’ words in verse five: for John baptized with water, but you will/shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now, are reminiscent of John the Baptist’s statement in John 1:33: “He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ ” The promise was to be fulfilled, and the disciples would be baptized with the Holy Spirit, not many days from now—ten to be exact. Jesus promised that after He departed, He would send the Spirit (John 16:7).
The baptism with the Holy Spirit is not a special privilege for some believers, nor are believers challenged and exhorted in Scripture to seek it. It is not even their responsibility to prepare for it by praying, pleading, tarrying, or any other means. The passive tense of the verb indicates that baptism does not depend upon our efforts to obtain the promise, but upon the Lord’s will. The simple future tense demonstrates that there is no uncertainty or doubt in the promise. The Greek word for baptized means “to immerse” or “to dip.” It also connotes being identified with someone or something. Spirit baptism means we have been placed in spiritual union with one another in the body of Jesus Christ, the church (cf. 1 Cor. 12:12, 13) (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1997). The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version (Ac 1:5). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.).
Please turn to Ephesians 3 (p.977)
The Spirit’s presence, leading, and might were absolutely essential if the apostles were to be effective in continuing the Lord’s unfinished work. They had already experienced His saving, guiding, teaching, and miracle-working power. Soon, as it says in verse eight, they would receive the power they needed for ministry after the Holy Spirit fell on them. Power translates dunamis, from which the English word “dynamite” derives. All believers have in them spiritual dynamite for use of gifts, service, fellowship, and witness. Instead of the political power which had once been the object of their ambitions, a power far greater and nobler would be theirs. When the Holy Spirit came upon them, Jesus assured them, they would be vested with heavenly power—that power by which, in the event, their mighty works were accomplished and their preaching made effective (Bruce, F. F. (1988). The Book of the Acts. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (36). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)
The result of being filled with the Spirit is expressed by Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-20
Ephesians 3:14-21[14]For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, [15]from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, [16]that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, [17]so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, [18]may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, [19]and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. [20]Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, [21]to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (ESV)
If Jesus had stayed on earth, his physical presence would have limited the spread of the gospel because physically he could be in only one place at a time. After Christ was taken up into heaven, he would be spiritually present everywhere through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent so that God would be with and within his followers after Christ returned to heaven. The Spirit would comfort them, guide them to know his truth, remind them of Jesus’ words, give them the right words to say, and fill them with power (Barton, B. B., & Osborne, G. R. (1999). Acts. Life application Bible commentary (6). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.).
4) The Mystery(Acts 1:6–7)
Acts 1:6-7 [6]So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" [7]He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. (ESV)
A paradoxical component of the resources for continuing the Lord’s ministry was something believers don’t know and can’t find out. The apostles shared the fervent hope of their nation that Messiah would come and take up His earthly kingdom. Often Jesus had taught them prophetically about the future (Matt. 13:40–50; 24, 25; Luke 12:36–40; 17:20–37; 21:5–36). The enthusiastic question that they asked Him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” is thus perfectly understandable. After all, here was the resurrected Messiah speaking with them about His kingdom.
Jesus, however, quickly brings them back to reality in verse seven, for it was not for them to know times or seasons/epochs that/which the Father has fixed by His own authority. There are two concepts with times and seasons. The Greek words are chrónos and kairós. "Times" (Chrónos) denotes a space of time or duration of time. "Seasons" (Kairós) is event-oriented time. For example, "Times" (Chrónos) would be used to describe the length of time of the germination, sprouting, cultivating, and growth of a field of grain; "Seasons" (Kairós) would be used for the actual time of harvesting. The time spent working on a degree would be chrónos and kairós would be the time of the awarding of the degree (Ogilvie, L. J., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1983). Vol. 28: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 28 : Acts. The Preacher’s Commentary series (37). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.).
W. E. Vine is helpful here. He says, “Broadly speaking, . "Times" (Chrónos) expresses the duration of a period, kairos stresses it as marked by certain features … chronos marks quantity, "Seasons" (Kairós) quality.” (W. E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (London: Marshall Morgan Scott; repr. 1981), pp. 137–39.)
Quote: Oswald Chambers puts this into perspective: "We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God can do and that God will not do what we can do. It is in the chrónos that we do what we can do; the propitious intervention to do what only He can do will be done on His timing and by His power" (Oswald Chambers as recorded in Ogilvie, L. J., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1983). Vol. 28: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 28 : Acts. The Preacher’s Commentary series (38). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.).
The Scriptures teach many things about the earthly and glorious reign of Jesus Christ in His kingdom, but not the precise time of its establishment. Times (kairos) refers to features, characteristics of eras, and events. God, by His own authority, has determined all the aspects of the future and the kingdom. But as far as humanity is concerned, that remains one of “the secret things” that “belong to the Lord our God” (Deut. 29:29).
Please turn to Mark 13 (p.849)
All that believers can know is that the kingdom will be culminated at the second coming (Matt. 25:21–34). The time of the second coming, however, remains unrevealed (Mark 13:32). All must remember the Lord’s solemn warning:
Mark 13:33-37 [33]Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. [34]It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. [35]Therefore stay awake--for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning-- [36]lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. [37]And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake." (ESV)
• Had we known the precise time of Christ’s return, we would be tempted to either coast knowing it is far off or panic, knowing it was close.
• But continual vigilance and anticipation, through all generations of believers who were looking for Jesus to return, has served as true incentive to live with urgency and minister with passion.
5) The Mission (Acts 1:8b)
Acts 1:8b [8] (But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and) you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (ESV)
The (mission), expressed with a future-tense verb (will be), can be taken as both a command and a prophetic promise (Larkin, W. J., Briscoe, D. S., & Robinson, H. W. (1995). Vol. 5: Acts. The IVP New Testament commentary series (Ac 1:6). Downers, Ill., USA: InterVarsity Press.).
Please turn to 2 Peter 1 (p.1018)
Rather than engage in useless speculation over the time for the coming of the kingdom, the apostles were to focus on the work at hand. They are to be Witnesses which are those who see something and tell others about it. So many Christians sealed their witness to Christ with their blood that marturçs (witnesses) came to mean “martyrs.” Their blood, as the second-century theologian Tertullian stated, became the seed of the church. Many were drawn to faith in Christ by observing how calmly and joyously Christians met their deaths.
2 Peter 1:16-21 [16]For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. [17]For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," [18]we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. [19]And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, [20]knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. [21]For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (ESV)
Verse 8 provides the general outline for the book of Acts. Beginning in Jerusalem, the apostles carried out the Lord’s mandate. Their witness spread beyond there to all Judea and Samaria (The neighboring area), and finally even to the remotest part of the earth. Acts 1–7 deals with the preaching of the gospel in Jerusalem. In Acts 8–12 the gospel expands beyond Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria. Acts 13–28 records the expansion of the gospel throughout the Roman world, to the remotest part of the earth (Boice, J. M. (1997). Acts : An expositional commentary (21). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.).
• Today, believers continue to have the responsibility for being Christ’s witnesses throughout this world. The sphere for witnessing is as extensive as the kingdom—all the world. That was and is the mission for the church until Jesus comes.
Quote: Historians have asked how this first generation of Christians, who for the most part were unlearned men and women, could have propagated the gospel so rapidly. Adolf Harnack, a German church historian of the nineteenth century, knew how. He said, “We cannot hesitate to believe that the great mission of Christianity was in reality accomplished by means of informal missionaries.”.That was the secret. Every Christian—not just a formal order of missionaries supplied by the Christians at home—considered it his or her obligation to bear witness (Adolf Harnack, The Mission and Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1961), 368.).
6) The Motive (Acts 1:9-11)
Acts 1:9-11 [9]And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. [10]And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, [11]and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." (ESV)
The Lord Jesus Christ was about to depart for heaven to return to His former glory (cf. John 17:1–6). Before doing that, He left the apostles with a final, dramatic moment which provided powerful motivation for carrying on His work. To their amazement, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took/received Him out of their sight (cf. vv. 2, 11, 22). The transfiguration, the ascension (as here described), and the parousia are three successive manifestations of Jesus’ divine glory (Cf. Rev. 1:7.). The cloud in each case is to be understood as the cloud which envelops the glory of God (the shekhinah)—that cloud which, resting above the Mosaic tabernacle and filling Solomon’s temple, was the visible token to Israel that the divine glory had taken up residence there (Ex. 40:34; 1 Kings 8:10–11). So, in the last moment that the apostles saw their Lord with outward vision, they were granted “a theophany: Jesus is enveloped in the cloud of the divine presence.” (Bruce, F. F. (1988). The Book of the Acts. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (38). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)
Jesus, in His glorious resurrection body, left this world for the realm of heaven to take His place on the throne at God’s right hand. Back on the Mount of Olives (Luke 24:50), verse ten record that the shocked apostles were gazing intently into heaven/the sky as he went/while He was departing. To their further alarm, angels, described as two men stood by them in white robes/clothing. Such angelic appearances were not unusual (Gen. 18:2; Josh. 5:13–15; Mark 16:5). Two of them confirm the promise of Christ’s return as true (cf. John 8:17). These angels asked the bewildered apostles in verse 11, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven/the sky?” They are called men of Galilee since all the apostles (With the exception of the dead traitor Judas) were from that region. The angels’ question, “why do you stand looking into heaven/the sky?” indicates more than curiosity at the miracle. The word translated looking indicates a long gaze, in this case a transfixed look as if losing someone. The question, then, is a mild rebuke to the apostles. They were not losing Jesus, as they feared.
• We are not to live our lives transfixed on looking around. We have work to do.
The angels went on to say, “This Jesus, who was/has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw/have watched Him go into heaven.” The promise of Zechariah 14:4 will come to pass, namely that the Messiah will return to the Mount of Olives. The angels stressed that this same Jesus whom they had watched ascend would one day return in just the same way as they had watched Him go into heaven. He will return in His glorified body, accompanied with clouds (cf. Dan. 7:13; Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Rev. 1:7; 14:14), just as at His ascension.
Please turn to Revelation 22(p. 1042)
This becomes a compelling motive. No one knows when He will come, but everyone must live in anticipation that it could be in their lifetime (cf. Rom. 13:12–14; 2 Peter 3:14–18).
Revelation 22:6-12 [6]And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place." [7]"And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." [8]I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, [9]but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God." [10]And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. [11]Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy." [12]"Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. (ESV)
The task of finishing the work that Jesus began, the duty of evangelizing the lost world, is a daunting one. But the Lord in His mercy from the start has provided all the spiritual resources necessary to accomplish that task. It is up to each believer to appropriate those resources and put them to use. “We must work the works of Him who sent [Jesus Christ], as long as it is day; night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4).
(Format Note: Outline and some base commentary from MacArthur, J. (1994). Acts (9–22). Chicago: Moody Press).
