Acts 1
1 The former treatise have I
made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
"The former treaties"= "an
account", Greek = "logos" and The "logos" = The
word. "Theophilus" = "friend of God" and If you're a
friend of God, Acts is written to you.
2 Until the day in which he
was taken up, after that he through the Holy Spirit had given commandments unto
the apostles whom he had chosen:
"whom he had chosen"; humans didn't choose
the apostles, God did.
3 To whom also he shewed
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:
Christ spoke to them for forty days after His
resurrection, continuing to feed them that we also will be feed for whats to
come. Hungry?
4 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 of me.
Luke wrote the book of Acts and this verse is
repeated in Luke 24:49 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.
5 For John truly baptized
with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
The baptism of The Holy Spirit would come 10 days from
thetime of this writing. Forty days Christ spoke with them and add ten= fifty =
"Pentecost". This is when the Holy Spirit appeared to them, on
Pentecost day.
6 When they therefore were
come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore
again the kingdom to Israel?
Judas missed out when Christ spoke of this day before.
He was with the kenites planning to get Christ. The Apostles wanted to know if
this was going to be Christ second coming.
7 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.
As it wouldn't be in their time that Christ would come, it's
in ours. They understood when The Holy Spirit came to them, just as Paul wrote
in I Thessalonians 5:1-6 they would give us the signs.
8 But ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Spirit 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.
The power of The Word is the Power of the Holy Spirit
as it saturates your mind, it changes your life EVERYDAY you're in Him.
9 And when he had spoken
these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out
of their sight.
To the human eye it looked like a cloud, but Jesus was
taken up in the same manner as Elijah, that whirlwind to heaven. See Ezekiel 1 for more on this whirlwind to heaven.
10 And while they looked
stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white
apparel;
Jesus expects us to be witnesses for Him just as these
two could be symbolic of the two witnesses to come.
11 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.
Yep, He is coming back HERE to earth, He isn't
going to stop in the atmosphere for a pick up and leave again. He comes in
that whirlwind.
12 Then returned they unto
Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's
journey.
Christ returns to the Mount of Olives on that 7th trump
also known as the trump of God.
13 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.
14 These all continued with
one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of
Jesus, and with his brethren.
This would be the last time that Mary, mother of Christ
Jesu, is mentioned. They will gather "in one accord in prayer and supplication" as they were forming the first Christian church.
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,
16 Men and brethren, this
scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit by the mouth of
David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
1000 years before Christ was betrayed, Psalm 41:9
"Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trustd, which did eat of my
bread, Hath lifted up his heel against me." Jesus to Judas, "he that dips bread will betray
Me."
17 For he was numbered with
us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
Judas being of the ministry of Christ Jesus, knew the
truth, yet chose to follow evil. In the end he still repented and the kenites
killed him for it.
18 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.
Judas threw the money back at them and they took it and bought the field they would hang him in. After they hung him they cut him up,
opening him so much his insides came out. That's
right! Judas DIDN'T kill himself. If you have someone, even a
"pastor" tell you otherwise, they don't know The Word. Matthew 27:3-5 3 "Then Judas, which ahd betrayed Him, when he waw that He was condemned,
repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief
priests and elders, 4 Saying, "I have sinned in that I have betrayed
the innocent blood." And they said, "What is that to us? see thou to
that. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the Temple,
and departed, and went and hanged himself."
19 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.
20 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.
This is the selection of another that will be selected
to take Judas' place as one of the twelve Apostles of Christ.
21 Wherefore of these men
which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out
among us,
This one must have heard and seen the things the
Apostles have seen.
22 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.
This one must know, Matthew 3:16-17 16 "And Jesus,
when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the
heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a
dove, and lighting upon Him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, "This is My
beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased." and have seen the whirlwind on
the mount of Olives and witnessed Christ's ascension into heaven.
23 And they appointed two,
Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
Barsabas = rest and Matthias = gift from God.
24 And they prayed, and said,
Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou
hast chosen,
God knows all hearts. Not one can get past Him in
thought.
25 That he may take part of
this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he
might go to his own place.
The one God chooses will do Gods Work.
26 And they gave forth their
lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven
apostles.
The gift of God = Matthias, replaced Judas.