The Holy Ghost gave commands to the Apostles whom Jesus showed
Himself to for forty days after His resurrection. The apostles were ordered to
assemble together at Jerusalem and to wait for the Holy Ghost to be given to
them. What do we say then to this passage in John?
John
20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
It appears then that, at least for the early believers in Christ,
that the Holy Ghost could be given more than once, possibly for different
reasons.
Titus
3:5 Not by works of righteousness which
we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6
Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should
be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
The question I have to ask is if while we are sealed and secure
with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit does God renew it in us as we are
sanctified for Him in life? Could that be what the following mean more fully?
Ephesians
5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein
is excess; but be filled with
the Spirit;
We are saved once and indwelt with the Spirit as Paul relates the
absurdity of being saved and lost again and again in Hebrews 6:1-6. In the
following passage Paul shows that if you could lose your salvation you could
not get saved again. It appears he is trying to get Christians to move beyond
salvation to our sanctification.
Hebrews
6:1 ¶ Therefore leaving the principles
of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the
foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on
of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this will we do, if God permit. 4 For it
is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of
the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the
powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again
unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and
put him to an open shame.
So, the question would be, are we praying to be filled with the
Holy Spirit, to be renewed in the power and mind of God over sin and self? Or
are we satisfied and complacent about this unspeakable gift?
Jesus walked among His disciples after His resurrection. Paul told
us;
1Corinthians
15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto
this present, but some are fallen asleep.
The disciples were to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Holy
Ghost to be given to them.
Acts 1:6
¶ When they therefore were come
together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again
the kingdom to Israel? 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. 8 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. 9
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up;
and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10
And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold,
two men stood by them in white apparel; 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.
Luke 1:74
That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of
our enemies might serve him without fear,
Luke
1:74 shows that there was an expectation that Christ the Messiah would restore
Israel and deliver it from Roman occupation. This expectation persisted even
after Christ’s resurrection as shown here in Acts.
This
shows how the Fundamentalist doctrine that in the Old Testament the Jews were
looking forward to the Cross is wrong. They did not understand Isaiah 53. Their
confusion persisted until an eleventh century rabbi nicknamed Rashi developed
the idea previously only mentioned by a few that rather than being about a
singular man the chapters in Isaiah about the Messiah were actually about the
suffering Jewish people as a group thereby totally confusing the Jews with
regard to Christ.
Jesus’
Jewish followers literally had no clue what He was talking about when He
referred to His impending agony on the Cross or understood anything about His
Resurrection.
Matthew 16:21 ¶ From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto
his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of
the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again
the third day. 22 Then Peter took him,
and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be
unto thee. 23 But he turned, and said
unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou
savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Mark 9:9
And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they
should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen
from the dead. 10 And they kept that
saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the
dead should mean…31 For he
taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the
hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall
rise the third day. 32
But they understood not that saying, and
were afraid to ask him.
Luke 18:31 ¶ Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to
Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son
of man shall be accomplished. 32 For he
shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully
entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they
shall scourge him, and put him
to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34 And they understood none of these things: and
this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
John 20:9
For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the
dead.
The
Jews, even Christ’s followers, were expecting Him to restore Israel to its
former glory. But, He makes it clear that this information is not for them, or
us.
Deuteronomy 29:29 The
secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong
unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
We understand prophecy and the future only in a limited way but we
are given it for a reason. Perhaps, as Jesus told the Apostles;
John
16:4 But these things have I told you, that when
the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said
not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.
In verse 8 He tells them what is going to happen in the immediate
future and what they are to do.
Matthew
28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Mark
16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into
all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Note verses 9 and 10 and read Luke 24.
Acts 1:12
¶ Then returned they unto Jerusalem from
the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.
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.
A sabbath day’s journey, according to John Gill and Matthew Henry,
was about 2,000 cubits from any town. The restriction from traveling on the
Sabbath is found under the Law.
Exodus
16:29 See, for that the LORD hath given
you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two
days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the
seventh day.
The distance one could travel based on tradition was based on the
distance from the ark of the covenant the Hebrews were to walk crossing the
river Jordan.
Joshua
3:4 Yet there shall be a space between
you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that
ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.
Like modern Christians the Jews were always looking for loopholes
in the Law.
These events transpired on the hill called Mount Olivet or the
Mount of Olives where David ascended mourning at Absalom’s rebellion in 2Samuel
15:30. It plays a significant part in the end of history as per Zechariah 14:4
when Christ returns. Jesus sat on it when he talked about end times in Matthew
24. It is where He was arrested before His crucifixion as per Matthew 26:30
with the Garden of Gethsemane at the base of it. So, interestingly, God’s king
ascends Mount Olivet in mourning, Christ speaks of the end of history from it,
is arrested on it, and ascends from it, and will land on it.
The eleven remaining Apostles and the women, along with Jesus’
mother, Mary, pray together in a upper story of a house that was one of theirs
or was provided for them by someone. Either Jesus’ brothers are referred to
specifically here or it is a reference to His followers as brethren. There were
no buildings specifically set aside for church worship until late in the second
century.
Acts 1:15
¶ 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 Ghost
by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them
that took Jesus. 17 For he was numbered
with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. 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. 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. 21 Wherefore of these men which have companied
with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 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. 23 And they
appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou,
Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two
thou hast chosen, 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. 26
And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he
was numbered with the eleven
apostles.
So, the early Christian church begins with
a few dozen people, a hundred and twenty as the text says. Peter is quoting or
alluding to prophecy in the Old Testament, also teaching us how to view certain
passages in their prophetic significance. Read Psalms 55:12-13 and 109. Read
Matthew 27 about Judas’s physical end of life.
Peter, in verse 20, takes Psalm 69:25 and 109:8
combining them for a prophetic statement about Judas guided by the Holy Spirit.
Word substitution between Old and New Testaments gives us the meaning of Bishoprick as the office held with Bishoprick
being the office of a bishop, what we call a pastor today.
Psalm 69:25 Let their
habitation be desolate; and let
none dwell in their tents.
Psalm 109:8 Let his days be
few; and let another take his
office.
Now, Peter is trying to replace Judas as an Apostle.
This is very interesting because we are only told about twelve Apostles, the
women who supported them, plus an unspecified number of disciples throughout
Jesus’ ministry but here Peter names two who were disciples all along. They
cast lots for which one will replace Judas Iscariot, Joseph “Barsabas” Justus
or Matthias. Acknowledging that God has sovereignty over chance and that there
is no randomness in the universe they know that when they cast lots God
controls the outcome. They may have used pebbles, a potsherd, or a piece of
wood as we would today roll dice or flip over cards or flip a coin. They may
have put names in a pot and drew them. But, the Bible teaches that the outcome
of all such things is in the hand of God. That’s kind of tough for a modern
person to wrap their minds around. Go ahead and flip a penny. The result is an
act of God? It boggles the mind but just read the book of Job carefully.
God allowed the Israelites to cast lots in certain
situations to determine His will. See Numbers 26:55; 33:54; 34:13; 36:2; Joshua
18:6-10; 1Chronicles 24:5, 31; 25:8,9; & 26:13,14. In addition, heathen
also cast lots to determine the will of the gods. See Jonah 1:7.
What does this say about the ideas of chance and
randomness in reality? A person reading
the Bible carefully could easily say there is no such thing as randomness or
luck, as all events are from the hand of God either by His direct will or by
His permission.
Judas is referred to by John as the son of perdition.
John 17:12 While I was with
them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have
kept, and none of them is lost, but the son
of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
Paul refers to the Antichrist, the Beast of
Revelation, which are John’s terms, as the son
of perdition. Some commentators imply that Judas will be resurrected in the
form of the Beast.
2Thessalonians 2:3 Let no
man deceive you by any means: for that
day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man
of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
They will see this reference to his own place and suggest that he will
be the Beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit in Revelation 11:7 and
17:8. We will not know if this is so until the end so there is no point in
spending too much time on such speculation.
Acts, chapter 2
Acts 2:1
¶ And when the day of Pentecost was
fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven
as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were
sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them
cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Pentecost, or
the fiftieth day, is the feast of harvest,
the firstfruits, the second of the three great feasts under the Law
celebrated at Jerusalem according to Strong. The Jews call it Shavout. It is
the culmination, to modern Jews, of the entire Passover season and commemorates
the giving of the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai. It is a celebration of
God’s covenant with the Jews and we find it here as fulfilled in Christ as
Passover was fulfilled in Christ. The Jews are missing out on a great and
wonderful thing here partly because of a hardened heart and partly because of
the perfidy of Christians in history.
Exodus
23:16 And the feast of harvest,
the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the
feast of ingathering, which is
in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the
field.
There is; 1. Feast
of Unleavened Bread or Passover. Hebrew Pesach or Greek Pascha. 2. Feast of
Harvest or Pentecost. Hebrew Shavuot. 3. Feast of Ingathering or
Feast of Booths or Tabernacles.
Leviticus
23:15 ¶ And ye shall count unto you from
the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the
wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: 16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh
sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto
the LORD.
It was the fiftieth day after the offering of firstfruits after
Passover and it was indeed, at this time in Acts, quite a harvest. The
disciples were visited by a sound like a powerful wind (a simile which uses
like or as to make a comparison between two different things to aid in
understanding), tongues like as of fire
(a figure of speech called a simile, not tongues of actual fire, but like as of fire) landed on each of them,
and they were filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in other languages,
each as the Spirit gave them.
So, you have Passover, Christ the Passover Lamb, Pentecost, the
harvest that creates the church, and Tabernacles, the gathering of the church
at the end.
A tongue in verse 4, or glossae in Greek, is a distinct language or dialect spoken by
a unique people. It is not gobbledygook. These figures of speech are similes,
unlike things joined by as as in as of a rushing mighty wind and like as of fire as a physical
description of the tongues that descended. Cloven tongues like as of fire
is an expression of the appearance of the phenomenon in verse 3. Notice here
how tongues is used from the same Greek word in two different ways, one
for speech and one for how something looked. Think of ways we do that in our
everyday speech. We can talk about our physical ceiling in a room and we can
talk about the proverbial “glass ceiling” that we cannot pass through for
promotion at work. We can even use both ceilings in a letter or email.
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