The account is addressed to Theophilus, meaning “lover of God”, and all those who do love the LORD are keenly interested in this record because it tells us what the first Christians believed, their response to Christ’s commandments, and how the Church was established and developed. This book, therefore, forms an indispensable guide for those who wish to receive the salvation of God offered through Christ.
Luke begins this account with Jesus’ resurrection of which he gave his disciples “infallible proofs” by showing himself alive. After being raised from the grave, Jesus met with his disciples over a period of forty days, during which he conversed with them and ate with them, so there was no doubt that the same Jesus who had been crucified was alive again from the dead. It is instructive to observe that, after spending three and a half years with them preaching the gospel of the kingdom, he also devoted these last days with them “speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God”. Jesus, making God’s kingdom the topic of conversation in those last moments with his friends, emphasised the importance of this subject which is the substance of the gospel and which must be believed for salvation.
The disciples knew from Jesus’ teaching, and from the scriptures, that God will re-establish his kingdom which existed long ago in the land of Israel. As the coming kingdom will be so marvellous they naturally wanted it to be set up immediately. Consequently “when they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” God has appointed a day, still future, when he will certainly re-establish his kingdom, but those disciples were not to know when, for “the Father hath put the times and seasons in his own power”.
Jesus ascended to heaven in their sight until a cloud hid him from view, whereupon two angels reassured them that “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”. The return of Jesus to the earth could hardly be expressed in clearer or more emphatic terms; and it is this event for which faithful disciples of Christ long because it is only when he returns that the kingdom of God will be restored to Israel, all nations will be blessed, and the faithful will receive everlasting life.
This record in Acts emphasises the fact that both the events of those days, when Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, and those to occur when the kingdom of God is re-established, are detailed beforehand in the Old Testament. For example, the treachery of Judas Iscariot v.16.Waiting for response for Acts 1:16 Peter was referring to such passages, written a thousand years earlier, such as Psalm 55:12-14,Waiting for response for Psalm 55:12-14 and the apostles were guided by the prophecy in Psalm 109:8Waiting for response for Psalm 109:8 that Judas’ office should be taken by another. Therefore they appointed Matthias from among those who had been with them from the beginning and could bear witness to the work and resurrection of Christ.
Verse 1
Waiting for response for Acts 1:1The Acts of the Apostles was written by Luke, under inspiration of God, as a continuation of his Gospel record which he calls his “former treatise”.