Acts Chapter 1

The focal point of Acts Chapter One is "those days" referred to in verse 15. "Those days" are a reference to a period of time of about seven days after Christ ascended into heaven and before the Day of Pentecost was fully come, as in Acts 2:1.

The book is the second written by Luke, the first being the gospel of Luke, and Luke connects the book of Acts with his "former treatise."

Acts 1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

Acts 1:2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

Acts 1:3 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:

So Luke makes a reference to a forty day period of time after Christ rose from the dead, and during that time he shewed himself alive by many infallible proofs. Also during that time notice that he had given commandments to "the apostles whom he had chosen." One of those would be the man named Matthias. Notice back in the gospel of Luke:

Luke 24:33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,

Luke 24:34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.

Luke 24:35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.

Luke 24:36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

Notice it says that "the eleven were gathered together." Now by comparing this with the gospel of John we learn something:

John 20:24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

Now remember that Judas is no longer in the picture. But yet Luke says that ELEVEN were gathered together. If Judas is not there and Thomas is not there, how could there be eleven? Matthias WAS there! One of the qualifications that Peter sets forth later in the chapter is that the one chosen to replace Judas must be one who had "companied with us all the time" beginning with the baptism of John. So Matthias fits that description and was one of the ELEVEN in Luke 24 and John 20.

But now, there were three days and three nights in which the Lord was "in the heart of the earth" after his crucifixion, which was on the day of the Passover. Then he "shewed himself" and gave commandments to the apostles whom he had chosen for FORTY days. That's a total of 43 days. But the period of time between the Jewish feast day of Passover until the Day of Pentecost is a total of FIFTY days.

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:

Leviticus 23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.

"Those days" in Acts chapter one, then, would be the remaining seven days. 3 days plus 40 days and then the remaining seven days to the Day of Pentecost. So that period of time is what is in view in Acts chapter one. But now they have been led by the Lord out as far a Bethany. In other words they are on the Mount of Olives.

Acts 1:4 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.

He taught them extensively about the promise of the Father, which is the Comforter, the Holy Ghost in John Chapter 14.

Acts 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Notice that John the Baptist baptized people and he used something to baptize them WITH. He baptized WITH water. Notice that the Lord has told the Apostles that they would be baptized WITH the Holy Ghost.

Now when people were baptized WITH water it was John who did the baptizing. In the same way, when these men were baptized WITH the Holy Ghost later in Acts chapter two, it was the Lord HIMSELF who did the baptizing. This is very significant in that THIS baptism is different. That is to say, it is not the same baptism Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 12:13. The baptism is different and so is the baptizer. Christ, himself, is the baptizer here, but in 1 Corinthians 12:13 the Holy Spirit does the baptizing.

Now the question we see being asked next comes as a direct result of all of the training, all of the preaching and teaching that Jesus did in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. At that time he was preaching the gospel OF the Kingdom.

Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

At that time the message preached was to Israel and Israel alone:

Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

Matthew 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

In his earthly ministry the Lord was SENT to Israel:

Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

His ministry on earth was to the circumcision:

Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:

Those promises included land, the land of Canaan, the promised land, and they included a King, the heir to the throne of David, the King of Israel. That King, the Lord Jesus Christ, according to prophecy, will rule over the nation of Israel and all the earth. At that time the nation of Israel will be a "kingdom of priests and an holy nation." (Compare Exodus 19:5-6 and 1 Peter 2:9)

Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Matthew 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

So after all of the preaching and teaching in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the natural and obvious question on the minds of those Apostles was this:

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?

So what is in view in the ministry and message of the 12 Apostles during the early part of the book of Acts is a continuation of the message of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the message of Israel's Kingdom. It is not at all about a joint body of believers called the church, the body of Christ. So they have naturally asked the question, and the Lord answers:

Acts 1:7 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.

Notice he didn't say "No, I am not restoring the Kingdom to Israel." He merely said that it was not for them to know the time. And then he adds:

Acts 1:8 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.

Acts 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

So their understanding based on what the Lord had said was: The Kingdom WILL be restored to Israel. We just don't know when. Hence when Peter emerges as the spokesman for the 12 in Acts two and three and so on that is exactly what he is preaching. He preaches the "restitution of all things" that were spoken by Israel's prophets. And his preaching in the book of Acts is to Israel and Israel alone. He preaches the second coming of Christ and a future day of atonement for the nation of Israel. You see that clearly in Acts 3:19-21.

Acts 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

Acts 1:11 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.

In other words, when the Lord comes again, he will come in exactly the same manner as he went and to exactly the same place, the Mount of Olives.

Zechariah 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

So instead of seeing the beginning of something new here, the focus is on the fulfillment of old testament prophecy concerning Israel.

Acts 1:12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.

Acts 1:13 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.

Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

They had been told to "tarry in Jerusalem." They were told to wait for the promise of the Father. Some days had to go by. Seven days from the time the Lord ascended into heaven until the day of Pentecost was fully come.

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,)

Something important had to happen "in those days." Israel has 12 tribes. Israel had 12 Apostles. It will be their job to sit on 12 thrones "judging the twelve tribes of Israel." The Lord had said so in Matthew 19:28. He said that would occur "in the regeneration," in other words, in the resurrection of Revelation 20:4.

Acts 1:16 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.

Acts 1:17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.

Notice the fact that before Judas fell by his transgression that he was NUMBERED with them.

Acts 1:18 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.

Acts 1:19 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.

Acts 1:20 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.

So, according to scripture somebody had to replace Judas in order to make the complete NUMBER of 12 Apostles to Israel. But whoever it was to be he had to meet certain qualifications:

Acts 1:21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

Acts 1:22 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.

The Lord had said that they would be "witnesses unto me" and here the man who was to fill the office must be one who had first hand knowledge. He had to be one who had been with them all of the time beginning from the baptism of John on up to the very day the Lord ascended into heaven.

Paul doesn't fit that. Some say that what happened here was an illegal election and that the Lord had chosen Paul to be the replacement of Judas. But the problem is that there is no way that Paul would be qualified. Don't try to put Paul into the ministry or the message of Peter and the others of the 12.

Acts 1:23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

Acts 1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,

Acts 1:25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.

Notice that THIS ministry and apostleship is what is in view. It is not the same ministry nor apostleship as the Apostle Paul.

Acts 1:26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Notice he was NUMBERED. 11 Apostles plus 1 Apostle makes the complete number of 12 Apostles to Israel.

When it says that they "gave forth thier lots" it is not a reference to some kind of game of chance. Rather it is the method of determining the will of the Lord which was given to Israel.

Joshua 14:2 By lot was their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe.

Notice the LOT of the father of John the Baptist:

Luke 1:8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,

Luke 1:9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

So the will of the Lord was determined by lot and Matthias was numbered with the eleven and we find in the next verse, Acts 2:1, that when "those day" had gone by that "they were all with one accord in one place." In other words all 12 of the Apostles.

We know without doubt that Matthias was the one the Lord chose because we will find they were "ALL filled with the Holy Ghost," that is, all 12 of them and all 12 of them spake with tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

So the focus then is on 12 Jewish men, the 12 Apostles, and not on 120 men and women who were in the upper room during "those days."