Acts Chapter 1, Was Luke Jewish?, a carefully investigated, eyewitness account, restoring the kingdom to Israel, His Ascension, prayer, Mary, the mother and brothers of Jesus, Mariolotry, Judas, Peter, Matthias, be a witness

1. Acts 1
The Acts Of The
Holy Spirit Through
The Apostles
Acts Chapter 1, Was Luke Jewish?, a carefully
investigated, eyewitness account, restoring the
kingdom to Israel, His Ascension, prayer, Mary, the
mother and brothers of Jesus, Mariolotry, Judas,
Peter, Matthias, be a witness,
Second Luke chapter 1

2. BIBLE IN FIVE
Pastor Dave Kooyers
Valley Bible Fellowship
Box 433
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God bless you as you examine His Word,
Your servant in Christ, 2Cor. 4:5,
Dave Matthew 10:8 …Freely
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that "we are no longer...tossed
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3. Big Sky Country
• Please open your Bibles to
• Second Luke chapter 1

4. Are You Ready For Acts?

5. Carefully Investigated, Eyewitness Account
• Luke 1:1-4 Many have undertaken to draw up an
account of the things that have been fulfilled
among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us
by those who from the first were eyewitnesses
and servants of the word. 3 Therefore, since I
myself have carefully investigated everything
from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to
write an orderly account for you, most excellent
Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty
of the things you have been taught.

6. Author= Luke
• He’s only mentioned by name 3X’s; (only 2X’s in KJV)
• Col 4:14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and
Demas send greetings.
• 2 Tim 4:11-12 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark
and bring him with you, because he is helpful
to me in my ministry.
• Philemon 24 And so do Mark, Aristarchus,
Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.

7. Was Luke Jewish?
• http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher
• Was Luke Jewish?
• Q. Were all the disciples Jewish? There seems to be some
controversy whether Luke was a Jew or a Gentile.
• A. All the original disciples were Jewish, but Luke was not
one of the 12. He was Paul’s companion and personal
physician. He was also assigned the role of Paul’s historian
and his authorship of the gospel of Luke and the book of
Acts were for that purpose. Personally, although the Bible
doesn’t specifically identify Luke as being Jewish, I think
those who claim that he was have a more compelling case
than those who believe he was a gentile.

8. Date Written
• A.D. 60-62
• Luke didn’t mention;
• Outcome of Paul’s trial (1st Roman
imprisonment).
• 2nd Roman imprisonment
• Death of Paul
• Martyrdom of James (AD 62)
• Nero’s persecution (AD 64)
• Fall of Jerusalem (AD 70)

9. Acts Tells About The Holy Spirit
• Acts tells us more about the Holy Spirit’s work
than any other book.
• The NIV uses “Holy Spirit” 94 X’s
• 42 of those uses are in Acts!
• 13 of those uses are in Luke.
• 58% all uses of “Holy Spirit” are by Luke
• There are over 50 references to the Holy
Spirit’s work in Acts alone.

10. If You Want To Know About The Work
Of The Holy Ghost
• “Who Ya gonna’
call?”
• Luke, not the Ghost
Busters

11. The Work Of The Holy Spirit
• John 14:26…But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the
Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and
will remind you of everything I have said to you…
• Acts 1:2…after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to
the apostles…
• Acts 1:5…in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy
Spirit…
• Acts 1:8…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit
comes on you…
• Acts 1:16…the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the
mouth of David…
• John 15:26…the Spirit of truth who goes out from the
Father, he will testify about me.

12. The Promise Of The Holy Spirit “in”
• John 14:17-20 the Spirit of truth. The world
cannot accept him, because it neither sees
him nor knows him. But you know him, for he
lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not
leave you as orphans; I will come to you….20
On that day you will realize that I am in my
Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

13. Acts Is Historical
• Acts is very pragmatic
• Hands on
• Not a theological treatise
• Not about doctrine
• It’s about what happened.
• Very precisely!

14. Acts Is Good
• Read it through
• Listen to it on tape
• Or, watch the video.

15. Ch. 1 Outline
• Introduction to Luke’s 2nd.Volume (verses 1-2)
• Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Ministry (verses 3-5)
• Jesus’ Parting words & ascension (verses 6-11)
• Judas vacancy (verses 12-26)

16. Date Written

18. 2 Part Division Of Acts
• Peter is the key person in chapters 1-12;
• Paul is the key person in chapters 13-28.

19. 4 Part Divine Outline Of Acts
• Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the
Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

20. A Witness?
• Questions to Ponder:
• What about you? How do people see you?
What kind of a witness are you? What kind of
a witness do you want to be? What is
inconsistent in the witness of your life? Where
is there inconsistency between your life and
your message? The Pocket Testament League

21. Why Study The Book Of Acts?
• What’s so
important
about it.
• J. Vernon
McGee calls it
a “funnel
book.”

22. www.bible.org (summarized)
• Luke/Acts is really one work in two volumes, ¼ of N. T.
• radical change in the attitudes and actions of the
disciples
• fills in the gap between the Gospels and the Epistles
• from Jerusalem to Rome; theologically, from Israel to
the church; and racially, from Jews to Gentiles
• history of the opposition against the gospel by the Jews
• historical background of the churches in the Epistles
• examples of the apostolic preaching of the gospel
• fulfillment of promises, the coming of the Spirit
• defense of the apostleship of Paul

23. www.bible.org
• Luke/Acts is really one work in two volumes
(remember that only so much could be put on
one scroll, just as only so much can be
recorded on a cassette, or CD). If this one
work makes up over one-fourth of the content
of the New Testament, the principle of
proportion alone tells us that it must be very
important material.

24. www.bible.org
• Second, the Book of Acts provides us with a vivid
account of the radical change which took place in the
attitudes and actions of the disciples, who were
passive and almost invisible after our Lord’s death, as
described in the Gospels. The Peter who would deny
his Lord in the courtyard of the high priest, who would
hide behind locked doors after Jesus’ death, and who
would “go fishing” after His resurrection, is a very
different man in Acts 2, where he boldly proclaims
Jesus to be the Christ and announces to his audience
that they were guilty of His death and were facing
divine judgment. The transformation of the Lord’s
disciples is evident in the Book of Acts.

25. www.bible.org
• Third, Acts is a crucial book because it is the only
book in the New Testament which fills in the gap
between the Gospels and the Epistles. The Gospels
end in Jerusalem with no church, a few Jewish
believers in Jesus, and a group of disciples who are still
living, as it were, in the past. The Epistles, on the other
hand, depict a growing number of churches made up of
mainly Gentile believers and a group of disciples who
are boldly proclaiming Christ as Israel’s Messiah, and as
the Savior of the Gentiles as well. Only Acts fills in the
gaps, to explain how these changes took place. We
would not understand the Epistles apart from the Book
of Acts.

26. www.bible.org
• Fourth, Acts provides us with an inspired account of
the transition of the gospel from a largely Jewish
context to a gospel which is universal, not only
embracing the Gentiles but becoming, for a season, a
largely Gentile phenomenon. We begin in Jerusalem
with a handful of Jewish followers of Jesus. The Book
of Acts ends in Rome, with a number of Gentile
churches having been founded, and a predominantly
Gentile Christian community. The Book of Acts
describes this transition: geographically, from
Jerusalem to Rome; theologically, from Israel to the
church; and racially, from Jews to Gentiles

27. www.bible.org
• Fifth, the Book of Acts (in conjunction with Luke)
gives us the history of the origin and nature of the
opposition against the gospel by the Jews. One of the
greatest and most frequent problems the New
Testament church had to deal with was the opposition
of the Jews, who resisted the gospel, and the Judaizers,
who sought to pervert it. The Gospel of Luke (and the
other Gospels as well) describe the roots of this
opposition, which began as a resistance to Jesus’
actions and teaching. …We would never understand
the nature of the problem which faced the church
(which, incidentally, has its own forms today) apart
from Luke/Acts.

28. www.bible.org
• Sixth, the Book of Acts provides us with a
historical background for many of the churches
which are dealt with in the Epistles of the New
Testament….
• Seventh, the Book of Acts supplies us with some
excellent examples of the apostolic preaching of
the gospel. Gospel preaching is modeled in Acts.
If we would follow the example of the apostles in
proclaiming the gospel, then we will learn from
Acts how it is done.

29. www.bible.org
• Ninth, the Book of Acts is an account of the
fulfillment of our Lord’s promises to His
disciples concerning the coming of the Spirit
and His ministry in the world to and through
them….
• Tenth, the Book of Acts is a forceful defense
of the apostleship of Paul….

30. www.bible.org
• Eleventh, the Book of Acts describes how the purpose
of God to save the Gentiles through Israel was
accomplished, but in a way no one would have
expected. It was not through the obedience of Israel
that the Gentiles received the gospel but actually
through their disobedience. The book gives us the
incredible account of how God achieved the beginnings
of a world-wide religion (rather than a small Jewish
sect) by the opposition of the Jews, by their
persecution of the saints, and even in spite of the
actions and example of the Jerusalem church. It is an
account of the sovereignty and power of God, using
even men’s sin to accomplish His purposes.

31. www.bible.org
• Finally, the Book of Acts is vitally important because it
has become a battleground for evangelical Christians.
Acts is unfortunately a battleground for Christians. The
charismatic Christians make it their textbook, while anti-
charismatics try to minimize it as merely transitional….
• It is for these and other reasons that the Book of Acts is
vital for our understanding and our practice of the
gospel. I look forward to this study of Acts with great
anticipation. I ask that you commence this study with
much prayer for an open heart and mind to learn that
which God has here for us. I urge you to read and reread
this great book as often as possible. May God grant that
we find our lives transformed by the truths of this book,
and even more, that we be drawn ever more closely to
our Lord Jesus Christ and to His Spirit who now dwells
among and within us who are saved.”

32. Let’s read Acts 1:1-26

33. Acts 1:1,
• Acts 1:1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about
all that Jesus began to do and to teach
• “Theophilus” I think you already know enough Grk to
translate his name.
• It means "a friend of God,"
• <2321> Θεόφιλος (Theophilos)
• Meaning: "friend of God," Theophilus, the addressee
of Luke and Acts
• Origin: from 2316 [<2316> θεός (theos)] and 5384 [<5384> φίλος
(philos), beloved, dear, friendly ]…
• Some think he was given this name because the
attending physician said;
• “He’s the awfulist baby I’ve ever seen!”

34. Acts 1:6-7, Thy Kingdom Come
• Acts 1:6-7 So when they met together, they asked him,
"Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom
to Israel?" 7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know
the times or dates the Father has set by his own
authority.
• Not yet, not now.
• Jesus did not say “Oh you silly disciples, don’t you know
by not that I had to change my plan, and I’m not actually
going to reign. The kingdom will just be in your hearts.”
• NAU Luke 1:32 "He will be great and will be called the Son
of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the
throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the
house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no
end.” [Heb 2:14, Eph 2:2, 2 Cor 4:4, John 12:31, Acts 5:3]

35. Acts 1:6, Restore
• NKJ Acts 1:6 …"Lord, will You at this time restore the
kingdom to Israel?"
• Strong’s # 600 ἀποκαθίστημι … apokathistemi {ap-ok-
ath-is'-tay-mee}
• Meaning: 1) to restore to its former state 2) to be in
its former state
• Origin: from 575 and 2525…
• 2525 καθίστημι kathistemi {kath-is'-tay-mee}
• Meaning: 1) to set, place, put 1a) to set one over a
thing (in charge of it) 1b) to appoint one to administer
an office …

36. Acts 1:6-7, Not For You To Know
• Acts 1:7 He said to them: "It is not for you to
know the times or dates the Father has set by
his own authority.
• Matt 24:36 "No one knows about that day or
hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the
Son, but only the Father.

37. Acts 1:9-11
• Acts 1:9-11 After he said this, he
was taken up before their very eyes,
and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up
into the sky as he was going, when
suddenly two men dressed in white
stood beside them. 11 "Men of
Galilee," they said, "why do you
stand here looking into the sky? This
same Jesus, who has been taken
from you into heaven, will come
back in the same way you have seen
him go into heaven."

38. Jesus Will Come Back In The Same Way
• 2 Thes 2:8 And then the lawless one will be
revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow
with the breath of his mouth and destroy by
the splendor of his coming.
• Rev 19:15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp
sword with which to strike down the nations…

39. His Ascension
• Luke 9:51 When the days were approaching
for His ascension, He was determined to go to
Jerusalem; NASU
• This is the only use of this word.

40. The Ascension Of Christ
• William Temple said, “The ascension of Christ
is his liberation from all restrictions of time
and space. It does not represent his removal
from the earth, but his constant presence
everywhere on earth.”
• It was a change of ministry, like the Holy
Spirit’s change of ministry in Acts 2, and in the
future in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 (John 14:17).

41. The Ascension Of Christ
• “This same Jesus literally went up. This same
Jesus will literally come again. He will descend
in clouds; and, "He shall stand at the latter day
upon the earth" even as beforehand. . .
Brethren, do not let anyone spiritualize away
all this from you.”
•
• --C.H. Spurgeon, "The Ascension and the
Second Advent Practically Considered," 31:23

42. Acts 1:12
They Returned To Jerusalem
Acts 1:12
David's Citadel,
Jerusalem

43. Acts 1:12, Mount of Olives
• The Mount of
Olives as seen
from
Jerusalem and
the traditional
site (exact
location
uncertain) of
the Garden of
Gethsemane.

44. Acts 1:14, Constantly In Prayer
• Acts 1:14 They all joined together constantly in
prayer, along with the women and Mary the
mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
• John MacArthur says, “The pattern of praying in
the name of Jesus started at this time(cf. John
14:13, 14 (Study Bible page 1633)
• John 14:13-14 And I will do whatever you ask in
my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the
Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my
name, and I will do it.

45. Acts 1:14
• Acts 1:14…constantly in prayer, along with the women
and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
• Last mention of Mary.
• Unless she is the “elect lady”;
• 2 John 1 The Elder, To the elect lady and her children,
whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those
who have known the truth, NKJV
• Were they praying with Mary or to Mary?
• His brothers, Mark 6:3 Is this not the carpenter, the
Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and
Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they
were offended at Him. NKJV

46. Mark 6:3, Brothers Of Jesus
• Mark 6:3…brother of …His sisters
• ἀδελφός adelphos {ad-el-fos'}
• Meaning: 1) a brother, whether born of the same two
parents or only of the same father or mother 2) having
the same national ancestor, belonging to the same
people, or countryman 3) any fellow or man 4) a fellow
believer, united to another by the bond of affection 5)
an associate in employment or office 6) brethren in
Christ 6a) his brothers by blood 6b) all men 6c)
apostles 6d) Christians, as those who are exalted to the
same heavenly place
• …Usage: AV - brother 346; 346

47. Mark 6:3…brother of
• Mark 6:3…brother of …His sisters
• 79 ἀδελφή adelphe {ad-el-fay'} Meaning: 1) a
full, own sister 2) one connected by the tie of
the Christian religion; Origin: from 80; TDNT -
1:144,22; n f; Usage: AV - sister 24; 24

48. Net Bible Notes
• Mark 6:3…the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and
brother of …His sisters
• The reference to Jesus as the carpenter is
probably derogatory, indicating that they knew
Jesus only as a common laborer like themselves.
The reference to him as the son of Mary (even
though Jesus' father was probably dead by this
point) appears to be somewhat derogatory, for a
man was not regarded as his mother's son in
Jewish usage unless an insult was intended (cf.
Judg 11:1–2; John 6:42; 8:41; 9:29).

49. Acts 1:16, Scripture Had To Be Fulfilled
• Ps 69:25 May their place be deserted;
• let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
• Ps 109:8
• May his days be few;
• may another take his place of leadership.

50. Acts 1:16, Through The Mouth Of David
• Acts 1:16…the Holy Spirit spoke long ago
through the mouth of David
• A very powerful claim of inspiration of
Scripture.
• 2 Peter 1:21 For prophecy never had its origin
in the will of man, but men spoke from God as
they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

51. Matt 27:5, Judas Hanged Himself
Someone
got it on
a cell
phone
camera

52. Acts 1:18-19, Judas Bought A Field
• Acts 1:18-19 (With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas
bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all
his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about
this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is,
Field of Blood.)
• Matt 27:5-10 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left.
Then he went away and hanged himself. 6 The chief priests picked
up the coins and said, "It is against the law to put this into the
treasury, since it is blood money." 7 So they decided to use the
money to buy the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners. 8
That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then
what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: "They took
the thirty silver coins, the price set on him by the people of Israel,
10 and they used them to buy the potter's field, as the Lord
commanded me."

53. Acts 1:18-19, Judas Bought A Field
• Zech 11:12-13 I told them, "If you think it
best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it." So
they paid me thirty pieces of silver.
• 13 And the Lord said to me, "Throw it to the
potter"-the handsome price at which they
priced me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver
and threw them into the house of the Lord to
the potter.

54. Kidron Valley - Field Of Akeldama

55. Acts 1:18, His Body Burst Open
• Acts 1:18…there he fell headlong, his body
burst open and all his intestines spilled out.
• Matt 27:4-5…"What is that to us?" they
replied. "That's your responsibility."
• 5 So Judas threw the money into the temple
and left. Then he went away and hanged
himself.

56. Acts 1:18, His Body Burst Open
• Acts 1:18…Judas…his body burst open and all his
intestines spilled out.
• Matt 27:5…Judas…Then he went away and
hanged himself.
• We tend to think of “hung by the neck until
dead”, but biblically;
• Est 2:23…the two officials were hanged on a
gallows….
• 2:23 c Or were hung (or impaled) on poles;
similarly elsewhere in Esther

57. Acts 1:15-19, Ready, Fire, Aim Peter
• Acts 1:4-5…"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait
for the gift my Father promised, which you
have heard me speak about.
• Waiting isn’t Peter’s strong suit.
• John 18:10 Then Simon Peter, who had a
sword, drew it and struck the high priest's
servant, cutting off his right ear…

58. Acts 1:15-19, Ready, Fire, Aim Peter
• Matt 14:29…Peter got down out of the boat…
• Matt 16:22…Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
"Never, Lord!“…
• Matt 16:23…Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind
me, Satan!...
• Matt 26:72…He denied it again, with an oath: "I don't know
the man!"
• Mark 14:71…He began to call down curses on himself, and
he swore to them, "I don't know this man you're talking
about."

59. Who’s The Twelfth?
• Rev 21:14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them
were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
• Just whose name would be on the foundation in place of Judas?
Who was the twelfth apostle?
• Matt 19:28…you who have followed me will also sit on twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
• Matthias is never mentioned again.
• Acts clearly portrays Paul as apostle.
• Peter isn’t baptized with the Spirit yet.
• Jesus didn’t tell them to draw lots.
• Jesus said in John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and
appointed you …
• Acts 1:4…while he was eating with them, he gave them this
command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father
promised…

60. Who’s The Twelfth?
• Acts 2:14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven…
• 4862 σύν sun {soon} , Meaning: 1) with
• Origin: a primary preposition denoting union;
TDNT - 7:766,1102; prep
• Usage: AV - with 123, beside 1, accompany +
2064 1; 125
• Acts 6:2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples
together…
• 1 Cor 15:4-5 that he was buried, that he was
raised on the third day according to the
Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and
then to the Twelve.

61. Who’s The Twelfth?
• Gen 48:5 "Now then, your two sons born to
you in Egypt before I came to you here will be
reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will
be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.
• There are 12 tribes;
• Rev 21:12…On the gates were written the
names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
• The 12 tribes have 14 names!

62. The End

63. Jeremiah 7:18, 44:17-25, Acts 1:14 Romans 3:10+23
Luke 1:46-47 2 Corinthians 11:14, Mariolatry
• most apparitions of Mary are by an angel of light...
• 2 Corinthians 11:14... Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Luke
1:46-47... God my Savior... Jeremiah 44:17 …to the queen of heaven…
• CCC 494, 411, 966, 969, 2677,
• CCC 494 …Espousing the divine will for salvation wholeheartedly, without
a single sin to restrain her, she gave herself entirely to the person and to
the work of her Son; she did so in order to serve the mystery of
redemption with him and dependent on him, by God’s
grace:140 (2617,148, 968, 726)
• As St. Irenaeus says, “Being obedient she became the cause of salvation
for herself and for the whole human race.”141 Hence not a few of the early
Fathers gladly assert... : “The knot of Eve’s disobedience was untied by
Mary’s obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary
loosened by her faith.”142 Comparing her with Eve, they call Mary “the
Mother of the living” and frequently claim: “Death through Eve, life
through Mary.”143

64. 1 John 2:1 1 Timothy 2:5, One
Advocate, One Mediator, Original Sin
• 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God
and men, the man Christ Jesus..., 1 John 2:1 ...an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
• Only 1 NT verse about Mary, Acts 1:14, Heb 9:10-15
• CCC 966 “Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of
original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up
body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over
all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the
Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.”508 The Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection and an
anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians: (491)
• In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave
the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You
conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from
death.509
• ...she is our Mother in the order of grace”

65. • Dear Compass,
• In Acts 1:18, Peter said Judas' death was caused by a fall and his insides
spilled out. But in Matthew 27:5, it says that Judas hanged himself. Also,
Matthew said the priests bought the field while Acts says Judas bought it.
So much for inerrancy of Scripture, huh?
•
ANSWER:
• Both descriptions of Judas' death could be true. There are many trees
even today that have branches hanging over the edge of those cliffs
alongside the Hinnom Valley. Judas could have easily hanged himself with
a thin rope that could have beheaded him allowing his body to crash down
on the rocks below.
• Regarding the purchase of the field, the priests could not take back the 30
pieces of silver paid to Judas to betray Jesus' location in the Garden of
Gethsemane. The priests didn't want to have the appearance of having
anything to do with Judas' money. So the obvious thing to do was to use
the money to buy a field in Judas' name.

66. Joel 2:18-29 Isa
11 Amos 9:11
Acts
15:16, Interpreta
tions of the
Christian
millennium

67. • What Happened To Matthias?
• Sunday, April 20th, 2014New Testament
• Q. My question is about Matthias, the apostle who replaced Judas. My SS teacher said that he
believes that Paul should have been the replacement apostle rather than Matthias. His reasoning
is that there is nothing more known about Matthias after his selection and he says, a careful
reading shows that the Lord was not consulted about the selection. I know that Paul is sometimes
called the 13th apostle, but is anything known about Matthias?
• A. Following his selection as the replacement for Judas (Acts 1:15-26), the Bible makes no
subsequent mention of Matthias. But Church traditions indicate that besides Judea, Matthias
traveled to Macedonia, Cappadocia (eastern Turkey) and the Caspian Sea area known as Western
Georgia today.
• Acts 1:23-26 shows that the disciples proposed two candidates and then prayed that the Lord
would show them which one He wanted. Matthias was then chosen by lot. Like your Sunday School
teacher, I believe Paul was the Lord’s replacement for Judas.
• http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/what-happened-to-
matthias/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethrufait
h+%28GraceThruFaith%29

68. Between First Fruits and Pentecost
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
• Between First Fruits and Pentecost
• Saturday, June 7th, 2014Featured
• Forgiveness
• Israel
• A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
• For some time now, I’ve been puzzled about the time between the resurrection and the ascension, wondering why the Lord lingered during those 40 days. It certainly wasn’t to complete
His mission. By all accounts He had already accomplished everything He came to do. It seems like He would have been more anxious to return to His heavenly home.
• The Olivet Discourse
• My curiosity was first aroused during a review of the Olivet Discourse. To show you what I mean we’ll have to do a quick review of the first 34 verses of Matt. 24. I’m particularly
interested in the way the Lord answered the disciples’ questions about the signs of His coming and the End of the age. The disciples were clearly looking for specific signs. But in Matt.
24:4-14 He began by mentioning a handful of general signs that don’t appear to have any clear relevance to time.
• First He warned them that many false messiahs would come claiming to be Him. Next came wars and rumors of wars, but He said not to be alarmed by such things, they wouldn’t be signs
of the end. Then He gave the “birth pang” signs, famines, earthquakes and, in Luke’s account, pestilence. These are signature signs of coming judgment that Jesus said would lead up to
the end.
• He said Jews would be persecuted and put to death, hated by all nations. This would cause many to turn away from the Jewish faith to hate and betray each other. False prophets would
also appear and deceive many people. The love of most would grow cold but he who stood firm to the end would be saved. I believe the love He was talking about here is the love of God,
because this is the love that saves us.
• I wonder what the disciples thought about all of this so far. Remember they were under the impression that Israel was 483 years into a 490 year period that would see the culmination of
God’s plan for mankind (Daniel 9:24). Up until an hour or so earlier they had assumed that the magnificent Temple King Herod was building was part of the preparation for restoring their
Kingdom to its former glory. But then Jesus had told them it was all going to be torn down. Now He was giving them vague and general answers to their specific questions.
• Finally, in Matt. 24:15, He gave them the first clear sign. An abomination that causes desolation would be set up in the Holy Place. They knew this had happened once before. The Syrian
ruler Antiochus Epiphanes had set one up almost 200 years earlier as part of his demand that they worship him as God. It made the temple unfit for use, and the way the Lord had
miraculously cleansed it is still celebrated every year in the Feast of Hanukkah. It was the only time it had ever happened. Jesus said when they saw that happen again, they should
immediately flee into the mountains.
• He said the abomination of desolation will bring about the Great Tribulation, a terrible time of judgment, the worst the world ever has seen or ever will see. He said if he didn’t bring it to
an end at the appointed time no one on Earth would survive, but for the sake of the elect He would bring it to its end. He said when He did that the sun and moon would stop shining and
the stars would fall out of the sky (Matt. 24:29). Then they’d see His sign, the only source of light in the dark sky, and finally they will see Him coming in the clouds of the sky with power
and great glory (Matt. 24:30).
• In all this He never mentioned the Church. (In fact in His entire earthly ministry, He only mentioned the Church twice, in Matt. 16:18 and Matt. 18:17.) He didn’t even hint at the fact that
2,000 years would separate their time and the time of the first specific sign. He spoke of everything as if it was going to happen to them. It’s also clear He was addressing them as
representatives of Israel.
• From our perspective we see that He could have been much more specific, especially with the earlier signs. But the clear explanation of how things would actually unfold didn’t come
until the Council of Jerusalem 20 years later. In effect, James told the group of early Church leaders, “Israel is being set aside until the Lord takes from among the Gentiles a people for
Himself. Then He’ll return to rebuild David’s fallen tabernacle” (Acts 15:13-18). During the Olivet Discourse Jesus had made no mention of this happening.
• What Was He Waiting For?
• Then there’s the issue of the apparent dead time between the resurrection and the ascension. What was that all about? He didn’t do any public teaching or healing, and there were no
other miracles either. After His meeting with the disciples on Resurrection Sunday there were only 6 more recorded appearances. 4 were to the disciples (John 20:26-31, John 21:1-23,
Matt. 28:16-20, Acts 1:3-8), one was to James (1 Cor. 15:7) and one was to about 500 others, his only public appearance (1 Cor. 15:6) between the resurrection and the ascension.
• Otherwise the Bible is silent about how He spent His time. There’s no account of discussions being held on how to launch the Church, and He didn’t fill in any of the blanks from the Olivet
Discourse. We know why He didn’t go back to the Temple. He told the leaders there they wouldn’t see Him again until they said, “Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the
Lord” (Matt. 23:39).
• The Unmistakable Sign
• Before the cross these leaders had asked the Lord for a sign to prove He was the messiah. Even though His ministry was characterized by miracles that confirmed Old Testament
prophecies about Him, He told them the only sign He would give them was the sign of the prophet Jonah. He said just as Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of a great
fish, He would spend 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the Earth (Matt. 12:40).
• And then He did just what He told them He was going to do. Surely they all knew of His resurrection, but none of the officials sought Him out. What do you suppose they were thinking?
Many overlook this, but His resurrection was the most unmistakably miraculous sign He could have given them. It didn’t take any faith to interpret, and it couldn’t have been fabricated.
It’s as if He had looked them in the eye and said, “I know you’re going to kill me. But after three days I’m going to rise again, and that’s how you’ll know I’m your Messiah. That sign will

69. http://archive.org/details/Dr.MalCouc
hIntroductiontothebookofActs
• http://archive.org/details/Dr.MalCouchIntrod
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