The holy spirit and christ's ascension

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND CHRIST'S ASCENSION
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Acts 2:33 33Exaltedto the right hand of God, he has
receivedfrom the Fatherthe promisedHoly Spiritand
has poured out what you now see and hear.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
R.A. Redford
Being therefore, etc.
I. RECEIVED OF THE FATHER. The throne of Christ is the right hand of
the Father. "Righteousnessand peace have kissedeachother." The obedience
of Christ rewarded. The highestmanifestation of the Divine in the Man Christ
Jesus. The only true view of infinite power is that which sees it on Christ's
throne as the source of the Spirit of life. Man's powerdestroys, God's power
creates andsaves. The thrones of this world fall, because theyare so unlike
Christ's throne.
II. The HIGHEST SUMMIT which Jesus reached;to which he was exalted.
He did not throw off humanity, but carried it with him. Forthe sake ofit he
endured the cross. The gloryof the throne shines through the earthly scenesof
his history. So we cansee the summit of our blessedness beyondand through
the steepsides of the earthly path. Exalted for us, Jesus shows us that there is
a holy ambition which is not self-worship, but self-sacrifice. James andJohn

were not reproved for desiring to sit beside Jesus, but for desiring it apart
from Divine appointment - as mere personalfavor.
III. THE GIFT ITSELF. "He hath shed forth this, which ye see and hear."
Spiritual power is given that it may be manifested; not in the world's forms,
not as ecclesiasticshave claimed to exhibit it, but with Pentecostalgrace -
distinguished men, subduing and captivating messages.The poverty of the
Church without this gift. The evidence of its presence in the spirit of loyalty to
the King from whose throne it descends. Christ-like poweris what we want.
The individual appeal: "Ye see and hear." The gift is already bestowed. Why
should any be without it? An appeal(as in ver. 36) to the Crucifixion. "Ye
slew him; yet he offers you his grace. Ye said, 'We will not have this man to
reign over us;' yet he holds out his scepter, and invites you to sit down with
him on his throne." Is not this a love to put on the throne of our hearts? - R.
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted.
Acts 2:33-36
The right hand of God
D. Whitby, D. D.
The phrase imports —
I. THE UNSPEAKABLE FELICITY INTO WHICH CHRIST'S HUMAN
NATURE — for it is of Christ incarnate that this is said, and as the rewardof
His sufferings as a man — HAD NOW ENTERED;for "in Thy presence is
fulness of joy," etc. (Psalm16:11).
II. THE GLORIOUS MAJESTYTO WHICH HE HAD REACHED
(Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 8:1).
III. THE FULNESS OF POWER WITHWHICH HE IS INVESTED who has
declared, "All poweris given unto Me," etc. (Matthew 28:18). (See Psalm
20:6; Psalm 89:13;Matthew 26:64).

IV. THE JUDICIAL THRONE ON WHICH HE SITS (Romans 14:9, 10).
(D. Whitby, D. D.)
The ascensionand its meaning
W. Hudson.
Petershows —
I. THAT IT HAD TAKEN PLACE IN FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY.
Again the particular prediction is taken from David. It is a passageapplied by
Jesus to Himself, to the confusionof the Pharisees,whose silencewas a
confessionofits Messianic character(Matthew 22:42-46). Its fulfilment was
by the powerof God. The hand is that part of the body by which man puts
forth his strength, and the right hand is superior to the left; and God,
condescending to human ways of speech, represents the exercise ofHis power
as the work of His right hand. Creationwas done by a word; but this
concluding actof redemption demanded the putting forth of Jehovah's power.
II. THAT IT HAD TAKEN THE REDEEMERTO HIS HEAVENLY
CONDITION. He was exalted, that He might "sitat the right hand of God"
(cf. Matthew 26:64; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 8:1). This condition
is marked by —
1. A continuous quiet dominion.(1) He has dominion, being "at the right hand
of the Majestyon high," and that dominion involves "all authority in heaven
and in earth."(2)But He rules in quietness and rest. Having finished His great
work, He "sits." Angels, being evermore on duty (Hebrews 1:14), stand about
the throne. God says not to them, "Sit on My right hand."(3) This dominion
will continue until its Mediatorship has answeredits purpose.
2. Perfecthappiness (Psalm 16:11). The great joy had been setbefore Him,
and had sustainedHim in sorrow. Let His consummate blessednessshow as
the goodplacedwithin the reach of man.

3. The subduing of His foes. The allusion is to the ancient customof
conquerors to set their feetupon the necks of the vanquished.Who are His
foes?
1. The Jews, who were subdued when their nationality was destroyed.
2. The Romans, who were subdued when their empire was comprehended in
Christendom.
3. The pagans, that still remain. These will be subdued when the gospelhas
been preachedto all nations for a witness.
4. Men and women in Christendom who still reject Him. They also will see
their folly and sin, and acknowledgeHim either too soonor too late.
5. Sin and Satan, but these will be castout.
6. Death. "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."
III. THAT IT WAS DECLARED TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE BY EVENTS
NOW TRANSPIRING. "He hath shed forth this," etc. These events —
1. Showedthat the Holy Spirit had been given. This Peterdoes not tire of
repeating. Its importance demanded its repetition, and does so still. But Jesus
had said that unless He went to the Father the Holy Spirit would not come.
Therefore His manifest presence proved the ascension.
2. Were a fulfilment of the Father's promise. The promise made through the
prophets had been repeatedto Jesus, and by Him to the apostles;and He was
now gone to receive what was promised. This was the simple, straightforward
explanation of what was happening.
3. Were brought about by Jesus Himself. "He hath shed." During His
ministry He had wrought unnumbered miracles, every one of which displayed
Divine power, and He was but continuing what He had begun (Ephesians 4:8).
4. Were in themselves wonderful. "This which ye now see and hear."
Explanation was not attempted. What was seenand heard was enoughto
work conviction.

IV. In the ascensionPeterfinds THE CONCLUDING-POINT OF HIS
ARGUMENT — viz., that Jesus was Lord and Christ. Then they had
crucified the Messiah. No wonderthey were pricked in the heart. In
conclusion, see here —
1. The means to be employed by preachers:the facts M history and
experience, with interpretations from the Word of God.
2. The end to be aimed at by preachers — that personal convictionwhich
prepares sinners to acceptChrist.
(W. Hudson.)
The exaltationof Christ
W. Arthur, M. A.
He is there at the right hand of God, above all principality and power, and
every name that is named. He is not there among the patriarchs; He is higher
up. He is not there among the martyrs; He is higher up. He is not there among
the prophets; He is higher up. He is not there among the four and twenty
elders; He is higher up. He is not there with the four living beings that are
immediately surrounding the throne; He is higher up. He is at the right hand,
in the midst of the throne, literally over all, God-blessedfor ever. That throne
will never be called the throne of God and the patriarchs, or the throne of
God and the prophets, or the throne of God and the angels, or the throne of
God and the martyrs, but it will evermore be calledthe throne of God and of
the Lamb; for He that giveth not His glory to another has takenHim unto that
throne, and at that throne He stands as the Lamb that was slain, bearing upon
Him in the centralseatof glory and brightness the dark tokens ofdeath: the
dear tokens of His passionstill His dazzling body bears, and from that centre
of authority He hath poured out, "He hath shed forth that which now ye do
see and hear."
(W. Arthur, M. A.)

He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear
The effusion of the Spirit
E. T. Priest.
I. THE PROMISESOF THE SPIRIT, UNDER PRECEDING
DISPENSATIONS. As the prophecies of Christ served to identify the Messiah
on His manifestation in the flesh, and prove His Divine mission, so these
predictions of the coming and agencyof the Holy Ghostin the ancient
Scriptures of the Jewishpeople, conspire, with the facts afterwards to be
noticed as the accomplishmentof them, to show that it is a Divine energy from
on high which is now amongstus of a truth.
II. THE COMMUNICATION OF THE HOLY GHOST FROM THE HANDS
OF THE EXALTED REDEEMER.
1. The work of the Holy Ghost is essentiallyconnectedwith the work of
Christ. Of old the Spirit was given to foretell it, but His greaterprovince was
to attestand apply it.
2. This communication of the Spirit from the hands of the exaltedSaviour
makes distinctly manifest what is everywhere implied in Scripture — that the
gift of the Holy Ghost is a purely gratuitous and gracious bestowment.
III. WHAT IS STATED TO BE THE NATURE OF THE WORK OF THE
HOLY GHOST IN THE CHURCH. What were those manifestations thus
dispensed from the hands of the Redeemer, of which we read in Scripture, and
some of which are matters of observationor of consciousnessstill?
1. There were those supernatural endowments, calledin Scripture "Spiritual
gifts," which first proclaimed the presence ofthe Holy Ghostin the Church.
2. With this stands closelyconnectedthe inspiration of the apostles. The
system of truth which the spiritual gifts were to attestwas that of which they
were the professedexpositors;and it was in the train of their ministry that
these manifestations appeared.

3. We have further to advert to that, to which all that we have been dwelling
upon is but subservient, as means to the end — the manifestationof that new
element of spiritual life which sprung up in connectionwith the exhibition of
apostolic truth, and which is ascribedin Scripture to the application of that
truth to the soul by the Holy Ghost. The first work of the Spirit, of which we
have spoken, was chiefly for attestation;the second, for instruction; this third,
for regenerationand salvation. And if the Spirit appears glorious in His gifts
and diversities of miraculous working, and as the source of inspiration in the
apostles. andprophets, much more is it so when we view Him as "the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus," andas establishing "a law" within the renewedsoul,
which makes it "free from the law of sin and death."
(E. T. Priest.)
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that
same Jesus, whomye have crucified, both Lord
The Lordship of Christ
J. Donne, D. D.
I. THE APOSTLE APPLIES HIMSELF TO HIS AUDITORY IN A FAIR,
GENTLE MANNER. We have a word amongstus in familiar use —
"compliment"; and for the most part in an ill sense, forthe heart of a speaker
does not always answerhis tongue. But God forbid but a true heart and a fair
tongue might very well consisttogether. He aggravates his condemnation who
gives me fair words and means ill; but he gives me a rich jewelin a choice
cabinet, precious wine in a cleanglass, who intends and expresses his good
intentions well.
II. So the apostle is civil here; but his civility does not amount to flattery; and
therefore, though he gives his audience their titles, HE PUTS HOME TO
THEM THE CRUCIFYING OF CHRIST. How honourably soeverthey were
descended, he lays that murder close to their consciences.It is one thing to sew
pillows under the elbows of kings, as flatterers do, and another to pull the
chair from under them, as seditious men do. When inferiors insult over their

superiors, we tell them they are the Lord's anointed; and when such superiors
insult over the Lord Himself, we must tell them, "Though you be the Lord's
anointed, yet you crucify the anointed Lord"; for this was Peter's method,
though his successorwillnot be bound by it.
III. When he hath carried the matter thus evenly betweenthem, HE
ANNOUNCES A MESSAGE. "Letall the house of Israel know assuredly."
Needthe house of Israel know anything? Need the honourable to be
instructed? Yes, for this knowledge is suchthat the house of Israel is without a
foundation if it be without it. Let no Church or man think that he hath done
enough or known enough. The wisestmust know more, though they be the
house of Israel;and then, though you have crucified Christ, you may know it.
St. Paul says, "If they had knownit, they would not have crucified the Lord of
Glory" (1 Corinthians 2:8); but he never says they are excluded from the
knowledge. The wisesthave ever something to learn; they must not presume.
The sinfullest have God ever ready to teach them; they must not despair. Now
the universality of this mercy God has extended very far, in that He proposes
it even to our knowledge:"Let all know it." And therefore it is not enough for
us to tell you exceptyou believe all this you shall be damned, without we
execute that commissionbefore, "Go and preach"; and it is not enough for
you to rest in imaginary faith and easiness ofbelieving, except you know what,
why, and how you believe. The implicit believer stands in an open field, and
the enemy will ride over him easily; the understanding believer is a fenced
town, and hath outworks to lose before the town be pressed — i.e., reasons to
be answeredbefore his faith be shaked. Let all men know — i.e., inform
themselves and understand.
IV. THE PARTICULAR WHICH ALL WERE TO KNOW was that this
same Jesus whom they crucified was exalted. Suppose an impossibility: if we
could have been in paradise, and seenGod make of a clod a body fit for an
immortal soul — fit for God the Son to dwell in, and fit for a temple of the
Holy Ghost, should we not have wonderedmore than at the production of all
other creatures? It is more that this same crucified Jesus should be exalted to
the right hand of the glorious God. Let, then, sinners pass through their
severalsins, and remember with wonder and confusion that the Jesus whom

they have crucified is exalted above all. How far exalted? Three steps carry
Him above St. Paul's third heaven.
1. God made Him so, not nature. The contractbetweenthe Father and Him
that all He did should be done so — this is what hath exalted Him, and us in
Him.
2. God made Him Christ — i.e., anointed Him above His fellows.
3. God made Him Lord. But what kind of Lord, if He had no subjects? God
hath given Him these too (Romans 14:9).
(J. Donne, D. D.)
Jesus as Lord
S. Pearson, M. A.
We are apt to let this idea slip. As soonas we have apprehended Christ as
Saviour, we suppose sometimes that the work is done; whereas it is but just
begun. Christ is Saviour in order that He may be King. He saves us first,
because that is the only effective way of ruling over us. He cannot capture
man and bring him into subjection, exceptby laying hold of man's heart. It is
love that changes, andlove that rules. One of our best story-tellers has taken
us into a Californian camp. They were a hard, fighting, swearing set, those
gold-diggers. But a baby was born into the camp, and these rough men were
allowedto go and look at the little babe; and there was one man put his finger
down, and the baby's hand wound round it, and seemedto thrill his rough,
coarse nature with a new love. The man was changed;the camp was changed.
It was love that did it. Love is Christ's method; rule His end. If Christ does
not rule men, He has failed in the purpose that calledHim here. All living
things need a ruling force. The body is useless withoutthe brain to direct its
movements; the family fail when father and mother die; an army is powerless
when there is no one to give orders;a state is the home of miserable factions
when there is no recognisedauthority; and humanity itself is but a series of
disjointed individuals, until Christ is crownedLord of man and King of the

world. Christian men are forgetting Christ's world-wide Lordship and
universal claims; and these claims must be pressedhome on the hearts and
consciencesofmen until they fully acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
I. LORD OF MAN.
1. Ruling man's body, with its passions and inclinations.
2. Guiding man's mind, preserving the intellect from sophistry, the conscience
from error, the heart from corruption.
II. LORD OF WOMAN.
1. Touching her tender heart with a deeper pathos for the sufferings of the
world.
2. Making her man's helpmeet in all that is pure and ennobling.
3. Enabling her, with man, to deal with all that is evil in societyand degrading
in public sentiment.
III. LORD OF THE CHILD.
1. Alluring the young life along paths of obedience and self-denial and
thoughtfulness.
2. Yet filling the lap with buttercups and daises, and merriment and laughter.
"Suffer little children," etc.
IV. LORD OF THE HOME. Determining its —
1. Expenditure.
2. Giving.
3. Habits.
4. Prayers.
5. Purposes, andbinding parents, children, servants, into one holy fellowship.
V. LORD OF THE CHURCH. Giving —

1. Truth to feed the mind.
2. Grace to support the life.
3. Wisdom to guide the judgment.
4. Reverence to lift up the soul in worship.
5. Enthusiasm to inspire the work.
6. A peacefulspirit, binding all togetherby our golden chain of loving
brotherhood.
VI. LORD OF THE STATE.
1. Decreeing justice to all.
2. Bringing law into harmony with Divine teaching.
3. Lifting up the poor and abasing the proud.
4. Rebuking the evil doers, and overturning all iniquity.
VII. LORD OF THE WORLD.
1. Driving back the darkness.
2. Destroying false religionand bringing in the true.
3. Making the world like heaven.Conclusion:That Lordship of Christ will not
let us put on and put off religion with our Sunday clothes. It bids us take
Christ with us, not merely to religious work, but so to take Him that all work
should be religious. It calls upon Christians to be the subjects of Christ
everywhere;to obey Christ in business, in the home, in politics, in reading, in
talking, in laughing, in giving, in dying. There is a majesty about this name
that men have not yet felt.
(S. Pearson, M. A.)
The name above every name

A. Maclaren, D. D
These names, to us very little more than three proper names, were very
different to these men who listened to Peter. It wanted some courage to
proclaim on the housetopwhat he had spokenin the ear long ago. "Thouart
the Christ, the Son of the living God!" To most of his listeners, to say, "Jesus
is the Christ" was folly, and to say "Jesusis the Lord" was blasphemy.
I. THE NAME JESUS IS THE NAME OF THE MAN, WHICH TELLS US
OF A BROTHER.
1. There were many who bore it in His day. We find that one of the early
Christians had it (Colossians 4:11). Through reverence onthe part of
Christians, and horror on the part of Jews, the name ceasedto be a common
one. But none of all the crowds who knew Him supposedthat in His name
there was any greatersignificance thanin those of the "Simons," "Johns,"
and "Judahs" in the circle of His disciples.
2. The use of Jesus as the proper name of our Lord is very noticeable. In the
Gospels, as a rule, it stands alone hundreds of times, whilst in combination
with any other of the titles it is rare. "Jesus Christ" only occurs twice in
Matthew, once in Mark, twice in John. But in the later books, the proportions
are reversed. There you have hundreds of such combinations as "Jesus
Christ," "ChristJesus," "The Lord Jesus," "Christthe Lord," and not
frequently the full solemn title, "The Lord Jesus Christ." But "Jesus"alone
only occurs some thirty or forty times outside of the four evangelists;and in
these the writer's intention is to put strong emphasis on the Manhoodof our
Lord.(1) We find phrases like this: Jesus died, the blood of Jesus, which
emphasise His death as that of a man like ourselves, andbring us close to the
reality of His human pains for us. "Christ died" makes the purpose and
efficacyof His death more plain; but "Jesus died" shows us His death as the
outcome of His human love. I know that a certain schooldwells a greatdeal
too much for reverence upon the mere physical aspectofChrist's sufferings.
But the temptation with most of us is to dwell too little upon it, to think about
it as a matter of speculation, a mysterious power, an official actof the
Messiah, andto forgetthat He bore a human life, which naturally shrank

from the agonyof death.(2) When our Lord is set before us in His humanity as
our example, this name is used — e.g., "Looking unto Jesus, the Author and
Perfecteroffaith" — i.e., a mighty stimulus to Christian nobleness lies in the
realisationof the true manhood of our Lord, as the type of all goodness, as
having Himself lived by faith, and that in a perfectdegree and manner. Do not
take poor human creatures foryour ideal. Black veins are in the purest
marble, and flaws in the most lustrous diamonds; but to imitate Jesus is
freedom, and to be like Him is perfection. Our code of morals is His life. The
secretof all progress is, "Run, looking unto Jesus."(3)We have His manhood
emphasisedwhen His sympathy is to be commended to our hearts. "The great
High Priest" is "Jesus"..."who was in all points tempted like as we are." To
every sorrowing soul there comes the thought, "Every ill that flesh is heir to"
He knows by experience, and in the man Jesus we find not only the pity of a
God, but the sympathy of a Brother. The Prince of Wales once wentfor an
afternooninto the slums, and everybody said deservedly, "right" and
"princely." This Prince has "learnedpity in the huts where poor men lie."(4)
And then you read such words as these: "If we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, even so them also which sleepin Jesus will God bring with Him."
How very much closerto our hearts that consolationcomes, "Jesus rose
again," than even the mighty word, "Christ is risen from the dead." The one
tells us of the risen Redeemer, the other tells us of the risen Brother. And
whereverwe follow our dear ones into the darkness with yearning hearts,
there, too, the consolationcomes;they lie down beside their Brother, and with
their Brother they shall rise again.(5)So again, most strikingly, in the words
which paint most loftily the exaltationof the risen Saviour, it is the old human
name that is used, as if to bind togetherthe humiliation and the, exaltation,
and proclaim that a Man had risen to the throne of the universe. What an
emphasis and glow of hope there is in, "We see not yet all things put under
Him, but we see Jesus"— the very Man that was here with us — "crowned
with glory and honour." So in the Book ofthe Revelation, the chosenname for
Him that sits amidst the glories ofthe heavens, and settles the destinies of the
universe, and orders the course ofhistory, is Jesus. As if the apostle would
assure us that the face which lookeddown upon him from amidst the blaze of
the glory was indeed the face that he knew long ago upon earth, and the

breastthat "was girded with a golden girdle" was the breastupon which he so
often had leanedhis happy head.
3. So the ties that bind us to the Man Jesus should be the human bonds that
knit us one to another, transferred to Him, and purified and strengthened. All
that we have failed to find in men we can find in Him.(1) Human wisdom has
its limits; but here is a Man whose wordis truth, who is Himself the truth.(2)
Human love is sometimes hollow, often impotent; it looks down upon us, as a
greatthinker has said, like the Venus of Milo, that lovely statue, smiling in
pity, but it has no arms. But here is a love that is mighty to help, and on which
we can rely without disappointment or loss.(3)Human excellence is always
limited and imperfect; but here is One whom we may imitate and be pure.
4. So let us do like that poor woman, bring the precious alabasterbox of
ointment — the love of these hearts of ours, which is the most precious thing
we have to give. The box of ointment that we have so often squandered upon
unworthy heads — let us come and pour it upon His, not unmingled with our
tears, and anoint Him, our Belovedand our King.
II. THE NAME "CHRIST" IS THE NAME OF OFFICE, AND BRINGS TO
US A REDEEMER.It is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew Messias,both
meaning the Anointed. I cannotsee less in the contents of the prophetic idea of
the Messiasthanthese points: Divine inspiration or anointing; a sufferer who
is to redeem; the fulfiller of all the rapturous visions of psalmist and of
prophet in the past. And so, when Peter stoodup amongstthat congregation
and said, "The Man that died on the Cross, the Rabbi-peasantfrom half-
heathen Galilee, is the Personwhom all the generations have been looking
forward to," no wonder that nobody believed him exceptthose whose hearts
were touched, for it is never possible for the common mind, at any epoch, to
believe that the man that stands beside them is very much bigger than
themselves. Greatmen have always to die, and geta halo of distance around
them before their true stature can be seen. And now two remarks are all I can
offer.
1. The hearty recognitionof His Messiahshipis the centre of all discipleship.
The earliestand the simplest Christian creed, which yet — like the little

brown roll in which the infant beech leaves lie folded up — contains in itself
all the rest, was this: "Jesus is Christ." He who contents himself with "Jesus"
and does not grasp "Christ," has castawaythe most valuable and
characteristic partof the Christianity which he professes.Surely the most
simple inference is that a Christian is at leasta man who recognisesthe
Christship of Jesus. And it is not enoughfor the sustenance ofyour souls that
men should admire, howsoeverprofoundly, the humanity of the Lord unless
that humanity leads them on to see the office of the Messiah, to whom their
whole hearts cleave. "Jesus is the Christ" is the minimum Christian creed.
2. The recognitionof Jesus as Christ is essentialto giving its full value to the
facts of the manhood.(1) "Jesus died." Yes! What then? If that is simply a
human death, like all the rest, I want to know what makes it a gospel? What
more interest I have in it than I have in the death of any men or women whose
names were in the obituary column of yesterday's newspaper? "Jesusdied."
That is the fact. What is wantedto turn the fact into a gospel? ThatI shall
know who it was that died, and why He died. "I declare unto you the gospel
which I preach," Paul says, "how that Christ died for our sins, according to
the Scriptures." The belief that the death of Jesus was the death of the Christ
is needful to make that death the means of my deliverance from the burden of
sin. If it be only the death of Jesus, it is beautiful, pathetic, as many another
martyr's has been; but if it be the death of Christ, then "my faith can lay her
hand" on that greatsacrifice, andknow "her guilt was there."(2)So in regard
of His perfect example. To only see His manhood would be as paralysing as
spectaclesofsupreme excellence usuallyare. But when we cansay, "Christ
also suffered for us, leaving us an example," and so can deepenthe thought of
His Manhoodinto that of His Messiahship, and the conceptionof His work as
example into that of His work as sacrifice, we canhope that His Divine power
will dwell in us to mould our lives to the likeness ofHis human life of perfect
obedience.(3)So in regardto His resurrectionand ascension. If it were only
"Jesus,"those events might be as much to us as the raising of Lazarus, or the
rapture of Elijah — namely, a demonstration that death did not destroy
conscious being, and that a man could rise to heaven. But if "Christ is risen
from the dead," He is "become the first-fruits of them that slept." If Jesus has
gone up on high, it may show that manhood is not incapable of elevation to

heaven, but it has no power to draw others up after it. But if Christ is gone up,
He is gone to prepare a place for us, and His ascensionis the assurance that
He will lift us too to dwell with Him, and share His triumph over death and
sin.
III. "THE LORD" IS THE NAME OF DIGNITY, AND BRINGS BEFORE
US THE KING. There are three grades of dignity expressedby this word in
the New Testament. The lowestis that in which it is almost the equivalent of
"Sir";the secondis that in which it expresses dignity and authority; the third
is that in which it is the equivalent of the Old Testament"Lord" as a Divine
name; and all are applied to Christ. The central one is the meaning of the
word here.
1. "Jesus is Lord" — i.e., the manhood is exalted to supreme dignity. It is the
teaching of the New Testament, that our nature in the Child of Mary sits on
the throne of the universe and rules over all things. Trust His dominion and
rejoice in His rule, and bow before His authority.
2. Christ is Lord — i.e., His sovereignauthority and dominion are built upon
the factof His being Redeemerand Sacrifice. His kingdom rests upon His
suffering. "Wherefore Godalso hath exaltedHim, and given Him a name that
is above every name." It is because He bears a vesture dipped in blood, that
on the vesture is the name written, "King of kings, and Lord of lords."
BecauseHe has given His life for the world, He is Masterof the
world.Conclusion:Do not contentyourselves with a maimed Christ.
1. Do not tarry in the Manhood; do not be content with an adoring reverence
for the nobility of His soul, the wisdom of His words, the beauty of His
character, the tenderness of His compassion. All that will be of small help for
your needs. There is more in His missionthan that — even His death for you
and for all men.
2. Take Him for your Christ, but do not lose the Personin the work, any more
than you lose the work in the Person. And be not content with an intellectual
recognitionof Him, but bring Him the faith which cleaves to Him and His
work as its only hope and peace, andthe love which, because ofHis work as
Christ, flows out to the beloved Personwho has done it all.

3. Thus loving Jesus and trusting Christ, you will bring obedience to your
Lord and homage to your King, and learn the sweetnessand powerof the
name that is above every name — the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
(A. Maclaren, D. D)
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
By the right hand of Godexalted - Raisedby omnipotence to the highest
dignity in the realms of glory, to sit at the right hand of God, and administer
the laws of both worlds.
The promise of the Holy Ghost - This was the promise that he had made to
them a little before he suffered, as may be seenin John 14:16, etc., John 16:7,
etc., and after he had risen from the dead. Luke 24:49, and which as the
apostle says was now shed forth.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography
Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". "The Adam Clarke
Commentary". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/acts-
2.html. 1832.
return to 'Jump List'
Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible

Therefore, being by the right hand - The right hand among the Hebrews was
often used to denote “power”;and the expressionhere means, not that he was
exalted to the right hand of God. but by his power. He was raisedfrom the
dead by his power, and borne to heaven, triumphant over all his enemies. The
use of the word “right hand” to denote “power” is common in the Scriptures:
Job 40:14, “Thine own right hand can save thee”;Psalm 17:7, “Thou savest
by thy right hand them that trust in thee”;Psalm18:35; Psalm20:6; Psalm
21:8; Psalm 44:3; Psalm60:5, etc.
Exalted - Constituted King and Messiahin heaven. Raisedup from his
condition of humiliation to the glory which he had with the Fatherbefore the
world was, John 17:5.
And having received… - The Holy Spirit was promised to the disciples before
his death, John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:13-15. It was expresslydeclared:
(1)That the Holy Spirit would not be given except the Lord Jesus should
return to heavenJohn 16:7; and,
(2)That this gift was in the powerof the Father, and that he would send him,
John 14:26; John 15:26. This promise was now fulfilled, and those who
witnessedthe extraordinary scene before them could not doubt that it was the
effectof divine power.
Hath shed forth this … - This power of speaking different languages and
declaring the truth of the gospel. In this way Peteraccounts for the
remarkable events before them. What had occurredcould not be produced by
new wine, Acts 2:15. It was expresslyforetold, Acts 2:16-21. It was predicted
that Jesus would rise, Acts 2:22-31. The apostles were witnesses thathe had
risen, and that he had promised that the Holy Spirit would descend;and the
fulfillment of this promise was a rational way of accounting for the scene
before them. It was unanswerable;and the effect on those who witnessedit
was such as might be expected.

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Barnes, Albert. "Commentaryon Acts 2:33". "Barnes'Notes onthe New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/acts-2.html.
1870.
William Godbey's Commentary on the New Testament
33. “Therefore, exaltedatthe right hand of God, having receivedthe promise
of the Holy Ghostwith the Father, he has poured out this which you see and
hear.” You see Peter’s logic. The discussionofthe Holy Ghostfilling the
disciples is demonstrative proof that Christ has satisfiedthe Fatherwith His
atonement, actually been receivedand ratified in heaven, crownedat the right
hand of God MediatorialKing, receivedthe Holy Ghostand sent Him down
His own Revelatorand Successorwhom He had promised to send down.
THE AWFUL INDICTMENT
Now the illiterate fisherman faces the multitude, boldly arraigns hierarchs
and politarchs for the awful crime of murdering the Sonof God. The mighty
logic of the Holy Ghostsweeps awayallthe human and Satanic refuges oflies.
Copyright Statement
Text Courtesyof BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography

Godbey, William. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". "William Godbey's
Commentary on the New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ges/acts-2.html.
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted, and having receivedof the
Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath poured forth this which ye see
and hear.
By the right hand of God... Christ had indeed appearedalive after his death
and burial, and the apostles had seenhim ascendinto heaven. As so often
affirmed in Scripture, Jesus was exaltedat the right hand of the Majestyon
High, and that exaltation was the fulfillment of God's oaththat a descendant
of David would sit upon his throne in perpetuity.
He hath poured forth this ... Despite the fact of his being in heaven, Jesus was
still concernedwith earth and the men dwelling upon it. He had promised the
apostles that "anotherComforter" would be given unto them; and here Peter
affirmed that the baptism of the apostles in the Holy Spirit, as audibly and
visually evidencedby the miraculous demonstration somewhatearlier, had
indeed come to pass as Jesus promised. "Christ's present impartation of the
Spirit to the apostles, attendedas it was by sensible signs, was a further open
vindication of the claim that he was the exalted Messiah."[36]However,
before leaving the subject, Peterwould offer another proof.
ENDNOTE:
[36] F. F. Bruce, op. cit., p. 72.
Copyright Statement
James Burton Coffman Commentaries reproduced by permission of Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. All other rights reserved.
Bibliography

Coffman, James Burton. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". "Coffman
Commentaries on the Old and New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/acts-2.html. Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted,.... After his resurrectionhe
ascendedto heaven, and was exaltedin human nature; "to the right hand of
God", as the Ethiopic version; and the Arabic version used by De Dieu read;
an honour that never was conferredon any creature, angels ormen, besides:
or he was exaltedand raisedto the high honour and dignity of a Prince and
Saviour, of Lord, Head, and King, so as to have a name, dominion, and
authority over all, by the mighty powerof God, which is sometimes calledhis
right hand; see Psalm118:15.
and having receivedof the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost; which the
Father had promised to pour forth in the last days, Isaiah 44:3 and which
Christ had promised to send from the Father, John 14:16 and which, upon his
ascensionand exaltation, he receivedas Mediatorfrom him; see Psalm68:18
compared with Ephesians 4:8.
he hath shed forth this; this Holy Spirit, or promised Spirit, these gifts of his;
and so the Syriac version renders it, "he hath shed forth this gift"; which
expresses boththe plenty and abundance of the gifts bestowed, and the
liberality of Christ in the donation of them: it is added,
which ye now see and hear; meaning the cloventongues, as of fire, which they
saw sitting on the disciples, and the various languages whichthey heard them
speak. The Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions, leave
out the word "now":and the Syriac, in the room of it, reads, "behold".
Copyright Statement

The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernisedand adapted
for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved,
Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard
Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855
Bibliography
Gill, John. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". "The New John Gill Exposition of
the Entire Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/acts-
2.html. 1999.
Geneva Study Bible
Therefore being by the y right hand of God exalted, and having receivedof
the Fatherthe promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye
now see and hear.
(y) Might and powerof God.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Beza, Theodore. "Commentaryon Acts 2:33". "The 1599 Geneva Study
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/gsb/acts-2.html. 1599-
1645.
People's New Testament

He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. The supernatural marvels
of this wonderful day were the proof of Christ's exaltation. He had {shed}
them forth.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that
is available on the Christian ClassicsEtherealLibrary Website.
Original work done by Ernie Stefanik. First published online in 1996 atThe
RestorationMovementPages.
Bibliography
Johnson, BartonW. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". "People'sNew Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pnt/acts-2.html. 1891.
Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament
By the right hand of God (τηι δεχιαι του τεου — tēi dexiāi tou theou). This
translation makes it the instrumental case. The margin has it “at” instead of
“by,” that is the locative case. And it will make sense in the true dative case,
“to the right hand of God.” These three casescame to have the same form in
Greek. Romans 8:24 furnishes another illustration of like ambiguity (τηι
ελπιδι — tēi elpidi), saved by hope, in hope, or for hope. Usually it is quite
easyto tell the case whenthe form is identical.
Exalted (υπσωτεις — hupsōtheis). First aoristpassive participle of υπσοω —
hupsoō to lift up. Here both the literal and tropical sense occurs. Cf. John
12:32.
The promise of the Holy Spirit (την επαγγελιαν του πνευματος του αγιου —
tēn epaggeliantou pneumatos tou hagiou). The promise mentioned in Acts 1:4

and now come true, consisting in the Holy Spirit “from the Father” (παρα του
πατρος — para tou patros), sentby the Father and by the Son(John 15:26;
John 16:7). See also Galatians 3:14.
He hath poured forth (εχεχεεν — execheen). Aorist active indicative of εκχεω
— ekcheō the verb used by Joeland quoted by Peteralready in Acts 2:17,
Acts 2:18. Jesus has fulfilled his promise.
This which ye see and hear (τουτο ο υμεις και βλεπετε και ακουετε — touto ho
humeis kaiblepete kai akouete). This includes the sound like the rushing
wind, the tongues like fire on eachof them, the different languages spokenby
the 120. “The proofwas before their eyes in this new energy from heaven”
(Furneaux), a culminating demonstration that Jesus was the Messiah.
Copyright Statement
The Robertson's WordPictures of the New Testament. Copyright �
Broadman Press 1932,33,Renewal1960. All rights reserved. Used by
permission of Broadman Press (Southern BaptistSunday SchoolBoard)
Bibliography
Robertson, A.T. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". "Robertson's WordPictures of
the New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/rwp/acts-2.html. Broadman
Press 1932,33. Renewal1960.
Wesley's ExplanatoryNotes

Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having receivedof the
Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now
see and hear.
Being exalted by the right hand of God — By the right hand; that is, the
mighty powerof God. Our Lord was exaltedat his ascensionto God's right
hand in heaven.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that
is available on the Christian ClassicsEtherealLibrary Website.
Bibliography
Wesley, John. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". "John Wesley's Explanatory
Notes on the Whole Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/wen/acts-2.html. 1765.
Abbott's Illustrated New Testament
Shed forth this; the spiritual influence which had awakenedtheir wonder.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Abbott, John S. C. & Abbott, Jacob. "Commentaryon Acts 2:33". "Abbott's
Illustrated New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ain/acts-2.html. 1878.
Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

33.He being therefore exalted by the right hand of GodThe right hand is
takenin this place for the hand or power, in like sort as it is taken everywhere
in the Scripture. For this is his drift, to declare that it was a wonderful work
of God, in that he had exalted his Christ (whom men thought to be quite
destroyedby death) unto so greatglory.
The promise of the Spirit for the Spirit which was promised. Forhe had
oftentimes before promised the Spirit to his apostles. Therefore Peterdoth
signify, that Christ had obtained powerof God the Fatherto fulfill the same.
And he maketh mention of the promise in plain words, to the end the Jews
may know that this came not to pass suddenly, but that the words of the
prophet were now verified, which went long time before the thing itself.
Furthermore, whereas it is said that he obtained it of the Father, it is to be
applied to the personof the Mediator. For both these are truly said, that
Christ sentthe Spirit from himself and from the Father. He sent him from
himself, because he is eternalGod; from the Father, because in as much as he
is man, he receiveththat of the Father which he giveth us. And Peterspeaketh
wiselyaccording to the capacityof the ignorant, lest any man should move a
question out of seasonconcerning the powerof Christ. And surely forasmuch
as it is the office of Christ to direct us unto his Father, this is a most apt form
of speaking for the use of godliness, that Christ being placed, as it were, in the
midst betweenGod and us, doth deliver unto us with his own hand those gifts
which he hath receivedat the hands of his Father. Furthermore, we must note
this order that he saith, that the Spirit was sentby Christ after that he was
exalted. This agreethwith those sentences:
“The Spirit was not yet given,
because Christwas not yet glorified,”
(John 7:39.)
And again,
“Unless I go hence, the Spirit will not come,”

(John 16:7.)
Not because the Spirit beganthen first to be given, wherewith the holy fathers
were endued since the beginning of the world; but because Goddid defer this
more plentiful abundance of grace, until such time as he had placedChrist in
his princely seat;which is signified by this word poured out, as we saw a little
before. For by this means the force and fruit of Christ his death and
resurrectionis sealed;and we do also thereby know, that we have lost nothing
by Christ his departing out of the world; because, thoughhe be absentin
body, yet is he present with us after a better sort, to wit, by the grace of his
Holy Spirit.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Calvin, John. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". "Calvin's Commentary on the
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cal/acts-2.html. 1840-
57.
John Trapp Complete Commentary
33 Therefore being by the right hand of Godexalted, and having receivedof
the Fatherthe promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye
now see and hear.
Ver. 33. Exalted] {See Trapp on "Acts 2:27"}

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Trapp, John. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". John Trapp Complete
Commentary. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/acts-2.html.
1865-1868.
Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible
Acts 2:33. He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.— It is said,
John 7:39 that the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because Jesus was notyet
glorified. See the note on that verse. The Spirit, in his extraordinary and
superabundant influences, was reservedas the greatdonative after Christ's
triumph over principalities and powers. When he was ascendedup on high, he
sent down the greatestgiftthat ever was bestowedupon mankind, except
himself. By this Christ discoveredthe greatness ofhis purchase, the height of
his glory, the exercise ofhis power, the certainty of his resurrectionand
ascension, and the care he took of his church: for in what could he illustrate
his charactermore, thanby letting them see that he made goodhis last
promise, of sending them another Comforter, who should be with them in all
their undertakings, to direct them in their doubts, and to plead their cause
againstall opposition? What still enhanced this gift was, that it was not to
continue with them only for a short time, but to abide with them and all his
faithful saints for ever. It was to remain with them as a pledge of his love, as a
testimony of his truth, as an earnestof his favour now, and of the future
inheritance of all the faithful in heaven. See Ephesians 4:8; Ephesians 4:32.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Coke, Thomas. "Commentaryon Acts 2:33". Thomas Coke Commentaryon
the Holy Bible. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tcc/acts-
2.html. 1801-1803.
Greek TestamentCriticalExegeticalCommentary
33.]Peternow comes to the Ascension—the exaltationof Jesus to be, in the
fullest sense, Lord and Christ.
τῇ δεξιᾷ] by the right hand, not ‘to the right hand.’ The great end of this
speechis to shew forth (see above)the GOD OF ISRAEL as the doer of all
these things. Howeverwell the sense ‘to’ might seemto agree with the ἐκ
δεξιῶν of Acts 2:34, we must not set aside a very suitable sense, norviolate
syntax (for the constructionis entirely unexampled in Hellenistic as wellas
prose classicalGreek)in order to suit an apparent adaptation. The reference
is carried on by the word δεξιά, though it be not in exactly the same position
in the two cases. And the ἀνέβη εἰς τοὺς οὐρ. of Acts 2:34 prepares the way for
the ἐκ δεξιῶν following without any harshness.
On the poetic dative after verbs of approach, see Musgr., Phœnissæ, 310(303,
Matth.), and Hermann, Antig. 234. See also ch. Acts 5:31, and Winer (who
defends the construction), edn. 6, § 31. 5. Wordsw. denies that the δεξιὰ θεοῦ
is ever specifiedin the N. T. as the instrument by which He works. Buthe has
omitted to state that this and the similarly ambiguous place, ch. Acts 5:31, are
the only real instances of the expressionbeing used, all the rest being local, ἐκ
δεξιῶν or ἐν δεξιᾷ: so that his dictum goes for nothing. And in the LXX the
use of God’s right hand as the instrument is very frequent: cf. Exodus 15:6;
Exodus 15:12;Ps. 17:36; 59:5 (where the dat. is used as here), and about 20
other places;Isaiah48:13; Isaiah63:12, &c. After this, the objection, when

applied to a speechso full of O. T. spirit and diction as this, would, even if
valid as regards the N. T., be irrelevant.
ἐπαγγελίαν] Christ is said to have receivedfrom the Father the promise above
cited from Joel, which is spokenof His days. This, and not of course the
declarations made by Himself to the same effect, is here referred to, though
doubtless those were in Peter’s mind. The very word, ἐξέχεεν, refers to ἐκχεῶ
above, Acts 2:17.
τοῦτο, ‘this influence,’ this merely; leaving to his hearers the inference, that
this, which they saw and heard, must be none other than the effusion of the
Spirit.
βλέπετε need not imply, as Dr. Burton thinks, that “there was some visible
appearance, whichthe people saw as well as the apostles:”—verymuch of the
effectof the descentof the Spirit would be visible,—the enthusiasm and
gestures ofthe speakers, forinstance;not, however, the tongues of flame,—for
then none could have spokenas in Acts 2:13.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Alford, Henry. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". Greek TestamentCritical
ExegeticalCommentary.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hac/acts-2.html. 1863-1878.
Heinrich Meyer's Critical and ExegeticalCommentaryon the New Testament
Acts 2:33. οὖν] namely, in consequence ofthe resurrection, with which the
exaltation is necessarilyconnected.

τῇ δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ] by the right hand, i.e. by the power of God, v. 31; Isaiah
63:12. Comp. Vulgate, Luther, Castalio, Beza, Bengel, also Zeller, p. 502, and
others. The rendering: to the right hand of God, howevermuch it might be
recommended as regards sense by Acts 2:34, is to be rejected, seeing thatthe
constructionof simple verbs of motion with the dative of the goalaimed at,
instead of with πρός or εἰς, belongs in classicalGreekonly to the poets (see the
passagesfrom Homer in Nägelsb. p. 12, ed. 3, and, besides, Erfurdt, ad Antig.
234;Bernhardy, p. 95; Fritzsche, Conject. I. p. 42, the latter seeking to defend
the use as legitimate), and occurs, indeed, in late writers(132)(see Winer, p.
201 f.[E. T. 268 f.]), but is without any certain example in the N. T., often as
there would have been occasionforit; for Acts 21:16 admits of another
explanation, and Revelation2:16 is not at all a case in point. In the passage of
the LXX. Judges 11:18, deemed certainby Fritzsche, τῇ γῇ ΄ωάβ (if the
reading is correct)is to be connected, notwith ἦλθεν, but as appropriating
dative with ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶνἡλίου. Concerning κύρῳ ἰέναι, Xen. Anab. i. 2. 26,
see Bornemann, ed. Lips. The objection, that by the right hand of God is here
inappropriate (de Wette and others), is not tenable. There is something
triumphant in the element emphatically prefixed, which is correlative to
ἀνέστησεν ὁ θεός (Acts 2:32); God’s work of power was, as the resurrection,
so also the exaltation. Comp. Philippians 2:9. A Hebraism, or an incorrect
translation of ‫ל‬ְ‫למ‬ ְ‫נ‬ִ‫י‬ (Bleek in the Stud. u. Krit. 1832, p. 1038;de Wette;Weiss,
Petr. Lehrbegr. p. 205), has been unnecessarilyand arbitrarily assumed.
τήν τε ἐπαγγ. τ. ἁγ. πν. λαβ. παρὰ τ. πατρ.] contains that which followedupon
the ὑψωθείς, and hence is not to be explained with Kuinoel and others: “after
He had receivedthe promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father;” but: “after
He had receivedthe (in the O. T.) promised (Acts 1:4) Holy Spirit from His
Father. See on Luke 24:49.
τοῦτο is either, with Vulgate, Erasmus, Beza, Kuinoel, and others, to be
referred to the πνεῦμα ἅγιον, so that the ὅ corresponds to the explanatory id
quod (Kühner, § 802. 2), or—which, on accountof the ὅ annexed to τοῦτο, is
more natural and more suitable to the miraculous character—itis, with
Luther, Calvin, and others, to be takenas an independent neuter: He poured
forth (just now) this, what ye (in effectu) see and hear (in the conduct and
speechof those assembled). Accordingly, Peter leaves it to his hearers, after

what had previously been remarked( τήν τε ἐπαγγ.… πατρός), themselves to
infer that what was poured out was nothing else than just the πνεῦμα
ἅγιον.(133)
The idea that the exalted Jesus in heaven receives from His Fatherand pours
forth the Holy Spirit, is founded on such instructions of Christ as John 15:26;
John 16:7. Comp. on Acts 1:4.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Meyer, Heinrich. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". Heinrich Meyer's Critical and
ExegeticalCommentaryon the New Testament.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hmc/acts-2.html. 1832.
Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomonof the New Testament
Acts 2:33. τῇ δεξιᾷ) So also in ch. Acts 5:31, “Him hath God exaltedwith His
right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour.” The Hebrew ‫ןלנלי‬ is rendered by the
LXX. usually ἐκ δεξιῶν; and so also in Psalms 110:1, the passage to which
Peterrefers, and yet uses the expressionτῇ δεξιᾷ, which is found once in the
LXX., Isaiah 63:12. Christ was exalted by the right hand of GOD to the right
hand of God.— οὖν, therefore) The resurrectionof Christ having been
established, His ascensioncannotbe calledin question. For this reasonit is
first assertedby itself, and next is also establishedfrom the 110thPsalm.—
ὑψωθεὶς, having been exalted) The exaltation strictly took place at His
ascension.— ἐξέχεε, He poured out) See Acts 2:17.— τοῦτο ὅ νῦν) The more
recentMSS. of the Latin Vulg. have “hunc, quem,” instead of “hoc quod
nunc.” They understand πνεῦμα (Neut.), “spiritum” (Masc). The neuter
gender in Greek is expressedby the masculine in Latin. Moreoverthe phrase

is absolute, this ( τοῦτο), elegantlydenoting the newness (the unprecedented
character)of this unspeakable gift.(16)Irenæu(17)has νῦν, now, which has
been omitted by some.(18)— βλέπετε καὶ ἁκόυετε, ye see and hear) Ye have
testimonies to the facts which are not to be ‘mocked’at (Acts 2:13).
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Bengel, JohannAlbrecht. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". Johann Albrecht
Bengel's Gnomonof the New Testament.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jab/acts-2.html. 1897.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
By the right hand of God, that is, by the powerof God spokenafter the
manner of men, the right hand being that we commonly do any thing with.
Some read at the right hand of God; and then the apostle preaches Christ’s
ascensiontoo, and his being justified by God, though he had been condemned
by men.
Having receivedof the Fatherthe promise of the Holy Ghost:Psalms 68:18
Which ye now see, in the fiery cloventongues;and hear, in the divers
languages whichare spoken.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Poole, Matthew, "Commentaryon Acts 2:33". Matthew Poole's English
Annotations on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/acts-2.html. 1685.
Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament
The promise; John 14:26; John 15:26;John 16:7; John 16:13-15.
This; their power to speak in various languages.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Edwards, Justin. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". "Family Bible New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/fam/acts-2.html.
American Tract Society. 1851.
Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools andColleges
33. ὑψωθείς, exalted (into heaven), for the Apostles are witnesses notonly of
the Resurrectionbut of the Ascensionalso.
τήν τε ἐπαγγελίαν πν. τ. ἁγ. Called in Acts 1:4 ἡ ἐπαγγελία τοῦ πατρός. The
promise was made by the Father, and the Holy Ghostwas the gift promised.
Christ’s words were, ‘I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another
Comforter’ (John 14:16). What was at first an ἐπαγγελία has now attained its
fulfilment, so that λαβών implies the complete fruition of all that was
promised.

ἐξέχεεν, He hath poured forth. Thus fulfilling the promise in the prophecy
quoted Acts 2:17 : ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνέυματός μου.
βλέπετε καὶ ἀκούετε. It would seemfrom this that the appearance, like as of
fire, which restedupon eachof them, remained visible for some time, thus
making it evident how different this was from any meteoric flashes into which
some have endeavoured to explain awaythe miracle which St Luke describes.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
"Commentary on Acts 2:33". "Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools and
Colleges".https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cgt/acts-2.html.
1896.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
33. Therefore—As the result of the whole.
Exalted—A cleartestimony to the ascension.
Shed forth this—So that we have here Peter’s secondanswerto the question,
(Acts 2:12,) What meaneth this?—It is a manifestationsent down from the
ascendedJesus Messiah. Peternow confirms the exalted Lordship of the
ascendedJesus by further prophecy.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Whedon, Daniel. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". "Whedon's Commentary on
the Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/whe/acts-2.html.
1874-1909.
Expository Notes ofDr. Thomas Constable
Peternext explained that it was Jesus, now at God"s right hand, who had
poured forth the promised Holy Spirit from the Father( John 14:16-17;John
14:26;John 15:26-27). The evidence of this was the tongues of fire and
demonstration of tongues speaking that his audience saw and heard. The right
hand of God figuratively repesents supreme powerand authority, and
reference to it sets up the quotation of Psalm110:1 in the next verse.
Petermentioned all three members of the Trinity in this verse.
"Throughout Acts , the presence of the Spirit is seenas the distinguishing
mark of Christianity-it is what makes a person a Christian." [Note:
Witherington, p140.]
Copyright Statement
Bibliography

Constable, Thomas. DD. "Commentaryon Acts 2:33". "Expository Notes of
Dr. Thomas Constable".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dcc/acts-2.html. 2012.
Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Acts 2:33. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted. Render instead,
Therefore being exaltedto the right hand of God. The quotation from the
prophecy of Psalms 16, which relatedin so strangelyan accurate way
Messiah’s calm, joyful confidence that death should have no abiding power
over either flesh or soul, broke short off, it will be remembered, in the middle
of the nth verse of the Psalm, with a generalexpressionof joy in the presence
of the Father. St. Peternow having spokenof his Master’s resurrectionand of
the literal fulfilment of the prophecy respecting death being powerless to hold
Him, takes up as it were the interrupted thread in the Psalm, and proceeds to
speak of the exaltation of Messiahatthe right hand of God where the Psalm
leaves the ‘Holy One’ enthroned.
And having receivedof the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath
shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. From His mediatorial throne at
the right hand of God, Christ poured out the Spirit, said St. Peter, on these, as
ye now see, just as He promised His own when He was with them on earth
(comp. John 14:16-17;John 15:26;John 16:7, and Acts 1:4).
On the question of the translation ‘to the right hand,’ this constructionof a
verb of motion with the dative τῇ δεξιῇ . . . . ύψωθςίς is found in classical
writers only among the poets, though such a usage occurs in later writers. The
undoubted connectionwith the concluding words of the greatprophecy of
Psalms 16 (see Ewald’s masterly paraphrase of the whole passage), leads us
without hesitationto adopt this rendering in preference to the usual
translation ‘by the right hand,’ with many of the best of the modern
commentators, Neander, Olshausen, De Wette, Hackett, Wordsworth, etc.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Schaff, Philip. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". "Schaff's Popular Commentary
on the New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/scn/acts-2.html. 1879-90.
The Expositor's Greek Testament
Acts 2:33. οὖν: the Ascensionis a necessarysequelto the Resurrection, cf.
Weiss, Leben Jesu, iii., 409 ff. and in loco. Or the word may mark the result of
the assuredand manifold testimony to the Resurrection, to which the Apostle
had just appealed:“Confirmata resurrectione Christi, ascensio nonpotestin
dubium vocari,” Bengel.— τῇ δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ: best to take the words as an
instrumental dative, so in Acts 5:31, with the majority of recent
commentators. On grammaticalgrounds it would be difficult to justify the
rendering “to the right hand” (although takenin connectionwith Acts 5:34 it
would give very goodsense), since sucha combination of the dative alone is
found only in the poets, and never in prose in classicalGreek.The only other
instances adduced, Acts 21:16 and Revelation2:16, can be otherwise
explained, cf. Winer-Moulton, xxxi., p. 268. On Judges 11:18 (LXX) quoted in
support of the localrendering by Fritzsch, see Wendt’s full note in loco. The
instrumental meaning follows naturally upon Acts 2:32—the Ascension, as the
Resurrection, was the mighty deed of God, Philippians 2:9. There is therefore
no occasionto regardthe expressionwith De Wette as a Hebraism, see
Wetstein, in loco.— ὑψωθείς, cf. especiallyJohn 12:32, and Westcott’s note on
John 3:14. The word is frequently found in LXX. As Lightfoot points out, in
our Lord Himself the divine law which He Himself had enunciated was
fulfilled, ὁ ταπεινῶν ἑαυτὸνὑψωθήσεται (Luke 14:11; Luke 18:14).— τήν τε
ἐπαγγελίαντοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος κ. τ. λ., see above on Acts 1:4 (Galatians
3:14). The language ofSt. Peteris in agreementwith, but yet independent of,
that in St. John, whilst it calmly certifies the fulfilment of our Lord’s

promise.— ἐξέχεε: “hath poured forth,” R.V. All previous English versions
exceptRhem. = A.V. The verb is used in the LXX in the prophecy cited above,
Joel2:28-29 (cf. also Zechariah12:10), although it is not used in the Gospels
of the outpouring of the Spirit.— τοῦτο:either the Holy Ghost, as the Vulgate
takes it, or an independent neuter “this which ye see and hear,” i.e., in the
bearing and speechofthe assembledApostles. St. Peter thus leads his hearers
to infer that that which is poured out is by its effects nothing else than the
Holy Ghost. It is noteworthy that just as Joelspeaks ofGod, the Lord
Jehovah, pouring out of His Spirit, so the same divine energyis here
attributed by St. Peterto Jesus. See above on Acts 2:17.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Nicol, W. Robertson, M.A., L.L.D. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". The
Expositor's Greek Testament.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/egt/acts-2.html. 1897-1910.
George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary
He hath poured forth this, which we see, and hear, by the effects, by the noise,
as it were of thunder, by our speaking languages, &c. (Witham) --- It does not
appear that the holy Spirit was visible to the multitude, whom St. Peter
addressed. But they perceivedsensible marks of his presence, in the great
noise, which had calledthem together, and the divers tongues spokenby
illiterate men, who had never studied. (Haydock)
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Haydock, George Leo. "Commentaryon Acts 2:33". "George Haydock's
Catholic Bible Commentary".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hcc/acts-2.html. 1859.
Mark Dunagan Commentary on the Bible
Acts 2:33 Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted, and having
receivedof the Fatherthe promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath poured forth
this, which ye see and hear.
"BY THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD"-Comparing this verse with , we must
conclude that when we see the expression"by the right hand of God", we
could also say, "on David"s throne" or "on God"s throne". See Revelation
3:21; Hebrews 1:3.
"HAVING RECEIVED OF THE FATHER THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT"-Twoviews onthis expressionexist: (1) The promise of the Holy
Spirit applies to the promise to send the Holy Spirit upon the apostles (Acts
1:4; John 14:26)(2) The promise applies to the promise spokenby the Holy
Spirit through David, i.e. Acts 2:25-30.
"HE HATH POURED FORTHTHIS, WHICH YE SEE AND HEAR"-"The
glorified Jesus is responsible for what you have seenand heard this day...and
what you"ve seenand heard is proof that He is glorified." (Reese p. 71)
Points to Note:
Thus far we find Peterpresenting four lines of evidence to prove the
resurrection:(1) The miracles of Jesus-shouldof told them that God was with
Him (). (2) The O.T. clearly predicted the resurrectionof a specific individual
(Psalms 16:1-11). (3) The apostles had been eyewitnesses. (4)The events

taking place on this day--Jesus" wayof showing the crowdthat He was indeed
reigning on David"s throne.
Be impressed that God doesn"texpectthese people to believe without any
evidence. Notice that the apostles neveruse "purely emotional or subjective"
arguments, like "Justask God if this is true", or "pray that God would give
you a sign", or "if you get a warm feeling in your heart--then you know that
this is the truth".
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Dunagan, Mark. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". "Mark Dunagan
Commentaries on the Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dun/acts-2.html. 1999-2014.
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
being . . . exalted. Greek. hupsoo. See note on John 12:32.
of = from beside. Greek. para. App-104.
promise. See note on Acts 1:4.
the Holy Ghost= the Holy Spirit. App-101.
shed forth. Same as "pour out" in verses:Acts 17:18.
now. Omit.
see. Greek. blepo. App-133.

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Bullinger, Ethelbert William. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". "E.W. Bullinger's
Companion bible Notes".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bul/acts-2.html. 1909-1922.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having receivedof the
Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now
see and hear.
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted , [ tee (Greek #3588)dexia
(Greek #1188)]- not 'to the right hand of God' (as Olshausen, DeWette,
Hackett, Websterand Wilkinson, render the words, againstgoodGreek
usage), but "by the right hand of God" (as in our version, with the Vulgate,
Luther, Calvin, Beza, Meyer, etc.) - that is, by a glorious forth-putting of
divine power. This sense suits best with the whole scope of the argument,
which was to prove that Godhad reversedand undone their treatment of
Jesus-raising Him whom they killed, and exalting to supreme powerand glory
Him whom they had brought so low.
And having receivedof the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit - that is, the
promised Spirit,
He hath shed forth this, which (in its effects)ye [now] see and hear. (The
"now" is an addition to the genuine text.)
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.;Fausset,A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on Acts
2:33". "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -
Unabridged". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfu/acts-2.html.
1871-8.
The Bible Study New Testament
He has been raised to the right side of God. See Philippians 2:6-11. He sits on
a heavenly throne. What you now see and hear. These supernormal events are
proof that Jesus is not king (Acts 2:30). He has "poured out" this gift.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Ice, Rhoderick D. "Commentary on Acts 2:33". "The Bible Study New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ice/acts-2.html.
College Press, Joplin, MO. 1974.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(33) Therefore being by the right hand of God.—The Greek has the dative
case without a preposition. The English version takes it, and probably is right
in taking it, as the dative of the instrument, the image that underlies the
phrase being that the Eternal King stretches forth His hand to raise Him who
was in form His Servant to a place beside Him on His right hand; and, on the
whole, this seems the bestrendering. Nota few scholars, however, renderthe
words “exaltedto the right hand of God.”

Having receivedof the Father.—The words ofSt. Peter, obviously
independent as they are of the Gospelof St. John, present a striking
agreementwith our Lord’s language as recordedby him (John 14:26; John
15:26). The promise throws us back upon these chapters, and also upon Acts
1:4.
Hath shed forth this.—Better, hath poured out. The verb had not been used in
the Gospels ofthe promise of the Spirit, but is identical with that which was
found in the Greek versionof Joel’s prophecy, as cited in Acts 2:17, “I will
pour out of My Spirit.”
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
Acts 2:33 "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and
having receivedfrom the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has
poured forth this which you both see and hear.
KJV Acts 2:33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having
receivedof the Fatherthe promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this,
which ye now see and hear.
Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God Acts 5:31; Ps
89:19,24;118:16,22,23;Isa 52:13;53:12; Mt 28:18; Mark 16:19;John 17:5;
Eph 1:20-23;Php 2:9-11;He 1:2-4; 10:12; 1 Peter1:21; 3:22
having receivedfrom the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit - Acts 1:4;
Luke 24:49; John 7:38,39;Jn 14:16,26;15:26;16:7-15
He has poured forth this which you both see and hear - Acts 2:17,38,39;
10:45;Ro 5:5; Eph 4:8; Titus 3:6
Acts 2 Resources -Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

In Acts 2:25-36 Peterpresents five (some say four) proofs for the resurrection
of the Christ, the Messiah:
The prophecy of David (Acts 2:25–28 quoting Ps 16:8-11).
The testimony of Peter (Acts 2:29–31 alluding to Ps 132:11 and 2 Sa 7:12-13).
The eye-witnesses (Acts 2:32).
The supernatural events of Pentecost(Acts 2:33)
The exaltationand ascensionof Jesus, David's "greaterSon" (Acts 2:34–35 -
quoting Ps 110:1).
THE EXALTATION
OF MESSIAH
Peternow answers the question posedby F F Bruce "But where was He now,
if He was raisedfrom the dead?"
Messiah's Ascensionis a necessarysequelto His Resurrectionand the
precursorof His exaltation and His subsequent pouring out of the Spirit at
Pentecost.
Peterdescribes ascensionhe had personally witnessed.
And after He (JESUS) had said these things, He was lifted up while they were
looking on, and a cloud receivedHim out of their sight. 10 And as they were
gazing intently into the skywhile He was going, behold, two men in white
clothing stoodbeside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you
stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been takenup from you into
heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watchedHim go into
heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11+)
And as Lenski says "Righthere and now Peter’s hearers were both seeing and
hearing the great effects ofthe resurrectionof Jesus, the miracles of
Pentecost. Theyreveal what the resurrectioninvolved -- the exaltation of the
risen Jesus, His pouring out the spirit, the miraculous evidence of which all

were seeing and hearing. Peterthus goes straightto his goal: he lays up stone
on stone with perfect, swift mastery until the arch is complete."
Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God - Remember Peteris
defending the resurrectionand here he points out that He could hardly have
sent the Spirit which they had seenand heard had He not been resurrected
and exalted.
It is notable that the first words in the Greek sentenceare "the right" (there is
no word for "hand" in Greek)which emphasizes Jesus'position of prestige,
powerand authority.
F F Bruce explains that the right hand of God is "the place of supremacy over
the universe, in fulfillment of His (JESUS)own assurance to His judges
(CAIAPHAS, ET AL): “But from now on THE SON OF MAN WILL BE
SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND of the powerOF GOD” (Luke 22:69+).
ILLUSTRATION - Reading book by George Stephanopoulos – knew what a
privilege it was to serve at the right hand of the most powerful man in the
world – the Presidentof the United States – Bill Clinton -- “All Too Human –
A PoliticalEducation”. Stephanopoulos wrote “Whenit comes to White
House offices, it’s not the size that counts. Location, location, location.
Proximity, like celebrity, is a source and sign of power. The closeryou are to
the president, the more people believe he listens to you. The more people
believe he listens to you, the more information flows your way. The more
information flows your way, the more the president listens to you. The more
the president listens to you, the more poweryou have.” Think of the power of
Jesus atthe right hand of God. (Paul Apple The Spread of the Gospel)
Having been exalted (lifted up) (5312)(hupsoo fromhupsos = height,
elevation)is used here not only literally to describe the lifting up of Jesus
spatially (Acts 1:9) but also with the figurative means of His being lifted up to
the place of highest honor, foremostfame, greatestpower, and peerless
position!
And it is fascinating that this same verb hupsoo describes His crucifixion for
He prophesied to Nicodemus that “As Moses lifted up (hupsoo) the serpent in

the wilderness (Nu 21:5-9), even so must the Son of Man be lifted up (hupsoo)
(Jn 3:14,cfhupsoo again with identical meaning in Jn 12:32-33). In short,
because Jesuswas lifted up on Calvary's Cross, He was lifted up to God's
right hand! Glory! Hallelujah! Amen!
Gotquestions has an excellentsummary of the significance ofJesus'
Ascension...
1) It signaledthe end of His earthly ministry. God the Fatherhad lovingly sent
His Soninto the world at Bethlehem, and now the Son was returning to the
Father. The period of human limitation was at an end.
2) It signified success inHis earthly work. All that He had come to do, He had
accomplished.
3) It marked the return of His heavenly glory. Jesus'glory had been veiled
during His sojourn on earth, with one brief exception at the Transfiguration
(Matthew 17:1-9).
4) It symbolized His exaltationby the Father (Ephesians 1:20-23). The One
with Whom the Father is well pleased(Matthew 17:5) was receivedup in
honor and given the Name above all names (Philippians 2:9).
5) It allowedHim to prepare a place for us (John 14:2).
6) It indicated the beginning of His new work as High Priest(Hebrews 4:14-
16) and Mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:15).

7) It set the pattern for His return. When Jesus comes to setup the Kingdom,
He will return just as He left-literally, bodily, and visibly in the clouds (Acts
1:11; Daniel 7:13-14;Matthew 24:30;Revelation1:7).
Currently, the Lord Jesus is in heaven. The Scriptures frequently picture Him
at the right hand of the Father-a position of honor and authority (Psalm
110:1;Ephesians 1:20; Hebrews 8:1). Christ is the Head of the Church
(Colossians1:18), the giver of spiritual gifts (Ephesians 4:7-8), and the One
who fills all in all (Ephesians 4:9-10).
Warren Wiersbe summarizes Peter's logic in this section - If the Holy Spirit is
in the world, then God must have sent Him. Joelpromised that one day the
Spirit would come, and Jesus Himself had promised to send the gift of the
Holy Spirit to His people (Luke 24:49; John 14:26;15:26; Acts 1:4). But if
Jesus is dead, He cannotsend the Spirit; therefore, He must be alive.
Furthermore, He could not send the Spirit unless He had returned to heaven
to the Father(John 16:7); so, Jesus has ascendedto heaven! To back up this
statement, Peterquoted Psalm110:1, a verse that certainly could not be
applied to David. (Bible ExpositionCommentary)
Kistemakerexplains "Because Peter’saudience had not seenJesus in the
forty-day period betweenhis resurrection and ascension, theyneeded proof
that what the eyewitnessesproclaimedwas true. Therefore, they wanted to
know the relationship betweenJesus’resurrectionand the coming of the Holy
Spirit. To meet the questions of his audience, Peteralludes to Jesus’ascension
and mentions Christ’s place at the right hand of God(compare Acts
5:31)....Fromhis exalted position, Jesus has fulfilled the promise that the
Father would send the Holy Spirit (refer to John 7:39; 14:26;15:26). On the
day of PentecostJesus’words concerning the coming of the Spirit are being
fulfilled. Consequently, everyone present at the temple area in Jerusalemis
able to see the evidence of the outpouring of the Spirit. The listeners must
know, therefore, that Jesus, seatedatthe right hand of God, has the authority
to commissionthe Spirit to come and live in the hearts of the believers."
(BakerNT Commentary - Acts)

And having receivedfrom the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit - Again
we see the Fatheractively involved in the plan of redemption. In fact, in this
passagewe see allthree Members of the Trinity interacting in perfect
harmony.
In the Gospelof Luke Jesus had instructed the disciples...
“And behold, I (JESUS)am sending forth the promise of My Fatherupon you
(Jn 14:16, 26);but you are to stayin the city until you are clothed with power
from on high.” (Lk 24:49+)
Jesus had spokenof the promise of the Spirit in Acts 1
Gathering them together, He commanded them (THE ELEVEN)not to leave
Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised (THE HOLY
SPIRIT), “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me;(Acts 1:4+) (And they
had obediently waited and on the 10th day the promise was fulfilled. Beloved,
the surestway to receive God's blessings is to be sure to walk in obedience to
His Word and by His Spirit! [Gal 5:16+])!
Promise (1860)(epaggelia/epangelia)originallymeant an announcement or
declarationbut later came to mean promise or assurance (Acts 23.21)and in
Scripture (as in the current passage)speaks predominatelyof God's
pronouncements that provide assurance ofwhat He will do. He had promised
the Holy Spirit, and here on the feastday of Pentecost, He keeps His promise
by giving it to His Son to pour out His Spirit. This reminds us of the passage
by Paul "Forall the promises of God in Him (CHRIST) are yea, and in Him
Amen, unto the glory of God by us." (2 Cor 1:20KJV).
John Phillips - The coming of the Holy Spirit was the crowning proof. Jesus
was not only alive from the dead by the powerof God's hand, but He was now
seatedat the right hand of powerin heaven. The outpouring of the Holy
Spirit, long since foretold by Joel, was the proof that Jesus was now seatedin
the glory. He was the One who had thus sentthe Holy Spirit to usher in a new
age of grace. Insteadof sending down wrath from heaven, He had sent down
the Holy Spirit, and in such a wayand on such a day as fulfilled the age-old
symbols of Pentecost. (Exploring Acts)

He has poured forth this which you both see and hear - He is clearlythe Lord
Jesus. You both see and hear indicates that the out pouring of the Spirit was
undeniable. They saw tongues like fire and they heard a sound like a mighty
rushing wind and the disciples speaking in tongues, recognizable foreign
languages.
Peterexplains that what the Jewishaudience had seenand heard was the
work of the risen, ascendedJesus,Who had prophetically promised He would
send His Spirit to the disciples. In other words, the pouring forth of the Holy
Spirit was dependent on the ascensionofJesus.
“When the Helper comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the
Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, (Jn
15:26)
“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away;for if I do not
go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
(Jn 16:7)
Poured forth (1632)(see note above on ekcheo) - In Acts 2:17 Peterquoted
Joel's prophecy that the Spirit will be poured out (future tense) and here he
uses the aorist tense indicating it has happened and that Jesus is the One Who
accomplishedthe pouring forth of the Spirit. Stated anotherway, the
outpouring of the Spirit was evidence that Jesus was actuallyexaltedat the
Father's right hand.
Note that in Peter's quote from Joelin Acts 2:17+ he says it was God saying
that He was the One Who will pour forth His Spirit on all mankind, and now
in Acts 2:33 Petersays it is Jesus Who poured forth the Spirit. Comparing
these two passageswhatis the obvious conclusion? Jesusin Acts 2:33 is God
in Acts 2:17. Jesus is God!
Now let us apply this truth - The facts are that Jesus is at the right hand of
God, directing the affairs of His Body, the church through His "Chief
Operating Officer," the Holy Spirit Whom He has poured out on us in
abundance. Dearpastor, would you say your Church (part of His Body) is a

Spirit Filled Church? Dearbeliever, is your life Spirit filled, figuratively like
an Artesian Well?
Spurgeon- Was not that enough to convince them? They saw and they heard
the proofs of the working of the Spirit among them, and Petertold them that
“this” was the gift of Christ, who had ascendedup on high. It must have been
a very striking thing, to have been there, and to have heard and seenthese
tokens of God setting His sealto the work of Jesus.
Piper - So you see, the real issue the Charismatics raise for us is not the issue
of tongues. In itself that is relatively unimportant. The really valuable
contribution of the Charismatic renewalis their relentless emphasis on the
truth that receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit is a real, life-changing
experience. Christianity is not merely an array of glorious ideas. It is not
merely the performance of rituals and sacraments. It is the life-changing
experience of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ the Lord of the
universe. (Ed: While I agree with Piper, it seems that the associationofthe
Spirit with some of the negative or more "showy" aspects ofthe Charismatic
Movement has sadly led many in the Bible based evangelicalchurches to
minimize the role of and necessityfor daily dependence upon the Holy Spirit.
And this is not just sad, but it is tragic, because it saps the Body of Christ of
the powerthat Jesus intended it to possess byt the sending of His Spirit! We in
Bible centeredchurches need to swing the "pendulum" back to its doctrinal
center! Bible yes! Spirit yes! Both are necessaryforthe work of ministry - cf 2
Cor 3:5-6+) (How to Receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit)
THE ASCENSION OF JESUS CHRIST
THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD

"But you shall receive powerwhen the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem
and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth."
And when he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by
them in white robes,
and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?
This Jesus, who was takenup from you into heaven,
will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."
Acts of the Apostles 1:8-11
The Ascensionof Our Lord Jesus Christis described in the above passage
from the Acts of the Apostles, and is also noted in Mark 16:19 and Luke
24:50-53. Jesusrefers to his Ascensionin the Gospelof John when he tells
Mary Magdalene, "Stopholding on to me, for I have not yet ascendedto the
Father, but go to my brothers and say to them, I am ascending to my Father
and your Father, to my God and your God" (John 20:17). Before his
Ascension, Christ spent forty days teaching the Apostles and disciples about
the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). The Lord informed them that they would
receive powerfrom the Holy Spirit to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth
(Acts 1:8). The Ascensionoccurredat Bethany on the Mount of Olives (Luke
19:29). Christ's work of redemption has become known as the Paschal
Mystery of Christ and was accomplishedprincipally by his Passion, death,
Resurrection, and Glorious Ascensioninto Heaven. The PaschalMysteryof
Christ constitutes one actionfor the salvation of mankind, for Jesus “was
handed over to death for our trespassesand was raisedfor our justification”
(Romans 4:25).

Jesus Christ made multiple appearances in severallocations to his disciples
for forty days following his Resurrection. Forexample, Jesus appearedfirst to
Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem(Matthew 28:9-10, Mark 16:9, John 20:14-17),
to two disciples on the Roadto Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32), to Simon Peter
(Luke 24:34, First Corinthians 15:5), to his disciples in the evening of that first
day (John 20:19), and a week laterto Thomas and the disciples (John 20:26).
He appeared to James (First Corinthians 15:7), and to Peterand the Apostles
in Galilee (Matthew 28:16-20, John21:1).
At the same time, Christ Jesus appearedto his disciples even after his
Ascensioninto Heaven. Stephen saw Jesus "standing at the right hand of
God" prior to his martyrdom (Acts 7:55). Saul experiencedConversionon the
road to Damascus whenhe was blinded by a bright light and told "I am Jesus
whom you are persecuting" (Acts 9:3-5). The Lord Jesus appearedto Ananias
in Damascus, instructing him to baptize Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:10-19). The
"Spirit of Jesus" redirectedPaul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke on the second
missionary journey towards Troas, where they boarded a ship for Macedonia,
the first recorded introduction of Christianity into Europe (Acts 16:7-10). The
Lord reassuredPaul to stay in Corinth after he had baptized Crispus, the
ruler of the synagogue (Acts 18:9). Jesus actuallyappearedto Paul in the
Temple of Jerusalem(Acts 22:17-18)!The Lord stood by Paul in Jerusalem
and advised him that he was to "bearwitness" to Him in Rome (Acts 23:11).
His final appearance in Scripture was to John on the island of Patmos in the
Book ofRevelation(1:10-1:20).
His glorious Ascensionsignifiedthe completion of his time on earth, which is
celebratedby the Church forty days after the Resurrectionand ten days
before the Pentecost,the coming of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord Jesus Christ
gave us hope by promising that "when I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come againand will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also"
(John 14:3). www.jesuschristsavior.net/

Six Reasons Jesus’s AscensionMatters
Article by Brian Tabb
Academic Dean, Bethlehem College & Seminary
Have you marked your calendarfor AscensionDayon May 9? How many of
us have even heard of AscensionDay? Or perhaps just a sermon about Jesus’s
ascensioninto heaven? It is impossible to overstate the importance of Good
Friday, when Jesus died for our sins, and EasterSunday, when he was raised
from the dead — but Jesus’s earthlyministry did not stop there.
After the resurrection, Jesus taughthis disciples about God’s kingdom for
forty days (Acts 1:3) and then he was “takenup” to heaven (Acts 1:2, 11). The
cross and empty tomb are at the very heart of the gospelmessage proclaimed
by Jesus’s followers throughouthistory (see 1 Corinthians 15:1–4). However,
for many evangelicalChristians and churches, Jesus’s ascensionis simply an
afterthought to Easterand GoodFriday.
Here I want to highlight six aspects ofJesus’s ascensionorexaltation, in hopes
that this significantand climactic event in Jesus’s life will no longer be an
afterthought for you.
1. Jesus continues to work after the ascension.
In Acts 1:1–2 we read, “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all
that Jesus beganto do and teach, until the day when he was takenup...” The
small but important word begansignals that Jesus’s ascensiondoes notmark
the cessationbut the continuation of his work as Lord and Messiah. That’s
what Luke’s secondbook is all about, the “Acts of the risen Lord Jesus,”
which he works from heaven, through his people, by the Holy Spirit, for the
accomplishmentof God’s purposes.1
2. The ascendedLord Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to his people.

After his resurrectionJesus told his followers, “I am sending the promise of
my Fatherupon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power
from on high” (Luke 24:49).2 In his PentecostsermonPeterexplains, “Being
therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having receivedfrom the
Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you
yourselves are seeing and hearing” (Acts 2:33). God promised in Joel2:28, “I
will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,” and this promise is fulfilled by the
exalted heavenly Lord Jesus. The ascendedLord sent the Spirit to be present
with his people (John 14:16), to empowerthem for worldwide mission (Acts
1:8; 4:31), and to transform believers to live new lives reflecting their king
(Romans 8:9–11;2 Corinthians 3:18).
3. Jesus’s ascensionis his heavenly enthronement as King.
At Jesus’s ascensionhe is installed as the true king of the world. According to
the Apostles’Creed, he “ascendedinto heavenand sits at the right hand of
God the Father Almighty.” Jesus is takenup to heavenin a cloud (Acts 1:9–
11), and Stephen declares that he sees the Sonof Man standing at the right
hand of God (Acts 7:56). These texts suggestthatJesus’s ascensionfulfills the
important prophecy of Daniel 7:13–14:3
I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came
one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented
before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all
peoples, nations, and languages shouldserve him; his dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that
shall not be destroyed.
Jesus’s kingdomcannot be destroyedand will not pass away!According to
Revelation3:21 Jesus conqueredand sat down with his Fatheron his throne,
where he receives unending praise (Revelation5:6–13). Jesuswill reign at
God’s right hand until all enemies are subdued under his feet(Psalm 110:1;
Acts 2:34–35;1 Corinthians 15:25; Hebrews 1:13). Thus God’s kingdom has
been inaugurated through the enthronement of Jesus, who now sits on

heaven’s throne and will return to consummate his kingdom on earth as in
heaven.
4. Jesus’s ascensionis his return to his Father.
Before and after his death and resurrectionJesus declares thathe was sentby
his Fatherand must return to his Father:
I came from the Fatherand have come into the world, and now I am leaving
the world and going to the Father. (John 16:28; cf. 13:1, 3)
Jesus saidto Mary, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascendedto the
Father; but go to my brothers and sayto them, ‘I am ascending to my Father
and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 20:17)
There has been no sweeterreunion in the history of the world than Jesus’s
return to his Father! Perhaps the closestanalogyis a courageous,wounded
soldier returning to his loved ones after a hard-fought victory. Jesus fully
accomplishedhis mission and glorified the Father on earth, and at Jesus’s
ascensionthe Father glorifies the Son in heaven (John 17:4–5). Take heart
that Jesus’s homecoming to his Fatherprepares the way for our homecoming
to be with Jesus forever(John 14:2–4).
5. The ascendedLord Jesus is our heavenly mediator and high priest.
Jesus is the unique mediator betweenGod and man (1 Timothy 2:5). His
death and resurrectionsecure our forgiveness, justification, and reconciliation
with God (Romans 4:25–5:1;2 Corinthians 5:18–21). Note also thatthe
exalted Lord Jesus is now in heaven interceding for his people as our true
high priest and advocate (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 1:3; 7:25; 8:1; 1 John 2:1).
During his earthly ministry Jesus’s work was geographicallylimited — he
didn’t teach in Ethiopia while healing in China. But now he is at work
everywhere and able to hear and respond to his people’s prayers no matter
the time or place. He sympathizes with our struggles and promises to do
whateverwe ask in his name (John 14:13–14;Hebrews 4:15–16).
6. The ascendedLord Jesus will return as King and Judge.

In Acts 1:11 two angels explain to the disciples, “This Jesus, who was takenup
from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into
heaven.” Jesus’s heavenlyreign will one day be fully realized on earth
(Revelation11:15;19:10–16;22:3). This is the very thing we ask for when we
pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”
(Matthew 6:10). At his return, the Lord Jesus will execute divine judgment,
vindicating his downtrodden people and judging his enemies.4
What It Means for Our Lives
To sum up: Though often overlooked, the ascensioncompletesJesus’searthly
mission and signifies his enthronement as heavenly king. Jesus has completed
his Father’s missionand he now rules with all authority and intercedes with
all sympathy as our mediator and high priest. I close with four implications of
Jesus’s ascensionfor our lives.
Remember that Jesus is presently reigning as king and remains active and
engagedin our world and our lives.
Therefore live boldly, confidently, and strategicallyas servants of the exalted
king of heaven. Know that your labors in the Lord Jesus are not in vain (1
Corinthians 15:58).
Sufferers, take heart that Jesus is not indifferent to your struggle. He has
endured greatsuffering and is thus the most merciful and sympathetic
counselorand mediator. Take your cares to your ascendedLord who hears
your prayers and canrespond with all heaven’s authority.
Finally hope in a glorious future. The ascendedLord will return as judge and
king. He will abolish injustice, end suffering, and destroy death and setup his
kingdom of truth, righteousness and love. Best of all, we will be with our king
forever.

See Alan J. Thompson, The Acts of the Risen Lord Jesus:Luke’s Account of
God's Unfolding Plan (NSBT 27;Downers Grove:InterVarsity Press, 2011),
48–50.↩
See also John 15:26;16:7; Acts 1:5, 8. ↩
See also Mark 14:62;Revelation1:13; 11:15. ↩
See Matthew 25:31–36;John 5:27; Acts 17:31;2 Thessalonians 1:5–10;
Revelation22:12. ↩
Brian Tabb (@BJTabb)is academic deanand associateprofessorof biblical
studies at Bethlehem College & Seminary, an elder of Bethlehem Baptist
Church, and editor of Themelios. He and his wife, Kristin, have four children.
Why Jesus Had to Ascend to Heaven: Answers from Scripture and Aquinas
May 24, 2017
By MichaelRuszala
The disciples were troubled at the Last Supper when Jesus hinted of his going
up to the Father (John 13:33). Then after the Ascension, they were found
“standing there looking at the sky” before being reassuredby the angels (Acts
1:11). We could ask with them: Why did Jesus have to ascendto heavenonly
40 days after the Resurrection? Why could he not have remained walking
among his followers for many ages?
Scripture shows us that the Ascensionis connectedintrinsically with the
PaschalMysteryand the coming of the Holy Spirit, and thus was crucialfor
our salvationand the welfare of the Church. John’s Gospelshows us that
Jesus spenta considerable amount of time at the Last Supper tenderly

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