We’ve begun a new course on the Book of Acts, a verse by verse study that will likely run about six months. In this session we begin to examine the text, exploring the last chapter of Luke and the beginning of Acts. We hope you’ll watch or listen every week, and if you enjoy these sessions that you’ll share them.

Class notes are available here as a PDF.

If you like, you can also watch on my YouTube channel.

EXCERPT: After what Jesus tells them about the coming of the Spirit, notice the question they ask. They ask Him if He is now going to restore the kingdom to Israel. You may remember that when Jesus was being examined by Pontius Pilate, Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world. However, the Jewish people knew that when Messiah came, Israel would be the leading nation of the world and all their oppressors would be defeated. There would be a Sabbath age, an age of prosperity and blessing, when every Israelite would enjoy peace and rest. The knowledge of God would cover the earth just as the waters cover the sea.

Because Jesus had conquered death, and because He was promising to pour out the Spirit, the apostles might have thought that He was about to raise up an invincible army made up of Samsons and Davids, anointed by the Holy Spirit, and incapable of being defeated by normal humans.

And why did they expect this kingdom to come immediately? Probably because Jesus said the Spirit was about to come upon them. Jesus had also promised them that they would reign with Him in that kingdom. He had told them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28).

But Jesus’ answer was unexpected. He didn’t say that Kingdom was never going to happen (and indeed it will come), but He said it wasn’t for them to know when it would happen.

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