Acts (Written)

Changing leaves. Tennessee Countryside.

Friday, 11 March 2022

Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Acts 5:31

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The previous verse said, “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.” Now, Luke records the next words of Peter and the apostles, saying, “Him God has exalted.” The verb is hupsoó. It signifies to lift up, raise up, and so on. It is the same word used in the Greek translation of Isaiah 52:13 to describe the coming Messiah –

“Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently;
He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.”

One can see that the words are parallel to the previous verse in somewhat of a pun –

The God of our fathers raised up Jesus.
Him God has lifted up.

Jesus was hung on a tree, having been lifted up (see John 3:14 where the same Greek word is used) by the leaders of Israel, but God has lifted Jesus up “to His right hand.” Here, some translations say, “with His right hand,” others “to His right hand.” The Greek is not specific and must be supplied. It is the same terminology as in Acts 2:33.

Either is possible based on the surrounding context. The right hand signifies power, both in action (ability) and in position (authority). As noted, the previous verse just said that God raised Jesus. Therefore, it could be “by the right hand (ability) of God.” However, the next clause will speak of repentance and forgiveness of sins, something that comes from the position of authority.

Nothing is lost in either translation because both possibilities are true. Therefore, a word such as “at” might be a better choice because it can convey either meaning or both meanings at the same time –

“exalted at the right hand of Him…”

As such, it could mean “at [by the power of] the right hand,” or “at [to the location of] the right hand of God.”

Although this may seem like trifling, the words have importance and should be considered. God’s power (His right hand) raised Jesus (Romans 10:9), and Jesus is seated at the right hand (the position of authority) of God (Romans 8:34).

The apostles, though stating a truth, are letting the council know that there is hope for them. The actions of Israel’s leaders actually served the greater purposes of God. Forgiveness is possible if they could but accept the matter and acknowledge what they had done. With this, their next words state, “to be Prince.”

It is the same thought already presented by Peter in Acts 3:14, 15 –

“But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, ¹⁵ and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.”

The word there translated as Prince signifies “a file-leader who pioneers the way for many others to follow” (HELPS Word Studies). It is also found in Hebrews 2:10 and 12:2. Reading those verses will give a fuller idea of the thought now being presented. Jesus is the “File-leader.” He is the One who leads the way for all others who will be raised up by God, lifted up at His right hand. This is because He is also the “Savior.”

This is specifically referring to Jesus Christ in His position of ability to save. The word specifically refers to Him as the One “who saves believers from their sin and delivers them into His safety” (HELPS Word Studies). It is in this capacity that Jesus is able “to give repentance to Israel.”

The word metanoia, or repentance, signifies changing of the mind. What this is saying is that Israel is offered a change of mind concerning wrongdoing. Paul says in Romans 3:20 that “by the law is the knowledge of sin.” When law exists, there is always a struggle in the mind of the one under that law. The word “compunction” explains this. It is the guilty feeling or moral hesitation that either prevents, or follows, the doing of something wrong.

Jesus came to give Israel a change of mind from this. In fulfilling the law, the law is annulled through His death. As such, there is no longer this feeling of guilt concerning a matter (such as eating pork or not). And this exists both in abstaining from pork, even though there is nothing wrong with it, and in the state that comes after eating pork because the law said not to do so. In the giving of the law, the conscience becomes guilty. But more than this, Jesus also came to offer “forgiveness of sins.”

Not only is the mind reformed through the annulling of the law, but the sins committed under the law are forgiven through His death in fulfillment of it. This is noted by Paul in Romans, Galatians, and elsewhere. And more, because the law is now annulled, there is no longer the imputation of sin – because sin comes from a violation of law. This is noted by Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:19.

Without the law, then sin is no longer an issue. Thus, the words of Peter and the apostles now can be summed up by the words of Paul in Romans 3:36, saying of Jesus, “that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

If one looks at the previous verse side by side with this verse, the parallelism of what is stated comes forth –

5:30 – The God of our fathers raised up Jesus (from the dead, proving He is God)
5:31 – Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior (assuming His position as God)

5:30 – Whom you murdered (an action that gives guilt under the law)
5:31 – To give repentance to Israel (dealing with the moral hesitation after violating the law)

5:30 – By hanging on a tree (the death of Christ in fulfillment of the law)
5:31 – And forgiveness of sins (the action resulting from the death of Christ in fulfillment of the law)

Life application: There are wonderful truths to be found in a detailed study of the words of Scripture, and it is never a waste of time to search them out. When doing a personal study, be sure to be aware of the many types of literary devices that the Bible uses, such as poetry, prose, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, idiom, personification, parallelisms, parable, typology, and so on.

In understanding what is being said, and in properly identifying the context in which it is said, there is a treasure trove of wisdom to be obtained from the mind of God as it is revealed in the pages of this wonderful treasure that we call the Holy Bible.

Lord God, Your word is wonderful. Thank You for Your glorious and superior word. Amen.

T’baccy farm. Backwoods Tenessee.

Thursday, 10 March 2022

The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Acts 5:30

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The words of the last verse were those of the apostles as they proclaimed, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Now, to continue with their lecturing of the high priest and the council, the words of Peter and the apostles say, “The God of our fathers.”

This is referring to YHVH (Yehovah), the covenant Lord God of Israel, such as is recorded in Exodus 6:7 –

“I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”

It is He who set forth the law through Moses which the people agreed to. It is, ironically, this law that these men at the council administered for the people of Israel, but which the apostles will school them on in the verses ahead concerning Jesus Christ whom that same law spoke of.

In saying “The God of our fathers,” it is clear that the apostles are claiming that their worship is not of a new God, a false God, or a misrepresentation of the true God. They are aligning themselves with the people at the council (our), and they are aligning themselves with the God whom the council represents (our fathers).

As such, what they will claim is an extension of what the Lord (YHVH) is doing in redemptive history, not merely something entirely new, but a continuance of the overall redemptive plan in a new direction. This same thought is seen in the words of the Lord to Moses –

“Then He said, ‘Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.’ ⁶ Moreover He said, ‘I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.” Exodus 3:5, 6

When the Lord spoke to Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – who preceded him – were not under the law that was to be given through him, and yet nobody in Israel would deny that those patriarchs were a part of what the Lord was doing in redemptive history. And so, what the apostles now proclaim bears the exact same weight, if the words are true. To validate that their words are, in fact, true, the schooling of the council by the apostles begins with the words that the God of their fathers “raised up Jesus.”

This is an obvious reference to the resurrection. The council was fully aware of the claim that Jesus had been raised. By saying that God raised Him up, it meant that God was fully satisfied concerning His innocence and that His sacrifice was acceptable before Him. And this, despite the next words of the apostles to the council, saying, “whom you murdered.”

Here is a new word in Scripture, diacheirizomai. It comes from dia (through) and a derivative of cheir (to handle thoroughly). Thus, it means “To lay violent hands upon.” In the case of Jesus, it means they killed Him violently. This word will only be found one more time, in Acts 26:21.

Peter and the apostles firmly avow that what happened to Jesus was a willful, violent, and unjustified attack against the Lord’s Messiah. God had approved of His life, He had raised Jesus from the dead, and thus those of the council (the verb is plural – “you all”) were guilty of His death. But more, they then added in the most striking words of all, saying, “by hanging on a tree.”

The verb is an aorist participle and should read, “having hanged.” The act occurred, it was successfully accomplished, and it was one intentionally brought about by those at the council. These words are a clear and unambiguous reference to Deuteronomy 21:23. There, the Greek translation uses the same word as is used now in Acts, xulon, or tree. That is a direct translation from the Hebrew word ets, signifying wood, or a tree –

“If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, ²³ his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.” Deuteronomy 21:22, 23

The council had determined that Jesus was deserving of death. And yet, both Pilate and Herod had determined exactly the opposite –

“Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, ¹⁴ said to them, ‘You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; ¹⁵ no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. ¹⁶ I will therefore chastise Him and release Him’ ¹⁷ (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).” Luke 23:13-17

Because the council had violently, and yet wrongfully, participated in the crucifixion of the Messiah (proved by God’s having raised Him from the dead), it means they bore the guilt of what occurred. This is the weight of what is being said to them now. If they understood the scope of what this meant, however, they would then realize that what occurred was not outside of, but a part of, what the Lord had planned –

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), ¹⁴ that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:13, 14

If the council would acknowledge their part in what happened, forgiveness could come. But this is not what took place. Until Israel’s leaders acknowledge their part in what occurred, they – even to this day – remain under the curse that they brought upon themselves.

Life application: Such a seemingly unimportant set of words, that can be quickly read over and easily forgotten, carry an immense amount of theological importance. And the words of this verse have not been fully explained in relation to many other verses in Scripture. They tie in with other parts of the law, with words in the psalms and the prophets, with what is stated in the gospels, the epistles, and Revelation.

Everything in Scripture ultimately ties in with what God is doing in Christ to reconcile the world to Himself. And Christ (the Messiah) is Jesus who is clearly depicted in the gospels and Acts, and who is then explained throughout the rest of the New Testament. Be careful to know this now because there are people all over the world who claim to be the Messiah, or who claim to be Jesus the Messiah.

There are also others who add to the word about Christ, such as the Mormons. Jesus is the central point of all of what God is doing in the world, Jesus is revealed to us in Scripture. So be sure to know exactly what books form Scripture, and then be sure to know which “Jesus” it is that Scripture is presenting. When you get these things right, and when you believe the message of what He has done, you will be saved. Anything else will only lead to condemnation.

Thank You, Lord God, that we have a sure word in the pages of the Bible. Nothing is missing, and nothing is superfluous. And thank You that the Bible tells us all we need to know about Jesus and the proper path to salvation. Thank You, Lord God. Amen.

Inside the house of Sgt. York.

Wednesday, 9 March 2022

But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The previous words contained the reminder from the high priest to the apostles, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name?” With that being the context, the response of the apostles is now noted, saying, “But Peter and the other apostles.”

This is not a common set of words. The Greek reads, “Peter and the apostles said.” The word “other” is not found in the original. However, it cannot be construed as, “Peter spoke on behalf of the other apostles.” The verb is plural, indicating that Peter and the others are all speaking up. Further, it cannot be construed as saying that Peter is not one of the apostles, as in “But Peter, and the apostles…” Peter is one of the apostles, but Luke singles him out as the leader.

As such, the translation, “But Peter and the other apostles,” suitably reflects the intent of the Greek. All of them “answered and said.” The words are both a response to the high priest, and they are a proclamation of a truth that has already been conveyed to this body in the recent past. One can almost see a united protest from their lips, each expressing the same general thought, but all in one accord concerning the matter, which is that “We ought to obey God rather than men.”

It is essentially what Peter and John both proclaimed the last time they were standing in this same location –

“So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. ²⁰ For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.’” Acts 4:18-20

There is a difference now, however. The words of the angel just a couple verses ago make this more than an implicitly understood thing, but a command from the Lord through His angel –

“But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, ²⁰ ‘Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.’” Acts 5:19, 20

As such, their response is bold and firm. Whatever number of apostles were in the cell, they had personally been told to speak, and they were under obligation to do so. Understanding this, the word “ought” is generally not strong enough to the mind of the reader. Rather, it is a word signifying “must” or “necessary.”

The apostles are under order of the Lord’s messenger, and they are under moral obligation of the truth of the gospel itself. Hence, their response is one that had to be stated to the leaders at this time. They must obey. Of the word translated as “obey,” the Greek word is a new one to Scripture, peitharcheó. It comes from two words signifying “persuade” and “what comes first.” Thus, it signifies being obedient to the higher authority. Vincent’s Word Studies provides an important insight –

“Not often used in the New Testament to express obedience, the most common word being ὑπακούω [hupakouó]. Sometimes πείθω [peithó] is used. But this word, in itself, is the only one of the several in use which expresses the conception of obedience exclusively. … It occurs four times in the New Testament: Acts 5:29, Acts 5:32; Acts 27:21; Titus 3:1; and in every case, of obedience to established authority, either of God or of magistrates. In Acts 27:21, where it is used of the ship’s officers hearkening to Paul’s admonition not to loose from Crete, Paul speaks of his admonition as divinely inspired; compare Acts 27:10. In Acts 4:19, Peter and John say hearken (ἀκούειν) [akouein]. That is a mere listening to or considering the proposition made to them. This is a deliberate course of action.”

The apostles’ appeal is to the higher authority. Disobedience to Moses, of whom the council represents (see Matthew 23:2), must take place. This is not because God is overriding His own words in the law, but because the law is annulled through the work of Christ.

Life application: The verse here is one that sets a clear and defining line between the covenant at Sinai and that found in Christ. Jesus explicitly said to the people –

“The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.” Matthew 23:2, 3

However, the angel from the Lord told the apostles to go out and preach to the people what is now found in Christ. That is in distinction to what was said in Acts 4 (as noted above), and the words of this verse now are in direct defiance of the words of the high priest and the council again in Acts 5.

This shows, without any doubt or ambiguity, that the New Covenant is the higher priority, and it is to be obeyed. And yet, there is no conflict between the two because the Law of Moses is –

Annulled – “For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, ¹⁹ for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.” Hebrews 7:18, 19

Obsolete – “In that He says, ‘A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.’” Hebrews 8:13

Taken away – “Previously saying, ‘Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them’ (which are offered according to the law), ⁹ then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.’ He takes away the first that He may establish the second.” Hebrews 10:8, 9

Wiped out (meaning “erased”) and nailed to the cross (meaning it died when Christ died) – “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ¹⁴ having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” Colossians 2:13, 14

To reinsert the law of Moses as binding is the highest of heresy because it negates (makes null and void) the work of Christ in one’s life. It is essentially saying, “Nice try, God. You did your best, but I will add to it; improving what you were unable to complete.” It is a rejection of the full, final, and forever work of Jesus Christ. It is a self-condemning act.

You must reject the teachings of the Hebrew Roots movement and all who would claim the Law of Moses is binding (in part or in whole) upon you. Come to the grace of God in Christ. Be freed from your arrogant and futile attempts to do better than what God in Christ has done!

Heavenly Father, it is as if we just cannot trust You with our souls! So many of us in the church constantly fear about the future, strive to return to the law to please You, reject the cross through our actions, and show contempt for the shed blood of Christ. Help us to trust and to just keep on trusting that what You have done is sufficient. To Your glory, and Your glory alone, may we simply demonstrate the faith of children and TRUST! Amen.

A nice tidy dining room at Sgt York’s house.

Tuesday, 8 March 2022

saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” Acts 5:28

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The apostles have been brought before the council. With them there, it is the high priest who questions them, “saying, ‘Did we not strictly command you…?’” The Greek bears a Hebraism which makes the question emphatic, “Not with a charge we charged you…?”

Some manuscripts leave out the word “Not.” In this, it would make it an emphatic statement rather than a question emphatically asked. Either way, the meaning is easily understood. A charge was emphatically laid upon the apostles to “not to teach in this name.”

Rather than “in” (en) the name, the Greek reads “upon” (epi) the name. The name is the basis of the teaching because the name identifies the One to whom it belongs. Therefore, the teaching of the apostles is upon that great and exalted name. But this is what they had been charged to stop doing, and it is now the reason they – once again – stood before the council.

And not only had they taught upon the name of Jesus, but they had been having immense success in doing so, as testified to by the mouth of the high priest, saying, “And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine.”

Here, the noun form of the word “teach” is now used. “And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching.” It is a testament to the resolve of the apostles. They not only taught and brought the word to the people, but they did so after having been strictly charged by the leaders of the nation to not do so. And so bold had they been that the city had become filled with the teaching.

It demonstrates that what is said about Jesus has power. If a religious leader had been crucified and the people had continued to follow him only because of his teaching, there would be a marked difference in the acceptance of the teaching by others. But if the leader was crucified and then resurrected, there wouldn’t need to be another reason why the people accepted the teaching. The resurrection itself provides a sufficient reason.

If there was no proof of the resurrection, the teaching of the apostles would be laughed at and ignored. But their own Scriptures, which the apostles argued from, testified to the fact that Jesus had to come, fulfill the law, and die in fulfillment of it –

“But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. ¹⁹ Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, ²⁰ and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, ²¹ whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:18-21

This is the teaching that went forth from the apostles, and it was backed up by the very Scriptures that they had heard read throughout their lives. The high priest and the council knew this very well. But they sat upon Moses’ seat. Because they did, they knew they would lose their position and authority if Christ – who initiated a New Covenant in His blood – was fully revealed to the people.

Because of their rejection of Jesus, they rightly took it as a personal offense against them, as the high priest says, “and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” Here, the same word, epi, is used that they just used concerning the teaching of the apostles –

“Did we not strictly command you not to teach upon this name?”
“And look, you …  intend to bring this Man’s blood upon us!”

The blood can only come upon them if the Man was innocent. And if He had resurrected, then He was found innocent of any sin before God. If this is so, then He is the Lord God incarnate. Each point becomes a greater and greater indictment upon the actions of those who conspired against Jesus.

And, whether it was the “intent” of the apostles to do this, or whether it was simply a consequence of the preaching, the result does not change. Those in the council did bear the bloodguilt, and it was being highlighted through the message. But they had already admitted the guilt of the blood –

But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. ²¹ The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”
They said, “Barabbas!”
²² Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”
They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”
²³ Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?”
But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”
²⁴ When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.”
²⁵ And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.” Matthew 27:20-25

They called for the blood of Jesus to be upon them and upon their children. Telling the apostles to not teach upon His name did nothing to change that. But so vehement was the high priest against this, that he doesn’t even speak Jesus’ name. Instead, he simply says, “this Man.” Vincent’s Word Studies notes that this is “the first instance of that avoidance of the name of Christ which makes the Talmud, in the very same terms, refer to him most frequently as Peloni equals, ‘so and so.’”

In other words, the Talmud, the document that codifies Jewish law and custom, refuses to address Jesus by His name. Instead, they use various terms when referring to Him. This has carried on into Jewish life where many will not speak His name at all. Or, if they do, they will use a term of derision which is pronounced very similarly to His name instead.

Life application: To hear the simple gospel, and to believe it, is what brings salvation. There does not need to be a complicated lesson on the deity of Christ, nor does the doctrine of the Trinity need to be explained. God sent His Son into the world to save sinners. Jesus is that Son. He died for our sins, He was buried, and He resurrected. Belief in that is what saves.

Any person will hear, and – in their minds – they will know that a son bears the same characteristics as the father. Hence, there is an implicit understanding in the deity of Jesus, even if it is not thought through.

However, if a person is told – in advance – that Jesus is not God, there a problem arises. He is God. Therefore, that person is now being told about “another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4) and he has accepted a “different gospel” (2 Corinthians 11:4 & Galatians 1:6). But a different gospel is not another. It is a heresy. Paul states this explicitly in Galatians 1:6-9.

Therefore, that person will not be saved when presented a false Jesus and a false gospel. Be sure to keep the gospel simple, and be sure that when you teach, your doctrine is proper. We are all accountable for what we teach to others, so be properly instructed in what is right concerning this glorious Man who came from heaven and gave up His life for us. Yes, the Man is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Glorious and wonderful God! How good it is to know that You sent Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to take away our sins. Cleanse us with the blood of the spotless Lamb of God! Wash away our sins! And, O God, reconcile us to Yourself through Him! We thank You for Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Getting older. Sgt York.

Monday, 7 March 2022

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, Acts 5:27

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The captain and officers just went to collect the apostles but without any violence. From there, it next notes, “And when they had brought them.” The wording makes it evident that the apostles freely went with the guards and that they were not bound or conducted with swords or spears. If they were, it is certain Luke would have noted this.

It shows that there was no threat or rebellion on their part. They were asked to come, they came, and they were taken to the council, unreservedly coming with the guards. When they had arrived, it says of the captain and officers that “they set them before the council.”

Jesus had spoken to the twelve about exactly this in Matthew 10:17, where He said that “they will deliver you up to councils.” Peter and John had already been brought before such a council in Acts 4, but now some or all of the other apostles are there with them. With them there before this large body of Israel’s elite leaders, the verse finishes with, “And the high priest asked them.”

The high priest is the first to speak, and it is in the form of a question from an authority figure, as the Greek word eperótaó implies. The word is derived from epi, signifying “on.” That intensifies the word erótaó, meaning to inquire or ask. HELPS Word Studies notes that the asking is “done by someone on ‘preferred footing’ who makes a request from a ‘preferred position.’”

In this case, it is from the preferred position of the seat of authority to the supposedly lower position of one being interrogated for possible wrongdoing. Ironically, Jesus had promised these twelve that someday they would “sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28).

Everything in its due time though. The course of events in God’s redemptive plan must be worked out in their proper order, and so these apostles who would sit as Israel’s judges must first stand in judgment before the Sanhedrin established under the Law of Moses that was – even as they stood there – “obsolete and growing old,” and “ready to vanish away” (Hebrews 8:13).

Life application: How do you take the timing of the rapture in relation to your life in the Lord? Are you anticipating it and frustrated because it hasn’t happened yet? Are you looking forward to it, but not worried about when it will happen? Do you dismiss it as a ridiculous premise that comes from a misreading of Scripture?

If the latter, how do you see the events of the future unfolding? God has a plan. It is set, and it is in motion. Further, it will come to pass. The book is written, and we have been placed in the stream of time – that He created – for a purpose. That purpose is not to sit around moaning that the world is so corrupt that it is unfair we are still here. If we are still here, it is because God still has a plan for us while we are here.

Someday, the Lord will have us stand before Him, and our lives will be evaluated according to the things we have done, especially those things done since being saved by Him. Do you think He is going to pass out rewards to you for making (or following those who make) constant predictions about the rapture? One fails and so we are off to another sensational message that it is coming next week. The cycle repeats again and again, and we still have not gone out to tell anyone about what He has done.

Be wise with your time. Jesus directly spoke in Acts saying that it is not for us to know the times and the seasons of such things. Paul repeats this sentiment in 1 Thessalonians 5. The plan is set, we have been given the overall details of it so that we possess a great hope that can carry us through, but we do not have – nor will we be given – the finer details. So, be content to not pry into what God has reserved to Himself.

Lord God, give us the wisdom to be about Your business as we live out our lives in Your presence. Help us to be productive and do our best in all we set our hands to do, glorifying You through our work. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.