DEDICATION 1, 2. We see that this book is dedicated to Luke's friend Theophilus, to whom his Gospel is also dedicated. Doubtless this brother Theophilus, who is not elsewhere mentioned, was much beloved by Paul and Luke. While it is more than likely that some eminent saint is here personally addres... [ Continue Reading ]
THE KINGDOM OF GOD 3. I am so sorry that nothing has been elaborately revealed appertaining to the precious ministry of our Lord with His apostles during the forty days of His glorified sojourn upon the earth between His resurrection and ascension. It is merely here stated that He spent the time _“s... [ Continue Reading ]
BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT 4, 5. One of the puzzles of all Christendom, a problem which none can solve, is why the Christian Church in all ages has not strictly adhered to the positive and unequivocal mandate of her Lord _“not to depart from Jerusalem”_ till the Pentecostal enduement of the Holy... [ Continue Reading ]
KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 6. When Jacob was converted amid the wonderful vision of the ladder, he called the place Bethel, which means “the family of God,” commemorating the fact of his spiritual birth, as then and there he was born into the family of God. After twenty years of terrible conflict with inbred... [ Continue Reading ]
TIMES AND SEASONS 7. Probably a better translation of these Greek words would be “periods and epochs.” You plant out a peach orchard. Then follows a period running over a number of years during which the trees flourish and yield their fruits. Eventually they get old and diseased, and the fruit is no... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HOLY GHOST HIMSELF, THE POWER 8. _“But you shall receive power of the Holy Ghost having come on you.”_ The English version gives this very incorrectly, “you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you.” You find it beautifully corrected in the Revised version. I have heard an... [ Continue Reading ]
THE ASCENSION 9-11. This is the grand climacteric fact of this chapter, suitable to impress it on the memory as the Ascension chapter. When I was at Jerusalem I was never satisfied walking over Mount Olivet where Jesus walked so much. Whenever I had a leisure hour I would run away to Calvary or to... [ Continue Reading ]
_“And they said, Galilean men, why stand ye gazing up into Heaven? The same Jesus who was taken up from you into Heaven will so come in the manner in which you saw Him going into Heaven.”_ Such was the testimony of those radiant angels whose effulgent glory flashed out on the astounded multitude sta... [ Continue Reading ]
THE UPPER CHAMBER 12, 13. The walled city of Jerusalem is a quadrangle about twice as long from east to west as wide from north to south. The population is now estimated at fifty thousand, the city without the wall containing the same, though occupying a much larger territory and growing rapidly, as... [ Continue Reading ]
Our Lord's brothers [doubtless the sons of Joseph by a former marriage], James and Judas, the latter in E. V. called Jude to contradistinguish him from Judas Iscariot, who had brought disgrace on the name. These brothers of our Lord are not mentioned in the catalogue of the original twelve (Matthew... [ Continue Reading ]
SUICIDE, SUCCESSION AND DOOM OF JUDAS 15-26. Now Peter, in his recognized seniority, proceeds to have the vacuum created by the fall of Judas Iscariot supplied. The prophecies here quoted predicting the treason of Judas, did not necessitate him to perpetrate the atrocious crime. You must bear in min... [ Continue Reading ]
REMORSE AND SUICIDE OF JUDAS Matthew 27:3-10; Acts 1:18-19. Matthew: _“Then Judas, the one having betrayed Him, seeing that He was condemned; giving way to remorse, brought the thirty pieces of silver to the high priests and elders, saying, I sinned, betraying the innocent blood, And they said, What... [ Continue Reading ]
_“His episcopacy let another take.”_ Here we find that Judas was a bishop, like all the other apostles. The New Testament bishop is simply a pastor of the flock of Christ, the original word being _episcopos_ from _epi_, “over,” and _scopeoo_, “see.” Hence it simply means an overseer, and applies leg... [ Continue Reading ]
_“To receive a place of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas departed to go into his own place.”_ So long as Judas was true to the ministry and apostleship of our Lord, he enjoyed a place in the kingdom of God. Unfortunately, Satan pulls and pulls incessantly on the mighty Archimedian lev... [ Continue Reading ]