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 ]