Part 18: Things Concerning the Kingdom

Introduction

“Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever, about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it; and Scrooge's name was good upon 'change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.

There is no doubt that Marley was dead. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate.”

- Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Dickens stressed the importance of Marley’s deadness because he wanted his readers to appreciate the unexpectedness of the character’s reappearance, and the shock and wonder it would have on the character of Scrooge - a wonder that would be lost if the reader simply saw Marley as a newly-introduced figure without an established history (including a certain demise).

Teaching point: The importance of appreciating the context of the story of Acts and the early Church - understanding what they knew, and what they expected, is vital to a correct interpretation as well as an appreciation of their struggles, failings, and triumphs in this critical phase of the Kingdom program.

Things Concerning the Kingdom

Acts 1:1–11 LSB

The first account, O Theophilus, I composed, about all that Jesus began to do and teach,

until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen,

to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over forty days and speaking about the things concerning the kingdom of God.

And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me;

for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

But He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set by His own authority;

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the end of the earth.”

And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.

They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

The book of Acts is one of the most exciting, complex, and at times confusing books of the New Testament. The second volume of Luke’s two-part history of the birth of Christianity, Acts has correctly been termed a “transitional” book as it bridges the Old Testament paradigm with the ramifications of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ - the true “actor” of both books. Much of the confusion around the interpretation and application of the book of Acts stems from the fact that its cast of characters find themselves confused as they try to comprehend the new order of things in the aftermath of 33AD, facing widespread persecution, theological conundrums, and clashes of personality. And at its center, the story of Acts introduces an entirely new entity, unforeseen by the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, yet specially created and cultivated by the very Spirit of God: the Church. In keeping with Christ’s final apostolic command, the “good news” of Jesus was no longer to be confined to the borders of Israel nor the ethnic descendants of Jacob alone. Rather, in this newly inaugurated age between the first and second comings of Christ, sons and daughters of the Kingdom would be called from every nation under heaven, with Jew and Gentile united in the worldwide family of the King.

The Disciple’s Question

By inquiring of Jesus about the timing of the restored kingdom to Israel, the disciples signal that they understood his preceding teaching in continuity with the Old Testament expectation of the Messianic age, just as we have seen throughout the Gospel narratives themselves. There is no question what what the Kingdom will look like, Jesus had said nothing to alter or shake their belief in the prophetic witness. The only question to be asked was when the prophesied kingdom would come into fruition.

Kingdom Expectation at the Beginning of Luke:

Luke 1:68 ““Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He visited and accomplished redemption for His people,”

Luke 2:25 “And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the comfort of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.”

Luke 2:38 “And at that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”

Kingdom Expectation at the End of Luke/start of Acts

Luke 23:51 “(he had not consented to their counsel and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God;”

Luke 24:21 ““But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened.”

Acts 1:6 “So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?””

Critically, Jesus did not correct or contradict the disciples’ hopeful premise in their question. If the kingdom was not to be restored to Israel and established, as the prophets claimed, in Jerusalem, than this was Jesus’ final opportunity to set the record straight. Instead, Jesus accepts their premise and only corrects the disciples as concerning the timing of the event. Jesus had already placed the coming of the Kingdom in the future, eg

Luke 21:31 LSB

“So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.

While not answering their question directly, Jesus redirects his apostles’ attention to a prior promise he had made, recorded in detail in the Gospel of John (especially chapters 14 & 16): the sending of the Holy Spirit following his imminent departure.

Promise of the Spirit

John 16:7 LSB

“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.`

Times & Seasons

“Baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now…” vs “It is not for you to know times or seasons [regarding the timing of the Kingdom]”

Jesus separates the timing of the coming of the Spirit from the coming of the Kingdom - these events were linked in the Old Testament by the Day of Yahweh (Joel 2:28, cf Zechariah 12:10, Ezekiel 36:26-27, 37:14, 39:29, Isaiah 44:3-6)

It is important to recognize the significance of what Jesus was revealing to the disciples in this answer. The Old Testament prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah, the pouring out of the Spirit, and the breaking out the Messianic kingdom as one complex event. During his earthly ministry, Jesus, while affirming the details of the prophetic expectations, introduced time gaps in key phases of the kingdom program (eg, the prophetic “gap” between the Isaiah 61’s “favorable year of Yahweh” and the future “day of vengeance”, Luke 4:18-19). A similar time gap is being introduced here, as Jesus reveals that the Spirit would come “not many days from now”, distinguished from the unrevealed time of the coming of the kingdom. Just as there had been a “first coming” of the Messiah that was separated from the kingdom by a time span, so to with the “first coming” of the Spirit.

Witnesses to the End of the Earth

Jesus concluded his parting instructions with an allusion to a significant Kingdom and Covenantal text from Isaiah’s “Servant Songs”:

Isaiah 49:6 “He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to cause the preserved ones of Israel to return; I will also give You as a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.””

Jesus’ allusion to an expanded mission beyond the borders of Israel (in contrast to his own immediate ministry to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel”, Matt 10:5-6) is linked to the hope of the restoration of Israel’s kingdom (Isaiah 49:14-21). Thus, even in redirecting the apostles towards their new assignment, Jesus reaffirmed the reality of the hope of Israel and the certainty of the world-changing kingdom.

Exalted to the Right Hand of God

Acts 2:22–36 LSB

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—

this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men and put Him to death.

“But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

“For David says of Him,

‘I saw the Lord continually before me;

Because He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken.

‘Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted;

Moreover my flesh also will live in hope;

Because You will not forsake my soul to Hades,

Nor give Your Holy One over to see corruption.

‘You have made known to me the ways of life;

You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.’

“Men, brothers, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

“And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to set one of the fruit of his body on his throne,

he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither forsaken to Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.

“This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.

“Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this which you both see and hear.

“For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says:

‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at My right hand,

Until I put Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet.” ’

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Peter’s Pentecost sermon is one of the most complex and integrated addresses in all of Scripture, drawing deeply from the Old Testament prophets and the Psalms to make a timely and potent argument for the Messianic claims of Jesus. Through this sermon we also gain insight into what Peter had been told about the kingdom in the preceding month of instruction by Christ.

It is critical that we pay attention to the context of this passage. Notice that there are two audiences that Peter specifically addresses: the local “men of Judea” (Acts 2:14), to whom Peter refutes the claims of drunkeness and defends the legitimacy of the disciples’ Spirit-filled proclamation, and the “men of Israel” (Acts 2:22), which encompasses both the native and foreign Jews (for whose benefit the gift of languages was employed). In this second section (Acts 2:22-36), Peter will make a powerful call for Israel’s corporate repentance and recognition of Jesus Christ as the rightful, resurrected Messianic King.

Lord and Christ

The core of Peter’s argument revolves around Psalm 16 and David’s hope of an everlasting descendant through whom the Davidic Covenant would find fulfillment. It seems certain that Peter is calling to mind the teaching he had received from Jesus during their final weeks together, for his argument shows a profound understanding of David’s mindset which many ancient and modern interpreters fail to grasp. Recall that the promise of the Davidic Covenant was that “your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever.” (2 Sam 7:16) An everlasting throne and kingdom would logically require a king who wil never fall into sin and incur judgement and exile (as David and his immediate descendants did). Therefore, David’s hope of an “anointed one” who will not “see corruption” could only be fulfilled by a descendant of David with moral and physical perfection. Peter’s logic works off of this necessity - “because [David] knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to set one of the fruit of his body on his throne.”

Having demonstrated Jesus’ Davidic pedigree and the logical necessity of the Resurrection, Peter escalates his argument to an unbearable level for his Jewish audience. Not only was Jesus alive and well, and qualified to be the Messianic King, he was at this very moment ascendant in Heaven itself and had unilaterally dispatched the Holy Spirit to empower his followers. This “pouring out” of the Spirit (a phrase which refers to the giving of revelation, cf Proverbs 1:23) was prophetically attributed to Yahweh himself (Joel 2:28, etc). Peter shockingly declares that it was the resurrected Jesus who had poured out the Spirit, unequivocally identifying Christ as God himself. Peter fortifies his astonishing claim by citing one of the most well-known Messianic passages, Psalm 110, again showing logically that the Messiah (and not David) was the one who was to ascend and take up a place of authority and honor at the “right hand” of God - a position that no mere mortal could assume.

Times of Refreshing

Acts 3:17–26 LSB

“And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also.

“But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.

“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you,

whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

“Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers; to Him you shall listen to everything He says to you.

‘And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’

“And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also proclaimed these days.

“It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’

“For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”

Peter’s second sermon, delivered from one of the Temple colonnades, was precipitated by the miraculous healing of a lame beggar at the temple gates (Acts 3:1-10). This miracle, performed explicitly in the name of Jesus, was the first of its kind since his crucifixion.

Again, it is important to note the context: the apostles, like all god-fearing Jews, still considered the Temple and other elements of Jewish religion to be the center of their worship, even of Jesus Christ. There would have been no reason to change this practice, after all Jesus had never indicated that his followers should cease Temple worship. He was the King of the Jews, the son of David (who originated the Temple vision), the fulfiller of Israel’s covenant promises; what could be more appropriate than for Jews to petition and give him reverence in their holy place?

The religious setting also underscores Peter’s audience; once again, he addresses the “men of Israel” (Acts 3:12). The crowd almost certainly included both the native and foreign Jews that witnessed the Pentecost phenomena and heard Peter’s first sermon. It is vital when interpreting this watershed sermon that we follow the apostle’s logic as he makes a corporate appeal to the nation to change course regarding Jesus of Nazareth.

Repent and Return

Peter’s central point of this sermon echos the call of John the Baptist’s call for national repentance. And while the apostle’s vocabulary is different from Jesus’ cousin (again likely reflecting the benefit of Peter’s 6 weeks of instruction on “things concerning the kingdom”), he similarly finds urgency in the imminence of the kingdom - the “times of refreshing” that would come with the Messianic age, and the “restoration of all things” that would realize Isaiah’s vision of a “new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17).

Note that Peter sees Christ’s absence - exalted as it is - as a temporary state, necessitated by Israel’s spiritual blindness. In Peter’s mind, the repentance and conversion of the nation would result in a sequence of prophesied events all of which revolved around the expected kingdom: the wiping away of sins (Daniel 9:24; cf Isaiah 1:18; 27:9 Jeremiah 31:34), the times of refreshing (Ezekiel 34:25, 28; Isaiah 66:12), and the “sending” of Jesus the appointed Messiah.

It should strike us that Peter’s expectation was that Jesus’ absence (which we now take for granted would last for over two millennia) could be over in a matter of days or weeks, contingent upon the reactions of his countrymen. Yet, his rationale and expectation was solidly rooted in the same expectation that we have traced throughout the Old Testament and through the Gospels: that the Messianic kingdom would come when Israel “looked on Me whom they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10) and repented - individually and as a nation - for their sin. Peter had connected the dots exactly - Jesus had not yet come to establish his kingdom, because the people were not prepared as the prophets foretold they would be. Yet the kingdom surely would come, and with it his dear friend, leader and Savior; and all that remained (in Peter’s mind) was for the covenant people to recognize the error of their ways and “repent and return” to their God.

But that time was not to come yet. Peter’s sermon was cut short by the intervention of the religious and civil authorities, reprising their opposition to the ministry of Jesus over the past 3 years. While many individual Jews did receive the message and believe (Acts 4:4), the population as a whole, and the nation’s leaders, continued to resist the call to repentance. Israel’s restoration - and reception of Jesus as her Messiah (Matthew 23:39) - lay more than two thousand years into the future - yet in the sovereignty and wisdom of God, this too was all a part of the plan.

Rebuild the Fallen Booth of David

Acts 15:12–17 LSB

And all the multitude kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

Now after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brothers, listen to me.

“Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name.

“And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written,

‘After these things I will return,

And I will rebuild the fallen booth of David,

And I will rebuild its ruins,

And I will restore it,

So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,

And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,’

The famous “Jerusalem Council” was convened to deal with an unprecedented and unsettling phenomena - the mass salvation, and Spirit-filling, of Gentiles in the cities of Asia Minor. Proselytes were no new thing for the Jewish religion, which had provisions for those who sought to identify with the covenant nation and worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But this was predicated on cultural and religious alignment with Jewish customs and practices, ranging from circumcision to dietary rules and religious ceremonies. Yet the results of Paul and Barnabas’s first missionary venture - in which they began preaching in synagogues but quickly found more receptive audiences among the native Greeks and other ethnicities - did not fit this mold.

Perhaps we should not be so quick in condemning the misguided efforts of the so-called “Judeaizers” who claimed that adoption of the Jewish practices were a necessary step for these new Gentile Christians. Until now, God had covenantally committed to only one nation and people, and salvation and fellowship with God was inextricably linked to covenant faithfulness, which was exhibited in the keeping of the Law as given by Moses. It would have been inconceivable to faithful Jews that someone could be righteous before God while disregarding the commands and regulations of the Mosaic code. This was a problem that required a theological “growth spurt” which these early Christians had not yet achieved. The Jerusalem Council was a critical moment in the nascent Church as the apostles and elders wrestled with these difficult questions, and reflected on the work the Spirit had already done in the cities where the Gospel had gone forth.

A People Called By My Name

In light of the testimony of Peter of the salvation of Cornelius and his household, as well as the reports from Barnabas and Paul of the Asia Minor mission, James (generally believed to have been the half-brother of Jesus and a man of highest respect in the Church) called the council back to the prophetic witness. With concise and pointed logic, he reasoned from the words of Amos to a startling conclusion: there would be company of Gentiles “called by My name” (Amos 9:12), in association with the restored Davidic Kingdom. The phrase “called by My name” was a loaded one in the Old Testament - it was typically used to refer to Jerusalem (Daniel 9:18), the Temple (Jeremiah 7:11), or even Israel herself (Isaiah 45:4). Yet there was also precedent in the prophets to apply this description to individuals in righteous standing with Yahweh (Isaiah 43:7, Jeremiah 15:16). This sense evidently was what brought James to his conclusion, that these Gentiles who were “turning to God” and believing on Jesus, would be among the company of those “called by His name”, even without culturally aligning themselves with Israel.

It is important to note that James’ citation of Amos 9 was not, as some have concluded, a statement that the prophecy of Amos 9, regarding the restored Davidic Kingdom and Messianic blessings on the Earth, had come to fulfillment. James’ chose his words carefully - “with the the words of the Prophets agree” - not language of fulfillment, but of congruence. Additionally, it is clear from the immediately preceding context that the early Christians still saw the Kingdom of God as a future reality, which would be realized after the present age of trials and afflictions had passed (Acts 14:22 “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many afflictions we must enter the kingdom of God.””). James argument was not that the prophecy of Amos had been fulfilled, rather he demonstrated that the current reality of Gentiles turning to God and being accepted as Gentiles, rather than as proselytes, was one that was consistent with the prophetic expectation, and that such a company of believers was anticipated as part of the Messianic Kingdom.

The theological significance of this development would not be full realized in the timeframe of the book of Acts - it would remain a jarring concept for Jewish Christians for many years afterwards. Yet the Jerusalem Council represented a vital moment of maturing for the early Church, allowing it to wholeheartedly press its missionary efforts and to flourish in ever more distant - geographically and culturally - places as the Gospel message continued its relentless advance.

Preaching the Kingdom

Acts 28:23–31 LSB

And when [the leading men of the Jews, cf Acts 28:17] had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly bearing witness about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening.

And some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others were not believing.

And when they disagreed with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers,

saying,

‘Go to this people and say,

“You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;

And you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;

For the heart of this people has become dull,

And with their ears they scarcely hear,

And they have closed their eyes;

Lest they might see with their eyes,

And hear with their ears,

And understand with their heart and return,

And I heal them.” ’

“Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God was sent to the Gentiles—they will also hear.”

[When he had spoken these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.]

And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him,

preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, unhindered.

Our final section from Acts finds our hero, the apostle Paul, in Rome, awaiting a trial that apparently (according to tradition) never took place, as his Jewish accusers never made the hazardous journey to press the case against him. While Paul’s ultimate goal in coming to Rome was to speak before Caesar, during his house arrest he followed his modus operandi by beginning his outreach to the local Jewish population. As the book of Acts comes to a close, the narrative recapitulates (in Pauline style) the drama of the first few chapters, with a Christian apostle reasoning from the Law and Prophets, urging a dubious Jewish audience to come to a corporate consensus regarding Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah. While some individuals were persuaded, they remained divided of and skeptical, leading Paul to draw a grave but profound conclusion: Israel would not accept her Messiah, not now, not yet - and yet this refusal was also part of the plan and counsel of God. The vision of the global Church had become clear in the apostle’s mind - the Gentiles would hear, the Gospel would go forth, and a people of every tribe, nation and tongue would be prepared for the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Many years later, when writing to the Church in Rome, Paul would reflect on this experience, recognizing Israel’s mysterious and, at times, tragic part in the divine program of redemption.

Romans 11:11–12 LSB

I say then, did they stumble so as to fall? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.

Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness be!

As the apostle powerfully argues in chapters 9-11, God has not forgotten or nullified his covenant obligations to Israel, nor her kingdom hope. Yet as he had done time after time in her storied history, Yahweh would utilize Israel’s rejection and stubbornness to accomplish an even greater work of salvation, while never forgetting his commitment to the chosen people. Indeed, as the Church grows and takes center stage as the human instruments of God’s work of reconciliation, she too finds herself longing for the “consolation of Israel”, for the “sending of Jesus”, and for the “times of refreshing” that the prophets had warmly promised. For Paul, this hope was linked to the future “fullness” of the covenant people, when they will finally will see Jesus for who he is, and the Kingdom of God would at last break forth upon the Earth. The “restoration of all things” is surely coming, and it will be glorious.