Acts 1:7-17

7 He said to them, "It isn't for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within His own authority.

8 But you will receive power when the Ruach HaKodesh has come on you. You will be witnesses to me in Yerushalayim, in all Yehudah and Shomron, and to the uttermost parts of the eretz."

9 When he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.

10 While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing,

11 who also said, "You men of the Galil, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Yeshua, who was received up from you into the sky will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky."

12 Then they returned to Yerushalayim from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Yerushalayim, a Shabbat day's journey away.

13 When they had come in, they went up into the upper room, where they were staying; that is Kefa, Yochanan, Ya`akov, Andrai, Pilipos, T'oma, Bar-Talmai, Mattityahu, Ya`akov the son of Halfai, Shim`on the Zealot, and Yehudah the son of Ya`akov.

14 All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Miryam the mother of Yeshua, and with his brothers.

15 In these days, Kefa stood up in the midst of the talmidim (and the number of names was about one hundred twenty), and said,

16 "Brothers, it was necessary that this Scripture should be fulfilled, which the Ruach HaKodesh spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Yehudah, who was guide to those who took Yeshua.

17 For he was numbered with us, and received his portion in this ministry.

Acts 1:7-17 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ACTS

This book, in some copies, is called, "The Acts of the holy Apostles". It contains an history of the ministry and miracles of the apostles of Christ, and is a sort of a journal of their actions, from whence it takes its name. It begins at the ascension of Christ, and reaches to the imprisonment of the Apostle Paul at Rome; and is a history of upwards of thirty years: it gives an account of the first Gospel church at Jerusalem, and of the progress of the Gospel there, and in Judea, by the means of all the apostles, and particularly Peter, the minister of the circumcision, and who also first opened the door of faith to the Gentiles: it shows how the Gospel went forth from Jerusalem, and was spread in the Gentile world, especially by the Apostle Paul, whose companion Luke was, that was the writer of this book; for that it was written by him is very evident from the beginning of it, it being dedicated to the same person his Gospel is, and of which he makes mention; and in the Complutensian edition the book is called, "The Acts of the Apostles of Saint Luke the Evangelist"; and so the title of it in the Syriac version is, "the Book of the Acts: that is, the history of the blessed apostles, which my Lord Luke the Evangelist collected for the saints". It was by him written in the Greek language; and we are told {a}, that there was a version of it into the Hebrew language, and which was laid up in the library of the Jews at Tiberias; and is cited by R. Azarias {b} under the name of twlweph, "the Acts": of the authority of this book there has been no doubt, among the ancients, only Cerinthus the heretic endeavoured to discredit it; and it was not received by another sort of heretics called Severiani, from Severus, a disciple of Tatian {c}. It is a most excellent and useful work, showing the first planting of Christianity, and of Christian churches, both among the Jews and Gentiles; the spread and progress of the Gospel in several parts of the world; what sufferings the apostles endured for the sake of it; and with what patience and courage they bore them; and what success attended them; and is a standing proof and confirmation of the Christian religion.

{a} Epiphan. Contr. Haeres. l. 1. Haeres. 30. {b} Meor Enayim, p. 167. {c} Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 4. c. 29.