clarify one point of which I do not have space to expand upon. The Restoration
of Israel has nothing to do with some physical kingdom over there in war-torn
Palestine, but of the gathering of the faithful remnant into the Kingdom of God
by the work of the spirit through the spread of the gospel. Now, let's begin.
Jesus
opened their mind concerning the scriptures.
by the same author to the same audience. Therefore, we should be responsible
Bible students and lean on Luke 24 in order to properly understand Acts 1. One
cannot understand Exodus without reading Genesis, and one cannot understand
Acts without reading Luke.
In Luke 24:44-45 the Bible says, “And
he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet
with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of
Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (45)
Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the
scriptures.”
of the promise of the Father: the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:46). This leads the
author to believe, if Luke truly did give the orderly account [1], that the opening
of the disciple's minds took place before their comment about the Restoration
of Israel in Acts 1:6 (see Acts 1:4-8).
scriptures, you better believe that they are going to understand the
scriptures!
He taught
them from the law, prophets, and psalms concerning the kingdom.
did for the disciples.
“And he said unto them, These are
the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things
must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets,
and in the psalms, concerning me” (Luke 24:44, see Luke 24:13-27, esp. Luke
24: 21-27).
“To whom also he shewed himself
alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty
days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts
1:3).
them from the law and the prophets. Let's observe some of the prophecies about
the kingdom and see if it hints at the “restoration of Israel.” [2]
“They shall not hurt nor destroy in
all my holy mountain [3] : for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD,
as the waters cover the sea. (10) And in that day there shall be a root of
Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles
seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
(11) And it shall come to pass in
that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the
remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and
from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath,
and from the islands of the sea.
(12) And he shall set up an
ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather
together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah
11:9-12).
“And say unto them, Thus saith the
Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen,
whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into
their own land: (22) And I will make them one nation in the land
upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they
shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms
any more at all: (23) Neither shall they defile themselves any more
with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their
transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein
they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will
be their God. (24) And David my servant shall be king over them;
and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and
observe my statutes, and do them.
(25) And they shall dwell in the
land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt;
and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their
children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for
ever. (26) Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with
them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and
multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for
evermore. (27) My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I
will be their God, and they shall be my people.
(28) And the heathen shall know
that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of
them for evermore” (Ezekiel 37:21-28).
up as king? In the last days (Isaiah 2:1-4; Acts 2:16-17; Acts 2:32-36; see
also Luke 11:20). So, by that logic, when would the lost sheep of the house of
Israel be gathered? When Mount Zion would be established – which, by the way,
Paul said the church had arrived at in their exodus out of Egypt (Hebrews
12:18-29; Galatians 4:22-31).
would have a little bit better understanding than most people? I would think
so.
He didn't
correct the statement that a lot of scholars say they were confused about.
great scholars of the church, but regardless of how great they may be, I
reserve the right to respectfully disagree. [4]
correct their thinking, but in Acts 1, He did know such thing. In fact, all He
did was tell them to not worry about the times or the seasons.
“And he said unto them, It is not
for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own
power. (8) But ye shall receive power, after that the
Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of
the earth” (Acts 1:7-8).
didn't correct them! Why? Because they were right! Why then should we feel
compelled to correct the “misunderstanding” of the apostles at every turn and
say from our pulpits and in our class workbooks, “Those silly apostles!”?
