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Acts 1

Jesus prepares his apostles for witness through the promised Spirit, while the gathered disciples wait, pray, and replace Judas.

The risen Jesus appears to his chosen apostles over forty days, speaking about God’s Kingdom and telling them to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. Addressing Theophilus, the writer recounts Jesus’ final instructions and ascension, followed by the promise of his return. The disciples gather in Jerusalem for prayer with the women, Mary, and Jesus’ brothers. Peter then addresses Judas’s betrayal and the need for another witness to take his place among the twelve.

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1The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach,
2until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
3To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about God’s Kingdom.
4Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, “Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me.
5For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
7He said to them, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority.
8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
9When he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing,
11who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky, will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.”
12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
13When they had come in, they went up into the upper room where they were staying, that is Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.
14All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
15In these days, Peter stood up in the middle of the disciples (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 Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was guide to those who took Jesus.
17For he was counted with us, and received his portion in this ministry.
18Now this man obtained a field with the reward for his wickedness; and falling headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines gushed out.
19It became known to everyone who lived in Jerusalem that in their language that field was called ‘Akeldama,’ that is, ‘The field of blood.’
20For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his habitation be made desolate. Let no one dwell in it;’ and, ‘Let another take his office.’
21“Of the men therefore who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22beginning from the baptism of John to the day that he was received up from us, of these one must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
24They prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen
25to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.”
26They drew lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was counted with the eleven apostles.
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Key verses
Acts 1:8Jesus promises the Spirit’s power for witness, setting a scope that stretches from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:7The Father retains authority over the timetable, placing a clear limit on what the apostles are given to know.
Acts 1:16Peter understands Judas’s betrayal through Scripture, affirming that the Holy Spirit spoke through David about what has happened.
Where this chapter reaches

Luke shares the events of Jesus’ ascension and his promise of power for the disciples, while John also records his promise of the Spirit. Matthew shares the worldwide scope of the commission, and Peter’s quotations from Psalms connect Judas’s loss of office with Scripture.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

How does Jesus’ answer about the Father’s timing shape your reading of his command to witness?

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What stands out about the disciples’ shared prayer and choice of a witness while they wait?

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Questions people ask about Acts 1

What does Acts 1:8 mean by receiving power?

Jesus links this power to the coming of the Holy Spirit and the apostles’ task of bearing witness to him. Its scope reaches from Jerusalem through Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth. The verse describes God’s provision for their witness; it does not promise political control or personal success.

Does Jesus promise to restore the kingdom to Israel in Acts 1?

The apostles ask whether Jesus is restoring the kingdom to Israel at that time. Jesus does not give them a timetable or explain the restoration’s form. He places times under the Father’s authority, then directs their attention to the Spirit’s coming and their work as witnesses.

Why was Matthias chosen to replace Judas?

Peter says Judas’s office must be filled, drawing on Psalms. The replacement must have accompanied Jesus’ followers from John’s baptism through the ascension and become a witness to the resurrection. Two candidates are presented. After prayer for the Lord to show his choice, the lot falls on Matthias.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).