The Acts of the Apostles
T he ultimate plan of God's salvation is to establish God's holy kingdom on earth (Eph. 1:7-10) through the born-again new humanity in Christ, thereby restoring the mankind to God (See New Creation in Christ). After the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples received the power of the Holy Spirit. As commanded by the Lord, they heal the sick, cast out demons, perform miracles (Mark 16:20), and preach the gospel of the kingdom throughout the earth (Matt. 28:18-20), so that whoever believes in Jesus are born again (1 Cor. 6:11), separated from the world, and become children of God (Gal. 3:26; 5:22-26).
God’s Righteousness Through Faith
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
- Romans 3:23-26
50 days after Jesus’ resurrection, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter promised by the Lord (John 14:26), fell on the disciples in Jerusalem, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4). Peter declared on the spot that the prophecy of God's sending of the Holy Spirit in the last days, prophesied by the prophet Joel more than 800 years before Christ, had been fulfilled (Acts 2:14-17). The number of disciples increased by 3000 on that day (Acts 2:38-41). The disciples were empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and baptise believers in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:18-20), so that all who believe in Jesus are justified and sanctified by faith (1 Cor. 6:11), and become the children of God (Gal. 3:26; 5:22-26). The indwelling of the Holy Spirit fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy over 600 years before Christ, “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Jer. 31:33).
The early church flourished greatly after the coming of the Holy Spirit. The disciples healed the sick, cast out demons, and performed signs and wonders (Mark 16:20). Just as Jesus had commanded, they spread the Gospel from Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria as witnesses for the Lord, and preached the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 1:8; Luke 24:47). Jesus miraculously called Paul to be apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:3-6), even though he had previously blasphemed God and persecuted Christians (1 Tim. 1:13-14; Rom. 15:16). The Holy Spirit stopped Paul from going to Asia and led him westward to Europe with a vision. He opened the door to the Gospel in Europe (Acts 16:6-10), and the Gospel spread to all nations and to the ends of the earth (Acts 13:47). The ministry to the Gentiles fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy over 700 years before Christ, “The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” (Isa. 42:5-7; 60:3).
Over the past 2,000 years, led by the Holy Spirit, the children of God of all generations have spread the Gospel around the globe like a relay race, from Jerusalem westward, through Europe and America, on to Africa, Oceania and back to Asia, and are now on their way back to Jerusalem through the Chinese Belt and Road, fulfilling the Great Commission entrusted to them by Jesus: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19-20). The spread of the Gospel throughout the world is the sign of Jesus’ return as the Lord told us: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matt. 24:14). The Global Spread of the Gospel fulfils Isaiah's prophecy over 700 years before Christ (Isa. 45:22-23).
The Lord's promises have not yet been fulfilled, and people think He is delaying. But God is longsuffering and does not want anyone to perish. He wants everyone to repent, including the wicked, to repent and not perish (2 Pet. 3:9; Luke 15:7; Eze. 33 :11). The Lord Jesus exhorts us, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!...Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Matt. 4:17; 7:7). Seek the Lord while God’s grace is still available (Isa. 55:6-7). Unless the world repents, all will perish when the Lord Jesus returns (Luke 13:3; Rev. 2:16). Just as the prophet Malachi warned more than 400 years before Christ: "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," says the Lord of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch..." (Mal. 4:1-3)
The Lord Jesus rebuked the merchants in the temple in Jerusalem during His ministry, for the house of the Lord is “a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:15,17). The physical temple of Zion on earth foreshadows the spiritual temple of Zion in heaven. All who are called to be saints in the Lord Jesus are intricately joined and built together by God the Father, “… Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” (Eph. 2:19-22), which is the spiritual Temple of Zion (1 Cor. 3:16; John 4:24; 1 Pet. 2:5), the place where all nations and peoples meet with the Lord (Isa. 56:7). Jesus is the chief cornerstone rejected by the builders, fulfilling the prophecy of King David (Ps. 118:22-24), just as Peter proclaimed (Acts 4:10-12).
Jesus is the Messiah of the Jews and the Saviour of all mankind. God, the Creator of heaven and earth (Acts 17:24-26; Isa. 66:1), will gather His people in the last days (Isa. 43:5-7), save humanity from sin, and establish an eternal Kingdom of God on earth. The prophet Isaiah foretold more than 2,700 years ago that in the last days all nations would flow to “the Mountain of the LORD’s house” (Isa. 2:2), which foreshadows the Holy City of New Jerusalem established by God through Jesus’ salvation - "you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel." (Heb. 12:22-24).
God made promises and gave commandments to the children of Israel in the Moab covenant before leading them into the Promised Land (Deut. 30:15). They betrayed God and eventually killed their Saviour. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, they were scattered throughout the world. The faithful God promised to bring back the captives from all the nations and rebuild their homeland (Deut. 30:3-4; Ezek. 34:13). In 1948, the world witnessed the Jewish nation restored after the destruction of the Temple. This was an accurate fulfilment of God’s promises through various prophets thousands of years ago (Amos 9:14-15; Jer. 31:35-36; Isa. 11:12). The physical restoration of Israel foreshadows Israel’s spiritual revival and acceptance of the Lord Jesus as their Messianic Saviour. This is another sign of Jesus’ return (Matt. 23:39; 24:32-33). The countdown to the return of the Lord Jesus has begun!
In 1947, a year before Israel was re-established, shepherds discovered ancient parchment scrolls of the Old Testament in the Dead Sea caves. They were over 2,000 years old. Each book was written at least 400 years before Jesus. The Dead Sea Scrolls proved the accuracy of the Bible and the authenticity of the historical events it foretold. Jesus said that the Bible is a testimony about Him (John 5:39). All the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus were fulfilled precisely after He came to earth (Luke 24:44), and those about the end times will also be fulfilled according to God’s plan. The Dead Sea, known as the Salt Sea, is almost full of salt and has no life in it. The prophet Ezekiel prophesied more than 2,500 years ago that the Dead Sea would revive and produce many creatures in the last days (Ezek. 47:8-9). In recent years, traces of life have been found along the shores of the Dead Sea.
The Western Wall is a holy place for Jews to mourn, repent, and pray. Zechariah prophesied over 2,500 years ago that God would pour out the “Spirit of grace and supplication” on Israel (Zech. 12:10) to bring reconciliation! Israel was temporarily abandoned by God because of their disbelief (Isa 54:7-8), so that the Gentiles could be saved (Rom. 11:11-12). However, God promised to rebuild the fallen tabernacle of David (Amos 9:11; Acts 15 :16-17). At that time, all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:25-26; Jer. 3:18), including the 2 tribes of Judah and the 10 lost tribes of Israel. The two sticks will become one, just as the prophet Ezekiel foretold over 2,500 years ago: "Thus says the Lord God: 'Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.'"(Ezek. 37:19).
