Act 1:7 | KingComments | STEP | A meeting with the Lord is a great opportunity to ask questions. The disciples make use of it. They do not ask questions about the Holy Spirit, but about the kingdom. They would like to know if He is going to do now what they have always looked forward to. Their question shows that they still think of an earthly kingdom, perhaps precisely because He has risen. With His resurrection their old expectations have also risen again. Perhaps they have thought of Joel 2 where the coming of the Spirit is connected with the coming of the kingdom ( ). The Christian form of the kingdom, the hidden form, is not discussed here. Their question gives the Lord the opportunity to tell them what is going to happen and how much the situation has changed compared to the time before His suffering. The kingdom in its public form has been postponed until a time that the Father has fixed. The Lord Jesus has for them a task that suits the situation that has arisen. They should not worry about the time of the restoration of the kingdom. Nor should we speculate about the duration of the new period of time that began with the ascension of the Lord Jesus. We also find the expression “the times and the epochs” in 1 Thessalonians 5 ( ; cf. ; ). There it is about the question what will happen to the earth according to God’s plan. Here it is about the question when the kingdom will be established. Both ‘times’ and ‘epochs’ refer to certain periods of time. They are synonyms which complement each other. But there is a remarkable difference. ‘Times’ are about duration, about something that happens after a certain period of time. In Greek, the word chronos is used. We recognize that word in our word ‘chronometer’, a device that measures how long something has lasted. For example, we read in Galatians 4 that God sent His Son in “the fullness of time ( chronos )” ( ). This means that the Lord Jesus came to earth after a certain time had passed and God considered the time had come for sending His Son. On ‘epochs’ it is not about duration, but about what typifies a particular time, about the character of that time. In Greek, the word kairos is used here. Thus, there is a time when man lived without law ( ). After some time God gave His people the law through Moses and they lived under it ( ). In “the times of the Gentiles” ( ) He let the nations go their own way. These different periods of time, which sometimes succeed each other and sometimes run together, all have their own characteristics. Each time has made clear who man is and that he fails completely in serving God. All these different times end in the “fullness of the times” (plural form of kairos ) ( ), that is the time of the millennial realm of peace. That time will be characterized by peace, because then the Prince of peace will reign. Then will come the “times [plural form of kairos ] of refreshing” ( ). After the Lord has said what they should not be concerned with, He indicates what they should be concerned with, namely, being His witnesses. Before He gives them that command, He first promises them that they will receive the power of the Holy Spirit. He has already promised them the coming of the Holy Spirit in , but here ( ) He says that the Holy Spirit will enable them to fulfill their commission. The power of the Holy Spirit is needed to give a truly Christian testimony. ‘Witness’ is a key word in this book of the Bible. It occurs around thirty times. We do not all have the gift of an evangelist, but we can all be witnesses. The result is that we save people ( ). The Lord says that they should start with witnessing in Jerusalem, the city where He was crucified. Then the circle widens and also Judea and Samaria come under the reach of God’s Word. Finally, He lets the light of His gospel shine even to the remotest part of the earth (cf. ). Practically for us, it means that we must first give our testimony in the house and street where we live and in the place where we work (cf. ). Then the Lord can put us into a wider circle as His witnesses. The light that shines brightest at home shines the farthest. By mentioning the ever-growing circle where the testimony concerning Him is given, the Lord also gives a subdivision of the book of Acts: 1. The testimony in Jerusalem we have in chapters 1-7. 2. The testimony in Judea and Samaria runs from chapter 8:1 till chapter 9:31. 3. The testimony to the end of the earth can be found in the rest of the book, in chapter 9:32 till chapter 28:31.

‏ Acts 1:7

The Kingdom and Witnesses

A meeting with the Lord is a great opportunity to ask questions. The disciples make use of it. They do not ask questions about the Holy Spirit, but about the kingdom. They would like to know if He is going to do now what they have always looked forward to.

Their question shows that they still think of an earthly kingdom, perhaps precisely because He has risen. With His resurrection their old expectations have also risen again. Perhaps they have thought of Joel 2 where the coming of the Spirit is connected with the coming of the kingdom (Joel 2:28). The Christian form of the kingdom, the hidden form, is not discussed here.

Their question gives the Lord the opportunity to tell them what is going to happen and how much the situation has changed compared to the time before His suffering. The kingdom in its public form has been postponed until a time that the Father has fixed. The Lord Jesus has for them a task that suits the situation that has arisen. They should not worry about the time of the restoration of the kingdom. Nor should we speculate about the duration of the new period of time that began with the ascension of the Lord Jesus.

We also find the expression “the times and the epochs” in 1 Thessalonians 5 (1Thes 5:1; cf. Dan 2:21; Ecc 3:1). There it is about the question what will happen to the earth according to God’s plan. Here it is about the question when the kingdom will be established. Both ‘times’ and ‘epochs’ refer to certain periods of time. They are synonyms which complement each other. But there is a remarkable difference.

‘Times’ are about duration, about something that happens after a certain period of time. In Greek, the word chronos is used. We recognize that word in our word ‘chronometer’, a device that measures how long something has lasted. For example, we read in Galatians 4 that God sent His Son in “the fullness of time (chronos)” (Gal 4:4). This means that the Lord Jesus came to earth after a certain time had passed and God considered the time had come for sending His Son.

On ‘epochs’ it is not about duration, but about what typifies a particular time, about the character of that time. In Greek, the word kairos is used here. Thus, there is a time when man lived without law (Rom 5:13). After some time God gave His people the law through Moses and they lived under it (Jn 7:19). In “the times of the Gentiles” (Lk 21:24) He let the nations go their own way. These different periods of time, which sometimes succeed each other and sometimes run together, all have their own characteristics. Each time has made clear who man is and that he fails completely in serving God. All these different times end in the “fullness of the times” (plural form of kairos) (Eph 1:10), that is the time of the millennial realm of peace. That time will be characterized by peace, because then the Prince of peace will reign. Then will come the “times [plural form of kairos] of refreshing” (Acts 3:19).

After the Lord has said what they should not be concerned with, He indicates what they should be concerned with, namely, being His witnesses. Before He gives them that command, He first promises them that they will receive the power of the Holy Spirit. He has already promised them the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 1:4-5, but here (Acts 1:8) He says that the Holy Spirit will enable them to fulfill their commission. The power of the Holy Spirit is needed to give a truly Christian testimony.

‘Witness’ is a key word in this book of the Bible. It occurs around thirty times. We do not all have the gift of an evangelist, but we can all be witnesses. The result is that we save people (Pro 14:25a).

The Lord says that they should start with witnessing in Jerusalem, the city where He was crucified. Then the circle widens and also Judea and Samaria come under the reach of God’s Word. Finally, He lets the light of His gospel shine even to the remotest part of the earth (cf. Isa 49:6).

Practically for us, it means that we must first give our testimony in the house and street where we live and in the place where we work (cf. Lk 8:39). Then the Lord can put us into a wider circle as His witnesses. The light that shines brightest at home shines the farthest. By mentioning the ever-growing circle where the testimony concerning Him is given, the Lord also gives a subdivision of the book of Acts:

1. The testimony in Jerusalem we have in chapters 1-7.

2. The testimony in Judea and Samaria runs from chapter 8:1 till chapter 9:31.

3. The testimony to the end of the earth can be found in the rest of the book, in chapter 9:32 till chapter 28:31.