Act 1:9-12 | KingComments | STEP | With the command to His disciples to be His witnesses, the Lord’s task on earth is complete. He is lifted up before the eyes of the disciples. It is a spectacular event that is described in a simple and calm way. It is not a sudden taking away as with Enoch ( ) or being picked up by a fiery chariot and fiery horses as with Elijah ( ). The cloud that takes Him away from their eyes will be the cloud that some disciples also saw when they were with Him on the mountain of transfiguration ( ). The cloud is the symbol of the glory of God. Seeing the Lord Jesus ascending to heaven like this, must have been an extraordinary sight. They gaze at Him until He enters the cloud. Did they look sad, adoring, surprised? It must have been a mixture of these feelings. Gazing into the sky, looking at the Lord Who is going away from them, two men joined them. They are two angels. We read nothing of the disciples’ amazement at the appearance and words of the angels. The angels call them back to order. The question “why do you stand looking into the sky?” can perhaps be taken as an admonition that also applies to us. It is not meant that we, now that the Lord is in heaven, should wait for His return with our arms crossed. There is work to be done. Certainly, it is important to keep expecting Him, but a living expectation of Him will encourage us to be active. The angels speak of the return of the Lord Jesus as a promise. This promise does not concern His coming for the believers to take them up ( ), but concerns His return on earth. He Who then returns is “this Jesus”, and no one else. He will also return to the same place from where He went to heaven, the Mount of Olives ( ). He will come back visibly; He will come back in the clouds and He will return with power and great glory ( ). All this is presented to them as hope in addition to the command of .

‏ Acts 1:9-12

The Ascension

With the command to His disciples to be His witnesses, the Lord’s task on earth is complete. He is lifted up before the eyes of the disciples. It is a spectacular event that is described in a simple and calm way. It is not a sudden taking away as with Enoch (Heb 11:5) or being picked up by a fiery chariot and fiery horses as with Elijah (2Kgs 2:1 ; 11). The cloud that takes Him away from their eyes will be the cloud that some disciples also saw when they were with Him on the mountain of transfiguration (Lk 9:34). The cloud is the symbol of the glory of God.

Seeing the Lord Jesus ascending to heaven like this, must have been an extraordinary sight. They gaze at Him until He enters the cloud. Did they look sad, adoring, surprised? It must have been a mixture of these feelings.

Gazing into the sky, looking at the Lord Who is going away from them, two men joined them. They are two angels. We read nothing of the disciples’ amazement at the appearance and words of the angels. The angels call them back to order.

The question “why do you stand looking into the sky?” can perhaps be taken as an admonition that also applies to us. It is not meant that we, now that the Lord is in heaven, should wait for His return with our arms crossed. There is work to be done. Certainly, it is important to keep expecting Him, but a living expectation of Him will encourage us to be active.

The angels speak of the return of the Lord Jesus as a promise. This promise does not concern His coming for the believers to take them up (1Thes 4:15-18), but concerns His return on earth. He Who then returns is “this Jesus”, and no one else. He will also return to the same place from where He went to heaven, the Mount of Olives (Zec 14:4). He will come back visibly; He will come back in the clouds and He will return with power and great glory (Mt 24:30). All this is presented to them as hope in addition to the command of Acts 1:8.

Persevering in Prayer

The disciples do what the Lord has told them to do. They do not go to their own homes again (cf. Jn 20:10), but they leave the Mount of Olives and go to Jerusalem. They do not have to walk far. The distance is given according to the Jewish way of measuring, a sabbatical journey. It is the distance the Jews were allowed to walk on the Sabbath, about eight hundred meters. Everything still breathes the atmosphere of Judaism.

The place where they go is a well-known place. In that room the Lord Jesus showed them that He wants to have fellowship with them and stated the conditions for this (Jn 13:1-20). There He also told them about the house of the Father and the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:1-12). It is “the upper room”, that is to say an exalted place. It is the place where He makes His thoughts known.

In the first place the eleven apostles are gathered there. Luke mentions the name of all eleven. Peter is again mentioned as the first of the whole group and therefore also as the first of the first group of four, Philip as the first of the second group of four and James as the first of the third group which now consists of only three men because Judas Iscariot is missing. For Judas Iscariot another one will be chosen.

The first thing that is mentioned about the apostles is that they persist in prayer. That is a beautiful beginning. The first meeting after the ascension of the Lord Jesus is devoted to prayer. All the apostles are present. They are praying continuously and also with one mind. The expression “with one mind” appears eleven times in the New Testament, of which ten times in Acts (Acts 1:14 ; Acts 2:46 ; Acts 4:24 ; Acts 5:12 ; Acts 7:57 ; Acts 8:6 ; Acts 12:20 ; Acts 15:25 ; Acts 18:12 ; Acts 19:29). The eleventh time we read it in Romans 15 (Rom 15:6). One-mindedness is the practice of Psalm 133 (Psa 133:1-3). There is no question now as to who is the greatest.

This togetherness so beautifully experienced in persistent prayer together is the prelude to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Thus they are together for ten days, to pray, among other things, for the coming of the Holy Spirit (Lk 11:13). This is no different for us if we want to experience His mighty workings. No service goes well without being preceded by prayer.

N.B. In the book of Acts prayer often occurs. It runs like a thread through the book: Acts 1:14 ; 24 ; Acts 2:42 ; Acts 4:24 ; Acts 6:4 ; 6 ; Acts 7:60 ; Acts 8:15 ; Acts 9:11 ; 40 ; Acts 10:2 ; 9 ; Acts 12:5 ; Acts 13:3 ; Acts 14:23 ; Acts 16:13 ; 25 ; Acts 20:36 ; Acts 21:5 ; Acts 27:35 ; Acts 28:8.

At this prayer of the apostles there are also some women present, of whom Mary, the mother of the Lord, is mentioned by name. It is the last time she is mentioned in the New Testament. She prays with them. There are no prayers to her, as is very wrongly taught and done in the roman-catholic church. She is called “the mother of Jesus” and not “mother of God”, as the roman-catholic church so wrongly teaches.

Apart from the apostles and the women also the brothers of the Lord are present. At first they were unbelievers (Jn 7:5), but later they accepted Him as the Son of God. It seems that they have been convinced of this by His resurrection.