*Acts 2:5-11 could include not just some Gentile proselytes to the Jewish religion (cf. Romans 2:17 & Romans 11:13), but could refer mainly to first century AD genetically-Jewish descendants of those in the southern kingdom of Judah (Jews) who had voluntarily gone to live in many nations, but then had come back to dwell in Jerusalem, probably just temporarily to observe the feast of Pentecost (Acts 2:1, cf. Acts 20:16b). This feast was one of the three annual feasts under the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law when all male Jews had to appear before the temple of YHWH God in Jerusalem, as in Deuteronomy 16:16, where the "feast of weeks" is the same as the feast of "Pentecost" (Acts 2:1), the latter name simply meaning "fiftieth", as in the fiftieth day referred to in Leviticus 23:15-16 (cf. Deuteronomy 16:9-10).
--
*Acts 2:13 -
Note that this was said even after it was confirmed by a multitude of people that the tongues-speaking disciples of Jesus Christ were not speaking gibberish (Acts 2:4-15). And people in the multitude became Christians only after the apostle Peter preached the Gospel to them (Acts 2:14-41; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Also, nothing says that all of the mockers became Christians. For they could have included some of the non-Christian, Jewish priests who had even mocked the miracle-worker Jesus Christ Himself on the Cross (Matthew 27:41-42, cf. John 12:37, John 11:47), and who persecuted His disciples even after Acts 2 (Acts 4:1-18, Acts 5:27-41). So even after people have experienced true miracles from God, they can still mistakenly reject them, either as not really being miracles, or as being from Satan instead of God (Mark 3:22,29-30).
(See Mark 3:29 above)
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*Acts 2:16-21 / *Acts 2:17 -
Just as when the apostle Matthew says: "this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias" (Matthew 3:3-4), he means that John the Baptist is the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3, so when the apostle Peter says: "this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:16-18), he means that what happened at the Pentecost in Acts 2 began the fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32. For just as Joel 2:28-32 prophesied the pouring out of God's Holy Spirit in the "last days" (Acts 2:16-17), so the disciples of Jesus Christ had just received Holy Spirit baptism at the Pentecost in Acts 2 (Acts 2:4). And this happened in the "last days", for they began at Jesus' first coming (Hebrews 1:2). And Acts 2:17 continues to be fulfilled today whenever a Christian receives Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 11:15-16, Acts 10:44-46, Acts 8:15-17, Acts 19:5-6). Joel 2:30-31 will not be fulfilled until the future Tribulation (Revelation 6:12, Revelation 8:7, Revelation 17:16, Revelation 16:19) of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24. And Joel 2:32 will not be ultimately fulfilled until Jesus' future, Second Coming (Zechariah 14:2-21, Zechariah 12:10-14), which will not occur until immediately after the Tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31, Revelation 19:2-21).
~
(All flesh)
In Acts 2:17 the original Greek word (pas: G3956) translated as "all" can mean "all manner of" (Acts 10:12), just as in Joel 2:28 the original Hebrew word (kol: H3605) translated as "all" can mean "all manner of" (Leviticus 19:23). Neither word has to mean absolutely all. All manner of Christians receive Holy Spirit baptism, just as all manner of people become Christians (Revelation 5:9b).
(See paragraphs 2-3 of Mark 16:16 above)
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*Acts 2:21 -
See Joel 2:32a above.
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*Acts 2:34 meant that King David's body had not ascended into heaven, but was still buried (Acts 2:29). David's soul had ascended into heaven with Jesus Christ after Jesus' physical resurrection.
(See 1 Peter 4:6 below)
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*Acts 2:34b-35 -
See Psalms 110:1 above.
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*Acts 2:38 means that in that case, just as in some other cases, it is possible for Christians to receive Holy Spirit baptism at the moment that they are water baptized. But in most cases, Holy Spirit baptism is a separate event from water baptism, occurring sometime after water baptism, through prayer and the laying on of hands (Acts 8:15-17, Acts 19:5-6), or sometimes before water baptism (Acts 10:44-48, Acts 9:17-18).
(See paragraphs 2-3 of Mark 16:16 above)
--
*Acts 2:39 -
(And to your children)
This can refer only to children who are believers in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, with all of their heart (cf. Acts 8:36-38, Mark 16:16, John 3:36). But nothing requires that non-Christian and unbaptized children cannot still be part of the Christian community, that is, still go to church meetings along with a Christian parent or parents. For non-Christian children going to church and hearing there the preaching of the Word of God, the Bible, could be what will bring them into faith in Jesus (Romans 10:17).
(See the "Infant baptism" section of Mark 16:16 above)
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*Acts 2:43 was before the apostles of Jesus Christ had laid hands on some other Christians (Acts 6:5-6) at least some of whom were then also able to perform miracles (Acts 6:8) even when the apostles were not around them (Acts 8:6-7). For that ability is one of the gifts which God's Holy Spirit gives to some Christians (1 Corinthians 12:10), even to some Christians who are not apostles (1 Corinthians 12:28), and even still today.
--
*Acts 2:44-45 -
(Re: *Communism?)
The early Church was communalist (Acts 2:44-45, Acts 4:32 to 5:11; 2 Corinthians 8:14-15).
~
(Re: *Socialism?)
The future Antichrist will be a socialist, a believer in distributing the wealth (Daniel 11:24), but not necessarily to the extent of atheistic communism (in its theory, not in its practice, for example in the former USSR or in China, where the country's wealth was/is not evenly distributed among the party leaders and the populace), or to the extent of the Christian communalism which was (truly) practiced by the early Church (Acts 2:44-45, Acts 4:32 to 5:11; 2 Corinthians 8:14-15).
(See Leviticus 25:10 above)
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*Acts 3:21 / *Acts 3:20 -
Jesus Christ cannot return physically from heaven whenever He wants, because He must remain in heaven physically until the time of the restitution of all things (Acts 3:21) regarding the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6-7). And this time will not come until immediately after the future Tribulation of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24 (Matthew 24:29-31; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Revelation 19:7 to 20:6).
(See Acts 1:6 above)
~
(All things)
In Acts 3:21, "all things" can be distinguished from the future New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21:1), just as "all things" in Matthew 17:11 can be distinguished from them. Elijah coming back to the earth in the future (before Jesus Christ) to "restore all things" (Matthew 17:11) can refer to him restoring all true doctrine, that is, all true interpretation of the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16), to the earth, as one of God's future, Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:3-12), during the latter half of the future Tribulation of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24. And Jesus coming back to the earth immediately after the Tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31) to "restore all things" (Acts 3:20-21) can refer to Him restoring all things regarding the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6, Zechariah 14:3-21).
(See Acts 1:6 above, and Revelation 11:3 below)
--
*Acts 3:22-23 -
(*Prophet)
Jesus Christ is the prophet of Acts 3:22-23 and Deuteronomy 18:15,19, which Bible passage the apostle Peter says "foretold of these days" (Acts 3:24,26), meaning that time in the first century AD. For at Jesus' first coming, He was raised up from the midst of the Israelites (Deuteronomy 18:15, Romans 1:3). And we must hearken to what Jesus taught (John 14:23-24, Deuteronomy 18:15), or we will be destroyed by God Himself (John 3:36, Deuteronomy 18:19).
~
(Re: How can Deuteronomy 18:18-19 refer to Jesus, when it says that the prophet will follow the Lord's direction?)
Jesus Christ will always follow the LORD's (YHWH's) direction, in the sense of God the Father's direction. For even though Jesus is also YHWH God (John 1:1,14, Zechariah 14:3-4), He still does nothing of Himself, but only as His Father shows Him (John 8:28).
(See Psalms 100:3 above. Also, see paragraph 2 of John 1:1,14 above. And see John 14:28c above)
--
*Acts 4:24-28 does not say or mean that Psalms 2 was fulfilled at the time of Jesus Christ's first coming. Instead, it means that the basic idea of Psalms 2, of God the Father allowing human rulers and people to conspire against Christ, was similar to how God the Father had allowed Jesus to be killed (Acts 2:23).
(See Psalms 2:1 above)
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*Acts 5:3-4 shows that the Holy Spirit is God. He is God because He is the Spirit of God the Father (Matthew 10:19-20 & Mark 13:11), and of God the Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:16-18, Romans 8:9, Hebrews 1:8).
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*Acts 5:28 -
Here the original Greek contains no word for "straitly". The Greek words (paraggelia: G3852, and paraggello: G3853) translated as "straitly command" are the noun and verb forms of "command", so that they literally mean "command a commandment". This would be a way to emphasize how clearly the Jewish rulers had made known their intent to the (Jewish) apostles of Jesus Christ that they must stop preaching His Gospel (Acts 4:18). But the apostles had likewise made their intent known to the non-Christian, Jewish rulers (Acts 4:19-20).
(Compare Romans 13:1 below, and Luke 21:12 above)
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*Acts 5:33-40 -
Here Gamaliel saved the lives of the (Jewish) apostles of Jesus Christ by convincing the Jewish rulers to keep an open mind. And this could be the same Gamaliel who was Saul's own teacher (Acts 22:3), before Saul became the apostle Paul (1 Timothy 1:12-17; Acts 7:58 to Acts 13:9). Yet (Jewish) Saul still needed a divine intervention to become a Christian (Acts 26:9-23).
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*Acts 6:1 shows that even the very early Church in the book of Acts included both genetic Jews and Gentiles.
--
*Acts 6:13-14 -
Some people were paid, or simply agreed, to falsely testify as purported eyewitnesses that Stephen the Christian was a blasphemer of Moses and God (Acts 6:11). But their other accusations in Acts 6:14 could have been true, for they are in accord with what history and the Bible show. For Jesus Christ did have Jerusalem and the Jewish temple destroyed in 70 AD. And His New Covenant is different than the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law, which came through Moses (John 1:17).
(See the "Law" section of Ephesians 2:15 below. Also, see the "stricter" section of Matthew 5:19 above)
~
(Re: So the liars were not liars?)
The liars in Acts 6 were liars with regard to Acts 6:11, but not with regard to Acts 6:14.
--
*Acts 7:9 / *Acts 7:13 -
Joseph in the Old Testament was a type for Jesus Christ, who was cast out by the Jews out of envy (Acts 7:9, Matthew 27:18), and yet He will be revealed to them at His Second Coming (Acts 7:13, Romans 11:26-27, Zechariah 12:10-14).
--
*Acts 7:16 -
This is a historical quotation of what Stephen the Christian testified in his defense before a Jewish religious court (Acts 6:12 to Acts 7:1). He said that Abraham bought a sepulchre in Shechem from Hamor, when in fact it was Abraham's grandson Jacob who did that (Genesis 33:18-19), in the sense that Jacob's son Joseph was later buried there (Joshua 24:32). Joseph's tomb abides there to this day, in what is now called Nablus, in Samaria, part of the so-called West Bank. But the Muslim Arabs there may have vandalized Joseph's tomb. May God have mercy on them for this (cf. Matthew 6:15) and help them to repent (cf. 2 Timothy 2:25-26).
Also, Acts 7:16 does not mean that the Bible teaches errors. For the Bible does not affirm the statements of everyone whom it quotes in its historical accounts. For example, by quoting the people in John 7:12b and Matthew 27:63a, the Bible is not saying that Jesus Christ is a deceiver, but is simply showing what some non-Christians mistakenly thought at that time. In the case of Stephen the Christian, although what he said in Acts 7:16 is mistaken, it does not take away from his salvation, and even as the very first Christian martyr, during whose martyrdom Jesus Himself stood up in heaven (Acts 7:55-60) from His normally-seated position (Luke 22:69, Hebrews 10:12). For the faith and salvation of Christians does not depend on their correct remembrance of every detail of the Old Testament, but on the New Testament/New Covenant Gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Luke 24:46-47, Matthew 26:28, Hebrews 12:2).
(See 1 Corinthians 15:1 below)
--
*Acts 7:17 -
(The time of the promise)
This refers back to Acts 7:6-7, which was Genesis 15:13-14.
(See also Genesis 15 above)
--
*Acts 7:45 -
"Jesus" here, as in Hebrews 4:8, means the Old Testament's "Joshua".
(See Hebrews 4:8 below)
--
*Acts 7:48-50, like Acts 17:24, refers back to the principle of Isaiah 66:1-2a, which was true even at the time of Solomon's temple (2 Chronicles 2:6). It means that the Creator God YHWH is too big to dwell only in temples made with hands. For it is not contradicting that God did dwell in Solomon's temple (1 Kings 8:11). And then God dwelt in the second Jewish temple (Matthew 23:21, John 2:16), in which the Church continued to worship God even after Jesus Christ's sacrificial death for our sins, and His physical resurrection on the third day (Luke 24:53, Acts 2:46, Acts 22:17). And so nothing requires that God will not also dwell in the future, third Jewish temple, which will be built in Jerusalem during the future Tribulation of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24 (Revelation 11:1-2, Matthew 24:15, Daniel 11:31,36; 2 Thessalonians 2:4). And God could also dwell in the fourth temple, which will be built in Jerusalem during the future Millennium (Zechariah 14:20-21, Zechariah 6:12-13), which will not begin until after Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming (Revelation 19:7 to 20:6, Zechariah 14:3-21).
--
*Acts 7:51 -
Here the uncircumcision of the ears is figurative/spiritual, like the uncircumcision of the heart.
--
*Acts 8:14-19 -
(Re: Can only apostles perform Holy Spirit baptism?)
While Acts 8:14-18 and Acts 19:6 show Christians receiving Holy Spirit baptism through the laying on of the hands of the apostles of Jesus Christ, this does not require that only apostles can impart Holy Spirit baptism. For the apostle Paul received Holy Spirit baptism through the hands of Ananias (Acts 9:17), who is not indicated as being an apostle. Also, Romans 12:6 shows that the Christians in Rome were already operating in the Spiritual gifts before Paul had gone to Rome (Romans 15:19-24); and does the Bible require that any apostle had gone to Rome before Paul?
Even while the apostles were still alive, as the Church expanded across the Roman empire, God must have given the ability to impart Holy Spirit baptism to just enough Christians who were not apostles, so that no Christian throughout the Roman empire would have to remain without Holy Spirit baptism because no apostle could make it to his city or village. Also, when the last apostle died, the ability to impart Holy Spirit baptism did not die with him. For down until this day, God has continued to give some Christians the ability to impart Holy Spirit baptism to other Christians through the laying on of hands. This is why the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still operating today in Pentecostal congregations, and in charismatic congregations, which can be of almost any denomination. They do not quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19), or forbid the operation of His gifts (1 Corinthians 14:39).
(See 1 Corinthians 12:8 below)
At the start of Acts 8, it says that the apostles stayed in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1) while Philip went to evangelize in Samaria (Acts 8:5-13). He is most likely the Philip whom the apostles had previously laid their hands on when they laid their hands on seven men (Acts 6:5-6). He ended up in Caesarea (Acts 8:40) and came to be called Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8). If he did not have the ability to impart Holy Spirit baptism, this would not be surprising. For God does not give this ability to every Christian, just as God does not give every other Spiritual ability to every Christian (1 Corinthians 12:29-30).
Or, Philip the evangelist could have had the ability to impart Holy Spirit baptism, just as he had the ability to perform other miracles in Samaria (Acts 8:6-7,13). But he could have deferred to the apostles regarding whether or not Holy Spirit baptism was to be imparted to the Samaritan Christians. Or, God could have wanted to give that honor to the apostles Peter and John, and so did not let Philip's ability work in that one instance. For at that time, no one but Jewish Christians had received Holy Spirit baptism. (The Samaritans were not Jews: John 4:9, John 8:48.) And even after the Samaritan Christians had received Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 8:14-17), it was a surprise to some Jews in the Church when God subsequently gave Holy Spirit baptism to Gentiles (Acts 10:45-47). For Gentiles were considered distinct from the quasi-Judaic Samaritans (Matthew 10:5-6).
Also, the reason that Simon the former sorcerer (Acts 8:9-13) asked to buy from the apostles Peter and John the ability to impart Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 8:18-19) was because Simon was right there in Samaria watching as they imparted Holy Spirit baptism to the Samaritan Christians (Acts 8:18-19). Simon probably had not seen any such ability before. And so before that time, he would never have even thought to ask anyone else regarding buying it. And when he asked to buy it from Peter and John, he would not have asked anyone else after that, because of the strong rebuke which he received from Peter for asking to buy it (Acts 8:20-24).
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*Acts 8:29 -
Sometimes God communicates with individual Christians directly (Acts 8:29), while at other times He communicates with them through an angel (Acts 8:26) or a prophet (Acts 21:10-14). God also communicates generally with all Christians through His Word the Holy Bible (2 Timothy 3:15 to 4:4).
~
(Re: Is there any verse that tells us that God gives a gift that is direct communication with Him?)
Besides the personal guidance exemplified by Acts 8:29, which is available to every Christian, there are special gifts of the Holy Spirit given to those who have been Holy Spirit baptized, for the edification of the Church:
1 Corinthians 12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues . . .
The underlined gifts refer to various types of information or messages from God which are miraculously given directly to individual Christians to pass on to their congregations during a church service, for example (1 Corinthians 14:26).
(See 1 Corinthians 12:8 below)
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*Acts 10:28 refers only to the "unclean"-Gentile concept of the Old Covenant (Ezra 9:11-14), not to the "unclean"-Jew-or-Gentile concept of the New Covenant/New Testament. For the apostle Paul referred to "unclean" humans (Ephesians 5:5) in the sense of unrepentant, sinful humans (Romans 1:24, Romans 6:19), whether Jews or Gentiles, and whether elect or nonelect.
--
*Acts 10:34 -
(No *respecter of persons)
God being no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) includes the meaning that He will ultimately judge all people by the same standard, regardless of whether they are Jews or Gentiles, or elect or nonelect (Romans 2:6-8; 1 Peter 1:17). So even saved elect people, whether Jews or Gentiles, have to worry about ultimately losing their salvation, if they wrongly employ their free will to, for example, commit unrepentant sin (Hebrews 10:26-29).
~
While God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), He can still let only some people enter a place. For example, He let Joshua enter the promised land, but not Moses (Deuteronomy 3:25-28).
--
*Acts 10:44-48 -
While this showed God's acceptance of Christian Gentiles (besides Christian Jews) into the one body of the Church (Ephesians 4:4-6) and the spiritual Kingdom of God (Romans 14:17), this is not the only purpose for God giving Christians His Holy Spirit and His Spiritual gifts. Another purpose for Spiritual gifts is their regular use for the edification of Christians (1 Corinthians 14:4,12,26; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11).
(See 1 Corinthians 12:8 below)
--
*Acts 11:26 -
(*Disciples)
Those in the Church are disciples of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26).
The original Greek noun (mathetes: G3101) translated as "disciple" means "learner", just as the apostle Paul uses the verb form (manthano: G3129) of the Greek word to refer to what those in the Church have "learned" (Romans 16:17, Philippians 4:9; 2 Timothy 3:14), and need to "learn" (Titus 3:14), and can "learn" (1 Corinthians 14:31; 1 Corinthians 4:6).
We must continue to learn from Jesus Christ's Word the Holy Bible, if we are to be His disciples (John 8:31b).
(See John 8:31b and Matthew 4:4 above)
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*Acts 11:28 -
See section 2 of Matthew 24:7 above.
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Dec 10, 2018
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*Acts 2:13 -
Note that this was said even after it was confirmed by a multitude of people that the tongues-speaking disciples of Jesus Christ were not speaking gibberish (Acts 2:4-15). And people in the multitude became Christians only after the apostle Peter preached the Gospel to them (Acts 2:14-41; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Also, nothing says that all of the mockers became Christians. For they could have included some of the non-Christian, Jewish priests who had even mocked the miracle-worker Jesus Christ Himself on the Cross (Matthew 27:41-42, cf. John 12:37, John 11:47), and who persecuted His disciples even after Acts 2 (Acts 4:1-18, Acts 5:27-41). So even after people have experienced true miracles from God, they can still mistakenly reject them, either as not really being miracles, or as being from Satan instead of God (Mark 3:22,29-30).
(See Mark 3:29 above)
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*Acts 2:16-21 / *Acts 2:17 -
Just as when the apostle Matthew says: "this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias" (Matthew 3:3-4), he means that John the Baptist is the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3, so when the apostle Peter says: "this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:16-18), he means that what happened at the Pentecost in Acts 2 began the fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32. For just as Joel 2:28-32 prophesied the pouring out of God's Holy Spirit in the "last days" (Acts 2:16-17), so the disciples of Jesus Christ had just received Holy Spirit baptism at the Pentecost in Acts 2 (Acts 2:4). And this happened in the "last days", for they began at Jesus' first coming (Hebrews 1:2). And Acts 2:17 continues to be fulfilled today whenever a Christian receives Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 11:15-16, Acts 10:44-46, Acts 8:15-17, Acts 19:5-6). Joel 2:30-31 will not be fulfilled until the future Tribulation (Revelation 6:12, Revelation 8:7, Revelation 17:16, Revelation 16:19) of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24. And Joel 2:32 will not be ultimately fulfilled until Jesus' future, Second Coming (Zechariah 14:2-21, Zechariah 12:10-14), which will not occur until immediately after the Tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31, Revelation 19:2-21).
~
(All flesh)
In Acts 2:17 the original Greek word (pas: G3956) translated as "all" can mean "all manner of" (Acts 10:12), just as in Joel 2:28 the original Hebrew word (kol: H3605) translated as "all" can mean "all manner of" (Leviticus 19:23). Neither word has to mean absolutely all. All manner of Christians receive Holy Spirit baptism, just as all manner of people become Christians (Revelation 5:9b).
(See paragraphs 2-3 of Mark 16:16 above)
--
*Acts 2:21 -
See Joel 2:32a above.
--
*Acts 2:34 meant that King David's body had not ascended into heaven, but was still buried (Acts 2:29). David's soul had ascended into heaven with Jesus Christ after Jesus' physical resurrection.
(See 1 Peter 4:6 below)
--
*Acts 2:34b-35 -
See Psalms 110:1 above.
--
*Acts 2:38 means that in that case, just as in some other cases, it is possible for Christians to receive Holy Spirit baptism at the moment that they are water baptized. But in most cases, Holy Spirit baptism is a separate event from water baptism, occurring sometime after water baptism, through prayer and the laying on of hands (Acts 8:15-17, Acts 19:5-6), or sometimes before water baptism (Acts 10:44-48, Acts 9:17-18).
(See paragraphs 2-3 of Mark 16:16 above)
--
*Acts 2:39 -
(And to your children)
This can refer only to children who are believers in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, with all of their heart (cf. Acts 8:36-38, Mark 16:16, John 3:36). But nothing requires that non-Christian and unbaptized children cannot still be part of the Christian community, that is, still go to church meetings along with a Christian parent or parents. For non-Christian children going to church and hearing there the preaching of the Word of God, the Bible, could be what will bring them into faith in Jesus (Romans 10:17).
(See the "Infant baptism" section of Mark 16:16 above)
--
*Acts 2:43 was before the apostles of Jesus Christ had laid hands on some other Christians (Acts 6:5-6) at least some of whom were then also able to perform miracles (Acts 6:8) even when the apostles were not around them (Acts 8:6-7). For that ability is one of the gifts which God's Holy Spirit gives to some Christians (1 Corinthians 12:10), even to some Christians who are not apostles (1 Corinthians 12:28), and even still today.
--
*Acts 2:44-45 -
(Re: *Communism?)
The early Church was communalist (Acts 2:44-45, Acts 4:32 to 5:11; 2 Corinthians 8:14-15).
~
(Re: *Socialism?)
The future Antichrist will be a socialist, a believer in distributing the wealth (Daniel 11:24), but not necessarily to the extent of atheistic communism (in its theory, not in its practice, for example in the former USSR or in China, where the country's wealth was/is not evenly distributed among the party leaders and the populace), or to the extent of the Christian communalism which was (truly) practiced by the early Church (Acts 2:44-45, Acts 4:32 to 5:11; 2 Corinthians 8:14-15).
(See Leviticus 25:10 above)
--
*Acts 3:21 / *Acts 3:20 -
Jesus Christ cannot return physically from heaven whenever He wants, because He must remain in heaven physically until the time of the restitution of all things (Acts 3:21) regarding the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6-7). And this time will not come until immediately after the future Tribulation of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24 (Matthew 24:29-31; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Revelation 19:7 to 20:6).
(See Acts 1:6 above)
~
(All things)
In Acts 3:21, "all things" can be distinguished from the future New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21:1), just as "all things" in Matthew 17:11 can be distinguished from them. Elijah coming back to the earth in the future (before Jesus Christ) to "restore all things" (Matthew 17:11) can refer to him restoring all true doctrine, that is, all true interpretation of the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16), to the earth, as one of God's future, Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:3-12), during the latter half of the future Tribulation of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24. And Jesus coming back to the earth immediately after the Tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31) to "restore all things" (Acts 3:20-21) can refer to Him restoring all things regarding the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6, Zechariah 14:3-21).
(See Acts 1:6 above, and Revelation 11:3 below)
--
*Acts 3:22-23 -
(*Prophet)
Jesus Christ is the prophet of Acts 3:22-23 and Deuteronomy 18:15,19, which Bible passage the apostle Peter says "foretold of these days" (Acts 3:24,26), meaning that time in the first century AD. For at Jesus' first coming, He was raised up from the midst of the Israelites (Deuteronomy 18:15, Romans 1:3). And we must hearken to what Jesus taught (John 14:23-24, Deuteronomy 18:15), or we will be destroyed by God Himself (John 3:36, Deuteronomy 18:19).
~
(Re: How can Deuteronomy 18:18-19 refer to Jesus, when it says that the prophet will follow the Lord's direction?)
Jesus Christ will always follow the LORD's (YHWH's) direction, in the sense of God the Father's direction. For even though Jesus is also YHWH God (John 1:1,14, Zechariah 14:3-4), He still does nothing of Himself, but only as His Father shows Him (John 8:28).
(See Psalms 100:3 above. Also, see paragraph 2 of John 1:1,14 above. And see John 14:28c above)
--
*Acts 4:24-28 does not say or mean that Psalms 2 was fulfilled at the time of Jesus Christ's first coming. Instead, it means that the basic idea of Psalms 2, of God the Father allowing human rulers and people to conspire against Christ, was similar to how God the Father had allowed Jesus to be killed (Acts 2:23).
(See Psalms 2:1 above)
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*Acts 5:3-4 shows that the Holy Spirit is God. He is God because He is the Spirit of God the Father (Matthew 10:19-20 & Mark 13:11), and of God the Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:16-18, Romans 8:9, Hebrews 1:8).
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*Acts 5:28 -
Here the original Greek contains no word for "straitly". The Greek words (paraggelia: G3852, and paraggello: G3853) translated as "straitly command" are the noun and verb forms of "command", so that they literally mean "command a commandment". This would be a way to emphasize how clearly the Jewish rulers had made known their intent to the (Jewish) apostles of Jesus Christ that they must stop preaching His Gospel (Acts 4:18). But the apostles had likewise made their intent known to the non-Christian, Jewish rulers (Acts 4:19-20).
(Compare Romans 13:1 below, and Luke 21:12 above)
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*Acts 5:33-40 -
Here Gamaliel saved the lives of the (Jewish) apostles of Jesus Christ by convincing the Jewish rulers to keep an open mind. And this could be the same Gamaliel who was Saul's own teacher (Acts 22:3), before Saul became the apostle Paul (1 Timothy 1:12-17; Acts 7:58 to Acts 13:9). Yet (Jewish) Saul still needed a divine intervention to become a Christian (Acts 26:9-23).
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*Acts 6:1 shows that even the very early Church in the book of Acts included both genetic Jews and Gentiles.
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*Acts 6:13-14 -
Some people were paid, or simply agreed, to falsely testify as purported eyewitnesses that Stephen the Christian was a blasphemer of Moses and God (Acts 6:11). But their other accusations in Acts 6:14 could have been true, for they are in accord with what history and the Bible show. For Jesus Christ did have Jerusalem and the Jewish temple destroyed in 70 AD. And His New Covenant is different than the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law, which came through Moses (John 1:17).
(See the "Law" section of Ephesians 2:15 below. Also, see the "stricter" section of Matthew 5:19 above)
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(Re: So the liars were not liars?)
The liars in Acts 6 were liars with regard to Acts 6:11, but not with regard to Acts 6:14.
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*Acts 7:9 / *Acts 7:13 -
Joseph in the Old Testament was a type for Jesus Christ, who was cast out by the Jews out of envy (Acts 7:9, Matthew 27:18), and yet He will be revealed to them at His Second Coming (Acts 7:13, Romans 11:26-27, Zechariah 12:10-14).
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*Acts 7:16 -
This is a historical quotation of what Stephen the Christian testified in his defense before a Jewish religious court (Acts 6:12 to Acts 7:1). He said that Abraham bought a sepulchre in Shechem from Hamor, when in fact it was Abraham's grandson Jacob who did that (Genesis 33:18-19), in the sense that Jacob's son Joseph was later buried there (Joshua 24:32). Joseph's tomb abides there to this day, in what is now called Nablus, in Samaria, part of the so-called West Bank. But the Muslim Arabs there may have vandalized Joseph's tomb. May God have mercy on them for this (cf. Matthew 6:15) and help them to repent (cf. 2 Timothy 2:25-26).
Also, Acts 7:16 does not mean that the Bible teaches errors. For the Bible does not affirm the statements of everyone whom it quotes in its historical accounts. For example, by quoting the people in John 7:12b and Matthew 27:63a, the Bible is not saying that Jesus Christ is a deceiver, but is simply showing what some non-Christians mistakenly thought at that time. In the case of Stephen the Christian, although what he said in Acts 7:16 is mistaken, it does not take away from his salvation, and even as the very first Christian martyr, during whose martyrdom Jesus Himself stood up in heaven (Acts 7:55-60) from His normally-seated position (Luke 22:69, Hebrews 10:12). For the faith and salvation of Christians does not depend on their correct remembrance of every detail of the Old Testament, but on the New Testament/New Covenant Gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Luke 24:46-47, Matthew 26:28, Hebrews 12:2).
(See 1 Corinthians 15:1 below)
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*Acts 7:17 -
(The time of the promise)
This refers back to Acts 7:6-7, which was Genesis 15:13-14.
(See also Genesis 15 above)
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*Acts 7:45 -
"Jesus" here, as in Hebrews 4:8, means the Old Testament's "Joshua".
(See Hebrews 4:8 below)
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*Acts 7:48-50, like Acts 17:24, refers back to the principle of Isaiah 66:1-2a, which was true even at the time of Solomon's temple (2 Chronicles 2:6). It means that the Creator God YHWH is too big to dwell only in temples made with hands. For it is not contradicting that God did dwell in Solomon's temple (1 Kings 8:11). And then God dwelt in the second Jewish temple (Matthew 23:21, John 2:16), in which the Church continued to worship God even after Jesus Christ's sacrificial death for our sins, and His physical resurrection on the third day (Luke 24:53, Acts 2:46, Acts 22:17). And so nothing requires that God will not also dwell in the future, third Jewish temple, which will be built in Jerusalem during the future Tribulation of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24 (Revelation 11:1-2, Matthew 24:15, Daniel 11:31,36; 2 Thessalonians 2:4). And God could also dwell in the fourth temple, which will be built in Jerusalem during the future Millennium (Zechariah 14:20-21, Zechariah 6:12-13), which will not begin until after Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming (Revelation 19:7 to 20:6, Zechariah 14:3-21).
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*Acts 7:51 -
Here the uncircumcision of the ears is figurative/spiritual, like the uncircumcision of the heart.
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*Acts 8:14-19 -
(Re: Can only apostles perform Holy Spirit baptism?)
While Acts 8:14-18 and Acts 19:6 show Christians receiving Holy Spirit baptism through the laying on of the hands of the apostles of Jesus Christ, this does not require that only apostles can impart Holy Spirit baptism. For the apostle Paul received Holy Spirit baptism through the hands of Ananias (Acts 9:17), who is not indicated as being an apostle. Also, Romans 12:6 shows that the Christians in Rome were already operating in the Spiritual gifts before Paul had gone to Rome (Romans 15:19-24); and does the Bible require that any apostle had gone to Rome before Paul?
Even while the apostles were still alive, as the Church expanded across the Roman empire, God must have given the ability to impart Holy Spirit baptism to just enough Christians who were not apostles, so that no Christian throughout the Roman empire would have to remain without Holy Spirit baptism because no apostle could make it to his city or village. Also, when the last apostle died, the ability to impart Holy Spirit baptism did not die with him. For down until this day, God has continued to give some Christians the ability to impart Holy Spirit baptism to other Christians through the laying on of hands. This is why the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still operating today in Pentecostal congregations, and in charismatic congregations, which can be of almost any denomination. They do not quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19), or forbid the operation of His gifts (1 Corinthians 14:39).
(See 1 Corinthians 12:8 below)
At the start of Acts 8, it says that the apostles stayed in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1) while Philip went to evangelize in Samaria (Acts 8:5-13). He is most likely the Philip whom the apostles had previously laid their hands on when they laid their hands on seven men (Acts 6:5-6). He ended up in Caesarea (Acts 8:40) and came to be called Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8). If he did not have the ability to impart Holy Spirit baptism, this would not be surprising. For God does not give this ability to every Christian, just as God does not give every other Spiritual ability to every Christian (1 Corinthians 12:29-30).
Or, Philip the evangelist could have had the ability to impart Holy Spirit baptism, just as he had the ability to perform other miracles in Samaria (Acts 8:6-7,13). But he could have deferred to the apostles regarding whether or not Holy Spirit baptism was to be imparted to the Samaritan Christians. Or, God could have wanted to give that honor to the apostles Peter and John, and so did not let Philip's ability work in that one instance. For at that time, no one but Jewish Christians had received Holy Spirit baptism. (The Samaritans were not Jews: John 4:9, John 8:48.) And even after the Samaritan Christians had received Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 8:14-17), it was a surprise to some Jews in the Church when God subsequently gave Holy Spirit baptism to Gentiles (Acts 10:45-47). For Gentiles were considered distinct from the quasi-Judaic Samaritans (Matthew 10:5-6).
Also, the reason that Simon the former sorcerer (Acts 8:9-13) asked to buy from the apostles Peter and John the ability to impart Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 8:18-19) was because Simon was right there in Samaria watching as they imparted Holy Spirit baptism to the Samaritan Christians (Acts 8:18-19). Simon probably had not seen any such ability before. And so before that time, he would never have even thought to ask anyone else regarding buying it. And when he asked to buy it from Peter and John, he would not have asked anyone else after that, because of the strong rebuke which he received from Peter for asking to buy it (Acts 8:20-24).
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*Acts 8:29 -
Sometimes God communicates with individual Christians directly (Acts 8:29), while at other times He communicates with them through an angel (Acts 8:26) or a prophet (Acts 21:10-14). God also communicates generally with all Christians through His Word the Holy Bible (2 Timothy 3:15 to 4:4).
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(Re: Is there any verse that tells us that God gives a gift that is direct communication with Him?)
Besides the personal guidance exemplified by Acts 8:29, which is available to every Christian, there are special gifts of the Holy Spirit given to those who have been Holy Spirit baptized, for the edification of the Church:
1 Corinthians 12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues . . .
The underlined gifts refer to various types of information or messages from God which are miraculously given directly to individual Christians to pass on to their congregations during a church service, for example (1 Corinthians 14:26).
(See 1 Corinthians 12:8 below)
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*Acts 10:28 refers only to the "unclean"-Gentile concept of the Old Covenant (Ezra 9:11-14), not to the "unclean"-Jew-or-Gentile concept of the New Covenant/New Testament. For the apostle Paul referred to "unclean" humans (Ephesians 5:5) in the sense of unrepentant, sinful humans (Romans 1:24, Romans 6:19), whether Jews or Gentiles, and whether elect or nonelect.
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*Acts 10:34 -
(No *respecter of persons)
God being no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) includes the meaning that He will ultimately judge all people by the same standard, regardless of whether they are Jews or Gentiles, or elect or nonelect (Romans 2:6-8; 1 Peter 1:17). So even saved elect people, whether Jews or Gentiles, have to worry about ultimately losing their salvation, if they wrongly employ their free will to, for example, commit unrepentant sin (Hebrews 10:26-29).
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While God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), He can still let only some people enter a place. For example, He let Joshua enter the promised land, but not Moses (Deuteronomy 3:25-28).
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*Acts 10:44-48 -
While this showed God's acceptance of Christian Gentiles (besides Christian Jews) into the one body of the Church (Ephesians 4:4-6) and the spiritual Kingdom of God (Romans 14:17), this is not the only purpose for God giving Christians His Holy Spirit and His Spiritual gifts. Another purpose for Spiritual gifts is their regular use for the edification of Christians (1 Corinthians 14:4,12,26; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11).
(See 1 Corinthians 12:8 below)
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*Acts 11:26 -
(*Disciples)
Those in the Church are disciples of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26).
The original Greek noun (mathetes: G3101) translated as "disciple" means "learner", just as the apostle Paul uses the verb form (manthano: G3129) of the Greek word to refer to what those in the Church have "learned" (Romans 16:17, Philippians 4:9; 2 Timothy 3:14), and need to "learn" (Titus 3:14), and can "learn" (1 Corinthians 14:31; 1 Corinthians 4:6).
We must continue to learn from Jesus Christ's Word the Holy Bible, if we are to be His disciples (John 8:31b).
(See John 8:31b and Matthew 4:4 above)
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*Acts 11:28 -
See section 2 of Matthew 24:7 above.
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