20230730 Acts 1:1-26 The Kingdom of God
In Acts 1:1-2, Luke, the author, connects Acts to his Gospel. He writes that his first book, the Gospel, taught what Jesus began to do. We infer that Acts is about what Jesus continued to do through the witness of the church. Acts is about the witness to the resurrected Christ for the expansion of the kingdom of God to the ends of the earth by the power of the Holy Spirit.
When the church bears witness to the resurrected Christ, we join in the expansion of God’s kingdom. The kingdom of God is the theme of Acts. This theme bookends the book of Acts. It was Jesus’ topic when he taught the disciples for 40 days between Jesus’ death and resurrection (Acts 1:3). Acts ends with a summary of what Paul taught in Rome. Paul proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 28:31). If Jesus, Paul, and Luke taught about the kingdom of God, we must learn and teach on the kingdom of God. Acts 1 assumes an understanding of the Kingdom of God without explaining it. I will offer a survey of the kingdom of God. Then we will explore how the kingdom of God relates to the resurrection of Christ, the Holy Spirit, Israel, witnessing, the second coming of Christ, and the replacement Judas in Acts 1. I hope that it will make more sense why the good news Jesus proclaimed was the gospel of the kingdom (Matt 4:23).
One of the ways God reigns is through human beings. God made us in his image to rule the world in His name. The kingdom of God is the most clearly manifested when people recognize God’s rule, submit to it by practicing God’s will. The first humans fail but God’s plan remains.
God makes a covenant with Israel so that he would rule through them. Israel was a kingdom of priests (Exod 19:6). They were to show the world what it was like to live in relationship with the sovereign God (Deut 4:6). God gave Israel kings who served as representatives of the divine king. Following the fall of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, the notion of God’s kingdom continues.
The prophets still expected a day in which God would reveal his reign in its fullness (Dan. 2:44).[i] God was going to bring Israel home from exile (Isa 48:20). He would restore the twelve tribes of Israel (Isa 49:6), and the Northern and Southern kingdoms (Ezek 37:17). He would pour out the Holy Spirit on Israel (Isa 42:1, c.f. Isa 42:19). Israel’s would bear witness to the world about God’s salvation (Isa 42:6-7, 10; 43:8-10, 44:8; 45:22-23; 48:20, 49:5-6). Ps 2; 110:1, and Isa 11 connect this kingdom with an individual from the line of David. He would reign over the entire world. He would make God’s rule over the earth uncontested.
In God’s heavenly throne room, his holiness and glory are so overwhelming that all creatures there honor him with unqualified, voluntary service. One day, the manifestation of God’s glory will be such on the earth that what is true of the heavenly throne will be true on earth. God will judge the wicked and bring the redeemed humanity into a new creation (Isa 65). Only God’s kingdom will stand. Voluntary obedience to him will extend to the ends of the earth, as it does now in heaven (1 Chr 16:31; Ps 97:1-2).”[ii]
The ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus announced the kingdom of God. Jesus proclaimed its nearness (Mk 1:14–15, Lk 10:9), its presence (Matt 12:28; Luke 17:21), and its coming with power following his death and resurrection (Mk 9:1).[iii] Jesus came to fulfill God’s promises. In Jesus’ teaching and works, the prophet’s vision of the kingdom of God becomes a reality.[iv] It was offered and could be received in the inner being (Mk 10:15).[v]
To receive the kingdom is to submit oneself to God’s reign and enjoy its blessings.[vi] While the first sin led to shame, violence, sickness, and death, Jesus brings new creation. Along with his announcement of the kingdom, he healed, cast out demons, and announced the forgiveness of sins. He proclaimed God’s reign over areas sin affected. Acts 1 completes the presentation of the kingdom of God.
The resurrection shows the power of the kingdom of God (Mk 9:1). The resurrection is a form of enthronement. Repeatedly, Jesus refers to the coming of the Son of Man of Dan 7:13-14. In this vision, an individual receives authority over all things. Following the resurrection, Jesus announces that he possesses all authority (Matt 28:18).[vii]
The resurrection shows there is no limit to the power of the kingdom of God. Death is the ultimate weapon of any tyrant. Christ’s resurrection shows that God’s reign and authority is superior to death. The tyrant’s power is gone. No kingdom can stand against the kingdom of God.[viii]
The resurrection inaugurates the new creation. Because “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” (1 Cor 15:50), creation must change for God’s kingdom. With the coming of the kingdom, Christ inaugurated New Creation. He was the first fruit from the dead. He has a glorified body (1 Cor 15:20-26). Now, all who are born again are part of the New Creation (2 Cor 5:17) and the kingdom of God.
The resurrection confirms the forgiveness of sins. Following his resurrection, Jesus taught “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:45–47). The wage of sin is death. Because Christ conquered death, he does away with the wage of sin. Christ rules through the forgiveness of sins extended to sinners.
Today, Christians are born again and enjoy new creation. Formerly rebellious, we now delight in submitting to Christ’s gracious reign. Formerly dead in our sin, we have experienced resurrection and enjoy a supernatural existence! We enjoy God’s presence through His Spirit. We know the power of salvation through the gospel. Our desire to worship is satisfied in Christ. The gospel clears our guilty consciences. We see Jesus change all kinds of lives. Whether gang members, drug addicts, rock stars, people on death row, the self-righteous, or rebels, God can change all. This is how we witness the resurrection today. We still live in a broken world. We still struggle with this. But God has changed us and continues to change.
Today, it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that the church continues the work of Christ by witnessing to him. God establishes his rule through the proclamation of his reign. Every Christian has the Holy Spirit. We have received power from on high. We witness to the reign of resurrected Christ.
We do God’s work, God’s way, by God’s power by relying on the Spirit. We rely on the Spirit when we depend on Him in prayer. Lack of prayer reveals self-reliance. Prayer is reliance on God. We rely on God, when we proclaim, not our truth, but the truth the Spirit inspired in the Bible. We reject consumerism, individualism, as well as new views on gender, marriage, success, beauty. This is relying on the Spirit. Every time we choose to obey God over following our own wisdom that is trusting God and relying on the Spirit. We need to rely on the Spirit to refrain from gossip, defend the oppressed, and flee sexual immorality. Even when we fail, relying on the Spirit means we believe God does indeed forgive us. God reigns in our lives, when we rely on his kindness to change us. We rely on the Spirit, when the gospel is the story we live in rather than the story shame tries to teach us. This is a story in which the devil’s accusations are louder that the voice of God’s forgiveness.
In the OT, God ruled through Israel and Israel’s King. Following the fall of Israel, God reaffirmed that he would reign through Israel, through a Messianic King whose reign would know no limit. In Acts 1:7, Jesus says it is not for them to know the time of the restoration of Israel. He had just told them to stay in Jerusalem to receive the Spirit. Again, he insists they need to wait.
In the OT, the restoration of Israel meant the giving of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5//Isa 42:1; Joel 2; Ezek 36), the restoration of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms under a Davidic King (Ezek 37:17), the restoration of the twelve tribes, and Israel proclaiming God’s salvation to the ends of the earth (Isa 49:6/Acts 1:8; Acts 13:47).
In Acts 1:5, Jesus announces the giving of the Spirit. In Acts 1:8 he commissions them to bear witness in Judea and Samaria which are the northern and southern kingdoms. Jesus chose twelve disciples to parallel the 12 tribes of Israel (Matt 19:28). In Acts 1:14-26, the replacement of Judas with Matthias was a symbolic restoration of the twelve tribes of Israel. Sending the disciples to announce God’s salvation to the ends of the earth means Israel is restored for her mission!
Today, we can affirm that God has been faithful to his promises to Israel. All of us who are gentiles testify. The remnant of Israel, the first century church, was commissioned to proclaim salvation to the ends of the earth. We are those from the ends of the earth who believed and enjoy that salvation! The restored Israel or the Israel of God is made up of all Jews and Gentiles who place their faith in Christ and bear witness to the resurrection to the ends of the earth.
Today, judgment brings us relief. We know that all wrongs will be made right. We know all wickedness, trauma, depression, violence, and oppression will end. Because God will judge, we do not have to let injustices we have experienced determine our present or future. We can let go and let God. Judgment also means we have a sense of urgency. We want others to experience the forgiveness we enjoy. We want all to turn from their wickedness that they would not face the consequences for their sins forever, the wrath of God. We are a blessed people who blesses. We bear witness to the resurrection of Christ, his kingdom, the forgiveness of sins, and the new creation with our words and the way we live.
God has changed us. It is impossible for us to remain silent! Jesus is King and Judge. Let us continually humble ourselves and submit to his reign and proclaim him until he comes!
[i] F. F Bruce, The Book of the Acts, NICOT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1988) Acts 1:3.
[ii] Richard Pratt, ed., NIV Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003), 1549.
[iii] Bruce, The Book of the Acts Acts 1:3.
[iv] Schnabel, Acts. Acts 1:3.
[v] George Eldon Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, Rev. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1993), 65.
[vi] Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, 78.
[vii] N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (New York, NY: HarperCollins e-books, 2009), 235.
[viii] (1) Why Does Resurrection Matter? (N. T. Wright Q&A) - YouTube
When the church bears witness to the resurrected Christ, we join in the expansion of God’s kingdom. The kingdom of God is the theme of Acts. This theme bookends the book of Acts. It was Jesus’ topic when he taught the disciples for 40 days between Jesus’ death and resurrection (Acts 1:3). Acts ends with a summary of what Paul taught in Rome. Paul proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 28:31). If Jesus, Paul, and Luke taught about the kingdom of God, we must learn and teach on the kingdom of God. Acts 1 assumes an understanding of the Kingdom of God without explaining it. I will offer a survey of the kingdom of God. Then we will explore how the kingdom of God relates to the resurrection of Christ, the Holy Spirit, Israel, witnessing, the second coming of Christ, and the replacement Judas in Acts 1. I hope that it will make more sense why the good news Jesus proclaimed was the gospel of the kingdom (Matt 4:23).
1 Biblical Overview of the Kingdom of God
God is King (Exod 15:18). His reign is universal (Ps. 103:19).One of the ways God reigns is through human beings. God made us in his image to rule the world in His name. The kingdom of God is the most clearly manifested when people recognize God’s rule, submit to it by practicing God’s will. The first humans fail but God’s plan remains.
God makes a covenant with Israel so that he would rule through them. Israel was a kingdom of priests (Exod 19:6). They were to show the world what it was like to live in relationship with the sovereign God (Deut 4:6). God gave Israel kings who served as representatives of the divine king. Following the fall of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, the notion of God’s kingdom continues.
The prophets still expected a day in which God would reveal his reign in its fullness (Dan. 2:44).[i] God was going to bring Israel home from exile (Isa 48:20). He would restore the twelve tribes of Israel (Isa 49:6), and the Northern and Southern kingdoms (Ezek 37:17). He would pour out the Holy Spirit on Israel (Isa 42:1, c.f. Isa 42:19). Israel’s would bear witness to the world about God’s salvation (Isa 42:6-7, 10; 43:8-10, 44:8; 45:22-23; 48:20, 49:5-6). Ps 2; 110:1, and Isa 11 connect this kingdom with an individual from the line of David. He would reign over the entire world. He would make God’s rule over the earth uncontested.
In God’s heavenly throne room, his holiness and glory are so overwhelming that all creatures there honor him with unqualified, voluntary service. One day, the manifestation of God’s glory will be such on the earth that what is true of the heavenly throne will be true on earth. God will judge the wicked and bring the redeemed humanity into a new creation (Isa 65). Only God’s kingdom will stand. Voluntary obedience to him will extend to the ends of the earth, as it does now in heaven (1 Chr 16:31; Ps 97:1-2).”[ii]
The ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus announced the kingdom of God. Jesus proclaimed its nearness (Mk 1:14–15, Lk 10:9), its presence (Matt 12:28; Luke 17:21), and its coming with power following his death and resurrection (Mk 9:1).[iii] Jesus came to fulfill God’s promises. In Jesus’ teaching and works, the prophet’s vision of the kingdom of God becomes a reality.[iv] It was offered and could be received in the inner being (Mk 10:15).[v]
To receive the kingdom is to submit oneself to God’s reign and enjoy its blessings.[vi] While the first sin led to shame, violence, sickness, and death, Jesus brings new creation. Along with his announcement of the kingdom, he healed, cast out demons, and announced the forgiveness of sins. He proclaimed God’s reign over areas sin affected. Acts 1 completes the presentation of the kingdom of God.
2 Acts 1:3, 22 The Kingdom of God and Christ’s Resurrection
In Acts 1:3, we read that Jesus spent the forty days between the resurrection and his ascension proving his resurrection and teaching about the kingdom of God. The resurrection is central in Acts. Christians must believe in the resurrection. In Acts 1:22, Judas’ replacement had to be a witness to Jesus’ resurrection. One of the characteristics of Acts is that there are sermons on almost every page. The sermons in Acts stress the resurrection of Christ.The resurrection shows the power of the kingdom of God (Mk 9:1). The resurrection is a form of enthronement. Repeatedly, Jesus refers to the coming of the Son of Man of Dan 7:13-14. In this vision, an individual receives authority over all things. Following the resurrection, Jesus announces that he possesses all authority (Matt 28:18).[vii]
The resurrection shows there is no limit to the power of the kingdom of God. Death is the ultimate weapon of any tyrant. Christ’s resurrection shows that God’s reign and authority is superior to death. The tyrant’s power is gone. No kingdom can stand against the kingdom of God.[viii]
The resurrection inaugurates the new creation. Because “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” (1 Cor 15:50), creation must change for God’s kingdom. With the coming of the kingdom, Christ inaugurated New Creation. He was the first fruit from the dead. He has a glorified body (1 Cor 15:20-26). Now, all who are born again are part of the New Creation (2 Cor 5:17) and the kingdom of God.
The resurrection confirms the forgiveness of sins. Following his resurrection, Jesus taught “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:45–47). The wage of sin is death. Because Christ conquered death, he does away with the wage of sin. Christ rules through the forgiveness of sins extended to sinners.
Today, Christians are born again and enjoy new creation. Formerly rebellious, we now delight in submitting to Christ’s gracious reign. Formerly dead in our sin, we have experienced resurrection and enjoy a supernatural existence! We enjoy God’s presence through His Spirit. We know the power of salvation through the gospel. Our desire to worship is satisfied in Christ. The gospel clears our guilty consciences. We see Jesus change all kinds of lives. Whether gang members, drug addicts, rock stars, people on death row, the self-righteous, or rebels, God can change all. This is how we witness the resurrection today. We still live in a broken world. We still struggle with this. But God has changed us and continues to change.
3 Acts 1:4-5, 8 The Kingdom of God and the Holy Spirit and Power, Witnessing
In Acts 1:4-6, Jesus speaks of the baptism with the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:8, he says they will receive power to be his witnesses. There is a parallel story to this in the OT. In 2 Kings 2, Elijah was taken to heaven, and his disciple, Elisha receives a double portion of his spirit to continue his work. In Acts Jesus is taken up. His disciples receive his Spirit to continue his work. The Holy Spirit lives in the disciples. He empowers them to witness. He is the power by which they will do mighty works. He is the power by which their preaching is made effective. By the power of the Holy Spirit, dead sinners hear the gospel, they believe, and become born again.Today, it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that the church continues the work of Christ by witnessing to him. God establishes his rule through the proclamation of his reign. Every Christian has the Holy Spirit. We have received power from on high. We witness to the reign of resurrected Christ.
We do God’s work, God’s way, by God’s power by relying on the Spirit. We rely on the Spirit when we depend on Him in prayer. Lack of prayer reveals self-reliance. Prayer is reliance on God. We rely on God, when we proclaim, not our truth, but the truth the Spirit inspired in the Bible. We reject consumerism, individualism, as well as new views on gender, marriage, success, beauty. This is relying on the Spirit. Every time we choose to obey God over following our own wisdom that is trusting God and relying on the Spirit. We need to rely on the Spirit to refrain from gossip, defend the oppressed, and flee sexual immorality. Even when we fail, relying on the Spirit means we believe God does indeed forgive us. God reigns in our lives, when we rely on his kindness to change us. We rely on the Spirit, when the gospel is the story we live in rather than the story shame tries to teach us. This is a story in which the devil’s accusations are louder that the voice of God’s forgiveness.
4 Acts 1:6-8, 14-26 The Kingdom of God and Israel
In accordance with OT promises and Act, the kingdom of God relates to Israel, the twelve tribes, the divided kingdoms, and the Promised Land. Jesus announced the giving of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:6, the disciples want to know about the restoration of Israel. Acts 1 and beyond shows Israel is restored.In the OT, God ruled through Israel and Israel’s King. Following the fall of Israel, God reaffirmed that he would reign through Israel, through a Messianic King whose reign would know no limit. In Acts 1:7, Jesus says it is not for them to know the time of the restoration of Israel. He had just told them to stay in Jerusalem to receive the Spirit. Again, he insists they need to wait.
In the OT, the restoration of Israel meant the giving of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5//Isa 42:1; Joel 2; Ezek 36), the restoration of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms under a Davidic King (Ezek 37:17), the restoration of the twelve tribes, and Israel proclaiming God’s salvation to the ends of the earth (Isa 49:6/Acts 1:8; Acts 13:47).
In Acts 1:5, Jesus announces the giving of the Spirit. In Acts 1:8 he commissions them to bear witness in Judea and Samaria which are the northern and southern kingdoms. Jesus chose twelve disciples to parallel the 12 tribes of Israel (Matt 19:28). In Acts 1:14-26, the replacement of Judas with Matthias was a symbolic restoration of the twelve tribes of Israel. Sending the disciples to announce God’s salvation to the ends of the earth means Israel is restored for her mission!
Today, we can affirm that God has been faithful to his promises to Israel. All of us who are gentiles testify. The remnant of Israel, the first century church, was commissioned to proclaim salvation to the ends of the earth. We are those from the ends of the earth who believed and enjoy that salvation! The restored Israel or the Israel of God is made up of all Jews and Gentiles who place their faith in Christ and bear witness to the resurrection to the ends of the earth.
5 Acts 1:9-11 The Kingdom of God and Jesus’ ascension and return
Acts 1:9 described the ascension of Christ and Acts 1:11 promises that Jesus will return. Christ was enthroned at his resurrection. He has all authority. Yet, there is more to come. The fullest manifestation of God’s kingdom will be marked by his evident rule over all people in the whole earth. When the apostles proclaimed the good news, they did not stop short at the resurrection and exaltation of Christ. They also spoke of the consummation of all things. In Acts 10:42, Peter told the household of Cornelius “that [Christ] is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.” Paul told the Areopagites at Athens in Acts 17:31 that God “has set a day on which he is going to judge the world in righteousness, by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has provided a pledge to all, by raising him from the dead.” Jesus will judge the world at his return. In the perfect manifestation of the divine kingdom, every knee will bow at the name of Jesus and every tongue will confess him as Lord (Phil. 2:10–11). God’s will will be truly done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt 6:10).Today, judgment brings us relief. We know that all wrongs will be made right. We know all wickedness, trauma, depression, violence, and oppression will end. Because God will judge, we do not have to let injustices we have experienced determine our present or future. We can let go and let God. Judgment also means we have a sense of urgency. We want others to experience the forgiveness we enjoy. We want all to turn from their wickedness that they would not face the consequences for their sins forever, the wrath of God. We are a blessed people who blesses. We bear witness to the resurrection of Christ, his kingdom, the forgiveness of sins, and the new creation with our words and the way we live.
6 Conclusion
Acts 1 teaches us that the work of the church is what Christ is continuing to do. We have the Holy Spirit who empowers us to proclaim the gospel. As gentiles, we are those from the ends of the earth that have benefitted from the expansion of the Kingdom through the church’s proclamation. Now we have been brought into Israel’s mission. We bear witness to the resurrected Christ. We have witnessed something supernatural when we were born again.God has changed us. It is impossible for us to remain silent! Jesus is King and Judge. Let us continually humble ourselves and submit to his reign and proclaim him until he comes!
[i] F. F Bruce, The Book of the Acts, NICOT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1988) Acts 1:3.
[ii] Richard Pratt, ed., NIV Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003), 1549.
[iii] Bruce, The Book of the Acts Acts 1:3.
[iv] Schnabel, Acts. Acts 1:3.
[v] George Eldon Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, Rev. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1993), 65.
[vi] Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, 78.
[vii] N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (New York, NY: HarperCollins e-books, 2009), 235.
[viii] (1) Why Does Resurrection Matter? (N. T. Wright Q&A) - YouTube
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