ACTS LESSON 4

    We will begin this lesson in Acts 2:19 "And I will shew wonders in
heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and
vapour of smoke:"

    This verse 19 here, speaks of the end of the Gentile age. Verse 17
and 18, in the previous lesson, has two fulfillments, one on the day
of Pentecost, and the other at the end of the age. You can read more
about this time in Matthew chapter 24.

    Acts 2:20 "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon
into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:"
Acts 2:21 "And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on
the name of the Lord shall be saved."

    This is a tremendous promise. This promise is offered to whosoever
will. This is just saying, if we receive Jesus as Saviour and Lord, we
will be saved. Terror will grip those who see the moon and sun turn
like this. Even at that late date, if they call on Jesus as Saviour
and Lord, He will save them.

    Acts 2:22 "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth,
a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs,
which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:"
Acts 2:23 "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have
crucified and slain:"

    This is a very bold speech that Peter is making to these people.
The boldness of Peter speaking out now, is a total contrast from the
three times he denied Christ. Peter has now been baptized in the Holy
Ghost and knows no fear. Peter is saying that Jesus proved who He was
by the signs, and wonders, and miracles that He did. Peter reminds
them that these things were not done in secret, but right before their
very eyes. They were without excuse, because they knew, and still
refused to believe Jesus was the Christ. Peter is giving no slack at
all. He is telling them that they had a great part in the crucifixion
of Jesus. Even though God foreknew that this would happen, it still
does not leave them innocent.

    Acts 2:24 "Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of
death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it."

    The main enemy that Jesus defeated on the cross was death
itself. Those who believe on His name will inherit eternal life, not
death. The Spirit of Jesus never died. Only His body died. Jesus was
victorious on the cross and defeated sin and death for all who believe
on His name. The third day Jesus arose from the grave. Psalms 16:10
explains that Jesus would not remain in hell. Jesus went to hell and
took the keys away from Satan. He preached in hell and brought those
captives out with Him. Read it in, I Peter 3:19 and Ephesians 4:8-10.

    Acts 2:25 "For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord
always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not
be moved:"

    Jesus is seated, even now, at the right hand of the Father. Jesus
(God the Word) is omnipresent, which means that He can be in more than
one place at a time. Jesus not only sits at the right hand of the
Father, but is actually the right hand of the Father. Jesus has
never lost His position in heaven. Jesus can be in my heart and at the
right hand of the Father all at the same time.

    Acts 2:26 "Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad;
moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:"

    Jesus' flesh was entombed, but it did not stay in the tomb long
enough to begin to decay. The body begins to deteriorate on the fourth
day.  Jesus rose on the third day.  In I Thessalonians chapter 4, we
read that we Christians have hope of the resurrection, because Jesus
rose again.

    Acts 2:27 "Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither
wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."

    As we said above , Jesus' body rose from the tomb before the
fourth day when corruption usually sets in.

    Acts 2:28 "Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt
make me full of joy with thy countenance."

    Jesus' body was transformed in to a spiritual body. This same
Jesus re-entered His body and rose from the tomb. We can look to Jesus
for our hope. He is the life. We can have joy forevermore knowing that
because He lives we will live also. It was buried a natural body
and raised a spiritual body. {1 Corinthians chapter 15}

    Acts 2:29 "Men [and] brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the
patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is
with us unto this day."

    Peter makes it very clear that this could not have been David
speaking, since he was dead and his tomb still held his body.

    Acts 2:30 "Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had
sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according
to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;"

    God had promised David that through his ancestors in the flesh,
the Messiah (Christ) would sit on his throne in Jerusalem. God does
not lie. Jesus Christ the Messiah was descended in the flesh from
David. David had prophesied this after God had sworn to him.

    Acts 2:31 "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of
Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see
corruption."

    David had prophesied in Psalms 16:10 that Jesus' body would not
decay. That He would rise again.

    Acts 2:32 "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are
witnesses."

    Here, Peter says that this Scripture in Psalms was fulfilled when
Jesus rose from the grave. Peter tells these people that He was an
eyewitness to the resurrection of Jesus. He tells them they had
witnessed it, also. Jesus was seen of over 500 people after He rose
from the grave. I Corinthians 15:6 "After that, he was seen of above
five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto
this present, but some are fallen asleep."

    Acts 2:33 "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and
having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath
shed forth this, which ye now see and hear."

    In our study in John, we learned that Jesus said He would send the
Comforter (Holy Ghost), John 14:15-16. Now, Peter is telling them that
this which they have seen is the Holy Ghost sent by Jesus to help
Jesus' followers.

    Acts 2:34 "For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he
saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,"
Acts 2:35 "Until I make thy foes thy footstool."

    This, again, was prophecy of King David. David calls his
descendent in the flesh Jesus, Lord. It is difficult to understand
that the flesh of Jesus descended from David, but at the same time the
Spirit of Jesus was David's Lord. This just means that Jesus is
sitting at the right hand of God, until God the Father says the
struggle on earth is over. We find that all power in heaven and earth
has been given to Jesus by the Father. Jesus defeated Satan in every
way at the cross. Jesus is sitting on the right hand of God waiting,
because Jesus' work on earth is done. The end of the age is near.
This will all finish when the bride of Christ is brought to heaven and
the wrath of God falls on those who would not accept Jesus as Lord.

                                 Notes














                          Acts 4 Questions

1.  What are some of the signs mentioned in verse 19?
2.  What time is this speaking of?
3.  What will happen to the sun at this time?
4.  Who will be saved?
5.  Who does Peter call Jesus in verse 21?
6.  Why should they have known who Jesus was?
7.  What is different with Peter's preaching here, from when he denied
    Christ?
8.  Who raised Jesus up?
9.  What message is in Psalms 16:10?
10. Where can we read about Jesus preaching in hell and bringing the
    captives out?
11. Who was David speaking of in verse 25?
12. When does the body begin to deteriorate after death?
13. What does I Thessalonians chapter 4 bring promise of?
14. How was Jesus' body changed from the one that went into the tomb?
15. Who was Jesus' ancestor in the flesh?
16. In what was Jesus David's God?
17. What is David called in verse 30?
18. What chapter in Psalms tells that Jesus' body would not decay?
19. In verse 32, Peter says who were witnesses of Jesus' resurrection?
20. Where is Jesus exalted now?
21. Who sent the comforter (Holy Ghost)?
22. What other Book of the Bible tells that Jesus would send the
    Comforter?
23. How long will Jesus sit at the right hand of God?
24. Who is all power in heaven and earth given to?
25. What is left for Jesus to do, to be finished with His work?

                                 Notes