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THE KING’S BUSINESS
the disciples the restoration o f Israel, so they asked Jesus if He was about to restore the kingdom to Israel. His answer clearly implies that the kingdom is sometime to be restored to Israel (cf. Isa. 1:25-27; 9 :7 ; Jef. 23:5, 6; 33:15-26; ■Ezek. 36:23-28; 37:24-28; Hosea 3:4, 5; Joel 3 :16-21; Amos 9:11-15), but while implying that the king dom is some time to be restored to Israel, our Lord in the most emphatic way tells them that God has reserved the knowledge o f times and seasons to Himself (cf. Matt. 24:36; Mark 13 :22). It is unfortunate that these words o f our Lord to the Apos tles have not sunk deeper into the hearts o f many today. Men are always rising who try to divine the times and seasons for the restoration o f the kingdom^ While in many instances they say they are not stating the time for the Lord’s return, they are trying to set the time for events so closely con nected with our Lord’s return, that they are really setting a time for His return. Every such attempt is in direct opposition to the very clear and definite and emphatic words o f our Lord recorded here.- The Lord Jesus would have us know that "the times and seasons the Father hath put within His own authority, and that we should leave them alone. The words translated “His own” are very emphatic words. Any one who endeavors to set times and seasons from the data given" us in Daniel or any other book in the Bible, in face o f these words o f our Lord, is doing a most presumptuous thing, and any such teacher is at once dis credited by any such attempt. v. 8. “But ye shall receive power when the Holy Ghost is come upon you : and ye shall he- my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”- ' When they should receive the kingdom our Lord does not disclose to His Apostles, but He dis closes when they should receive power. This power would be theirs when the Holy Ghost had come upon them. The force o f the Greek construction is that the power should be the direct result o f the Holy Ghost hav ing come upon them. They would have power then and not until then. How fool
ish then it is for us to try to work for Christ until we have sought and obtained the power which is the direct result o f a definite coming upon us o f the Holy Spirit. But we" should not carefully the purpose for whiclrthe Holy Spirit was to come upon them and power to be imparted to them. It was not merely for the purpose o f mak ing them happy, or giving them -some ecstatic experience, not even for the pur pose, primarily, o f making them individ ually holy; it was primarily for the pur pose o f making them useful and effective “ witnesses” (cf. 2 :4 ; 4:8-12, 31, 33; 5:32; 9:1/, 20). There are many seeking a bap tism with the Holy Ghost, expecting by that some ecstatic experience, some such exper ience for example as Charles Finney or D. L. Moody had when such waves o f joy passed over them that they had to ask God to with-hold His hand as they could stand no more. The reality o f such experiences is not to be questioned, but there is nothing to indicate in the W ord p f God that any such thing is to be looked for or longed for by believers. The W ord o f God makes it perfectly clear here that power in service is the purpose o f the Holy Ghost coming; upon a man, and that is what he should expect. A result accompanying the receiv ing o f the Holy Spirit in a number of instances, as we 'shall see in our later studies o f this book, was speaking with tongues, but this verse makes it evident that that was merely incidental and not. the essential or universal thing. Power for witnessing was the essential and universal thing in the Holy Ghost coming upon men. Our Lord tells them that they were to begin their witnessing right where they were, when the Holy Ghost was received, “ in Jerusalem,” and they were then to go to the next place, all Judea, and then to the next, Samaria, and so on and on “unto the uttermost part o f the earth.” This is the truly/ Christian program—-begin at home and then go out as far as any one’s line may extend.. But a true reception o f the Holy Spirit by, the church means world-wide mis sions “unto' the uttermost part o f the earth.” As this whs our Lord’s parting message to
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