1 "The former treatise I made, O Theophilus, concerning all
2 that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in
which he was received up, after that he had given commandment through the Holy Ghost unto the apostles whom
3 he had chosen; to whom he also shewed himself alive after
his passion by many proofs, appearing unto them by the
space of forty days, and speaking the things concerning the
4 kingdom of God; and, being assembled together with them,
he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait
for the promise of the Father, which, said he, ye heard from
5 me; for John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be
baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6 "They therefore, when they were come together, asked
him, saying, Lord, dost thou at this time restore the king-
7 dom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to
know times or seasons, which the Father hath set within
8 his own authority. But ye shall receive power, when the
Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be my witnesses
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto
9 the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had said
these things, as they were looking, he was taken up; and a
10 cloud received him out of their sight. And while they
were looking steadfastly into heaven as he went, behold,
11 two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said,
Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? this
JESUS, which was received up from you into heaven, shall
so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven.
12 "Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount
called Olivet, which is nigh unto Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's
13 journey off. And when they were come in, they went up
into the upper chamber, where they were abiding; both
Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas,
Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphæus, and
14 Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. These all
with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer, with the
women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his breth-
ren."
Golden Text: "While He blessed them, He parted from them, and was carried up into heaven." Luke 24:51.
NOTE.—The Sunday school lessons for 1897 are on the book of Acts, the establishment of the church this side of the crucifixion. This lesson is the connecting link between the Gospels and the history of the early church. Let the pupil study the book, the lesson Scripture and its context, thoroughly. Here he will find an inspired history of the early church,—a history worth more than all the testimony of the "early Fathers," and all the unwritten tradition of the ages. The lesson section includes the whole of the first chapter. The date of the ascension was in May 31, according to Hale's Chronology. This is verified by the prophecy concerning Christ in Dan. 9:24-27. The book of Acts was written by Luke. Compare Acts 1:1 with Luke 1:1-3. The rulers at this time were: Tiberius Cæsar, emperor of Rome, 18th year; Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea, 6th year; Herod Antipas, governor of Galilee, 35th year; Herod Philip, governor of Trachonitis and the northern regions beyond Jordan, 35th year; Caiaphas, son-in-law of Annas, high priest, 7th year.
