Acts 1:6
When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
In His final conversation with the disciples before His ascension, after showing Himself alive for forty days and speaking of the kingdom of God and the coming baptism with the Holy Spirit, they gathered together and asked Him whether He would then restore the kingdom to Israel. Even after all His teaching they still hoped He would immediately take David's throne at Jerusalem, overthrow Roman rule, restore Israel's political power, and give them places of worldly honor. He did not tell them when restoration would come, but said the times and seasons the Father has kept in His own authority are not for them to know. Instead of answering their curiosity about timing He directed them to wait in Jerusalem for power from above and, when the Holy Spirit came upon them, to become His witnesses from Jerusalem through Judea and Samaria to the uttermost part of the earth. His kingdom was not to be a temporal kingdom in this world, but a kingdom of righteousness and peace established in the hearts of men.
Setting and Wording
The question belongs to Christ's final conversation with the disciples before His ascension. He had shown Himself alive after His suffering by many proofs for forty days and spoken to them about the kingdom of God. He had commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father and baptism with the Holy Spirit not many days hence. After promising they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them to be His witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and to the farthest parts of the earth, He was taken up and a cloud received Him out of their sight, with the promise that He will return in the same manner.
The coming together describes the disciples gathered in Jerusalem waiting for the promised gift. Those identified as His disciples and associated with the apostles assembled there, put away their differences, and prayed together for the promised power that would equip them to preach the gospel to all nations. That gathering was part of a series of communions with the Saviour: being called up into the mount with Him, a night of communion with Him, the meeting on the mountain in Galilee, the parting scene upon Olivet with the angel's promise, and the days of prayer and communion in the upper chamber before mission and before the power and glory of Pentecost. This remaining in Jerusalem was for a time, not a permanent settlement, for Jerusalem was not meant to become the permanent center and persecution afterward scattered them to preach in other parts of the world. In that setting the Spirit is God's gift to enlighten, convert, and sanctify, given in fulfillment of Christ's promise to send the Holy Spirit after His ascension.
The phrase at this time asks about immediate timing, whether He would then restore the kingdom to Israel. They wondered whether this restoration would happen then, even at the time they were to receive the Holy Spirit. They expected the coming of the Holy Spirit to lead the Jewish people to accept Jesus, reflecting their renewed hope after His resurrection.
After remaining in Jerusalem to wait for power from above and praying together for ten days, they received the Holy Spirit in answer to prayer, and Peter explained to the people what had happened.
Expected Earthly Kingdom
Even after they had been taught about God's kingdom, the disciples still expected a political restoration of the kingdom to Israel. They asked whether this restoration would happen at the time they were to receive the Holy Spirit, even as they were being prepared to receive the Spirit and carry the gospel to the world. Their question about Israel's restoration thus stood in contrast with their immediate calling to gospel witness.
Their hope, revived after the resurrection, was that Jesus would take David's throne at Jerusalem and restore the kingdom to Israel. They expected Him to establish a temporal kingdom there, to take kingly authority immediately, to overthrow Roman rule and drive out the Romans, to restore Israel's political power and universal dominion, and to give them positions of worldly honor. They wondered whether this restoration would happen then, expecting the coming of the Holy Spirit to lead the Jewish people to accept Jesus.
Some in the crowd at His entry into Jerusalem thought Israel's emancipation was at hand and wondered if He would now restore the kingdom. This expectation reflected the Jews' longing under Roman oppression for a Messiah who would defeat their enemies and bring national deliverance rather than redemption from sin. They read prophecies according to their own hopes, overlooking prophecies of Christ's humiliation at His first coming and misapplying prophecies of His glory at His second coming. This misunderstanding helped prepare them to reject Him, and they reproved Him because He did not fulfill it.
He was not appointed to reign as an earthly monarch on David's throne, and His kingdom was not to be established as a temporal kingdom in this world. He came in poverty and humility, and His kingdom is one of righteousness and peace established in people's hearts. That was the kingdom He came to establish rather than the one they expected.
Timing and Witness Commission
He did not tell them when the restoration would happen, but said that the times and seasons the Father has put in His own power and kept in His own authority are not for them to know, leaving their question further unexplained. The Holy Spirit would illuminate their minds, help them understand the work before them, and lead them to continue the work He had left them and to understand and undertake what He directed.
He redirected them away from curiosity and speculation about timing and unrevealed things toward their immediate calling and work. Instead of seeking knowledge of the Father's appointed times, they were to wait in Jerusalem for power from above through baptism with the Holy Spirit, receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and become His witnesses.
That witness commission was His special direction for proclaiming the gospel, beginning in Jerusalem and extending through Judea and Samaria to the uttermost part of the earth and to the farthest parts of the earth. Their question about Israel's restoration thus stands in contrast with gospel witness as their immediate calling. Failing to do what He instructed brings great loss.
Curiosity about such matters can distract from relying on living faith and the promises of Scripture. Believers must walk by faith and take God at His word rather than dwelling on time. They are to give themselves to the individual work of warning and saving souls near and far, since salvation was purchased at infinite cost.
Waiting and Witnessing Today
Christ gave strict orders to tarry in Jerusalem until imbued with power from on high, which meant they were not authorized to preach a single discourse except under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Success was promised them only as they placed themselves under the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness, so their work and its success depended on that influence.
The same tarrying for the Holy Spirit is essential for the success of the worker today. Ministers should stay until equipped for their work, trust God's promises, and seek qualification and endowment from God rather than looking to any living man. A man who feels no burden to search the Scriptures and pray for himself and would preach discourses taken from another man's pen and brains should not preach but tarry as they did. Without it sermonizing and theorizing leave the churches ready to die, while with it the truth becomes a power sanctifying the soul of the receiver.
Their coming together is the pattern of communion with God that came before going forth on mission and before the power and glory of Pentecost, part of a series of communions with the Saviour: being called up into the mount, a night of communion, the meeting on the mountain in Galilee, the parting scene upon Olivet with the angel's promise, and the days of prayer and communion in the upper chamber. Those associated with the apostles assembled in Jerusalem waiting for the promised gift, put away their differences, and united in prayer for the promised power that would equip them to preach the gospel to all nations. They sought power not merely for themselves but to carry the gospel to the whole world and save souls, and the Spirit was then poured out and thousands were converted. Their example calls for earnest, sustained prayer and the Spirit's guidance before making decisions on solemn matters. They came together before Pentecost to seek God in simple faith, true humility, firm dependence, and full surrender, asking in simplicity for the things they need, and this way of coming is the condition for God to cooperate fully with His people and work as the case requires.
Those who believe in Christ as personal Saviour and apply His declaration to themselves are His witnesses, joined to Him by living faith to proclaim His love and everlasting life to the whole world. This lays solemn responsibility to do the individual work of warning and saving souls near and far rather than dwelling on time, since salvation was purchased at infinite cost. The Spirit is God's gift to enlighten, convert, and sanctify, and believers are to trust this promise and seek His work. A mighty power is at work in the world and heaven cooperates with those who do the Lord's work. Failing to do what He instructed brings great loss, and calls for being educated to believe God's Word and to show faith by works in practical godliness.
Remaining in Jerusalem was for a time, not a permanent settlement, and Jerusalem was not meant to become the permanent center. Their work there was to help those who had hesitated to act on received light to decide, and afterward they were to carry the gospel to other parts of the world. Persecution scattered them to preach elsewhere.