Acts 1:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

NIV: After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

NASB: And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were watching, and a cloud took Him up, out of their sight.

CSB: After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

NLT: After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.

KJV: And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

NKJV: Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

This moment was also recorded in Luke 24:51. It is forty days after Jesus' resurrection, and He has spent that time telling His disciples about the coming kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). Any hope that this kingdom includes an Israel freed from Roman rule and twelve thrones for the twelve apostles (Luke 22:30) now rises into the sky with Jesus.

God is often represented by clouds in the Bible. In Exodus, a pillar of cloud led the Israelites through the wilderness (Exodus 13:21). When the Israelites camped at Mt. Sinai, God covered the mountain in cloud and smoke to show the people the authority He was giving Moses (Exodus 19:9, 16–18). When Solomon brought the ark of the covenant into the new temple, God filled the whole building with a cloud of His glory so thick the priests had to flee (1 Kings 8:10–11). When God showed Peter, James, and John the glory of Jesus during the transfiguration, He spoke to them from a cloud (Mark 9:7). And when Jesus will return, for both the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17) and the second coming (Revelation 1:7), He will come with clouds.

All such cases illustrate the shekinah glory of God—the glory of God that dwells with His people. God's glory is so great we can only experience it if it is veiled as if by clouds. Soon, we will see God clearly (2 Corinthians 3:12–18).

Acts 1:1–11 fulfills Jesus' teaching that for the Holy Spirit to come, He must return to heaven (John 16:7). After the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus spent forty days showing Himself to His believers to prove that resurrection and give them instructions. Now, it is time for Jesus' earthly ministry to end and the Holy Spirit's to come into full effect (John 16:8–14). Acts 1:1–11 is an expanded account of Luke 24:50–53; it is also part of a larger section of Acts that describes the ministry of the twelve apostles as they establish the church in Jerusalem (Acts 1—7).

Acts 1 sets the stage for the establishment of the church and the spread of the gospel. Jesus is alive but if the Holy Spirit is to come Jesus must ascend into heaven (John 16:7). The disciples obey His last instructions and wait in Jerusalem. Peter uses Old Testament Scripture to show the group of about 120 they must choose a disciple to replace Judas. The man must have been with them from Jesus' baptism to His ascension. Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias are put forward and, in the last use of the lots found in the Bible, Matthias is chosen.

Acts 1 is the second letter Luke wrote for Theophilus. In it, he narrates the transition between Jesus' ministry as described in the Gospel of Luke and the development and spread of the church. The disciples have received a temporary indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), and Jesus has spent forty days reassuring His faithful followers (Acts 1:3), appearing to over five hundred in that short time (1 Corinthians 15:6). Now, the disciples complete some administrative-like tasks before the Holy Spirit can begin the ministry of the church on Pentecost (Acts 2).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.