From here on, I won’t print out the whole text in Acts. Just read it in your own Bible along with my comments. Then email me with your thoughts and comments.

     We are getting close in Acts to Israel’s fall, and after that, we’ll see things begin to change as our new Gentile dispensation gets under way.

 

     The purpose of the tribulation is to purge the unbelievers out of Israel (Ez 20:38; Is 4:2-4; Amos 9:9,10; Luke 3:16,17) so they will be a holy nation of priests for God to use to reach the world. (Ex 19:5,6; Is 61:6&66:19; Mat 28:18-20) More specifically, unbelievers will be purged out of the church of Jewish kingdom saints. (Mat 13:24-30,36-43; II Peter 2:1-3,9-13; Jude 4-19)

     All the saints in Acts 5 had experienced being filled with the Holy Ghost (Acts 4:31), so they understood God’s perspective and thought like He did. But the unbelievers in their midst would not understand. They would still be doing things to be approved of men. (Luke 16:15) Notice in verse 3 that Satan, not the Holy Ghost, filled Ananias’ heart.

     In God’s kingdom on earth, people filled with the Holy Ghost will not be sinning (Mat 7:15-20; I John 3:6-10&5:18) and justice will be swift for those who do. (Malachi 3:5; Is 11:4&66:24) Acts 5 is a preview of that kind of justice.

 

ACTS 5:12-16                                Signs and wonders

 

     This passage, except for the parathesis in verses 12-14, describes some of the signs and wonders done by the apostles. Jesus had told them, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." (John 14:12-14) That was happening here in Acts 5.

     Healing was a sign, pointing to the earthly kingdom, (Luke 11:20) when people will not be sick. (Is 35:4-6) Getting healed here in Acts did not depend on a person’s faith, or secret sins, or anything about the person. Notice in verse 16 that every one was healed. There were no failures, or partial, gradual or delayed healings.

     Contrast this with so-called healing today. There is no record in the Bible of God ever healing in the manner that people say He does today. Can you think of any? People today sometimes get better in what seems a miraculous way, but more often they don’t. Why? Because we live in a dispensation that does not include Israel’s physical signs and wonders.

     God wants our focus in this age to be on the unseen, eternal things, not the physical. (II Cor 4:18; Col 3:1,2) God works in "the inner man", not the external circumstances. (Eph 3:16) And in our age, God uses our problems to work for us, rather than removing them. (Rom 5:3-5; II Cor 4:17) When Paul realized this, he said, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (II Cor 12:7-10)

 

ACTS 5:17-28                                  Jail break

 

     The apostles were thrown into jail and God delivered them, telling them to go teach in the temple. Remember that Gentiles were not allowed in the temple, so notice that God is still dealing with Israel exclusively here.

     The whole Jewish leadership got together to try the apostles, only to find them gone. (Now how to cover that up?) So up to the temple they went and gently brought the apostles before the council.

     The same people who said, "Let him (Jesus) be crucified.....His blood be on us, and on our children," (Mat 27:22,25) now a few months later, don’t want to be blamed for it. (vs 28) But Peter lays the guilt squarely on them in verse 30.

 

ACTS 5:29-32                                Peter’s speech

 

     Peter and the apostles were fearless. Psalms 27:1 & 56:11 describe their thinking. Paul in our dispensation describes the same fearless attitude in Rom 8:35-39.

In order to be saved from certain death in the tribulation, those Jews had to recognize their great sin in murdering their Christ. (Lev 26:40-42; Acts 2:40) So Peter does not mince words.

     God not only raised Christ from the dead, He exalted Him. Read Hebrews 1 and Eph 1:20-22.

     The apostles were eye witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection, and the signs and wonders done by the Holy Ghost were to prove His resurrection and exaltation to Israel.

 

ACTS 5:33-40                              Gamaliel - a smart Pharisee

 

     The Jewish leaders wanted to kill the apostles, but Gamaliel stopped them. Verses 38&39 summarize his smart logic. Paul, before he was saved, was a student of this man, Gamaliel. (Acts 22:3)

     However the Jewish leaders didn’t just let the apostles go, they had to bully and beat them first.(vs 40) But the apostles looked at all this from God’s perspective and went right on preaching with joy. (vs 41,42)