Acts 1:6

Friday, 1 October 2021 <p> </p> <p>Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Acts 1:6</p> <p> </p> <p>The verse now folds into what was said in the previous two verses. In verse 1:4, it says “And being assembled together.” After that, they were given instruction by the Lord. Now, it reiterates that they had been assembled. However, this doesn’t negate that they were assembled in one place, and then they came together in another.</p> <p> </p> <p>In other words, verse 1:4 may be the same event recorded in Luke 24:49, and this verse now is their assembling on the Mount of Olives many days later, or verse 1:4 could be a repeat of the thought of Luke 24:49 many days later, and the words now are recorded at that same time. Either way, no damage is done to the chronology.</p> <p> </p> <p>The Promise was made, events occurred over the next many days, and now forty days later (after the resurrection – Luke 1:3) the Lord gives his final words to His disciples. In this context, the words begin with, “Therefore, when they had come together.”</p> <p> </p> <p>This is the final gathering on the Mount of Olives (see 1:9). The disciples don’t yet know this, but this location is chosen in anticipation of the fulfillment of a prophecy from Scripture that will be explained when verse 1:11 is evaluated. For now, it next says, “they asked Him.”</p> <p> </p> <p>The verb is in the imperfect tense. It thus indicates a repetition of the question, urging Him for an answer. As such, it is like an interrogation – “they were asking Him” (repeatedly). This was a topic of much importance to them as they were “saying, Lord, ‘will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’”</p> <p> </p> <p>One can see John asking, “Lord are we going to kick the Romans out of the land?” The next asks, “Where is your palace going to be?” A third might have asked, “Lord, can I choose the area I will supervise. I really love the area around Galilee.” In other words,