Acts 2:31-36

 

Acts 2:31 (KJB)

He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

 

(Luke 23:46 KJV) And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. There are many that believe in soul sleep and Peter is specifically stating that while the body of the Lord Jesus Christ was in the tomb, it was not there long enough to see corruption because God accepted His sacrifice and there was no need to allow His body to remain dead any longer than the third day, plus Jesus arose on Sunday morning ushering in the New Testament Sabbath Day on Sunday. Then we read in Luke 23:46, that the soul of Jesus did not sleep for those three days, instead He went into the presence of His Heavenly Father. While His body was in the tomb, Jesus Himself went to Heaven and was reunited with His body early Sunday morning. It is interesting that David had foreseen these events and prophesied them couched in contemporary events in his life.

 

Acts 2:32 (KJB)

This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

 

Here Peter is straightly telling the crowd that God the Father had raised Jesus from the dead and the 120 who were in the upper room were all witnesses to the fact that Jesus was alive. They had seen Him and spoken with Him for at least 40 days after the resurrection. The story which had floated around Jerusalem was that the disciples came by night and stole the body but the soldiers had told the leaders of the Sanhedrin that an angel came and rolled back the stone. They knew that the tomb of Jesus was empty and now they are going to have to come face to face with the reality of the living Christ as His disciples will now be preaching the resurrection. The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection but the Pharisees did, and now there is going to be contention among the leaders of Israel. The Sanhedrin also had to contend with the fact that over 500 had seen the risen Lord and the law only required 2 or 3 witnesses for a proper testimony.

 

Acts 2:33 (KJB)

Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

 

Peter now preaches something which the High Priest deemed as blasphemy and he even tore his robes. (Mat 26:64 KJV) Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Jesus told them that they would see Him on the right hand of power and now Peter is confirming exactly what Jesus had said to the High Priest. Since Jesus was now at the right hand of the Father, He now fulfilled His promise that He would send the Holy Ghost to indwell them so they could begin to carry out the Great Commission. (Acts 1:5 KJV) For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. All the people in Jerusalem who were hearing the Apostles along with the other 108, were seeing and hearing the fulfillment of the promise Jesus made to them right before He ascended into Heaven. The verse also states that Jesus is now exalted in Heaven. What the leaders saw on the cross, the bloody tortured body of a man, was no longer what they would see if they saw Him glorified in Heaven. (Rev 5:14 KJV) And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. The scene in Heaven is the Lord Jesus Christ being worshipped as the Lamb of God who was now alive forevermore. A big difference from the time He walked the dusty roads of Palestine.

 

Acts 2:34 (KJB)

For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

 

Now since Peter was speaking about David and his prophesying the events at hand, he now makes a distinction between Christ and David so there is no mistaking about who is primarily in view. (Psa 110:1 KJV) The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. David was not the one who ascended into Heaven and sent the gift of the Holy Ghost. Peter takes a verse from Psalm 110 which would have been familiar to the people and the leaders. This verse would definitely show that David was not in view. We see in Psalm 110:1 that it is the Father who says to the Son, that he should sit at His right hand. As we saw in the previous verse, that Jesus is exalted sitting at the Father’s right hand. Remember the request that the mother of James and John made of Jesus? (Mat 20:21-22 KJV) And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. {22} But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. She wanted her sons to sit on the right and left of Him. Now when we see that God the Father is on the left hand side of the Lord Jesus, we gain a better understanding as to why Jesus told her that she does not know what she is asking. For Jesus to fulfill that request, God the Father would have to relinquish His throne to either James or John so they could sit beside Him.

 

Acts 2:35 (KJB)

Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

 

Foes - Enemies

 

This little verse is also found in Psalm 110:1 and it is revealing to us the complete capitulation of the enemies of Christ and that would be Satan, his fallen angels, and all the unbelievers have been conquered. In Joshua 10:24, we have an example of the victors placing their feet upon the necks of those who have been conquered. (Josh 10:24 KJV) And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. This is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ completely destroying every enemy of His and that also means every enemy of the redeemed children of God.

 

Acts 2:36 (KJB)

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

 

Peter now states “therefore” based upon what he just preached, that although Israel had desired Barabbas and had crucified Jesus, nevertheless, God had made Him Lord, which means that he is King of kings and Lord of lords. (Mat 28:18 KJV) And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Jesus is now the central figure in Heaven as the book of Revelation attests to. Peter gives them a fact which none of them can deny that they had desired to have Him crucified and they were all gathered against Him. (1 Th 2:15 KJV) Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: Peter had not only given the fact that they desired His death, but He went beyond that by stating many facts. There were many witnesses that saw Him after His resurrection, they witnessed His ascension, He sits at the right hand of God, He sent the Holy Spirit, and is also the King of this universe. Their previous knowledge and understanding of Jesus was severely limited and skewed by the leaders of Israel, but now the truth is going to be preached worldwide and nothing can be done to stop it.

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