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After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
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On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
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Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
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After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
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They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
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“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
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Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us,
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So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.
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Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
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Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
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Peter Addresses the Crowd
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.
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“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
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Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
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“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.
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This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
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But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
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David said about him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
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because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay.
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You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’
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But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.
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Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.
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“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
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Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
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Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
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Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!”
