The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1892-06-30
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
The Ascension Of Christ--Acts l,i-ie-
July 8. 1904.


GOLDEN TExr.-Whcn lie had spoken these
things, while they bebeid, He wus taken up aud
cloud received Him out OF their sight--Acts
10
TIME-Tho Ascension wus Thursday. May is
A ID 30
PLAcE.-Mount olives tActs i.ia). within. the
limits Of Bethany Luke 24:50)
PARALLEL ACCouNTs.-Mntt ES:ie-co. Mark
i6:p20; Luke - ;3G-53; John st:iSa
The Door OF ACTS.-l. Tho author was
Luke, who wrote the third Gospel z The
date OF writing Not for from A. D CO for the
narrative breaks OF abruptly OF tho end OF
Pnul's two years residence ut Rome this FIRST
imprisonmenp. Why is thist Evidently be-
cause there is DO more 10 tell at the time. Tho
writer continues his history up 10 the date OF
his writing and stops there II he had been
writing after the death Of Puul be would ccr-
tainly have told US Of the circumstances Of his
death There Is no rational explanation OF this
obrupt ending except TINT the book was writ
ten about the time when the Story closes This
was certainly about A. d. 6a-Wnshington
GLADDEN., d. d g. Tho place Of writing was
Rome, as Is generally agreed among critics. T.
book Is not the Acts Of the Apostles, but merely
some Acts OF certain Apostles. .~-Cambridge
Bible
LESSON uEl.ra
I. 1.-THE former treatise:- The Gospel
Of Luke. 70 Theophilus:" The samo
person to whom the Gospel Of Luke is
addressed. "Of (concerning) all that
Jesus began both 20 do and teach:" The
former treatise related what Jesus be-
gan to do and to teach; and this relates
what lie, the same Jesus, continued to
do and to teach.
2. Until the day In which He wca
taken up" With which tho Gospel ..
Luke ends. "Hnd given commandments
unto the apostles" At various times
during these forty days Jesus appeared
to His disciples, and instructed them in
their work of founding the church (ver.
81, as recorded in the Gospels, and in
this chapter. ITO whom also He showed
Himself" Not merely appeared" but
showed Himself, made Himself appear.
"Alive." The same Jesus who was cruci-,
fed, but now nlive on tho earth, MS He
was before His cruciflxion. After His
passions" His sufcrings and death on
the cross "1'y many (enphatic) IN
fallible proofs" Being seen Of them
forty days." Not continuously, but at
intervals, oa ten or eleven different oc-
casions, at various times and places
Speaking of the things pertaining to
the kingdom of God"
4. "And being assembled together
with them Either the conference mp
pointed by Christ to be held in Galilee,
or an assembly In Jerusalem on the day
of Ascension, whence Jesus led them
out as far rs Bethany. But volt for
the promise Of tho Father" The Holy
Spirit promised by Joel (e:2e, COY, by
Isaiah (44:3) and through Jesus Him.
self (which ye have heard OF
me-" The allusion is to the promises
made by our Lord in His last discourses
before He suffered
5. "For john" The Baptist, the fore
runner of Christ ''Truly baptized with
water" The symbol and.thc type. "Yc
shall be baptized with Tor in) the Holy
Ghost" AS the element In which the
baptism is performed Not many days
hence;" Only about ten days
6. "When they therefore W ere come
together" On subsequent occasion
''They asked Of him, saying, Lord. wilt
Thou (Rev. Yer. dost thou) at this time
restore again the kingdom to Israel?~
AS promised again and again in the
Scriptures. They probably imagined
that the world would be converted to
Judaism, md that Jerusalem, the holy
city, would be the resort of all nations, i,
the center of light and power and au-
thority for the world
2. sand He said unto them" The
Lords reply in the seventh and eighth
verses tacitly sanctions their expectation
of great restoration at is not for
you to know the times or the seasons"
Not "the times or seasons" Of this one
case merely, but ''times or seasons"
generally. (which the Father hath
put in His own power" Set within His
own authority.
g. "But ye shall receive powcr:"
Jesus does not satisfy useless curiosity.
but gives us what is far better. after
that the Holy Ghost Is comes" The
power OF the church is in the Holy
Ghost rye shall be witnesses unto
Mes" The words, which arc apparently
identical with those Of Luke 24:4S,
strike the keynote OF tho whole book.
"The uttermost part OF the earth" BY
uttermost both time and space are in
cluded; to tho remotcst corners Of the
earth, to the remotest period Of time
9. "While they beheld:" That they
might have as clear proof Of His esccn-
sion to assure them that there was no
deception. IA cloud received Him out
of their sight:" The cloud was, be-
lieve, the Shechinah of the Old Testi-
mcnt, the symbol Of the Divine presence
and glory.
10. "And while they looked stead
fastly:" Gazing with great eagerness,
and longing to understand what II
"Behoid:" Implying sudden
ness. 1.-Two mem" Angels in the form
of men. ''In white apparel" No
doubt like the angel in Mott 2S:a
IL why stand ye gazing up9" Not
without some hope, perhaps, that He
might reappear. This same Jesus"
Jesus In Heaven is the same as he was