What is the meaning of Acts 1:7? Jesus replied The risen Lord is speaking directly to the apostles, answering their question about the restoration of Israel (Acts 1:6). He had already spent forty days teaching them “about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3), so this response is not a rebuke but a gentle redirection. Throughout His ministry Jesus often clarified expectations—think of His words on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:25-27) and His reminder that Scripture must be fulfilled (Luke 24:44-46). Here, too, He lovingly refocuses their attention from speculation to mission. It is not for you to know Some information simply belongs to God. Deuteronomy 29:29 reminds us, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us.” Jesus had already said, “About that day and hour no one knows… but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36). Paul echoes the same thought: “Now about the times and seasons, brothers, we do not need to write to you” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2). The takeaway is humility—accepting that finite minds cannot grasp every detail of God’s timetable. • Instead of chasing hidden knowledge, we lean into what He has clearly told us. • Knowledge can puff up, but obedience builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1). times or seasons These two words cover both specific moments and broader eras. Daniel praised God because “He changes the times and seasons” (Daniel 2:21). Ecclesiastes 3:1 adds, “To everything there is a season.” In other words, every historical milestone—from Pentecost to the future Second Coming—unfolds according to a divine calendar. Acts 17:26 even links the spread of nations to God’s preset timing. • God’s plan includes both the grand sweep of history and its smallest details. • Recognizing this frees us from anxiety over world events; they are not random. that the Father has fixed Nothing drifts into history by chance; the Father has already “set a day when He will judge the world with justice” (Acts 17:31). He “works out everything by the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11). Isaiah 46:9-10 celebrates this sovereignty: He declares “the end from the beginning.” Even apparent delays serve His purposes, just as Habakkuk 2:3 affirms that the vision will arrive “at an appointed time.” • God’s appointments cannot be accelerated or postponed by human effort. • This certainty fuels patient endurance and confident hope. by His own authority Authority resides in the Father alone, yet is shared with the Son (Matthew 28:18) and expressed through the Spirit (Acts 1:8). Jesus models perfect submission: “The Son can do nothing by Himself unless He sees the Father doing it” (John 5:19). For us, acknowledging that authority means bowing before His decisions without arguing, like clay before the potter (Romans 9:20-21). • Our task is to trust, not to pry. • His authority guarantees that promises made are promises kept. summary Acts 1:7 teaches that the precise schedule of God’s kingdom program rests in the Father’s sovereign hands. Rather than speculate, believers are called to trust His timing, submit to His authority, and stay focused on the mission He immediately assigns (Acts 1:8). Confidence in His fixed plan fuels faithful obedience in the present while we await the future He has perfectly arranged. |
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