Prophecy of Another Comforter for the Disciples (John 14:16-18)

based on the Bible with light from Dr. John Gill’s Baptist Commentary (1)

Expounding the Meaning of John 14:16-19: The other Comforter.

John 14:16-17 says, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.”

A. THE MEANING OF JOHN 14:16.

1. JOHN 14:16 SAYS, “AND I WILL ASK THE FATHER, AND HE WILL GIVE YOU ANOTHER COMFORTER TO BE WITH YOU FOREVER—”

   a. I WILL ASK THE FATHER.

1. Jesus will intercede with God the Father for them. This is Jesus’ function as Mediator between God and man.

2. Prayer for them also encourages them to ask whatever they want, and God will give it to them.

3. Jesus wanted spiritual comfort for the disciples in His absence, so He was asking His Father to send the Holy Spirit to comfort them.

4. The disciples were very troubled at the news of His departure.

5. The word “another” reminds them that Jesus had been their visible divine comforter until now.

6. Their hearts had been upset because He said He was leaving them.

b. THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL TAKE THE THINGS OF CHRIST AND SHOW THEM TO HIS DISCIPLES.

1. John 14:26 says, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you. Peace, I Leave with You.”

2. John 16:14 says, “He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.”

3. Romans 5:5 says, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”

4. The Holy Spirit will reveal and apply the promises of Christ’s Gospel to them.

5. The Comforter will give them assurance that God has adopted them.

6. The Spirit will be a seal, an earnest, and a pledge in them.

   a. A seal to assure us that the salvation we have is real (2 Corinthians 1:22).

   b. An earnest to guarantee the disciples that there will be many more spiritual blessings to come. The Holy Spirit will teach them from Jesus’ teachings about things to come, especially about the salvation of the Gentiles and the nature of the Church.

   c. A pledge from God that He will bring all this to pass for them.

7. It is to that end that our Lord prays that the Holy Spirit will stay with them forever.

8. Their need for the Comforter: They need a comforter like a newborn baby needs a mother.

   a) The disciples were slow to believe what the prophets said to them about our Lord.

   b) Luke 24:25 says, “Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets have spoken!”

   c) They had not even believed His own prophecy about His crucifixion (Matthew 16:21-23).

   d) Matthew 16:21-23 says, “From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You! 23But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

9. The main act of Jesus, the original Comforter, was in comforting the disciples. Our Lord did all the things for them that people must do for newborn babies.

10. So, in Jesus’ absence, the disciples need one who can do what our Lord did for them. He had cleansed, regenerated, freed, and given love, joy, and peace to them. He taught, led, assured, defended, rebuked, prayed for, and inspired the disciples. After Pentecost the Holy Spirit did all this and more.

11. The Spirit did work in the disciples’ hearts during our Lord’s earthly ministry. But at Pentecost and beyond, the work of the Holy Spirit would be much more pronounced within them.

12. Note: Remember that there are three Persons in one God, yet there is subordination of the Persons. So, all the work that the Son does, the Father does first (John 5:19). And what the Holy Spirit does, the Father and the Son both send Him to do. The Son is in the Father (John 14:20). The Holy Spirit is in the Son and in the Father. The Father is in the Son (John 14:23). And the Son is in the Spirit (John 14:18). So, it is not that there are three separate Gods. Having the Holy Spirit in us is having the whole Trinity in us (John 14:18, 20, 23, 25; Colossians 2:9).

13. Colossians 2:9 says, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form.”

c. THE PROPHECY OF JOHN 14:16 CONNECTS TO JESUS’ STATEMENT IN JOHN 14:15.

1. John 14:15 says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

2. The disciples must do what Jesus says while He is away from them. They are expressing love for Jesus by grieving that He will not be with them physically. But they should also show their love by obeying Him in His absence.

3. The future coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost encourages them to obey our Lord.

   a) The Holy Spirit will not stay with them temporarily like Jesus stayed with them 3 ½ years in the flesh.

   b) The Holy Spirit will remain with them forever. But both the Father and the Son will be with them in the Holy Spirit (John 14:18, 20, 23, 25). So, Jesus is not abandoning them.

   c) John 14:20 says, “On that day [of Pentecost] you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.”

   d) The Day of Pentecost will be a great educational time for the disciples. They will understand union with Christ like they never knew it before Pentecost.

   e) And all true believers will have this Comforter. It is impossible to have one member of the Trinity without having the other two.

   f) The Greek word for Comforter is parakletos, which means “one called alongside of another” to help him in some way.

B. THE MEANING OF JOHN 14:17

1. John 14:17 says, “the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.”

   a. THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH WHOM THE WORLD CANNOT RECEIVE.

1. This defines the main function of the Holy Spirit. He is primarily the Spirit of Truth. He indwells the words of Jesus (John 6:63). And He inspires the writing and words of the New Testament.

2. The Holy Spirit gives the truth via the inspiration of the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).

3. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

4. 2 Peter 1:21 says, “For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

5. He leads men into the truths of the Gospel.

6. He gives us boldness to admit before men that these teachings are true.

7. He gives freedom of conscience to know and live by the truths of the Gospel (Hebrews 9:14).

8. Hebrews 9:14 says, “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!”

b. WHOM THE MEN OF THE WORLD CANNOT RECEIVE.

1. Natural men cannot receive the Holy Spirit. To receive the Holy Spirit, they must turn from their sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. No one can receive the Holy Spirit without believing in Christ. Natural men are not spiritual in a holy way (Jude 1:19).

2. It is as our Lord said in John 3:3.

3. John 3:3 says, “Jesus replied, ‘Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’”

4. And the new birth comes through a trusting look at the crucified Savior (John 3:14).

5. John 3:14 says, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up [on the cross].”

TABULAR VIEW OF GOD’S CURE FOR THE BITES OF SERPENTS

When bitten by the poisonous snake	When bitten by Satan and needing new birth:
Look at the serpent on a pole while trusting God to cure them (Numbers 21:8-9).	Look at Christ on the cross as God’s cure for the sin bite (John 3:14).

6. Notice that the formerly blind man of John chapter nine not only could see physically but he could also see spiritually.

7. Evidence of this is that the formerly blind man made a good confession before the Pharisees. It was so good that they, being evil, excommunicated him (John 9:34).

8. So, there are two kinds of seeing. One is seeing with the natural eye. The other is seeing with the spiritual eye.

TABULAR VIEW OF TWO MIRACLES ON ONE BLIND MAN

The blind man of John 9 was blind physically from birth (John 9:1).	The formerly blind man of John 9 was blind spiritually from birth (Romans 5:12).
Jesus gave him sight by a miracle (John 9:7).	Jesus gave him spiritual sight.
Proof: He could see (John 9:7).	Proof: He made a good confession (John 9:11, 17, 30-33).

9. Our Lord Jesus gives us spiritual sight by being born again and becoming new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17).

10. Only when we submit to and believe in Jesus can we see spiritual things.

11. Spiritual seeing was occurring prior to Pentecost. But it became much clearer at Pentecost and beyond.

c. THE WORLD DOES NOT KNOW THE HOLY SPIRIT WITH SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING BECAUSE HE IS THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH.

1. The world hates the truth. The world is in the evil one who is the father of lies (John 8:44; 1 John 5:19).

2. John 8:44 says, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.”

3. Truth and the doctrines of the Bible are not palatable to the disciples since they are baby Christians during the pre-Pentecostal era.

4. The world despises the truth because its own works are evil (John 3:19-21).

5. John 3:19-21 says, “And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the Light and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”

6. Men of the world cannot see the Spirit with their natural eyes because the Holy Spirit is invisible. This should be obvious, but our Lord is contrasting His visibility with the Holy Spirit’s invisibility. It requires spiritual vision to see what the Holy Spirit teaches.

7. Man’s heart, where spiritual sight occurs, is so deceitful that it is impossible to know the depths of its evil (Jeremiah 17:9).

8. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

9. By their own natures, the men of this world hate the truths: namely Incarnation, Regeneration, Justification, Reconciliation, Redemption, Propitiation, Adoption, Sanctification, Depravity, Election, Atonement, Calling, Grace, Perseverance, and Glorification.

10. But baby Christians do understand the milk of the word, such as the divinity of Christ, His death for sinners, His resurrection, and His return. But they seem unable to grasp the meat of the Word of God which the Holy Spirit teaches vaguely in the whole Bible and clearly in John and in the Epistles, from Romans to Revelation.

11. Knowing Christ spiritually has life-changing power (2 Corinthians 3:18).

12. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” ESV

13. Hebrews 2:7-9 says, “You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor 8and placed everything under his feet. “When God subjected all things to him [at Pentecost], He left nothing outside of his control. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. 9BUT WE SEE [KEEP ON SEEING] JESUS, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.” ESV (Brackets Caps and underline mine.)

14. Galatians 3:1 says, “Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.” That is, through the preaching of the Gospel, they saw the person of Christ and His saving work clearly. They saw Jesus by the Spirit of God who was in their hearts.

15. The Holy Spirit impresses Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the minds’ eyes of believers after Pentecost.

16. The Holy SPIRIT IS NOT THE ONLY MEMBER OF THE TRINITY THAT THEY WILL SEE AT PENTECOST AND BEYOND. For this, please see John 14:18, 23.

    a) John 14:18 says, “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.” Jesus comes to us in the Holy Spirit, because the two, though distinct personalities are one with the Father.

    b) John 14:23 says, “Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and we [Father and Son] will come to him and make Our home with him.”

    c) The reason that the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was not the Holy Spirit by Himself, is that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, though having separate personalities, are one inseparable God.

17. Pentecost is the fulfillment of the prophecy of John 14:16-17.

d. BUT YOU KNOW HIM.

1. In your mind’s eye you see our Lord Jesus when the Spirit comes. But you know the Holy Spirit is in Him.

2. That is, you keep seeing Jesus spiritually when you hear the Gospel preached. You see Him when you sing hymns and spiritual songs. Our Lord Jesus is the revealed member of the Trinity.

3. You keep seeing him when you fellowship with other believers; when you pray in His name; when you obey the Lord’s ordinances; when you obey the Lord’s commandments; when you learn the Lord’s doctrines; when you believe the truth, and when you perform acts of charity.

4. Even when you read what we have just written you see Jesus in your mind’s eye. if God has saved your soul, you have the Holy Spirit and you continue to see Jesus.

5. It takes place in your mind, spirit, heart, and soul. It is not naturally audible or visible. It is internal.

e. FOR HE IS WITH YOU AND SHALL BE IN YOU (JOHN 14:17d).

1. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS WITH YOU. That is, the Holy Spirit is with you now and will be with you to a greater extent when He comes at Pentecost.

   a) This goes back to Jesus’ promise to the disciples not to leave them without a Comforter even though He is going to Heaven at His ascension.

   b) The Holy Spirit was with them and in them before Pentecost. Otherwise, they would not have received any illumination of the Gospel whatsoever.

   c) But the Holy Spirit was with them and in them to a much greater degree at Pentecost and after.

TABULAR VIEW OF THE TIMELINE OF THE JOHN 14:16-17 PROPHECY OF THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: 

First	Jesus ascended to His Father (Acts 1:9-10).
Second	Jesus’ Father gave him control of the Church from Heaven, sitting on His Father’s throne at His right hand (Acts 2:33).
Third	Jesus asked His Father to give Him the Holy Spirit to send to the Church (John 14:16; Acts 2:33).
Fourth	God gave our Lord the right to send the Holy Spirit to the Church (Acts 2:33).
Fifth	Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the Church on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:33).
Sixth	“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” (Acts 2:4).

(1) John 14:16-17 says, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.”

(2) Jesus will ask the Father [when He ascends to the Father] to send the Holy Spirit [at Pentecost]. Jesus will also ask the Father that the Holy Spirit would remain with the disciples forever (John 14:16). (Brackets mine.)

(3) When the Holy Spirit comes [at Pentecost] He will be with Jesus’ disciples forever (John 14:16).

(4) The world cannot receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost because the world cannot see Him or know Him [either now or at Pentecost] (John 14:17).

(5) But you [disciples at Pentecost] do know Him [the Holy Spirit] when He comes. The sense is “You know Him now, but you will know Him much more at Pentecost.

(6) They will know the Holy Spirit, not with natural eyes, but with spiritual eyes that the Holy Spirit gives them [at Pentecost]. That is, what the Holy Spirit will impress on their minds will be much more real to them than what He impressed on their minds prior to Pentecost. But the Holy Spirit did work with them and in them during Christ’s earthly ministry as well (Luke 11:13).

(7) Luke 11:13 says, “So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

(8) Note that our Lord was teaching this during His earthly ministry and promised that God would give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him for the Spirit during His earthly ministry. So, the promise of the Holy Spirit’s coming at Pentecost was for a much greater filling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1:4; 2:4).

(9) Acts 2:4a says, “And they were all filled “with the Holy Spirit…”

(10) THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL BE “IN YOU” [AT PENTECOST AND FOREVER] (JOHN 14:17).”

(a) When the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost Scripture says, “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4).

(b) This prophecy does not mean, nor does it say that the Holy Spirit was not in the disciples before Pentecost.

(c) It is common for the Bible to foretell a complex future event though it already partially exists.

(d) This prophecy does mean that the disciples will instantly mature in spiritual things on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit comes to them and into them. And that is what occurred. It is like foretelling the arrival of a train and logging its fulfillment, not when the entire train arrives, but when the engine comes. The engine is like the Lord Jesus Christ. The main train is the Holy Spirit.

(e) The contrast is that during our Lord Jesus’ earthly ministry, He taught them. They learned some of the things He taught. But many of the things were like grown-up talk. It left an impression in them but went over their heads.

(f) They did believe that Jesus is the Messiah (Matthew 16:16).

(g) In Matthew 16:16 Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” No one can believe that except by the Holy Spirit.

(h) Our Lord attributed their learning of the knowledge of who He was to God the Father. God the Father was the source of that knowledge of Jesus, but He sent both our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to convey that truth to the disciples.

(i) And, when God writes any truth on a person’s heart, it is the Holy Spirit who personally does the writing. Jesus points to His Father as the ultimate revealer of who Jesus is (Mattthew 16:16).

(j) But the Father sends the Holy Spirit to do the actual writing on the disciples’ hearts.

(k) 1 Corinthians 12:3 says, “no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.”

(l) And 2 Corinthians 3:10 says, “Indeed, what was once glorious has no glory now in comparison to the glory that surpasses it.”

(m) There was glory in the hearts of the disciples during their time with our Lord. It was there by the Holy Spirit in their hearts. But, compared to what the Holy Spirit did in the hearts of the disciples at Pentecost and beyond, it was a very little glory.

(11) The disciples were concerned because their Lord would no longer be with them to comfort them concerning spiritual matters. Jesus emphasized that God the Father would send another Comforter to be with them. And, as a further emphasis, He promised that the Holy Spirit, when He came to them would not only be with them but also in them.

(12) The Holy Spirit’s place of work is in the spiritual nature of the believer. He is the member of the Trinity who indwells man’s spiritual nature. But when He indwells us, the Father and the Son indwell us in the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-18).

(13) GOD PROMISES THINGS TO US THAT HE KNOWS WE ALREADY HAVE. By this we can understand that when He promises that the Holy Spirit will be in the disciples at Pentecost, He does not mean that He was not already in the disciples. He does mean that when our Lord sends the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, He will be in the disciples much more prominently than during the Old Testament and the pre-Pentecostal New Testament.

TABULAR VIEW OF THE PATTERN OF THE FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY.

The Blessing	Christians already have salvation and eternal life.	Yet, according to the Scriptures Christians will also receive salvation and eternal life in our future, when we die or when our Lord comes.
Eternal Life	ETERNAL LIFE: In Matthew 22:32 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had eternal life in the Old Testament by faith in Yahweh, who is our Lord Jesus.  And anyone in Christ has eternal life in the New Testament even before Pentecost. See also John 3:16; 5:24.	ETERNAL LIFE: Scripture says eternal life is also future (Jude 1:21). Jude 1:21 says, “…Keep yourselves in the love of God as you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life.” God gives us eternal life in our souls when we believe on Jesus Christ. But He gives eternal life to our bodies when we die in Christ or at His second coming (2), whichever comes first.
Salvation	SALVATION: Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God.” God gives us salvation when we believe on Christ during our present lifetimes.	SALVATION: Romans 13:11 says, “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Even though we already believed and received salvation, God has not yet saved our bodies.

(n) Learn this from this truth: When the Bible says something has already occurred, it is very true. But the Bible may say again that it will occur. And it will yet happen, but in a different manner.

(o) So, the disciples were Christ-like before Pentecost. But they were much more Christ-like after Pentecost.

(p) The second Christlikeness was so powerful in the disciples at Pentecost that Jesus prophesied it by saying “the Holy Spirit is with you AND SHALL BE IN YOU.”

(q) They did not become perfect at Pentecost, but they did become much more like Christ. That was the effect of the coming of the Holy Spirit.

(r) God measures out the Holy Spirit to His people. That is, the power of the Holy Spirit is in some, more than in other Christians (Romans 12:3-8).

(s) The Holy Spirit being in the disciples means that God will control them from within their hearts (Hebrews 2:8)(3) For example, no true believer can quit believing on Jesus, loving God, and obeying God, if God is truly saving him. This is the theme of the Book of First John. In 1 John 1:6 all true believers walk in the light. All love God and His people (1 John 2:9-10), know the truth (1 John 2:20-23), and obey the Lord (1 John 2:4). But some more than others.

(t) For the word “control” please see Hebrews 2:8. (4)

(u) It does not mean that the Holy Spirit did not control Old Testament saints and pre-Pentecost disciples in their hearts before Pentecost. But it is a much greater control at Pentecost and beyond. And it is the power of the last Adam, Jesus Christ that is bringing it to pass (1 Corinthians 15:45-49). God is conforming us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-30).

(v) All the disciples knew that our Lord Jesus was the Messiah before Pentecost (Matthew 16:15-16). They knew it because God the Father revealed it to them through His Son and His Holy Spirit.

(w) And no man can say that Jesus is the Christ [Messiah] except by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). That confession of Christ comes from a born-again and Spirit-indwelt heart. It is in the heart that the Holy Spirit lives and works.

(x) When the Apostle Paul favorably compares himself to the other disciples, he gives the credit for his superior service to the grace of God [brough by the Holy Spirit]. The Spirit was more powerful in him than in the other disciples (1 Corinthians 15:9-10).

(y) 1 Corinthians 15:9-10 says, “For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”

(z) So, it is normal for God to control the Spirit’s intensity more in one person than in another as He pleases. And He chose to give the disciples more spiritual power during the Heavenly ministry of Christ than during the earthly ministry of Christ.

(aa) The result was that God intensified the work of the Holy Spirit in the disciples’ lives at Pentecost and beyond (John 14:12).

(bb) John 14:12 says, “Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

(cc) Massive numbers of conversions require more power than physical miracles. And growth of believers through the gifts of the disciples is from the work of the Holy Spirit.

(dd) Technically speaking, the disciples do not convert anyone. But God rewards Christians who convert souls as though they did the converting (Daniel 12:3).

(ee) Daniel 12:3 says, “Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.”

(ff) Psalm 115:1 says, “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.”

(gg) And the disciples did all that they did in the name of Jesus. Things done in the name of Jesus were accomplished by the Holy Spirit (Acts 3:6).

(hh) Acts 3:6 says, “But Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”

TABULAR VIEW SHOWING HOW THE HOLY SPIRIT CHANGED THE DISCIPLES’ LIVES AT PENTECOST

BEFORE PENTECOST	AT PENTECOST AND BEYOND
The disciples want to be the greatest in Jesus’ Kingdom due to thinking it would be a worldly reign (Matthew 18:1). They were committing the sin of pride.	The disciples reveal spiritual power in their lives by being personally humble, and by teaching against pride (James 4:8).
The disciples suggested calling down fire on those who reject Jesus because they thought His kingdom would be of Jesus’ miracle power (Luke 9:53-54).	The disciples fight their battles in the Spirit by the power of God (Acts 4:8; 2 Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 6:10). And they win (2 Cor. 11:30).
The disciples want to stop demon exorcism by those who were not in their band of disciples (Luke 9:49-50, so they suggest fighting in the flesh.	The disciples earnestly preserve the unity of the Spirit in the Church with all believers (Acts 2:44; Ephesians 4:3).
Peter rebuked our Lord for saying He would die at Jerusalem probably due to thinking that Jesus’ kingdom would be an earthly kingdom (Matthew 16:22)	Peter bases everything he teaches on Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and enthronement (Acts 2:22-36).
The disciples rejoiced in their spiritual powers over demons due to believing in the power of the flesh as in earthly kingdoms (Luke 10:20).	The disciples rejoiced only in the Lord, not in themselves or in Israel (Acts 2:46).
The disciples believed the Jewish teaching that Messiah would restore the Kingdom to Israel. Acts 1:6 says, “Lord will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” But Jesus never taught this Jewish tradition (5). It was a false interpretation of the Old Testament by the Jews (6). Our Lord never taught such a thing.	The disciples believe Luke 17:20-21 and teach it. Luke 17:20-21 says, “When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. 21Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
The disciples and their families were expecting Messiah to bring a Jewish state in which they could rule beside our Lord. They thought Jesus would overthrow Rome and rule the world (Matthew 20:21).	The disciples invest all their time and gifts in the spiritual Kingdom of God (Acts 2:46-47; 28:30-31). After Acts 1:6 they never want an earthly kingdom that overthrows Rome.
The disciples and Old Testament Saints do have the marks of the Holy Spirit in their lives even though the marks are faint. For these marks, please read First John.	After Pentecost they went from about 30% internal power (7) by the Holy Spirit to about 80% spiritual power(8).
The disciples are not bold (Matthew 26:31). Mattthew 26:31 says, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘ This very night you will all fall away on account of Me. For it is written: ‘[I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’”	After Pentecost they are very brave (Acts 4:5f). Boldness in them is not primarily due to human knowledge of the resurrection of Christ. It comes from the power of the Holy Spirit within them using all the truth (9).

NOTES

(1) Gill, John D.D. “Exposition of the Entire Bible:” London, Ten Volumes. Printed for Mathews and Leigh, 18, Strand. 1809 Ten-Million-word definitive work under the Waldensian Emblem. Reprinted 1989 by the Baptist Standard Bearer, Inc. This work gives the sense of the sacred text. It explains difficult passages and reconciles seeming contradictions. Unlike most commentaries, Dr. Gill illustrates with notes taken from the most ancient Jewish writings.

(2) We are not teaching this to get people to believe that they do not have eternal life now. We are showing that the Bible promises the future receiving of eternal life by those to whom God already gave it.

(3) Hebrews 2:8 says, “’putting everything in subjection under his feet.’ Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.”

(4) It does not, from our human perspective on earth appear that Jesus controls all things. But He does. He controls Providence and the Church (Colossians 1:17-20; Hebrews 2:8).

(5) Acts 1:7 says, “Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.” This verse does not say that Jesus agreed with the disciples that He would someday restore the Kingdom of Israel. In Acts 1:7 our Lord merely rebukes the disciples for asking about times and seasons. It is wrong to read our presuppositions into Acts 1:7. In his answer to the disciples’ question, Jesus merely rebukes the curiosity of the disciples into a divine matter which they have no right to know. He brushes off the rest of the question of Acts 1:6 and points them to their present duty. They must wait for the coming of the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes, He will create the true spirt-filled Israel. But the disciples are not yet ready to understand the truth. If our Lord had answered their question, they, lacking the Pentecostal filling would have stumbled over His answer. The truth is in Ephesians 2:13-18 where there is no Jew and no Gentile in Christ. National distinctions are gone. The Church is the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16). Our Lord could have repeated His words of John 16:12 as follows, “I have much more to stay to you, more than you can now bear.” That is why Jesus cannot at this time fully answer the disciples’ question of Acts 1:6. But He will give them their answer at Pentecost and after it. For this, please read the Epistles. And remember that there are only about 43 days between John 16:12 and Acts 1:6-7.

(6) Gill, John D.D. Baptist Commentary on Acts 1:6-7. Please follow the link: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/acts/1.ht

(7)It is important to understand that the Holy Spirit is not only resident in the disciples in Old and New Testament times. He is also president of the disciples’ lives. It is not a static indwelling. The Holy Spirit is dynamic in every believer.

(8) Acts 4:8 says, “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being examined today about a kind service to a man who was lame, to determine how he was healed, then let this be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that his man stands before you healed.”