His answer was: "It is not for you to know times or hours, for the Father has reserved these for his own decision;

While they were still gazing up into the heavens, as he went, suddenly two men, clothed in white, stood beside them,

And said: "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here looking up into the heavens? This very Jesus, who has been taken from you into the heavens, will come in the very way in which you have seen him go into the heavens."

When they reached Jerusalem, they went to the upstairs room, where they were staying. There were there Peter, John, James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.

About this time, at a meeting of the Brethren, when there were about a hundred and twenty present, Peter rose to speak.

For he was one of our number and had his part allotted him in this work of ours."

Therefore, from among the men who have been with us all the time that Jesus, our Master, went in and out among us--

When suddenly there came from the heavens a noise like that of a strong wind rushing by; it filled the whole house in which they were sitting.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with strange 'tongues' as the Spirit prompted their utterances.

Now there were then staying in Jerusalem religious Jews from every country in the world;

They were utterly amazed, and kept asking in astonishment: "What! Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?

Then how is it that we each of us hear them in our own native language?

Some of us are Parthians, some Medes, some Elamites; and some of us live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Roman Asia,

In Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the districts of Libya adjoining Cyrene; some of us are visitors from Rome,

Either Jews by birth or converts, and some are Cretans and Arabians--yet we all alike hear them speaking in our own tongues of the great things that God has done."

They were all utterly amazed and bewildered. "What does it mean?" they asked one another.

But there were some who said with a sneer: "They have had too much new wine."

Then Peter, surrounded by the eleven other Apostles, stood up, and, raising his voice, addressed the crowd. "Men of Judea," he began, "and all you who are staying in Jerusalem, let me tell you what this means. Mark well my words.

These men are not drunk, as you suppose; for it is only now nine in the morning! No!

'It shall come about in the last days,' God says, 'That I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind; your sons and your daughters shall become Prophets, your young men shall see visions, and your old men dream dreams;

Yes, even on the slaves--for they are mine--both men and women, I will in those days pour out my Spirit,

For you wilt not abandon my soul to the Place of Death, nor surrender me, your holy one, to undergo corruption.

Thou have shown me the path to life, you wilt fill me with gladness in your presence.'

It was this Jesus, whom God raised to life; and of that we are ourselves all witnesses.

Till I put your enemies as a footstool under they feet."'

When the people heard this, they were conscience-smitten, and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles: "Brothers, what can we do?"

"Repent," answered Peter, "and be baptized every one of you in the Faith of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

For the promise is for you and for your children, and also for all those now far away, who may be called by the Lord our God."

So those who accepted his teaching were baptized, and about three thousand people joined the disciples on that day alone.

A deep impression was made upon every one, and many wonders and signs were done at the hands of the Apostles.

And the Lord daily added to their company those who were in the path of Salvation.

One day, as Peter and John were going up into the Temple Courts for the three o'clock Prayers, a man, who had been lame from his birth, was being carried by.

But Peter added: "I have no gold or silver, but I give you what I have. In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I bid you walk."

And, when they recognized him as the man who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, they were utterly astonished and amazed at what had happened to him.

On seeing this, Peter said to the people: "Men of Israel, why are you surprised at this? and why do you stare at us, as though we, by any power or piety of our own, had enabled this man to walk?

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has done honor to his Servant Jesus--him whom you gave up and disowned before Pilate, when he had decided to set him free.

The very Guide to Life you put to death! But God raised him from the dead--and of that we are ourselves witnesses.

And yet, my Brothers, I know that you acted as you did from ignorance, and your rulers also.

Therefore, repent and turn, that your sins may be wiped away; so that happier times may come from the Lord himself,

And that he may send you, in Jesus, your long-appointed Christ.

Moses himself said--'The Lord your God will raise up from among your brothers a Prophet, as he raised me. To him you will listen whenever he speaks to you.

You yourselves are the heirs of the Prophets, and heirs, too, of the Covenant which God made with your ancestors, when he said to Abraham--'In your descendants will all the nations of the earth be blessed.'

While Peter and John were still speaking to the people, the Chief Priest, with the Officer in charge at the Temple and the Sadducees, came up to them,

Much annoyed because they were teaching the people, and because, through Jesus, they were preaching the resurrection from the dead.

There were present Annas the High Priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all who were of High-Priestly rank.

They had Peter and John brought before them, and questioned them. "By what power," they asked, "Or in whose name have men like you done this thing?"

Since we are on our trial to-day for a kind act done to a helpless man, and are asked in what way the man here before you has been cured,

And Salvation is in him alone; for there is no other Name in the whole world, given to men, to which we must look for our Salvation."

When the Council saw how boldly Peter and John spoke, and found that they were uneducated men of humble station, they were surprised, and realized that they had been companions of Jesus.

"What are we to do to these men?" they asked one another. "That a remarkable sign has been given through them is obvious to every one living in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

So they called the Apostles in, and ordered them not to speak or teach in the Name of Jesus.

However, after further warnings, the Council set them at liberty, not seeing any safe way of punishing them, because of the people, for they were all praising God for what had occurred;

And who, by the lips of our ancestor, your servant David, who spoke under the influence of the Holy Spirit, have said-- 'Why did the nations rage, and the peoples form vain designs?

The kings of the earth set their array, and its rulers gathered together, against the Lord and against his Christ.'

There have indeed gathered together in this city against your holy Servant Jesus, whom you has consecrated the Christ, not Herod and Pontius Pilate only, but the nations and the people of Israel besides--

When their prayer was ended, the place in which they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to tell God's Message fearlessly.

The whole body of those who had become believers in Christ were of one heart and mind. Not one of them claimed any of his goods as his own, but everything was held for the common use.

Nor was there any one in need among them, for all who were owners of land or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the sales

"Ananias," Peter exclaimed, "how is it that Satan has so taken possession of your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit, and kept back a part of the money paid for the land?

While it was unsold, was not it your own? and after it was sold, was not the money at your own disposal? How did you come to think of such a thing? You have lied, not to men, but to God!"

"Is it true," Peter asked, addressing her, "that you sold your land for such a sum?" "Yes," she answered, "we did."

Then Peter said: "How did you come to agree to provoke the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The foot-steps of those who have buried your husband are at the door; and they will carry you out too."

The whole Church and all who heard of these events were appalled.

But of the rest no one ventured to join them. On the other hand, the people were full of their praise,

And still larger numbers, both of men and women, as they became believers in the Lord, were added to their number.

Besides this, the inhabitants of the towns round Jerusalem flocked into the city, bringing with them their sick and those who were troubled by foul spirits; and they were cured every one.

When the Officer in charge at the Temple and the Chief Priests heard their story, they were perplexed about the Apostles and as to what all this would lead to.

Presently, however, some one came and told them, that the men whom they had put in prison were actually standing in the Temple Courts, teaching the people.

On this, the Officer went with his men and fetched the Apostles--without using violence, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people--

"We gave you strict orders," he said, "not to teach in this Name. Yet you have actually flooded Jerusalem with your teaching, and you want to make us responsible for the death of this man."

The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging him on a cross.

And we are witness to the truth of this, and so is the Holy Spirit--the gift of God to those who obey him."

The members of the Council became frantic with rage on hearing this, and were for putting the Apostles to death.

After him, Judas the Galilean appeared at the time of the census, and induced people to follow him; Yet he, too, perished and all his followers were dispersed.

And, in this present case, my advice to you is not to interfere with these men, but to let them alone, for, if their designs and their work are merely of human origin, they will come to an end;

But, if they are of divine origin, you will be powerless to put an end to them--or else you may find yourselves fighting against God!"

And never for a single day, either in the Temple Courts or in private houses, did they cease to teach, or to tell the Good News of Jesus, the Christ.

About this time, when the number of the disciples was constantly increasing, complaints were made by the Jews of foreign birth against the native Jews, that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.

While we, for our part, will devote ourselves to Prayer, and to the delivery of the Message."

But some members of the Synagogue known as that of Libertines, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and Visitors from Cilicia and Roman Asia, were roused to action and began disputing with Stephen;

Yet they were quite unable to withstand the wisdom and the inspiration with which he spoke.

The eyes of all the members of the Council were riveted upon Stephen, and they saw his face looking like the face of an angel.

And, upon that, Stephen spoke as follows: "Brothers and Fathers, hear what I have to say. God, who manifests himself in the Glory, appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, and before he settled in Haran, and said to him--

'Leave your country and your kindred, and come into the country that I will show you.'

On this, Abraham left the country of the Chaldaeans and settled in Haran; and from there, after his father's death, God caused him to migrate into this very country, in which you are now living.

God's words were these--'Abraham's descendants shall live in a foreign country, where they will be enslaved and ill-treated for four hundred years.

Then a famine spread over the whole of Egypt and Canaan, causing great distress, and our ancestors could find no food.

Hearing, however, that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob sent our ancestors there on their first visit.

And so Jacob went down into Egypt. There he died, and our ancestors also,

And their bodies were removed to Shechem, and laid in the tomb which Abraham had bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

This king acted deceitfully towards our race and ill-treated our ancestors, making them abandon their own infants, so that they should not be reared.

When he was in his fortieth year, he resolved to visit his brother Israelites;

The next day he again appeared upon the scene, when some of them were fighting, and tried to make peace between them. 'Men,' he said, 'you are brothers; how is it that you are ill-treating one another?'

'I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses trembled, and did not dare to look.

Then the Lord said to him--'Take your sandals off your feet, for the spot where you are standing is holy ground.

I have seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt, and heard their groans, and I have come down to deliver them. Come now and I will send you into Egypt.'

This was the Moses who said to the people of Israel--'God will raise up for you, from among your brothers, a Prophet, as he raised up me.'

He, too, it was who was present at the assembly in the Desert, with the angel who talked to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, and who received living truths to impart to you.

Yet our ancestors refused him obedience; more than that, they rejected him, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt,

Our ancestors had the Tabernacle of Revelation in the Desert, constructed, just as he who spoke to Moses had directed him to make it, after the model which he had seen.