Where were the disciples supposed to be witnesses according to Acts 1:8?
Acts 1:8 records that the disciples would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and then they would be witnesses unto Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. This commission began in Jerusalem and extended outward to Judea, Samaria, and the farthest regions of the earth.
Les explains that Acts 1:8 comes after the point that it was not for the disciples to know the times. He highlights the word "power" as the crucial word in the verse, saying they would receive power after the Holy Spirit came upon them, which would occur ten days later at Pentecost. Then they would be witnesses unto Him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. The order moves from Jerusalem outward to Judea, Samaria, and the farthest parts of the earth.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
More Questions
When did the disciples receive the power promised in Acts 1:8?
The Holy Spirit was going to come upon the disciples ten days later on Pentecost, and then they would receive the power promised in Acts 1:8.
Is Acts 1:8 an allegory that your Jerusalem must be reached before you go to the ends of the earth?
The common allegorization of Acts 1:8, where Jerusalem is your city, Judea is your state, Samaria is your country, and then you go to the rest of the world, is not what the verse teaches.
How far was Acts 1:8 fulfilled in relation to the Jews?
Les teaches that, so far as the Jew is concerned, the fulfillment of Acts 1:8 goes only as far as Samaria, and the Lord could have stopped the verse after the word Samaria.