What kind of power did God intend for the Twelve in Acts 1:8?
The power God intended for the Twelve was miraculous, Spirit-given power—miracles, signs, and wonders—so they could carry on the ministry the Messiah had begun among Israel. It served to authenticate who He was, not to send the Gospel of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth, since the nation was rejecting it.
Les explains that the key word in Acts 1:8 is power, and John the Baptist had said that when Jesus baptized Israel with or into the Holy Spirit, the purpose was to give them power. Les asks what kind of power God had in mind for the Twelve and for the believing Jews who would be coming along: they were to carry on where He left off. During His three-year earthly ministry, miracles, signs, and wonders were highlighted almost every day, and their purpose was to prove who He was. Now that He had ascended back to heaven and was commissioning the eleven men—soon to be twelve when one took Judas’ place—they were to continue what He had begun. The context also notes that the Jew and the disciples never did go to the ends of the earth with the Gospel of the Kingdom, because the nation was rejecting it, and the commission could stop at Samaria.
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.
What kind of power did Jesus promise in Acts 1:8?
In Acts 1:8 Jesus promised the apostles power when the Holy Spirit came, and that power was for doing what Jesus Himself had been doing.