A WITNESS TELLS WHAT HE KNOWS

Acts 1:8 - "But ye shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me [literally–‘My witnesses’] both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

This passage is of utmost significance to us as believers in the Church Age. As a nation, Israel failed as God’s witnesses. As a result the nation was temporarily laid aside (Rom. 9-11) and God is presently visiting the nations of the world, and taking out of them a people for His Name (Acts 15:14). The Lord Jesus declared that the Church was now going to be His witness. This indicates a change of program but it did not indicate a change of purpose. No longer would God’s witness be a nation. Instead, God’s witnesses (the Church) would be among all nations. Jerusalem, instead of being the center point as it was during the old program, would now merely be the starting point of the new program (Lk. 24:47). Instead of God’s witnesses being surrounded by all nations, God’s witnesses would now actually be living "among all nations."

The expression "ye shall be witnesses unto Me" (Acts 1:8) is quite similar to the passages in Isaiah 43:10, 12; 44:8. It is very possible that when the Lord spoke these words immediately before His Ascension, His disciples may have recalled these "witness" passages from Isaiah. Those to whom our Lord spoke were all Jews and they were certainly acquainted with these passages from their Old Testament Scriptures.

There is no indication that the Lord used the term "witnesses" in a way contrary to Old Testament usage. True, there was now to be a difference of locality. For the first time God’s witnesses would be dispersed throughout the earth. But as they went, they were still God’s witnesses. [Note: When Israel was dispersed throughout the earth it was because of disobedience. The church goes into all the world in obedience to the Lord’s great commission.] Their purpose had not changed. They were to draw attention to the Risen Lord and they were to strengthen and confirm the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ was the only God and the only Savior (Isa. 43:10-11; Acts 4:12). As they went forth into the world in the power of the Holy Spirit, people would be told about Jesus, the Son of God.

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me" (Jn. 15:26)!