true ministry among the nations, or their failure, involving the passing on of their work to others. This view is

confirmed when we learn that the only other occurrence in the Acts of the phrase `the uttermost parts of the earth' is

in chapter 13. The reader who has acquainted himself with the structure of the book as a whole will realize that its

occurrence there, at the commencement of the second great ministry of the Acts, is, of itself, suggestive. And the

passage gains in suggestiveness when read in its context. Paul had preached in the synagogue at Antioch, following

much the same line as that of Peter in Acts 2, but with the distinctiveness peculiar to his ministry, to be noted in due

course: the Jews had turned away from his teaching, and he warned them that if they persisted in their gainsaying

and unrepentance a judgment would fall upon them which would turn out to the greater blessing of the Gentile:

`Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; behold, ye despisers, and

wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man

declare it unto you ... It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye

put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the

Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto

the ends of the earth' (Acts 13:40-47).

Here then is a passage that must be kept in mind as we read Acts 1:8. There the Lord gave one commandment,

here He gives another; not because of any changeableness on His part, but because of the failure of the people of

In Acts 1:12 we have mentioned together, the mount called Olivet, and Jerusalem. We have already seen that the

ascension from the mount of Olives is intentionally associated with the second coming, as prophesied in Zechariah

14:4. Jerusalem now becomes the centre, and all that takes place in Acts chapters 2 to 5 takes place there. And

although in the opening verse of chapter 6 we hear a new note, `the Grecians', Jerusalem is still the centre as 6:7

`And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great

company of the priests were obedient to the faith'.

The geography of the Acts is so important a matter that we must refrain from speaking of the nationalities

involved, and the sects and philosophies represented, until we are able to give the subject something of the attention

it deserves.

Samaria comes into notice in Acts 8, and first in connection with the persecution associated with Saul, which

follows the same order as given in 1:8:

`And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all

scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judæa and Samaria, except the apostles' (Acts 8:1).

As the Lord had said in 1:8, this scattering resulted in the spread of the witness. Nor have we to trust human

inference for this information, for in 11:19 we read:

`Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as

Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only'.

We must return however to chapter 8, for there we read of another witness, Philip, who went down to Samaria

and preached Christ unto them (8:5). Jerusalem however remains the centre, for the apostles which were at

Jerusalem sent Peter and John down to them that they might receive the Holy Ghost (8:14,15). With this agrees the

account of the Ethiopian eunuch who was brought to a saving knowledge of Christ by Philip's ministry after he had

been to Jerusalem to worship (8:27). The chapter closes with the statement that Philip preached in all cities, till he

came to Cæsarea, a seaport some 70 miles north-west of Jerusalem.

With the opening of chapter 9, Damascus comes into the book. This was a city of Syria. Cæsarea again comes

into the record in connection with Cornelius (Acts 10). That Jerusalem maintains its central place in the ministry,

however, Acts 11 shows by the necessity that Peter was under to justify, to the leaders of the church there, his visit

to Cornelius.