But in spite of the evident fitness of these two sections, there are those who maintain that Matthias was not

appointed by God but by man, and that Peter and the rest were prompted by a zeal that was not according to

knowledge. The matter is of great importance and must therefore be considered. Let us give heed to the word as we

examine the matter. First of all, can we be certain that Peter was right when he said that the Psalms he quoted

referred to Judas? We believe we can. But a few days before the Lord Himself had said:

`I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread

with me hath lifted up his heel against Me. Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may

believe that I am He' (John 13:18,19).

Here the Lord not only quoted the Psalm as of Judas, but emphasized the point that He was informing them

before it came to pass in order that their faith might be strengthened at the accomplishment of the event. Now it had

come to pass, and they believed.

In addition to this we have recorded in Luke 24:44-48 the fact that the Lord not only passed in review the Old

Testament Scriptures, including the Psalms, and dealt with those passages that spoke of Himself, but that He also

`opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures'. When therefore Peter said, `This Scripture

must needs have been fulfilled', he was but repeating the lesson of Luke 24:26 and 46, for the self-same words there,

`ought', and `behoved', are translated `must needs be' in Acts 1:16.

Even though it may be agreed that Peter's quotation of the Psalm was appropriate, it is possible that some may

entertain the suspicion that in selecting but two men the apostles were limiting the Lord. We shall however find,

upon examination, that there was an important reason for this limitation. Referring once more to our Lord's own

instructions, we read:

`But when the Comforter is come, Whom I will send unto you from the Father ... He shall testify (bear witness)

of Me: and ye also shall bear witness, because YE HAVE BEEN WITH ME FROM THE BEGINNING' (John 15:26,27).

The apostles were evidently acting with this qualification in mind, for Acts 1:21,22 reads:

`Wherefore of these men which have companied with us ALL THE TIME that the Lord Jesus went in and out

among us, BEGINNING FROM THE BAPTISM OF JOHN, unto that same day that He was taken up from us, must one

be ordained to be a witness with us of His resurrection'.

It was therefore not a matter of piety, learning, or fitness of character: what was essential was capacity to bear

personal testimony.

It is generally taught that the words `that he might go to his own place' (Acts 1:25), mean that Judas had been

consigned to hell or perdition, but the passage bears another sense and should read:

`... shew whether of these two Thou hast chosen, that he may take part of this ministry and apostleship (from

which Judas by transgression fell), that he might go to his own place ... and he was numbered with the eleven'.

The fact that the Holy Spirit made no difference between Matthias and the rest of the apostles should silence all

objection. That Paul himself speaks of `The twelve' as separate from himself is eloquent testimony to the accuracy

of the inclusion of Matthias among the twelve (1 Cor. 15:5). In the face of these facts we believe that the

appointment of Matthias was in complete harmony with the will of God, and that of necessity, therefore, Paul was

an apostle of an entirely distinct and independent order.

CHAPTER 9

In our last chapter we found that the company of apostles had been made up to the complete number, twelve, and

that there was a purposed connection between this number and the representative gathering of Jews at Jerusalem.

All was now ready for the great initiatory work of Pentecost. Something of this thought seems to be in mind in Acts