So here, momentous events hung upon the response of this key people and we only

blind ourselves if we ignore this. Coming to verse 21 we read, "Whom the heaven must

receive until the times of restitution of all things", but if you read the R.V.--

"restoration". Here again is this important word "restore". Now restoration is not the

commencement of something new; it is the bringing-in of something old, to bring it back

again. So this is what we find Peter emphasizing to his own nation "the restoration of all

things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His Holy prophets since the world

began". This is the testimony, Peter said, of all the O.T. Prophets. So we miss much of

the meaning of the O.T. prophecies unless we get this clearly. He quotes Moses: "Moses

truly said unto the fathers, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your

brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever He shall say unto you.

And it shall come to pass, that every soul which will not hear that Prophet, shall be

destroyed". Thus he gives a very solemn warning to this nation, that if they would not be

obedient, there will be destruction. "Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those

that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days." They

are prophetic of this very time. "Ye", he says, "are the children (the sons) of the

prophets", and now we are going back to Gen. 12: again, "and of the covenant which

God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, and in they seed shall all the kindreds

(families) of the earth be blessed".  So God has not forgotten His plan which He

announced to Abraham--it is still in the fore front at this point! And it is still possible of

being carried out if Israel will heed this divine command to repent and turn back to God.

"Unto you first", continues Peter (if they are the appointed channel they must have the

message first), "Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you,

in turning away every one of you from his iniquities (or sins)". God was waiting to save

them. So you see that this was very crucial indeed. We shall have to come back to this

chapter from time to time.

In our next study, we must look at the epistles that were written during the Acts period

and see whether the Lord's coming was indeed imminent, and when we have done this

we shall realize that their combined testimony is overwhelming.

The complication and slowness of working of God's great purposes are because of the

devil and the powers of darkness antagonizing the purpose of God, and also because of

the sin and frailty of the human instruments that God graciously uses. We have no stones

to throw at the people of Israel. Of ourselves, all of us are sinful and failing, and if God

demanded perfection for service He would not use anyone. The fact that He does only

shows His great longsuffering and patience. We trust that, all who have followed so far,

will realize their great need, and if they have not already done so, take this great and

necessary first step in receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Saviour and

Sinbearer so that, with all sins forgiven and God's righteousness reckoned theirs, they

may have a glorious place in the perfect creation and kingdom to which God is slowly but

surely working.