Jesus is preparing his disciples to stand firm in the catastrophe which is coming to ancient Israel, especially Jerusalem and her temple. They must see, in those future days, that he has ascended to rule from above and is building
Getaway
From Jesus’ ascension until just before the fall of Jerusalem his followers must testify to Israel: tell of what God has done through his Son whom they killed. Some will believe and be saved. But many won’t and the formal
Future worries
In stress-filled times our minds can be disturbed making our responses unreliable. Jesus knows that the four disciples who ask him about the future face just this danger. They have heard him predict the fall of Jerusalem’s temple, which means
Conspiracy!
In Jerusalem, Paul has testified to Jesus as the Messiah and been rejected. Now the Lord would have him move to Rome (v11) and so he arranges this in a quite unexpected way. Paul’s extraction will be triggered by a