Christ Is Risen!
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The meaning of the passage is that the faithful Christians, the apostles, seek Godās protection and help at a time when people are fighting them through Christ, persecuting the Church and continuing their persecution of Jesus Christ in His followers. The faithful in prayer emphasise that these are only human schemes of those sinful unrepentant people who are powerless against the Lord, who cannot prevent the realisation of Godās salvation and the spread of faith and the Church.
The quote is from Psalm II, 1-2; there is also a parallel with Isaiah LXI, 1-4 ff.Ā Isaiah is quoted in the Gospels at the beginning of Jesusā ministry, when He opened the book of Isaiah and read this prophecy about Himself.
After prayer, the faithful receive the gift of the Holy Spirit again, this time for confirmation in preaching and in times of possible trials. In the first appearance, there was a wind and a noise from heaven, and in the second an earthquake. These are parallels to the appearance of the Lord to the prophet Elijah at Horeb, when first a strong wind passed before the face of God, then an earthquake, and then fire, and only then the Lord Himself in a quiet, pleasant voice, who firmly strengthened Elijah to continue his ministry. This parallel means that the faithful, although not Christ themselves, are witnesses and testimony of His glory, sent by Him into the world to preach, which Christ Himself directs through the Holy Spirit.
Acts IV, 25 – āĪµĪ¼ĪµĪ»ĪµĻĪ·ĻĪ±Ī½ ĪŗĪµĪ½Ī±ā – āemeletesanā – is a derivative of
āĪ¼ĪµĪ»ĪµĻĪ±Ļā, the original meaning of which is āto care forā – here in this
context it literally means ācare for nothing, for vain thingsā,
i.e.Ā they spend their energy on something that is useless to them. In
the Hebrew original of the quoted psalm there is complain
, which can
also be translated as think, ponder, meditate over
.
Acts IV, 28 – the word āĻĻĪæĻĻĪ¹ĻĪµĪ½ā is used, which is a form of
āĻĻĪæĪæĻĪ¹Ī¶Ļā – āto limit in advanceā. No, the Lord did not ordain
that
they should persecute and kill Jesus (then they would not have sinned,
see in particular more at the following links:
https://sites.google.com/view/rozdumy23/home/priklad-1-pro-boze-pikluvanna-i-dvoh-malenkih-ptasok
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/DialogueOnWordsChristFear.html
), but He limited their power so that they would not destroy the
believers with Jesus, and He is limiting them again so that they cannot
stop the preaching and destroy the believers. The Lord has limited the
evil done against Jesus, and now the believers ask for Godās further
protection (Godās limitation of the persecutorsā evil). See also what is
called the will here (following the same idea as the Apostle Peter in
his letters), good works at the following links:
https://www.facebook.com/Oleksandr.S.Zhabenko/
https://www.facebook.com/Oleksandr.S.Zhabenko/
https://www.facebook.com/Oleksandr.S.Zhabenko/
https://www.facebook.com/Oleksandr.S.Zhabenko/
https://www.facebook.com/Oleksandr.S.Zhabenko/
There is a good piece on courage and freedom in preaching here:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/DialogueOnWordsChristFear.html
Verse 26 is well written about in the work here:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/Trinity.html
In general, the resurrection of the dead is well written about at the
following links:
https://www.facebook.com/Oleksandr.S.Zhabenko/
John V, 30 – āĪµĪ¼Ī·ā – āemeā – āof Mineā (in reference to judgement), āĪµĪ¼ĪæĪ½ā – āemonā – āof Mineā (in reference to will).
Christ, in speaking of judgement and will, means that He is the impartial Judge and Executor of Godās (Fatherās) will (which is also His own as God, for it is inherent in Godās nature, and this nature of the Father, Son and Spirit is one).
Since the will of God is also the will of the Son of God (one of the
two natural wills of Jesus Christ), the leading will (because the human
will of Jesus is obedient to the divine will of Jesus), the words I do
not seek
and I do
together mean that the Son of God treats the will
simply – He does it (fulfils it). He does not argue with it, investigate
it, know it, try to understand it, or oppose it, but He knows it and
does it. This will of God is an expression of Himself, because the human
will of Jesus is obedient to it. He Himself is the truth, so He is
impartial (He has no need to take a position in advance regarding the
decision regarding any creation, as happens in the creation in the case
of bias, when the creation takes a position in advance). And Godās will
is that the creation freely should be with God in joy and love.
That is why Jesus is the Righteous Judge.
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!