W. L. Totty
Just before Jesus ascended to heaven after his resurrection, he assembled with the apostles and “commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, ye have heard of me.” (Acts 1:4.) The definite article the preceding “promise of the Father” shows that it was a specific promise which God had made. Here, the promise referred to was the baptism of the Holy Spirit which the apostles were to receive in the city of Jerusalem.
This was not the first time the apostles had heard of this “promise,” as Jesus reminded them, for in a former conversation with them, Jesus had told them, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” (John 16:7.) Prior to this (in the 14th chapter of John) Jesus had told them that he was going away, and that troubled them. He encouraged them by telling them that he would send them the Comforter, “the Spirit of truth,” who would “guide” them “into all truth.” (John 16:13.) Then, just before his ascension, he told them to wait in Jerusalem for “the promise” and said, “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” (Acts 1:5.)
“The promise of the Father” does not mean they would receive the Father himself but something which the Father had promised them, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There are people today who think that when the apostles on the day of Pentecost told the people to be baptized and they would receive “the gift of the Holy Ghost” it means the Holy Spirit in person. But no one would conclude that the “promise of the Father” is the Father personally. It is plainly seen that “the promise” referred to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, just as “the gift of the Holy Ghost” refers to something to be given by the Holy Spirit.
The apostles did not fully understand, however, what Jesus meant, for they asked him, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6.) It is evident that they expected Jesus to restore the temporal kingdom, over which David and others had reigned, to them. There are people in the world today, even in the church of Christ, who teach that Jesus is going to come to earth to set up an earthly kingdom, with headquarters in Jerusalem, and reign for a thousand years; but that is not what Jesus taught. His answer to the apostles was, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:…”; i.e., power to preach his gospel without error, not to rule over a kingdom.
When the Holy Spirit came upon them on the day of Pentecost, as the Father had promised, they were fully qualified to speak by inspiration the words of the Lord. God’s purpose of giving the apostles the baptism of the Holy Spirit was so they could be witnesses for Jesus Christ in all the world. The Holy Spirit would bring to their remembrance all things that Jesus had taught them and inspire every word which they did not know, the Holy Spirit equipped them to speak in that language without having studied it.
There are people today who claim to be witnesses for Christ; however, no person can be a witness for Christ today. When the apostles appointed Matthias and Barsabas from whom was to be chosen one to take the place of Judas, they said, “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.” (Acts 1:21-22.) We see, therefore, that in order for one to be a “witness” of Jesus Christ one must have associated with him personally before and after his crucifixion so that one could testify that he had done all the things which were claimed of him. We can only relay the testimony of those witnesses today, believing that what they witnessed is true because of the many miracles and signs which are told us of him and the apostles in the Bible. Their testimony gives us faith even though we haven’t seen Jesus.
No man without the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit could do the things the apostles did. If it had been left to their memory, they would have forgotten many things that were necessary to be taught. Jesus told his apostles upon one occasion, “I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” (John 16:12.) The word bear means to retain or remember the things which Jesus had said. Thus, he was not going to leave it to their memory to teach his gospel throughout the world but said, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:…” (John 16:13.)
“The promise of the Father” was given only to the apostles and to the household of Cornelius to show that the Gentiles were accepted of God. People today do not have that revelation except through the written word, the Bible. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.” (Mark 13:31.) Enemies of the Bible have never been able to destroy it, neither shall they ever be. When we are teaching the Bible today, we are relaying that which was made known unto the apostles by “the promise of the Father.” We must believe it and obey it.
—The Informer, Vol. 27, No. 43
September 22, 1974