THE HOPE OF ISRAEL - The Preterist Archive

The Hope of Israel: What Is It? 127
place where they so continued; but that information
was not needed, seeing it had already been definitely
stated in Luke 24:52, 53. But the evangelist adds the
interesting fact that the women, and Mary the mother
of the Lord, and His brethren, were with them. All
this, be it remembered, was done by the Lord's express
instructions. They were of course praying for the
promised enduement from on high (Luke 11:18).
The next verse (Acts 1:15), states that "in those
days (of waiting upon God in the Temple) Peter stood
up in the midst of the disciples and said (the number
of names together were about an hundred and twenty)
", and then follows the account of the choosing
of Matthias as an apostle and witness of Christ's resurrection
in the place of Judas. This doubtless occurred
in their accustomed gathering place in the Temple,
since they were "continually" there during those days
of waiting for enduement from on high.
In passing we would note how unlikely it is that the
disciples, to the number of one hundred and twenty,
should (or could) be using as their place of gathering
the "upper room" which served the apostles for sleeping
quarters.
THE DAY OF PENTECOST
Thus the day of Pentecost came; and the occurrence
of the great Feast-day would furnish an additional reason
why they should be found assembled in the Temple.
The services the offering of the morning sacrifice
and incense, with the accompanying prayers (in which
they would undoubtedly have taken part) began at
sunrise. This service being concluded, they would
naturally be "sitting" in their customary place; and