Act 4:1 ¶ And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, COMMENT: In the spiritual warfare to win souls, every man anointed of Christ will discover the Devil using "wickedness in high places" to fight them if they ever make a success of their preaching as Saint Peter did in the temple, leaving little or no time to pull in their fisherman's nets before the Adversary comes as a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour.

Act 4:2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the Resurrection from the dead. COMMENT: The priestly order known as the Sadducees did not believe in the Resurrection and were grieved the people were being taught otherwise. So they came upon the Apostles Peter and John, and the healed man; with the Captain of the temple who was in authority over it.

Act 4:3 And they laid hands on them, and put [them] in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide. COMMENT: And immediately without any concern for the well being of the healed man or of other Israeli's who might be in need of healing; they arrested the two Apostles and the healed man and held them overnight.

Act 4:4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand. COMMENT: Now in your wildest imagination, it probably did not occur to you that Saint Peter had gathered a multitude of five thousand Jewish men in the glorious temple of God with the creative healing God gave the lame man, but the temple was no small place; neither will it be in the world to come when the Resurrected of all nations will go to Jerusalem to worship the Lord of glory, we know as Jesus Christ! So there was no keeping the miracle healing secret in Jerusalem nor in all of Israel, and this was apparent to the rulers of the Jewish religion in those days where "wickedness in high places" reigned behind the scenes.

Act 4:5/6 ¶ And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, and Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. COMMENT: The creative healing of the lame man and the persuasion of five thousand Jewish men in the temple was no small matter for the wicked Jewish religious leaders to consider. They quickly came together and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest because it was from them future high priests might be chosen; therefore they were greatly concerned for their clan's inheritance of such a high and prestigious office with so much wealth and power attached to it.

Act 4:7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have you done this? COMMENT: By asking by what power had the Apostles worked a creative healing miracle on the lame man, the rulers of Israel's religion thought to accuse the Apostles of healing by the Devil's power even as they had previously attributed healings performed by Christ as being by his power; and in asking them by what name had they performed a creative healing miracle, they hoped to discredit them regarding the name of Jesus Christ whom they were responsible above all the Jews for crucifying.

Act 4:8/9 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, "You rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; COMMENT: Now we can hear what it really means to be Spirit filled with the Holy Ghost!!! Peter knew no fear nor apprehension about what to say to men highly esteemed by the Jewish population. He quickly acknowledges who they are without rendering any respect or flattery, and gets right into his message making it clear they are being examined for a good deed and not an evil deed.

Act 4:10 "Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, [even] by him does this man stand here before you whole. COMMENT: Then without any hesitation, he boldly pointed out their guilt before telling them by what name the lame man was healed. For had he said the lame man was healed in the name of Jesus Christ, they would have stormed upon him with accusations before he could have pointed out their guilt. Peter used the healed man as evidence standing before them whole before they realized they had entraped themselves against a man far wiser than them.

Act 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. COMMENT: Saint Peter is a preaching machine. Once he got started. it was difficult to stop him. He had just pointed to the healed man and was now saying, "This is the stone which was set at nought of you...." and they thinking he meant the healed man had to be puzzled, but not for long; for it soon became apparent he was speaking of Jesus Christ. Peter went on to magnify the name of Jesus, saying:

Act 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. COMMENT: This is all the message Peter needed to make his case clear to all of Israel, there surely being some who would leak the truth of the hearing out to the Israeli public. So the rulers either made a signal for him to stop or he stopped on his own accord and left them to consider his message which strongly affirmed their need of a Saviour too; and this kind of publicity altogether they did not desire.

Act 4:13 ¶ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. COMMENT: Isn't it amazing how we live in a country with many thousands of learning institutions where students are made ignorant of God; particularly those who graduate from Seminaries, and the rulers of Israel were similar products of the legalistic and dogmatic ritualistic religious thinking and practices of their day. They looked down on "unlearned and ignorant men" such as the son of fishermen, Peter and John, whom they would not have given audience the day before the miraculous healing of the lame man. And they took note the two uneducated men had been with Jesus whom they had crucified by the hands of Pilate.

Act 4:14 And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. COMMENT: The religious leaders were checkmated. There was not a righteous legal move left on the chess board of life.

Act 4:15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, COMMENT: Nonetheless, they "commanded them to go out of the council,..." so they could confer among themselves. In this way they comforted themselves with the use of their power and the hope there might be some way to exercise wickeness in the high places they loved to occupy for all its power, prestige and wealth. And were the dumb sheep of America to realize such wickedness was taking place behind the scenes in the practice of the Christian and Catholic religions in our country, they would be able to extricate themselves from the dogma's and rituals taught and practiced in our backslidden nation. So the rulers then as the religious leaders now,....conspired against Christ and against the well being of the people they are supposed to serve:

Act 4:16 Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle has been done by them [is] manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny [it]. COMMENT: They admitted among themselves there was nothing they could do to undo the situation. Yet were they able to unwork the miracle and put the man back to work begging alms at the gate Beautiful, you can be sure they would have been glad to do it to show themselves more powerful than the Apostles, and fully in control of their religion. Since they had no power with God nor the Devil to work such an evil miracle, they thought to disarm the Apostles from using the name of the Lord to perform supernatural feats. So they decided among themselves:

Act 4:17 "But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.

Act 4:18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. COMMENT: The rulers of the legalistic practice of the laws of Moses thought to make a law themselves as they were accustomed to do in the practices of their religion, and by so doing; they hoped to catch the Apostles in the violation of that law and put an end to their works of God by which their positions were threatened with all the people.

Act 4:19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, you judge. COMMENT: Peter and John recognize the right or the ability of the rulers of the people to judge and go on to say:

Act 4:20 "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. COMMENT: The two Apostles make it clear they cannot testify other than of the things they have seen and heard. In other words, they were immovable even as Christ is immovable.

Act 4:21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all [men] glorified God for that which was done. COMMENT: The wicked rulers of the Jewish people threatened the Apostles and let them go knowing there was no evil committed, and every Israeli in Jerusalem knew of the creative healing miracle by now and were glorifying God for that which was done. In a few days the news would travel by word of mouth which was the media of the day, and all Israel would know of the wonderful miracle worked at the gate known as Beautiful to their temple. As the rulers of the people went about the city, they would not be heard glorifying God for the miracle however; and this is always the case with wolves in religion; but they would go about the business of religion and turn a deaf ear to any mention of the healing by their constituency. And by doing so, they would succeed somewhat in quenching the Spirit as much as it was possible for them, of the spiritual revolution taking place in Jerusalem and in Israel. Meanwhile, the healed man remained as living testimony to the healing power of the Lord's name in what had become the stronghold of the Devil in Jerusalem.

Act 4:22 For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was showed. COMMENT: For forty years his crippled condition had advertised itself in Jerusalem with his legs dried up like sticks from never having been used to walk on. Now he was walking about in "perfect soundness" with perfectly normal legs after the creative healing miracle. Whereever he went, you can be sure he was recognized, and wherever he was recognized; you can be sure the religious leaders would go the other way while the people praised God for the miracle.

Act 4:23 ¶ And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. COMMENT: We find the two Apostles gathered with the 120 again.

Act 4:24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, you [are] God, which have made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: COMMENT: They all together lifted up their voice to God. Here we suspect is a supernatural phenomenon little is known of, where the Spirit of God moved them all to say the same thing together in one voice. In searching the Scriptures you should be able to find other suggestions of this phenomenon. This becomes all the more profound as they continued to say:

Act 4:25 "Who by the mouth of your servant David have said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? COMMENT: Sinful religious leaders among the Israeli's raged against the Apostles and the growing Church in Jerusalem imagining they could fight against God and win. The 120 went on to say with one voice:

Act 4:26/27/28 "The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against your holy child Jesus, whom you have anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever your hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. COMMENT: The first part of their group statement is prophecy where they said in a company together: "The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the LORD, and against his Christ." This is typical of the voice of prophecy, to foretell of some future event in a context suggesting otherwise; so the prophecy will be missed by the vast majority of readers. They were foretelling of Armageddon when the kings of the earth will stand up, and the rulers will gather together in the valley of Meggido to fight against the Lord, and against his Christ. (V26)

Of the first coming of Christ they were referring in the Spirit to the attempt of Herod in slaughtering children in Israel in the hope of killing the Christ child, and of other oppositions according to what God had PREDESTINED by his wise counsel to take place historically. (V27/28)

Act 4:29/30 "And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto your servants, that with all boldness they may speak your Word, By stretching forth your hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of your holy child Jesus. COMMENT: Their prophecy proceeded into prayer where they made supplication for the Lord to continue to stretch forth his hand in the Apostles to heal; and to perform signs and wonders in the name of Jesus.

Act 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness. COMMENT: How would you like your prayers answered by an earthquake that does not damage to the surroundings? So many religious hypocrites claim they experienced a great shaking after praying, but you can be sure there were no hypocrites in this book of Acts gathering. They were all so mightily focused on God, it was no distraction to them; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost again! Now hear the truth again. There are no permanently Spirit filled believers!!! Why should you believe religious dogma when the New Testament Scritures are so clearly set right before your eyes. This is the same group that was filled by the Holy Ghost previously. They will retain the fullness of the Holy Ghost until they do something to quench or grieve the Spirit or until they are too tired to hold onto the anointing of Christ within, then they will rest their weary flesh and return to the same practices of holiness by which they always expect to become Spirit filled again.

Act 4:32 ¶ And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any [of them] that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. COMMENT: The 120 + the 3000 devout Jewish converts + the 5000 who heard and believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the glorious temple + others besides were all "of one heart and of one soul" as the holy Revolution grew in power and in numbers threatening to convert the stale and legalistic Jewish religion into the practice of holiness such as it was when Moses led Israel through the desert wilderness, and all Israel was one.

Act 4:33 And with GREAT POWER gave the apostles witness of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and GREAT GRACE was upon them all. COMMENT: Imagine waking up daily to a life of holiness with eleven Apostles in Jerusalem and rumors of Saint Paul out there among the Gentiles, all of them working mirales and signs and wonders in GREAT POWER. We only hear of a few of these supernatural feats, and to be sure; anything the Apostles did that was questionable was kept discreetly among them, accounting for the mention of GREAT GRACE being upon them all; for they were all known by their spiritual fruit rather than by the practices by which they entered into the Spirit.

Act 4:34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, COMMENT: The Church in Jerusalem entered into a commonwealth which supported them for a while until the persecution arose which impoverished them; so in the beginning of this practice of liquifying their materialistic possessions to share from the same treasury according to their necessities, none of them lacked. In unloading their homes and lands, they freed themselves up for the full time practice of the faith without the distractions and entanglements of secular business.

Act 4:35 And laid [them] down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. COMMENT: By laying their wealth at the feet of the Apostles, they were delegating authority over the commonwealth treasury over to them.

Act 4:36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, [and] of the country of Cyprus, COMMENT: Barnabas is introduced to the readers at this time who is later a holy man of significance in later developments.

Act 4:37 Having land, sold [it], and brought the money, and laid [it] at the apostles' feet. COMMENT: Barnabas not only freed himself from his worldly entanglement in land ownership, but the laying of his money at the Apostles' feet was clearly an act of submission on his part to them and to the Lord of glory who empowered them; so they had good reason to trust Barnabus; which soon proved to make a difference when he introduced Saul whom they would have nothing to do with, for fear of further bloodshed; not knowing God was making of him an Apostle unto the Gentiles. (Acts 9:27) Barnabus was later set apart with Saul who became known as the Apostle Paul in the work which they did for the Lord together. (Acts 13:1) Meanwhile, the laying of money from the sale of properties at the feet of the Apostles went on with great zeal to produce a spiritually minded Church in Jerusalem that was not anchored to materialistic possessions and commitments.