The ministry of Jesus the Messiah does not end at Calvary. His death on Nisan 14, 33 C.E., is the central sacrifice of all history, yet Jehovah’s redemptive plan moves beyond the grave. The resurrection, the forty days of instruction, the ascension, the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, and the formation of the first congregation in Jerusalem all belong to one continuous work of God.

From the empty tomb to the gathering of believers in Jerusalem, Jehovah is establishing a new, Spirit-created community grounded in the finished work of His Son and guided by the inspired Word. The Messiah’s resurrection vindicates His atoning death, His ascension confirms His royal authority, and Pentecost marks the public birth of the congregation that will carry His message throughout the world.

In this article, we remain within that specific chronological span: from the resurrection morning through the early life of the Jerusalem congregation. Later missionary expansion to Samaria and the Gentiles lies beyond this stage and will belong to the next part of the story.

The Empty Tomb and Resurrection Appearances

The Guarded Tomb and Jehovah’s Vindication

Jesus’ body had been placed in a new rock-cut tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council who had not consented to the condemnation of Christ. The tomb was close to the place of execution, and because the Sabbath was approaching, the burial had to be completed quickly. A large stone was rolled across the entrance.

The religious leaders, remembering Jesus’ prediction that He would rise on the third day, requested that Pilate secure the tomb. They feared His disciples might steal the body and claim resurrection. Pilate granted a guard and ordered the tomb sealed. Human authorities did everything they could to keep the dead Messiah in gravedom.

But Jehovah had already determined that His Holy One would not see corruption. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, women who had followed Jesus came to the tomb with spices, intending to complete the burial preparations. They found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty.

Angelic messengers announced that Jesus was not there; He had been raised. They reminded the women of His words in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered up, crucified, and on the third day rise. The resurrection was not an unexpected accident; it was the fulfillment of Jesus’ own predictions and of Jehovah’s prophetic plan.

The empty tomb itself was a silent yet powerful witness. Graveclothes lay where the body had been, not torn away in haste but left in a way that suggested order rather than robbery. The Roman guard, terrified by the supernatural events that accompanied the resurrection, later accepted money to spread the false report that the disciples had stolen the body while the soldiers slept. That story, however, undermined itself: sleeping witnesses cannot know what happened.

Jehovah vindicated His Son by raising Him bodily from the dead. The tomb was truly empty, not because of resuscitation of a near-dead body, not because of spiritual “survival” while the corpse remained, but because the crucified body itself was transformed into an immortal, glorified state. Death, the penalty of sin, had been decisively overcome in the One who had no sin of His own.

The Risen Christ Appearing to His Followers

Jehovah did not leave the evidence of the resurrection at an empty tomb and an angelic message. He provided many appearances of the risen Christ to chosen witnesses. The resurrection faith of the apostles and early congregation rested on repeated encounters with Jesus, not on vague visions or inner feelings.

The Gospels record that Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene near the tomb. Overwhelmed with grief, she initially mistook Him for the gardener until He spoke her name. This personal address revealed Him unmistakably. Women, whose testimony was often undervalued in that culture, became the first heralds of the resurrection, underlining that Jehovah’s ways are not governed by human status.

Jesus also appeared to other women as they were on their way to tell the disciples, greeting them and receiving their worship. He appeared to Simon Peter, whose earlier denial needed restoration and assurance. On the same day He walked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Their hearts burned as He explained from Moses and the Prophets how the Messiah had to suffer and then enter His glory. Only when He broke bread with them did they recognize Him, and He vanished from their sight.

That evening He appeared to a group of disciples gathered in Jerusalem, entering despite locked doors. He showed them His hands and side, invited them to touch Him, and ate in their presence. He was no mere spirit manifestation; He possessed a real, glorified body. A week later, when Thomas was present, Jesus again appeared. Thomas had insisted that he would not believe unless he saw and touched the wounds. Jesus invited him to do exactly that, leading Thomas to confess Him as his Lord and his God.

The resurrected Christ appeared again to several disciples by the Sea of Galilee, directing them to a miraculous catch of fish and restoring Peter with a threefold commission to shepherd His sheep. According to later apostolic testimony, He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, and to James, His half-brother, who had not believed during Jesus’ earthly ministry but would become a key leader in the Jerusalem congregation.

These appearances were spread over forty days and took place in different locations and at different times of day, involving various combinations of witnesses. They cannot be explained away as group hallucinations or subjective experiences. The risen Jesus spoke, walked, explained Scripture, accepted worship, and gave commands. His presence transformed discouraged, fearful disciples into bold witnesses prepared to face persecution.

The Forty Days of Instruction

Convincing Proofs and the Reality of the Resurrection

Acts 1:3 summarizes the period between the resurrection and ascension by noting that Jesus presented Himself alive by many convincing proofs over forty days, speaking about the kingdom of God. The resurrected Christ did not merely appear briefly and then withdraw. He repeatedly confirmed the reality of His bodily life to those who had known Him before.

He allowed His followers to handle Him, emphasizing that He was not a ghost. He ate food with them, a simple yet powerful demonstration that His body was functioning in a real way. He appeared in locked rooms and vanished suddenly, showing that His glorified body was not constrained in the same way as ordinary mortal bodies, yet His identity as the crucified Jesus remained continuous.

These proofs anchored the apostles’ later preaching. When they stood in Jerusalem and beyond proclaiming that Jehovah had raised Jesus, they spoke from personal knowledge, not hearsay. Their willingness to endure imprisonment, beatings, and eventually death would be inexplicable if the resurrection had been a fabrication. Humans rarely suffer willingly for what they know to be false.

Opening the Scriptures and Clarifying the Kingdom

During these forty days, Jesus devoted significant time to teaching His disciples. On the road to Emmaus and later in Jerusalem, He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. He showed them that everything written about Him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms had to be fulfilled. The Messiah had to suffer, rise from the dead on the third day, and bring about the proclamation of repentance for forgiveness of sins to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

This instruction modeled the historical-grammatical way of handling Scripture. Jesus did not treat the Old Testament as a mere collection of moral stories or symbolic myths. He read it as a coherent revelation from Jehovah that pointed both to the suffering and the exaltation of the Messiah. Passages such as Psalm 16, Psalm 110, and Isaiah 53 were not given new meaning; their intended meaning was brought into full light.

The disciples had long expected the kingdom of God and, as Jews grounded in the promises to David, they rightly anticipated a restored rule. After the resurrection, they asked whether Jesus would now restore the kingdom to Israel. Jesus did not deny that such a restoration would occur. Instead, He told them that the times and seasons were in the Father’s authority and redirected their focus to their immediate mission. They would receive power when holy spirit came upon them, and they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

The future earthly kingdom under the Messiah remained certain, but the current phase of Jehovah’s plan centered on witness and discipleship. The apostles would not yet sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes; they would proclaim the risen Christ and lay the doctrinal foundation for the congregation.

The Promise of the Father and the Command to Wait

During these days Jesus gave a specific command: His followers were not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for “the promise of the Father,” which they had heard from Him. John had baptized in water, but they would soon be baptized in holy spirit. This baptism would not be a mystical experience for every believer throughout all history but a unique, once-for-all event that inaugurated the New Covenant congregation and empowered the apostles as witnesses and inspired spokesmen.

Waiting for this promised empowerment was an act of obedience and dependence. The disciples had seen the risen Christ and heard His teaching, yet they were not to rush ahead in their own strength. The mission to bear witness to the ends of the earth required Jehovah’s enabling through the Spirit.

The forty days of instruction thus served several purposes. They confirmed the reality of the resurrection, grounded the disciples in a Christ-centered understanding of Scripture, clarified the timing and nature of the kingdom, and prepared them to receive the promised power from on high.

The Ascension and Expectation of Power

The Departure from the Mount of Olives

At the end of the forty days, Jesus led His disciples out as far as the Mount of Olives, near Bethany. From this ridge east of Jerusalem, one can see the city and the Temple complex. Here, outside the city that had rejected Him, Jesus gave final instructions and a blessing.

He reminded them of the commission: they were to be witnesses of what they had seen and heard. Repentance and forgiveness of sins were to be proclaimed in His name to all nations, starting at Jerusalem. They were to remain in the city until they were clothed with power from on high.

As He blessed them, He was lifted up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. This ascension was bodily and visible. The same Jesus who had walked with them, eaten with them, and shown them His wounds now rose from the earth and disappeared into the heavenly realm. He did not dissolve into an impersonal spiritual force; He ascended as the glorified Son of Man, carrying His perfected human nature into the presence of Jehovah.

Two men in white clothing—angels—stood beside the disciples and asked why they were gazing into heaven. They announced that this same Jesus, who had been taken up, would come in the same way as they saw Him go into heaven. The ascension therefore contained within it a promise of future return. As He went visibly and bodily from the Mount of Olives, He will one day return visibly and bodily, prior to His thousand-year reign.

The Upper Room and the Prayerful Waiting

The disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy, not sorrow. They now understood that Jesus’ departure did not mean abandonment. He had promised to be with them always, to the end of the age, through the presence and power of the Spirit and through His ongoing heavenly intercession.

They went to an upper room where they were staying. The group numbered about 120, including the apostles, women who had followed Jesus, Mary His mother, and His brothers. They devoted themselves to prayer, united in mind. They did not know the exact day on which the promised power would come, but they trusted Jehovah’s timing.

During this waiting period they also addressed the vacancy left by Judas Iscariot. Peter stood among the brothers and explained from the Psalms that another must take Judas’ place in the apostolic circle. Two men were proposed, both of whom had accompanied Jesus from the baptism of John until the ascension. They prayed for Jehovah to show which one He had chosen, and the lot fell on Matthias. This act did not create doctrine but reflected their desire to align human action with Jehovah’s revealed will.

The ascension and the days in the upper room thus form a bridge between Jesus’ earthly ministry and the public birth of the congregation. The disciples are no longer hiding in fear; they are waiting in confident expectation.

The Coming of the Spirit at Pentecost

The Feast of Weeks and the Gathering in Jerusalem

Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Weeks, occurred fifty days after the presentation of the firstfruits during Passover. It was one of the three major pilgrimage festivals, and Jews from many regions came to Jerusalem to worship. By Jehovah’s design, the city was full of devout men from different nations and language groups when the promised outpouring of the Spirit took place.

The disciples were all together in one place, most likely the same general area where they had been meeting. Suddenly a sound like a strong, rushing wind filled the house. Tongues as of fire appeared and rested on each of them. They were all filled with holy spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit granted them to speak.

This phenomenon was not ecstatic noise but real, recognizable human languages. The crowd was bewildered because each person heard the disciples speaking in his own dialect: Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, visitors from Rome, Cretans, and Arabians—all heard them declaring the magnificent things of God in their own tongues.

Some were amazed and perplexed, asking what this could mean. Others mocked, suggesting the disciples were full of sweet wine. The miracle thus demanded explanation, and Jehovah had already prepared His spokesman.

Peter’s Sermon: Joel’s Prophecy and the Exalted Messiah

Peter, standing with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd. He denied that they were drunk—it was only the third hour of the day—and explained that what they were seeing was the beginning of the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy about Jehovah pouring out His spirit. Sons and daughters would prophesy, young men would see visions, and old men would dream dreams, as Jehovah empowered His people to speak His Word.

This outpouring was not given so that believers could indulge in private experiences but so that they could proclaim the message with boldness and clarity. The sign of languages demonstrated that the good news was for all nations.

Peter then focused on Jesus of Nazareth. He reminded the crowd that Jesus had been attested by God through miracles, wonders, and signs. They knew these things; many had seen or heard of His works. Yet, according to Jehovah’s set purpose and foreknowledge, He had been delivered up and put to death by lawless hands. Human guilt and divine sovereignty came together at the cross: the leaders and the crowd were responsible for rejecting God’s Servant, yet the event itself fulfilled Jehovah’s plan for atonement.

Jehovah raised Him up, loosing the pains of death, because it was not possible for death to hold Him. Peter quoted from Psalm 16, where David speaks of Jehovah not abandoning His soul to Sheol or allowing His Holy One to see decay. David had died and his tomb was known; therefore the psalm pointed beyond David to the Messiah.

Peter declared that Jesus had been exalted to the right hand of God and had received from the Father the promised Spirit, which He had now poured out. The phenomena of Pentecost were evidence that Jesus was enthroned. Peter cited Psalm 110, where Jehovah says to David’s Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool.” The conclusion was unavoidable: God had made Jesus, whom they had executed, both Lord and Messiah.

Cut to the heart, many listeners asked what they should do. Peter responded that they must repent and be baptized, each one, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, and they would receive the gift of holy spirit. Repentance meant a decisive turning from sin and unbelief; baptism, by immersion in water, was the outward sign of identifying with the crucified and risen Messiah. The gift of the Spirit was not a guarantee of private mystical experiences but participation in the blessings of the New Covenant and fellowship in the Spirit-governed congregation.

Peter testified further and urged them to be saved from that crooked generation. About three thousand received his word and were baptized that day. Jehovah used the apostolic preaching, confirmed by miraculous signs, to gather a new community out of Israel, the firstfruits of a much larger harvest.

The First Congregation in Jerusalem

Devotion to Apostolic Teaching and Shared Life

Those who were baptized at Pentecost did not disperse into isolated spirituality. They were “added” to the existing company of disciples, forming the first Christian congregation in Jerusalem. Acts 2 describes their life in four key commitments: they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers.

The apostles’ teaching was foundational because the apostles had been chosen by Jesus, eyewitnesses of His resurrection, and recipients of special revelation by the Spirit. Their doctrine, preserved for us in the New Testament, became the standard of truth for all future congregations. The early believers did not seek new revelations beyond this teaching; they assembled to hear and obey what Christ had given through His chosen messengers.

Fellowship involved more than casual association. It meant a shared participation in the life of the Messiah and in practical care for one another. The believers shared their possessions voluntarily, selling property and distributing as anyone had need. This was not forced collectivism or a permanent abolition of private ownership; it was willing generosity prompted by love. Their unity displayed the reality of the gospel before a watching world.

The breaking of bread likely included both ordinary meals and the special remembrance of the Lord’s Supper, though the two were often intertwined. In homes they ate together with glad and sincere hearts, giving thanks to God. Prayer remained central: they continued to pray together, seeking Jehovah’s guidance and praising Him for His mighty works.

Signs and Growth Under Apostolic Leadership

A sense of awe came upon everyone because many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. These miracles—healings, deliverances, and other mighty deeds—functioned as divine confirmation of the apostolic message. They did not make every believer into a miracle-worker. The Spirit distributed miraculous abilities according to Jehovah’s purposes, primarily through the apostles and certain close associates, to authenticate the new revelation and to establish the congregation’s foundation.

The believers continued to meet in the Temple courts, especially in a portico known as Solomon’s colonnade. At this stage, they did not see themselves as leaving Israel to form a separate religion. Rather, they understood themselves as the faithful remnant within Israel, those who recognized and followed the promised Messiah. Yet their confession of Jesus and their allegiance to His name soon brought conflict with the authorities.

When Peter and John healed a lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple and then preached that Jehovah had glorified His Servant Jesus, the authorities arrested them. The apostles boldly told the Sanhedrin that salvation is in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Forbidden to speak in this name, they replied that they must obey God rather than men.

Returning to the congregation, they reported the threats, and all together lifted their voices to God. They asked not for escape from difficulties but for boldness to speak the Word. The place where they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with holy spirit, enabling them to continue proclaiming the message with courage. Again the emphasis is on empowerment for witness, not on private ecstatic experiences.

Holiness, Discipline, and Continued Addition

Life in the first congregation was marked not only by unity and power but also by seriousness about holiness. When Ananias and Sapphira lied about the proceeds of a sale, pretending to give all while secretly keeping some, they were judged by God and died. This severe discipline at the very beginning of the congregation’s life underscored that Jehovah is not indifferent to hypocrisy. Fear came upon all who heard, and the believers recognized that they belonged to a holy community.

Yet even in the midst of opposition and discipline, the congregation continued to grow. More were added, both men and women. Many brought their sick to be healed, and multitudes from the surrounding towns came to Jerusalem. Jehovah was publicly bearing witness to the message of His Son through signs, yet always in connection with the proclamation of the Word.

The apostles did not promise a life free of difficulties to those who believed. They themselves were imprisoned, flogged, and dishonored. However, they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus and did not cease teaching and proclaiming the good news that He is the Messiah, both in the Temple and from house to house.

The first congregation in Jerusalem thus combined doctrinal devotion, shared life, reverent worship, bold witness, and practical holiness. It was not perfect, as later disputes over food distribution and other matters show, but it was truly the community formed by the risen and ascended Christ through the outpoured Spirit and the authoritative Word.

At this stage, the message had not yet moved beyond Jerusalem in any sustained way; Samaria and the Gentile mission lay in the future. But the essential elements were now in place: a crucified and risen Messiah, a body of eyewitness apostles, a Spirit-empowered proclamation, and a growing congregation of men and women who had repented, been immersed in His name, and entered upon the path of salvation. From this starting point, the history of Early Christianity would unfold step by step according to Jehovah’s purpose.

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