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It somehow seems appropriate that the brief ministry of Jesus after His resurrection and prior to His ascension would be presented as a CHIASM.
1) The FIRST/LAST elements, A and A′, release the apostles after the ascension of Jesus to all parts of the earth. They shall be His witnesses in an on-going process.
2) The two B CORRESPONDING ELEMENTS prophesy about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Spoken by Jesus before the Holy Spirit descended in the second chapter of Acts, He foretold that event.
3) The two CENTER POINT elements, C and C′, emphatically instructed that we and the apostles are not to know future dates and times.
4) The ascension of Jesus is presented in the CLOSING SUMMARY, verses 9 to 12. The word behold, an INTERJECTION in verse 10, marks the following words as emphatic. A QUESTION in the CENTER POINT, verse 11A, asks Why the confusion? This is a way for the Holy Spirit to ask the same of ourselves. Immediately before that, the SUBSTRUCTURE SUMMARY stated a cloud received Him, for we are also not to know or understand what lies beyond the cloud at this time.
CHIASM:
... the ministry of Jesus after His resurrection ...
a title
BEGINNING MARKER: The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, (v1)
Jesus provided much evidence about the kingdom of God
PRELIMINARY: until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. (v2,3)
wait in Jerusalem for the Father′s promise
A
Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; (v4)
baptism with the Holy Spirit
B
for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (v5)
will You now restore the kingdom?
C
So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (v6)
you are not to know this
C′
He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; (v7)
the power of the Holy Spirit′s impartation
B′
but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; (v8A)
later you shall witness in Jerusalem and everywhere
A′
and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (v8B)
a change of time
sub-unit marker: And after He had said these things, (v9A)
SUBSTRUCTURE SUMMARY: Jesus was lifted into a cloud
sum
He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. (v9B)
INTERJECTION: they saw two men in white clothing
a
And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. (v10)
QUESTION: the two men questioned their understanding
a′
They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? (v11A)
Jesus will return
b
This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (v11B)
the men returned to Jerusalem
b′
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. (v12)