The miracle upon the lame man, followed by the conversion of many.

¹ Now Peter and John went up to the temple at the ninth hour of prayer.

² And a certain man, who was lame from his mother’s womb, was being carried in. They would lay him every day at the gate of the temple, which is called the Beautiful, so that he might request alms from those entering into the temple.

³ And this man, when he had seen Peter and John beginning to enter the temple, was begging, so that he might receive alms.

⁴ Then Peter and John, gazing at him, said, “Look at us.”

⁵ And he looked intently at them, hoping that he might receive something from them.

⁶ But Peter said: “Silver and gold is not mine. But what I have, I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, rise up and walk.”

⁷ And taking him by the right hand, he lifted him up. And immediately his legs and feet were strengthened.

⁸ And leaping up, he stood and walked around. And he entered with them into the temple, walking and leaping and praising God.

⁹ And all the people saw him walking and praising God.

¹⁰ And they recognized him, that he was the same one who was sitting for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. And they were filled with awe and amazement at what had happened to him.

¹¹ Then, as he held on to Peter and John, all the people ran to them at the portico, which is called Solomon’s, in astonishment.

¹² But Peter, seeing this, responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this? Or why do you stare at us, as if it were by our own strength or power that we caused this man to walk?

¹³ The God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Son Jesus, whom you, indeed, handed over and denied before the face of Pilate, when he was giving judgment to release him.

¹⁴ Then you denied the Holy and Just One, and petitioned for a murderous man to be given to you.

¹⁵ Truly, it was the Author of Life whom you put to death, whom God raised from the dead, to whom we are witnesses.

¹⁶ And by faith in his name, this man, whom you have seen and known, has confirmed his name. And faith through him has given this man complete health in the sight of you all.

¹⁷ And now, brothers, I know that you did this through ignorance, just as your leaders also did.

¹⁸ But in this way God has fulfilled the things that he announced beforehand through the mouth of all the Prophets: that his Christ would suffer.

¹⁹ Therefore, repent and be converted, so that your sins may be wiped away.

²⁰ And then, when the time of consolation will have arrived from the presence of the Lord, he will send the One who was foretold to you, Jesus Christ,¹

1. 3:20The time of consolation is the time of the Return of Jesus Christ, after the end of the Antichrist’s reign.(Conte)

²¹ whom heaven certainly must take up, until the time of the restoration of all things, which God has spoken of by the mouth of his holy prophets, from ages past.¹

1. 3:21But then, after Christ’s return, Heaven must certainly take him up again (Second Ascension), until yet another time, the time of the restoration of all things, Judgment Day, after which God makes a new heaven and a new earth. This passage supports the teaching that Christ returns twice: once at the end of the Antichrist’s reign, to establish his kingdom on earth, and again, well over a thousand years later, at the end of the Millennium of peace and holiness, for Judgment and the restoration of all things.(Conte)

²² Indeed, Moses said: ‘For the Lord your God shall raise up a Prophet for you from your brothers, one like me; the same shall you listen to according to everything whatsoever that he shall speak to you.

²³ And this shall be: every soul who will not listen to that Prophet shall be exterminated from the people.’

²⁴ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and thereafter, have announced these days.

²⁵ You are sons of the prophets and of the testament which God has appointed for our fathers, saying to Abraham: ‘And by your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’

²⁶ God raised up his Son and sent him first to you, to bless you, so that each one may turn himself away from his wickedness.”