dom, and one of them ventured a question,

"Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel?"
And the Lord replied,

"It is not for you to know the time and the seasons, which the Father
hath put in His own power. But ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost
parts of the earth."

Then He blessed them, and while they were looking at Him He was lifted
above them, and a cloud seemed to come between them and their Divine
Master.

[Illustration: The Ascension]

While they still gazed toward heaven hoping perhaps to see Him again,
two men in white garments stood by them and said,

"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same
Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like
manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven."

Then they worshipped their ascended Lord, and returned to Jerusalem
full of joy and praise, to meet the other disciples in the upper room,
to tell them of what they had seen, and to wait for the Promise of the
Father.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER.

While the disciples of Jesus waited in Jerusalem for the gift of the
Holy Spirit--the Comforter--who was to come and teach them all things,
and bring all the Lord's words to their remembrance, they were much in
prayer, and looked to the Lord for direction about the things of the
Kingdom.

Peter did much to help the others, for his faith had grown stronger,
and he was no longer afraid. Many who had partly believed in Jesus
before His crucifixion, and who had come to believe in the risen Lord,
joined the little band, until they numbered one hundred and twenty at
one of their meetings, and the mother of Jesus was among them. At this
meeting Peter proposed that some disciple who could be a witness with
them to the Lord's resurrection should be appointed to the place that
Judas once held in the circle of the twelve. The ten disciples agreed
with Peter, and two were chosen--Joseph and Matthias. Then they prayed
that the Lord Himself would show them which of these two He wished to
be an Apostle, and when they cast lots the lot fell upon Matthias.

When the upper room became too small they went to a larger one that was
more public, and did not try to guard their doors, for the priests had
become afraid of the people as well as of the signs at the time of the
Lord's death, when the sky was darkened, the rocks rent