Acts 3:21
New International Version
Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.

New Living Translation
For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.

English Standard Version
whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

Berean Standard Bible
Heaven must take Him in until the time comes for the restoration of all things, which God announced long ago through His holy prophets.

Berean Literal Bible
whom indeed it behooves heaven to receive until the times of restoration of all things, of which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from the age.

King James Bible
Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

New King James Version
whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

New American Standard Bible
whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things, about which God spoke by the mouths of His holy prophets from ancient times.

NASB 1995
whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

NASB 1977
whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

Legacy Standard Bible
whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

Amplified Bible
whom heaven must keep until the time for the [complete] restoration of all things about which God promised through the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

Christian Standard Bible
Heaven must receive him until the time of the restoration of all things, which God spoke about through his holy prophets from the beginning.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Heaven must welcome Him until the times of the restoration of all things, which God spoke about by the mouth of His holy prophets from the beginning.

American Standard Version
whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of His holy prophets that have been from of old.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“Whom Heaven must receive until the end times of all those things which God has spoken by the mouth of all his Holy Prophets, who were from ancient times.”

Contemporary English Version
But Jesus must stay in heaven until God makes all things new, just as his holy prophets promised long ago.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Whom heaven indeed must receive, until the times of the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets, from the beginning of the world.

English Revised Version
whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which have been since the world began.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Heaven must receive Jesus until the time when everything will be restored as God promised through his holy prophets long ago.

Good News Translation
He must remain in heaven until the time comes for all things to be made new, as God announced through his holy prophets of long ago.

International Standard Version
He must remain in heaven until the time of universal restitution, which God announced long ago through the voice of his holy prophets.

Literal Standard Version
whom Heaven required, indeed, to receive until times of a restitution of all things, of which God spoke through the mouth of all His holy prophets from the age.

Majority Standard Bible
Heaven must take Him in until the time comes for the restoration of all things, which God announced long ago through all His holy prophets.

New American Bible
whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old.

NET Bible
This one heaven must receive until the time all things are restored, which God declared from times long ago through his holy prophets.

New Revised Standard Version
who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets.

New Heart English Bible
whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets.

Webster's Bible Translation
Whom the heaven must receive, until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets, since the world began.

Weymouth New Testament
Heaven must receive Him until those times of which God has spoken from the earliest ages through the lips of His holy Prophets--the times of the reconstitution of all things.

World English Bible
whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets.

Young's Literal Translation
whom it behoveth heaven, indeed, to receive till times of a restitution of all things, of which God spake through the mouth of all His holy prophets from the age.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Peter Speaks in Solomon's Colonnade
20that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you. 21Heaven must take Him in until the time comes for the restoration of all things, which God announced long ago through His holy prophets. 22For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells you.…

Cross References
Matthew 17:11
Jesus replied, "Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things.

Luke 1:70
as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past,

Acts 1:11
"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven."

Acts 3:20
that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you.

Romans 8:21
that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Hebrews 1:1
On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets.

2 Peter 3:2
by recalling what was foretold by the holy prophets and commanded by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.


Treasury of Scripture

Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

the heaven.

Acts 1:11
Which also 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.

the times.

Acts 3:19
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Isaiah 1:26
And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellers as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.

Malachi 3:3,4
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness…

holy.

Acts 10:43
To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

Luke 1:70
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

2 Peter 1:21
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Jump to Previous
Ages Ago Ancient Earliest Establishing Heaven Holy Indeed Kept Mouth Period Prophets Receive Restitution Restoration Restore Restoring Right Time Times Whereof Word World
Jump to Next
Ages Ago Ancient Earliest Establishing Heaven Holy Indeed Kept Mouth Period Prophets Receive Restitution Restoration Restore Restoring Right Time Times Whereof Word World
Acts 3
1. Peter preaching to the people that came to see a lame man restored to his feet,
12. professes the cure to have been wrought by God, and his son Jesus;
13. withal reprehending them for crucifying Jesus;
17. which because they did it through ignorance,
18. and that thereby were fulfilled God's determinate counsel, and the Scriptures,
19. he exhorts them by repentance and faith to seek remission of their sins through Jesus.














(21) Whom the heaven must receive.--The words have a pregnant force: "must receive and keep."

Until the times of restitution of all things.--The "times" seem distinguished from the "seasons" as more permanent. This is the only passage in which the word translated "restitution" is found in the New Testament; nor is it found in the LXX. version of the Old. Etymologically, it conveys the thought of restoration to an earlier and better state, rather than that of simple consummation or completion, which the immediate context seems, in some measure, to suggest. It finds an interesting parallel in the "new heavens and new earth"--involving, as they do, a restoration of all things to their true order--of 2Peter 3:13. It does not necessarily involve, as some have thought, the final salvation of all men, but it does express the idea of a state in which "righteousness," and not "sin," shall have dominion over a redeemed and new created world; and that idea suggests a wider hope as to the possibilities of growth in wisdom and holiness, or even of repentance and conversion, in the unseen world than that with which Christendom has too often been content. The corresponding verb is found in the words, "Elias truly shall come first, and restore all things" (see Note on Matthew 17:11); and St. Peter's words may well be looked on as an echo of that teaching, and so as an undesigned coincidence testifying to the truth of St. Matthew's record.

Which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets.--The relative, if we take the meaning given above, must be referred to the "times," not to "things." The words, compared with 2Peter 1:21, are, as it were, the utterance of a profound dogmatic truth. The prophets spake as "they were moved by the Holy Ghost"; but He who spake by them was nothing less than God.

Since the world began.--Literally, from the age--i.e., from its earliest point. The words take in the promises to Adam (Genesis 3:15) and Abraham (Genesis 22:18). See Note on Luke 1:70, of which St. Peter's words are as an echo. . . .

Verse 21. - Restoration for restitution, A.V.; whereof for which, A.V.; spake for hath spoken, A.V.; his for all his, A.V. and T.R. Whom the heaven must receive. This is clearly right, not as some render it, who must occupy heaven. The aorist δέξασθαι seems to point to the moment when, at the Ascension, he was carried up into heaven (Luke 24:51). The restoration of all things (ἀποκαταστάσεως πάντων). This must be the same operation as our Lord speaks of in Matthew 17:11: "Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things (ἀποκαταστήσει πάντα) ;" and from the words of Malachi (Malachi 4:5, 6) it would seem to be a moral or spiritual restoration preparatory to the coming of the Lord. If so, the time of restoration is not exactly synchronous with the times of refreshing, but preparatory to them; preparatory, too, to that restoration of the kingdom to Israel of which the apostles spake to the Lord (Acts 1:6). Probably, however, St. Peter includes in his view the immediately following times of" the presence of the Lord," just as in St. Mark (Mark 1:1) the preparatory mission of John the Baptist is included in the phrase, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ." Whereof God spake. The antecedent to "whereof" is "the times" (ver. 24).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Heaven
οὐρανὸν (ouranon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3772: Perhaps from the same as oros; the sky; by extension, heaven; by implication, happiness, power, eternity; specially, the Gospel.

must
δεῖ (dei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1163: Third person singular active present of deo; also deon deh-on'; neuter active participle of the same; both used impersonally; it is Necessary.

take Him in
δέξασθαι (dexasthai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Middle
Strong's 1209: To take, receive, accept, welcome. Middle voice of a primary verb; to receive.

until
ἄχρι (achri)
Preposition
Strong's 891: As far as, up to, until, during. Or achris akh'-rece; akin to akron; until or up to.

[the] time [comes]
χρόνων (chronōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 5550: A space of time or interval; by extension, an individual opportunity; by implication, delay.

for [the] restoration
ἀποκαταστάσεως (apokatastaseōs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 605: Restitution, reestablishment, restoration. From apokathistemi; reconstitution.

of all things,
πάντων (pantōn)
Adjective - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

which
ὧν (hōn)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

God
Θεὸς (Theos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

announced
ἐλάλησεν (elalēsen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2980: A prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; to talk, i.e. Utter words.

long ago
αἰῶνος (aiōnos)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 165: From the same as aei; properly, an age; by extension, perpetuity; by implication, the world; specially a Messianic period.

through
διὰ (dia)
Preposition
Strong's 1223: A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.

His
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

holy
ἁγίων (hagiōn)
Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 40: Set apart by (or for) God, holy, sacred. From hagos; sacred.

prophets.
προφητῶν (prophētōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 4396: From a compound of pro and phemi; a foreteller; by analogy, an inspired speaker; by extension, a poet.


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NT Apostles: Acts 3:21 Whom heaven must receive until the times (Acts of the Apostles Ac)
Acts 3:20
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