[2] Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus commands the disciples during a meal to stay in Jerusalem and to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

"[14] Before Jesus left, he charged the disciples with the task of acting as 'witnesses' to him, in the locations that can be read as a 'geographical program' for the whole book of Acts: Luke chapter 24[a] tells how Jesus leads the eleven disciples "as far as" Bethany, a village on the Mount of Olives, where he instructs them to remain in Jerusalem until the coming of the Holy Spirit: "And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven.

[18] Various epistles (Romans 8:34, Ephesians 1:19–20, Colossians 3:1, Philippians 2:9–11, 1 Timothy 3:16, and 1 Peter 3:21–22) also refer to an ascension in relation to the post-resurrection "exaltation" of Jesus to the right hand of God.

[20] As the disciples waited obediently in the upper room[b] in Jerusalem for the promised coming of the Holy Spirit, they devoted themselves "with one accord" in prayer (verse 14), underlying the unity of the group which surprisingly now includes Jesus' mother, brothers, and some women.

Matthew 10:1–4; Mark 3:13–19):[27] The omission of Judas Iscariot motivates the narrative of his final fate and Peter's call to find his replacement.