"James and Cephas and John, they who are reputed to be pillars."—Paul. Gal. ii. 9.
"They went up into the upper chamber where they were abiding; both Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip, ..."—Acts i. 13.
"When the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place."—Acts ii. 1.
"An angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them out."—Acts v. 19.
"Now when the Apostles which were in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of the Lord, they sent unto them Peter and John."—Acts viii. 14.
"He (Herod) killed James the brother of John with the sword."—Acts xii. 2.
The next place where we may think of John with his Lord was on a mountain in Galilee. At least once before His death, and twice after His resurrection, He directed His Disciples to meet Him there. For what purpose? Evidently to receive His final commission.
"Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto Me in Heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."
But the disciples were not yet prepared to fulfil this commission. So He appointed another meeting, to be held in Jerusalem, where He met them, "speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." Here the command on the mountain was limited by another—not to depart from Jerusalem immediately. "Wait" said He, "for the promise of the Father which you heard from Me." That promise we find in John's record:—"I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever." "The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, shall teach you all things." " He shall testify of Me." In the fulfilment of that promise, the disciples were to find the preparation to "go" and "preach." For that preparation they were to "wait."
Jesus then reminds them of the assurance given by John the Baptist concerning Himself:—"He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost." Once more John is carried back to the Jordan, and reminded of the time when he and Jesus had been baptized. All those former scenes must have been recalled when Jesus at the final meeting in Jerusalem declared, "John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."