Acts 10:42Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This also contributes greatly to their credibility as witnesses. He did not say that He is the Son of God, but what could especially frighten them: “He is the One appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.”

And He, that is, the risen Christ, commanded us to preach to the people. Properly, this means first to the Jewish people, and then to all peoples; cf. Mt 28:18. To preach means to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, or the doctrine of Christ as Redeemer of the world. This is the general content of their preaching. In particular, they were to testify that He is the Judge ordained by God, in the eternal counsel of God, of the living and the dead. Cf. Jn 5:21-30 and parallels. This means all mankind, of every time and nation. Peter points especially to this feature of the preaching commanded by the Lord in order to indicate the end and goal of Christ’s final work in the world. The living are those who will remain alive at Christ’s second coming for the universal judgment. The dead are all those who died before that time and will rise. Cf. 1 Thess 3:13-17 and parallels.

The teaching about Jesus Christ as Judge of the living and the dead is prepared by the indication that they were commanded to bear witness to this also. Here, however, they are witnesses of another kind, as those who heard this teaching from the Lord Himself; see Jn 5:21. It is also worthy of note that the Apostle speaks of the Lord’s command to preach to all people, without mentioning the gradual order indicated by Christ, first to the Jews, and then to the whole world; see Mt 28:19. Finally, as the most vital point, Peter also proclaims that all the prophets, see Is 43:25, testify that believers receive forgiveness of sins only in the name of Jesus. To Him every knee must bow; see Phil 2:10.