In 1 Corinthians 10:32 Paul speaks of the Jews, the Greeks, and the church of God. This indicates that in New Testament times people were of three classes: the Jews— God’s chosen people; the Greeks—unbelieving Gentiles; and the church—a composition of the believers in Christ. We have seen that, according to the picture portrayed in Acts, the Jewish religionists were hypocritical and even devilish and that the Roman politicians were dark and corrupt. What, then, was the situation concerning the church? When Paul was in custody for two years in Caesarea, he must have been disappointed with the church in Jerusalem. What he saw in the church there was weakness and compromise.
Paul, as a vessel chosen by God, was enlightened to the uttermost concerning the universe. In 2 Corinthians, an Epistle written not long before his last trip to Jerusalem, Paul testifies that he was caught away to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2) and was also caught away into paradise (v. 4), the pleasant section in Hades. Having received an abundance of revelation, Paul was enlightened concerning the secrets of the universe. Of course, he received much revelation in particular concerning God’s New Testament economy. Now, in the last chapters of Acts, Paul was in a situation in which he was surrounded by the Jewish religionists, the Roman politicians, and his fellow workers in the church life. He must have found this situation very disappointing.
As one who had an abundance of the divine revelation stored up in his being, Paul faced the situation among the Jews, the Roman politicians, and the church people. Among the Jewish religionists he saw hypocrisy, and among the Roman politicians he saw corruption. Furthermore, in the church life he saw weakness, compromise, and the lack of light and revelation. It seems that no one in the church was bold enough to stand for the revelation they had received and the vision they had seen. In the midst of that situation Peter should have stood boldly for the revelation he had received of the Lord, but he failed to do this.
In chapters two through five of Acts Peter and John were very strong and bold. As a result of their boldness, they were brought before the Sanhedrin in chapter four, and they were placed by the Sanhedrin in public custody in chapter five. There was no sign of weakness or compromise in Peter and John in these early chapters. There is no hint that they were afraid of the Jewish religionists or compromised with them. However, as we read from Acts 15 onward and also read Galatians 2, we see that Peter eventually was exposed in his weakness and even in his hypocrisy.
Because of the strong attitude and standing taken by Peter, John, and the other believers, the Jews persecuted the saints to such an extent that, with the exception of the apostles, they all left Jerusalem (8:1). But by the time Paul paid his last visit to Jerusalem in Acts 21, James could speak of “how many thousands there are among the Jews who have believed, and all are zealous for the law” (v. 20). All these thousands of believers had remained in Jerusalem. If Peter and John had had the strong attitude and standing in chapter twenty-one that they had in chapters two through five, most of these Jewish believers would have been scattered, and that scattering would have become their salvation as far as the religious mixture in Jerusalem was concerned. However, these thousands of believers, who were still zealous for the law, stayed in Jerusalem, and their remaining in Jerusalem put them in great danger. Not too long after Paul’s last visit to Jerusalem, perhaps not more than ten years later, Titus came with the Roman army to destroy Jerusalem and to slaughter those who continued to live there. It is possible that many Christians were put to death at that time.
In the parables in Matthew 21:33-46 and 22:1-14 the Lord Jesus expressed God’s anger concerning the situation in Jerusalem. The Lord indicated that God, “the lord of the vineyard,” would miserably destroy the evil vinedressers. This was fulfilled when Titus, the Roman prince, and his army destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70. In Matthew 22:7 the Lord prophesied that God would send “his troops,” the Roman troops under Titus, and destroy the city of Jerusalem. The destruction of Jerusalem may have included the church in Jerusalem. Because of James’ compromising attitude and Peter’s weakness, the church in Jerusalem may have been destroyed along with the city. However, the situation concerning the church would have been different if Peter and John had been as bold in Acts 21 as they were at the beginning. If they had continued to be strong and bold, the saints either would have been scattered, or would have been persecuted unto death by the Jewish religionists.