< Acts 12 >

King Herod had joined with Pilate in condemning Jesus to death and he also became a persecutor of his disciples and executed the apostle James. He also imprisoned Peter who was, however, released by an angel. This seemed so unreal to Peter that “he wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought it was a vision”. This expression of Peter’s mind helps us understand words of Paul concerning visions he received: “I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:1-2)2 Corinthians 12:1-2XWaiting for response that is, Paul did not know whether the vision was simply in his head or whether he had actually experienced the things described. Peter, however, did come to know his experience was real: “And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews”.

During this period “the word of God grew and multiplied” and then “Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark”. Mark was a relative of Barnabas and the writer God inspired to write the gospel record that bears his name, and he soon set off with Paul and Barnabas to preach the gospel outside the promised land.