Acts 12:1-25 The Lord Hath Sent His Angel to Deliver Me

[Study Aired April 16, 2023]

Act 12:1  Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
Act 12:2  And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
Act 12:3  And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
Act 12:4  And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
Act 12:5  Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
Act 12:6  And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
Act 12:7  And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
Act 12:8  And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
Act 12:9  And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.
Act 12:10  When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.
Act 12:11  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.
Act 12:12  And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.
Act 12:13  And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
Act 12:14  And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.
Act 12:15  And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.
Act 12:16  But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.
Act 12:17  But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.
Act 12:18  Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.
Act 12:19  And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode.
Act 12:20  And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king’s chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king’s country.
Act 12:21  And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.
Act 12:22  And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.
Act 12:23  And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

Once again, the order of events is important. Herod was “eaten of worms [first] and [then he] gave up the ghost”.

Act 12:24  But the word of God grew and multiplied.
Act 12:25  And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

Verse 25 is connected to everything that occurred in this chapter. Everything we just read happened when and while Barnabas and Saul of Tarsus took the relief from the church in Antioch up to the apostles and the leaders of the church at Jerusalem.

The timing of the events of this chapter becomes very clear by placing the last verses of chapter 11 together with the last verse of this chapter:

Act 11:27  And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.
Act 11:28  And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.
Act 11:29  Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea:
Act 11:30  Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

This is the first verse of chapter 12:

Act 12:1  Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
Act 12:2  And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
Act 12:3  And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

The phrase “about that time” refers back to the last verses of chapter 11 which we just quoted telling us that the church in Antioch had determined to help the poor saints in Jerusalem and that they had sent their relief “by the hands of Barnabas and Saul”. Then, because the holy spirit wants to make the timing of all these events very clear this is the last verses of this 12^th chapter concerning the martyrdom of James, the imprisonment and deliverance of Peter, and the death of Herod:

Act 12:23  And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him [Herod], because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
Act 12:24  But the word of God grew and multiplied.
Act 12:25  And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

The last verses of chapter 11 and the last verse of chapter 12 both tell us that this trip back to Jerusalem is the end of the fourteen years Paul speaks of in Galatians 2:1, and these two verses tell us that all these events of this twelfth chapter occurred while Barnabas and Saul were right there in Jerusalem. Herod killed James, the brother of John, and intending to kill Peter, he had him apprehended and imprisoned. The night before Peter was to appear before Herod, the Lord miraculously delivered him from prison. The prison guards were interrogated and put to death because they could not account for Peter’s disappearance. Shortly after this, Herod gave an oration that was so powerful that the people called him a god and not a man. When that happened the Lord smote Herod to death, and he was eaten of worms, and then and only then:

Act 12:25  And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

Verse 25 is the last verse of this 12^th chapter. This is the second time Paul went up to Jerusalem after his conversion in Damascus.

Therefore, when Paul says in Galatians:

Gal 2:1  Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.
Gal 2:2  And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.
Gal 2:3  But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:
Gal 2:4  And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
Gal 2:5  To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
Gal 2:6  But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:
Gal 2:7  But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
Gal 2:8  (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)

“He that wrought effectually in Peter” and in Saul was the “one Lord Jesus Christ” (1Co 8:6).

Gal 2:9  And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
Gal 2:10  Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.

That “fourteen years” began from the time Saul of Tarsus left Jerusalem to return to Tarsus, and it ended when he went up to Jerusalem again for the first time in fourteen years with Barnabas and Titus, both of whom he had been ministering in Antioch.

The fact that Paul here in Galatians tells these Galatians:

Gal 2:2  And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.
Gal 2:3  But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:
Gal 2:4  And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:

“That gospel which I preach among the Gentiles” does not necessitate that Paul had already begun his first missionary journey because there were without doubt some Gentiles there in Antioch, even though the church was mostly Grecian Jews. Titus, a Gentile, went up with Barnabas and Saul ahead of Barnabas and Saul before they had even begun their first missionary journey.

The point Paul is making is that Paul had been told by the Lord from the time Ananias had come to give him back his sight, that the Lord was going to send him to the Gentiles:

Act 9:10  And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
Act 9:11  And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
Act 9:12  And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
Act 9:13  Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
Act 9:14  And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
Act 9:15  But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
Act 9:16  For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

The point Paul is making in both cases is that His doctrine is not of men, but his gospel came directly from Christ Himself.

Paul reiterates this very important point in:

2Co 12:4  How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

The Greek word translated as “unspeakable” in Second Corinthians 12:4 is:

G731
ἄῤῥητος
arrhētos
ar’-hray-tos
From G1 (as a negative particle) and the same as G4490; unsaid, that is, (by implication) inexpressible: – unspeakable.
Total KJV occurrences: 1

This word appears just one time in the New Testament. ‘Unspeakable’ is not the proper English translation of this Greek word ‘arrhetos’. It is the combination of the negative particle and the Greek word:

G4490
ῥητῶς
rhētōs
hray-toce’
Adverb from a derivative of G4483; out spokenly, that is, distinctly: – expressly.
Total KJV occurrences: 1

This word also appears just one time in:

1Ti 4:1  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly [G4490: ‘rhetos’, distinctly], that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2 Corinthians 12: 4 would obviously be better translated as:

2Co 12:4  How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard… words [which had never before been distinctly expressed], which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Act 10:28  And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

Which is just another way of saying:

Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will [distinctly express and ] guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come [which are “not (yet) lawful for a man to utter”].

Peter’s vision at the house of Simon the tanner, resulted in Peter being the first apostle to take the gospel to the house of the Gentile Cornelius. That, too, was “unlawful for a man to utter” before that time. Peter’s vision in Joppa, and him being told to go into the home of the Gentile centurion, Cornelius, all took place while Saul of Tarsus was preaching in the synagogues of Damascus. Saul of Tarsus may or may not have heard of Peter being sent to the house of the Gentile, Italian centurion, but if he did hear of that event then it would have simply served to confirm the words of Ananias concerning what the Lord had told Saul about “bearing [the Lord’s] name before the Gentiles, and kings and the children of Israel”. Saul of Tarsus was the only apostle who had been called into the Lord’s service outside of the nation of Israel… “as… he came near Damascus [Syria]”. He is the only apostle, besides John in the Book of Revelation, to give us the timeline of events which brings us to the consummation of the eons and God being “all in all”. These are just some of the things which, under the law of Moses, were “unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter” (2Co 12:4).

Here in 2 Corinthians 12 is the only other time Paul mentions ‘fourteen years.’ In this case Paul says “above fourteen years ago”:

2Co 12:1  It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2Co 12:2  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 [the very mind of Christ].
2Co 12:3  And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
2Co 12:4  How that he was caught up into paradise [the very mind of Christ], and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
2Co 12:5  Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
2Co 12:6  For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
2Co 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
2Co 12:8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2Co 12:10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Notice that this was “above 14 years ago,” and this is in 2 Corinthians which was written after Paul’s second missionary journey in which the church at Corinth was founded. When Paul said he went up to Jerusalem “after fourteen years” in Galatians 2, he was referring to the first time he had returned to Jerusalem after having fled for his life when he had returned to Jerusalem after fleeing for his life from Damascus where he had been converted and from whence he had gone into Arabia for a season before returning to Damascus, where he spent three years from his conversion preaching in the synagogues of Damascus.

When Paul did return to Jerusalem, even after preaching the gospel for three years to the Jews in Damascus, the Jewish Christian apostles and disciples were so afraid of him that they would not fellowship with him until Barnabas, who somehow knew about Saul’s conversion and the fact that he had been teaching in the synagogues of Damascus for three years, brought Saul to Peter, with whom Saul spent a mere three weeks before he had to flee Jerusalem for his life. The only other apostle Saul met while he was in Jerusalem during his three weeks with Peter was “James the Lord’s brother”. The point being that he had neither time nor opportunity to glean any new doctrines from Peter or James in those three weeks which were spent speaking to and being rejected of the Grecian Jews there in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, Saul had been instructed by Christ Himself that he was to take the gospel to the Gentiles. It was Christ Himself who had shown Paul that all men would be saved through Christ just as all men had been born into a dying body of clay via their father “the first man Adam” (1Co 15:45):

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

It was the Lord Himself, and not any of the other apostles, who revealed to Paul that this universal salvation would come to mankind via a three-step method through which death itself would be destroyed:

1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: [1] Christ the firstfruits; afterward [2] they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24  Then cometh [3] the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

“The end” is not a reference to the false doctrine of eternal torment, nor does it refer to the slightly less offensive false doctrine of annihilation in the lake of fire. “Then cometh the end” refers to the final harvest of the souls of mankind “at the end of the year”:

Exo 23:14  Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. [Typifying the three harvests of the souls of “all in Adam” (1Co 15:22)]
Exo 23:15  Thou shalt keep [1] the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty) [With the accompanying offering of the Passover Lamb, typifying Christ as the first of the firstfruits]:
Exo 23:16  And the feast of harvest, [2] the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field [typify: and [3] the feast of ingathering],  which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.

Now we come to the events of this 12^th chapter of Acts, which will serve to humble Paul and remind him that he must “be persuaded of” the older apostles even if they are not yet aware of the full extent and impact of the revelations given to Saul of Tarsus.

Heb 13:17 Be persuaded by your leaders, and be deferring to them, for they are vigilant for the sake of your souls, as having to render an account, that they may be doing this with joy, and not with groaning, for this is disadvantageous for you.

The reference to “after fourteen years” and “above fourteen years” ago, places all these revelations given Saul of Tarsus, either during the three years at Damascus, during which he spent time in the wilderness of Arabia, or during the ten to thirteen years he spent at Tarsus before the “full year” spent with Barnabas preaching in Antioch. It was at this time that Barnabas and Saul went up to Jerusalem again, to witness the death of the apostle “James the brother of John”, the imprisonment and miraculous deliverance of Peter, and the miraculous death of Herod:

Act 12:1  Now about that time [the time Barnabas and Saul went up from Antioch to Jerusalem] Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
Act 12:2  And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
Act 12:3  And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
Act 12:4  And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter [G3957: ‘pascha’, Passover] to bring him forth to the people.

The Greek word ‘pascha’ is an obvious reference to the Jewish feast of the Passover. ‘Easter’ is a ridiculous translation which the King James translators chose in an attempt to simply erase any Jewishness from the early church. ‘Easter’ is an abominable translation of the Greek word ‘pascha’.

Act 12:5  Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

Like us, the church prayed for Peter’s release, but could not believe that the Lord had actually done so, as we will see.

Act 12:6  And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
Act 12:7  And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

There is not one word about how all this affected the “four quaternions of soldiers” or the “two soldiers… between [whom] Peter was sleeping”. It is immaterial to what the Lord is doing for His elect.

Act 12:8  And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
Act 12:9  And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.
Act 12:10  When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.

That gate had about as much ‘free will’ as you and I have. That gate “opened to them of His own accord”, meaning of Christ’s own accord.

Act 12:11  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.

The same was true for Christ, even though He died upon the cross, because death was also defeated at the cross, and Christ was the first person ever to  be raised from the dead and given a spiritual body which is “like the wind”:

Joh 3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Joh 3:8  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit [In “the redemption of the purchased possession” sense (Eph 1:14).

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; [Christ feared God more than men]

Act 12:12  And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.
Act 12:13  And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda [Greek: rose].
Act 12:14  And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.
Act 12:15  And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.

We simply cannot help ourselves. We are all locked into this physical realm and cannot believe it when the Lord performs a miracle, even when we are petitioning Him for a miracle.

Act 12:16  But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.
Act 12:17  But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren [Including Barnabas and Saul]. And he departed, and went into another place.

This is not what happened when Peter had earlier been imprisoned with the other apostles at the hands of the Sanhedrin. At that time, they were all told to return to the temple and speak to the people the words of the gospel of Christ:

Act 5:19  But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,
Act 5:20  Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.
Act 5:21  And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
Act 5:22  But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told,
Act 5:23  Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.
Act 5:24  Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.
Act 5:25  Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.

That is not what the spirit told Peter to do this time. Instead Peter, after showing himself to all those who had been praying for him in the home of “Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark… departed and went into another place”.

Act 12:18  Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.

These soldiers knew they were as good as dead if Peter did not show up.

Act 12:19  And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode.

The holy spirit had either put all sixteen soldiers in a deep sleep or a trance while Peter was taken from among them. Herod held them accountable, and the Lord will have Herod to give an accounting of His lack of mercy on these sixteen soldiers whom the holy spirit sacrificed for Peter’s sake. This is just how precious we are to the Lord as His elect:

Isa 43:2  When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Isa 43:3  For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
Isa 43:4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

Act 12:20  And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king’s chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king’s country.
Act 12:21  And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.
Act 12:22  And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.
Act 12:23  And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
Act 12:24  But the word of God grew and multiplied.

Herod died in Caesarea, but it appears to have happened before Barnabas and Saul left Jerusalem to return to Antioch.

The Lord gave the life of Herod for the sake of His elect, and Barnabas and Saul of Tarsus, who had never yet made their first missionary journey, were witnesses of all these things while they were there in Jerusalem to deliver the relief to the apostles for the poor Jewish saints who were suffering from the prophesied drought:

Act 12:25  And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

This is ‘John’ the son of ‘Mary’ to whose house Peter had gone when he was taken out of prison by the angel. Mary was apparently a sibling of Barnabas because we are told this in:

Col 4:10  Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him)

This is the same ‘John whose surname was Mark’ who will accompany Barnabas and Saul through a part of their first missionary journey as we will learn in our next study:

Act 13:13  Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.

It is on this first missionary journey that without explanation we are told in the verses preceding this 13^th verse:

Act 13:9  Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
Act 13:10  And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
Act 13:11  And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
Act 13:12  Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

That will all be covered in our next study. What we should glean from this study is that Saul of Tarsus, whose name is changed to Paul the apostle, was taught by Christ and that he was made aware of many new doctrines while he was in Damascus and in the wilderness of Arabia, and while he was in Tarsus, before Barnabas came to take him with him to Antioch. It was during that period of his life, “above fourteen years ago”, before he went to Antioch with Barnabas, that Saul was shown by Christ things which had never been precisely expressed and which were unlawful to speak, according to the law of Moses. It should also be obvious from this study that both Paul and Barnabas witnessed the miraculous events of this 12^th chapter and thereby were made aware of the respect the honor which the Lord had placed upon the apostles who preceded Paul and Barnabas. Seeing how the Lord worked with Peter and the other apostles, prepared Barnabas and Saul to be persuaded of their leaders and to defer to them in the matter of the Gentiles not needing to be circumcised while the Jews were for a time continuing with being under the law of Moses as we will see in chapter 15.