Acts 8:1

"And Saul was consenting unto his (Stephen's) death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles." Now the Twelve didn't leave because they were sure that the Messiah would be coming and they didn't want to be out of town when it happened. Remember they had been promised they would reign and rule over the Twelve tribes of Israel during the Kingdom Age. So they didn't scatter, but the rest of those Jewish believers scattered. Acts 11:19 makes it so clear that Gentiles were not involved in any of this. This is so simple. You don't have to be a seminary graduate to understand this.


Acts 11:19

"Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen.(which took place in Jerusalem) traveled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch. (in other words, that whole eastern end of the Mediterranean) preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only."


We're talking about 10 years after the cross. That's what the Book says -- that these Jewish believers who were now scattered away from the home church in Jerusalem (which was headed up, of course, by Peter and the Twelve) are now being scattered throughout that end of the Roman Empire and they still have no consort with anybody but Jews.


Now come back to James and let's stop with James chapter 1 verse 1, and this just says it all. Plain English.


James 1:1

"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to (and I don't think we do any harm by putting 'writing' rather than 'to') the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting." Now isn't that plain? Now these Jews, of course, gathered in little congregations of Synagogues and they knew nothing of Paul's work of Grace. They're still in Judaism. All they've understood is that Jesus Christ of Nazareth was the Messiah and to a degree that He had risen from the dead and that He was still able to fulfill the covenant promises of the Kingdom. And so this is what they're looking for.