Peter's bold and impetuous personality often made him the first to step into a situation, and the first to speak. The Lord's answers to the other apostles' questions, as recorded in the Bible, were often directed toward the very forward Peter for this reason.

But, did Jesus Christ actually appoint Peter over the other apostles? And more importantly, was the Christian church founded on Peter, or on Jesus Christ? What does The Bible really say about it?

Let's take a close look at all of the pieces of the picture -

• When John and James' mother asked Jesus to place her two sons in a high position, and the other ten apostles "became indignant about it" (Matthew 20:24), The Lord's response was -

  "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you." (Matthew 20:25-26)

  The apostles would be given great positions of responsibility, as we shall see below, but not over each other.

• In the famous "keys to the Kingdom" verse, although Peter was the first to speak up, The Lord was talking to all of the twelve disciples gathered there before Him -

  "I will give you [plural] the keys to the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Then He warned His disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ (Matthew 16:19-20).

  Once again, as we shall see below, Jesus stated that the apostles would be given tremendous authority, but not over each other.

• Peter's name Cephas meant a small rock, but Jesus throughout The Bible, past (see Rock Of Ages) and future (see The Kingdom of God) is referred to as The Rock -

  "On this Rock I will build My church" (Matthew 16:18)

  The Rock on which the Christian church would be built on is Jesus Christ. That is what the events of the entire Bible lead to, or away from. What mere sinful human could ever take the place of The Son of God?

• Peter never exalted himself over the other apostles before Christ's Crucifixion, and later, after Jesus' Resurrection when the church was becoming popularly established, he remained a very prominent, but humble servant of God -

  "As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself." (Acts 10:25-26).

So just what was, and will, be the role of Peter and the other apostles? The answers are plainly found in your Bible -

• Jesus Christ stated very clearly the future office of Peter and the other 11 apostles -

  "You are those who have stood by Me in My trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as My Father conferred one on Me, so that you may eat and drink at My Table in My Kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Luke 22:28-30)

  Each of the apostles will rule over individual tribes of Israel - 12 apostles for 12 tribes.

• Which tribe will Peter rule over? The apostle Paul answered that question for us -

  "They saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. For God, Who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles". (Galatians 2:7-8)

• And so what of the future? In the new Jerusalem we read -

  "And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." (Revelation 21:10-14)

• And just where did the tradition of "Peter at the pearly gates" come from? In further describing the above new Jerusalem, of which Peter will be one of the twelve foundations, and will have charge of one of the twelve gates, we read -

  "The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl." (Revelation 21:21)

Fact Finder: What eventually happened to Peter?
See What Happened To The Apostles?

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