Why did the twelve apostles stay in Jerusalem instead of going elsewhere?
The twelve stayed in Jerusalem because they were still looking for the King, Christ, to return there at any moment. They would not leave for Alexandria or elsewhere, since He will return to Jerusalem, not another city. They refused to flee persecution so they would not miss His coming.
Les explains that the twelve apostles did not run even though terrible persecution was coming upon believers who held that Jesus was the Christ. Everyone else was fleeing for their life, but the twelve sat tight. They were still in Jerusalem seven years after the fact, which should shock us, because if the Great Commission had fully started, they should have been out among the Gentiles. Their reason was that they were still looking for the King. They were not about to be down in Alexandria, Egypt, if Christ should return, because He is not going to return to Alexandria; He is going to return to Jerusalem. Les illustrates this with waiting at a bus depot: he would not cross the street for coffee because as sure as he was over there, the bus would pull in and he would not be there. The twelve had the same attitude—they were not going to leave Jerusalem, no matter how tough it got, because they were still looking for the King at any moment. The main point is that they were not already going out to the ends of the earth with the Gospel.
More Questions
Why were the twelve apostles still in Jerusalem seven years later instead of preaching to the Gentiles?
Seven years after the fact, contrary to the common assumption that the Great Commission should have sent them to the Gentiles, the twelve apostles were still in Jerusalem rather than out among the Gentiles.