Targeting the Leadership 

Acts 12 begins with an account about the death of the apostle James and the imprisonment of the apostle Peter. According to Luke, Herod set out to vex certain members of the church (Acts 12:1). The implication of this verse is that Herod’s decision was very targeted rather than random. The decision to kill James was no coincidence (verse 2). Verse 3 shows that Herod targeted Peter because attacks on the leadership of the church pleased the Jews.  

Peter would have been well-known especially since he delivered the main sermon at Pentecost (see Acts 2). Remember this sermon laid the blame at the feet of the men who were in attendance. Some were convicted while others were not. There would have been tens of thousands of Jews at Jerusalem for Pentecost yet only 3,000 people were converted (Acts 2:41-42).  

Also, keep in mind that Peter and John healed a lame man near the temple (Acts 3:1-11). Consequently, Peter would have been known among the Jews as a follower of Jesus of Nazareth. James would have been well-known as well. He and John were called the sons of thunder by Jesus (Mark 3:17). We can be certain that Jesus did not call them sons of thunder because they were quiet impotent little men.  

Herod set out to please the Jews by deliberately targeting the leadership of the church. This was different from what Saul was doing. Saul simply sought to vex anyone who followed Jesus’ teachings (see Acts 9:1-2). Herod, on the other hand, specifically targeted leaders to please the people.  

This type of attack is not exclusive to the first century. A simple search of history would show you that political leaders throughout history have sought to target the leaders of any movement seen as an enemy to the status quo. The reason why this is important is that it can happen again as we approach the Great Tribulation (Eccl. 1:9-10). Acknowledging that history repeats itself because mankind refuses to learn from its mistakes is essential.   

As true Christians become villainized in the eyes of the public, we should expect to see targeted attacks on those who appear to be the leaders of the movement to follow the pure doctrines of Jesus Christ. If you become an outspoken leader for Jesus Christ, be steadfast until your end. If you do not become a leader, then support those who God has chosen to lead like body parts support one another (Eph. 4:11-16).  

Easter Was Not Easter 

If you truly are a student of the word of God, then you should know by now that the professing Christian world has created its own holidays to worship God. Many have been deceived to believe that the days established by mainstream Christianity exist to honor Jesus Christ. This deception runs so deep that it was translated into the 1611 King James Version of the Bible.  

In Acts 12: 3-4, we read that Herod imprisoned Peter and sought to bring him out after Easter. Sadly, many have never looked at the Greek in which the word Easter was translated from. Additionally, many have not looked at the history of Easter as preserved by the Catholic Church which laid the foundation for so-called Christian holidays.  

The Greek word translated as Easter is Pascha. It was used 29 times in the New Testament. This is easily verifiable using a concordance. Every other time this word was used it was translated as Passover, yet people believe that Easter is supported by the scriptures. There is no need to speculate about why translators did this; however, it is more important to acknowledge that Easter should have been translated as Passover.  

For the first few centuries after Jesus’ resurrection, Pascha was used to refer to Passover as the Western world was dominated by the Greek language. Pascha was disassociated with Passover when the professing Christian world decided to disassociate with Jews. This information can be found in Catholic encyclopedias. Keep in mind, the nonconverted Jews did not accept the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but converted Jews understood that Jesus is the Passover Lamb of God (I Cor. 5:7).  

Christians should know this history and teach it openly. The Catholic Church is responsible for changing the Passover (a God ordained feast) into Easter (a synthesis of pagan and Christian doctrine). For this reason, Easter has become a pagan holiday wrapped in Christian verbiage. The first century Christians kept and honored the Passover with no incorporation of pagan rituals or pagan philosophies.  

Never compromise with the teachings of the world. Jesus taught the disciples how to walk with God the Father, and they passed that knowledge to us through their writings. Reject the sacred days of man and embrace the days kept by Jesus Christ. 

God Saves 

Herod intended to keep Peter in prison until Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread were over because it would have been sacrilege to have him killed at the time (Acts 12:3-4). Remember, how important it was to remove Jesus from the cross before the Days of Unleavened bread began (John 19:31). The high day referenced here is the first day of the Days of Unleavened Bread. By this time in history, Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread were celebrated as one holy week rather than two distinct but consecutive celebrations. For this reason, Herod was waiting until after this event was over to bring Peter forth to be killed.  

While Peter was in prison, the church ceased not to pray to God on his behalf (Acts 12:5). We should not let this fact become lost in the narrative. This group of people did not organize a protest or a jailbreak. They did not petition Herod for his release. They went to the God of heaven in prayer for Peter. They knew that only God could save Peter.  

This is Who we ought to go to in times of trouble. We must learn not to go to men or take matters into our own hands. We have a Father in heaven who can intervene in world events as He chooses. We ought to bring our petitions to God rather than man especially when the person in authority is the adversary.  

Here in Acts 12:6-11, we see that God saved Peter by the hand of an angel. I must take the opportunity to reiterate a point I have made in other installments of this series. Answer to prayer requires faith and faithfulness. God expects us to live a certain way, which is faithfulness. Faith is knowing that God honors the requests of those who obey Him. If you read through the scriptures carefully, you will notice that God often answers and saves through angels. This will never happen if we do not have faith and if we aren’t faithful to His commands.  

Note that Peter had to listen to the command of this angel, or he would not have been saved. If he had failed to get dressed and follow the angel, then he would have been executed the following day. Notice that Peter was deep in this prison, but God did not fail to save him (verse 10). There is no trouble too great for God to save us from. If you believe this, then you will have comfort in times of trouble including the Great Tribulation.  

Gathering Together 

Acts 12:12 is another opportunity for us to see how the church functioned at the beginning as compared to what many do today. Members of the church of God were gathered to pray for God’s intervention in Peter’s problem. Verse 12 shows us that they were gathered at Mark’s mother’s house. In the gospel accounts, we see that men and women in the church often hosted and served the church members. See Luke 8:1-3; Matt. 8:14-15; and Luke 10:38 for a few examples. Also consider the men who invited Jesus into their homes after accepting His gospel.  

In the professing Christian world, people gather in church buildings, halls, convention centers, and stadiums in some cases. Often church members barely know each other. In the scriptures, there is a radically different approach to fellowship. Typically, it is small, local, and intimate. We ought not to lose sight of the way things were done in the beginning (Ps. 77:5). We do not need to reinvent the wheel because the technology of the world has changed.  

Our predecessors gathered in the homes of the faithful as Jesus Christ taught His disciples (Matt. 10:11-13). Meditate for a few minutes on the following verses: Heb. 10:23-25. This is an essential duty of the followers of Jesus Christ; to assemble, to edify, and to pray together. Note that Peter stopped by this known meeting place to let them know he was freed by an angel and to pass the message (Acts 12:12-17). Peter knew that there would be brethren gathered at Mary’s house. Also considered Peter may have gone to another known meeting place after leaving Mary’s house (verse 17). 

Vengeance Is the Lord’s 

Read Ps. 94:1-2. Do you accept that vengeance belongs to God? God well avenge His saints in His own time.  

In Acts 12:18-23, we read of God executing His judgment and vengeance on Herod, a persecutor of the saints. The words of Ps. 94:3-7 may be in your heart at times but be patient and wait for God’s justice. Read Ps. 94:22-23 and Rom. 12:18 for comfort in your time of trouble. As the great tribulation approaches, we must continue to be peaceable with everyone and know that God will defend us in when necessary.  

The Word of God Grew and Multiplied 

Acts 12:24 is another verse that is overlooked because of other details in the passage. It is another verse we should pause and think about. Notice it starts with the word but. This word is a conjunction. When you examine where the Greek word is used, you will discover that it denotes a sequence of events. Essentially this verse shows us that Herod was taken out of the way, and the word of God grew and multiplied.  

God grows His own word by His efforts. We do not have control over how the word of God grows. Our responsibility is to plant the seed and let God do the growing. Any gardener knows that he truly has no control over the growth of the seeds he plants. Mankind has come up with all kinds of techniques to germinate and prune plants, yet no method is fool-proof or produces the same result consistently. Truly, God does the growing and multiplying of His word (I Cor. 3:7-9).  

Do not let the threat of violence stop you from preaching the word of God. Remember that the last days are never described as easy. Learn to do your part as a willing vessel in God’s hands but leave the consequences to God Almighty!