Lesson #17

• MEMORY VERSE: PSALMS 66:19-20

• UP TO THIS POINT IN THE BOOK OF ACTS, THE PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS CAME FROM THE JEWISH RELIGIOUS LEADERS. IN THIS CHAPTER THAT CHANGES FROM RELIGION TO POLITICS.

• READ ACT 12:1-4 THE DATE IS ABOUT 44 AD
• WHO WAS HEROD AGRIPPA I?
• HEROD AGRIPPA I WAS THE GRANDSON OF KING HEROD THE GREAT, WHO HAD THE INFANTS KILLED AT THE TIME OF JESUS’ BIRTH.
• HE WAS INTENSELY AMBITIOUS.
• HEROD AGRIPPA I HAD A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH BOTH EMPEROR CALIGULA AND EMPEROR CLAUDIUS.
• WHEN MORE AND MORE TERRITORY WAS ADDED TO THE ROMAN EMPIRE, THE EMPEROR NAMED HEROD AGRIPPA 1 A KING IN 37 AD, BUT HE WAS NOT MADE KING OVER ALL THE LAND OF ISRAEL UNTIL 41 AD. .
• HEROD AGRIPPA I WAS A HALF JEW.WHO GREW UP IN ROME.
• HE HATED THE JEWS AND HIS JEWISH BACKGROUND BUT SAW THE NECESSITY FOR APPEARING TO FAVOR THE JEWS TO PROMOTE HIS OWN AMBITIONS IN ROME.
• HE PRETENDED TO OBSERVE STRICT JEWISH TRADITIONS AND THE KEEPING OF THE MOSAIC LAW.
• HE HAD JAMES KILLED TO PLEASE THE JEWISH LEADERSHIP.
• WHAT WERE THE PERSECUTIONS ENDURED BY THE CHRISTIANS UNDER KING HEROD?
• BECAUSE THE JEWISH LEADERSHIP, ESPECIALLY THE SADDUCEES, HATED THE CHRISTIANS, HEROD AGRIPPA I TOOK UP THE JEWISH CAUSE OF CHRISTIAN PERSECUTIONS.
• JAMES, THE APOSTLE, AND ONE OF THE ORIGINAL 12 DISCIPLES, WAS MARTYRED.
• PREVIOUSLY WE SAW THE PERSECUTION OF THE LAY CHRISTIANS. FOR THE FIRST TIME WE SEE THE PERSECUTION OF THE CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP, THE APOSTLES.
• REMEMBER THAT MANY OF THE CHRISTIANS HAD SCATTERED AFTER STEPHEN’S DEATH, BUT MOST OF THE APOSTLES STAYED IN JERUSALEM THINKING THEY WERE SAFE BECAUSE THEY STILL FOLLOWED THE MOSAIC LAW AND JEWISH TRADITIONS.
• PETER, THE APOSTLE, AND ONE OF THE ORIGINAL 12 DISCIPLES, WAS IMPRISONED.
• WHY IS THERE A CHANGE IN ATTITUDE AMONG THE PEOPLE CONCERNING THE CHRISTIAN APOSTLES?
• THE PEOPLE ARE PLEASED AT THE DEATH OF JAMES. (3) WHY?
• UP TO THIS POINT THE ATTITUDE OF THE GENERAL JEWISH POPULATION SEEMED TO PROVIDE A MEASURE OF PROTECTION FOR THE CHRISTIAN APOSTLES FROM THE PERSECUTION BY RELIGIOUS LEADERS. THEY SAW NO GOOD REASON TO PERSECUTE CHRISTIAN LEADERS WHO WERE KEEPING THE LAW OF MOSES AND DOING GOOD AMONG THE PEOPLE.
• NOW THE ATTITUDE OF THE PEOPLE HAS CHANGED TOWARD THE CHRISTIAN APOSTLES BECAUSE OF PETER’S ACTIONS CONCERNING THE GENTILES. WHEN PETER OPENED THE DOOR TO SALVATION AMONG THE GENTILES, HE OPENED THE DOOR TO PERSECUTION OF THE APOSTLES.
• THE MENTION OF THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD: (3)
• PETER WAS ARRESTED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 7 DAY CELEBRATION OF THE PASSOVER.
• VERSE 4 IN THE KING JAMES USES THE WORD “EASTER” WHICH COMES FROM THE LATIN HOLIDAY DURING THE TIME THE KING JAMES VERSION WAS WRITTEN. THE WORD SHOULD READ, “PASSOVER”.
• THIS MEANS THAT IT WAS A TIME WHEN THE JEWS DID NOT CONDUCT ANY LEGAL BUSINESS.
• THIS VERSE TELLS US WHY PETER WAS IMPRISONED AND NOT IMMEDIATELY KILLED LIKE JAMES.
• HEROD AGRIPPA I DID NOT WANT TO ANGER THE JEWS BY CONDUCTING LEGAL BUSINESS DURING THE 7 DAY CELEBRATION, SO HE THOUGHT TO IMPRISON PETER UNTIL THE PASSOVER WAS ENDED. THEN HE COULD HAVE PETER PUBLICLY KILLED. .
• NOTICE THAT PETER IS UNDER VERY HEAVY GUARD BECAUSE HE WAS ALREADY ONCE MIRACULOUSLY DELIVERED FROM PRISON. (ACT 5:17-20)
• FOUR SQUADS OF SOLDIERS MEANS THAT THERE WERE 4 SOLDIERS TO A SQUAD, AND EACH SQUAD PERFORMED 6 HOURS OF CONSTANT GUARD DUTY.
• THE PRISONER WAS CHAINED BETWEEN TWO GUARDS WHILE TWO GUARDS GUARDED THE PRISON DOORS.

• READ ACT 12:5-19 GOD ANSWERS FERVENT PRAYER
• WHAT DO YOU LEARN ABOUT PERSECUTION IN THIS CHAPTER?
• ENDURING PERSECUTION DEMANDS A PROPER ATTITUDE:
• NOTICE PETER’S ATTITUDE THROUGH THIS EXPERIENCE.
• HE IS ON DEATH ROW WAITING FOR EXECUTION EXPECTING TO FOLLOW JAMES IN MARTYRDOM. HE IS NOT WORRIED. HE IS NOT EVEN PRAYING. HE IS SLEEPING SO SOUNDLY THAT THE ANGEL HAS TO JAB HIM TO AWAKEN HIM.
• WHEN YOU ARE PRAYED UP, WHEN YOU ARE CONFIDENT OF GOD’S PRESENCE, AND WHEN YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN GOD’S PERFECT WILL, FEAR IS NOT PRESENT FOR PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR. (1JOH 4:18)
• THE MIRACLE OF GOD:
• EVEN THOUGH PETER WAS CHAINED BETWEEN TWO GUARDS AND THE DOORS WERE GUARDED, THE ANGEL FREED PETER FROM PRISON WITHOUT DISTURBING THE GUARDS. THEN THE ANGEL DISAPPEARED.
• THE KING JAMES VERSION SAYS THAT THIS IS “THE” ANGEL OF THE LORD.
• THIS IS NOT AN APPEARANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. THEREFORE, VERSE 7 SHOULD READ “AN” ANGEL OF THE LORD, FOR THIS IS SIMPLY AN ORDINARY ANGEL.
• DISCUSSION: WHY DO YOU THINK GOD DELIVERED PETER BUT HE DID NOT DELIVER JAMES, THE BROTHER OF JOHN.

• SOME CHRISTIANS SAY THAT WHEN PRAYERS LIKE THIS ARE NOT ANSWERED IN THE WAY THAT WE EXPECT, IT MEANS THERE IS A LACK OF FAITH.
• HOWEVER, A LACK OF FAITH DOES NOT EXPLAIN HEB 11:35-40.
• THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD DICTATES THE LOCATION AND THE EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER. BECAUSE NO TWO PEOPLE ARE ALIKE, GOD’S PLAN FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL IS NOT THE SAME AS THAT FOR ANOTHER PERSON.
• BECAUSE THE BELIEVER IS BOUGHT WITH A PRICE (1COR 7:23 … THROUGH THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST), IT IS GOD WHO DECIDES TO DO WHAT HE WILLS IN OUR LIVES.

• THE PRAYER MEETING IN THE HOUSE OF MARY, THE MOTHER OF JOHN MARK.
• JOHN MARK IS THE AUTHOR OF THE GOSPEL OF MARK.
• THE PRAYER MEETING IS IN AN UPPER ROOM OF MARY’S HOUSE.
• THIS MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THE UPPER ROOM WHERE THE 120 BELIEVERS GATHERED TO RECEIVE THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST.
• DISCUSSION: WHAT DOES THIS PASSAGE TEACH US ABOUT PRAYER?

• THE UNITY OF PRAYER IN A GROUP IS POWERFUL. WHY?
• IN ORAL PRAYER YOU HEAR THE FAITH OF OTHERS AROUND YOU AND THAT ENCOURAGES YOUR FAITH.
• THOSE CHRISTIANS PRAYING IN THE UPPER ROOM WERE SURPRISED AT HOW GOD ANSWERED THEIR PRAYERS.
• THEY WERE SO SURPRISED TO HEAR OF PETER’S PRESENCE THAT THEY SAID, “IT IS HIS ANGEL”. (15)
• THE GREEK WORD FOR “ANGEL” HERE IS pneuma WHICH MEANS = SPIRIT.
• AT THAT TIME THE PEOPLE BELIEVED THAT ONE’S SPIRIT COULD TAKE THE BODILY FORM OF THAT PERSON FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AFTER DEATH.
• THEREFORE, THOSE IN THE ROOM THOUGHT PETER HAD BEEN MARTYRED LIKE JAMES.
• OFTEN WHEN WE PRAY WE HAVE A FIXED IDEA AS TO HOW GOD WILL ANSWER OUR PRAYERS. WHEN HE ANSWERS IN A DIFFERENT WAY THAN WE EXPECT, WE ARE SURPRISED. IT DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN A LACK OF FAITH ON OUR PART.

• PETER’S COMMAND TO GO AND TELL JAMES AND THE BRETHREN (17).
• EVIDENTLY THERE WAS ANOTHER PRAYER MEETING UNDER WAY IN A DIFFERENT LOCATION. THEY WERE TO TELL JAMES THAT THEIR PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED AND PETER WAS FREE.
• THIS JAMES IS JESUS’ HALF BROTHER THAT CAME TO A SAVING FAITH IN JESUS AS THE CHRIST AFTER THE CRUCIFIXION.
• THIS JAMES IS THE PASTOR OF THE JERUSALEM CHURCH.
• PETER LEFT FOR A SAFER PLACE (17)
• PETER TOLD NO ONE WHERE HE WAS GOING. THAT MADE IT SAFER FOR PETER AS WELL AS FOR OTHER CHRISTIANS WHO COULD NOT BE TORTURED TO DIVULGE PETER’S LOCATION.
• THE TRADITION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH SAYS THAT AT THIS POINT PETER WENT TO ROME AS THE FIRST POPE.
• THE BIBLE DOES NOT VERIFY THIS NOR IS THERE OTHER DOCUMENTS TO VERIFY IT.
• PETER PROBABLY LEFT HEROD’S JURISDICTION. HE MAY HAVE GONE TO ANTIOCH WHERE REVIVAL WAS UNDERWAY AMONG THE GENTILES.
• IT IS AFTER THIS IMPRISONMENT OF PETER THAT THE OTHER APOSTLES, EXCEPT JAMES, THE LORD’S HALF-BROTHER, BEGAN LEAVING JERUSALEM FOR MORE DISTANT PLACES TAKING THE GOSPEL TO THE UTTERMOST PARTS OF THE EARTH.
• JAMES WAS FINALLY STONED TO DEATH BY THE JEWISH RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN 61 AD.
• THE SEARCH FOR PETER
• LUKE SAYS IN VERSE 18, “THERE WAS NO SMALL STIR AMONG THE SOLDIERS”.
• THIS IS LUKE’S WAY OF SAYING THAT PETER’S ESCAPE FROM PRISON CAUSED A VERY BIG PANIC AMONG THE SOLDIERS.
• KING HEROD AGRIPPA I ORDERED A SEARCH FOR PETER BUT TO NO AVAIL.
• KING HEROD WAS SO EMBARRASSED AND ANGRY ABOUT THE WHOLE AFFAIR THAT HE LEFT JERUSALEM FOR HIS PALACE IN CAESAREA.
• THE SOLDIERS WHO GUARDED PETER WERE EXECUTED ACCORDING TO ROMAN MILITARY LAW.

• READ ACT 12:20-25 THE EXPLOITS OF HEROD AGRIPPA 1 AND HIS DEATH
• HEROD ORDERED A FESTIVAL TO HONOR THE EMPEROR, CLAUDIUS.
• AT THE SAME TIME, HE AGREED TO MEET WITH A DELEGATION FROM TYRE AND SIDON.
• THE CITY STATES OF TYRE AND SIDON WERE DEPENDENT ON THE LAND OF ISRAEL FOR FOOD. HOWEVER, FOR SOME REASON THAT THE BIBLE DOES NOT TELL US, HEROD WAS ANGRY WITH THESE TWO CITY-STATES. THEY SENT A DELEGATION TO MAKE PEACE WITH HEROD ON THE DAY OF THE FESTIVAL.
• THE HISTORIAN, JOSEPHUS, TELLS US THAT KING HEROD WORE A FABULOUS ROBE MADE OF FINELY WORKED SILVER THREADS. HIS THRONE FACED EAST. WHEN THE SUN CAME UP, THE SUN MADE THE ROBE A GLORIOUS SIGHT OF BRILLIANT LIGHT.
• THEN THE DELEGATION FROM TYRE AND SIDON CHANTED, “IT IS THE VOICE OF A GOD AND NOT OF A MAN.” (22)
• HEROD AGRIPPA I WAS A HALF JEW. HE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN NOT TO ACCEPT WORSHIP AS A GOD.
• BECAUSE OF HIS VANITY AND PRIDE, GOD JUDGED HIM AND HE BECAME IMMEDIATELY SICK WITH SEVERE ABDOMINAL PAIN. JOSEPHUS SAYS HE DIED 5 DAYS LATER AT THE AGE OF 54 IN THE SEVENTH YEAR OF HIS REIGN.
• DR. LUKE, WHO WROTE THE BOOK OF ACTS, SAYS HE WAS EATEN UP WITH WORMS.
• ACCORDING TO MODERN MEDICINE, THIS WAS PROBABLY A RUPTURED CYST OR PERITONITIS.
• PROPHETICALLY, HEROD AGRIPPA I IS CONSIDERED A PREFIGURE OF THE ANTI-CHRIST TO COME.
• READ 1JOH 2:18
• IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD, THE ANTI-CHRIST WILL PERSECUTE JEWS AND CHRISTIANS.
• THE ANTI-CHRIST WILL DEMAND THAT PEOPLE WORSHIP HIM AS A GOD.
• AFTER THE DEATH OF HEROD AGRIPPA I, ROME APPOINTED PROCURATORS TO GOVERN HEROD’S TERRITORY.
• IT WAS PROBABLY DURING THIS TIME OF RESPITE FROM PERSECUTION THAT BARNABAS AND SAUL (PAUL) VISITED JERUSALEM FOR THE PURPOSES OF TAKING THE MONEY THAT THEY HAD RAISED IN ANTIOCH FOR THE POOR IN JUDEA (ACT 11:29-30). WHEN THEY LEFT JERUSALEM TO Return to ANTIOCH, THEY TOOK JOHN MARK WITH THEM.
• CONCLUSION:
• THE CHURCH PROSPERED AND GREW DESPITE PERSECUTION. IN FACT, USUALLY THE CHURCH DOES BETTER IN TIMES OF PERSECUTION THAN IN TIMES OF PEACE AND PLENTY. AT LEAST HISTORY HAS PROVED IT TO BE TRUE.
• THIS CHAPTER ENDS THE SECOND AND THIRD STAGE OF GOD’S PLAN FOR THE SPREADING OF THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ACT 1:8
• THE GOSPEL FIRST SPREAD THROUGH JERUSALEM UNTIL PERSECUTION SCATTERED THE BELIEVERS.
• THE SCATTERED BELIEVERS TOOK THE GOSPEL WITH THEM TO JUDEA AND THEN TO SAMARIA.
• THE NEXT STAGE IS TO TAKE THE GOSPEL TO THE UTTERMOST PARTS OF THE WORLD.

HOMEWORK
ACTS 13
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.

• APPLICATION OF ACT 12
• BECAUSE GROUP PRAYER HAS A POWERFUL BENEFIT, LOOK FOR WAYS THIS WEEK TO INVOLVE YOURSELF MORE IN GROUP PRAYER. WRITE YOUR EXPERIENCES HERE.

• PREPARATION FOR ACT 13
• READ ACT 13:1-52
• HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THE CURSE ON BAR-JESUS WHEN JESUS CHRIST PRONOUNCED NO CURSE ON ANY PERSON DURING HIS MINISTRY ON EARTH?

• WHAT INCIDENT CAUSED SERGIUS PAULUS TO BELIEVE IN THE LORD?

• WHAT WAS THE SITUATION THAT OPENED THE DOOR FOR PAUL TO PREACH? (13-15)

• WHAT ARE THE MAIN POINTS OF PAUL’S SERMON? (16-41)

• CONSIDER THE OPENING VERSES OF EACH OF THE THREE SEGMENTS OF PAUL’S SERMON AS TO HOW HE INVOLVES HIS HEARERS IN HIS SERMON:
• SEGMENT #1 (26)

• SEGMENT #2 (32)

• SEGMENT #3 (38)

• WHAT DOES PAUL PREACH ABOUT THE LAW OF MOSES?

• WHAT WAS THE REACTION OF THE GENTILES TO PAUL’S PREACHING TO THE JEWS?

• MEMORY VERSE: ROM 5:2