Herod harasses the Church, kills James, and imprisons Peter.

Acts 12:1-5

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

• Herod harasses the church and kills the Apostle James.
• Herod imprisons Peter with plans to kill him.

Herod harasses the church and kills the Apostle James.
“Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.” Acts 12:1-2

Some fleshly knowledge that may help us to grow in the grace knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ is this verse, “James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder” Mark 3:17 James and John were two of the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, Mark 3:13-19. James, the brother of Jesus Christ, is alive and well in Acts 12:17 but was not one of the twelve Apostles.

The Holy Spirit is letting us know that the days are coming, and already are, when governing leaders will use their authority to harass the followers of Jesus Christ. Our brothers and sisters in Christ will have a spear driven through their heart to create excruciating heartache, pain, and anguish. That heartache comes by being aware of and being a witness to how fellow Christians are made to suffer, are afflicted, harassed, imprisoned, and even killed.

We live in a world where the large majority of the members of the United Nations are atheists. They scoff at belief in God, discard the need for Jesus Christ, and oppose the presence of the Holy Spirit. When the United Nations become the undisputed one world government then there will be unrestrained harassment, persecution, imprisonment, and killing of Christians. Today, the global government and its global culture are already revving up to that task.

The global government and its global culture, as it stands today, already live by the beast that governs by giving them what to speak, do, think, and feel. The beast opposes God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and Christians. This is the beast that enlivens the image of the beast to speak and live through people. By what they are given to say and do they are groomed to the mark of the beast.

“It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelations 13:7-8 The “him” in this verse is the beast of the image and mark of the beast.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18 We are worth very much to God and His vengeance is coming to this world, “…for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye.” Zechariah 2:8 Our reward at His coming is the glory of a redeemed body and eternal life.

Herod imprisons Peter with plans to kill him.
“And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also.” Acts 12:3a

The Holy Spirit reveals to us that those of this atheistic world feels pleasure at the suffering, affliction, and difficulties of the followers of Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus plainly says, “Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.” John 16:20 When the faithful witnesses are killed, the world celebrates by sending gifts to one another, “When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them…And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another…” Revelations 11:7, 10

As the world rejoices over the persecution of one Christian, they will find another to make sport of, to have dark and cruel “fun” with. Our Lord Jesus says, “…narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:14

“Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.” Acts 12:3b-5

The guards of today’s culture, which is global, are everyone who are governed by the beast that gives them what to speak, do, think, and feel. They speak with opposition and deception to Christians to keep them beat down. What they do is to create barriers and lock-out the gospel of Jesus Christ from their social network. They think evil continually against the way of Christ. And they feel delight in their despise against liberty in the belief in God.

The Days of Unleavened Bread [Exodus 12:14-17] happened just before the Passover, Exodus 12:21-29. Paul describes to us the significance of unleavened bread related to the Passover, “Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” 1 Corinthians 5:7 The unleavened bread represents the Holy Spirit doing a work of sanctification within us. The Passover represents the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, being applied to the door of our heart. By His blood, we pass from death into life, which is life in the Spirit today and eternal life to come.

The Holy Spirit is saying to us that today’s culture keeps us in prison because the work of sanctification is being done within us. That means we do not bond with the community social structure that unites by unbelief in God the Creator, unites by discarding the need for Jesus Christ, and unites by opposing the presence of the Holy Spirit. We are also kept imprisoned because we believe in the resurrection from the grave and the judgment to come. They despise hearing from us that they will be resurrected to condemnation and eternal hell for their unbelief and blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, “…those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2

Those of today’s culture intends to keep Christians imprisoned until after the “Passover”, which is to keep us imprisoned until after we denounce being born-again through Jesus Christ and denounce belief in eternal life. That is one way they intend to kill Christians while the faithful and true will be literally killed for clinging to the our Lord Jesus Christ. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are constantly in prayer, within the Spirit, for our fellow brothers and sisters enduring these demonic days.

The Spirit of God pointed to the Cross of Jesus Christ when the blood was put on the doorposts as described in Exodus 12:21-29. The blood on the two door posts and above the door formed a Cross, as seen in the image below. Jesus gave His life on the Cross as the Passover Lamb.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11