Herod executes the guards, builds an economic coalition, and is struck dead by an angel of the Lord.

Acts 12:18-24

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

• Herod discovers that Peter has been freed and he executes the guards.
• Herod struck dead by an angel of the Lord.

Herod discovers that Peter has been freed and he executes the guards.
“Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter.” Acts 12:18

An angel of the Lord had freed Peter from prison [Acts 12:6-7] and he went to a house filled with Christians [Acts 12:12-15] then departed from there to go someplace else [Acts 12:17]. In the morning after Peter was freed, all the soldiers wondered what had happened to Peter.

Those of today’s culture are tasked with keeping tabs on those who serve Jesus Christ to make sure His Gospel does not escape into their community networks. They are the atheistic soldiers serving the beast that gives them what to speak, do, think, and feel. By what they are given to say and do they oppose God the Creator, reject the need for Jesus Christ, and oppose the presence of the Holy Spirit. There is no small stir among the soldiers when a Christian is free to spread the Good News through the community.

This would be like a teacher all of sudden teaching the values of the Bible in the classroom although Bible teaching is prohibited within the schools. Or would be like Christians all of sudden appearing on public street corners, parks, etc. sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ although city ordinances prohibit such practices. This would cause no small stir among those assigned to restrain the testimony of Jesus Christ.

“But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.” Acts 12:19

Judea is a region surrounding Jerusalem. “JUDEA”, on the map below, is circled in red towards the bottom. Caesarea is a specific port city and is circled in red towards the top. After having the guards executed, Herod went from the region of Judea to the city of Caesarea.

“But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.” Acts 12:19

The Holy Spirit wants us to be aware that the governors of this atheistic world deals severely with those who do not serve them as required. Those governors keep a distance from the “dirty work” as they find refuge in the image of economic prosperity for all. Caesarea, where Herod went, was a port city, meaning it was an economic hub of imports and exports.

Today, the governing leaders and their community culture live to serve the beast that gives them what to speak, do, think, and feel. If those of the community do not keep restraints on the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they are met with severe consequences from those governing over them. In many countries around the world, death is a literal consequence of allowing the Good News to spread from person to person. In other countries, that death comes in the form of being cut off from social approval, meaning employment problems, financial restraints, housing insecurity, relationships souring, not having any way to afford health care services etc.

While people suffer severe consequences from governing officials for being lenient on the way of Jesus Christ, the governing authorities find refuge in the image of economic prosperity. The constant “rhetoric” of public officials relate to economic prosperity, raising minimum wage, lower taxes, lower inflation, affordability, and on and on. They depart any situation or image that exposes them as having blood on their hands. Even so, they are those who cause the churches to abandon the gospel of Jesus Christ to partner with the community agenda. They are those who eliminate the values of the Bible from government laws, policies, and executive orders. They are those who prohibit the Bible to be taught within the the educational system. They are those who make the Gospel of Christ unwelcomed in every sector of society.

Herod struck dead by an angel of the Lord.
“Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king’s country.” Acts 12:20

At this time, Herod was in Caesarea [Acts 12:19] and Tyre and Sidon were to the north. All three cities were port cities along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and very important for economic trade. Caesarea was positioned between Tyre & Sidon and Egypt to control trade routes as Caesarea became a major Roman administrative center and port. In this light, we can see why the governors of Tyre and Sidon wanted to make peace with Herod, to keep their exports and imports trade routes open.

The Holy Spirit wants us to know that countries come together based on economic prosperity and the hatred for the way of Jesus Christ. After Herod killed James and planned to kill Peter because it pleased the people [as describe din Acts 12:1-3], he then established an economic coalition with other countries. The global government of today brings nations together through the agenda of a one world economy. This comes through the United Nations, which was established in 1945 [immediately after WW2], to bring lasting peace and to integrate global resources. The United Nations brought the government of the beast with it, as described in Daniel 8:1-14. The global government and its global culture is built on the beast that gives them what to speak, do, think, and feel. They detest belief in God, reject the need for Jesus Christ, oppose the presence of the Holy Spirit, and intend to eradicate Christianity from the earth.

“So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written:

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH.

I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.” Revelations 17:3-6

“So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” Acts 12:21-22

The Holy Spirit is letting us know that world leaders will exalt global glory with smooth words and flattering speech to promote the progress of a global culture of peace and prosperity. They lead the global population away from the glory that belongs to God and Jesus through the Holy Spirit.  “For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple…having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” Romans 16:18, 2 Timothy 3:5

The global culture praises and serves the agenda/goals of the global government, which is rooted in the voice of their god and not the voice of a person. That is the voice of the beast that gives what to speak, do, feel, and think. The beast gives life to the image of the beast to speak and live through people everywhere. By what they say and do they are groomed to the mark of the beast. “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:14-15

“How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” John 5:44

 “Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God grew and multiplied.” Acts 12:23-24

The Holy Spirit is letting us know that any person, nation, or government not built on the foundation of Jesus Christ will fall. The power, glory, and Kingdom belongs to God, not human beings. “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew 7:24-27

The collapse of the global government and its global economy is described in Revelations 18. “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and detestable animal.” Revelations 18:2

This world will pass away but the word of God will remain forever. Even though Bibles can be taken away from us, the Holy Spirit lives within our heart by believing in Jesus Christ. With that, even with the absence of the Bible, what is written within the Bible will still remain true. For example, global warming is here and is the Fourth Plague of revelations 16:8-9. No one can remove that from the word that God has already spoken. The more powerful the United Nations become as the undisputed one world government the hotter and more intense the effects of global warming become.

Most importantly, no one can remove God’s promise that comes through Jesus Christ, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

The word of God grew and multiplied and reached global proportions on all seven continents. The great falling away from belief in God through Jesus Christ came when the United Nations was established in 1945. Click here for a post on the global falling away [2 Thessalonians 2].

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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