Peter arrives at the house of Mary.

Acts 12:12-15

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

“So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.” Acts 12:12

Peter was coming to grips with the reality of what had just happened to him as described in the previous post on Acts 12:8-11. He had just been freed from prison by an angel of the Lord. When he had considered what had happened to him, he came to the house of Mary, who was the mother of John Mark. John Mark was the cousin of Barnabas, as quoted “…Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him)…” Colossians 4:10 That would make Mary the sister of one of the parents of John Mark. John Mark accompanied Paul and Barnabas at the beginning of the missionary journey, as described in Acts 12:25. John Mark [Mark being his surname, the name everyone knew him by] is the one who wrote the Gospel of Mark.

In the house of Mary, many were gathered together and praying. This house is the definition of a Church, where a gathering of two or more Believers come together in the name of Jesus. Also, each individual is the home of the Holy Spirit, with our Lord Jesus Christ being the priest and head over us. We can come together in many different types of group meetings, but if Jesus is not there among us, then it is not a Church…the gathering is secular and of the world.

“And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate.” Acts 12:13-14

We live in a world today where it’s possible to hear voices that sound identical to someone we know, but we never see the face to put with the person. The beast that has power over physiology is able to mimic voices and to give people what to say to create an image of a familiar voice. This perks up our ears, either positively or negatively but there is never a face to put with the person, just a voice. Is this supposed to be a way to manipulate us to listen to the invisible god that gives people what to speak, do, think, and feel?

Peter stood at the door of the gate and knocked and a girl named Rhoda [means Rose] came to answer, recognized Peter’s voice, but didn’t open the gate. Jesus is knocking at the gate of our heart’s door wanting to come in. Rhoda [Rose] represents all of the “sheep” who recognized the voice of the Good Shepherd [Jesus Christ], “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” John 10:27 Sometimes, we can be so enthused to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd that we overlook the part about letting Him come in as the Lord over our life. This is like enjoying reading the Psalms of the Bible for emotional encouragement but forgetting to live our life for Him in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

It’s one thing to share encouragement and to make announcements from the scriptures to let people know that Jesus is standing at the gate to meet our emotional needs, but quite another to let Jesus come through the gate of our heart to announce that we have made Jesus our Lord and Savior to live for Him in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Into my heart, into my heart,
Come into my heart, Lord Jesus;
Come in today, come in to stay,
  Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.
[Church Song]

“But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.” Acts 12:15

The whole house was praying sincerely in the name of Jesus Christ, as described in Acts 12:12, but they knew Herod had imprisoned Peter to execute him that same day. They assumed Peter was dead. They could not believe that Rhoda [Rose] had heard the voice of Peter, they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” We are the “sheep” who hear the voice of the Good Shepherd within ourselves, we know He is alive, whatever people want to say. Our born-again experience is testimony of Him being alive and is the Gospel of Christ written on our heart.

I serve a risen Savior
  He’s in the world today.
I know that He is living,
  Whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy;
  I hear His voice of cheer;
And just the time I need Him
  He’s always near.
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
    He lives within my heart.
[He Lives]

In the days just after the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ, everyone who had their hope in Him thought that all of their hope for the coming Messiah was lost, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.” Luke 24:19-21 When Mary Magdalene brought the Good News that she saw Jesus alive, the resurrected Christ, even the Apostles did not believe her, “And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.” Mark 16:11

Our Lord Jesus is much more than an angel,  “...[Jesus] being the brightness of [God’s] glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” Hebrews 1:3-4

After His resurrection, Jesus said, “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” Luke 24:39

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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