It says in Acts 12:1-2 that king Herod afflicted the ecclesia and killed James, one of the Boanerges sons of thunder, with the sword (cf. Mark 3:17).
Acts 12:1-2:
1 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.
2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.
Mark 3:17:
17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means ‘sons of thunder’), …
17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means ‘sons of thunder’), …
The Enemy’s attack on God’s Communication among His People
In a prophetic context, this means that the dynamic of God’s communication within the ecclesia was attacked by the adversary, since thunder, among other things, is connected to the language of the LORD and His hidden eternal plan (cf. Exodus 19:19 i.c.w. Acts 7:38; Revelation 10:4).
Exodus 19:19:
19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him [Note: with thunder].
19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him [Note: with thunder].
Acts 7:38:
38 He [Note: Moses] was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us.
38 He [Note: Moses] was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us.
Revelation 10:4:
4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down [Note: keep secret].’
4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down [Note: keep secret].’
In John 12:24, Jesus reveals a spiritual principle of the perfect surrender of the righteous in Christ Jesus, the result of which produces much fruit, even if it initially means an apparent loss for the ecclesia.
John 12:24:
24 Very truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
24 Very truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
God as our Heavenly Father will not allow a spiritual void to occur, He provides a substitute to fill the empty place.
It was in the interest of the adversary to destroy the prophetic, symbolized by James, or to remove and block it from the truth of the Word of God, symbolized by Peter, in order to disconnect the prophetic from the Word of God. This is with the aim of creating room for an independent mindset that leads to desolation (cf. Isaiah 14:13-14 i.c.w. Proverbs 29:18; Isaiah 5:13; Hosea 4:6).
Isaiah 14:13-14 [Satan’s drive for independence]:
13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
Proverbs 29:18:
18 Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.
18 Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.
Isaiah 5:13:
13 Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of understanding; those of high rank will die of hunger and the common people will be parched with thirst.
13 Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of understanding; those of high rank will die of hunger and the common people will be parched with thirst.
Hosea 4:6:
… 6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. ‘Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.
… 6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. ‘Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.
This is made clear by the act of king Herod who, after murdering James, one of the sons of thunder, which had a great resonance among the Jewish people, took Peter (Note: means ‘rock’ => substance of the truth of God’s word) captive at the time of unleavened bread (cf. Acts 12:3).
Acts 12:3:
3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.
3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.
The principle of linkage between the truth of God’s Word and prophesying should always be interwoven in the will of God (cf. 2 Peter 1:19-21).
2 Peter 1:19-21:
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.
21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.
21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
The Phase of Acceleration and the Liberating Intervention of God
The period of unleavened bread mentioned in Acts 12:3 can also be described as the time of ‘acceleration’, as the bread is also called ‘bread of haste’ and the people of Israel had to leave Egypt quickly at the time of Passover (cf. Exodus 12:11 i.c.w. Deuteronomy 16:3a).
Exodus 12:11:
11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.
11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.
Deuteronomy 16:3a:
3a Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste – …
3a Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste – …
Since the Word of God says in Romans 8:28 that all things must work together for good to them that love God, it is necessary that we judge the circumstances of affliction when they come to us in our lives from the right perspective.
Romans 8:28:
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
The minimization of the dynamics of God’s voice and the seeming absence of the truth of His Word can manifest itself in our lives in such a way that we are as if inwardly blocked from reading the Word of God and hearing His voice. If this is the case, it is necessary to recognize the distressing circumstance on the basis of Romans 8:28 with a redeemed spiritual view.
In Hebrew, the word ‘bajit – house’ is used for the word ‘prison’, which is intended to draw our attention to the fact that God doesn’t see a prison from His perspective, but a place of fellowship with Him, which serves to increase perseverance in faith (cf. James 1:2-4.12 i.c.w. Revelation 2:10).
James 1:2-4.12:
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. …
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. …
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
Revelation 2:10:
10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
God will quicken in terms of suddenly the truth of His Word out of the affliction at the right time, which is like Peter’s supernatural deliverance from prison by the angel who prompted him:
- to wake up from slumber => to confront the spirit of resignation [Note: spirit of sleep] and to enter into the prophetic perspective (cf. Isaiah 29:10 i.c.w. Ephesians 5:14-15),
- to rise up quickly => to enter the phase of acceleration and thus have the right perspective (cf. Isaiah 601-2),
- to gird oneself => to apply the truth of the already established Word of God in oneself in the situation (cf. Ephesians 6:14),
- to put on one's shoes => to go forward in the dynamic of the good news (cf. Ephesians 6:15),
- to put on his cloak => to act in the awareness of the God-given anointing (cf. Matthew 3:4),
- to follow the angel => to react sensitively to the supernatural presence of the Lord and to follow His instruction (cf. Colossians 3:1-4).
The four guards [Note: night watches] of four soldiers each played a role here, which were already intended to serve Peter as an indication of the time of ‘the open door’. In God’s communication, the number ‘4’ is associated with the Hebrew letter ‘Daleth’, which means ‘door’ and pictographically represents an ‘open tent door’ (cf. Acts 12:4-11).
Acts 12:4-11:
4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.
7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. ‘Quick, get up!’ he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
8 Then the angel said to him, ‘Put on your clothes and sandals.’ And Peter did so. ‘Wrap your cloak round you and follow me,’ the angel told him.
9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.
10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
11 Then Peter came to himself and said, ‘Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.’
4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.
7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. ‘Quick, get up!’ he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
8 Then the angel said to him, ‘Put on your clothes and sandals.’ And Peter did so. ‘Wrap your cloak round you and follow me,’ the angel told him.
9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.
10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
11 Then Peter came to himself and said, ‘Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.’
Being Active in the Fullness of the Time of the Blood of the Lamb
Peter acted in faith and obedience in the fullness of the power of Passover, the blood of the Lamb, as he entered the ‘glorious freedom of the sons of God’ at the end of the Days of Unleavened Bread by being delivered by an appointed angel of God. In doing so, he acted in a similar way as the people of Israel at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, who followed the angel of the LORD (cf. Exodus 12:11 i.c.w. Exodus 23:20-21).
Exodus 12:11:
11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.
11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.
Exodus 23:20-21:
20 ‘See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.
21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.
20 ‘See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.
21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.
Peter was not only freed from prison, but also from the city that was under the control of Herod, who as a political leader allowed himself to be regarded by the people as a ‘liberator’ or God, which had serious consequences for him (cf. Acts 12:21-23).
Acts 12:21-23:
21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.
22 They shouted, ‘This is the voice of a god, not of a man.’
23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.
22 They shouted, ‘This is the voice of a god, not of a man.’
23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
Sometimes it is the society deceived by the political leadership whose outcry contributes to the revealing of the hearts of the respective people in political responsibility, resulting in a deposition through the intervention of God.
The Intercession in the House of Mary
It was the intercession of the saints in Mary’s house that, together with Peter’s action in faith, contributed to his release from prison and the city. However, when Peter left the city and went to the house of Mary, who was in spiritual intercession with many saints, he encountered a locked door during the phase of the ‘open door’ initiated by God.
At first, the attending saints couldn’t believe that Peter himself was standing outside the door, which is a call to us as saints today that we should not spiritualize the circumstances out of the soul when the Lord has already answered our prayer (cf. Acts 12:12-16).
Acts 12:12-16:
12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.
13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.
14 When she recognised Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, ‘Peter is at the door!’
15 ‘You’re out of your mind,’ they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, ‘It must be his angel.’
16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.
12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.
13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.
14 When she recognised Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, ‘Peter is at the door!’
15 ‘You’re out of your mind,’ they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, ‘It must be his angel.’
16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.
It is no coincidence that the death of the one son of thunder, James, was accompanied by the mention of his brother named John, and the deliverance of Peter was also accompanied by the mention of the name John as well as James, this James being the half-brother of Jesus (cf. Acts 12:12.17).
Acts 12:12.17:
12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. …
17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. ‘Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,’ he said, and then he left for another place.
12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. …
17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. ‘Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,’ he said, and then he left for another place.
This means that Peter filled the spiritual void due to the death of James with the joy of deliverance by instructing the saints in the house of Mary to convey this message to the second James, the half-brother of Jesus, and his brothers.
It is in the will of the Heavenly Father that we abide in His grace as the name ‘John’ means ‘YAHWEH is gracious.’ and cling to His power of deliverance as the name ‘James’ means ‘heel-holder’, in order to leave behind the place of testing or trial we have passed through or passed over and enter deeper into our promise in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen and Amen.
In His Wisdom,
Daniel Glimm
