# 35: 10-5-07 1

Acts 12: The Future Deliverance of Israel

Open your bibles to Galatians chapter 4.

[Galatians 4:4-5]

“When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to
redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Gal 4:4-5).

At the time that He Himself appointed, God the Father sent forth God the Son – born of the woman, Israel,
a nation that God put under the Law, to preserve her. Now, for what purpose was God the Son born? V. 5 -
To redeem those who were under the Law – to redeem the Jews – so that they could be adopted into God’s
family as sons – sons of God.

Has that purpose yet been realized? No; not yet – but in that it is God’s purpose, it will be.

What will it take, for God’s purpose for Israel to be realized? It will take them believing Him, for the One
whom He has sent, to put away their sin – Jesus. And they have yet to believe Him.

But it is not for want of God making their Redeemer known to them, was it? Jesus came to His own – the
Jews – but His own did not receive Him (Jn 1:11). Even after Jesus ascended back into heaven, He sent the
members of His Body first to the Jews, to announce the finished work of their Messiah (Acts 3:26).
Initially, to the common people; then, to the rulers of Israel – the gospel was proclaimed. Although
individual Jews believed, the nation as a whole continued in their rejection of Jesus. Finally, we saw in the
martyrdom of Stephen, a uniting of the people and rulers of Israel, as if to emphatically proclaim what
Jesus Himself had prophesied of them: “We will not have this Man to rule over us” (Lk 19:14).

Since His nation categorically rejected Him, God had no choice but to set aside His people – for a time.
Meanwhile, God began to send the gospel out to the uttermost parts of the earth. God enlisted Peter to
open the door of the kingdom of heaven to the Gentiles, as he preached the gospel to the centurion,
Cornelius, and his friends (Acts 10).

Then God raised up Paul to be His apostle to the Gentiles (Rm 11:13), and brought Barnabas alongside for
encouragement in the work. The first predominantly Gentile church became established in Antioch with
them (Acts 11:19-30). This was a point of transition for the church from the Jewish to the Gentile world.
God would have to leave behind His people, the nation Israel, because they refused to come to Him,
believing.

But has God cast away His people? Paul would later write, “Certainly not! God has not cast away His
people whom He foreknew” (Rm 11:1a, 2a). What is it that God foreknows? Paul went on to talk about a
remnant of Israel, according to the election of grace (Rm 11:5). God foreknows that there will be a
remnant of the nation of Israel, yet future to our day, who will believe into Jesus as their Messiah, and be
redeemed by Grace (Rm 11:26).

What we will see in Acts chapter 12 is that before the Lord left His own people behind to move out among
the Gentiles, He provided a token to the Jews – an encouragement for them, which Luke, inspired by the
Spirit, carefully recorded in the NT record.
# 35: 10-5-07 2

The token would serve as a comfort – in particular, to the Jewish members of Christ’s Body, but also to that
future, believing generation of the Jews, during their time of trouble – the Great Tribulation. The token
shows that God is not finished with Israel; that there will be a remnant that will be saved (Rm 9:27, from Is
10:22).

Now, last week we looked at the historical account in chapter 12. We saw from the preceding chapter a
prophecy concerning a great famine in the land – in fact, it was to be throughout all the Roman world – in
the days of Claudius Caesar – the ruler of that world.

There were a series of devastating crop failures from early in the reign of Claudius. Judea was hardest hit
after the action in chapter 12 occurred, but Luke records the famine prophecy and sending the relief to
Judea back in chapter 11. Partly, this was because of the picture that the Holy Spirit was creating here; for
this famine throughout all the world was a preview of the dire natural events that will herald the beginning
of the Great Tribulation that will come on all the earth.

Jesus prophesied of these natural disasters to His disciples shortly before His death. Turn to Matthew
chapter 24. Jesus had spoken of the judgment that was coming on Jerusalem and on the temple, which
prompted further questions from his disciples, in private.

[Matthew 24:3-8]

v. 3 We need to remember the time frame here. The disciples were Jews, and were anticipating their
Messiah coming to establish His kingdom on earth, with Israel as the head nation – the end of this age, and
the beginning of the Kingdom age. So they were asking Jesus, as Israel’s Messiah, when He was coming to
set up His Kingdom.

v. 4-5 The prophecy that Jesus had given previously related to the destruction of Jerusalem, which would
take place in 70 AD (Mt 23:37-24:2). But the disciples had raised questions about when Jesus would come
to set up His kingdom – an event even future to our time.

The way in which Jesus framed His answer was to show His disciples that many things would come to
pass, before His Coming – His Second Coming. The Jews were to take heed not to be deceived by any
false deliverers that came, claiming to be Israel’s Messiah. Then Jesus went on to describe the sequence of
events that would take place before He returned.

v. 6-8 Jesus prophesied of a time in which wars were rampant on the earth; of famines, plagues, and
earthquakes. The word for “sorrows” in verse 8 speaks of a woman’s labor pains. These devastating
world-wide events will be the birth pangs that result in the birth of the regenerate nation Israel.

[Return to Acts 12] So we see a world-wide famine leading into the events in chapter 12. Last week, we
learned that there was a king over the land, at this time, where there had been no king previously. Who was
this king? Herod Agrippa the First.

Remember that this Herod had been raised in Rome, and had established a relationship with the imperial
family there. Herod cunningly cultivated these political relationships over the years, particularly with those
whom he perceived would come into power in Rome.
# 35: 10-5-07 3

When Caligula and then Claudius became the emperor, consecutively, they appointed Herod over more and
more of the territory in the Middle East, until the entire land was united under him. Rome also gave Herod
authority, as king over his subjects; it was quite a meteoric rise in power. Herod’s name means, “heroic”.
Here indeed was a mighty man, a man of renown (Gen 6:4), whom the world could venerate.

Herod Agrippa the First is a type of the man of sin (2 Th 2:3), the last world ruler, who will be revealed at
the beginning of the Great Tribulation, and come into the fullness of his power in the middle of the seven-
year tribulation period.

Many of the Jews at that time will be deceived into thinking that the man of sin is their long-awaited
Messiah - their deliverer - for he will orchestrate a peace plan in the Middle East; but this is a false
Messiah, and it will be a false peace. In the middle of the Tribulation, his true agenda will be revealed; to
destroy the Jews – and he will persecute them with a vengeance. We’re going to look a just a few passages
about the man of sin this morning, to see how he is reflected in King Herod Agrippa.

Turn to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Paul was writing to this assembly concerning the day of the Lord – the
Second Coming of Jesus, which they mistakenly thought was at hand.

[2 Thessalonians 2:1-12]

v. 1-2 Paul had already written to this assembly about that time yet future to our day, when the church will
be caught up to be with her Lord (1 Th 4:13-17) – our gathering together with Him.

v. 3-4 The term “falling away” in verse 3 literally means “departure”; Paul was saying that the day of the
Lord will not come until the church departs from the earth. It is then that the man of sin will be revealed on
the scene; the beginning of the seven-year period of the Great Tribulation. The man of sin will have his
image placed in the holy of holies in the temple in Jerusalem; this will occur in the middle of the
Tribulation. He will demand to be worshipped as God.

We can see this reflected in Herod Agrippa, who earned the admiration of his subjects with his spectacular
rise to power. Herod always strove to be popular with the people, and particularly so with the Jews. And
Herod was successful; he was widely accepted by the Jews as their king, and was held in high esteem by
them.

v. 5-6 What is restraining, or withholding, is God; He is withholding judgment, until the church is caught
up.

v. 7 The mystery of lawlessness is why a just God allows it to continue. He does so to preserve those who
are righteous – as in the days of Noah. The last part of verse 7 reads literally, “only He [is] restraining now,
until out of the midst it comes”. God is restraining Himself from sending judgment on the earth, until the
church comes out of the midst, and is caught up to her Lord. Then lawlessness will no longer be restrained
- the man of sin will be revealed on the world scene.

v. 8-12 The man of sin will be a great deceiver; he will come with the power and authority of Satan. And
God will allow the man of sin to work his deception, so as to provide men with the opportunity to exercise
their freedom of choice. Those who choose not to believe the truth will buy the lie, and they reap
judgment. It is a just recompense – for they chose not to believe God for His Christ, and be saved.
# 35: 10-5-07 4

We can see that Israel bought this deception with Herod. They had refused their true king, Jesus, and put
Him to death. Instead, they chose to ally themselves with this king who came in the power of Rome. They
will do this again, during the Great Tribulation, with the man of sin – just as Jesus prophesied they would
(Jn 5:43).

We’re going to look in Revelation chapter 6 for a little more detail concerning the man of sin. The apostle
John received this revelation from Jesus concerning things to come. In the revelation, John was taken up
into heaven, where he saw a scroll with seven seals. Only the Lamb of God, Jesus, was found worthy to
open the scroll and loose its seals. This is what was revealed when the first seal was opened.

[Revelation 6:1-2]

v. 1-2 John saw a vision of a man on a white horse. Military conquerors rode on white horses; those who
had triumphed in battle. After their triumph, they were given a victor’s crown. This conqueror, who went
out conquering and to conquer, already had a victor’s crown. It would seem the victory was won – before
he ever had to fight for it. It was as if it was just given to him.

How had this man attained the victory? He had a bow – but no arrows. This victory had been obtained, not
through a campaign of war – but of peace.

This is the last world ruler, the man of sin, who will promise to bring peace to the world – and, seemingly,
he will. But if we were to continue in this chapter, we would see that it will be a false peace. What will
quickly follow is war – and famine – and pestilence - and death.

We don’t see all of that in the figure of Herod Agrippa – but we do see that he was given his power and
authority by Rome – he never had to fight to acquire his kingdom. And all the world in the Middle East
was united under his power – as the whole world will be under the man of sin.

Turn to Revelation chapter 13. John continued to record the revelation, which is not chronological, but
overlaps different details of events. Here the man of sin is revealed to be the Beast, reflecting his power
and ferocity, as he will be seen mid-way through the Tribulation.

[Revelation 13:1-8]

v. 1-2 Out of the sea of humanity, John saw a beast rising up. The imagery used to describe the Beast is
similar to that of the great red dragon in chapter 12 – who is Satan (Rev 12:3, 9), as well as the imagery of
a vision that Daniel saw of four great kingdoms (Daniel 7). The overall picture is of a world kingdom of
confederated power with the Beast as its ruler, who is operating by the power and authority of Satan.

v. 3-4 This kingdom is the Revived Roman Empire, for the original Roman Empire was preserved through
the Papacy. All the world will admire the Beast, to the point of worshiping him, for his amazing rise to
power and his seeming ability to bring peace.

v. 5-6 The Beast will be a liar, for he is of his father, the devil (Jn 8:44). Propaganda will reach new
heights in the Beast’s administration, as he promotes his agenda. And that agenda will be anti-God and
anti-Christ. Having risen on the scene 3 ½ years previously, the Beast will now be at the pinnacle of his
power, which will continue another 3 ½ years (42 months) – 7 years total.
# 35: 10-5-07 5

v. 7-8 “The saints” in verse 7 are the Tribulation saints. Remember, the church will have already been
caught up to heaven. These saints are those on the earth – both Jew and Gentile – who will come to believe
into Jesus Christ, after the church departs, and the Great Tribulation has begun. Meanwhile, the Beast will
have absolute power and authority over all the land – and he will persecute them, and put them to death.
We’ll speak more about the Tribulation saints later.

You can see how Herod Agrippa fits this profile. It was Rome who gave Herod his power, his throne, his
authority. He reigned for only 7 years – just as the Beast will – and only in the last three of those years
would Herod rule over Judea, and consolidate his power over all the land.

Herod was universally admired by his people, and sought their adulation – and we know how he even
accepted worship as a god, which sealed his demise. The historical record even shows that Herod Agrippa
suffered a “wound” also, like the Beast – in his case, he almost destroyed himself through his wanton
lifestyle – but he made quite a comeback.

Let’s return to Acts. Now, remember that this picture was given by God as a token to the Jews – so that
they can know that God is not finished with Israel. So this picture is for the Jews, and about the Jews.

Sometime after Herod was appointed by Rome over Judea, he began to persecute those who believed into
Jesus, which was pleasing to those Jews who accepted Herod’s reign over them. We remember that
Herod’s first recorded victim was James, the brother of John, whom Herod had beheaded.

The name James is the Greek form of Jacob – the father of the twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of
the nation Israel. We have seen that Herod is a figure of the man of sin, who will persecute the Jews. Next,
we will see that the Jews themselves are represented in the picture under several different figures.

The name James, or Jacob in the Hebrew, means “usurper” or “supplanter”. No doubt James, like anyone
else, tried to contend for himself in this life, to get what he wanted. But James was a changed man; for he
had believed into the Lord Jesus Christ. And as God had changed Jacob’s name to Israel, so too, was true
for James – for Israel means “God rules; God contends; prince with God”.

But how had God contended for James in this dire situation with Herod? By allowing him to be killed?
Yes. God allowed it, for His glory, and meanwhile, James exchanged the troubles and trials of this life
under the sun for everlasting bliss in heaven.

In James, we see a picture of the Tribulation saints, who have been martyred – specifically the Jewish
Tribulation saints. These will be the Jews who come to believe into Jesus sometime during the Great
Tribulation, and are put to death for their faith.

Turn to Revelation chapter 6. We have already seen the first seal of the scroll opened by the Lamb; we’re
going to jump ahead to His opening of the fifth seal.

[Revelation 6:9-11]

v. 9 John saw souls under an altar. In the tabernacle, the altar of burnt offering is a picture of the cross,
where Jesus satisfied God concerning sin, with the offering of Himself (Heb 7:27). In heaven, the souls
under the altar, then, are those which are “covered” - by the Cross of Jesus.
# 35: 10-5-07 6

But these particular souls are of those who had been slain – martyred for the gospel of Christ. These are
the souls of those Tribulation martyrs who gave their lives for what they believed – who were put to death
for their faith in Jesus.

v. 10-11 These martyred saints are anticipating the day when the Lord will judge those evildoers who put
them to death – they are awaiting divine justice. They are told to rest a little time longer – just until their
fellow servants, who will be martyred as they were, join them. When their number is complete, the Lord
will execute His judgment on the earthdwellers.

Meanwhile, each saint is given a glistening white robe – for they have been made righteous through their
faith in Christ.

Now turn to Revelation chapter 7, where John gets another glimpse of these saints.

[Revelation 7:9-17]

v. 9-10 Palm branches are a symbol of victory. This great multitude of men, clothed in glistening white
robes, were seen by John in heaven, proclaiming the victory of God and His Christ, through the salvation
they had wrought.

v. 11-14 Notice that it says that this multitude came out of the Great Tribulation. In that they are in heaven,
we understand that they have died; but it does not indicate that they were martyred, as in chapter 6.

Men – multitudes of them - will die of many things during the Tribulation – of hunger, of disease, of war –
in addition to those who are martyred for their faith in Christ. All those who die during the Tribulation
having believed into Christ will immediately be in heaven with their Lord; their sins washed away by the
blood of the Lamb, clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

v. 15-17 For the Tribulation saints, including the martyrs, there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor
crying, nor pain – for the former things have passed away (Rev 21:4).

Revelation chapter 20 records the destiny of the martyred Tribulation saints, following the victory of the
Lord over His enemies when He returns to the earth.

[Revelation 20:4] The thrones, and they that sat upon them, can be seen in detail in Revelation chapter 4.
These are the twenty-four elders that represent the Body of Christ, the true church. The true church will be
a kingdom of priests that will reign with Christ over the earth (Rev 5:9-10).

John then saw those who had been martyred during the Tribulation for their faith in Jesus – the Tribulation
saints – and what did John see? That they lived. Now, they were already alive in heaven, from the moment
that they left that martyred body behind on earth.

But John is saying, that now, they lived – that is, they received their resurrected body, a body of glory, in
which they would reign with Christ for 1000 years. Notice that the manner in which they died is named –
they were beheaded for their witness to Jesus – just as James had been.

Let’s consider the next sequence of events in Acts. After putting James to death, and seeing it pleased the
Jews, Herod immediately took another of the believers – Peter – intending to bring the same end on him –
but Herod had to wait. Luke recorded that this was during the Days of Unleavened Bread (Acts 12:3).
Herod would wait until the feast was over, then put Peter to death – so he thought.
# 35: 10-5-07 7

As mentioned last week, Passover and Unleavened bread were celebrated together; the days of Unleavened
Bread refer to the entire seven-day feast period of Unleavened Bread that followed the Passover.
Remember that it was the night before Herod would have executed Peter, when the Lord delivered him, by
the angel. So we have the sense, according to how Luke worded it, that Peter was delivered after being in
prison seven days; released to a new beginning.

Peter represents that one-third of the nation of Israel that will endure seven years of suffering and
persecution during the Tribulation, like metal in the refiner’s fire – and they will come through pure (Mal
3:2-3). They will be the regenerate nation of Israel, who will look upon the One whom they have pierced –
Jesus – and they will mourn (Zech 12:10). They will repent of their unbelief, and receive Jesus as their
Messiah, at His Second Coming to the earth – at the end of those seven dreadful years.
Who could be better to represent the remnant that Peter, who himself was purified by fiery trial?

Peter’s name means “a small stone”. Peter would later write a letter to dispersed Jewish believers, in which
he would liken them to living stones, that were being built up a spiritual house. This was a Jewish picture,
based on a prophecy of Isaiah (28:16): “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious. And he
who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame” (1 Pet 2:5, 6).

And who is that Chief Cornerstone? Christ. And each one who believes in Him is built up upon Him, a
spiritual house. That was originally a Jewish picture - for the house of Israel, like the true church, will also
be built up upon the Cornerstone - their Messiah, Jesus.

In our picture here in Acts, Peter represents that remnant of Israel that will enter the Tribulation with stony
hearts, but will emerge from it living stones; to be built up a spiritual house on their Rock, Jesus Christ.
The stone that the builders rejected will have become the chief cornerstone (Ps 118:22).

Let’s look back at our account in Acts to see this picture in Peter.

[Acts 12]

We have seen that Peter was in utter bondage. He was bound by chains, guarded by soldiers, and secured
in a prison (Acts 12:4-6). He had absolutely no earthly hope of escape. Apart from God, what would have
been Peter’s certain end? Death.

It was nighttime, and Peter was asleep; in the dark, and temporarily unconscious to his own circumstances,
his own condition. But then what happened? An angel of the Lord stood by Peter, reflecting heavenly
light; but even as that light shone in the prison, and all was illuminated by it, Peter didn’t see it, because he
was still sleeping.

It wasn’t until the angel struck Peter on the side, and raised him up by his words – “arise quickly!” – that
Peter “came to life”, so to speak; and in so doing, Peter’s chains fell off his hands (Acts 12:6-7).

So it will be for a remnant of the nation of Israel. As the Tribulation begins, the nation will enter into it
much as every other nation of the world – they will be looking for a man to save them from that fiery trial.
They will be unconscious to the spiritual realities – unconscious to their true spiritual condition, to their
need of repentance.
# 35: 10-5-07 8

During the Tribulation, the Lord will still have a witness – He will have His evangelists, who will preach
the gospel. But initially, Israel will remain insensible, remain in the dark; they will refuse to take in the
Light. Not believing, many in Israel will be deceived, like the Jews in our account in Acts, and make a
covenant with the man of sin (Dan 9:27) – as the Jews were in league with Herod here.

But a remnant of the nation Israel will turn to the true and Living God for deliverance. The remnant will
awaken to the spiritual realities; that they are in bondage to sin; and at last, they will take in the light – once
they look upon the One whom they have pierced (Zech 10:10).

The striking of Peter on the side represents the remnant believing into the death of Jesus on their behalf;
their co-crucifixion with Him, by which they will be freed from their bondage to sin, and raised to walk in
the newness of life; as Peter was raised, and freed, by the angel of the Lord, who in the OT Scriptures, was
the preincarnate Christ.

The angel’s instructions to Peter are also revealing. Just as for Peter, the remnant will need to gird up the
loins of their minds, and rest their hope fully upon the grace that will be brought to them at the revelation of
Jesus Christ (1 Pet 1:13).

Like Peter, the remnant will have their feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace (Eph 6:15), and
they will tie on their garment – righteousness, which Christ Jesus became for them (1 Cor 1:30).

And Israel will then follow their Lord; for now, they have the power to do so. The iron gate of their hearts
will open of its own accord, as they believe to receive Jesus at His Second Coming, and He delivers them
from the hands of their enemies (Acts 12:8-11).

In the gospel in the stars, one of the decans is named Andromeda – a woman, with chains fastened to her
feet and hands, binding her securely. This woman is a picture of Israel, in bondage and affliction.

Turn to Isaiah chapter 52. Isaiah prophesied of this time yet future for the remnant of the nation Israel.

[Isaiah 52:1-3] Can you see the picture of Peter in Acts here?

[Return to Acts] One final figure completes the picture of the remnant which emerges from the
Tribulation, believing into their Messiah, Jesus: Rhoda.

In the account, Rhoda was the servant-girl in the household of Mary; the one who went to answer the
knock at the door. We saw that, when Rhoda recognized Peter’s voice, she was overcome with joy, and ran
to tell the others.

Despite their initial doubts, Rhoda stood her ground – she knew that voice, and continued to testify to the
truth, until finally, others went to the door, and opened it; and then they, too, saw and believed. All were
instructed by Peter to go and tell James and the brethren what had transpired – to spread the good news.

Rhoda’s name means “rose”. The rose of Sharon is one of the names for Israel, in the OT (Song 2:1);
Isaiah wrote of Israel, the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as a rose (Is 35:1), speaking of the regenerate
nation. In Rhoda, we see a figure of the nation of Israel during the Kingdom Age.
# 35: 10-5-07 9

In that day, Israel will be the bondservant of the Lord, of His household, living in obedience to Him. Israel
will not have to see to believe; they will live by faith, responding with joy to the voice of their Beloved.
And they will share their joy with others; the nation of Israel will teach others of their Lord, so that they
can open the door, and let Him in (Is 2:3).

Our text in Acts then returns to Herod, to show his end. Having slain the soldiers who were guarding Peter,
Herod went down to Caesarea. He became furious with the people of Tyre and Sidon, who, because of fear
of the economic impact, negotiated a settlement through Herod’s aide, Blastus. Arrayed in splendid robes,
Herod announced the reconciliation. People began to hail him as a god; and Herod accepted their praise.
An angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms, and died.

At the end of the Tribulation, the Beast will have authority over every tribe, tongue and nation (Rev 13:7).
He will have an aide, like Blastus for Herod; he will be a false prophet, who will also have authority, and
will promote the worship of the Beast.

An image of the Beast will be set up in the temple in Jerusalem; and men will be pressured into worshiping
that image, like a god. This image is the abomination that makes desolate, prophesied by Daniel (Dan
11:31, 12:11).

Those who will not submit to the Beast and worship the image will suffer economic loss; they will not be
able to buy or sell (Rev 13:17); they will even be put to death.

But what will happen in the end? The Lord Jesus will return to the earth, and defeat the Beast and his false
prophet; and they will be thrown in the Lake of Fire (Rev 19:11-21).

Isaiah prophesied against the king of Babylon, and to the power behind his throne – Satan. Turn to Isaiah
chapter 14.

[Isaiah 14:9-11] So shall be the end for the Beast.

You can see that God loves His nation. He has not cast away His people – and has even left them a
wonderful token. What a comfort this would have been to the Jewish believers, as they saw their nation
rejecting the gospel, and God sending it out to the Gentiles. And what an encouragement it will be in those
dire days of the Tribulation - that God will deliver His people.

Next week – read chapter 13.