11/20/24 Mt Olive Bible Study

Herod the King” is Herod Agrippa, the nephew of Herod Antipas, who murdered John the Baptist, and the grandson of Herod the Great, who had the children of Bethlehem put to death in his search for Jesus.

King Herod Agrippa 1 was a murderer, just like others in his family.

The Herods were not Jews but Edomites, descendants of Esau, the twin brother to Jacob.

Acts 12:1 (NKJV) Herod’s Violence to the Church

12 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.

Acts 12:2 (NKJV) Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

James was the first of the twelve apostles to die for the gospel's sake.

Being put to death with the sword meant being beheaded.

This method often instills fear among Jesus' followers and deters them from spreading the Gospel.

Jesus had told James and his brother John that they would drink the same cup of suffering He did (see Matt. 20:20–23) (Mark 10:39).

For James, this suffering was execution; for John, it was exile (Rev. 1:9).

Jesus loved James and John just as much as He loved Peter.

But He allowed James to die and John to mourn the loss of his brother, but Peter was delivered.

And He did not explain why!

Some may wonder why James' death is mentioned so briefly in the scriptures, given his greatness, but Stephen, the first martyr, gets a lengthy chapter on his death, and he wasn’t even one of the apostles!

James, one of the inner circles and the first apostle to die, doesn't even receive a decent obituary!

Does that seem fair?

If James had to answer this question, his testimony would be Hallelujah and praises to God, for James was welcomed into heaven by Jesus with the victor’s crown and the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

He went instantly from this life of pain, sorrow, and trials into the place of eternal joy.

Poor John had to remain on Earth for an additional 50 years after losing his beloved brother.

John probably felt the weight of grief and missed his brother, but I believe he found comfort in knowing his brother was in a better place, free from pain.

Who do you think received the better blessing?

If you had a choice, which position would you prefer, James or Peter?

Acts 12:3 (NKJV) And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread .

Acts 12:4 (NKJV) 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 placed under the guard of "four quaternions of soldiers."

A quaternion consisted of four soldiers, so Peter was guarded by a total of sixteen soldiers.

This level of security indicates the seriousness with which Herod viewed Peter's imprisonment, likely due to Peter's prominence in the early church and the miraculous events that had previously occurred, such as his escape from prison in Acts 5.

The use of such a large guard detail underscores Herod's intent to prevent any possibility of escape, reflecting the threat he perceived from the Christian movement.