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JULY 4
whose surname was Mark, where many were
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gathered together praying. And as Peter
knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named
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Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized 12:12 Mary. Mark is called the cousin of
Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did Barnabas in Colossians 4:10, so Mary was his
not open the gate, but ran in and announced aunt. John…Mark. Cousin of Barnabas (Col.
that Peter stood before the gate. But they 4:10),acquaintance of Peter in his youth (1 Pet.
15
said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she 5:13), he accompanied Barnabas and Paul to
kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is Antioch (v. 25) and later to Cyprus (13:4,5). He
his angel.” deserted them at Perga (13:13), and Paul
16 Now Peter continued knocking; and when refused to take him on his second missionary
they opened the door and saw him, they were journey because of that desertion (15:36–41).
astonished. But motioning to them with his He accompanied Barnabas to Cyprus (15:39).
17
He disappeared until he was seen with Paul at
hand to keep silent, he declared to them how Rome as an accepted companion and co-
the Lord had brought him out of the prison. worker (Col. 4:10; Philem. 24). During Paul’s
And he said, “Go, tell these things to James second imprisonment at Rome, Paul sought
and to the brethren.” And he departed and John Mark’s presence as useful to him (2 Tim.
went to another place. 4:11). He wrote the second Gospel that bears
18 Then, as soon as it was day, there was no his name,being enriched in his task by the aid
small stir among the soldiers about what had of Peter (1 Pet. 5:13).
become of Peter. But when Herod had
19
searched for him and not found him, he exam- 12:17 James. The Lord’s brother, now head of
ined the guards and commanded that they the Jerusalem church. he departed. Except
should be put to death. for a brief appearance in chapter 15, Peter
And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, fades from the scene as the rest of Acts
and stayed there. revolves around Paul and his ministry.
20 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 angel of the Lord struck him, because he did
the king’s personal aide their friend, they not give glory to God. And he was eaten by
asked for peace, because their country was worms and died.
supplied with food by the king’s country. 24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.
21 So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal appar- 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jeru-
el, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. salem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and
22 And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a they also took with them John whose surname
23
god and not of a man!” Then immediately an was Mark.
DAY 4:Who was the Herod of Acts 12 who violently persecuted the church?

“Herod the king”of v.1 was Herod Agrippa I,who reigned from A.D.37 to 44 and was the grandson
of Herod the Great. He ran up numerous debts in Rome and fled to Palestine. Imprisoned by Emperor
Tiberius after some careless comments, he eventually was released following Tiberius’s death, and was
made ruler of northern Palestine,to which Judea and Samaria were added in A.D. 41.As a hedge against
his shaky relationship with Rome,he curried favor with the Jews by persecuting Christians.
He killed James the brother of John with the sword (v.2).James was the first of the apostles to
be martyred.The manner of his execution indicates James was accused of leading people to follow
false gods (Deut. 13:12–15). He also imprisoned Peter and put him in the custody of “four squads”
(v. 4). Each squad contained 4 soldiers and rotated the watch on Peter. At all times 2 guards were
chained to him in his cell, while the other 2 stood guard outside the cell door (v. 6).
After Peter’s rescue by an angel, Herod “put to death” the guards who were in charge (v. 19).
According to Justinian’s Code (ix. 4:4), a guard who allowed a prisoner to escape would suffer the
same fatal penalty that awaited the prisoner.
Later, Herod came under the judgment of God. “On a set day” (v. 21), at a feast in honor of
Herod’s patron,the Roman emperor Claudius,Herod came out “arrayed in royal apparel.”According
to Josephus, he wore a garment made of silver. When the people began shouting,“The voice of a
god and not of a man!”we are told that Herod “did not give glory to God”(v.22),the crime for which
Herod was struck down by an angel (A.D. 44).“And he was eaten by worms” (v. 23). According to
Josephus, Herod endured terrible pain for 5 days before he died.

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