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Peter is at the Door! - The Bride and the Commission of the 144k
A continuation of Passing Through the Iron Gate By Bob Schlenker (Prints about 8 pages) 5/31/99 |
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 girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized 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. 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 brothers about this," he said, and then he left for another place. Acts 12:12-17If your eyes are open there is little more that needs to be said, but allow me to sift through the account to examine its depths for whatever gems you may have missed. I've often read this passage and wondered why these people who had been praying were so reluctant to believe Peter was at the door. If you read this like I used to, you probably assumed that they were gathered to pray for Peter's wellbeing and release. If Peter's release was in answer to such a prayer, the narrative sure has a strange way of expressing it. At the first report of the servant girl about Peter's arrival at the door, they told her she was out of her mind. Now, to me, that kind of accusation seems rather out of place. I would think they would have jumped up, praising God for answering their prayers and swarmed out to greet Peter. But, no. And when she persisted, insisting that Peter really was at the door, instead of getting up and checking it out, they say that it must be his angel. What? His ANGEL??? Really, what's up with that??? These people were more willing to believe that it was his angel than Peter himself? Tell me something's not really strange about this account. Okay, but because Peter kept on knocking, they figured that maybe it wasn't his angel so they opened the door, FINALLY, and saw him. And they were astonished. Like they had never seen a person get out of prison before. Hasn't this record kind of stuck out before, like there was something going on that just didn't make sense? So what should we make of such a passage as this? Prophecy. Hidden truths are abiding in the shadows.
Genesis |
Acts |
Antitype |
after two years of the prophesied seven year famine |
during the prophesied famine, after having passed the first and second "guards" (phulake) the last day of Passover - Nisan 21 |
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Joseph |
Rhoda |
Y'shua |
Benjamin |
Peter |
the Bride |
the other brothers |
those in the house of Mary |
the 144,000 |
Jacob and the rest of the family |
James and the brothers |
those who will receive the testimony of the 144,000 |
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Herod |
the lawless one |
I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. Acts 2:19Another reason is because it surely must begin before it can be terminated.
He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. Daniel 9:27The day appointed for the Bride theft is the last day of Pesah. On that day, which will be a yom tov and a high holy day being the weekly Shabbat as well, the 144k will surely be in attendance like as were the 12 apostles on the Shavuot that is the subject of Acts 2. When you think about how significant an event this will be, it only makes sense that it would transpire at the site of the temple.
That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. 15:1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: "I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea. 2 The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. 3 The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name. 4 Pharaoh's chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaoh's officers are drowned in the Red Sea. 5 The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone. 6 "Your right hand, O LORD, was majestic in power. Your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy. 7 In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble. 8 By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood firm like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 "The enemy boasted, 'I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.' 10 But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11 "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you-- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? 12 You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them. 13 "In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling. 14 The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia. 15 The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away; 16 terror and dread will fall upon them. By the power of your arm they will be as still as a stone-- until your people pass by, O LORD, until the people you bought pass by. 17 You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance-- the place, O LORD, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, your hands established. 18 The LORD will reign for ever and ever." 19 When Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. 20 Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. 21 Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea." 22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. Exodus 14:30-15:22Compare verses 9-12 above with Peter's statement as he had just passed through the iron gate and walked the length of one street.
Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."Acts 12:11The words of Moses' and the Israelites song seem appropriate for Peter, don't they? Read and consider verse 13 above and verses 16-18. This exciting prophecy speaks so loudly in my ear of the day on which the Lord will take his Bride unto himself.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:302This spirit has a lot to do with grace. (See also the following: Gal 6:18, Phil 4:23, 2 Tim 4:22, Phile 1:25, Heb 10:29)
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Corinthians 1:21-22
And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. Zechariah 12:10This spirit of grace is their defense (Mark) as well, a seal. See Revelation 7:1-4 and 9:4. Given what we know about the event, to identify the place where Peter went after he passed through the iron gate as the house of Mary, the mother of John also called Mark seems very appropriate for the 144k in the temple, wouldn't you agree?
I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. Song 2:1Often, a brief look at what Satan is up to speaks volumes about the truth he tries to distort. The Rosicrucians, the order of the Rose Cross are all about preparing the world to receive the antichrist messiah. Because of their request to respect the copyright, I can't quote here from the excerpt from the Introductory Monograph of the Confraternity of the Rose Cross but one of their respected writers, H. Spencer Lewis, evidently stated that the relationship between Judas and Jesus was necessary because of the need for a catalyst to bring about necessary change and transformation. It may be noted that there is truth in that statement, but their perspective is inverted. They will herald Judas' arrival. But enough about that.
"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. Acts 12:15-16The Bride will appear to the 144k like the angels. Of course, the Lord's appearance factors in as well as the setting being that of heaven, but the focus in Acts 12 is upon the Bride. It will be a "mount of transfiguration" kind of experience. Compare the above view of their reaction in Acts with that of Genesis account.
Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. Genesis 45:3In colloquial English, they were "dumbfounded" - struck dumb with astonishment. Further insight into the witness of the Bride's glorified condition can be seen in the following verse.
Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. Acts 12:17aPeter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet before he described how the Lord brought him out of prison. This expression is used a few other times in Acts to indicate that the one signaling had something important to say and those around him should be quiet and pay attention. So what, right? Okay, here's what. The Greek word for "hand" (cheir) is found four other times in Acts 12 and lends insight into verse 17. This word is easier to track in the KJV because it is consistently translated more literally as "hand." Look at verses 1,7 and 11. This word speaks of a person's abilities and the limits thereof. My point is that it will be more than just the radiant appearance that will testify to the reality of the situation, the scope of ability of the glorified bodies will bear witness as well.
Tell James and the brothers about this. Acts 12:17bCompare this to the commission given the 144k-type in Genesis.
Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly." Genesis 45:13Although the correlation is pretty obvious, let's make the "name" connection. Those commissioned to "tell" are identified in Acts as James and the brothers, and in Genesis as Joseph's father, Jacob. James is merely the Greek form of the Hebrew name Jacob.