Acts 12:9-11 ~ Only One Way Out!

9 Following him out, he was perplexed by the reality of what was happening, thinking he was seeing a vision because of the angel. 10 Passing through the first and second guard-post, they came to the gate of iron that leads into the city, which automatically opened for them. Going through, they went down a single lane, and suddenly the angel disappeared from him. 11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I truly know that the angel was sent of the Lord, and that it was He who has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the anticipation of the people of the Judean heritage. (MAST) Continuing from our last study, I forgot most of my translative thoughts, being interrupted by lack of time and pressure to move on to other things. But now I return to recollect my thoughts and redirect us into Peter's prison break. We spoke much of the light that entered this prison cell bypassing four spiritually blind soldiers of darkness to shine directly on Peter for his escape. But we went into detail as to why the soldiers of darkness were blind to the angel's light. We return now to the reality and awe of this light that draws Peter out of sin's prison and into the liberty for which Christ has set all believers free. 9 Following him out, he was perplexed by the reality of what was happening, thinking he was seeing a vision because of the angel. Luke narrates this for us in a way that shows Peter at a loss to what is happening before his very eyes. Peter is basically "stumbling" over the grace that is before him. All of this is happening so quickly, right before his eyes, that he has no time to take it in and discern it. It's almost like the regeneration of the soul. You know you had an experience but you just don't have enough knowledge to describe the truth of it. It's like a dream in the middle of the night that you wake up from, too drowsy to explain what had happened in it. Nevertheless, a real angel of light was literally breaking him out of the prison-guard.

Peter is being set free to come out to strengthen and establish the church by the same power that set Israel free from the bondage to the Egyptian's worship pattern. God was establishing the revelation of Christ, and the work of the Holy Spirit in the churches, that the Apostles were founding on the Word of God, and there was nothing that was going to prevent the Sovereignty of God from "confirming" His Word from Heaven. Peter was appointed by God himself for this responsibility. So Peter had an obligation to follow the Angel of light out of the prison that was holding him in darkness. But consider the war within himself as to how to discern this light? This is what was perplexing him. You don't see an Angel everyday, and the Angel was not "enhancing" his life; if anything the Angel was making his life more difficult and burdensome, because the more he was delivered by an act of God the more the haters of truth pursed to prove him false and block his mission and message. Therefore, Peter is constantly fighting doubt as to his experiences of walking in the Light of Truth. Just because he sees an Angel doesn't guarantee that it was of God. Just because he was set free doesn't mean it was of God. It is what he was set free to do that made this a guarantee of God. 10 Passing through the first and second guard-post, they came to the gate of iron that leads into the city, which automatically opened for them. Going through, they went down a single lane, and suddenly the angel disappeared from him. Luke is giving us the details of Peter's experience that we may discern it with him. The Angel leads him out through two distinct guard-posts. This is significant because it is to illustrate for us the ease in which the Holy Spirit leads, but the difficulty in which we follow. The Angel has complete control of this opposition to Peter's progress, but what we need (and Peter needs) is to learn to submit our wills to His sovereign control; and the real difficulties of life, that slow us down, will become less and less a road block to our sanctification. Peter passes through by the Angel's power with no difficulty at all. But this was because he followed the Angel's lead and the Light of Truth. Peter was a leader, but he wasn't thee leader. Peter had to learn how to be led as much as he needed to learn how to lead. Nor was Peter going to escape the prison of darkness on his own. Peter did not have anything within himself to free him from the chains of the guards and shine a light on the path of his escape. So he had to progressively see the obstacles before him, but also the power that could deliver him. The first guard would have consisted of four individual men. The Greek word for "guard" is tetradiois, which is the plural form of a detachment of four individual soldiers. So when the word is describing two separate tetradion (singular), it is describing the guard-post of four soldiers. Therefore eight men in all were placed outside the prison door. But this leaves one other guard-post unaccounted for, because Herod placed four "tetradiois" of soldiers to keep the prison, and the four soldiers in the prison were already in hindsight. So there is a mystery regarding the fourth guard-post. Maybe they were on the opposite side of the prison, but Luke simply doesn't reveal their location; and therefore we will not chase this mystery down the rabbit trail. After this they came to a gate of iron that led into the city. But this gate apparently divided somehow the Temple and the city-grounds. There is debate as to how the Temple mount and the Antonia Fortress were placed on the geography of the city of Jerusalem, but we can trust that this "iron" gate somehow kept the people of the city from entering the prison-guard of the Antonia Fortress and the prisoners from fleeing easily into the crowds of the city and the Temple. But the point Luke is making in his details of the narrative is that the Angel led Peter, not in the direction of the Temple, but toward the city. Peter's cover was no longer going to be the safety of the Temple, but among the people of the city. The community of the city was going to be his mission, for the fellowship of "this" Temple no longer served the needs of the community but the self-interest of the corrupt priesthood that severed its fellowship with God. Peter must turn his back to the operation of the Temple and his face to the community in order to bring the fellowship of God to his people. When they came to the iron gate leading to the city, it opened for them by itself, and they went through it. This detail suggests that Peter was imprisoned in the Antonia tower, one side of which opened to the city and the other to the temple.25 Peterson, D. G. (2009). The Acts of the Apostles (p. 364). Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Unto the iron gate that leadeth into the city (ἐπι την πυλην την σιδηραν την φερουσαν εἰς την πολιν [epi tēn pulēn tēn sidērān tēn pherousan eis tēn polin]). Note the triple use of the article (the gate the iron one the one leading into the city). For this resumptive use of the article see Robertson, Grammar, pp. 762, 764. This iron gate may have opened from a court out into the street and effectually barred escape. Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Ac 12:10). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press. In other words, Peter was not freed to continue to seek God in this Temple, among "this" priesthood, but to bring his witness of the works of Christ to the people of the city. It was the will of those who loved this Temple, and its form of worship, that sought to have Peter imprisoned to its idolatry under its own house arrest by King Herod, Israel's imposter. This gate led directly into the city with the Temple to Peter's back, and so there was another iron gate that faced the entrance of the Temple. Therefore this prison was setting in between the city and the Temple putting difficulty (a blockade) in the path of those of the city who desired to go into the Temple to meet with God. It is as though Rome was standing in the place of Christ as God's mediator between the city and the Temple. In order to meet with Israel's God you had to meet with Rome first. Of course this is how Rome intimidated the people to pay tribute to Rome "first." But no longer do the people have to meet God in "this" Temple, because God is sending the Holy Spirit to the people of the city to meet them in their own houses. This signifies, therefore, the gates of Hell's prison being opened wide to those who seek the power of the Holy Spirit, to free them from the chains of sin, and to enter into the New Covenant community and have fellowship with God in the new dispensation of the Holy Spirit. God needs no Temple and no animal sacrifice to fill His people with the knowledge of God's love in the person and work of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. So this iron gate opens the way into knowing the mediation of Christ's substitution. The church needs neither Rome nor the Temple to meet with God, all the church needed Rome for was the protection of their goods and services, because now they exist to serve and not to be served.

This exclusive substitution is a narrow lane to righteousness in God. The gate is open on its own accord by God's initiative. Peter has no hand into opening this prison gate. This gate opens on its own and for its own. The prison guards were still locked behind its power like a rod of iron against the enemies of the LORD who love the darkness and hate the light. Nor did Peter walk through this gate alone, for apart from the Angel his true identity would have been exposed to the eyes of darkness as one of their own, and they would have again chained him to their personal domain. But the Angel was sent to put Peter on the single lane that leads to the will of God. Once his feet are upon this solid ground Peter is left to walk on his own, but not until he is completely beyond the gate and on the narrow way. So now that Peter is on his way, and the Angel has disappeared into thin air, he considers how he came to a sound mind. This is the violence of the sovereignty of God in our salvation. Was it Peter's free will and positive thinking that broke the shackles which chained him to the will of the prison-guards? Was it Peter's wise and strategic thinking that got him past the two guard-posts of eight men? Was it Peter's strength and self-determination that opened the iron bars that gated him inside the garrison? What violence does the sovereignty of God do to our free-will and our pattern of thinking!? This is the salvation of the LORD. Peter was "carried" outside this prison; and so it is with those born of the Spirit of God. They are carried about by the wind of God's Word, and though they don't understand how they were carried along by the Holy Spirit, they know that they were not carrying themselves through "this" gate of salvation and out of the chains of sin and darkness. 11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I truly know that the angel was sent of the Lord, and that it was He who has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the anticipation of the people of the Judean heritage. Have you come to a sound mind? Are you standing in the narrow way? Have you climbed up over the gates of Hell some other way? O my dear friend, you must enter the narrow gate and walk in the narrow way. Like Peter you need to come to a sound mind fixed on the solid rock of the Word of God. You must leave that Temple of the corrupt priesthood of darkness and follow the Light of the world. You must discern between light and darkness and know the power and sovereignty of the LORD. You must leave your tradition to walk in the way of peace and life with God. You must be ready to suffer as Peter was for obeying the LORD. Do you believe that Christ is God's only Mediator of Peace and Atonement between sinners (enemies) and God? Jesus came unto us as a friend of sinners, into our community, to bring the genuine fellowship of the Temple sacrifices, personified in his own works, so that the people would offer genuine love to God in "remembrance" of the person of Jesus Christ, who bridged the divide of sin. In Christ, the Antonian tower falls upon the head of the serpent's scheme to separate God's people from fellowship in the bosom of our Father. Matthew 7:13–14 (NKJV) 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. John 10:1 (NKJV) 1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. Luke 13:22–28 (NKJV) 22 And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ 26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. John 8:12 (NKJV) 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 9:4–5 (NKJV) 4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is [To]day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 2 Corinthians 5:13–15 (NKJV) 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. 2 Timothy 1:7–12 (NKJV) 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.