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What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'
Mark 13:37

Passing Through the Iron Gate - Part I

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This is the account that really changed the way I read the Bible. After I saw what I am about to set before you, the Bible became a different book. Bigger. Deeper. Richer. In a sense, more vibrant, living and real than ever before! The 12th chapter of Acts is an amazing prophetic revelation! What appears to be story about a miraculous jail break is far more than that. It is a detailed view into an extremely important near-future event - a beautiful and perfectly executed drama that unfolds like a theatrical production!

Have you come in to see the light? listen carefully, and act upon what you hear. He who has eyes to see, let him see, and ears to hear, let him hear.

Now, to further address the chronology. As I mentioned briefly at the start of this study, I stumbled onto this prophetic scenario knowing what to look for. I had come to the place in the Lord's curriculum where I realized the "pre-trib rapture" theory I had always subscribed to was just not valid. I wanted badly to know at what point relative to the seven year Famine week the "rapture" would occur, (because at the time I thought I was in it, and I hadn't yet understood about the Bride) so I asked the Lord to show me. So he did! Not every question I ask gets such an answer, but I'm very grateful this one did. There's a sequence to learning (and unlearning) that usually has to occur, so the Lord first opened my eyes to learn about faith and the keys to developing a hearing ear. Then, he opened to me Jacob's son Joseph as Y'shua in his first and second advent, and Benjamin his brother as the church. When the light shown upon the prophetic scenario in Genesis 45, I noted with wide-eyed excitement that this was a fore view of the sealing of the 144,000 and their commissioning. I understood that Benjamin played a significant role in this most awesome event. He he was present with the Lord and bore testimony to the verity of Joseph's words, being a crucial witness. Verse 6 caught my attention, standing out from the page as though it were alive.

At this point in the Famine week, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers. At this point, too, Benjamin, as a type of the Bride was participating as a special witness, live and in person. So, as I considered this profound discovery, a verse came to mind from the gospel of Luke. It was the spirit of the living God at work!

Wow, what if the master of these servants who are ready really does come in the second or third watch of the night? Given that Genesis 45:6 had just been opened to me, I considered whether a watch in the night might equate to a year in the Famine week? I quickly sought a confirming witness. Using a concordance, I found that the word for "watch" was "phulake." (Strongs #5438. phulake, foo-lak-ay'; from G5442; a guarding or (concr. guard), the act, the person; fig. the place, the condition, or (spec.) the time (as a division of day or night), lit. or fig.:--cage, hold, (im-) prison (-ment), ward, watch.) I searched for the occurrences of this word where the words for "second" or "third" were also found. I came directly to Acts 12:10, and as I looked for either a resurrection scenario or the sealing and commissioning of the 144k I found both! I was stunned!

Hallelujah! They passed the first and second years in the Famine week and came to the iron gate leading to the New Jerusalem. The appointed time for this event relative to the Famine week was now confirmed.

Passing through the iron gate is a code expression for this glorious resurrection that will be the Bride Theft. What a perfect and picturesque way to describe this perspective of the coming event!

When I saw the deeper meaning of this jail break, I knew instantly what I had found because I was led there knowing in advance what to look for. My eyes were at that time opening wider. I had been a student at the Lord's feet for some time, learning how to listen and develop a hearing ear. Through his personal curriculum for my life I had come to learn lessons about how to interpret the deep mysteries of the Bible. Typology, celestial signs, Jewish Feast days. architectural structure, and various other fundamental aspects of the language of prophecy were becoming familiar. The point of contact with the understanding of the prophetic level of scripture was becoming clear - C * H * R * O * N * O * L * O * G * Y. When something of the timing is known and something of the nature of the event is understood, the sparkling beauty of the prophetic gems lying in the shadows is revealed. When I came to this passage and it became known to me it confirmed the positioning of the Bride theft relative to the famine week.

Acts chapter 12 is the record of Peter’s miraculous release from prison. It is inserted into the book of Acts like a parenthetical insertion. This is a literary device that arrests our attention. The flow of the context is interrupted with regard to the mission of Barnabas and Saul. It begins with the last two verses of chapter 11, is followed by the prison release scenario, then picks up again with its conclusion in the 25th verse of chapter 12. Without chapter 12 verses 1-24, which contain absolutely no reference to Saul, Barnabas or their mission, the surrounding context would flow quite smoothly. But, as it is written, there is an not-so-subtle break in the literary flow. Here are the bracketing verses.

Seems odd, doesn’t it? You could assume, and it's probably true, that the events within the parenthesis happened during the time Paul and Barnabas were away on this mission, but there is no narrative that suggests such an explanation or any other. Why is this written in this way? God sometimes marks out sections in the Bible parenthetically for our special attention, as with the whole of Genesis 38. When we recognize a parenthetical insertion, we should ask, "why has God inserted this here"? God always leaves clues in the context and the answer to the question reveals a deeper level of truth! I think of this parenthetical insertion like a picture in a frame. If Acts 12:1-24 is the picture, the frame is the surrounding context. Framing serves an important function, it enhances the impact and meaning of the artwork framed. Let me continue this prophetic exposition by further "framing" the picture.

Chapters 10 and 11 verify that Gentiles have indeed been "grafted in" as members of the Body of Christ. Following this event, the outreach among the Gentiles expanded. Acts 11:26 states that the believers were called "Christians first in Antioch" and appears to wrap up the establishment of the Christian Church. Acts 11:27 and 28 begin a detailed portrayal of the last days of this period.

In the last days of this present age, there is a seven year period of time you may be somewhat familiar with by now - the Famine week. The severe famine in Acts 11:28 points to the Famine week of Genesis 41, where there is an extensive foreshadowing in type. The Famine not only represents a of lack of physical food (Rev. 6:6-8) but of spiritual understanding required for salvation. Notice that this famine in Acts 11 was predicted by a prophet, so it's plainly marked as the subject of prophecy, just like the famine week had been in Joseph's day! Notice too that this famine would spread over the entire Roman world. Nebuchadnezzar’s metallic image in Daniel chapter 2 reveals that the political condition of the last days will be as an extension of the iron Roman Empire. Such is the end time Famine, okay?

The meanings of the proper names in the Bible play a significant role in interpreting the prophetic messages where they are found, so we can glean further insight from knowing that this famine occurred during the reign of Claudius. Claudius means "whining." Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary defines "whining" as "the utterance of a high-pitched plaintive or distressed cry." "Plaintive" means "expressive of suffering or woe." The interpreted meaning of the reign of Claudius is the reign of "high-pitched cries of distress, expressing suffering and woe"! And that is about as good a characterization of the Famine week as you’ll find! The prophet’s name, Agabus, means "a grasshopper." as the one delivering the prophecy about the upcoming famine, our attention is automatically turned to the role grasshoppers, or locusts play in the end times. (See Jeremiah 51:14, Joel 1:4, 2:25, Revelation 9) Agabus came down from Jerusalem (peace peace) to Antioch (driven against). You see, judgment will be falling upon the world at this time. Where once there had been relative peace, the entire Roman world will be driven against by the disruptive forces of the spirit realm.

Now that the picture frame has set the context for us let's consider what is framed.

Herod (Herod Agrippa I) symbolically represents the lawless one, the one some would call the "antichrist." An excerpt taken from the latter part of the chapter affords a window of insight into Herod as a type of this world ruler.

Since Herod had control over the food supply, he was able to exert his authority. During the end-time famine, the Beast of Revelation will wield this power.

People will become completely dependent upon the "Beast" for provision. If there's no buying or selling without the mark, how will one access the Beast's food supply? Consider what’s said about Herod in the verses that immediately follow in Acts 12. They parallel descriptions given in 2 Thessalonians 2 and in Revelation 13.

The name "Herod" means "heroic." Webster’s defines a hero as 1a)- a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability 1b)- an illustrious warrior; and 2b)- the central figure in an event or period. The Beast fits each of these three definitions. Listen to what the prophet Daniel said about the end-time leader and see if he sounds heroic to you.

What a hero! A regular Nimrod kind of guy! Let’s return to Acts 12 and consider Herod's role in this perspective.

Notice that we are told when this happened - during the Feast of unleavened Bread. This portrays persecution and martyrdom in the last days under the beast. Obviously, James represents some who will be martyred upon "Herod's" unveiling. (The name James means the same as Jacob. Jacob is the Hebrew form and James, the Greek.) Peter is symbolic of the church, more specifically here, the Bride. Knowing that Peter is a type of the church gives us an important code word in the vocabulary of prophetic language. This knowledge has been instrumental in the opening of many similar prophecies. Since the time I learned the vocabulary of Acts 12's scenario, I have added many, many more words to the list!

Some of you might be saying to yourselves, "Wait a minute. Is this guy saying that the church will suffer under the lawless one? I thought we were all going to be outta here before then!" If this is you, please be patient, hang in there and consider what I'm about to show you in this amazing prophetic drama.

Notice that Herod intended to keep him in prison until after the Passover. Don't miss this because the feast has been named twice! The feasts of Passover (Pesach) and Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzot) synonymously describe the time in which this was taking place. So, Peter is imprisoned and guarded by four squads of four soldiers each; not just 16 soldiers but specifically four quaternion. We should note the emphatic use of the number 4 here since it is used twice. "Four" signifies the world. Here is the prophetic interpretation. The Bride symbolized by Peter is imprisoned in the world, yet remaining in a physical body within the physical realm. The situation is when the lawless one has been revealed and is persecuting the Bride.

The calendar date that is now revealed is Nisan 21, the Yom Tov or last day of the Feast. Keep it in mind, for now; I'll address it again later. Did you know that there are several different Greek word that might have been used for "sleeping"? The one used, "koimao," is the one that also refers to the state of death, like in the following familiar verses.

Did you happen to notice the double mention of the number two, "between two soldiers," "bound with two chains"? Like I just pointed out about the number four, the number two is brought to our special attention for an important reason. How are we imprisoned in this realm? What specifically binds us? Two things; sin and death. They will continue to bind the saint until such time as the dead are raised and the living are changed! Romans chapters 6-8 are very clear about this.

Although this was and is accomplished for us in varying degrees in Christ, it's clear that the fullness of this freedom is yet future. It is not yet fully manifest because we still sin and we still die. We remain bound with two chains between two soldiers.

Hallelujah! Once the body is dead, the law of sin and death no longer has authority over man. This was proven true in Jesus at his death and resurrection!

We now have the firstfruits of the Spirit and are waiting patiently for the redemption of our bodies when we’re released from the law of sin and death. If we’ve already been released, why then is it yet our hope?

Now, pay very close attention to the time sequence here as we continue that passage!

When will the law of sin and death, the two chains which continue to bind the children of Yahweh, no longer have authority over us? When the dead are raised and the living changed, at the redemption of our bodies! Resurrection! This is our hope!

Let’s return once again to the Acts drama.

This section is so rich! When the angel suddenly appeared, a light shone in the cell. The light shining in the cell alludes to resurrection! This points to the illumination of the Temple ceremony during the Feast of Ingathering (Sukkot), the Feast that pictures the final ingathering. This has the same meaning as the "joy of the pouring out of the water" ceremony about which Jesus spoke the following.

This invitation was made on the last day of Sukkot as a prophecy about the final ingathering appointed for that day in the distant future, the last resurrection. The light shining in the cell alludes to resurrection!

Just like the word used for "sleep" in Acts 12:6 refers to the state of the dead, the word used for "woke" in verse 7 refers to resurrection from the dead! This word is found about 15 times in 1 Corinthians 15 alone! Could it be that the Lord is trying to tell us something?

Again quoting from Acts 12:7, After the angel appeared, Peter was struck on the side, which woke him up.

So far, I've noted two quite remarkable allusions being made from where Peter was struck. The Greek word for "side" is "pleura." This word is used elsewhere in only one other context in the New testament. It was Y'shua's "pleura" that was pierced at his crucifixion. That is the context in which the other New testament occurrences of this word are found, where they relate to identifying Y'shua in his resurrected body as the one who had been pierced. Y'shua's side was displayed to others to confirm His identity so they would know the reality of his death and resurrection. This usage in Acts 12:6 serves a very similar purpose! Because this is where Peter was struck when he was sleeping and it woke him up, the connection between Peter's situation and Y'shua's must be made. Do you perceive that Peter's situation is being compared to Y'shua's death and resurrection? Peter IS being identified with Y'shua in his death and resurrection! The side struck - the side pierced...

This next allusion is to a "bedrock" passage in Genesis. It is an insight I didn't have when I first learned and studied this prophetic scenario in Acts 12. It was only after several years passed and I understood the distinction between the Bride and the Body of Christ that I could make the connection here. First, you must understand that there are two Adams in typology, the first man Adam and the last Adam, the Lord Y'shua.

The last Adam is after the pattern after the first man Adam. To put it another way, the first man Adam foreshadowed, or, is a type of, the last Adam. In the same way, a woman being taken from the first man Adam's body foreshadows a woman that will in like manner be taken from the last Adam's Body. The body of the last Adam is the church, right? The Bride is a people who have been among those in the church that will be removed from among them! (I've written about this event as it is pictured in the Bible: The Bride Theft)

The Greek word for "rib" in the Septuagint version of the above passage is "pleura" - yes - the very same word translated "side" in Acts 12:7!

Just as the first man Adam was sleeping when the woman was taken out of his body, so it will be when the Bride is taken out of the last Adam's body. The corporate Body church will not be awake, alert and watchful when the bridegroom comes to steal his Bride away, but rather asleep. Modeling this very truth, we find Peter in Acts 12:7, a symbol of the body of the second Adam - asleep! He, as the church of the Body, is pictured in a ready state for his side to be opened and a Bride to be brought forth. Again, from Acts 12:7: After the angel appeared, Peter was struck on the side, which woke him up.

This view in Acts most definitely portrays the Bride Theft and affirms to those who hope in it the promise made! Though not yet seen, it is nonetheless a reality! Halleluyah! And here's a little blessing for those with a hearing ear. Genesis 2:20b reveals a purpose, role and function of the Bride. She is a helper for the Bridegroom, is she not? Now and forever!

Returning to the narrative of Acts 12, it was after Peter woke up that the angel of the Lord said something perfectly appropriate and very telling! "Quick, get up"! How quick? Does the phrase "in the twinkling of an eye" come to mind?

This command by the angel to Peter, "Quick, get up" is the loud command of the Lord and/or the voice of the archangel and/or the trumpet call of Yahweh! At the sound of the angel’s voice, the chains fell off Peter’s wrists, my friends. Is this not the church being set free in resurrection, released from the binding authority of the law of sin and death?

After that happened, the angel told Peter to put on his clothes and sandals, to wrap his cloak (very likely his "tallit") around himself and to follow him. The angel didn’t clothe Peter - he was directed to clothe himself! These are not just Peter's old clothes we're reading about here. These are something else altogether! These garments are the required attire to enable Peter to follow the angel!

Continuing the record again in Acts 12.

Oh, what a vision it is, dear friend! Peter and his angelic escort are leaving the prison. As Elijah was taken to heaven (in another type of the Bride theft) with an angelic escort, so is Peter.

We’ve now come to the key verse which led me to discover this scenario!

When Peter and the angel came to the iron gate leading to the city, I believe that they came to heaven’s very door, the veil. They passed through from the worldly realm into the heavenly. This is an impassable barrier, a closed "iron gate," for anyone without a spiritual body. Some have passed through in vision or dream, but not bodily with the flesh and bone Y'shua exhibited. But now we see Peter in his new nature able to pass through the iron gate!The city (Jerusalem) is symbolic of the heavenly city into which the Bride will enter. Peter and the angel pass through the iron gate, which had opened by itself. This is something I long to do, friend, how about you?

John the revelator saw such an thing himself.

This kind of door is exclusive. Certain requirements must be met.

Peter was qualified to pass through the iron gate, the narrow door. He had become faithful and did not deny the Lord even to save his own life, which was most assuredly at risk.

What a tremendous prophetic treasure has been hidden in the book of Acts! I get a thrill every time I read through this passage. How the Lord can hide and then disclose such awesome truth through a brief story like that is just amazing! What an incredible spiritual work! I have no doubt that even still every detail in the record is historically accurate. The Lord orchestrated such an event for Peter's benefit as well as the early church, who I'm sure was quite glad to receive him once again as the continuing account will show, but the record was perfectly recorded for our benefit at the close of this age to expose details about this very special resurrection - to his glory! Isn't God good to us!

So, the hidden chronology of this mysterious scenario informs us about the timing of the event relative to the Famine week. In whole numbers, this resurrection is appointed to occur after 2 years and with five of the seven remaining. Remember the other time reference that was given? the time this dramatic scenario was playing out was during Hag HaMatzot.

Peter's release came on the night before Herod was to bring him out for trial, after Pesah had ended. (See verses 4, 6) Did you know that the Hebrew gematria value of the word for Passover is 148, and that the 148th chapter of the New Testament (Infinity Code principle variation) is 1 Corinthians 15? Interesting, isn't it! Now, why would there be a resurrection on the Last Day of this feast?

This day is a full festival day, a Yom Tov. On the calendar it is Nisan 21. If you know about how the Feasts are cryptic windows into the Redeemer's appointment book you understand the significance of observing things that were done and said on the Feast days. Those things recorded in the scriptures are very important to note, as well as what is done according to the traditions of the Jews. From the scriptural record, there is some data to be farmed from other places in addition to this one in Acts 12, (like in Haggai, for example), but I'm not going to address those here. I will however take a brief look at the traditions of the Jews. You may want to study some materials on Jewish customs, like The Jewish Holidays, A Guide and commentary, by Michael Strassfeld.

To understand the last day of the feast, we need to get a good idea of what the whole festival is about. Jews understand that the primary theme of Pesah is liberation. For this reason, it is also called the season of our liberation, "zeman heiruteinu." Yet another name for it is the holiday of spring, "hag ha-aviv." To quote Michael Strassfeld (p. 6) from the above mentioned book, "The watchwords of both spring and Pesah are rebirth and hope. Thus, the spirit of renewed optimism aroused by the sights and smells of spring are reinforced in a Jewish context by Passover with its trumpeting of the possiblities of liberation." The feast has its foundation in the exodus, when God delivered Israel out of bondage in Egypt across the Sea of Reeds. Just as Israel was delivered from bondage in Egypt and led to miraculously cross the Sea of Reeds, so Peter was delivered from bondage in prison and led to a miraculous passage through the iron gate. To quote Michael Strassfeld once again, (p. 27) "The seventh day, according to tradition, marks the crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites. Some people, particularly Hasidim, follow the custom of pouring water on the floor and singing and dancing to commemorate the crossing of the sea." When the time for the antitypical yet future crossing of the sea has passed, those symbolized by Peter in Acts 12 will be rejoicing at the realization of having passed through the iron gate! Hallelujah! In another tradition foreshadowing that resurrection from the dead, on the last day of Pesah, the "yizkor" is recited, the memorial prayer for the dead. Yes, my friend, when the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob remembers the dead, they rise!

Until I understood about the separation of the church and The Bride Theft I thought this resurrection event was "The rapture" of the church all together as one, the theoretical view so many still hold to be true. But it is not - and now I know that the popular pre-trib rapture doctrine, though partly true, is a deception. This holy feast Pesah is also a harvest festival. The appropriate grain will be harvested and gathered into the Lord's barn - the crop that ripens early. Barley is the grain harvested at Pesah, not wheat. The wheat harvest is Shavuot - Pentecost. And beyond that, Sukkot, to conclude the harvest season. These harvest festivals are prophetic patterns and they will be found to be accurate representations. Shadows are similar to what casts the shadow. You do not see a shadow that looks like a giraffe and look up to see an elephant.

After learning about the deeper meaning of "phulake," a little study with my Septuagint led me to discover that this word is also found in a very important verse in the Psalms. This is the sequence of lessons that led me to what you read in The Great Seven is a Threefold Model.

What can be said to conclude a presentation of such astounding revelation? I sometimes grieve for those who still refuse to obey the Lord and cannot hear such awesome truth with a hearing ear. Signs in abundance are given to warn us to turn from our wicked ways, but who can hear them? can you? Do you act upon what the Lord has given you, or are you the kind of person who just listens and never acts. One day soon, it is going to really matter what we did with what we heard. Make this day count, my friend.

Part II of this study picks up again with the record in Acts to explore the prophesied interaction between the Bride and the 144k sons of Israel.

Passing Through the Iron Gate - Part II

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