_Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the Church._ HEROD THE KING The previous life of this prince had been full of strange vicissitudes. The son of Aristobulus and Bernice, grandson of Herod the Great, brother of the Herodias who appears in the gospel hist... [ Continue Reading ]
_Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the Church unto God for him._ IN AND OUT OF PRISON (children’s sermon):-- 1. There is more than one way of getting into prison. (1) If you were a minister, and some prisoner wanted you to speak to him about his soul, you... [ Continue Reading ]
_And behold the angel of the Lord came upon him._ THE TENDER OFFICES OF ANGELS TOWARDS THE SAINTS OF GOD It enhances the moral dignity of the Christian that he should have such exalted beings in constant attendance upon him. It seems to bring God nearer to us, to bridge over the measureless void be... [ Continue Reading ]
_And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark._ JOHN MARK 1. Two names are here, one Jewish, the other Roman; the latter adopted at first as a secondary one, and gradually superseding the former, just as “Joses” grew into “Barnabas,”... [ Continue Reading ]
_And … Herod … went down from Judea to Caesarea._ THE DEATH OF HEROD This journey of Herod is described by Josephus. It would seem that he left Judaea in disgust and spleen because Peter had escaped from his hands. We are next informed that “Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon,”... [ Continue Reading ]
_But the Word of God grew and multiplied._ THE PROGRESS OF GOD’S WORD This progress--growth and multiplication of God’s Word--was displayed-- I. In the men of that period. 1. The spirit of every age or movement of history is reflected in its leading characters. The Elizabethan age; the American... [ Continue Reading ]