Acts 12 verse 10

Acts 12 verse 10

(10)   When they were past the first and second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth into the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. (KJV)

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(10)   And going through the first and a second guard, they came on the iron gate carrying one into the city, which opened to them of itself.  And going out, they went on one street; and instantly the angel withdrew from him.    (Interlinear Bible)

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Retranslation (10):   And piercing through the first and second guard, i.e. through mortal mind (conscious only of limitation) and matter (mortal mind’s limited understanding of substance and its false belief of evil), conditions which seem to germinate a false self and a false world in an attempt to isolate Peter from union (marriage) with the true Self and the Spirit-world, they arrived at the divine Truth that leads into divine consciousness which opened to them of its own accord: and they advanced onward, flowing in one current; and immediately the angel left him.

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NOTE: What is the “iron gate”?  What does it symbolize? 

Again, if God is ALL, and God is Mind; and if Peter and the Angel are IDEAS in MIND, what is this passage demonstrating about the nature and character of Mind and Its Ideas?

The following are partial citations from Science and Health:

“a willing disciple at the heavenly gate (ix:18)

the poor and the stranger from the gate (142:14)

for “wide is the gate,----”  Matt 7:13.  (451:12

When will man pass through the open gate of Christian Science (535:16)

Truth places the cherub wisdom at the gate of understanding to note the proper guests. (538:5)”

The phrase “rod of iron” appears three times in Revelation: 

Rev. 1:27:  He who rules with the rod of iron is given the morning star.

Rev. 12:5:  The child who rules with the rod of iron is caught up unto God.

Rev. 19:15  The Word of God rules with the rod of iron.

The following is a quote from Science and Health about one of these appearances:

“Revelation xii.5. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne.

Led on by the grossest element of mortal mind, Herod decreed the death of every male child in order that the man Jesus, the masculine representative of the spiritual idea, might never hold sway and deprive Herod of his crown. The impersonation of the spiritual idea had a brief history in the earthly life of our Master; but “of his kingdom there shall be no end,” for Christ, God’s idea, will eventually rule all nations and peoples----imperatively, absolutely, finally----with divine Science.”  565:6 (Bold added.)

Could the gate represent discernment: closing to false beliefs and opening to true ideas?  Has Peter yielded up,-----at least momentarily while in the stunning presence of the “angel”,---- his belief in the substantiality of matter? Does the angel convince him of the substantiality of Spirit? Does the gate “open” to truth, allowing Peter access into the divine realm?  Does Peter flow in its current? Does the city represent divine consciousness being shared with Peter?  Does the iron gate represent discernment of divine Science, the law of God: I AM WITH YOU?

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going through 1330  dierchomai, from 1223 and 2064; to traverse (literally):-----come, depart, go (about, abroad, every where, over, through, throughout), pass (by, over, through, throughout), pierce through, travel, walk through.

first 4413 protos, contracted superlative of 4253; foremost (in time, place, order of importance):----before, beginning, best, chief, chiefest, first (of all), former.

foremost a. (1828 Dict. def.):

1. First in place; most advanced; as, the foremost troops of an army.
2. First in dignity. In honor he held the foremost rank.

dignity n. (ibid.): [L. dignitas, from dignus, worthy; Sax. dugan, to be good, to avail, to be worth, to be profitable.]

1. True honor; nobleness or elevation of mind, consisting in a high sense of propriety, truth and justice, with an abhorrence of mean and sinful actions; opposed to meanness. In this sense, we speak of the dignity of mind, and dignity of sentiments. This dignity is based on moral rectitude; all vice is incompatible with true dignity or mind. The man who deliberately injures another, whether male or female, has no true dignity of soul.
2. Elevation; honorable place or rank of elevation; degree of excellence, either in estimation, or in the order of nature. Man is superior in dignity to brutes.
3. Elevation of aspect; grandeur of mein; as a man of native dignity.
4. Elevation of deportment; as dignity of manners or behavior.
5. An elevated office, civil or ecclesiastical, giving a high rank in society; advancement; preferment, or the rank attached to it. We say, a man enjoys his dignity with moderation, or without haughtiness. Among ecclesiastics, dignity is office or preferment joined with power or jurisdiction.

second 1208 deuteros, as the comparative of 1417; (ordinal) second (in time, place or rank; also adverbially):---afterward, again, second, secondarily, second time.

second a. (1828 Dict. def.): Next in value, power, excellence, dignity or rank.

second n. (ibid.): One that supports or maintains another; that which supports.

guard 5438 phylake, from 5442; a guarding (or concretely guard), the act, the person; figuratively the place, the condition, or (specifically) the time (as a division of day or night), literally or figuratively:----cage, hold, prison, imprisonment, ward, watch.

5442 phylasso, probably from 5443 through the idea of isolation; to watch, i.e. be on guard (literally or figuratively); by implication to preserve, obey, avoid:----beware, keep (self), observe, save. Compare 5083.

5443 phyle, from 5453 (compare 5444); an offshoot, i.e. race or clan:----kindred, tribe.

5453 phyo, a primary verb; probably originally to “puff” or blow, i.e. to swell up; but only used in the implied sense to germinate or grow (sprout, produce), literally or figuratively:----spring up.

5444 phyllon, from the same as 5443; a sprout, i.e. leaf:---leaf.

5083 tereo, from teros (a watch; perhaps akin to 2334); to guard (from loss or injury, properly by keeping the eye upon; and thus differing from 5442, which is properly to prevent escaping; and from 2892, which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus), i.e. to note (a prophecy; figuratively to fulfill a command); by implication to detain (in custody; figuratively to maintain): by extension to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively to keep unmarried):----hold fast, keep, keeper, serve, preserve, reserve, 

watch.

came 2064 erchomai, middle of a primary verb (used only in the personal imperfect tenses, the others being supplied by a kindred [middle] eleuthomai or [active] eltho, which do not otherwise occur); to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally or figuratively):----accompany, appear, bring, come, enter, call out, go, grow, light, next, pass, resort, be set.

come v.i. (1828 Dict. def.):

1. To move towards; to advance nearer;
2. To draw nigh; to approach; to arrive; to be present.
3. To advance and arrive at some state or condition;
4. To happen or fall out;
5. To advance or move into view; to appear;
6. To sprout, as plants; to spring.
7. To become.

To come into, to join with; to bring help. Also, and more generally, to agree to; to comply with; to unite with others in adopting; as, to come into a measure or scheme.

To come near, to approach in place. Hence metaphorically, to approach in quality; to arrive at nearly the same degree in quality, or accomplishment; to resemble.

To come to, to consent or yield.

To come on, to advance; to proceed. So we say, the young man comes on well in his studies, and the phrase often denotes a prosperous advance, successful improvement. So we say of plants, they come on well, they grow or thrive----that is, they proceed. Also to fall on; to happen to. Also, to invade; to rush on.

on 1909 epi, a primary preposition properly meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.); as a relation of distribution [with the genitive], i.e. over, upon, etc.; of rest (with the dative) at, on, etc.; of direction (with the accusative) towards, upon, etc. In compounds it retains essentially the same import, at upon, etc. (literally or figuratively):----about (the times), above, after, against, among, as long as (touching), at, beside, have charge of, fore, before, wherefore, in (a place, as much as, the time of), into, (because) of, on (behalf of), upon, over, (by, for) the space of, through, throughout, to, unto, toward, with.

gate 4439 pyle, apparently a primary word; a gate, i.e. the leaf or wing of a folding entrance (literal or figurative):----gate.

iron 4603 sidereos, from 4604; made of iron:-----(of) iron.

carrying 5342  phero, a primary verb (for which other and apparently not cognate ones are used in certain tenses only; namely oio and eneko; to “bear” or carry (in a very wide application, literally and figuratively, as follows):-----be, bear, bring (forth), carry, come, let her drive, be driven, endure, go on, lay, lead, move, reach, rushing, uphold.

to 1519 eis, a primary preposition; to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etc.); also in adverbial phrases:-----abundant, abundantly, against, among, as, at, back, backward, before, by, concerning, continual, far more exceeding, for [intent, purpose], fore, forth, in (among, at, unto), inso much that, into, to the intent that, of one mind, never, of, on, upon, perish, set at one again, (so) that, therefore, thereunto, throughout, till, to (be, the end). toward, heretoward, until to . . . ward, fore, wherefore, with. Often used in compounds with the same general import, but only with verbs (etc.) expressing motion (lit. or fig.).

city 4172 polis, probably from the same as 4171, or perhaps from 4183; a town (properly with walls, of greater or less size):----city.

4171 polemos, from pelomai (to bustle); warfare (literal or figurative; a single encounter or a series):----battle, fight, war.

4183 polys, including the forms from the alternate pollos; (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) many; neuter (singular) as adverb largely; neuter (plural) as adverb or noun often, mostly, largely:-----abundant, altogether, common, far (passed, spent), (+ be of a) great (age, deal, while), greatly, long, many, much, oft, often, ofttimes, plenteous, sore, straitly. Compare 4118, 4119.

4118 pleistos, irregular superlative of 4183; the largest number or very large:----very great, most.

4119 pleion, neuter pleion, or pleon, comparative of 4183; more in the quantity, number, or quality; also (in plural) the major portion:-----above, exceed, more excellent, further, (very) great, greater, long, longer, (very) many, greater (more) part, yet but.

which 3748 

of itself 844

opened 455 anoigo, from 303 and oigo (to open); to open up (literally or figuratively, in various applications

to them 846.

going out 1831 exerchomai, from 1537 and 2064; to issue (literally or figuratively):-----come (forth, out), depart (out of), escape, get out, go (abroad, away, forth, out, thence), proceed (forth), spread abroad.

went 4281 proerchomai, from 4253 and 2064 (including its alternate); to go onward, precede (in place or time):-----go before (farther, forward), outgo, pass on.

street 4505 rhyme, prolonged from 4506 in its original sense; an alley or avenue (as crowded):-----lane, street.

4506 rhyomai, middle of an obsolete verb; akin to 4482 (through the idea of a current; compare 4511); to rush or draw (for oneself), i.e. rescue:---deliver, deliverer.

4482 rheo, a primary verb; for some tenses of which a prolonged form rheuo is used; to flow (“run”, as water):----flow.

one 3391 mia, irregular feminine of 1520; one or first:----a (certain), agree, first, one, other.

instantly 2112 euthetos, adverb from 2117; directly, i.e. at once or soon:----anon, as soon as, forthwith, immediately, shortly, straightway.

withdrew 863 aphiemi, from 575 and hiemi (to send; an intensive form of eimi, to go); to send forth, in various applications (as follows):---cry, forgive, forsake, lay aside, leave, let (alone, be, go, have), omit, put (send) away, remit, suffer, yield up.

angel 32 

from 575

him 846