The Third I mprisonment 103
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ill some others of the apostolic band. Accordingly,he arrested Simon Peter; but, fortunately, concludednot to kill him until after Easter, so thrust him inprison until a more favorable time for a public exe-cution. As if to make sure that Peter would not escape thistime, he “delivered him to four quarternions of sol-diers to keep him.” “This meant four distinctPirongly pickets of four guards each, sixteen in all.Each picket was to keep watch three hours andthen be relieved by another during the night watches.Two officers must guard at the outer gate of the prison,and two be in the cell, one on each side of the pris-oner, with his arms chained to them.” Thus firmlyguarded and chained, Peter lay down to sleep “be-tween two soldiers, bound with two chains, and thekeepers before the door.”’* _ James’ cruel death and the report of Peter’s im-prisonment spread consternation among the saints inJudea. Some, perhaps, were fearful; all wereprayerful. | Tt seems that groups of earnest saints met in differ-ent places, and pleaded in sincere prayer to God to_ spare their leader’s life. Indeed,aoe “prayer was made without ceasing ofthe Church unto God for him.” It is thought by some historians that among those who werethus supplicating the Lord were Paul and Barnabas who were probably in Jerusalem at that time.*Acts 12:6.
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