Acts 12:21-23

Acts 12:21-23

[21] And  upon a set  day  Herod,  arrayed  in royal  apparel,  sat  upon  his throne,  and  made an oration  unto  them.  [22] And  the people  gave a shout,  saying, It is the voice  of a god,  and  not  of a man.  [23] And  immediately  the angel  of the Lord  smote  him,  because  he gave  not  God  the glory:  and  he was  eaten of worms,  and gave up the ghost. 

What does Acts 12:21-23 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Josephus recorded this incident in more detail than Luke did. He added that Herod appeared in the outdoor theater at Caesarea. He stood before the officials from Tyre, Sidon, and his other provinces on a festival day dressed in a silver robe. When the sun shone brilliantly on his shiny robe some flatterers in the theater began to call out words of praise acclaiming him a god. Immediately severe stomach pains attacked him. Attendants had to carry him out of the theater, and five days later he died. [1] Doctor Luke saw Herod"s attack as a judgment from God and gave a more medical explanation of his death than Josephus did. One writer suggested that Herod suffered from appendicitis that led to peritonitis complicated by roundworms. [2] Another diagnosed him as having a cyst caused by a tapeworm. [3] More important than the effect was the cause, namely, Herod"s pride (cf. Isaiah 42:8; Daniel 4:30).
"The pride of man had ended in the wrath of God." [4]
"The angel of the Lord who had delivered Peter was now to smite Herod the persecutor. He had "smitten" Peter, and we see that the same divine visitation may be for life or for death. Herod Agrippa is the NT antitype of Pharaoh and Sennacherib, the oppressor smitten by the angel of the Lord." [5]
McGee regarded him as a miniature of Antichrist. [6]