Acts 12:6

And when Herod was about to bring him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the guards before the door kept the prison.

PETER'S CONDITION WAS A TYPE OF SIN

Many of the old commentators allegorized this remarkable episode; and despite the fact that the New Testament does not refer to it as an allegory, there are undeniably elements of an astounding allegory in this event. Just as Paul allegorized the history of Abraham and his two wives in Galatians, we shall allege an allegory here, but at the same time receiving the episode as history. The visit of the wisemen to the infant Jesus (Matthew 2:1) has been allegorized for ages, as more particularly noted in my Commentary on Matthew, Matthew 2:1. The deliverance of Peter in this chapter was declared by Matthew Henry to "represent our redemption by Christ, which is not only the proclaiming of liberty to the captives, but the bringing them out of the prison house.[4]

Of course, this making of Peter's condition a fitting allegory, or illustration, of the terror, helplessness, and shame of man's condition in sin, should not be read as applicable to Peter's character. He was not only free from any unusual degree of sin, but he was a worthy member of the sacred Twelve, one of the most glorious characters earth ever knew. It was his condition in Herod's prison that is referred to here. Note the following:

Peter was a captive ... all sinners are captives of Satan (2 Timothy 2:24-26).

He was guarded ... Satan likes to stand watch over his victims to prevent their escape. Every Bible teacher knows that as soon as some young person has learned enough to obey the gospel and is ready to be baptized, someone over in another part of town will elect him president of a Sunday school class he hasn't attended in a year. It is the old strategy of Satan to post a guard and set a watch to keep a man from obeying the gospel even when he has already made up his mind to do it.

He was bound with two chains ... Everyone in sin is bound with chains, even if they are nothing but the chains of habit. Procrastination from day to day becomes at last a chain stronger than iron.

He was asleep ... Sleep is a state of insensitivity, inactivity, insecurity, and illusion. In the spiritual sense, every sinner is asleep (Romans 13:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:6).

He was in darkness ... Like the night of sin, the blackness of midnight had settled over Herod's prison.

He was naked ... Peter had cast off his garment in order to be relieved of the suffocating heat of the dungeon. All sin and spiritual deficiency are nakedness (Revelation 3:17,18).

He was condemned to death ... This is the state of every unredeemed sinner on earth (John 3:18).

Thus, Peter's condition in that dungeon of Herod is remarkably suggestive of the sin-condition of every unredeemed person on earth. It is likewise true that his deliverance had overtones of applicability to the soul's conversion from sin.