Acts 12 - Peter's Angelic Escort!
Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison
12 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. 6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. 8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
James was the first of the original 12 disciples to be martyred for his faith in Jesus. Jesus predicted this when James and his brother John asked Jesus if they could sit at his right and left hand when he was glorified in heaven.
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” 36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” 38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” 39 “We can,” they answered.
Little did they know what that would mean. Peter. James, and John were the three who made up Jesus' inner circle. They were the ones Jesus brought up on the mountain when he was transfigured before them. Perhaps this supernatural experience is what made them want to sit at his right and left hand when then encountered him glory.
Next up was Peter .When King Herod saw how the death of James was met with public approval, he put Peter, the leader of the early church, in prison. Perhaps remembering Peter's previous escape from prison, he put four guards to watch Peter lest he escape.
"Knowing Peter (with the other apostles) had mysteriously escaped from prison before (Acts 5:17-21), Herod assigned a high-security detail to guard Peter." (Guzik)
“Normally it was considered enough for a prisoner to be handcuffed to one soldier, but as a special precaution Peter had a soldier each side of him and both his wrists were manacled” (Stott)
Though Herod had commandeered all the security he thought necessary, he didn't realize that Peter had access to a power much greater than him. Just how was God's power accessed?
"So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him."
Note, they prayed, "earnestly". This is the same word used when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before he went to the cross. If you will remember, he was "sweating drops of blood" as he prepared himself to endure the agony of the cross. A church that prays together stays together. Prayer is the engine room of the church. And we see the results.
Believe it or not, Peter was sleeping between the two guards. When we know the Lord, we can have peace even in the most terrible circumstances. An angel was sent by the Lord to Peter in prison and escorted him out of prison. The angel walked Peter out to the edge of the city and even the iron gate opened for him. I guess the angel had the security code. How is that for V.I.P. treatment!
There are other instances in the bible where angels saved God's servants. An angel intervened and led Lot and his family out of Sodom and Gomorrah before its destruction. An angel protected Daniel and shut the lion's mouth when he was in the lion's den. When Silas and Paul were in prison singing hymns and praying, an earthquake shook the foundations of the cell and the door flew open and their chains came off.
Though we may not encounter angels in the same way Peter did today, we know that angels are all around us. In scripture we see the role of angels in the lives of believers.
- Guardian Angels: The idea of guardian angels is supported by Matthew 18:10, where Jesus mentions that the angels of "little ones" always see the Father's face.
- Protection Promise: Psalm 91:11-12 states that God "will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways".
- Spiritual and Physical Support: Angels serve as "ministering spirits" sent to aid those who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14). They are seen as agents of God, rescuing individuals from danger (e.g., Peter from prison in Acts 12).
- Focus on God: While angels protect, Christian teaching emphasizes that worship is reserved for God alone, not angels. - Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
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