Peter Angel

The Acts of the Apostles
Chapter 12

Biblical Peter in Prison and Peter Angel Truth
The Apostle Peter in the Bible Adventure

You're gonna be glad you came back for this Daily Bread, because has Luke got a story for us from the book of Acts of the Apostles! Before we get started though, let's refresh a little about what happened last in our story.

Peter, was in Joppa and praying on the roof, when a sheet descended from heaven, full of different animals and a voice said, Kill and eat. Peter said he had never eaten anything common or unclean before. The voice said, Don't call what God has cleansed, common. This happened three times, then the sheet ascended back up to heaven. Just then three men arrive to take him to Cornelius the centurion, who had an open vision of an angel that said to send for Peter, and that Peter would tell him how to find salvation. Things click in Peter's mind and he realizes that with the sheet vision, God was telling him that the Gentiles (other nations besides the Israelites) were now accepted by Him, and that they should receive the Word of God and His Grace just as the Jewish people, and with that, the church began to grow even more.

At that time, Herod, the king, was determined to bring anguish to the church. He killed James the Apostle, the brother of John with the sword, and because he saw that it pleased the Jewish people that he did so, he wanted to capture Peter also.

Biblical Peter in Prison and Peter Angel Blessing
The Apostle Peter in the Bible Freed

It was the days of the feast of unleavened bread, (during the Passover week) and Herod and his men apprehended Peter and put him into prison, and sent sixteen soldiers to guard him, with plans of handing him over to the Jewish people after Easter (the Day our Lord Resurrected) ... So Peter was kept in prison, but the church prayed without ceasing to God for him.

You've gotta know that flashbacks of what happened to Jesus at the same exact time of year (during Passover week) probably came flooding into Peter's mind.

Now, picture this in your mind. The night before Herod would have delivered Peter to the Jewish people, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, locked up with two chains, and the guards were standing at the door of the prison. An Angel of the Lord appears and a light shined in the prison. He wakes Peter up by striking him on the side, and says, Come on, hurry and get up, and the chains fall off of Peter's hands. The Angel says, Get ready, and put on your sandals, so Peter did, and then he said follow me.

Ya gotta know in your heart that if this was anything but the Lord's doing, the soldiers sleeping on either side of Peter would certainly have heard someone waking Peter up by hitting him on his side, or talking out loud to him, or chains falling off, or strapping on his sandals and putting on his coat. It was God's plan to thwart Herod's wickedness, Peter went out and followed the Angel without being noticed. Peter didn't believe that what the Angel did was really happening, he thought he was dreaming it. You can almost see Peter's face as they tiptoe past 16 soldiers, who have no clue that he's escaping!

Biblical Peter in Prison and Peter Angel Explained
The Apostle Peter in the Bible Trials

When they were past the first and second ward, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them all by itself, and they went out and passed on through one street, and then the Angel left him. When Peter was standing there in the middle of the street outside of the prison, all alone, he knew it was not a dream and said to himself, Now I know for sure, that the Lord sent His angel, and has freed me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the hopes of the Jewish people.

He went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, who was known as Mark, where many Christians were gathered together praying, and as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl came to answer, named Rhoda. When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so happy that she forgot to open the gate, and ran in to tell the others that Peter was there. They told her she was crazy, but she repeated over and over that it was true. They said, It's his angel, but Peter kept knocking at the gate and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter, motioning to them with his hand to keep them quiet in all the excitement, explained to them how the Lord brought him out of the prison. He told them to go and tell the others, and went to another place.

When morning dawned, there was quite a stir among the soldiers about what had happened to Peter. And when Herod looked for him and couldn't find him, he questioned the guards and commanded that they be put to death. (Guess he just wouldn't fall for the old disappearing prisoner excuse. 😁)

Biblical Peter in Prison and Peter Angel Discussion
The Apostle Peter in the Bible Tale

Now, Herod was very upset with the people in Tyre and Sidon (Lebanon), but the people befriended Herod's chamberlain and all of the people of Tyre and Sidon gathered in an assembly as they wanted to make peace with Herod because their country was financially supported by Herod's country. (Don't forget, there is a famine in the land at this time.)

Herod showed up to this assembly dressed in his royal clothes, sat on his throne and made a speech to the people. And the people shouted, It's the voice of a god, and not of a man.

Immediately, the Angel of the Lord struck Herod, because he didn't give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.

This story leads one to believe that Herod was destined for doom once he started killing Christians to please the Jewish religious leaders of the time. God had seen enough when he saw Herod all dressed up, acting haughty and hearing the people call him god but failing to give credit to the only true God ... Herod was history.

Biblical Peter in Prison and Peter Angel Summary
The Apostle Peter in the Bible Story Continues

But the Word of God grew and multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul returned to Antioch from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

When Daily Bread returns, we'll look at Paul's first missionary journey. Come back again as we learn more about the Acts of the Apostles, and continue our study of the New Testament.