Chapter 12 opens with the Apostle Peter on trial.
Herod Agrippa, noted here, saw those who professed Christ, as a threat and had James the brother of John—one of the 12 apostles—put to death (AD 44). Since it pleased the Jewish leaders, he decided to take it a step further by arresting Peter. Herod Agrippa was the son of Herod Antipas who killed John the Baptist.
Herod placed extra guards as an additional precaution, to ensure that Peter could not escape.
Additional precautions were taken, and Peter was bound with chains between two soldiers—that’s how determined Herod was to put Peter on trial. But God had other plans. An angel of the Lord appeared (v.7) and foiled Herod's evil plot.
Peter was woken up by the angel; the vision was almost like a dream to him, especially being chained to two prison guards, who slept through it all, nor did they wake up when Peter’s chains dropped away. Even the two soldiers standing guard at the prison’s entrance, were not alerted; they most likely dozed off—a capital offense in and of itself.
The angel continued to escort Peter out of the jail—past both squads of soldiers. It also gave Peter the confidence to leave without fear. Once on the outside, the angel left him.
Peter’s fear and apprehension vanished, when he realized the angelic rescue was real, and that God sent an angel to lead him out of jail; and perhaps told him to go to Mary's house where they were praying for him.
So, Peter went directly to Mary’s house, where believers had gathered to pray for his safety, and perhaps even his release. Of course no one anticipated or even suspected that an angel would release Peter from prison.
When the servant girl went to the door in response to Peter’s knocking, she was so excited that she ran back into the house to tell them that Peter was at the door. Why didn’t she just open the door? The next slide helps to explain.
We saw back in v.5 that the disciples were earnestly praying for Peter, yet when the servant girl told them Peter was at the door, they doubted it—even thinking it could possibly be his guardian angel. They prayed for something to happen, yet had difficulty believing it actually happened. Q. Have you every prayer fervently for something and yet were astonished when God answered that prayer? Perhaps, even the healing of a friend or loved one? Never be surprised at the power of prayer, which we will study beginning Sunday, June 29th 9:00 A.M. in Heritage Lounge.
We can be certain that the power of prayer became a reality for them. Peter only stayed long enough to explain how he was released by the angel. Perhaps he was directed by the angel to do so to show them that their prayers were not in vain.
Not knowing what happened regarding Peter’s disappearance, Herod had ordered a search for him. This tells us that the guards had no idea of the angelic visit—and their inability to explain Peter’s escape cost them their lives. Only Peter saw the angel. Did you ever see or hear an angel? Some of us did, really.
Here Herod quarrels with the people of Tyre and Sidon. These cities (marked by a star on the map) were high-traffic Phoenician port cities, and not agricultural areas, as such they imported their food from Herod.
Wanting to stay on Herod's good side, they praised him as a god. Herod accepted their praise, a common practice across much of the known world at the time, even in Rome itself, where the emperor was proclaimed a god. Accepting the praise for himself as a god, he was truck down by an angel. Two angels are noted in this chapter, showing the interaction of angels with man. The mid-2020 posting on this blog included a study of angels dated 05/31-06/07.
At the end of chapter 12, God’s word began to spread to the Gentile world. The first 12 chapters of Acts were focused on Judea & Samaria. Beginning in chapter 13, Acts reaches out to other areas of the Roman world, with the Gospel being spread by Barnabas and Saul, including a mention of John Mark. Who exactly was John Mark?
Barnabas and Mark were cousins. John Mark is noted as the author of the Gospel of Mark. Some commentators speculate that John Mark did not write the Gospel of Mark, that Peter did. But the mainstream of biblical scholars believe he is the author of the Gospel of Mark. Because of their close association, Peter is believed to have been the primary source of information for Mark's Gospel—I’ll stick with that one. Somehow Peter did not come across as an author, even under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. As an example, 1st and 2nd Peter are relatively short letters compared to Paul’s epistles (letters).
Since the focus of Acts is shifting from Judea to across the Roman Empire, we will close this chapter with a brief outline of events, as shown on the slide, of the Book of Acts.
One of the principal messages in this chapter, is Peter being released from prison by an angel. An angel appears twice in chapter 12 which clearly tells us that angels do interact with man, even when they are unseen. And I can’t help but think of the power of prayer since Peter first went directly to those praying for him.
Christianity began spreading across the Gentile world in Acts 13, by word of mouth, since no one had a written Bible at the time. Was the theology being spread always 100% correct? Paul's letters to the churches, often served to correct their beliefs and practices. How can we spot false Christianity in today's church? Does just professing Jesus make one a Christian? Adrian Rogers’ 44-miunute message on "Counterfeit Christianity" explains. We’re you born again? Is it a question you may even be pondering? His message is definitely worth listening too.
https://youtu.be/JnxeRR9c44U
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For the glory of God, that our Nation and its leaders may turn back to Him in their thoughts, decisions and policies. Pray for our church, our congregation, our Pastor and his family, that God’s glory may prevail. I offer my prayers for everyone viewing this blog, today, yesterday and tomorrow. Amen!
End of
The Acts of the Apostles
Chapter 12
