# Acts 12 📖: Peter Rescued from Prison [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Acts Overview]] | [[Acts 11]] | [[Acts 13]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📄 Outline]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) #### James is Killed and Peter Imprisoned **Principle**: [[#Verse 01.]] About that time King Herod laid hands on some from the church to harm them. [[#Verse 02.]] He had James, the brother of John, executed with a sword.  [[#Verse 03.]] When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.) [[#Verse 04.]] When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him. Herod planned to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.  [[#Verse 05.]] So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly praying to God for him.  ### Peter Rescued **Principle**: God is in control. Prayer matters. [[#Verse 06.]] On that very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison.  [[#Verse 07.]] Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.  [[#Verse 08.]] The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.” Peter did so. Then the angel said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.”  [[#Verse 09.]] Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.  [[#Verse 10.]] After they had passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, when at once the angel left him.  [[#Verse 11.]] When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from everything the Jewish people were expecting to happen.” [[#Verse 12.]] When Peter realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying.  [[#Verse 13.]] When he knocked at the door of the outer gate, a slave girl named Rhoda answered.  [[#Verse 14.]] When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told them that Peter was standing at the gate.  [[#Verse 15.]] But they said to her, “You’ve lost your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was Peter, and they kept saying,“It is his angel!”  [[#Verse 16.]] Now Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were greatly astonished.  [[#Verse 17.]] He motioned to them with his hand to be quiet and then related how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, “Tell James and the brothers these things,” and then he left and went to another place. [[#Verse 18.]] At daybreak there was great consternation among the soldiers over what had become of Peter.  [[#Verse 19.]] When Herod had searched for him and did not find him, he questioned the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. ### The Death of Herod Agrippa **Principle**: Taking glory for yourself will destroy you. [[#Verse 20.]] Now Herod was having an angry quarrel with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they joined together and presented themselves before him. And after convincing Blastus, the king’s personal assistant, to help them, they asked for peace, because their country’s food supply was provided by the king’s country.  [[#Verse 21.]] On a day determined in advance, Herod put on his royal robes, sat down on the judgment seat, and made a speech to them.  [[#Verse 22.]] But the crowd began to shout, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!”  [[#Verse 23.]] Immediately an angel of the Lord struck Herod down because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.  [[#Verse 24.]] But the word of God kept on increasing and multiplying. [[#Verse 25.]] So Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem when they had completed their mission, bringing along with them John Mark. ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. ###### Verse 12. ###### Verse 13. ###### Verse 14. ###### Verse 15. ###### Verse 16. ###### Verse 17. ###### Verse 18. ###### Verse 19. ###### Verse 20. ###### Verse 21. ###### Verse 22. ###### Verse 23. ###### Verse 24. ###### Verse 25. - This is the same John Mark who would later accompany Peter to Rome and become his translator. The stories he wrote down from the sermons of Peter are what became the Gospel of Mark. - John Mark had a full circle relationship with Paul. He accompanies Paul and Barnabas, but later abandons them. When Paul and Barnabas go out again, Paul refuses to let Mark go. It separates Paul and Barnabas. At some point, fences are mended because Paul asks for Mark by name in 2 Timothy. He speaks well of Mark in that letter. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. This King Herod (12:1) is Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great. He ruled Judea from AD 41 to 44. 2. James, the brother of John, was the first of the twelve apostles to be martyred (12:2), fulfilling Jesus' words in Mark 10:39. 3. Peter was guarded by four squads of four soldiers each (12:4). 4. Peter was arrested during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (12:3), the same season when Jesus was arrested. 5. Peter slept between two soldiers, bound with two chains (12:6), the night before his trial. 6. The prayer meeting was at the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark (12:12). 7. A servant girl named Rhoda (12:13) was so excited she forgot to open the door. Her name means "rose." 8. The James mentioned in 12:17 is the brother of Jesus, who became a leader of the Jerusalem church. 9. The historian Josephus also describes Herod Agrippa's sudden death in Caesarea after the crowd hailed him as a god. 10. John Mark joined Barnabas and Saul when they returned from Jerusalem (12:25). ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the Lord who rescues His people and humbles the proud (12:11, 23). Herod could kill James and imprison Peter, but he could not stop the word of God, which kept growing (12:24; Matthew 16:18). ## 🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. While Peter was in prison, the church prayed earnestly for him (12:5). How seriously do we take praying for one another? 2. The believers praying for Peter could not believe it when he showed up at the door (12:13-16). Why are we sometimes surprised when God answers? 3. Herod accepted praise that belonged to God and was struck down (12:21-23). How can we guard our hearts against pride? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 5: The church prayed earnestly to God for Peter. - 📖 verse 11: Peter realizes the Lord sent His angel to rescue him. - 📖 verse 23: Herod is struck down for not giving glory to God. - 📖 verse 24: The word of God kept growing and multiplying. ## 🔗 Related Passages - 🔗 [[Mark 10#Verse 39.|Mark 10:39]] - James will drink the cup Jesus drinks. - 🔗 [[James 05#Verse 16.|James 5:16]] - The prayer of a righteous person is powerful. - 🔗 [[Psalm 34#Verse 07.|Psalm 34:7]] - The angel of the Lord delivers those who fear Him. - 🔗 [[Daniel 04#Verse 30.|Daniel 4:30-33]] - God humbles the proud king. - 🔗 [[Isaiah 55#Verse 11.|Isaiah 55:11]] - God's word will not return empty. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection 📝 SOAP: [[Acts 12 - SOAP|Don’t Believe the Hype]] ## 📄 Outline Verse: Acts 12:6-17 Big Idea: God Can Get To You No Matter Where You Are (Ain’t No Mountain High Enough) Points: 1- (6-7) God’s Timing is Perfect 2- (7-10) God Does Things We Can’t 3- (11-17) God inspires us to believe for the impossible ## 📂 Internal Notes %% ### Outline **Big Idea**: **Point 1**: **Point 2**: **Point 3**: %%