Acts 12: 1-25

(Acts 12: 1-25)

Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.  And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.  And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)  And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.  And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.  And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.

When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.  And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the LORD hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.  And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.  And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.  And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.  And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.  But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.  But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place. Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.  And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judæa to Cæsarea, and there abode.  And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's country.  And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.  And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.  And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.  But the word of God grew and multiplied.  And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great, who ruled Judea at the time of the birth of the baby Jesus. King Herod is known as a figure who tried to win the favor of the Jews while pursuing a pro-Jewish policy. Here comes the case of persecuting and persecuting Christians in order to win the favor of the Jews. By killing John's brother James, he became the first martyr among the apostles. Testify that the Jews were pleased with the killing of James. King Herod, seeing the delights of the Jews to the extent that he was pleasantly satisfied, kept Peter in prison and continued repression against Christians. Herod would have thought that if he took Peter, the head of the early church, the Jewish leaders would support him even more.

The time when Peter was imprisoned was during the Passover, one of the three major Jewish feasts. The Passover is a celebration of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. It is a festival of unleavened bread for a week from the day after the Passover. King Herod wanted to establish his political base by public execution of Peter after the Passover, Israel's most important feast.

When Peter was imprisoned, the church prayed earnestly for him. That earnest prayer changed the situation by God's intervention the day before Herod brought Peter out and executed his plan. When Peter was besieged in layers by watchmen and fell into a deep sleep, an angel of the Lord appeared and hurriedly awakened Peter. And Peter, under the guidance of an angel, opened the heavy metal door through the city by itself, and walked out of the prison where human power could not escape. Peter realized it wasn't until a distance that he had escaped from a strong prison. And he went straight to the house of Mary, the mother of John, named Mark, where people praying for him were gathered. People didn't believe Peter was out of jail. That means that the prison where Peter was confined was strong.

According to historical records, Herod wore a shining robe made of silver, and when the robe shone in the sun, the flatterers screamed for him as a god. He was very pleased to hear the flatterers cheering him up, and he eventually died from sudden abdominal pain five days later. It is said that when he died, his body rotted and a worm was formed. It is not known exactly how he got eaten by the worm, but it emphasizes the miserable end of Herod who persecuted the church. No matter how severe the persecution was, the word of God spread further. God's people continued to be used for that precious work. Barnabas and Saul, who returned to Jerusalem, appeared in verse 25 and continued the stage of Acts, and Peter naturally disappeared from the stage as they appeared briefly in Acts 15.