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Today we are going to study Acts chapter 12 in depth. You can follow along in your own Bible if you like. I will be reading from the World English Bible because it is the only modern English translation that is copyright free, and I can read the entire Bible on video without any legal drama or breaking anyone’s rules. After the meeting today, or sometime this week, please take the matching quiz that I have prepared for you on the website. Thanks to everyone that has participated so far. Let’s get started:

First let’s set our location and do a brief catchup. In Acts chapter 11, a revival had broken out in the Gentile city of Syrian Antioch, which at that time had a population of around 500,000 people. The Apostles at Jerusalem heard about it, and sent Barnabas, the “Son of Encouragement”, to check it out. When Barnabas saw the grace of God on all the people there, he stayed a while with them, but soon realized that he needed help teaching the great number of people that were coming to Jesus.

Barnabas remembered that Saul lived in Tarsus, not far away. Both cities were near the Mediterranean Sea, so Barnabas probably took a boat and sailed to Tarsus to find Saul. In Luke 10, Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs, two by two, because there is strength in numbers. Solomon wrote in:

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 WEB “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up.”

Barnabas needed a partner. Saul had been a believer now for about eight to twelve years and had learned a lot during that time. He was highly educated, had a razor sharp mind, and was bold as a lion. While Barnabas was compassionate, encouraging, and understanding. This was the beginning of a long friendship, and they became a dynamic preaching duo. They taught together at Antioch for one year, and then traveled to Judea. That is where we begin our story today.

Acts Chapter 12 beginning in verse 1, reading from the World English Bible:

Now about that time, King Herod stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly.

Let’s take a moment and clarify who King Herod is here. There are about five Herods mentioned in the New Testament, but Herod Archelaus, in Matthew 2:22, never had the title of king and was banished after a short reign, so we will look at the other four “King Herods” that affected the Gospel. They are mentioned in many places in the New Testament.

1. The first was Herod the Great. He was fond of huge building projects and renovated the temple at Jerusalem. He was also very paranoid and executed some of his own family members, including one of his sons. When he heard the Messiah was born in Bethlehem, he had the children there under two years old executed, but Jesus had already been moved. He is spoken of in Matthew 2:16 and he governed Judaea for 33 years as a loyal ‘friend and ally’ of Rome.

2. The next was Herod Antipas, or ‘Herod the tetrarch’ in Luke 3:19, and he was a son of Herod the great. He was king during the ministry of Jesus. He is known for the imprisonment and execution of John the Baptist in Mark 6, for mocking Jesus and dressing Him in a royal robe in Luke 23:7. Jesus described him as “That Fox” in Luke 13:31. In 39 AD Antipas was denounced to the Emperor Gaius by his nephew Agrippa as a plotter, and he was deposed of his throne and died in exile.

3. Then there was Herod the King, known as Agrippa 1. This is the Herod of Acts 12. He was a grandson of Herod the Great, and a nephew of Antipas. After his father was executed by his father Herod the Great in 7 BC, Agrippa was brought up in Rome. He was something of a playboy, and in A.D. 23 he fled to Palestine to escape his creditors. In Palestine he lived in humility and poverty under his uncle, Herod Antipas.

Later he returned to Rome, but then went to prison for a while for insulting the emperor Tiberius. To his fortune, a childhood friend named Claudius became emperor and let him out of prison. Claudius appointed Herod the “king of the Jews” and gave him a gold chain weighing as much as his iron fetters in prison had.

This is the “King Herod” that put the apostle James to death and arrested Peter, intending to do the same to him. He died a sudden death at the age of 54.

4. Next we have Herod Agrippa II, who was the son of Agrippa, and the great grandson of Herod the Great. He was best known for his encounters with Paul in Acts chapter 25-26 when he accused Paul of trying to make him a Christian.

2 He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.

James was the brother of John, one of the twelve original Apostles that Jesus had appointed in Luke 6:13. Peter, James, and John were fishing partners when Jesus called them and they became the inner three Apostles.

Jesus would sometimes take Peter, James and John with Him and leave the others behind like on the Mount of Transfiguration. James was the first of the twelve Apostles to be martyred.

The death of James must have been especially difficult for the Apostle John, who lived to be 95 years old and died of natural causes on the Isle of Patmos. As we see in the Gospels, James and John, the “Sons of Zebedee”, were always together. They were the two for whom their mother tried to get special thrones at Jesus’ side in the Kingdom. Jesus affectionately called them “Sons of Thunder” in Mark 3:17 for wanting to call down fire from heaven. Now with the sudden word of a mad tyrant, James was gone. That must have shaken John terribly. And the church was certainly in shock as well. The believers had not expected this to happen to one of their greatest leaders, one of the twelve Apostles.

Up to Acts chapter 12, the church had been on a streak of success, experiencing one exciting revival after another. First there was Saul of Tarsus, then the Gentile centurion Cornelius, then the highly successful work among Gentiles and Jews in Antioch. But suddenly in Acts 12, satan inspired some ugly opposition against the church.

James was not the first Christian to die because of faith in Jesus. Stephen in Acts chapter 7 was martyred before this. But the death of James shattered the illusion that somehow, the twelve Apostles enjoyed a unique Divine protection. Jesus promised no special protection for even His closest followers; He warned them to be ready for “special persecution” (Matthew 10:16–26). Until now, the Apostles had used Jerusalem as their home base, but now it was no longer safe.

Herod was a pure politician and was only concerned with pleasing the majority. When he was with the Romans, he did as the Romans did. While he was in Jerusalem, he tried to act like a Jew. He loved to win favor with the Jews, and to keep them peacefully under Roman rule. He saw the Christians as divisive, so he arrested James and had him executed.

This act may have been popular with the Jews because the Christians had recently embraced the Gentiles, whom the blue-blooded Jews despised. Herod had James executed with the sword, because according to the Mishnah, the sword had to be used for murderers and apostates. This pleased the Jewish people even more. Herod was holding to their traditions.

3 When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This was during the days of unleavened bread. 4 When he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

Herod had Peter arrested and imprisoned him. Executions were not permitted during the Passover, but as soon as the Feast of Unleavened Bread was over, they planned to have a mock trial, and Peter would be executed just like James.

Herod may have had other reasons for the delay in executing Peter: (1) He may have wanted to show how meticulously he observed the Passover feast; (2) he wanted to wait until the crowds of pilgrims visiting Jerusalem went home, for fear of causing a riot; (3) he wanted to wait until he had the full attention of the Jewish population for maximum return on his execution.

5 Peter therefore was kept in the prison, but constant prayer was made by the assembly to God for him.

The church at Jerusalem seemed overwhelmed and helpless. There was nothing they could do in the natural for it was the government leaders that were doing it. They couldn’t just call the police. There was no one but God to turn to in prayer. Their despair was probably even darker because it was Passover week, the same week that Jesus Christ had been murdered. Being that James had just been murdered by this same mob that now had Peter, it looked pretty hopeless.

Still, “The church was earnestly praying to God for him.” The Greek word translated “earnestly” comes originally from a word that means “to stretch” or “to strain.” The church were straining in prayer—praying “with agony.”

6 The same night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. Guards in front of the door kept the prison.

Herod knew that Peter and the other apostles had mysteriously escaped from prison before in Acts 5:17–21, so he assigned a high-security detail to guard Peter. He basically doubled the guard. Verse 4 tells us that there were four squads of four soldiers guarding Peter, so 16 guards assigned to him rotating in three-hour shifts.

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 then handcuffed to them. The other two guards stood outside the cell. Everyone in Jerusalem thought that Peter was through, but they had forgotten about God’s army of angels.

7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side, and woke him up, saying, “Stand up quickly!” His chains fell off his hands.

Peter showed no signs of anxiety, and though it was the night before his execution, he was sleeping soundly when an angel appeared and struck him on the side, waking him up with “Stand up quickly!”

8 The angel said to him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” He did so. He said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He didn’t know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he saw a vision.

When the “angel of the Lord” appeared, five things happened: 1) The angel brought some light, or perhaps he simply glowed. 2) He struck Peter, who being sound asleep, probably did not appreciate that. 3) The angel told him to “Quick, get up!” 4) Peter’s chains fell off. 5) Peter must have been groggy, because the angel had to tell him how to get dressed: “Put on your clothes and sandals.… Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”

Peter obeyed, but he was probably groggy and in disarray—sandals on the wrong feet, his tunic hanging loosely, his hair uncombed. He needed his morning coffee. Peter was dazed and bewildered, like a sleepwalker who is not quite sure where he is or why. He was confused and thought he was having a vision, but as he rubbed his eyes, the angel was prodding him along step by step to keep him moving out the door.

10 When they were past the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went out, and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

Peter’s chains fell away, then he walked right on by the two guards that had been chained to him, he walked right past the two sentries, and the iron gate swung open by itself. Incredible! The Greek word translated “by itself” is automaˊte. The gates opened automatically—a sight Peter had never seen before, for there were no automated or revolving doors then. This door was divinely powered.

Too many of us today worry about the iron gate before we ever get to it. A month beforehand, we become anxious about that iron gate. But God will open it when we come to it. For Peter, the iron gate opened automatically when he reached it, but not before.

Sleepy or not, Peter probably began feeling some goose bumps now. Poof!—the angel was gone, and there stood Peter on the streets of Jerusalem, rubbing his wrists and eyes, and stifling a yawn, contemplating what had happened.

11 When Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I truly know that the Lord has sent out his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from everything the Jewish people were expecting.”

Peter “came to himself” and the church learned the true nature of her strength: that no matter how grim life might appear, God and his angels are present and ministering, and He can deliver us anytime he sees fit, no matter how dire the situation. But we need to keep the attitude of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3 when they stood before Nebuchadnezzar and refused to bow to the image of gold that he had made. They said: “Our God is more than able to deliver us from your hand, but even if He does not, we will not serve your gods.”

James was martyred, but Peter was rescued. The reasons why are only known to God. We do know that James, who was now with the Lord Jesus, did not consider himself a loser in any way. Peter still had work to do on the earth and no one could take his life until God allowed it. The safest place on earth is to be involved in what God is doing, which is often in some of the most dangerous places.

12 Thinking about that, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.

According to Colossians 4:10, Barnabas had a young cousin named John Mark. This is the first mention of him, but he becomes a companion of Paul and Barnabas at the end of the chapter.

John Mark eventually wrote the gospel of Mark, which is thought to be based on the teachings of Peter, because they became very close. In 1st Peter 5:13, Peter wrote that Mark was like a son to him.

The gospel of Mark is probably the oldest gospel, and about 350 verses of Mark appear in the gospel of Luke. The early church considered Mark’s Gospel to be an accurate record of Peter’s teaching, captured faithfully by Mark acting as Peter’s scribe, just as Luke did for Paul.

John Mark’s family was evidently wealthy and had a large home in Jerusalem with servants, so there were a lot of people inside. Probably some of them were praying that Peter would have the courage to die a proper death. Others were undoubtedly praying that he would be a witness to those around him—soldiers, government officials, the fellow prisoners. Certainly there were a few who dared to pray, “God, you delivered Daniel from the lions’ den, and you delivered David from Saul. Now deliver Peter. Don’t let him die like James.” They were all praying fervently. Then Peter knocked at the front door and what follows is a story of confusion, humor, and joy.

13 When Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she didn’t open the gate for joy, but ran in, and reported that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

The name Rhoda means “Rose” and from the way she was treated, it would seem that she was rather young. Poor little Rose answered the door and became so confused at Peter’s voice that she ran to tell the others, and forgot to open the door for him. Their response has become famous:

15 They said to her, “You are crazy!” But she insisted that it was so. They said, “It is his angel.” 16 But Peter continued knocking. When they had opened, they saw him, and were amazed.

Rhoda did not give up, but insisted that it was Peter. At first the others said she was crazy, and then they switched to the theory that Peter was dead, and it was his angel or spirit. The Jews believed in the idea of guardian angels, and it seems that some among them may have believed that one’s guardian angel bore a resemblance to the human it was assigned to.

“Rhoda! Shhh! Keep it down! Can’t you see we’re busy praying?” They couldn’t believe that God had answered their prayers, until they actually saw Peter at the door. The power of fervent, even if doubting, prayer is greater than the power of kings.

God can do anything He wants, but there are some things He gives only to those who ask in prayer. Don’t just assume that good things will happen without praying because you are a “Christian” and “God knows about it”. That sounds good, but that is not how it works. James 4:2 says, “You do not have, because you do not ask God.”

17 But he, beckoning to them with his hand to be silent, declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.

Peter explained how he had been delivered by an angel and said to tell James and the brothers, then left. The James that he referred to here was not the Apostle that had just been martyred, but most likely the half brother of Jesus mentioned in Matthew 13:55. He was called “James the Just” and he became a Christian after the resurrection of Jesus. He was a prominent part of the church at Jerusalem and He wrote the epistle of James that we have in our Bible.

Except for a brief mention in Acts chapter 15, this is the last time that Luke speaks of the Apostle Peter, but what a man of faith and power. It is a good time to cover the highlights of what we know about Peter’s life:

The Apostle Peter was born as Simon around the turn of the century in 1 AD in the fishing village of Bethsaida. He was a few years younger than Jesus. He was the son of a fisherman named Jonah, and the brother of Andrew, who was a disciple of John the Baptizer.

Bethsaida means a “house of fishing” or “place of nets” and was by the Sea of Galilee. Peter grew up as a fisherman and was partners with James and John, the sons of Zebedee.

When Jesus called them, Simon left everything behind and followed Him. Jesus renamed him Cephas, which is Aramaic for rock. In the same way, the name Peter means rock in Greek. Peter was married, because Jesus healed his mother-in-law of a fever in Matthew 8:14.

Peter walked on the water with Jesus in Matthew 14:25. Peter cut off the high priest’s servant’s ear with a sword in John 18:10. He denied that he even knew Jesus three times (Luke 22:31–34, 55–62). Peter was baptized in the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, and 3000 souls were saved when he began preaching Christ crucified to them (Acts 2:1–41). He healed the lame man at the Gate called Beautiful and pulled him to up to his feet (Acts 3:1–7). Ananias and Sapphira fell dead in front of him when he confronted them with lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1–10). Peter raised Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:36-41).

Multitudes of sick people were healed by Peter (Acts 5:15–16), so much so that they even wanted his shadow to touch them. Peter was the first Apostle to preach the Gospel of Christ to Gentiles at the house of Cornelius (Acts 15:7).

We know from Galatians 2:11 that Peter later met Paul in Antioch, and that he wrote the letters of 1st and 2nd Peter. He was called by Jesus when he was around 27 years old and became a minister of Christ for almost 40 years. Peter lived to be about 62 to 67 years old depending on the year of his death (64-69AD). Legend has it that Peter was martyred in Rome under the evil emperor Nero, and that he requested to be crucified upside down, because he was unworthy to die as the Lord Jesus had.

18 Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. 19 When Herod had sought for him, and didn’t find him, he examined the guards, then commanded that they should be put to death. He went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.

There was no small stir: this is one of the great understatements of the Bible. Herod was furious that his prized prisoner had escaped after he had put all of his resources into holding him.

He examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. The execution of the guards was customary. In that day, if a guard’s prisoner escaped, the guard was given the penalty due to the prisoner—and in this case, it was death. Herod may have went to Caesarea out of embarrassment.

20 Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus, the king’s personal aide, their friend, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. 21 On an appointed day, Herod dressed himself in royal clothing, sat on the throne, and gave a speech to them. 22 The people shouted, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he didn’t give God the glory. Then he was eaten by worms and died.

God wants His people to rest in the assurance of His unchanging, constant power. God is always in control of the situation. In later months God dealt with Herod in an unforgettable way. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote of this same event. On a festival day, “Herod the king” presented himself in the theater in Caesarea to make a speech dressed in a beautiful robe woven of pure silver.

As he moved in the sun, the brilliant flashing at times blinded the people. When they were pleased with his speech, the people began to shout, “The voice of a God and not of a man!” and this incredibly twisted king accepted their worship like he was a god, and was immediately was “struck” by an angel (v. 23).

There is divine poetry here because the same Greek word was used when the angel “struck” Peter to awake him in verse 7. Possibly it was even the same angel, though the results were far different. Herod suffered a terrible death. Remember, Luke was a medical doctor, a physician, and he knew the facts and understood what happened.

Josephus wrote this about the death of Herod: “A severe pain also arose in his belly, and began in a most violent manner … when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he departed this life.” Herod was 54 years old.

24 But the word of God grew and multiplied. 25 Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their service, also taking with them John who was called Mark.

Barnabas and Saul brought the money from the famine relief effort that they had raised to Jerusalem, picked up John Mark, and headed back to Antioch. From here on, Antioch becomes the base of the Christian Church and mission trips are launched from there. It was no longer safe to be a Christian in Jerusalem.

Some of us need to be reminded of our position and power in Jesus Christ. Once-dear truths have faded from our memory, and as life passes by, we begin to feel like leaves in the wind, with no purpose. Endless difficulties hide spiritual truths, and our lives seem incomplete.

The truth is, we are God’s children, and God’s children will never be orphans. God is in control! We are not floating aimlessly. He has promised to never abandon us or to leave us (John 14:18; Hebrews 13:5). His angels are sent to minister to us, and fervent prayer can still bring amazing power into our lives today.

That concludes our Bible study on Acts Chapter 12. Thank you for watching and being a part of Refreshing Hope!

Quiz Questions on Acts Chapter 12 (answers):

1. Now about that time, King _______ stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly.
2. Herod killed _______, the brother of John, with the sword.
3. When Herod saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize _______ also. This was during the days of unleavened bread.
4. When Herod had arrested Peter, he put him in prison, and delivered him to _______ squads of _______ soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.
5. Peter therefore was kept in the _______, but constant prayer was made by the assembly to God for him.
6. The same night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between _______ soldiers, bound with _______ chains. Guards in front of the door kept the prison.
7. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side, and woke him up, saying, “______________!” His chains fell off his hands.
8. The angel said to Peter, “Get dressed and put on your _______.” He did so. He said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.”
9. And Peter went out and followed the angel. He didn’t know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he saw a _______.
10. When they were past the first and the second guard, they came to the _______ that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went out, and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
11. When Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I truly know that the Lord has sent out his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from everything the _______were expecting.”
12. Thinking about that, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was called _______, where many were gathered together and were praying.
13. When Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a servant girl named _______ came to answer. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she didn’t open the gate for joy, but ran in, and reported that Peter was standing in front of the gate.
14. They said to Rhoda, “_______!” But she insisted that it was so. They said, “It is his angel.”
15. But Peter, beckoning to them with his hand to be silent, declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, “Tell these things to _______ and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.
16. Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. When Herod had sought for him, and didn’t find him, he examined the guards, then commanded that they should be put to death. He went down from Judea to _______, and stayed there.
17. Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They came with one accord to him, and, having made _______, the king’s personal aide, their friend, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food.
18. On an appointed day, Herod dressed himself in royal clothing, sat on the throne, and gave a speech to them. The people shouted, “_____________________!”
19. Immediately an angel of the Lord struck Herod, because he didn’t give God the glory. Then he was eaten by _______ and died.
20. Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their service, also taking with them _______ who was called Mark.