Acts 12:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him.

NIV: They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

NASB: Now when they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

CSB: After they passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went outside and passed one street, and suddenly the angel left him.

NLT: They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

Pilate's mode of governing was to keep literal peace as much as possible. An insurrection in Judea could mean the loss of his job. He knew Jesus had broken no laws and, even more importantly, was not going to lead a rebellion. Yet, when he tried to convince the Sanhedrin to let Jesus go, he realized it was the Jews who posed the greatest threat to his rule. So, he agreed to crucify an innocent man (John 18:28—19:16).

Herod Agrippa I has a different approach. He is king over nearly as much territory as his grandfather Herod the Great and seems to truly respect the Jewish leadership and their religion. He protected the temple from an idolatrous statue of the emperor and reads from the Mosaic law. So, when he realizes his arrest and execution of James, a leader in the new Jewish sect, pleases the Sanhedrin, he does one better and arrests and sentences Peter with the same fate (Acts 12:1–4).

Unfortunately for Agrippa's plans, right before he means to bring Peter an angel rescues Peter from prison. He releases Peter's chains, tells him to dress for action, and leads the groggy-eyed apostle out of the cell. The fact that the gate is iron and not wood suggests this is a formidable prison. One possibility is the Fortress Antonia, the headquarters of the Roman soldiers in Jerusalem on the northwest corner of the Temple Mount. Peter follows the angel past the guards, through the miraculously opening gate, and down a street before he realizes this isn't a vision; he is free and Agrippa will not kill him tonight (Acts 12:6–9, 11).

Acts 12:6–11 describes Peter's angelic rescue from a Roman prison. Herod Agrippa I arrested and killed the apostle James, brother of John. When he realized how much local religious leaders approved, he arrested Peter with plans to kill him after the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The church has been praying, however, and Peter's ministry is not over. God answers their prayer by sending an angel to rescue him from prison. Peter will stop by and update members of the church and then go into hiding. We won't see him again until the meeting of church leaders in Acts 15.

Acts 12 starts with the first death of an apostle and ends with the death of a king. Herod Agrippa I beheads James and imprisons Peter. An angel rescues Peter and he quickly lets the church in Jerusalem know before he goes into hiding. Agrippa, grandson of Herod the Great and friend to the Pharisees, accepts glory due only to God and dies, likely a few days later, of internal worms. Meanwhile, the church continues to grow, and Barnabas and Saul return to Syrian Antioch. The scene is set for Paul's extensive ministry to the Gentiles.

When Acts 12 opens, at least some of the apostles are in Jerusalem, and Barnabas and Saul are in Syrian Antioch, collecting support so the church in Jerusalem can survive the coming famine (Acts 11:27–30). The church is established in Jerusalem and growing in the regions on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. When the chapter closes, Barnabas and Saul are poised for their missionary trip in modern-day Asia Minor. Saul will take on the Greek version of his name, Paul, and the story of Jesus will spread to Rome and beyond.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.