Acts 12:10-11

Acts 12:10-11

[10] 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  street;  and  forthwith  the angel  departed  from  him.  [11] 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  out of  the hand  of Herod,  and  from all  the expectation  of the people  of the Jews. 

What does Acts 12:10-11 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Luke related this incident as though God was orchestrating Peter"s release (cf. Acts 5:18-20; Acts 16:23-29). There is no reason to take the account as anything less than this. Once outside the prison and left alone by his angelic guide Peter realized that his release was genuine. God did here for Peter what He had done for the Israelites in leading them out of their Egyptian prison in the Exodus. God"s enemies can never frustrate His plans ( Matthew 16:18).
Why did God allow Herod to kill James but not Peter?
"The answer is that this is the sovereign will of God. He still moves like this in the contemporary church. I have been in the ministry for many years, and I have seen the Lord reach in and take certain wonderful members out of the church by death. And then there are others whom He has left. Why would He do that? If He had asked me, from my viewpoint as the pastor, I would say that He took the wrong one and He left the wrong one! But life and death are in the hands of a sovereign God.... This is His universe, not ours. It is God"s church, not ours. The hand of a sovereign God moves in the church." [1]