Simon Peter's Escape from Prison in the Acts of the Apostles

King Herod was persecuting the church. He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he had Peter arrested as well. It happened during the days of unleavened bread, so he had Peter imprisoned to await trial. The church prayed earnestly for him.

The night before the trial, Simon Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with chains. An angel appeared, and a light shone in the prison. The angel struck Peter, and got him up. His chains fell off. The angel told him to put on his coat and sandals, and follow him. Peter did so, but thought at first that he was seeing a vision.

They came to an iron gate, which opened by itself. After passing through the gate, the angel left. Then Peter realized that his escape from Herod was real, and not just a vision.

When Peter realized what had happened, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many people were praying. He knocked on the door, and Rhoda, a servant, answered. She recognized Peter's voice, and without opening the gate, rushed in to announce Peter's arrival. They didn't believe her, but she insisted that Peter was actually there. Then, they decided that it must be his angel.

Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door, they were astonished to see him. He told them how he had escaped, and left a message, and departed.

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