Acts 12 (By Ben Fronczek)
Since the beginning of the year we’ve been
looking at the book of Acts. As I read Chapter 12 this past week
something peaked my interest. Read the following:
Acts 12:1-19 “It
was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the
church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John,
put to death with the sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews,
he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of
Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him
over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended
to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
The
night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping
between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at
the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone
in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get
up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
Then
the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did
so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him.
Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the
angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.
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.
Then
Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the
Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from
everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”
When
this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of
John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.
Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda
came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so
overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at
the door!”
“You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
But
Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they
were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and
described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and
the brothers about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.
In
the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what
had become of Peter. After Herod had a thorough search made for him and
did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be
executed.” (NIV)
As the persecution against Christianity and
the church spread, we read here that James is killed with the sword.
After seeing how much this pleased the Jews Herod had Peter arrested. He
may have thought he was next. But the Lord had a different plan. And so
He sends an angel to Peter in prison, and we see him miraculously
saved. What an amazing story.
Now what excited me this week and what I
want to talk about is the reality of angels among us. Angels are
incredible beings; and for many of us mysterious. There are many people
who quite literally do not believe in such mystical beings, but I do. As
a matter of fact Angels are mentioned about 273 times in the Bible; 108
times in the Old Testament, and 165 times in the New Testament. So I
would say that the mere number of references here indicate that these
spiritual beings play a major role in carrying out God’s plans, and He
wants us to know a little bit about them. .
As I began to research the topic of angels,
I was almost overwhelmed with the information and stories that are out
there; especially stories of angelic encounters. I believe with all my
heart that there are millions of angels at God’s command and ready to
help and serve us.
Hebrews 1:14 refers to angels as,
“ministering spirits.” They do not possess physical bodies like ours.
They can seemingly take on the form of a physical body when God appoints
them to special task. As far as we know they don’t reproduce, nor do
they get married. (Mark 12:25).
There are many accounts of angels in the
Bible. The Bible contains story after story of how God’s angels have
interacted with man. Just to mention a few:
In Genesis 18, we read
about how the angels come to Abraham and how God used His angels to save
Lot (Abraham’s nephew) before bringing judgment upon the wicked people
of Sodom and Gomorrah.
In Daniel 6, we read the story of how God sent His angel to shut the mouths of the lions when Daniel was put into the lions den.
In Luke 1, we read the
story of the angel Gabriel who appeared to Zacharias, father of John the
Baptist, telling him that his wife, Elizabeth, would bare him a son and
that he would be the forerunner of the coming Messiah.
Gabriel would appear again in Luke 1
to the Virgin Mary with an important message for not only her, but for
all mankind; that she was going to conceive and bring forth a son, He
would be the Messiah, and He would reign over the house of Jacob
forever; and of his kingdom would never end.
In Matthew 1, an angel appeared to, Joseph assuring him that Mary was with child through God and not through another man.
In Luke 2, God sent His
heavenly messengers to deliver the news to the shepherds in the fields
near Bethlehem that the Messiah, who had been prophesied in the Old
Testament, had been born.
After Jesus died on the cross of Calvary,
as His body lay in the tomb, and it was an angel of God that rolled away
the huge stone guarding the entrance to the tomb for the disciple’s
sake.
Here in Acts 12 we find the Apostle Peter, laying
bound in shackles, in prison, awaiting execution. and an angel appeared.
No bars or iron door prevented him from entering. The angel appeared
unto Peter in the prison cell, shook him awake, and told him to prepare
to escape.
As a light shone through the darkness of the prison, Peter’s chains
fell off and he followed the angel out of the prison and into
safety. What a mighty deliverance God achieved through His angel.
These are just a few of the many stories we find in scripture.
Amazing stories of angelic encounters are
still taking place today. The internet is just loaded with stories of
angelic encounters. Here are a few for you to look at:
Deathbed Angels BY JENNIFER R.
I’m a nurse, and primarily work private duty, which means I get
hired by families through a nurses registry to care for their family
member or loved one. I care for patients 95 percent of the time in their
homes. Many cases are hospice cases, and I go in knowing that my job is
to keep my patient comfortable and their family at ease, knowing
everything is okay.
I was on a case in June in Redding,
Connecticut. I was caring for a man who was 91 and dying. I was lucky
enough to spend some time with him before he started his path to heaven.
His path was hard, for him and his family. Around the 8th day, I was
mentally and physically beat. I work the 12-hour overnight shift, and
spent plenty of time alone with my patient, counting his respirations,
waiting for his last breath, letting him know it was okay to let go.
On evening around 10:30 p.m., the
family was all asleep, my patient in his hospital bed, his wife in hers,
and I was at his side. There was a mirror on the wall across from the
bed, and I saw what seemed to be an image, a face. I looked harder since
the room was dark, with only a faint light coming from the bathroom.
The image became more and more clear. I looked behind me, around me, and
nothing was there that could be reflecting the image in the mirror.
Then, what I can only describe as a smoke, or mist, began to flow from
the mirror.
At this point I’m frozen, unable to
take my eyes away. Within this mist, I start to see what I can only
describe as pockets of energy, some just round, others actually taking
the shape of people. As these entered the room, they scattered
throughout the home, and tiny little flashes of white and gold light
flickered when these energies came close to each other.
I was so confused and convinced my mind
was playing tricks and so I walked out on to the patio to get some air.
Once outside, I slowly took some deep breaths and tried to shake it
off, telling myself I was dreaming. As I turned around, I saw the
flickering of lights still going strong in the house. This went on all
night, until the family started to wake. I was so nervous to say
anything, especially to the nurse coming in to relieve me. We had worked
together many times before, and I was sure she would think I had gone
crazy if I told her what I saw.
I finally decided to tell her, and told
her of my story soon after she arrived. Her eyes filled up with tears,
and she told me of a prayer she had prayed all day for our patient. At
the end of each prayer she would add, “…please send the angels” for
him. ”They answered my prayer!” she rejoiced! I gently grabbed her
arms, and cried, “Why didn’t you warn me?”
It was then that I realized I had seen
angels that night. My life has been truly blessed by this experience and
since then have seen angels with two more patients. I was always
skeptical when I heard other nurses tell of similar things that they
experienced. I know now wholeheartedly that it was real. I will never
doubt again. If I never see angels again, I will never forget when I did
Angels Among Us by Rick Kallstrom
Don, Tim and Jim were college students from the Midwestern United States
and they all attended the same university in Connecticut. It was
Christmas break time, 1983, and they were all looking forward to going
home for the holidays. One came from Fort Wayne, Indiana while the other
two were from Chicago, Illinois.
As they traveled by automobile on their
way home they finally reached Indiana. They were now only two hours
from Don’s home in Fort Wayne. The weather outside was bone-chilling
cold and the ground was covered with heavy snow from a recent blizzard.
The radio station they were listening to on the car radio was repeatedly
giving weather updates and warnings advising travelers not to drive.
The wind chill factor had reached a
record-setting 80 degrees below zero! To get stuck outside in this
weather would be life-threatening. Travel was slow but they finally
arrived safely at Don’s home in Fort Wayne. Because of the severe
weather, Don’s parents invited Tim and Jim to spend the night before
proceeding on to their own homes in Chicago.
They wanted the boys to wait until the
weather improved and it was safe to drive again, but these college
students were anxious to get home for the holidays to their families in
Chicago. After all, it was Christmas Eve and they had only four more
hours of driving to reach their destination.
They sincerely thanked Don’s parents
for their generous offer but decided to brave the cold and snow and head
home. After leaving Don’s house, Tim and Jim continued on their way
home. They had traveled approximately 30 minutes and had finally reached
the access road that would lead them to the toll expressway.
Tim’s automobile had done well in the
bitter cold, but now it was beginning to sputter and lose power. The
access road they were traveling was eleven miles long and it had been
built along a hillside. It was a higher road then the rest. They were
able to look out the car windows and see the many roads below, but they
saw no other cars traveling that night. There were no houses within
miles.
They assumed that other travelers had
heeded the weather warnings and made the smart choice to not travel on
such a dangerous night. Tim’s automobile continued to lose more and
more power – and then with one final sputter and moan, the engine
completely stopped. They were stuck in the middle of nowhere on the
frozen road.
Soon the inside of the car became
freezing cold. No other cars were anywhere to be seen. To leave the
vehicle and attempt to walk to safety would likely mean death. No one
could survive more than a couple of minutes outside in these record cold
temperatures. Their feet were getting so cold and their bodies were
becoming numb.
They didn’t know what to do, so in
desperation, Tim began to pray. “Dear God, You are the only one who can
help us now. Please help us dear God, please help us!” Within moments,
from out of nowhere, lights appeared shining brightly through their
windows. How was this possible? They hadn’t seen anyone coming and they
had been watching closely for any sign of life at all.
A big, strong-looking man approached
their car and knocked on the window. “Need a tow fellas?” he asked.
Excitedly and with a sense of great relief the two boys climbed into the
warm cab of the tow truck. From the cab the boys used the driver’s
truck phone and telephoned Don’s house. They would be spending the night
after all! However, they would need some additional money to pay the
driver who had rescued them. Don’s parents said they would be happy to
help.
The tow-truck driver drove through Fort
Wayne and back into the neighborhood where Don lived. They thanked the
driver for rescuing them and asked him to wait just a moment while they
went inside to borrow the money to pay him.
They jumped out of the truck and ran
into Don’s house. Don handed them the money they had asked to borrow and
immediately hurried back outside, grateful to pay the driver, but the
tow truck was gone!
Don and his parents joined them
outside, also wanting to thank the driver. The boy’s car was there, but
there was no sign of the tow truck or its driver, nor was there any sign
of a tow truck having ever been down that road.
Neither Don nor his family had heard
any sound when they had arrived, even though they had been listening for
them. There were no tire tracks anywhere on the snow-covered road.
There was no tow bill, no tow truck driver, no farewell, and no
taillights that could be seen off in the distance. There was no evidence
anywhere that any vehicle had even been down that road!
The boys had no explanation other than that the tow truck driver was an angel sent by God to answer their prayer.
There are quite literally 1000’s of stories like these where people are convinced that they encountered an angel.
So I ask you – do you believe in the existence of angels?
Surely I do, because the Bible says that there ARE angels; and I believe
the Bible to be the true Word of God. Even though I have never seen
one, I personally believe that God’s angels have protected me more than
once.
So what can we gain from this information and knowledge of Angels?
#1) The existence of angels should remind us that the unseen realm is real.
Just like the Sadducees in Jesus’ day who didn’t believe that there is a
resurrection, or Angels, or spirits, (Acts 23: 8), many today deny the
reality of anything they cannot see. But the biblical teachings
concerning the existence of angels, are a constant reminder to us that
there is an unseen realm that is real. If you remember the story, in 2
Kings 6:16-17, it is only when the Lord opened the eyes of Elisha’s
servant to the reality of the invisible world that the servant saw that
the mountains were full of angels and chariots of fire round about .
An unbelieving world may dismiss talk of
angels as mere superstition, but Scripture offers these stories as
insights and proof for us this unseen realm is real. Even today, these
encounters, these stories about individuals who see angels, also help
reinforce the fact that there are many things that our eyes just can’t
see, especially God’s eternal spiritual realm.
#2) Understanding who and what angels are, and how great they are should also help us to appreciate how much God truly loves us as humans. As one takes the time to read and study scripture, God sets a plan in motion to save us from our sin, but not Angels when they rebelled.
In doing so, God has declared us His sons and daughters. Angels cannot
make that claim. As great as they are, (and they are awesome and great)
only we are created in God’s own image. We just stand in such a
privileged position.
#3) The angels can also be
a great example for us by showing us how obedient and worshipful they
are. In heaven, God’s will is immediately, joyfully carried out without
question. Their delight is to be God’s humble servants, each faithfully
performing their assigned tasks, whether great or small. Our desire and
prayer should be that we should be as loyal and serve God with such
enthusiasm.
We also see how angels readily worship our God. Just to mention one of many examples, in Revelation 5:11-12, John records this, “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand…” And what were they doing? Worshiping and praising our Lord!
I can’t help but believe angels find their
highest joy in praising God; and if that is so, should we not delight in
worshiping and praising God each day?
#4) We should also be more aware of angels in our daily lives. Scripture makes it clear that God wants us to be aware of their existence and some of their activity.
When we worship together, we are not only
joining in with a great company of believers across this planet,
worshipping our Lord together, we are also worship together with a
multitude of unseen angels.. (I believe there are some with us here
today!)
Though we do not ordinarily see or hear
evidence of this heavenly worship, it can certainly enrich our sense of
reverence for God and bolster our own worship if we appreciate the fact
that angels are probably joining in with us as we worship our God.
#5. Moreover, we should
also be aware that Angels are watching over us. They see how obedient or
disobedient we are to God throughout the day. Even if we think our sins
are done in secret and bring grief and no one else (except, of course,
God himself), we should be sobered by the fact that perhaps many, many
angels witness our disobedience and are also grieved by what we do or
don’t do.
On the other hand, when we are discouraged
and think that our faithful obedience to God goes unseen, if we are
encouraged by no one, you can be comforted by the fact that many angels
witness the good you are doing and perhaps the long struggle you endure
because you love Jesus.
Sometimes angels may even appear to us in secret. We read, “do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware” Heb 13:2 Gen. 18:2-5 & 19:1-3
If anything, this should encourage us to
minister to the needs of those we do not know who seek our help. Someday
in heaven you just might meet that angel who you helped when he
appeared disguised as a human being in distress here on earth.
#6. And last of all,
if you are suddenly delivered from danger, distress, or an accident, it
just might be an angel sent from God to help you and you should be
thankful. (Dan. 6:22; Acts 5:19-20, 12:7-11; Matt. 4:11, Ps. 91:11-12).
We should thank God for His mercy and His help and the angels among us!
Conclusion
This has only been a brief study of angel
but what I want you to see is the fact that we are part of something far
greater than anyone of us can see. And, that you are loved by God.
Battles are being fought for us that we cannot even see. His angels
stand ready at His command to help us and guard us from seen and unseen
dangers.
Next time you hear someone say to you, I
think my guardian angel helped me today, offer up God a special prayer
of thanks, that He does care that much for us, that we have those
periodic reminders that there is a wonderful spiritual realm, a heavenly
realm that just lies beyond our vision. And I pray that you will walk
by faith, and not by sight this day and every.
