Neville Goddard on Acts 12:6-9 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Acts 12 in context

Scripture Focus

6And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.

7And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

8And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

9And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.

Acts 12:6-9

Biblical Context

Peter sleeps in a guarded prison. An angel appears, frees him, and guides him out, while he initially believes it is a vision.

Neville's Inner Vision

Viewed through the inner eye, the prison is your current state of consciousness—Herod's guards are the habits and fears that bind you to limitation. The light that shines, and the angel who awakens Peter, is the dawning awareness, the I AM, that smites sleep and calls you: Arise up quickly. When you answer, your 'chains' fall—attachments, doubts, and identifications melt as you align with the truth that you are already free. Peter's movement from the cell to the world mirrors the leap from passive belief to active realization: you do not escape by changing external doors but by turning toward the light within and following the prompt of your own consciousness. Do not resist the sensation of movement; trust the impression that guidance is real, not a dream. As you persist in this inner journey, the seeming prison becomes a stage for awakening, walls dissolving into the air of awareness, and you walk out into the world as the very light that illumines it.

Practice This Now

Close your eyes and assume the posture of Peter waking to freedom; picture the inner angel shining on your mind's prison. Feel the chains falling as you repeat, 'I am free now,' and walk in your day following the prompt of awareness.