Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory

Acts 7:54–60 (NKJV)

54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

We will break into this study with the response of the council to Stephen’s rebuttal. We closed our last study with Stephen’s so-called harsh rebuke of the spiritual ignorance of the council. Was it ‘warranted’ by Stephen to do so? It was necessary to draw out the double edged sword to cut into the impenetrable hearts of the self-righteous council. Stephen who was full of the Spirit worked hard to plow through the hardness of their heart and cut through what the law had seared around their conscience. But as we shall see there is always a price to pay when you unsheathe the double edged sword of the Word. Stephen will lose his temporal life for doing the hard work of a farmer who plows and tills the soil to plant the seeds of life.

Stephen used the law to show them how they have not kept the law (v.53). Again, Israel was misusing the law to justify themselves, rather than as a mirror to see themselves (Gal.3:24). God’s intention for the law was to show them how they should perceive themselves in the image of Adam’s sin, not as a means to climb to heaven and to God (Rom.3:20). The law was given to condemn them, but Christ was given to keep them (Rom.8:3). They were to “keep” the law by looking forward to the promise of the Messiah but instead they murdered Him (Hab.2:16). And the glory of it was that it was God’s purpose to save them in spite of their ignorance of the promise (Acts.2:22-24).

When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.

As Stephen gave his defense of preaching and believing on Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ, and increased in the righteous anger of their sinful ignorance of the Law; the high council also increased in the sinfulness of their heart against the truth and Words of God, which have been made alive in Stephen by the very Spirit of God. When Luke writes that “they heard these things,” he means that the council understood them. They were no longer able to plead ignorance. When Luke writes that “they were cut to the heart,” he means that the council was convicted with guilt in their conscience about what they did to Christ and their misuse of the Law. Luke also writes that the council “gnashed” at him with their teeth. In this culture it would bring into the mind a word picture of being bit by a snake. Stephen’s rebuke was “painful” for the high council to swallow. Stephen’s rebuke was like the bite of a snake filled with poison that would disintegrate the life of the council. Their natural reaction to such a bite would to be filled with anger and fury to kill the cause of death or the so-called snake. As Stephen is full of the Spirit and wisdom, he tries to direct their attention to the solution of their problem.

John 3:14–15 (NKJV)

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

Stephen bids them to “Look!” Look at what? Stephen knows how the fathers were saved in the wilderness when they rejected the Law and Moses. Stephen is saying, now that the law has convicted you; look away from the law and to Christ. Stephen is saying, look away from me and behold the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world (Jn.1:29).

Numbers 21:5–9 (NKJV)

5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” 6 So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. 7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

Stephen, who the council now considers a snake, was preaching Jesus as the Messiah, who the council also considered a snake.

But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, . . .

Stephen knew what was coming next, so he leads the way, to look away from the problem of sin, and to the redemption that is Jesus Christ. Stephen looked away from trusting in the council to acquit him and to the intercession of His Savior, who was standing for him at God’s right hand. Stephen looked to the justice of his Father. The good news is that Stephen was able to behold the glory of God, but the bad news was that the Sanhedrin was going to drink the cup of Christ’s wrath.

Habakkuk 2:12–16 (NKJV)

12 “Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed, Who establishes a city by iniquity! 13 Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts That the peoples labor to feed the fire, And nations weary themselves in vain? 14 For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea. 15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, Pressing him to your bottle, Even to make him drunk, That you may look on his nakedness! 16 You are filled with shame instead of glory. You also—drink! And be exposed as uncircumcised! The cup of the Lord’s right hand will be turned against you, And utter shame will be on your glory.

. . . and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

The Holy Spirit in Stephen was yet still calling the council to repentance, calling them to look away from their sin and to Christ. Stephen is about to suffer as a good soldier of Christ as the council continues to resist the Holy Spirit. My friends, do you see that is was the Lord who sent Stephen upon the council as a “fiery serpent” to bite them with the truth? This was the authority of God that this council was rejecting. In rejecting Stephen they also rejected God and Stephen prays for them still.

Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; . . .

What was it this time that caused them to put their hands over their ears and ignore the plain truth? I believe it to be what Stephen said about “the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” You see when they tried Jesus of Nazareth for blasphemy; it was based on two false witnesses who accused Christ of saying that He would destroy their precious temple. But He did not say that He would, but that they would because of His taunts. As I mentioned in a previous study that the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. as a judgment for destroying the body of Christ. God did not dwell in their temple but in the heart of Christ whom they crushed on the cross (Jn.2:17-21). Therefore it was this false testimony that Christ would not defend and restore His reputation by willingly remaining silent. Rather, He would allow His disciples to labor to defend and restore His honor as Stephen has done.

Matthew 26:59–64 (NKJV)

59 Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, 60 but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward 61 and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ” 62 And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” 63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” 64 Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

But what I want you to see in this study, is that based on what Stephen saw, it reminded the corrupt council of what Jesus spoke to them about His Deity on the night of His trial. In response to the council’s question, “Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God,” Jesus said, in judgment upon them, “after you murder Me, you will “see” Me as the Son of Man “sitting” at the right hand of authority.” So what we have are two different visions of God’s glory. Stephen sees the Lord “standing” and the council will see Him “sitting.” What is the significance of that? Standing at the right of God indicates that Christ was interceding for Stephen, but sitting at the right of God indicates that Christ was judging the Council. Coming in the clouds always brings in the word picture of judgment. Christ coming in the clouds sitting upon His throne symbolizes the verdict upon the council – condemned. Christ coming in the clouds standing for Stephen also symbolizes the verdict upon Stephen – not guilty. This is what angered the council. Christ has already judged them, but Stephen is foolishly praying for them. What wisdom and awesome wonder we have in Jesus Christ! Stephen's eyes were opened to the goodness of God, but the council’s eyes were only opened to the severity of God (Rom.11:22).

. . . and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

It was upon this judgment, not from Stephen, but from the Lord; that caused them to run at Stephen and drag him out of the city to be stoned. And just as they gambled over Jesus’ dead body, they also gambled with Stephen’s life. Remember in one of our previous studies that it was very probable that Saul and Stephen debated in the synagogue of the “Freedmen.” We see here again gambling with clothes. Luke writes this in a way that exposes the sin of the apostle Paul, who was called Saul, before his conversion. Apparently there was some kind of bet that Saul had made that led to the stoning of Stephen. This most likely played a convicting role in Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus as we will discover later in our study of the book of Acts, Lord willing.

And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

It is important to note that Stephen is not calling upon God in fear that the Lord will not receive his soul. Stephen is calling upon God in full assurance of faith that God will receive his spirit. Stephen is filled with the Spirit of assurance that cries, “Abba, Father.”

Mark 14:36 (NKJV) 36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”

Romans 8:15 (NKJV) 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Galatians 4:6 (NKJV) 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

The Lord most certainly received Stephen’s spirit. The Lord was well pleased with Stephen’s sacrifice even as he interceded for his countrymen. But notice the Lord did not receive the spirit of council; for their damnation was sealed, just as Stephen’s salvation was sealed. What a beautiful reflection of Light of Jesus Christ and His first sacrifice. Stephen carried his cross well as the Lord commanded. Stephen carried his cross in the power of God and pointed to Christ as the firstborn of many brethren in God, the Joseph of Egypt, the Savior and Redeemer of Israel, the Authority and Temple of God, and the Sacrifice of all sacrifices.

God’s work in Stephen was done and was called to rest with Christ at God’s right hand as a testimony and witness of the power and authority of God in Christ Jesus of Nazareth. It may also be a good idea to note that Luke is not prompting us to believe in “soul sleep,” but that Stephen’s death was a departure from the hardship and toil in this present life that leads to death; and that Stephen’s soul is alive and very present in the rest and everlasting joy of Christ (2Cor.5:8; Matt.25:23; 1Thess.2:19).