Act 7:58 | KingComments | STEP | With his words that they are lawbreakers, the measure is filled up to them. All the accumulated anger comes out. They are in no way able to argue against Stephen. His proof of their guilt is irrefutable. Instead of his words touching them in the heart and asking them what to do (cf. ), his speech to them has become more and more an agony, a torture for their minds. They gnash their teeth against him as an expression of torment characteristic of the hell with which they are connected ( ; ). While during Stephen’s speech the anger increases, which can be seen on their faces, an increasing glory of heaven can be seen on Stephen. They are full of anger; he is full of the Holy Spirit. They see through their anger a man they want to kill. He does not see the angry crowd, but he is completely absorbed by the Holy Spirit in what he sees in heaven: “The glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” The glory of God had left the temple ( ) and had returned to heaven. The glory of God had reappeared in Christ, but had been rejected and had returned to heaven. Now Stephen sees that glory, which means that the glory is visible to Christians who possess God’s Spirit. After his razor-sharp condemnation he now speaks about the heaven he sees opened and in which he sees the Lord Jesus as the Son of man standing at the right hand of God. Like seeing the glory of God, seeing the opened heavens is also characteristic of Christendom. In Judaism the entrance to God is closed, God is hidden behind the veil. When the Council hears all this, they go wild. They begin to cry out, so that they will hardly have heard what Stephen may have said. And even if another word from this – in their eyes – terrible criminal should break through their cries and reach their ears, they make it impossible to hear it by covering their ears ( ). It is completely unacceptable to them, no matter what Stephen says. He testifies not of the glory of God – which would be normal for heaven – but of the Son of Man in glory. It is perfectly clear to them what he is saying with this. He says nothing more and nothing less than that he sees the Messiah Whom they have rejected and that He is the Son of God ( ). Stephen says another thing. He also says that He sees the Son of Man “standing”. This indicates that the rejection of the Lord Jesus is not yet total and that He is, as it were, ready to return in case His people still come to repentance. However, this is not the case. On the contrary. By stoning Stephen, they send the Lord Jesus, as it were, a delegation after Him, saying: ”We do not want this man to reign over us” (cf. ). In Stephen’s death the testimony of the Holy Spirit was also rejected by them. The Lord underwent a sham trial. Stephen was executed and stoned to death without any form of trial. With this he undergoes the fate of a blasphemer ( ). The stoning is carried out by the false witnesses ( ). In order not to be hindered by their robes when throwing the stones, they put them at the feet of a young man, Saul. Later on, Saul, then Paul, will cite his involvement and his care for the robes of the stone-throwers as a regrettable affair ( ). Here we hear about him for the first time. He wholeheartedly agrees with the stoning of that ‘blasphemer’. While he is being stoned, Stephen calls on the Lord to receive his spirit. Heaven had to receive not only the Lord Jesus until the period of restoration ( ), but also the souls of His own, of those who believe in Him. By seeing Christ glorified in heaven, Stephen, as well as every believer, is changed and becomes like Him. This is apparent from his last words. His last words are no longer addressed to the people – he has nothing more to say to them – but to his Lord. While the stones strike him, he kneels down quietly and then by a loud voice, so that they all hear it, he prays for forgiveness for his murderers (cf. ). Seeing the Lord Jesus gives him that rest in these circumstances. We also see that rest in the way Stephen’s death is described: he falls asleep. Falling asleep refers to the body, not to the soul or the spirit. Stephen is taken away from this life in the power of his life that was a testimony. Jim Elliot, who was killed at the age of twenty-eight by the spears of Auca Indians to whom he wanted to preach the gospel, wrote: ‘I am not looking for a long life, but a full life.’ And: ‘God seeks to populate eternity and I must not limit Him in doing this just with old people.’

‏ Acts 7:58

Stephen Is Stoned

With his words that they are lawbreakers, the measure is filled up to them. All the accumulated anger comes out. They are in no way able to argue against Stephen. His proof of their guilt is irrefutable. Instead of his words touching them in the heart and asking them what to do (cf. Acts 2:37), his speech to them has become more and more an agony, a torture for their minds. They gnash their teeth against him as an expression of torment characteristic of the hell with which they are connected (Lk 13:28; Psa 35:16).

While during Stephen’s speech the anger increases, which can be seen on their faces, an increasing glory of heaven can be seen on Stephen. They are full of anger; he is full of the Holy Spirit. They see through their anger a man they want to kill. He does not see the angry crowd, but he is completely absorbed by the Holy Spirit in what he sees in heaven: “The glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”

The glory of God had left the temple (Eze 10:18 ; Eze 11:23) and had returned to heaven. The glory of God had reappeared in Christ, but had been rejected and had returned to heaven. Now Stephen sees that glory, which means that the glory is visible to Christians who possess God’s Spirit.

After his razor-sharp condemnation he now speaks about the heaven he sees opened and in which he sees the Lord Jesus as the Son of man standing at the right hand of God. Like seeing the glory of God, seeing the opened heavens is also characteristic of Christendom. In Judaism the entrance to God is closed, God is hidden behind the veil.

When the Council hears all this, they go wild. They begin to cry out, so that they will hardly have heard what Stephen may have said. And even if another word from this – in their eyes – terrible criminal should break through their cries and reach their ears, they make it impossible to hear it by covering their ears (Psa 58:4-5).

It is completely unacceptable to them, no matter what Stephen says. He testifies not of the glory of God – which would be normal for heaven – but of the Son of Man in glory. It is perfectly clear to them what he is saying with this. He says nothing more and nothing less than that he sees the Messiah Whom they have rejected and that He is the Son of God (Dan 7:13).

Stephen says another thing. He also says that He sees the Son of Man “standing”. This indicates that the rejection of the Lord Jesus is not yet total and that He is, as it were, ready to return in case His people still come to repentance. However, this is not the case. On the contrary. By stoning Stephen, they send the Lord Jesus, as it were, a delegation after Him, saying: ”We do not want this man to reign over us” (cf. Lk 19:11-14).

In Stephen’s death the testimony of the Holy Spirit was also rejected by them. The Lord underwent a sham trial. Stephen was executed and stoned to death without any form of trial. With this he undergoes the fate of a blasphemer (Lev 24:16). The stoning is carried out by the false witnesses (Acts 6:13).

In order not to be hindered by their robes when throwing the stones, they put them at the feet of a young man, Saul. Later on, Saul, then Paul, will cite his involvement and his care for the robes of the stone-throwers as a regrettable affair (Acts 22:20). Here we hear about him for the first time. He wholeheartedly agrees with the stoning of that ‘blasphemer’.

While he is being stoned, Stephen calls on the Lord to receive his spirit. Heaven had to receive not only the Lord Jesus until the period of restoration (Acts 3:20-21), but also the souls of His own, of those who believe in Him. By seeing Christ glorified in heaven, Stephen, as well as every believer, is changed and becomes like Him. This is apparent from his last words.

His last words are no longer addressed to the people – he has nothing more to say to them – but to his Lord. While the stones strike him, he kneels down quietly and then by a loud voice, so that they all hear it, he prays for forgiveness for his murderers (cf. Lk 23:34a).

Seeing the Lord Jesus gives him that rest in these circumstances. We also see that rest in the way Stephen’s death is described: he falls asleep. Falling asleep refers to the body, not to the soul or the spirit. Stephen is taken away from this life in the power of his life that was a testimony.

Jim Elliot, who was killed at the age of twenty-eight by the spears of Auca Indians to whom he wanted to preach the gospel, wrote: ‘I am not looking for a long life, but a full life.’ And: ‘God seeks to populate eternity and I must not limit Him in doing this just with old people.’