Verse 1 Then said the high priest, Are these things so?
The high priest was a servant of Satan. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44 The high priest was very aware of the teachings of the LORD Jesus Christ and he was also aware that the witnesses against the Apostle Stephen were false and that the whole arrest and mock trial of Stephen was a set up. So his question was basically theater, all an act with no truth or substance in it.
Application: The Apostle Stephen was accused of speaking against the Temple and the law of Moses, and of stating that Jesus would destroy the Temple and change the customs which Moses delivered to the Jews. But whether Stephen actually made any statement about these things is not known as nothing is recorded to indicate that he was teaching the people in this manner. Like all of Satan’s methods, there was a little truth in these accusations. Jesus did allow the Temple to be destroyed in 70 AD by the Roman army, and He did change the customs set up by Moses as recorded in the Old Testament at the behest of Jesus who is God, very God manifesting in the flesh. Because Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets which no man was ever able to do, the Temple could be done away with as Jesus is the Temple and His followers are part of this spiritual Temple. Animal sacrifices were done away with and sacrifices became spiritual in nature. “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” Peter 2:4 The Ten Commandments that the Jews were not keeping became condensed down to two. “And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” Luke 10:27 The weekly Sabbath commencing at 6PM Friday to 6PM Saturday was no longer kept as the early Church met on the first day of the week which was Sunday. And since Jesus fulfilled all the feasts that were required to be kept under Mosaic law, those feasts no longer applied/applies to His people.
Verses 2-3 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
Verse 2 through verse 53 is a brief history lesson given by Stephen under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost/Spirit about the Hebrew people (who later were called Jews) from Abraham to Jesus. The Apostle Stephen was the last prophet of God sent to what was left of the Israeli nation, the people of Judah. And just like all the prophets before him, he and his message was rejected and he was killed. “For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God and are contrary to all men;” 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15
Just as the Apostles Peter and John stood before the religious/political leadership in a mock trial and showed no fear, so the Apostle Stephen boldly stood before these wicked men and testified of the LORD Jesus in a manner that they would understand. He reminded them of their heritage.
Application: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you.” 2 Corinthians 6:17 Just as God commanded Abraham to come out from among his family in order to do a work in him, establish a new nation under God and His law, so each converted Christian believer needs to come out from the things of this world that are corrupt and not representative of the Kingdom of God. That may require putting a distance between oneself and an unbelieving family, changing places of employment and the type of employment, leaving a church that does not teach the whole counsel of God, ceasing to engage in activities that are not glorifying to the LORD, and so forth. God’s Kingdom is spiritual and righteous. Satan’s kingdom is earthly and unrighteous. There is no institution on this Earth that is not corrupt as all have been infiltrated by Satan and his fallen angels. But believers can trust God to place them where they can be separate from the evil things going on around them and yet still function in this fallen world.
Verses 4-5 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. 5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.
God fulfilled this promise to Abraham and made his descendants a great nation in the land of Palestine. But Abraham himself only owned a burial ground and nothing more although he trod up and down and across that land God had promised him with his family and with his animals and possessions. “For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Hebrews 11:10 Abraham was looking for Heavenly Jerusalem which is above and the mother of us all and not a physical city on Earth in which to dwell.
Verses 6-7 And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years. 7 And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.
The Hebrew people were in Egypt 400 years, part of that time living peaceably, and part of that time living in slavery. God judged Egypt which was the first one world government and it was destroyed, never to rise again as a great nation. “And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, how long shall this man (Moses) be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?” Exodus 10:7
Verses 8-10 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs. 9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him, 10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
The story of Joseph and of how Jacob and his family ended up in Egypt is recorded starting in chapter 37 of the book of Genesis.
Verses 11-13 Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. 13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph’s kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.
God’s ways are not man’s ways, and through a famine God took Jacob and his family into Egypt, and eventually used the Hebrew people to destroy that wicked nation through ten plagues.
Verses 14-16 Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. 15 So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, 16 And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.
Burial was important in the cultures of those days. Family cemeteries were common and should an individual die some distance from the family burial ground, the body was transported from whence it died to the family cemetery. Cremation was not an option because God created man out of the dust of the earth and man’s body was to return to the earth after death. It was also customary to have a lengthy period of mourning for the deceased family member which provided time for the bereaved to work through their loss.
Application: In western cultures the celebration of the death of a loved one does not seem to have a priority with either time or treasure. This writer lost family members and was always expected to return to work as soon as the funeral was over. Time was not given by employers after the funeral, and the cost of a funeral was so exorbitant in these modern times that returning to work immediately was the only option. As a result, a time of mourning never occurred. God, who created mankind, knew what people needed to navigate through this life and all the experiences with death. But technology, the love of money and modern times have not allowed for the emotional and psychological healing that time will give to the soul.
Verses 17-19 But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, 18 Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph. 19 The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.
What promise? The promise to make a great nation from Abraham’s descendants and for them to dwell in the land of Palestine.
Application: Satan has always tried to destroy the people of God, and so one can be assured that he was behind Pharaoh’s edict that all the male Hebrew children were to be killed at birth. Satan’s religion requires sex and blood as can be seen in the activities of the occult, so the killing of the babies was not only acceptable to Pharaoh and his ruling elite, but was very pleasing to Satan and his fallen angels. Today, abortion accomplishes the same thing: a blood sacrifice to the Devil. However, God had His plan and He did not permit the midwives to obey the edict. As a result, the prophet Moses was born and became a type of Christ in that he led the Hebrew people out of Egyptian bondage, and centuries later Jesus led people out of the bondage of sin, death, and Hell and continues to do so to this day.
Verses 20-22 In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father’s house three months: 21 And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
So far in the Apostle Stephen’s speech, he has said nothing that was not the truth and with which the Sanhedrin et al could take offense. So for those doubting people that wish to criticize the Bible and claim that it is not the Word of God and that it has mistakes throughout, this dialogue of the Apostle Stephen as recorded by Luke shows that Scripture is accurate. Every detail he has thus far spoken was recorded in the books of Genesis and Exodus thousands of years prior to this mock trial.
Verses 23-25 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: 25 For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.
Now the Apostle Stephen is beginning to show the hardheartedness and stubborness of the Hebrew people who could not even appreciate the selfless actions of Moses as he rescued a child of Israel at his own peril, an act that caused him to have to flee Egypt.
Application: Moses was a type of Christ. He tried to rescue his people and he was rejected by his own people. Jesus came to rescue His people and they rejected Him just as their fathers had rejected Moses.
Verses 26-29 And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? 27 But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday? 29 Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.
Notice the rebellion of the Hebrews in Egypt against Moses who was the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter and therefore a prince. There was no respect for people in authority or for each other. These men were in a condition of slavery and yet they wronged each other just as the Egyptian government was doing wrong to them. And Moses obviously thought that these Hebrews would report him to Pharaoh or he would not have felt the need to flee Egypt. So these evil Hebrews were capable of siding with the Egyptians who were treating them badly and not willing to be supportive of the only “Egyptian” in the land that was kind to them.
Application: As the Apostle Stephen was recounting this history of the Jews, it would not have been possible for the consciences of the men composing the Sanhedrin to not be pricked a little as their actions towards the LORD Jesus Christ and towards Stephen reflected those of their ancestors towards the prophet Moses. They had rejected the rule of Jesus over them, and they were rejecting the preaching and teaching of those who had accepted His rule over their lives.
Verses 30-32 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, 32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.
The religious elite, the Sadducees, had argued with Jesus regarding the patriarchs as they believed that there was no resurrection, so Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were dead and buried in their belief system. Jesus destroyed their religious system in just a few sentences. “But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” Matthew 22:31-32 The Prophet Stephen repeated this as recorded in the verses above.
Application: The Prophet Stephen, under the direction of the Holy Ghost/Spirit, was slowly convicting the Satanic men judging him as he testified of past events. The Pharisees and scribes would have been well aware of the dialogue between Jesus and members of the ruling elite. They were also aware that Jesus referred to Himself as the “I AM” which is the name of God Almighty. They knew Jesus was the promised Messiah and they refused to listen to Him, unlike Moses who wondered at what he was seeing in the wilderness. Moses “drew near to behold” but they had pushed Jesus away, who was/is the same God Moses met in the wilderness, and they had tried to destroy Him.
Verses 33-35 Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground. 34 I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt. 35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.
Application: Just as God had used a rejected Moses to be a ruler and deliverer of His people so that they were set free from the bondage of slavery, so Jesus Christ was sent to the descendants of the Hebrews who had been in Egyptian bondage. He was rejected, and now He lives to be a ruler and deliverer of His people so that they are set free from the bondage of slavery to sin. And His called and chosen people are from every nation and every tongue.
Verses 36-37 He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years. 37 This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.
Moses, through the power of the Holy Spirit, performed signs and wonders in an effort to convince Pharaoh that the God Moses and Aaron served was the one true God. The Egyptians, like all other pagan religions, had many gods and goddesses. After the land of Egypt was destroyed and the firstborn of man and animal killed, Pharaoh recognized the God of the Hebrews and His power and let the Hebrews leave Egypt. This reprieve was short lived, however, as Pharaoh and his chariots chased after the Hebrew people until they got to the Red sea where God performed another miracle through the prophet Moses and parted the sea so that the Hebrews walked through on dry land. The Egyptians who were following drowned. So Moses brought the Hebrew people out of Egypt and out of slavery and the threat of Pharaoh and his army was over. They were free at last. This review of Hebrew history by the Apostle Stephen was not offensive to the Sanhedrin, the high priest, the scribes and whoever else was present at the trial until Stephen recounted what Moses said as recorded in Deuteronomy 18:15. “The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;” This would have annoyed the rulers as they were fully aware of Jesus’ pedigree as they had the Temple records which showed that He was descended from King David, and therefore a son of David, and that His mother was Mary and His father was not Joseph. He fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 which said, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” These rulers had been given a sign that was prophesied and a wonder or a miracle in that the God of Heaven came down and inhabited a body of flesh and lived among mankind. And they knew that Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah’s words and the refused to hear Jesus.
Application: Just a note here to include the Judaism of today as a pagan religion. Most organized evangelical establishment churches teach that the Jews of today study and abide by the Old Testament and by Mosaic law. This is not true. If it was, the Jews of today would at least acknowledge the God of the Bible. When the rabbis speak about god, they are not referring to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but to a serpent god who is no other than Satan himself. Jesus confirmed this when He told the Jews as recorded in John 8:44, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” You, the reader, can disbelieve what this writer is saying, but can you disbelieve Jesus Christ? So the Jewish religion of today is pagan and not of God. Do the research. They believe in a Holy Serpent whose male name is Leviathan and his female name is Malkuth. This serpent is the Jewish messiah who they believe will come to Earth and destroy the Gentiles and exalt the Jewish people to global dominancy. Orthodox rabbis teach that the Jews are a holy race of serpent beings. Hence the proliferation of the false teaching regarding the “serpent seed” and the making of movies such as Rosemary’s Baby, all for the purpose of “dumbing-down ” the public so that this false doctrine will be more acceptable. Since the Jews think they are serpent people, Jesus had no trouble stating in Matthew 23:33, “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” So according to Judaism and the Kabbalah, this Holy Serpent resides in a “tree of life” with a bunch of other gods. Here are the names of some of them: Yesod, Hod, Binah, Kether, Hesed and Tifereth. So the Jews of today do not worship the one true God of the Bible, but they worship multiple gods and goddesses, making their doctrine just another pagan belief system. There are many excellent books written about the Holy Serpent of the Jews which quote Jewish rabbis confirming the fact that Lucifer or Satan is the main god of the Jews. One book this writer recommends for further study was written by Texe Marrs and simply titled Holy Serpent of the Jews.
While this writer is most likely offending people with the truth, lets not forget Catholicism which is also another pagan religion as it has multiple gods and goddesses who are worshipped or venerated by its followers. This false religion is basically Judaism for Gentiles and is also basically Greek mythology as it has a daddy god, a mommy god, and a baby god and is the creator of the false doctrine of the Trinity which has infiltrated Christian churches and which tries to mathematically take three different gods and make them one god. Jesus said, “And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.” Matthew 23:9 So what does Catholicism teach its followers? Call all the male church leadership “father”, thus causing all Catholics to disobey Jesus’ command and therefore to sin. And who is the mediator between God and man? According to Catholicism, the Pope is the mediator as he is literally in the role of Jesus Christ here on Earth. But the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” It would take a book to discuss all the problems with Catholic doctrine and cannot be done here. Just understand that most of what the Catholic institution does and teaches is contrary to the teachings of the Bible. Therefore Catholicism, like Judaism, is a pagan religion. Do the research!!!
Verses 38-40 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: 39 To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, 40 Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
Moses claimed to be a prophet of God and predicted that a greater prophet would come forth in the future. It is through the Prophet Moses that the Church today has the Ten Commandments and has the history of God’s people and of the Church. And there was a Church in the wilderness made up of those Hebrew people who truly followed the LORD.
Application: “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9 King Solomon knew that history always repeats itself. Why? Because Satan uses the same game plan to accomplish his goals and sinful man can be counted upon to sin and follow Satan’s plans. So just as the Hebrew ancestors who should have been thanking Moses for saving them from the Egyptians turned against him and and wanted fake gods or devils to lead them and wanted to go back to the slavery in Egypt from whence they had come, so the Hebrew descendants of Jesus’ time refused to obey Him, thrust Him from them, and called for His crucifixion. Instead of worshiping Him for all the miracles of healing and for the offer of forgiveness of sins and eternal life in Heaven, they wanted to keep their sin and their Babylonian religion.
Verse 41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
The Apostle Stephen continues to recount the events recorded in the Old Testament, events that paralleled the events around Jesus and now around the persecution of himself and the early Church.
Verses 42-43 Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness? 43 Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
The Apostle Stephen clearly reminds the evil Jewish leadership that rebellion against God leads to Him turning away from them and letting them become involved with witchcraft and other false systems of belief.
Application: Today many people attending Christian churches are involved with witchcraft and are not even aware that they are in Satan’s territory. In the verses above, God “gave them up to worship the host of heaven”. Astrology is witchcraft. How many so-called Christians regularly check their horoscope and their astrological sign in the newspaper or on line? And the ancient Hebrews worshiped Moloch. Who was/is Moloch? Originally a god of the Ammonites, the Hebrews adopted it and sacrificed their children by fire to it. It had the head of an ox with outstretched human arms, and it was heated by fire from within its hollow body. The children, and sometimes adults, were placed on the arms to be slowly burned to death and the priests beat on drums to drown out the cries of the victims. Does this go on today? Abortion and legalized assisted suicide are two modern ways of providing human sacrifices to Satan. And the practice of cremation of the dead is another way of sacrificing to Satan. There cannot be found one incidence in Scripture where God condones burning of the dead. But there are plenty of pagan cultures where burning of the dead is practiced. So although Scripture does not provide a description of the calf that the Hebrews demanded Aaron make for them when Moses was with God in the mountain, it may very well have been an idol of Moloch with the intention to engage in human sacrifice.
Verses 44-46 Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen. 45 Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David; 46 Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
The tabernacle plans given to Moses were from the tabernacle that already existed in Heaven. That was the only way the prophet Moses could have seen the tabernacle: it was revealed to him by God.
Application: The Greek word translated as “tabernacle” is “skene” and it means habitation or tent. The LORD Jesus Christ today is the true Tabernacle and all converted Christian believers are part of that tabernacle. “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ”. 1 Peter 2:5
Verses 47-50 But Solomon built him an house. 48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, 49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? 50 Hath not my hand made all these things?
The prophet Stephen quoted from Isaiah 66:1 which says, “Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?” God is omnipresent, meaning that He is everywhere all of the time and therefore He does not inhabit one place. How can this be? Because God is a Spirit and is not bound by any of the forces of this world such as time and space and matter. He created it all and is in all. God is not three persons. This is a Catholic teaching and not Biblical. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:” Deuteronomy 6:4 “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Ephesians 4:6 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” Timothy 2:5 God manifests Himself to mankind as a man with a body of flesh, Jesus Christ, and as the Holy Ghost/Spirit. But He is one God and not three persons. Remember that a person has to have a body of flesh and the Father who is Spirit and the Holy Ghost who is also Spirit and who is the Comforter promised by Jesus do not have bodies. Yes, in the Old Testament days the presence of God in the tabernacle and then later in the Temple was evident by the pillar of fire and the cloud. But God’s presence is now in His people through the power of the Holy Ghost. That was Who was speaking through the prophet Stephen and who was convicting the wicked religious leaders who knew they had murdered their Messiah.
Application: The people of the time of Jesus’ ministry did not have Scripture in their hands like today where Bibles are plentiful. The Scripture was on scrolls that were kept in the Temple and guarded by the Temple soldiers and the Pharisees. The fact that Stephen could quote Scripture as readily as he did during this mock trial demonstrates the power of God. Jesus, who is God manifested in the flesh, stated to His disciples, “But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak; neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.” Mark 13:11 So the first Christian to be persecuted and killed by the ruling Jewish religious leaders had the Holy Ghost/Spirit that was dwelling inside of him giving this sermon to the evil men trying to eliminate the truth of the Gospel. So the irony was/is that the very men responsible for the killing of Jesus were actually listening to Jesus as His Ghost spoke through the man, Stephen.
Verses 51-53 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: 53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
The prophet Stephen, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, confronts the rulers and makes his dialogue personal. He is no longer reviewing history, but is now calling out these wicked men for behaving in the same manner as the wicked men of Israel’s past. They, like their ancestors, have resisted and rebelled against God and were continuing to do so. They persecuted and murdered the son of God and are now persecuting the Church, and they have failed to abide by the law of God but teach their Babylonian Talmudic law in its place.
Application: The Greek word translated as “stiffnecked” is “sklerotrachelos” and it means stiffnecked, stubborn, headstrong, and obstinate. This adjective occurs 9 times in scripture, 8 times in the Old Testament where both God and the prophet Moses use it to describe the Hebrews, and once in the New Testament in the verse above where God, speaking through the prophet Stephen, uses it again to describe the descendants of the Hebrews, the Jews. The question arises that if the Israelites were and remained stiffnecked from the time of the Egyptian captivity to the days of Jesus’ ministry, encompassing 6 one world empires, are the people calling themselves Jews today any different?
Verse 54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
The Greek word translated as “gnashed” is “brucho” and it means to bite or to chew. These men who were the elite religious and political rulers of Judah attacked the prophet Stephen with their teeth like a wild critter killing prey. Their devils manifested and all civil behavior or decorum was abandoned. They were shedding innocent blood with their teeth as they tore the flesh of Stephen in their fury. Think about the scene and what the bystanders were seeing. A Hollywood movie could not portray the wickedness and disgusting events that occurred that day. As they chewed on the body of the prophet Stephen and got his flesh and blood in their mouths, they were chewing and eating a temple of God wherein was dwelling the Holy Ghost/Spirit.
Application: This biting, chewing and tasting of the prophet Stephen’s blood and tissue was the final event that caused God to destroy Jerusalem and Judah and scatter the Jews to the four corners of the Earth. This was the abomination of desolation spoken about by the prophet Daniel that took place in the Temple, the house of God.
Verses 55-56 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Why was Jesus standing? When a ruler stood up from the throne, it meant that the ruler was going to take action of some kind. Jesus Christ took action when He used the Roman military to destroy the last of the children of Israel and when He established His Church throughout the known world. Jesus Christ was also standing to welcome the prophet Stephen into Heaven and the Kingdom of God in eternity.
Verses 57-60 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7)
The prophet Stephen was/is a type of Christ. Like Jesus, he cried to the LORD to not charge this sin to the men persecuting him.
Apparently using their teeth on the prophet Stephen was not enough for these devil possessed men, and they finished their murdering of this man by striking his already damaged body with large rocks. There was no Biblical precedent for this action as the prophet Stephen, like Jesus, had done nothing wrong to receive the death penalty. So like Christ, Stephen was killed for doing good, doing miracles, and preaching the Word of God which was contrary to the Babylonian doctrine the Jews of those days lived by and the Jews of today also live by.
Why did the witnesses lay down their clothes? To prevent getting blood on them. The Pharisees, Sadducee and scribes would have been in expensive official garb denoting their elevated social status and they would not want to soil their official robes. Here is the first mention of the man Saul, who after conversion became the Apostle Paul. He was a Pharisee and member of the ruling elite.