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Scripture Reading: Acts 7:1-60; 8:1-3
After Stephen was opposed and arrested (Acts 6:8-15; 7:1), he testified before the Sanhedrin (7:2-53), and then he was stoned (7:54-60). Following this, we read in 8:1-3 concerning the devastation of the church in Jerusalem.
As Stephen testified before the Sanhedrin, he said, “Men, brothers, and fathers, listen! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, and said to him, Go out of your land and from your relatives, and come into the land which I will show you” (vv. 2-3). The glory spoken of in verse 2 might have been visible glory (see v. 55), as when the cloud and the fire appeared to Israel (Exo. 16:10; 24:16-17; Lev. 9:23; Num. 14:10; 16:19; 20:6; Deut. 5:24) and filled the tabernacle and temple (Exo. 40:35; 1 Kings 8:11). It was the God of such glory who appeared to Abraham and called him. His glory was a great attraction to Abraham. It separated, sanctified, him from the world unto God (Exo. 29:43), and it was a great encouragement and strength which enabled him to follow God (Gen. 12:1, 4). In the same principle, God also calls the New Testament believers by His invisible glory (2 Pet. 1:3).
Stephen’s teaching in Acts 7 begins with the word regarding the God of glory appearing to Abraham. We do not know where Stephen gained this understanding, for in Genesis we are not told that the God of glory appeared to Abraham. But Stephen tells us that when God appeared to Abraham, He appeared as the God of glory. Although we do not know where Stephen learned this, we believe that his word was spoken according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Stephen’s message, therefore, begins with the God of glory calling Abraham.
Stephen’s word about the God of glory fits in with God’s New Testament economy. Peter in his second Epistle tells us that God has called us by His glory and to His glory (2 Pet. 1:3). Because we have been called by God’s invisible glory, we eventually received the Lord Jesus, realizing that He is better than anything else and anyone else. For example, certain Chinese believers came to appreciate Jesus Christ more than Confucius. Because of this appreciation, they eventually believed in the Lord and received Him. This evaluation of Christ implies glory.
The God of glory called Abraham, and Abraham was attracted and caught by that glory. The principle is the same with us today. We all have been caught by the Lord in His invisible glory. We have been captured by His glory, and we cannot escape.
In 7:4 Stephen went on to say of Abraham, “Then going out of the land of the Chaldeans, he dwelt in Haran. And from there, after his father died, He removed him into this land, in which you are now dwelling.” Apparently it was Abraham journeying into Canaan (Gen. 12:4-5), but actually it was God removing him into the good land.
Acts 7:5 and 6 continue, “And He did not give him an inheritance in it, not even a place to set his foot on; and while he had no child He promised to give it to him for a possession and to his seed after him. And God spoke to this effect, that his seed would be a sojourner in a land belonging to others, and they would enslave them and mistreat them four hundred years.” The land referred to in verse 6 is Egypt (Exo. 1:1), and the pronoun “they” denotes the Egyptians (Exo. 1:11, 13-14). The word “them” refers to the seed. According to verse 6, Abraham’s seed was to be mistreated in Egypt for four hundred years. This differs from Galatians 3:17 which speaks of four hundred and thirty years. This is the length of time counted from the time God gave Abraham the promise in Genesis 12 to the time He gave the law through Moses in Exodus 20. This period was considered by God as the time of the children of Israel’s dwelling in Egypt (Exo. 12:40-41). The four hundred years mentioned in Genesis 15:13 and Acts 7:6 are counted from the time Ishmael mocked Isaac in Genesis 21 to the time the children of Israel came out of the Egyptian tyranny in Exodus 12. This is the period when Abraham’s descendants suffered the persecution of the Gentiles.
In Acts 7:14 and 15 Stephen speaks of Jacob’s going down into Egypt: “Joseph sent and called for Jacob his father and all his relatives — seventy-five souls in all. And Jacob went down into Egypt; and he ended his days, he and our fathers.” We should compare the number seventy-five in verse 14 with the number seventy in Genesis 46:27 and Exodus 1:5. Stephen quoted this number from the Septuagint, which adds Joseph’s five descendants in Genesis 46:20. Hence, the number he mentioned of the house of Jacob who came to Egypt was seventy-five instead of seventy.
In Acts 7:18 Stephen says that “another king rose up over Egypt who did not know Joseph.” The Greek word rendered “another” also means different in character. The king referred to here was not only another king, but a king of a different character.
In 7:20 through 44 Stephen purposely gives a long narration in the most positive way concerning Moses. He did this to vindicate himself before his opposers, who had accused him of blaspheming Moses (6:11). In verse 20 Stephen says, “At which time Moses was born and was handsome to God; and he was nurtured three months in his father’s house.” The Greek words translated “handsome to God” also mean “fair to God.” This is a Hebraism denoting fair in the sight of God; hence, exceedingly fair.
In verse 21 Stephen continues, “And when he was thrown out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up and nurtured him as her own son.” The Greek words rendered “thrown out” also may be translated “put out to die.” The Greek verb for “took him up” is “used of acknowledging or adopting as one’s child” (F. F. Bruce).
Acts 7:22 says, “And Moses was trained in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in his words and deeds.” The wisdom mentioned here is wisdom in learning.
In 7:30 Stephen says, “And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai in the flaming fire of a thornbush.” Here and in verses 35 and 38 the angel in the Old Testament was Christ the Lord, who is Jehovah, the Triune God (Exo. 3:2-16; Judg. 6:12-24; Zech. 2:6-11). This is proved by “the Lord” and “God” in the following verses. The Lord and God in verses 31 through 35 is the angel in verses 30, 35, and 38.
In 7:41 through 43 Stephen went on to say, “And they made a calf in those days and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and made merry in the works of their hands. But God turned and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven, even as it is written in the book of the prophets, Have you offered slain beasts and sacrifices to Me forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? And you took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rompha, the images which you made to worship them. And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.” In verse 42 serving the hosts of heaven is a matter of star worship. The tent of Moloch in verse 43 was the portable tent-temple of the god to be carried in procession (M. R. Vincent). Rompha was the Coptic name for Saturn.
In verse 44 Stephen comes to the matter of God’s habitation, the tabernacle of testimony. Concerning this Stephen says, “The tabernacle of testimony was with our fathers in the wilderness, even as He who spoke to Moses instructed him to make it, according to the pattern which he had seen; which also our fathers, having in their turn received, brought in with Joshua in their taking possession of the nations, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David; who found favor before God, and asked to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob” (vv. 44-46). These verses indicate that one generation after another maintained the tabernacle. God, however, was not satisfied, and David, a man according to God’s heart, knew it. Therefore, David was seeking a better habitation for God. However, it was eventually Solomon who built a house for the Lord (v. 47). But God could not be satisfied with anything made by human hands. He needed something better. In his speaking Stephen began with the God of glory and covered many matters until he came to God’s habitation.
In verses 48 through 50 Stephen went on to say, “But the Most High does not dwell in that which is made by hands, even as the prophet says, Heaven is My throne, and the earth is a footstool for My feet. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or what is the place of My rest? Has not My hand made all these things?” In verse 48 Stephen speaks of God as the Most High. Stephen called God the God of glory and the Most High to vindicate himself before his opposers who had accused him of blaspheming God (6:11).
In verse 48 Stephen says that the Most High does not dwell in that which is made by hands. This implies that God would abandon the material temple of the Old Testament and initiate a new dispensation for His people to worship Him in the spirit (John 4:24), in which is God’s spiritual habitation, the church (Eph. 2:22).
The word in 7:49 indicates that the Lord was seeking a spiritual habitation in man’s spirit. This is proved by the following part of the quotation from Isaiah 66:1-2, which says, “But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit.”
In verse 51 Stephen spoke a very strong word to the opposers: “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in hearts and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, you also do!” Since Stephen was full of the Spirit (v. 55) and was one with the Lord the Spirit (1 Cor. 6:17), to resist him was to resist the Holy Spirit. Hence, the Lord indicated to Saul, one of his persecutors (Acts 7:58; 8:1), that he was persecuting Him (9:4).
In verses 52 and 53 Stephen continued, “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand concerning the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers; you who received the law by the disposition of angels, and did not keep it.” In verse 53 “disposition” indicates to transfer to the care or possession of another.
Acts 7:54 says, “Now when they heard these things, they were cut to their hearts and gnashed their teeth at him.” Here the Greek word translated “cut” means “sawn through.”
Verse 55 continues, “But being full of the Holy Spirit, looking intently into heaven, he saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” The Greek word for “full” is pleres, an adjective form of pleroo, according to the usage here and in 6:3, 5; 11:24; and Luke 4:1. In 7:55 Stephen was filled with the Spirit inwardly and essentially, as mentioned in 13:52. This refers to life, not to work.
According to 7:55, Stephen saw the glory of God. This was a great vindication and encouragement to the persecuted one.
Verse 55 says that Stephen also saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. The Lord in ascension is usually referred to as sitting at the right hand of God (Matt. 26:64; Heb. 1:3, 13). But Stephen saw Him standing there. This indicates that the Lord was greatly concerned for His persecuted one.
Stephen did not care for the environment. Rather, being full of the Spirit, he looked intently into heaven. In 7:2 Stephen said that the God of glory appeared to Abraham. Now we are told that Stephen saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. In the entire New Testament this occurred only once.
In 7:56 Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” The earth rejected Stephen and was closed to him, but the heavens opened up to him. This indicates that the heavens were with him and for him.
Verses 57 and 58 say, “But crying out with a loud voice, they covered their ears and rushed upon him with one accord. And having thrown him outside of the city, they stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man called Saul.” Here we see that Saul, who later became an apostle (13:9), was a helper of the persecutors in slaying Stephen. Saul must have been deeply impressed with what was taking place as Stephen was stoned.
Acts 7:59 says, “And they stoned Stephen as he was calling upon the Lord and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” Here we see that while Stephen was being stoned, he called upon the name of the Lord Jesus. To be sure, Stephen did not say in a weak, mild way, “Lord Jesus, have mercy.” On the contrary, he loudly called on the Lord’s name, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” According to verse 60, Stephen knelt down and “cried with a loud voice, Lord....” From the case of Stephen we see that calling on the name of the Lord is something audible.
Verse 60 says, “And kneeling down, he cried with a loud voice, Lord, do not hold this sin against them! And having said this, he fell asleep.” Here we see that Stephen prayed for his persecutors in the same way as his Lord, whom he loved and lived (Luke 23:34).
The first part of 8:1 says, “Saul was approving of his killing.” Whenever we approve something, as Saul did, we consider ourselves to be somebody. If we do not regard ourselves as somebody, we shall not approve anything in this way. We simply shall not care what others do. Both those who criticize the church and those who approve what the church does, regard themselves as somebody. In 8:1 the young man Saul approved the persecution and killing of Stephen, considering himself to be somebody. Actually, as 8:3 indicates, Paul did become somebody — he became the leading persecutor of the church.
Acts 8:1b says, “There occurred in that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem; and all were scattered throughout the countries of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” This was the first church established in a locality within the jurisdiction of a city, the city of Jerusalem. It was a local church in its locality, as indicated by the Lord in Matt. 18:17. It was not the universal church, as revealed by the Lord in Matthew 16:18, but only a part of the universal church, which is the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). The record of the New Testament concerning the establishment of the church in its locality is consistent throughout (Acts 13:1; 14:23; Rom. 16:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 8:1; Gal. 1:2; Rev. 1:4, 11).
Acts 8:1 clearly says that all the believers were scattered throughout the countries of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Since the Bible says this, we need to believe it.
The Lord’s gospel was powerful and prevailing in Jerusalem. Although only the twelve apostles remained, it did not take long before a great many others came to believe in the Lord. Before the persecution there must have been thousands of believers in Jerusalem. Then during the great persecution against the church, all these believers left, with the exception of the apostles. But because the gospel was prevailing, soon after the scattering of the saints, a good number of others rose up to believe in the Lord Jesus. It seems that the more the believers left, the more others came to believe in Christ. This seems to be the only way to understand this matter in 8:3 in the light of the book of Acts as a whole.
