The Testimony of Stephen
After the resurrection of Yeshua, the apostles and many disciples in the faith began the work of sharing the Good News. The Book of Acts shares many of these activities, including the works of apostles John, James, Phillip, and Peter. Although there were many other disciples as well, we don’t have any specifics with the exception of a brother named Stephen. Besides detailing his service deeds, we hear a very specific oration of the faith given by him prior to his martyrdom.
His oration is given to us in considerable detail. There is an ironic twist in all of this: a future apostle, Paul, may have been the source of Stephen’s speech as recorded by Luke in the Book of Acts. Stephen’s oration describes the work of God, from the story of Abraham to the redemption of the Messiah. He delivers his oration, not to believers, but to his unbelieving Jewish brethren, effectively proving that their unbelief has been part of the long history of Israel.
Luke, who was a physician, apparently worked closely with the Apostle Paul to make a diligent effort to share Stephen’s oration. It is important that we understand his testimony, for as you will see, the issues he addressed apply to us today.
Stephen was a good and faithful man and is listed as one the men who was called to assist the widows of the faith in their needs. Because of his boldness in the faith and his many spiritual works, he became well known to those outside of the faith. In fact, Stephen’s enemies were a kind of “who’s who” of leading religious Jews who disputed the messiahship of Yeshua.
But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. Acts 6:9
Despite their best efforts, they were unable to dissuade Stephen from his testimony or from his logic to reveal Yeshua as the Messiah. Finally, they resorted to putting forth false witnesses and false accusations in their effort to stop him.
The charges against Stephen were truly egregious.
They put forward false witnesses who said, "This man incessantly speaks against this holy place and the Law; for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Yeshua, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us." Acts 6:13-14
First, we should note that Luke says these testimonies were false and were spoken by false witnesses. What is truly ironic about this is the fact that the Church Fathers and even average Christians today believe these charges were true! They go further and advocate that the reason the Messiah came was to get rid of the temple system with its altar and sacrifices, the Law of Moses with its commandments, and all of the customs of Moses including kosher, clean and unclean, Biblical festivals, and the very plan of God for Israel as His Kingdom!
This reasoning is called replacement theology.
IF this accusation against Stephen was, in fact, true, then Stephen’s death was in accordance with the Law of Moses. But Christianity today says that Stephen’s death was the first martyrdom of the New Covenant, aside from Yeshua’s death for redemption. They claim that Stephen was holy and that he was doing God’s will.
Christians and the Christian religion can’t have it both ways here. Either the charges against Stephen were FALSE and his death was holy and righteous as a martyr, OR the charges were TRUE and his death was the just result of those crimes. You cannot have the charges being TRUE and Stephen be a martyred saint at the same time.
When Stephen faced these charges, he knew that the charges were false and that those charging him were liars. He also knew the unjust bias that was against him by those hearing the charges. So, how did he give his defense? How did he address the matter and answer the charges against him?
What follows in chapter seven of Acts is almost a mini-history of Israel to his present day. He begins with God’s call upon the life of our father Abraham. Let us review his testimony and consider this question. “How does Stephen’s review of Israel answer the charges against him?”
And he said, "Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, 'leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that i will show you.' Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that he would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him. But God spoke to this effect, that his descendants would be aliens in a foreign land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. and whatever nation to which they will be in bondage i myself will judge,' said God, 'and after that they will come out and serve me in this place.' And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, and rescued him from all his afflictions, and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household. Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family was disclosed to Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all. And Jacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died.” Acts 7:2-15
Stephen is reminding his fellow Jews that beginning with God’s call on their father Abraham the path of faith in God has been a struggle, fraught with uncertainty. Abraham left his father’s house to go to an uncertain place. Abraham’s descendants, enslaved in a foreign nation (Egypt), also faced a struggle and uncertainty. Stephen reminded them of Joseph’s struggle with his own brethren being sold first into Egypt, only to be raised up to leadership in Egypt. It was from this position that God provided for the sons of Israel, preserving them from life’s struggles. In this first part, Stephen announces that Jacob and his family, all 75 persons, went down to Egypt.
There are two things that we need to understand from Stephen’s rendition of history. First, God is the guiding force in the entire story. It is God who led Abraham and the fathers. It is God who planned the captivity in Egypt. It is God who took Joseph to Egypt first to preserve and protect the sons of Jacob. Although Stephen did not quote Joseph directly, they all knew the story as well.
As for you [Joseph’s brothers], you meant evil against me [Joseph], but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. Genesis 50:20
Why is Stephen making this point? It is obvious: this is the great story of the Messiah. The Messiah, like Joseph, is sent by the Father to see to the welfare of the brethren and the flock. In fact, the story of God’s redemption as taught by all Torah teachers throughout the ages begins with Genesis 37:12.
Then his brothers went to pasture their father's flock in Shechem. Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them." And he said to him, "I will go." Then he said to him, "Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me." So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. Genesis 37:12-14
This first set of verses that begins the teaching of redemption is essential to Stephen’s defense. He is laying the basis for why his testimony of Yeshua (pictured first by Joseph’s ministry) is parallel to the Biblical teaching of redemption.
Joseph’s brethren did not understand what God was doing, and they turned against Joseph. But God raised up Joseph to provide for the deliverance and salvation of his brothers. The parallel: Yeshua was sent and rejected by His brethren, but God will raise Him up to provide deliverance and salvation to His brethren.
There is a second component to Stephen’s speech that must also be addressed. Stephen said that 75 persons in all went down to Egypt in the ancient days. This is not what is said to us in the record given by Moses!
According to Moses:
…; all the persons of the house of Jacob, who came to Egypt, were seventy. Genesis 46:27b
How did Stephen come up with the number of 75 persons?
This is an intriguing mystery in Scripture. In fact, the sages of Israel do not disagree with Stephen on his count, yet it is known as one of the hidden mysteries of the Torah.
To unravel this mystery, we have to go back to Genesis chapter 46 and look at the tally of persons again. First, the count given of 70 persons is only of those who were born of Jacob. The count of 70 does not include Jacob himself or the mothers of the children. Secondly, only 69 names are given but they are totaled as 70! Leah’s children are all listed (32 of them) but they are totaled as 33. It turns out that a daughter is not named but is counted. That daughter, a daughter of Levi, was born on the day they arrived in Egypt. It turns out the daughter is Jochebed, the mother of Moses! The mother of Moses will go onto marry her nephew and give birth to Aaron, Miriam, and Moses well beyond even the age of Sarah. Moses makes no point of this because “he was humblest man on the earth.”
We have the count of 70 now, but why does Stephen say there were 75? To the 70 we can add Jacob, Leah, Bilhah, and Zilpah. We cannot list Rachel because she died while giving birth to Benjamin when they were entering the land and was buried between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The total is now 74 persons. Who is the 75th person who went down to Egypt with Jacob’s family?
God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, "Jacob, Jacob." And he said, "Here I am." He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes." Genesis 46:2-4
The 75th person who went to Egypt and is part of Jacob’s family was the Messiah Himself. This is also part of the reason why Matthew, in his Gospel, emphasizes the role of Egypt in the birth story of Yeshua.
So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "out of Egypt i called My Son." Matthew 2:14-15
Matthew had quoted a section of Hosea describing the Egyptian exodus.
Stephen’s defense for the charges against him was to share again that the fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob gave God’s great plan for the Messiah to us. He even calls to remembrance the very teachings given in the Torah that show the mystery and wisdom of God’s redemption. This was a powerful reminder of what they had been taught before—the very foundation upon which Stephen was standing.
Stephen’s testimony continues with Jacob and his family going to Egypt and what happened from there.
"And Jacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died. From there they were removed to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. But as the time of the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, until there arose another king over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph. It was he who took shrewd advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers so that they would expose their infants and they would not survive. It was at this time that Moses was born; and he was lovely in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father's home. And after he had been set outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him away and nurtured him as her own son. Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds. But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand. On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, 'Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?' But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, 'who made you a ruler and judge over us? 'you do not mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?' At this remark, Moses fled and became an alien in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.” Acts 7:15-29
While Stephen was recounting the story from the sons of Jacob to Moses, he again reminded them of God’s plan to deliver and save His people. This time He used a man named Moses, beginning with his birth and early days of danger, to being raised in Pharaoh’s house. It is noteworthy that Stephen spoke of Moses’ mindset when he was at the age of 40. The understanding that he shared is not directly from the words of Moses and Scripture. It is the understanding of the teachers of Moses and how God called him to a very specific purpose.
…and he [Moses] was a man of power in words and deeds. But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand.
Those who teach Torah do not dispute this understanding and teaching, even though the Torah does not explicitly say it. It is well understood that the call of Moses was for the purpose of bringing salvation and deliverance to the children of Israel. It is also clear that while Moses may have had a hint of God’s plan, his brethren did not. This is the same as the story of Joseph (and of the Messiah). Joseph also had a hint of what God would do, but his brethren did not.
Stephen was laying the groundwork for the story of the Messiah. The Messiah will be sent for the purpose of salvation and deliverance, but the brethren will not understand it!
Stephen continues with Moses.
“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush. When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the Lord: 'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.' Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look. But the lord said to him, 'take off the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. I have certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have come down to rescue them; come now, and I will send you to Egypt.' This Moses whom they disowned, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?' is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.” Acts 7:30-36
Stephen is again making the point. Even Moses was first rejected by the children of Israel! But those rejected by Israel are the very ones chosen by God to bring salvation and deliverance, beginning with Joseph, then Moses, and now Yeshua.
"This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren.' This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. Acts 7:37-38
Stephen is now making his most powerful point. Moses, who was raised up to lead Israel out of Egypt, was also the same Moses who gave us the oracles of God, namely, the Torah at Mount Sinai. But Stephen is going further. The prophesied One of Moses is the Messiah and He was present also at the mountain, giving those oracles to us. He, too, was rejected in the wilderness by our fathers!
"Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, saying to Aaron, 'make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.' At that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. But God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, 'It was not to me that you offered victims and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, was it, o house of Israel? 'You also took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Rompha, the images which you made to worship. I also will remove you beyond Babylon.' Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen. And having received it in their turn, our fathers brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David. David found favor in God's sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for Him. However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says: 'Heaven is My throne, and earth is the footstool of My feet; what kind of house will you build for Me?' says the Lord, 'Or what place is there for My repose? Was it not My hand which made all these things?' You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it." Acts 7:39-53
Stephen gets right to the point of his argument. Even after God brought Israel out of Egypt and gave them the Torah at Mount Sinai, the children of Israel rejected Him and made a calf idol. After God made a tabernacle to dwell among them, they later turned to the tabernacle of Moloch and other idols to worship. Then God directed David and Solomon to construct the Temple in Jerusalem, only to have the later generations turn away from the Lord. He concludes his oration with a direct assault on his accusers.
Remember, Stephen’s accusers are passing themselves off as the righteous—they are the guardians and keepers of the Temple service, the Laws and customs of Moses. They are accusing Stephen of being the one who is doing harm to the Law and the customs of Moses! But it is clear to everyone present there that the rejection of Yeshua as the Messiah and the testimony to that fact is the very evidence which proves their guilt equal to the history of Israel and their past rejections of those sent by God. First with Joseph, then Moses followed the very words of God spoken from Mount Sinai even to this day—the rejection of the Righteous One sent to us as the Messiah!
Now, the culmination of the story of Stephen.
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Yeshua standing at the right hand of God; and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Yeshua, receive my spirit!" Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" Having said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:54-60
Were the charges against Stephen proven to be true? No. The evidence against him was false, given by false witnesses. Was the evidence given by Stephen himself the proof of the charges against him? No. His testimony showed that he held to the Tabernacle/Temple system, that he was for the Law, and that he did not take issue with the customs of Moses. Furthermore, he showed that the coming of the Messiah was consistent with all of the scriptures that foretold His coming, including His rejection.
It is very difficult for men, who think themselves to be righteous, to lay down their egos in the face of God’s plan for salvation and deliverance that differs from their thinking. This difficulty remains even to this day. Whenever religious leaders lose sight of true spiritual humility and insist that even God must conform to their understanding, any representative of God thereafter, whether he be a simple servant, teacher, or prophet, will be treated with overt hostility and disdain. Wisdom and truthfulness escape these leaders, and they become perverse examples of men. There is a very special judgment that awaits them.
God’s plan for salvation and deliverance at the end of the ages is also not understood by many religious men. The Church is not going to be raptured in a moment as some suppose. Instead, God is going to work with Israel, as He has always done, to bring about a great salvation and deliverance. It is part of what is called the Greater Exodus and the Final Redemption. It is about God’s people escaping, being delivered, and enduring the Great Tribulation.
Many churchmen, while professing their faith in the Messiah, reject out of hand God’s plan of being faithful with Israel. Even among Messianic brethren, some Messianic Jews reject the idea that God will once again gather the scattered House of Israel/Ephraim to be part of the Whole House of Israel today. They even reject the idea that God’s plan with Israel at Mount Sinai was for the benefit of the whole world. And like those who accused Stephen, they are “stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart,” having ears that resist the Holy Spirit, doing just as their fathers did. They too have received the Oracles of God (both the Torah and the teachings of the Messiah) and yet do not keep them.
Why is it that God moves in unexpected ways and yet we still first reject His moves? Why have we not learned that His word is true and that He does not share His Glory with any man, even if he is a religious leader? Why are we surprised that God is not in the business of fulfilling our expectations but instead is committed to fulfilling His promises?
To my fellow brethren in these days, I say this: Be faithful to God’s call to leave the idols of the world, cease from eating the detestable, and do not transgress His commandments any further. Instead, learn His commandments, keep His Appointed Times, love the truth, and learn to love one another. Let us NOT reject out of hand God’s move amongst us just because it is not what we expected or doesn’t conform to the religious leaders of our day.
The day is coming when we will see what Stephen saw: the One from the Right Hand of the Father coming on the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory!
