Acts 7:56 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

NIV: "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

NASB: and he said, 'Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.'

CSB: He said, "Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"

NLT: And he told them, 'Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!'

KJV: And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

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

Even before making his pointed speech, Stephen had already enraged his accusers. First, he argued so well that Jesus is the Messiah they couldn't defend themselves and had to resort to lying (Acts 6:10, 13–14). Then he had the audacity to explain how the patriarchs worshiped God without a temple, the Law, or even a homeland. He explained that Moses wasn't always a good leader, and that even when he was the people didn't follow him well. Stephen rejected his accusers' idolatry of the temple, reminding them that even Solomon, who built the first temple, knew it couldn't contain God. Finally, he reminded them that throughout the ages Jews have rejected and killed God's prophets and worshiped pagan idols (Acts 7:2–53).

All of that is nothing compared to what he says now. This is not the first time the heavens have opened up to reveal God (Matthew 3:16–17). And it is not the first time Jesus has been referred to as the "son of man," as it was one of Jesus' favorite titles for Himself. It is also the title of a figure in Daniel's prophecy: the son of man would come "with the clouds of heaven." The Ancient of Days would give the son of man "dominion and glory and a kingdom" over all nations forever (Daniel 7:13–14).

There are two common confusions tied to this verse. First, how could Stephen have seen God when God told Moses that no one could see Him and live (Exodus 33:20) and even Jesus said no one can see God (John 1:18)? It is true that no one has seen God's face, that is, His countenance—His full glory. Being omnipotent, God the Father is well able to appear in a form that humans can see, He just doesn't do it very often.

Second, why was Jesus standing when He prophesied that He would sit at God's right hand (Mark 14:61–62)? It appears that the fact He is standing is a special case for Stephen's situation. It may be that Jesus is acting as Stephen's witness or advocate, or that He is prepared to serve Stephen in whatever way he needs. It could also be that "stand" just means that Jesus is in a fixed place. But just because the prophecies state Jesus would sit at God's right hand doesn't mean He can't stand, as well.

This scene, Jesus at the right hand of God, echoes Jesus' prophecy from when He was on trial before the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:62). It was the statement that the Sanhedrin took as justification to condemn Him to death. Stephen's description seals his fate as Jesus' had His. The Sanhedrin cannot indulge such a public confession that Jesus is God.

Acts 7:54–60 finishes the story of the Jesus-follower Stephen. He has been falsely accused of blasphemy against God, Moses, the Mosaic law, and the temple (Acts 6:8–15). He has used the history of the Jews to show how over the years the Jews have come to worship Moses, the Law, and the temple like idols (Acts 7:1–53). His accusers are furious, but when Stephen claims to see Jesus standing next to God, the crowd goes mad, and Stephen becomes the first Christian martyr. His death sparks a great persecution against the church, but as the Jesus-followers flee Jerusalem, they take the gospel to the world (Acts 1:8).

Stephen is a Greek-speaking Jewish Christian and one of the first deacons in the church in Jerusalem (Acts 6:1–7). He's also a skilled apologist and has been debating Jews from outside Judea about the proper place of the Mosaic law and the temple (Acts 6:8–15). His opponents cannot counter his arguments so they resort to lies. They tell the Sanhedrin that Stephen wants to destroy the temple and repeal the Mosaic law. Stephen counters that his accusers don't respect Moses or the Law, and the temple isn't necessary to worship God. This enrages the mob, and Stephen is stoned, becoming the first Christian martyr.

Chapter 7 is one of the pivot points of the book of Acts. Until recently, the early church has seen favor from the people and indifference from the Sanhedrin. Now, the Sanhedrin has beaten the apostles and ordered them not to preach about Jesus (Acts 5:40), and the people are starting to realize how different Christianity is. In Jerusalem, a Hellenist Jewish Jesus-follower named Stephen has been in a debate with other foreign Jews who finally accuse him of wishing to destroy the temple, like Jesus (Acts 6:8–15). This is Stephen's defense, which leads to his death and the introduction of Paul.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.