Look! I see the heavens opened

[jiggyfly]

Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God! (Acts 7:56 ISV)

One, perhaps supreme, factor in the significance of Stephen was what he saw at the end and said with almost his last breath: "Behold, I see the heavens opened; and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56). Here we have the central and basic reality of true New Testament Christianity, of the Church and the churches – Jesus on the right hand of God. The government, the authority, the headquarters, vested in the ascended Lord, and centered in heaven; not in Jerusalem, nor anywhere else on earth.... The Jewish rulers and Stephen's accusers were quick and shrewd enough to recognize the implications, for they had no less and no other import than that the "Temple made with hands" was finished; the dispensation of the Law was ended. There was an implicit call to the Church of Jesus to leave the Temple and all that went with it and to move into the greater, the fuller, and the abiding reality.

The tragedy is that, with "Hebrews" in their hands, responsible leaders of the Church can still adhere to a system and form which is but the extension or carry-over of the Old Testament, with certain changes of phraseology. The immensity of the change and gap has certainly not been apprehended. Some of the most terrible things in the whole Bible are contained in that letter in relation to the crisis and the two ways and realms. The issue is no less than that of Life and death. All this has much to say regarding the true nature of the Church and the churches. He that hath eyes to see, let him see!

By T. Austin-Sparks from: According to Christ - 4

 

[Webers_Home]

Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right
hand of God!

That's curious. Jesus' normal position is seated rather than on his feet. (Heb
8:1)

Another curiosity is that since God is spirit rather than material (John 4:24)
and never before seen by human eyes (John 1:18) then what exactly did
Stephen see, and how did he know that what he was looking at was God?
Seeing as how no photographs of God existed in Stephen's day, nor any
portraits, then what did Stephen go by to identify the never-before-seen
entity at Jesus' left as God?

Buen Camino
/

 

[Rach1370]

That's curious. Jesus' normal position is seated rather than on his feet. (Heb
8:1)

Another curiosity is that since God is spirit rather than material (John 4:24)
and never before seen by human eyes (John 1:18) then what exactly did
Stephen see, and how did he know that what he was looking at was God?
Seeing as how no photographs of God existed in Stephen's day, nor any
portraits, then what did Stephen go by to identify the never-before-seen
entity at Jesus' left as God?

Buen Camino
/

And yet many in scripture claimed to have such a vision. So I'm wondering if what you're saying here is that you think that when they say they 'saw a vision of heaven', they actually mean something else....or if you're calling into question the accuracy of the verse itself?

 

[musterion]

That's curious. Jesus' normal position is seated rather than on his feet. (Heb 8:1)

Some believe the murder of Stephen marks the cut-off point of God's patience with Israel as His covenant nation. The reason Christ was seen standing was in readiness to return to Israel as their glorified Messiah if they finally repented at the convicting preaching of Stephen. But they didn't, and in murdering Stephen "who was full of the Holy Spirit," they committed the unforgivable sin Christ forewarned them of.

Note that the Jewish leadership - upon whom Israel's fate depended - had blasphemed the Father by allowing John, the renewed Voice of God to them, to be killed.

Then they blasphemed the Son by arranging for and demanding He be killed, but were forgiven it at His request on the cross.

Now they were blaspheming the Holy Spirit by murdering Stephen, the condemning Voice of God to them one last time, with their own hands.

This act ushered in the dispensation of grace committed to Paul and the eventual unveiling of the Mystery. It marked the gradual shift (over a course of years) in God's dealings with mankind, from using Israel as a redeemed nation of priests to reach all nations, to saving individual Jews and Gentiles entirely apart from Israel, which was soon destroyed and dispersed in judgment in AD 70.

Henceforth in Scripture, Christ is seen seated. Unlike the priests who daily stood in the temple, His redemptive work for all is complete so He rests from it in the glory of His Father's presence (precisely where right-minded believers are told by Paul to keep our rested minds, by the way), awaiting the Father's time of His return.

I find this explanation to make more sense in the context of the whole book of Acts than the usual explanation that Christ was standing simply to welcome Stephen as the first martyr. I suppose that is possible, but the more prophetic explanation makes more sense to me.


Another curiosity is that since God is spirit rather than material (John 4:24) and never before seen by human eyes (John 1:18) then what exactly did Stephen see, and how did he know that what he was looking at was God?

Because Stephen "was full of the Holy Spirit" and so received this prophetic vision at His behest.

 

[Prentis]

Thanks for sharing this, jiggyfly!

Man has unknowingly returned to the old system, because sadly too often the blind lead the blind. We replaced temples with church buildings, priests with... Priests (for catholics) or pastors...

But the good news brought to us by Jesus Christ and his Apostles is a far more radical reality. We are called to a life lived in the Spirit, filled with all the fulness of God and empowered to walk in His holiness and materially speaking we are called to a life of shared goods with all who are seek his Kingdom, as we see in Acts.

Would that the church be awakened to this reality and be given eyes to see! The calling in Christ is a constant abiding in Him and a shared life with those who also seek this. It is meant to consume our whole lives.

In his time we will see a people walk like this again!

 

[Levi]

There is no doubt some people have gone back under the old system, however that doesn't mean we have to write off all churches and the people who attend them and deny they are in fact, following after God. There is great power in numbers, specifically numbers in the people of God, when an entire church (organized or not) come together and pray, serving others, and being the church - in all righteousness and holiness - there is nothing like it. If a person hasn't experienced it - then they're missing out on what God's will for His children is - together, in unity as the family of God.

God looks at the heart and is bigger than all of our worries about 'where is the true church'. We just do what He tells us to do and He takes care of the rest, not too difficult. In this way, there are people who are walking in Him, on a journey filled with miracles, power and transformation - I'm part of it as we all can be. To deny people are walking in His power right now, is to deny that God is all powerful, it is happening now and always has been. God has never stopped working in His people. We need to wake up to the fact that it IS happening NOW, not some far off moment in time. If you doubt, just ask someone what God has done in their lives recently - we might be surprised.

 

[Prentis]

God has his people within the organized church, and there is a number of people there who follow after Him and experience his power and life, I too have experienced this within the confines of denominations. Forgive the incompleteness of my post if it seemed to deem this impossible.

However, speaking of the power that lies in numbers, we are seldom today a united front. The number of divisions within the organized church is astounding, whether because of doctrine or other disagreements.

Consider the number of disciples in the early church. 120 in the upper room at Pentecost... And these men turned the world as they knew it upside down.

While there are true disciples today, we rarely see the results the early church did. There is some good, but we can hardly can the organized church a bride without spot or wrinkle.

Which is why it was given to John in a vision that God would once again call out a remnant, on which he will pour out his Spirit, and they will walk in his power like the Apostles and the Prophets. Then we will see the bride without spot or wrinkle, perfected before God.

Until then we are in the great apostasy that was also prophesied. All these things work together for God's glory! The darker the times, the greater the light will shine, and more glorious will faith be out of such dark times! God is preparing a remnant to walk in his power as the early church!

Blessings to all!

 

[Levi]

There is a united front, we just have to go out and pursue it, yet there are even people within the united front who are immature believers, all at different levels in their walks. A united front doesn't mean everyone is at the same level of belief, so we have people who have more faith than others but still united.

How can a person count the millions of times the church has come together as the Body of Christ within communities, far reaching beyond denominations and theological differences to make a difference within the lives who live in the community. This, just in the area where I live and have recently moved and it's happening here, too. There is a movement right now going on where God is calling people to reach those outside of the 4 walls, serving them in love, praying over them and their lives are being transformed because of His power. It IS incredible the amount of people who are willing to come together as the Body of Christ to help those in need. Like I said, it happened where I use to live and it's happening here, too, and I have heard in many other different places.

People ARE walking as those in the NT, God does not change, nor is He withholding His power of transformation, miracles and the gifting of people in order to continue building His Church. He has not forgotten about us and He is working in and through us. If we can't see it, then we're not looking hard enough, it's happening all around us.

To believe otherwise is to deny God's power and the power He has given to His people as the Body of Christ. We should be praising and thanking God for all He has done for us and for those around us, not belittling it and claiming what God is and has done is not enough.