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Stephen, September 24
And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles
among the people.
Acts 6:8
.
Stephen was very active in the cause of God, and declared his faith boldly.
“Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue
of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia
and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the
wisdom and the spirit by which he spake” (
Acts 6:9, 10
). These students of
the great rabbis had felt confident that in a public discussion they could obtain
a complete victory over Stephen, because of his supposed ignorance. But he
not only spoke with the power of the Holy Ghost, but it was plain to all the
vast assembly that he was also a student of the prophecies, and learned in
all matters of the law. He ably defended the truths he advocated, and utterly
defeated his opponents.
The priests and rulers who witnessed the wonderful manifestation of the
power that attended the ministration of Stephen were filled with bitter hatred.
Instead of yielding to the weight of evidence he presented, they determined
to silence his voice by putting him to death. They had on several occasions
bribed the Roman authorities to pass over without comment instances where
the Jews had taken the law into their own hands, and tried, condemned,
and executed prisoners according to their national custom. The enemies of
Stephen did not doubt they could pursue such a course without danger to
themselves. They determined to risk the consequences at all events, and they
therefore seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin council for
trial....
As Stephen stood face to face with his judges, to answer to the crime of
blasphemy, a holy radiance shone upon his countenance. “And all that sat in
the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face
of an angel” (
verse 15
). Those who exalted Moses might have seen in the
face of the prisoner the same holy light which radiated the face of that ancient
prophet. The Shekinah was a spectacle which they would never again witness
in the Temple whose glory had departed forever. Many who beheld the lighted
countenance of Stephen trembled and veiled their faces; but stubborn unbelief
and prejudice never faltered.—
The Spirit of Prophecy 3:294-296
.
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