“Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:56)
Unless I am mistaken, this is the only account of the Lord Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of the Father, all other references, including the words of our Savior Himself, reveal Him sitting at the right hand of the Almighty.
As far as we are told, Stephen was the first martyr, the first person killed for standing for the Lord Jesus Christ, the first one who did not love his life to the end. Perhaps this was the reason for Christ standing, we do not know. The account given to us in the 7th chapter of the Book of Acts is really nothing more than a history lesson, a recounting in the presence of those in attendance of their past in relation to the Living God, until he reminded them that they had killed the Son of glory, until he told them that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. They were enraged, drug him out and stoned him to death.
“But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.” (Mark 12:7)
They killed the prophets, they killed the Lord Jesus Christ, and their house was left to them desolate.
The dead bones will be revived, they will be grafted back into the vine, but today many of them, if not most, have been blinded to the truth, and are provoked to jealousy because of grace.
“Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.” (1st Tim. 1:13)
If you desire to provoke nearly everyone you meet to anger, to the point that they will hate you, even imprison, torture and kill you, simply stand for the Lord Jesus Christ in your life. It is that simple. Mentioning His name alone will raise eyebrows, continuing to speak of Him will get you ostracized, standing for Him will cost you something, that is a promise. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2nd Tim. 3:12)
Many who profess His name love the things of man more than those things of God, they seek the praise of men above that of the Almighty, for they know this truth, that simply speaking His name will cause some form of personal retribution. Many are not cold, but they are most definitely lukewarm. Embarrassment for His name can only come from fear, and those who will not speak His name and His wonderous glory in public fear the reprisals of man more than that of the Lord. They believe He understands, they believe He will forgive. But that is not what the Scriptures say. “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26)
Half in, half out, a “Christian” in proper company only, only behind those doors on Sunday morning.
You must realize the truth of these words, you must search within yourself, look diligently at your past, for the Lord Himself said, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” (Matt. 7:22) Not some, not a few, but many.
As Stephen was being forcibly drug out to a certain death, he did not recant, he did not change his mind, he did not plead for his life. He was not embarrassed.
To those of you who have been shown the truth that the days are indeed growing shorter I ask this, do you realize the truth of Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Are you reaching out to all who will listen, are you bringing up the Lord in nearly every conversation? Or are you hoping that the Lord will understand and forgive your embarrassment, your fear?
Those that will find the strait gate do not know this fear.
