Secrets Unsealed

ANCHOR School of Theology

Stephen Bohr

1. Principles for the Study of Bible Prophecy- Part 1

2. Principles for the Study of Bible Prophecy- Part 2

3. Principles for the Study of Bible Prophecy- Part 3

4. Notes on Daniel 2

5. The Importance of the Historical Flow Method- Part 1

6. The Importance of the Historical Flow Method- Part 2

7. Christ is the Center of Bible Prophecy Part 1

8. Christ is the Center of Bible Prophecy Part 2

9. A Providential Election

10. The Sabbath and Redemption

11. The Son (God) and the number 666

12. Who’s Hero Is Jesus Christ?

13. What Was Literal & Local is Spiritual & Global

14. The Flood Story As An Illustration of Historical Typology

15. The Year-Day Principle

16. God’s Israel: Understood Globally and Spiritually

17. Israel and the Fig Tree Part 1

18. Israel and the Fig Tree Part 2

19. The Stoning of Steven.. The Last Straw

20. How to Interpret Biblical Symbolism Part 1

21. How to Interpret Biblical Symbolism Part 2

22. The Sanctuary Sequence in the Book of Revelation

23. Daniel’s Little Sealed Book

24. Revelation 10

25. The Importance of Literary Structure in the Study of the Millennium Part 1

26. The Importance of Literary Structure in the Study of the Millennium Part 2

27. Revelation 12-22

28. How All the Books of the Bible Meet and End in Revelation

29. Learn how to use the writings of Ellen G. White- Part 1

30. Learn how to use the writings of Ellen G. White- Part 2

It's wonderful to study the word of God and we're thankful that you're here to take this class, this very important class on How to Study Bible Prophecy.

Now what we're going to do today as we begin is finish what we left unfinished in the last session.

We were talking about the ending point of the prophecy of the 70 weeks and so we want to finish this particular study on the stoning of Stephen, because basically what we said is that the stoning of Stephen in the year 34 is what ends the prophecy of the 70 weeks.

Now we were at the place where the material says the stoning of Stephen the last straw, So go with me there and we're going to finish studying this ending point for the prophecy of the 70 weeks.

Now we must examine more closely the trial and condemnation of Stephen.

As we have already seen God undertook many covenant lawsuits, you remember we studied the covenant lawsuits, the structure, the way that they functioned in Israel, and there were many covenant lawsuits throughout the Old Testament against Israel, but an examination of these lawsuits reveals that they were not final, they were not definitive and irrevocable.

In fact, the prophets usually called Israel to repentance so that God in His mercy could drop His lawsuit against them, but in the case of Stephen this is different.

There is a sense of finality when it comes to the experience of Stephen that is lacking in the previous covenant lawsuits that God brought against Israel.

Stephen was taken before the Sanhedrin, the highest earthly authority of the Jewish nation.

It was the final court of appeal, the Supreme Court if you please.

There in fine prophetic fashion and in harmony with the covenant lawsuit pattern, Stephen presented his defense by appealing to the history of Israel, from the time of Abraham till the coming of the just 1.

Is he doing the same thing as the covenant lawsuits in the Old Testament?

He's telling the story of God's benevolent acts towards Israel.

Now it's interesting that at the end of his discourse the accused becomes the accuser.

The Sanhedrin presumed to indict Stephen but he ended up indicting them.

I want us to read the denunciation of Stephen to the Sanhedrin.

It's found in Acts chapter 7 and verses 51 to 53.

Notice that he is the accused, but now he's going to become the accuser, he's God's lawyer in a court of law and he's bringing this covenant lawsuit against Israel.

Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost, as your fathers did, so do ye.

Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?

And they have slain them which showed before the coming of the just 1, of whom ye have now become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

Are you noticing the number of times that he says ye, your, ye, your.

In other words he is God's lawyer in court and he is accusing them of violating the covenant in spite of all of the benevolent acts of God.

Now significantly up to this point in his discourse Stephen has spoken of the fathers in terms of our fathers.

Now you can read verses 11, 19, 38, 44, and 45 in Acts chapter 7.

And it's interesting that Stephen when he refers to the fathers he says our fathers, but after these verses where he refers to our fathers he suddenly begins saying your fathers.

I want you to notice in good prophetic fashion at first he includes himself as part of the historical patrimony of Israel as did Daniel.

Remember Daniel said we have sinned in Daniel chapter 9, he included himself in the problem, but at the conclusion of his speech Stephen dissociates himself from them by saying, your fathers.

Notice also that Jesus made the same statement in Matthew 23 verse 32.

Jesus also spoke to the Jewish leaders when He indicted them by saying, your fathers.

In other words, Stephen could no longer in good conscience be in solidarity with literal Israel.

In other words, he was distancing himself from the patrimony of literal Israel because he knew that after they killed him they would no longer be God's people.

The theocracy would have come to an ignominious end.

Also of great importance is the fact that Stephen Unlike the prophets before him did not make a call to repentance.

See there's all kinds of interesting details in this episode in Acts 7 about the stoning of Stephen different from previous covenant lawsuits.

This would seem to indicate that the Jewish leaders were beyond the point of repentance, they had made their final and irrevocable decision to reject the Messiah.

This is indicated by the expressions that Stephen used in his indictment as well as the reaction of the Sanhedrin to his words.

Notice that he called them stiff-necked and uncircumcised in hearts and ears and accused them of resisting the Holy Spirit.

He also accused them of betraying and murdering Jesus and breaking the covenant.

There is no mention of future messengers or opportunities.

The reaction of the leaders of the Sanhedrin is important because it reveals their incurable rejection of the Messiah.

Instead of receiving the message of Stephen, who spoke with the fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit, with uncontrollable rage, they gnashed on Him with their teeth, and cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon Him with 1 accord, and cast Him out of the city, and stoned Him.

This is Acts 7 verse 54 and also verses 57 and 58.

The Sanhedrin, the governing body of Israel, was unanimous without a dissenting vote.

The apostles were 1 accord on the side of Christ and the Sanhedrin was of 1 accord against Christ.

The apostles were on 1 side and the Sanhedrin was on the other.

By stoning Stephen, they silenced the last prophet who would ever be sent to them.

Truly prophecy came to an end for literal Israel at this time.

Do you remember yesterday we studied the expression to make an end of a vision and prophecy?

Well this is the last prophet, vision and prophecy came to an end literally for the nation of Israel when Stephen was stoned, But the prophecy of the 70 weeks indicated that vision would also come to an end at the conclusion of the last week, not only the last prophet but also the last vision.

Was Stephen the last prophet who had a vision?

Acts chapter 7 not only indicates that Stephen was the last prophet sent to Israel, but it also leaves no doubt that He was the 1 who received the last vision as well, the last prophetic vision.

It seems when you examine this story that what particularly incensed the members of the Sanhedrin was that Stephen claimed to have a vision of Jesus in heaven standing on the right hand of God.

This was a vision for there is no evidence that anyone other than Stephen saw this particular experience.

The critical question is, did Stephen see Jesus as He was and where He was at that very moment, or was he transported in vision to the future to see Jesus as He will appear when He comes again?

The evidence seems to indicate that this was a prophetic vision where Stephen was carried to the future to see Jesus coming as the Son of Man, and I'll interject here.

Do you remember that Jesus when He was standing before Caiaphas He says that you will see the Son of Man at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven?

In other words, Jesus also stated the same thing, He referred to the future to Caiaphas when He was before the Sanhedrin.

Jesus had said something similar to Caiaphas that enraged the Jewish Sanhedrin when He was condemned to death, and of course here's the verse that I referred to, let's read it Matthew 26 verse 64.

Nevertheless, I say to you, Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.

As we have previously studied, Jesus taught His parables that when the kingdom should be taken from the Jews it would be given to the Gentiles.

This being the case, we should find an event to mark the end of the 70 weeks, which not only closes the door of probation for the Jewish theocracy, but also opens the door of the gospel to the Gentiles.

So the point, the ending point of the 70 weeks not only has to be the ending point for the Jewish theocracy, it also has to be the open door for the Gentiles, because Jesus said the kingdom will be taken from you and given to a nation that produces the fruits thereof.

So there's 2 things, number 1 the kingdom taken away and the kingdom given to somebody else.

Does the stoning of Stephen fulfill this specification?

Once again the answer is a resounding yes.

It can hardly be a coincidence that the ringleader in the stoning of Stephen was a champion of Orthodox Judaism, Saul of Tarsus.

At the precise moment probation was closing for the Jewish theocracy, God, irony of ironies, had chosen His champion to the Gentiles, and that champion was present at the stoning of Stephen.

Paul later reminisced about this experience with the following words.

And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.

And he said unto me, Depart, for I will send thee far hence to whom?

Interesting, the door closes when Stephen is stoned but the door opens and the champion that's going to go to the Gentiles is right there.

So is the stoning of Stephen a significant event?

The sequence of events in Acts 1 through 11 clearly reveals that the stoning of Stephen was a watershed event.

In Acts 1 verse 8 Jesus said to His disciples, this verse has the summary of the entire book of Acts, this 1 verse summarizes the whole book.

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto Me, both in Jerusalem, notice the sequence, in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Notice the ever-broadening concentric circles in this verse.

The gospel is preached first of all in Jerusalem and Judea, and you know what's interesting, the first 6 chapters of the book of Acts refer to events that took place only in Jerusalem, Acts 1 through 6 is Jerusalem.

Then in Acts chapter 7 this is also happening in Jerusalem, it's the stoning of Stephen and of course Saul of Tarsus is present there.

Then if you read Acts Chapter 8 verses 1 and 2 the gospel goes to Judea.

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ANCHOR School of Theology

19. The Stoning of Steven.. The Last Straw

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