Acts 7
1 Then said the high priest, Are these things so?
2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.
God promised Abram The land for his children and Abram hadn't even had any yet.
6 And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.
Abram was wise because he showed faith in God. You don't get any wiser! His children will be over those in the land of Babylon.
7 And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.
"I deliver the Israelites from Egypt, I will be their judge" God.
8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.
9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
The Pharaoh could see the blessings of Joseph, but because he rejected God, he could only say it was Joseph wisdom, not the gift of God it really was.
11 Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.
God placed Joseph in charge of the food supply and it would draw the whole house of Israel = the 12 tribes to Egypt.
12 But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.
Jacob didn't go because he was still greiving over his loss of Joseph.
13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.
The brothers hate of Joseph brought Joseph to a power and Gods purpose unfolding before everyone's eyes.
14 Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.
Jacob called for Joseph and all 75 in his household to come to Egypt were they have prepared for the famine God had told Jacob would come.
15 So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,
16 And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.
17 But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,
When God says something, you had better believe it will come. It's always on His timing, never our own.
18 Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.
19 The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.
This is that time Moses was set in the Nile, then taken into Pharaoh's household by the Pharaoh's daughter.
20 In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months:
Moses at three months old floated down the Nile into the middle of Pharaoh's daughter and her bath party.
21 And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.
22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
23 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.
24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:
25 For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.
The tribes of Israel just couldn't see past the flesh. They had someone God had sent to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians.
26 And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?
The next day Moses saw the Israelites fighting with one another, wondering why they would do such a thing.
27 But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?
This person answered back to Moses.
28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?
Moses confronted this man and this man wanted a fight. Non believers are trouble to the core. We are in a day where you had better keep that in mind. Mark 13:12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. The death isn't to die of the flesh body, but to be sent to death meaning satan. They refused The Truth and feel for the lie to come. The evil one satan sitting in Jerusalem, claiming to be Christ and many will follow.
29 Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.
30 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.
At 80 now Moses sees this bush in flames, but this bush doesn't burn.
31 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,
It goes against the laws of nature. A fire should consume this bush and on a spiritual level it does. God is a consuming fire and His voice illuminates from this bush.
32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.
33 Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.
34 I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.
Our Father will let things be but for so long. He has a purpose and timing for all things.
35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.
People will accept evil with open arms, but will reject those of God and God Himself in an instant. Nothing new then or now!
36 He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
The number 40 in biblical numerics = probation.
37 This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.
Stephen to the Sanhedrin. Very few cared to hear what Christ had to say. Face it! Most people just prefer evil over good, that's why they twist the two around these days.
38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
He is the same in the bush.
39 To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,
Just as they turned from Moses leading them from Egypt by the power of God, people turn their backs on Christ after all they have seen and heard.
40 Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
They have given up. They are telling Aaron they don't want to wait for Moses. They want to worship anything but God just to be on the safe side. That's the same as the religions of the world today. Christianity isn't a religion, it's the ONLY reality there is in this evil world.
41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
They had seen the power of God and His love for them and they turned their backs on Him for their own lust of the flesh. Nothing new today! The people of today look for any reason to run from God. They think by doing so they won't be held accountable. Some because they just want to have fun without any thought of God. They believe their safe. It's not going to work out in their favor.
42 Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?
They refuse The One that gave them life. He isn't going to force anyone to love Him, He will let us reap what each of us sow.
43 Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
"Moloch" is the practice of burning your children. This star is the bright and morning star, Lucifer. God isn't going to force anyone to follow Him, so have at it.
44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.
Tabernacle was a tent in the wilderness. A place of worshiping God. God had told Moses to do this and he did. This life is a test. What we do is what makes the grade.
45 Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;
Joshua sounded the trumpets and delivered the land of the Gentiles into the land of Israel and in that they took possession of the promised land. Joshua is the Jesus spoken of in this verse as both names have the same meaning from Greek into the Hebrew. This isn't talking about Christ Jesus Yashua.
46 Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
It is Joshua that wants a building instead of cloth for God.
47 But Solomon built him an house.
48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
This is a quote from Isaiah 66:1-2 1 Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? 2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
50 Hath not my hand made all these things?
God made the things humans used to make His Temple.
51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye.
Stephen is laying it down for them with salt.
52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
Stephen is talking about their fathers the Kenites, who have been twisting The Word and slaying the prophets. They murdered The Just One, Christ Jesus The Living God.
53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
We and them received The Word by the Spirit of God, brought through the prophets and yet them and many today have not kept it.
54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
That's what happens when you give The Truth to people. They will attack and show their true selves. This Sanhedrin council was evil, just as their father the devil. John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
Stephen is one of God's chosen.
56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
These kenite Sadducees couldn't stand to hear anymore of The Truth that Stephen was giving them. They even covered their ears while running to get him. Are your ears open to hearing The Truth when it is given? Today most are covering their ears to His Word unless it fits what they want it to be.
58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
One of these in the group of witnesses was Saul, would later be called Paul. Another heart by choice, changed and would complete Gods purpose.
59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
Stephen showed his boldness and faith till the end of his flesh life. What an example †
60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Stephen doesn't want the ones following the kenites by throwing stones to be held in the same judgment as the kenites and then he died of this flesh.