Thank you for the honor of the invitation. I will base my response from my ongoing study of Hebrew puns and riddles in the Bible, which has dragged me into an examination of the Sephir Yetsirah as a phonics book which includes the formation of words from letters (rather than as an esoteric source for Cabala), and notarikon, mentioned by Rabbi Eliezer B. Jose Ha-Ge-lili, which divides words into its component parts of letters and gates.
I am not going to offer proofs for assertions made here. Please contact me for more information, should you desire them, or wait for a formal publishing of my thesis. The hermeneutic being used eliminates free-for-all allegory, though with only hints, and not the proofs, I am sure I will be accused of it. Peace.
What did Stephen see? No one else witnessing his death reported seeing the vision. It was not a physical reality, as we perceive physical realities.
The nature of time. The garden was placed 'east of Eden' ; east/ancient קדם of filthy עד time עדן. This suggests that it was outside of time; before the illusion of time and decay was created as a reminder of the consequences of sin. A second witness is Gen 2:4, where seven days occurred in one day. The past is a memory, the future a hope. There is only the reality of 'Today'.
The death experience: 2Co 5:8 We are confident, [I say], and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. This suggests that Stephen's experience was similar to a rapture experience where we die, in the illusion of dying at various times. But since there is no time. We arrive simultaneously (in timeless eternity) with all who have died or will die. The hosts that he saw were you and me, in the same timeless eternity. Note that when two are in the field and one is taken; no one suggests that 50 percent are saved. Perhaps our goat (old man) is being separated from our sheep (new man) (Mt 25:32).
We have two options. Stephen saw a vision which was an impression on his mind, a correlation of what he knew of scripture and of Christ; as with Peter's revelation that Jesus was the Messiah and Son of God, or he saw the reality of the rapture.
If it was the rapture; an experience of moving from the illusion of time to the reality of a timeless eternity, then the experience is foreshadowed by the 'mystery hidden from the beginning' (Eph 3:9 ), using similar imagery. Other such visions are seen to be the same. Such mystery (unfortunately called 'sensus plenior' by some) is now available for unpacking.
In the symbol of right:left; The right hand, where the sheep are, is the spirit, vs. the left side where the goat is, which is the flesh.
Using the methods within the thesis:
right ימן - day ימ of the death of the son of man ן. Within it is the promise of the father מ.
left שמאל - reputation שמ of God אל. Jesus in the flesh (kenosis) made the Father known.
Our host has suggested that 'standing' is a reference to judgement, and that Stephen was pronouncing a judgement to come on his murderers. I believe he is half right.
Sit
From the notarikon of Hebrew words for sit, we get the impression that there is a completion, or a rest. These are raw representations. We don't translate notarikon as much as we look for the underlying idea which is represented by the symbols of letters and words. That idea is then matched with other expressions of it within scripture. Every language is is a collection of symbols which represent ideas, but Hebrew carries it down to the strokes within the letters. Every jot (yod) and tittle (horn/vav) has meaning (Mt 5:18 ).
ישב - sit, dwell
- The work of making the Father known is finished.
- God rests, reverses the effects of sin, abides in us.
- Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, ...
Stand
There are more than half a dozen Hebrew words translated stand. I will examine four which relate to position, since we don't know which word the Hebrew Stephen had in mind.
יצב - stand
נצב - stand
- He is restored to glory
עמד - stand
- A hint of judgement
- A restoration to the garden?
- Standing with the cloud?
קום - stand
- A testimony of the cross
Standing has the idea of righteousness being revealed. Justice, the law, and judgement are all a part of the attribute of righteousness. In this, I agree that standing has a notion of judgement.
But look at the tsadi צ. It conveys the notion of his righteousness being traded for our sin. We know that the saints under the alter crying for vengeance are not the souls of New Testament saints. The New Testament saint prays for and loves their enemies (Mt 5:44). Likewise, standing has the hint of the cross buried in the words. Stephen was not pronouncing a curse on his murderers, but forgiving them even as Jesus had done.
Ac 7:60 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.