Tragedy to Triumph

[Acts 7:56] And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
I see the Son of man standing - As if it were just ready to receive him. Otherwise He is said to sit at the right hand of G-d.
Y’Shua, being the Son of man, having taken our nature with him to heaven, and being there clothed with a body, might be seen with bodily eyes, and so Stephen saw Him. When the Old-Testament prophets saw the glory of G-d it was attended with angels. The Shechinah or divine presence in Isaiah's vision was attended with seraphim, in Ezekiel's vision with cherubim, both signifying the angels, the ministers of G-d's providence. But here no mention is made of the angels, though they surround the throne and the Lamb; instead of them Stephen sees Y’Shua at the right hand of G-d, the great Mediator of G-d's grace, from whom more glory redounds to G-d than from all the ministration of the holy angels.
1. Here is a proof of the exaltation of Messiah to the Father's right hand; the apostles saw Him ascend, but they did not see Him sit down, A cloud received him out of their sight. We are told that He sat down on the right hand of G-d; but was He ever seen there? Yes, Stephen saw Him there, and was abundantly satisfied with the sight. He saw Y’Shua at the right hand of G-d, denoting both His transcendent dignity and his sovereign dominion, His uncontrollable ability and His universal agency; whatever
G-d's right hand gives to us, or receives from us, or does concerning us, it is by Him; for He is His right hand.
2. He is usually said to sit there; but Stephen sees Him standing there, as one more than ordinarily concerned at present for His suffering servant; He stood up as a judge to plead His cause against His persecutors; He is raised up out of His holy habitation (Zechariah 2:13), comes out of His place to punish, 26:21. He stands ready to receive him and crown him, and in the mean time to give him a prospect of the joy set before him.
3. This was intended for the encouragement of Stephen. He sees Messiah is for him, and then no matter who is against him. When our L-rd Y’Shua was in His agony an angel appeared to Him, strengthening Him; but Stephen had the Messiah himself appearing to him. Nothing so comfortable to dying saints, nor so animating to suffering saints, as to see Y’Shua at the right hand of G-d; and, blessed be G-d, by faith we may see Him there.
[59] And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
And they stoned Stephen, invoking and saying, L-rd Y’Shua, receive my spirit - This is the literal translation of the words, the name of G-d not being in the original. Nevertheless such a solemn prayer to the Messiah, in which a departing soul is thus committed into His hands, is such an act of worship, as no good man could have paid to a mere creature; Stephen here worshipping the Messiah in the very same manner in which Y’Shua worshipped the Father on the cross.
Though he called upon G-d, and by that showed himself to be a true-born Israelite, yet they proceeded to stone him, not considering how dangerous it is to fight against those who have an interest in heaven. It is the comfort of those who are unjustly hated and persecuted by men that they have a G-d to go to, a G-d all-sufficient to call upon. Men stop their ears, as they did here but G-d does not.
Two short prayers Stephen offered up to G-d in his dying moments, and in them as it were breathed out his soul:
1. The soul is the man, and our great concern, living and dying, must be about our souls. Stephen's body was to be miserably broken and shattered, and overwhelmed with a shower of stones, the earthly house of this tabernacle violently beaten down and abused; but, however it goes with that, "L-rd, let my spirit be safe; let it go well with my poor soul." Thus, while we live, our care should be that though the body be starved or stripped the soul may be fed and clothed, though the body lie in pain the soul may dwell at ease; and, when we die, that though the body be thrown by as a despised broken vessel, and a vessel in which there is no pleasure, yet the soul may be presented a vessel of honor, that G-d may be the strength of the heart and its portion, though the flesh fail.
2. Y’Shua receiving our spirits at death is the great thing we are to be careful about, and to comfort ourselves with. We ought to be in care about this while we live, that the Messiah may receive our spirits when we die; for, if He reject and disown them, whither will they betake themselves? How can they escape being a prey to the roaring lion? To Him therefore we must commit them daily, to be ruled and sanctified, and made meet for heaven, and then, and not otherwise, He will receive them. And, if this has been our care while we live, it may be our comfort when we come to die, that we shall be received into everlasting habitations.
[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.
Death is but a sleep to good people; not the sleep of the soul (Stephen had given that up into the Messiah’s hand), but the sleep of the body; it is its rest from all its grief’s and toils; it is perfect ease from toil and pain. Stephen died as much in a hurry as ever any man did, and yet, when he died, he fell asleep. He applied himself to his dying work with as much composure of mind as if he had been going to sleep; it was but closing his eyes, and dying. Observe, He fell asleep when he was praying for his persecutors; it is expressed as if he thought he could not die in peace till he had done this. It contributes very much to our dying comfortably to die in charity with all men; we are then found of Y’Shua in peace; let not the sun of life go down upon our wrath. He fell asleep in the embraces of His love. If he thus sleeps, he shall do well; he shall awake again in the morning of the resurrection.