The Stoning of Stephen

The scene at the stoning of Stephen is wholly different. There we see one who had borne a faithful testimony for Christ, sharing his Master's rejection and sufferings and drinking of His cup. The Lord had forewarned His disciples of such treatment. "They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me" John 16:2, 3.
Stephen was wonderfully sustained; his very face shone as an angel's. "He, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God." Here again heaven is opened, but not upon Jesus as Man on earth, but to a saint who beholds his Lord in the place of glory on high.
Notice the contrast here between Stephen's death, and the death of the Lord. To Christ, while bearing sins upon the tree, the heavens were as iron and brass. In the hour of His deepest woe He was forsaken; He stood alone. But heaven is open now in virtue of His blood. His martyr could look above and behold Jesus, the object of his heart and at the right hand of God. Thus was he "strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness." Col. 1:11.
To us also heaven is open and faith can say, "we see Jesus." Of old, God dwelt in the midst of His people in the sanctuary, but the veil was there and there was no way of approach to God. Now the veil is rent and heaven, not the sanctuary on earth, is open. The way into the holiest of all is made manifest. Throughout the Epistle to the Hebrews this is maintained, for our place is shown as worshipers in the presence of God in the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man. (Heb. 8:2.)
Not only is heaven opened to us as worshipers, but 2 Cor. 3 presents to us a rather different thought. In the context the apostle contrasts the glory of the law, as seen in the face of Moses, with the glory of God which is now seen in the face of Jesus Christ. It concludes by saying, "But we all, with open [unveiled] face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."