The Sabbath School

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 2, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 34.

The Sabbath School

International Series.

LESSON XII.—SABBATH, SEPTEMBER 18, 1897.

PERSECUTING THE CHURCH.

Lesson Scripture, Acts 7:42 to 8:4, R. V.

42 “But God turned, and gave them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, Did ye offer unto me slain beasts and sacrifices Forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?”

43 And ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, And the star of the god Rephan, The figures which ye made to worship them: And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, even as he appointed who spake unto Moses, that he should make it according to the figure that he had seen.

45 Which also our fathers, in their turn, brought in with Joshua when they entered on the possessions of the nations, which God thrust out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of

46 David; who found favor in the sight of God, and asked to find

47 a habitation for the God of Jacob. But Solomon built him a

48 house. Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in houses made with hands; as saith the prophet,

49 The heaven is my throne, And the earth the footstool of my feet; What manner of house will ye build me? saith the Lord; Or what is the place of my rest?

50 Did not my hand make all these things?

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

52 ye. Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? and they killed them which showed before of the coming of the Righteous One; of whom ye have now become betrayers and

53 murderers; ye who received the law as it was ordained by angels, and kept it not.

54 “Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the

55 heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But 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

56 of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. But they cried

57 out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed upon

58 him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city, and stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the

59 feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon the Lord, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my

60 spirit. 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. And Saul was consenting unto his death.

1 And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the

2 apostles. And devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him. But Saul laid waste the church, entering into every house, and hailing men and women committed them to prison.

4 “They therefore that were scattered abroad went about preaching the Word.”

QUESTIONS.

1. To what point in Stephen’s rehearsal of the history of Israel did we come in our last lesson?

2. For what purpose did God bring them out of Egypt? Ps. 105:43–45; Ex. 4:22, 23.

3. Yet what did they continue to do?

4. To what did God give them up? Repeat the prophecy quoted.

5. What is the answer? Whom did they worship instead of the Lord? What therefore did the Lord say he would do to them?

6. What tabernacle had the Israelites in the wilderness?

7. What was done with this tabernacle?

8. How long did it continue?

9. What did David desire to do?

10. But who did build a house for the Lord?

11. Nevertheless, what is true of any house that man can build?

12. What prophecy with which the Jews are acquainted teaches this?

13. Where is God’s throne?

14. Did Solomon know this when he built the temple? 1 Kings 8:27.

15. Of what then was the tabernacle of Moses, as well as the temple, a continual witness to the Jews? Heb. 8:1, 2.

16. How did Stephen suddenly address them? What did he say they always did? What had their fathers done?

17. And how had they followed the example of their fathers?

18. How had they received the law? Yet, in spite of the fact that it was so impressively delivered to them, how had they treated it?

19. How did the Jews receive these plain statements of truth?

20. In what condition was Stephen?

21. What did he say he saw?

22. How did they receive this additional evidence that Jesus is priest in the true temple in heaven?

23. What did they do to Stephen?

24. What did he do as they stoned him?

25. How did he show himself a true follower of Christ?

26. Who was foremost in this persecution? What immediately followed the death of Stephen? What effect did this have on the church?

27. How severe was the persecution?

28. What was done by those who were scattered abroad by this attempt to crush out the truth?

29. What was thus demonstrated? 2 Cor. 13:8; Ps. 76:10.

NOTE.

It will be observed that Stephen abruptly closes his recital of Jewish history and experience, with a reference to the tabernacle and temple and the lesson drawn from them, found in verses 44–50. The sudden change in the subject, and the language used, show that he discerned the fact that they were convicted of the truth, but were resisting the Spirit and rejecting the light which was shining upon them. See verses 51–53.