Charles Ellicott Commentary Acts 7:56

"and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God." — Acts 7:56 (ASV)

Behold, I see the heavens opened.—It is clear that the vision was given to the inward spiritual eye, and not to the physical eye. No priest or scribe saw the glory of the opened heavens; therefore, the words declaring that Stephen saw them seemed to them merely an aggravation of guilt that was already deep. (See Note on Matthew 3:16.)

And the Son of man.—These words are noteworthy as the only certain instance outside the Gospels of the use of the name that the Gospels record our Lord constantly used when speaking of Himself (See Note on Matthew 8:20).

As Stephen's speech was delivered at least some years before any Gospel was written, and as the whole character of the reported speech—even in its apparent incoherence and inaccuracy—argues against the theory that it was inserted by the historian into the martyr’s speech, its occurrence here is evidence supporting the Gospel narrative, showing that the title, which a few years later the disciples ceased to use for some reason, was familiar at that earlier date.

As uttered by Stephen before the Sanhedrin, it had the special emphasis of reminding them of the words spoken by the Son of Man Himself (Matthew 26:64). From their point of view, it was a repetition of what they had then condemned as blasphemy. In Revelation 1:14, we possibly have another instance.

Standing on the right hand of God.—Our Lord’s own language (Matthew 26:64), and that of the Church following it (for example, Ephesians 1:20; Hebrews 8:1), has commonly spoken of Him as sitting at the right hand of God. It was not, we may believe, without significance that He was revealed to Stephen as standing, in the posture of one who rises to help and welcome a follower who had proved himself faithful even to death.