“But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.” – Daniel 7:18
Two Stephens
The first martyr of the Christian church was named Stephen. As the stones struck him and darkness closed in, he looked up and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. His final words were not a curse but a prayer: “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.”
Centuries later, another Stephen followed the same path. Stephen Troell was my close friend. He spent fifteen years in the Middle East teaching English and sharing the love of Christ with the Iraqi people. He loved Iraq deeply, often posting about its beauty and participating in the life of his neighborhood. On November 7, 2022, he was shot and killed in his car as he pulled onto his street. His work had been discovered. Those who knew Stephen remember that he often quoted the old Moravian missionaries: “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of his sufferings.”
Both Stephens understood something we often forget: the kingdom of God comes not through comfort but through costly faithfulness. The saints are not spiritual celebrities but ordinary believers who trust Christ enough to follow him into hard places. Today, on All Saints’ Day, we remember them. Not to venerate them, but to see in their lives what God does through those who belong to him.
The readings for this day trace a thread from ancient Israel through Daniel’s apocalyptic vision, into the teachings of Jesus, and finally to Paul’s letter about the church. Each passage shows us who the saints really are and what they receive.
Psalm 149: The Song of God’s People
“Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.”
The psalm calls Israel to sing a new song in the congregation of saints. Here, “saints” simply means those set apart for God, the covenant people who gather to praise him. They are not perfect but they are his. “For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.” The LORD takes pleasure in them, beautifies the meek with salvation, and gives them honor.
But notice the tension. “Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand.” These saints sing on their beds and carry a two-edged sword. They will execute judgment. This is not a generic celebration but a bold claim: God’s people will participate in his reign.
When we read this psalm through Christian eyes, we see both continuity and transformation. The church inherits Israel’s calling to be God’s set-apart people. We still gather to sing new songs. We still trust that God takes pleasure in his people and will vindicate them. But the sword we carry is the word of God, and the judgment we proclaim is the gospel that divides light from darkness. Israel as the saints of God points us forward to a greater fulfillment in Christ.
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18: The Kingdom Given to the Saints
Daniel sees four beasts rising from the chaos of the sea, representing earthly kingdoms built on violence and pride. “And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.” The vision troubles him. He asks for interpretation. The answer: “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.”
This is the first time in Scripture that “saints” clearly refers to those who will inherit God’s coming kingdom despite opposition from earthly powers. Daniel does not see a political revolution or military conquest. He sees God giving the kingdom to his faithful ones. The beasts rage, but they do not win.
Stephen the deacon knew this vision. So did Stephen Troell. Both faced beastly powers that seemed unstoppable. Both died. Yet Daniel’s promise stands: the saints possess the kingdom forever. The empires that killed them are dust. The kingdom they entered is unshakable. This passage teaches us that faithfulness, not survival, is what God honors. The martyrs lose their lives and gain everything.
Luke 6:20-31: Blessed Are You
Jesus stands before his disciples and redefines blessing. “Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.” The poor, the hungry, the weeping, and the hated are blessed. Those who are excluded and insulted for his sake should leap for joy because their reward is great. This is not comfort speech. This is a declaration of what is real.
The Beatitudes identify the saints. They are not the powerful or the praised. They are the ones who follow Jesus into vulnerability. “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.” Notice that Jesus does not promise immediate relief. He promises the kingdom of God, future satisfaction, future laughter, and a reward in heaven. He also warns the rich, the full, and the well-spoken-of. The way of the cross comes before the crown.
Stephen embodied these beatitudes. He was hated and excluded. His name was cast out as evil. But Jesus continues: “Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.” This is the way of the kingdom. Jesus is showing his followers that the pathway to the kingdom runs through suffering love. The saints are those who walk that path because they trust the one who walked it first. This is not masochism but realism: the world crucified Jesus, and it will cost us something to follow him.
Ephesians 1:11-23: The Inheritance of the Saints
Paul shifts from what the saints endure to what they receive. “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” In Christ, believers have obtained an inheritance. They are predestined according to God’s purpose, sealed with the Holy Spirit, and guaranteed redemption. “In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance.”
Paul prays that the Ephesians would know “the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” Then he anchors everything in the resurrection of Christ. “Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion.” God raised Jesus from the dead and seated him far above every power and authority, not only in this age but in the age to come.
And here is the stunning claim: “And gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” The church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. The saints are not isolated individuals hoping for heaven. They are united to Christ and to each other, sharing in his victory and his authority.
When Stephen said, “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of his sufferings,” he was echoing this truth. Christ’s suffering was not meaningless. It purchased a people. The martyrs are part of that reward. They belong to Jesus, and he presents them to the Father as the fruit of his work. This is why we remember the saints. Not because they earned something, but because they show us what Christ’s inheritance looks like: people from every tongue and tribe who trusted him enough to lose everything and who will reign with him forever.
Psalm 149: The Song of All the Saints
Now we return to Psalm 149, but we read it differently. “Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.” This is no longer just Israel. This is the congregation of all who belong to Christ, gathered from every nation. The new song is the song of the redeemed.
“Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.” Stephen the deacon sings this song. Stephen Troell sings this song. Every believer who has died in Christ joins this chorus. They are joyful in glory. They sing aloud in the presence of God. The honor promised to Israel finds its fulfillment in all who trust the Lamb.
“This honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.” This honor belongs to all his saints. Not some elite few, but all who are united to Christ by faith. The psalm that began with Israel’s calling ends with the church’s triumph. The saints of the Most High have received the kingdom. They possess it forever. And one day, we who still walk by faith will join them in that song.
Conclusion: Following the Lamb Wherever He Goes
The saints are not superhuman. They are believers who took Jesus at his word. They trusted that the kingdom was worth more than this life. They loved Christ more than safety. We honor them not by building shrines but by following the same Lord.
What does this mean for us? Most of us will not face martyrdom. But all of us face the daily choice between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of self. We are called to the same radical trust. To love enemies. To bless persecutors. To believe that God’s promises are more solid than what we can see. To live as people who already belong to the age to come.
The church has always grown through the blood of the martyrs because martyrdom is simply faith made visible. When Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God, he showed us what was always true: Jesus receives his people. When my friend Stephen died proclaiming the gospel in the Middle East, he joined the great company of witnesses who testify that Christ is worth it.
We do not seek suffering. But we do not avoid the cost of discipleship either. We sing the new song with the congregation of saints, knowing that the kingdom is ours in Christ. We join the long line of believers who have walked this road before us. And we trust that the Lamb who was slain is even now receiving the reward of his sufferings: a people who love him, a church that bears his name, and a kingdom that will never end.
Points to Ponder
- How does understanding that all believers are “saints” change the way you think about your own calling and identity in Christ?
- Daniel saw beasts representing earthly kingdoms that opposed God’s people. What “beasts” in our culture or world today tempt us to compromise our faithfulness to Christ?
- Jesus pronounces blessing on those who are poor, hungry, and persecuted for his sake. How does this challenge the way you measure success or blessing in your own life?
- Paul prays that we would know “the riches of God’s inheritance in the saints.” What do you think this means? How is the church itself part of Christ’s reward?
- The Moravian motto asks that Christ would receive the reward of his sufferings. How does this shift our focus from our own reward to Christ’s glory?
- In what practical ways can you, this week, choose the way of the kingdom over the way of self-preservation or comfort?
A Prayer
Father, we thank you for the saints who have gone before us. For Stephen who saw your glory as the stones fell. For Stephen who loved the Middle East and its people and counted the gospel worth his life. For all who have followed the Lamb wherever he leads. We confess that we often love comfort more than we love you. We want blessing without cost, kingdom without cross. Forgive us.
Give us eyes to see what is real. Help us trust that your kingdom is worth everything. When we face opposition, small or great, remind us that you receive your people, that you honor faithfulness, and that you will keep every promise you have made. Make us the kind of people who sing your praises in the congregation of saints and who live as those who already belong to the age to come.
We ask that Christ would receive the full reward of his sufferings. Gather your people from every nation. Build your church. Bring your kingdom. And use even us, in our weakness and fear, to proclaim that Jesus is Lord.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“This honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.” – Psalm 149:9
Josh Cehulik 