<p>7:43 <i>You took up t<em>he tabernacle of Moloch- </em></i>Ezekiel 20 describes how Israel took the idols of Egypt with them through the Red Sea; indeed, they lugged a whole pagan tabernacle system with them through the wilderness, in addition to the true tabernacle (:43,44). This of course is a warning to us who were as it were baptized also at the Red Sea (1 Cor. 10:1). Are we carrying two tabernacle systems with us or more on our wilderness journey?&nbsp;</p><p><i>And the star of the god Remphan, figures which you made to worship</i>- See on :41 <em>The works of their hands</em>. These were in contrast to the &quot;figure&quot; of the tabernacle (:44). It was an anti-tabernacle which they carried, just as all false religion is a fake imitation of the true and just as the anti-Christ is not a person so much against Christ (although he is that), but a fake imitation of Him.</p><p><em>And I will carry you away- </em>As they had carried their idols. There is a mutuality between God and man in how God responds to human sin.</p><p><em>Beyond Babylon</em>- Paul&rsquo;s relationship with Stephen becomes even more acute when we reflect upon how Stephen says that Israel were taken into judgment to <em>Babylon</em>. He is quoting here from Amos 5:26, which in both the LXX and Masoretic text says that Israel were to go &ldquo;to Damascus&rdquo;. Why does Stephen purposefully change &ldquo;Damascus&rdquo; to &ldquo;Babylon&rdquo;? Was it not because he knew there were many Christians in Damascus, and he didn&rsquo;t want to speak of &lsquo;going to Damascus&rsquo; as a figure for condemnation? And yet <em>straight afterwards</em> we are reading that Saul &lsquo;went to <em>Damascus</em>&rsquo; to persecute and kill the Christians there. It&rsquo;s as if Saul was so infuriated by Stephen&rsquo;s subtle change that he wanted to prove him wrong; he would &lsquo;go to Damascus&rsquo; and not be condemned, rather he would condemn the Christians there, and make it <em>their</em> place of judgment. This suggestion may seem farfetched. But we have to remember the Pharisaic way of reasoning and thinking. Every phrase of Scripture was so valuable to them, and major life decisions would be made over one nuance of the text or interpretation of it. No wonder that in later life, Paul alludes to his dear friend Stephen so much. What a joy it will be to see them meet up in the Kingdom.</p>