"As the priests and rulers saw the power that attended the preaching of Stephen, they were filled with bitter hatred. Instead of yielding to the evidence that he presented, they determined to silence his voice by putting him to death. On several occasions they had bribed the Roman authorities to pass over without comment instances where the Jews had taken the law into their own hands and had tried, condemned, and executed prisoners in accordance with their national custom. The enemies of Stephen did not doubt that they could again pursue such a course without danger to themselves. They determined to risk the consequences and therefore seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin council for trial. AA 98.1"
"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you."
The EGW passage describes the hatred directed towards Stephen, leading to his death. The Bible verse speaks of the world hating Jesus and, by extension, his followers. This establishes a thematic parallel between the persecution faced by Jesus and Stephen.
"Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;"
Both passages describe the chief priests and council seeking to put someone to death (Stephen in EGW, Jesus in the Bible verse). This shared element of persecution and plotting against a righteous individual creates a thematic parallel.
"eloquence and the logic of the rabbis to bear upon the case, to convince the people that Stephen was preaching delusive and dangerous doctrines; but in Stephen he met one who had a full understanding of the purpose of God in the spreading of the gospel to other nations. AA 98.2"
"For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist."
The EGW passage describes Stephen's ability to counter the rabbis' arguments, which directly reflects the principle in Luke 21:15 where Jesus promises to give his followers wisdom that their adversaries cannot resist. The connection is more than just thematic; it's a direct application of the biblical promise.