Have you ever considered the weight of a single moment in shaping the course of history? How does the intense darkness of hatred finally give way to the redeeming light of grace?
Welcome to the third and final installment of our blog series (catch up on parts one and two), featuring an exclusive excerpt from Chapter 1 of the highly anticipated book, Nero and Paul, by Kathie Lee Gifford and Dr. Bryan Litfin. Over our past two sessions, we have journeyed into the damp, isolating confines of a Roman dungeon, exploring the intense, unyielding zeal that originally drove the apostle Paul to persecute the early followers of Yeshua.
Now, we invite you to step back into the dusty streets of ancient Jerusalem. In this concluding excerpt, we will witness a horrific and pivotal event that would haunt Paul for the remainder of his life, ultimately planting the seeds for his miraculous transformation.
A Dangerous New Proclamation
As Stephen stood before the powerful Jewish council, the Sanhedrin, his eloquent explanation of biblical history had initially provided a perfectly acceptable narrative. It was their own cherished story—the story of Abraham, Moses, and David. But the atmosphere in the room shifted violently when Stephen made a bold new proclamation to these men, whose entire base of power was rooted in the physical temple.
“The Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, “Stephen announced, then quoted God’s statement to Isaiah to back up his words: “‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord, ‘Or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things [in creation]?’”
After proclaiming the new, universal form of worship—no longer limited to a manmade building—Stephen fiercely accused the Sanhedrin of spiritual blindness. He called them stiff-necked toward God and the children of forefathers who had slain the prophets. Now they had betrayed and murdered the Righteous One, totally disregarding the true meaning of the Torah.
The Frenzy of the Religious Mob
The leaders flew into a rage at these words and gnashed their teeth at Stephen like wild animals. When he gazed up into heaven and announced that he saw Yeshua standing in glory at God’s right hand, the national leaders howled, stopped their ears, and leapt into action.
Their minions dragged Stephen outside the city and surrounded him. They stripped him of his clothing, leaving him naked and defenseless. He stood in their midst with his hands bound behind his back. Though Rome forbade capital punishment, the enraged mob couldn’t be stopped. Stephen had to be killed!
To free their arms for hurling heavy rocks, they laid their cloaks and robes in a pile to be guarded by a watchman.
His name was Saul of Tarsus.
The Brutal Reality of Communal Death
As the elderly apostle reclined on the floor of the Carcer in Rome, the horrific memories of Stephen’s martyrdom came flooding into his mind, just as they often did in his nightmares. We can imagine how vividly he must have remembered the vicious spirit that took hold of the mob that day.
Stephen stood upright in holy tranquility, gazing toward the clouds where he had claimed to see his Lord. But stoning was a violent death, which would break the martyr’s tranquil pose. The goal of stoning was to make the death communal. Everyone participated. The community as a whole rejected the victim. No one could say whose stone had dealt the final blow. All the participants held collective responsibility for the death. Together, they were cleansing the filth from the nation’s midst.
Paul grimaced as he recalled the violence of the first stone striking the church’s original martyr. It was a melon-sized chunk, jagged along its edges. With a dull thud, it hit Stephen in the ribs, shattering them in a spray of blood. Many others followed, each ripping his skin and breaking his bones. Though he tried to remain standing, the hail of rocks rained down on him like the devil’s firestorm. “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” Stephen cried as he fell to his knees.
A Martyr's Final Breath of Grace
More stones hammered into the kneeling martyr, tearing his flesh in each place they struck. Like a butchered piece of meat, a glossy redness covered Stephen’s body. As the mob’s rage surged, they seized even larger stones, raising them above their heads with two hands before hurling them down with murderous fire in their eyes.
A weak voice came from the torn and battered victim as he succumbed to the onslaught. He swayed on his knees, barely able to remain upright.
“Lord, do not charge them with this sin,” he whispered.
The next chunk of rock struck Stephen square in the face. Gore flew into the air as he toppled over. Rocks cascaded onto the helpless figure lying prone in the blood-drenched sand. At last, he no longer moved or spoke. No breath stirred his mutilated frame. His twitching ceased. The job was done. Stephen was dead. Israel had been cleansed.
Praise be to God, the zealot Saul prayed as he stood over the garments of the frenzied mob. The blasphemer has received what he deserved. May every follower of Yeshua receive the same!
From Darkness to Redemptive Light
How deeply must those dying words of forgiveness have echoed in the mind of Saul of Tarsus over the years? Lord, do not charge them with this sin. It was a plea of unimaginable grace, spoken by a man being violently murdered by his own people. Years later, sitting in the darkest dungeon of the Roman Empire, Paul knew with absolute certainty that Stephen's final prayer had been answered. The profound grace that Stephen displayed was the very same grace that would later meet Saul on the dusty road to Damascus, blinding him to his self-righteous anger and opening his spiritual eyes to the magnificent truth of the gospel.
The story of the apostle Paul is a beautiful, enduring testament to the fact that absolutely no one is beyond the reach of God's redemptive power. The man who once guarded the cloaks of murderers became the greatest ambassador of the very faith he tried so desperately to destroy.
Taken from Nero and Paul: How the Gospel of Grace Defeated the Ruler of Rome by Kathie Lee Gifford and Dr. Byan Litfin. Copyright © 2026. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing.
About the Authors
Kathie Lee Gifford’s four-time Emmy Award winning career has spanned television, film, recordings, Broadway, cabaret, and commercials. She has authored numerous books, including her most recent book, The God of the Way, and five New York Times bestselling books, including The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi and It's Never Too Late. She is also an actress, singer, songwriter, playwright, producer, and director.
Dr. Bryan Litfin grew up in Dallas, TX; Oxford, England; and Memphis, TN. He earned a degree in print journalism from the University of Tennessee, a master's degree in historical theology at Dallas Seminary, and a Ph.D. in the field of ancient church history at the University of Virginia. The author of four nonfiction books and six novels, Dr. Litfin now works as Professor of Bible and Theology at Rawlings School of Divinity at Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA.