Why did Saul persecute followers of Jesus before his conversion?
Saul persecuted followers of Jesus because he believed he was doing the work of Jehovah by stamping out the name of Jesus. He thought Jesus was his enemy and did not realize that Jesus is the God of Abraham, the Jehovah of the Old Testament.
Les teaches that Saul of Tarsus was convinced he was serving Jehovah. When confronted by the light and voice, Saul addressed him as Lord and Jehovah, and the answer came, 'I am Jesus.' That blew his mind. Saul had thought he was doing Jehovah's work by stamping out the name of Jesus, but he suddenly realized that the one he thought was his enemy was in reality the God of Abraham. Les explains that Jesus Christ of the New Testament is the Jehovah of the Old Testament, the God of Genesis 1, the same God who manifested Himself in the flesh. After this revelation, Saul asked, 'Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?' His persecution had been sincere but based on ignorance of who Jesus truly is. Les also notes that many people still ask, 'Who in the world is Jesus Christ?' because they do not understand that Jesus is Jehovah.