1. Acts 6:6-8 describes the qualities of Stephen after he is set apart to assist the apostles. He is full of faith and the power of the priesthood, which allow him to work miracles. In Acts 7:51-60, Stephen chastens the people for denying the Holy Ghost, and testifies of the reality of God the Father and Jesus Christ. The people take offense and stone him.
Here is the impressive part. At this point, most people would probably be afraid, panicking, angry at his persecutors, perhaps cursing God for ending his life this way. However, Stephen good-naturedly calls upon God, asking Him to receive his spirit, and asks Him to "lay not this sin to their charge." What a courageous and truly humble thing to do! This is a great similitude of Jesus Christ, who forgave those who hung him on the cross.
These verses also demonstrate that the Godhead is made up of three separate beings. Stephen could not be "full of the Holy Ghost", and see God, with Jesus on His right hand, if they were not separate.
2. In Mosiah 17:7-20, Abinadi is martyred for similar reasons. He will not deny the words he spoke against King Noah and the priests, and they take offense and burn him to death. Like Stephen, Abinadi asks God to receive his spirit. The main difference I see is that Abinadi does not ask the Lord to excuse their sin, and instead boldly warns that God will execute vengeance upon them.
Both of these final testimonies of Stephen and Abinadi make me think of the scripture that says, "The guilty take the truth to be hard." These prophets are simply declaring the truth, which if accepted and followed could bring about true happiness and a very blessed people! But instead they cower in their guilt and destroy these great men so they can "feel better" about themselves. It makes me want to hold to the truth and remove the sins in my life so I can feel nothing but gratitude and the Spirit as I listen to the prophet today.
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