“I never said He can’t intervene. Scripture and history are full of instances where He has intervened. Note what’s missing though—His forcing people to make decisions He wants. He persuades, He talks, He smites (in the OT), but He never forces someone to change their mind.”
What about Paul?
Paul happened to also believe that he was doing the Lord's work by persecuting Christians. The persuasion wasn't that difficult, once Paul realized Who he was talking to.