He may have at least ALSO been referring to Stephen (as well as any others he persecuted). His assignment was given to him because of what he had been doing.
Surely you aren't suggesting that he was given that assignment primarily because he murdered Stephen, are you? His assignment was pretty much the same as the apostles that were there before him 'preaching without letup' which is largly what the book of Acts is about, nothing really new and ground breaking; perhaps he just did it to more of an extreme.
By Christ, Himself, when He returns and establishes His Kingdom. (depending upon their deeds/words... which reflect what is in the heart)
This seems to be where you have your own interpretation, because unless I misread 2 Thess 1:7-8, these people in the middle of the Amazon jungle seem to fit the criteria of Jesus wrath pretty well.
No one pays their 'debt' by dying. That is just a jw teaching. Else what debt would Christ have come to pay? That doctrine that the jws teach cancels the need for Christ out altogether. Should give us a clue that their teaching is false.
I'll give you that, but I guess this point is really off topic because the dead and resurrected are not the subject of this thread, it's those that are alive at the time that this supposed fiery judgement is going to happen. From how I see things it's inexcusable that god would hold those followers that are alive at the time of judgement accountable for his genocide because they didn't preach just enough, or they wanted to chill from the stresses of life.