2 Kings 1:11
Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.
The verse belongs to the history of King Ahaziah turning from the living God to Baal-zebub, in which Elijah protested against that apostasy and continued to confront the king. That history of sin and punishment holds a warning none can disregard with impunity. Ahaziah sent a second captain with his fifty to order Elijah to descend quickly, seeking to compel and intimidate the prophet. Like the first company, they suffered God's judgment when Elijah called down fire from heaven that destroyed and consumed them.
James and John and the other disciples recalled and appealed to Elijah's calling down fire in this account as a precedent for calling down fire to punish and consume the Samaritans for refusing Jesus lodging and hospitality and for disrespect in rejecting Him. They treated such punishment as the fitting response to that rejection. Jesus rebuked the disciples for that appeal, telling them they did not know what manner of spirit they were of, because His mission and the Son of man's mission was to save lives and not to destroy them.
That rebuke condemns the spirit of persecution and seeking to force the conscience of others in matters of faith, and shows that those imbued with the Spirit of Christ will be kind to their enemies. The verse exposes the king worshiping at Satan's shrine and the very spirit of heathen idolatry, which is rife today in more refined and attractive form under science and education so that thousands do the same without paying homage to heathen gods. Faith in the sure word of prophecy is fast decreasing while superstition and satanic witchery captivate minds. The verse warns that all who do not earnestly search the Scriptures and submit every desire and purpose of life to that unerring test, and who do not seek God in prayer for knowledge of His will, will surely wander from the right path and fall under Satan's deception.