Peter And John Sent To Samaria
News of the revival in Samaria has reached the apostles who remained in Jerusalem. Realizing the historic significance of the Samaritans receiving the word of God, they dispatched their two leading figures, Peter and John, to authenticate the movement. This journey is particularly poignant for John, who years earlier had asked Jesus to call down fire from heaven to destroy a Samaritan village.
Upon arriving, the apostles discovered an anomaly: the Samaritans had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, but the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them. Peter and John prayed for them, laid their hands on them, and they immediately received the Holy Spirit, officially grafting the Samaritans into the unified Church.
"Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit."
— Acts 8:17
Timeline Box:
The apostolic visit to Samaria ensured that the church did not split into rival Jewish and Samaritan factions.
The Fire Of Yahweh Falls On Carmel
In the ultimate showdown against the 450 prophets of Baal, Elijah built an altar of twelve stones, drenched it with water, and offered a simple prayer to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Suddenly, the fire of Yahweh fell from heaven, consuming the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and even licking up the water in the trench. The people fell on their faces, declaring, "Yahweh, He is God!"
"Then the fire of Yahweh fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench."
— 1 Kings 18:38
Timeline Box:
This spectacular miracle turned the hearts of the Northern Kingdom briefly back to God.
Moses Shatters The Tablets Of The Law
Descending Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony written by the finger of God, Moses witnessed the camp in absolute chaos, dancing around the golden calf. His anger burned hot. In a devastating, symbolic act, he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain, physically breaking the covenant Israel had just made.
"Now it happened, as soon as Moses came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain."
— Exodus 32:19
Timeline Box:
The breaking of the tablets visually demonstrated the broken relationship between God and Israel.
