Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Beware of "Miracles"
"For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."—Matthew 24:24
Did you know that the devil can do so-called "miracles"? Of course, they are not the same kind of miracles that God does, but they resemble them. When Moses went into the court of Pharaoh and was performing certain signs to confirm that he was sent by God, Pharaoh's magicians were able to duplicate a number of them, including turning water into blood. But what is interesting is that Pharaoh's magicians were only able to duplicate some of the miracles of Moses, but certainly not all of them.
So if a miracle is done through an individual, it doesn't necessarily prove that he or she is a Christian. Sometimes God can work through flawed vessels. We know that King Saul prophesied, yet he was a wicked man who ultimately consulted with a medium and died in rebellion against God. Judas Iscariot was sent out with the disciples initially and was casting out demons along with them. Yet we know that he ultimately betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. So it could have been God's power working despite King Saul and Judas Iscariot. And sometimes God works despite who we are or what we are.
However, it also could have been Satan's power at work. So we can't simply let miracles convince us someone is sent by God. The Bible tells us that when the Antichrist comes on the scene in the end times, he will deceive people through lying wonders and devilish miracles (see Matthew 24:23-25). So if someone comes along and says that we have to listen to what they have to say because they are doing miracles by the hand of God, just maybe those are devilish miracles. We must measure what they have to say according to the Word of God.
Copyright © 2010 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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