I can honestly say I have read the entire Bible, and I have a minor in Bible from college, Biola University. I'm not saying that to brag, but to say that is why you should read what I have to say on the subject, please. :) So I will look at almost every verse in the Bible regarding signs and wonders and we can both see then what the purpose of them is. Are signs and wonders supposed to be occurring still today, and who does the Bible say will do them now, in the last days? Ok here we go. :)
First of all, did Jesus cause chaos when healing people or doing miracles? Did he ever hit someone or cause mass confusion in a group of people?
The first and most important verse regarding signs is: 1 Cor. 14:33, "God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people." The most important thing I would like to note is this verse, that God is a God of order. When hundreds of people are being caused to be slain in the spirit and fall all over the floor, is that order or disorder? When hundreds break out into what they call "holy laughter" is that order or disorder? When people shake and scream on stage in front of a service, is that order and peace or disorder and calamity? I'll let you answer those questions in your own mind. God's nature is order and peace. Therefore anything that is un-peaceful and disorderly is not of God.
Secondly, what was the primary purpose of us getting the Holy Spirit's power when saved?
Acts 1:8 "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
What did Jesus say the Holy Spirit would enable the disciples to do? He said the Holy Spirit would enable them to witness. For some reason certain groups get hung up on just the fact they spoke in tongues on Pentecost. But the tongues was NOT the whole point of that day, the point was that THOUSANDS got saved. Why? Because the Holy Spirit enabled them to witness by speaking in other languages. So the primary goal of the Holy Spirit empowering the disciples in Acts was so that they could become a witness to others. He did not empower them to put on a good show or make gold dust or glory clouds appear. The Holy Spirit empowered them to talk about Jesus, not about themselves and all the signs they could do or had done, but about JESUS. And the Holy Spirit was not intended to just empower the great evangelists, or who we think are great, but all of us. God intends that all of us will witness to all the whole earth with the power of his Holy Spirit. Amen. You may think, "But I don't have money. How can I witness to the whole world?" Start a blog like this. Join facebook groups and add friends from all over the world. There are many things you can do these days to witness without needing any money. Praise God. :)
Does Jesus and God get frustrated if we keep asking and praying for a sign and wonder for ourselves?
John 4:48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe." And in John 20:29, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
It is more credit to those who do not see signs and wonders and still believe. Also, some people won't believe in God unless they see signs and wonders. Jesus said about this, "A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Mt. 16:4. Jesus was constantly annoyed that the Pharisees wanted to see a sign from him. They would not believe just on faith, they wanted to see it to believe it. The same can be said for those who seek a sign today. They can't believe God just on faith, they have to see things to believe in God. This does not please God, which we know because it did not please Jesus at all when the Pharisees did this.
Is it ever ok to pray to see a sign and wonder from God?
In Acts 4:29-30 the early church members prayed for a sign,"Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” So they were asking God for a sign. However consider this, the signs and wonders they were praying they intended to accompany them with speaking the word with boldness and witness. The signs they prayed for were not for themselves, they were to save those who didn't believe. The purpose of signs and wonders are to get unbelievers saved. They are for unbelievers, not believers. Once someone has seen a sign and believed in Jesus because of it they should not need to see anymore in order to believe. The only reason they should pray for a sign after believing is if they are using the sign when witnessing to others to help them to believe. The idea that people in certain groups want to keep asking God for sign after sign is selfish and devoid of the purpose of what Jesus used signs and healings for. Notice in the gospels that the people Jesus healed he only healed ONCE. Why? Because the purpose of the healing was to enable salvation. Of course part of it was God wanted them to feel better but the primary purpose of God healing them physically was to hopefully heal and save their soul. Please consider what I'm saying. Jesus healed and used signs in order to save people. That was their primary purpose.
The problem is that some saved people now are praying for sign after sign, but these signs serve no purpose, other than to awe them. What people who are saved now need to do is STOP praying for a sign for themselves and START praying for a sign for people they try to witness to. God may have already healed you in some way, so now pray that God would use you to heal someone else's back and so possibly save their soul. Signs and wonders were not meant to be something that put on a good show. They were meant to point people to God and Jesus and show people that they should believe in him. If a speaker is doing a bunch of healing or signs and wonders but almost never talks about Jesus, that's a problem. That's when you know they are a false teacher.
The focus in signs and wonders needs to be on others and not yourself. That is the main thing that has always bugged me about charismatic groups. The focus is on the self, what can God show me or do for me? But the question we need to ask is what can I do for others? Always, always, that is what our goal in life is, how can God use me to save others. Amen. :)
I agree that signs and wonders and healings can still be used today to help save people, but who does the Bible say will primarily be performing signs and wonders these days, in the last days?
Matthew 24:24 "For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect."
The reason these signs and wonders might even lead the elect astray is because we will be thinking that since Jesus performed these signs then anyone who heals anyone etc. must be empowered by God right? But no. This verse clearly says that there will be false christs that will be able to perform signs and wonders, meaning they are not of God and therefore they are of Satan.
People might also get confused when modern day people do signs and wonders because there are verses like this: 2 Corinthians 12:12 "The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works." They like to quote this verse and say that they are apostles etc. But you have to look at the whole Bible. This verse was Paul talking about himself to justify his own ministry. He was telling them that he proved to them that he was from God because of the signs he performed in healing people etc. But does this verse apply to everybody or to today? No. The apostles were the disciples and Paul. No one else can be an apostle. Why? Ephesians 2:19 says, "You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets." The apostles were the foundation of the building. Their work is complete with starting the church. A building can only have one foundation. We are building into the building of God, but none of us can build another foundation. The foundations has been laid and the apostles did that. Therefore, there cannot be modern day apostles.
2 Thessalonians 2:9 "The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders."
In the last days we all know the anti-Christ will come. That is who the lawless one is. This verse is saying that Satan will bring him out and he will have power to perform false signs and wonders. The word false does not mean that they aren't real or don't work. It says he will have all power. So he really will be able to heal the sick etc. But it is by Satan's power, not God's. So this tells us Satan can give a man power to perform all of the same miracles that Jesus did. It is unfortunate, but it is the case. Here is an old testament example of Satan's power almost matching God's power:
Exodus 7:10-12 "So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs."
So in the end God's power was more powerful. But this story is very interesting because it shows that sorcerers by the power of their secret arts, which have demonic power to them, could do the same thing that God had Moses and Aaron do. The same is true today regarding healings. Satan is just imitating what God did through Jesus and the disciples to deceive people.
Do signs and wonders cause someone to listen to almost everything the person says who does them more closely?
Acts 8:6
"And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did."
This is why Satan would want to heal people through people he uses, so that they will listen to the false teacher who heals people. Satan knows that if people are healed, most will automatically think that the person doing the healing is from God and everything he teaches is correct and Biblical. Bill Johnson is one that comes to mind. He was teaching that Jesus got unsaved when he was in hell and had to be born again. That is a heresy. Many teachers like him were teaching that too. Bill Johnson is one such teacher who has glory clouds appearing all the time in his church and people falling in "the spirit." It might be a spirit, but I don't think it's the Holy Spirit. But those are just false signs and wonders to make what he says seems like it's all the truth when he is teaching lies. Satan always hides lies in truth. He might preach a lot of truth and just some lies, but that is still very wrong. Some people say, "Eat the meat and spit out the bones." But no, if anyone is teaching lies they are a false teacher and you should not listen to anything that say. That is Biblical.
Is there an example in the Old Testament of people doing false signs and wonders and leading God's people astray?
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 says, “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst."
So God allows these false teachers to perform signs to test us. And may we always pass the test Amen!
Do those who primarily perform signs and wonders today in large groups have good character?
So in the end God's power was more powerful. But this story is very interesting because it shows that sorcerers by the power of their secret arts, which have demonic power to them, could do the same thing that God had Moses and Aaron do. The same is true today regarding healings. Satan is just imitating what God did through Jesus and the disciples to deceive people.
Do signs and wonders cause someone to listen to almost everything the person says who does them more closely?
Acts 8:6
"And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did."
This is why Satan would want to heal people through people he uses, so that they will listen to the false teacher who heals people. Satan knows that if people are healed, most will automatically think that the person doing the healing is from God and everything he teaches is correct and Biblical. Bill Johnson is one that comes to mind. He was teaching that Jesus got unsaved when he was in hell and had to be born again. That is a heresy. Many teachers like him were teaching that too. Bill Johnson is one such teacher who has glory clouds appearing all the time in his church and people falling in "the spirit." It might be a spirit, but I don't think it's the Holy Spirit. But those are just false signs and wonders to make what he says seems like it's all the truth when he is teaching lies. Satan always hides lies in truth. He might preach a lot of truth and just some lies, but that is still very wrong. Some people say, "Eat the meat and spit out the bones." But no, if anyone is teaching lies they are a false teacher and you should not listen to anything that say. That is Biblical.
Is there an example in the Old Testament of people doing false signs and wonders and leading God's people astray?
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 says, “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst."
So God allows these false teachers to perform signs to test us. And may we always pass the test Amen!
Do those who primarily perform signs and wonders today in large groups have good character?
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self" like when false teachers talk about all the wonderful miracles and healings they think they themselves did, rather then humbly giving credit to God for all healings. "Lovers of money," they constantly ask for money, in their sermons, on their Facebook pages etc. "Proud, arrogant," it seems that they think they themselves heal these people rather than God merely working through them. They brag about all the miraculous clouds and gold dust and people getting healed. As if they can boast in themselves when we can only boast in God's power, never ever our own, because we don't have any power without God. Amen. "Abusive" They cause people to fall to the ground and possibly hurt themselves. They push and kick people to make them fall in "the spirit." "Ungrateful" They are never satisfied with what revelation we already have of God in the Bible. They are always seeking new revelation and new experiences. They are ungrateful for the simple things God does in their lives already. They only want BIG moves of God and BIG miracles etc. without seeing that just being able to love others well is a huge miracle by itself. A transformed heart and mind is a miracle enough for most Christians. "Unholy" The dress and appearance of many of these speakers is quite unholy and worldly looking. "Heartless" asking for tithing on a credit card is quite heartless. "Unappeasable" they are never satisfied with one sign, they want several etc. "Slanderous," They slander anyone outside of their group or anyone who can't pray in tongues. "Without self-control," This is the biggest obvious one. No one has any self-control in their services. People shaking and falling all over the place does not show self-control at all. "Brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God," loving only total health and never wanting to be in pain, ignoring that Paul had a thorn in his flesh that God would not remove. "Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people." They appear to be godly but they are not. They do not have the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives because they do not have the fruit of the spirit. And this passage says we are to avoid these people. Not to listen to some of what the say and not listen to things we don't agree with. We are to NEVER listen to such people. To run as far away from them as we can and tell others too run away as well. If you care about others you will want to protect them from lies and deceiving people. And that is why I'm writing all this, to warn people about such false teachers. ;) Because I love you all, and I hate what is evil, as the Bible says we are to. And we are to be discerning always. Amen. :)
Did Jesus give more power to his disciples to perform signs and wonders then to us?
Matthew 10:1 "And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction." This was a power specifically given to the disciples; that everyone they touched would be healed. We know that today this does not happen. There is no one alive that can heal every single person that they touch.
Is every single Christian capable of performing signs and wonders? Or should we all be able to?
John 14:12
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father." I do no think "works" in this verse has to refer to miracles. Not all believers will work miracles as Paul notes in 1 Cor. 12, "Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing?" The implied answer to all these questions is no. So what was Jesus referring too? I have always understood this verse to mean simply saving people. All Christians, no matter what our gifts are, are meant to help get people saved. Jesus' primary mission when on this earth was not to perform miracles, but to save people's souls from hell. His way to do that was by performing miracles and healing many. But God can use any spiritual gift to save people. He can use introverted helpers who serve people and then some get saved. He can use outgoing speakers, teachers and evangelists to speak God's word and "faith comes by hearing the word of God." And yes God can still use people healing others to get people saved and help them see God. But you need to look very closely at the fruit of the person doing the healings. If they do not seem to have the fruit of the spirit flowing from them, then their power is not from God but from Satan. Do they seem to love money more than God? Are they loving and humble or boastful and arrogant? etc.
If you don't believe my interpretation of this verse please watch this sermon by John Piper. It is his best one that I have heard and it's about this verse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP4HOueCRVQ
Acts 19:11-12 "And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them." When Jesus does say that those who believe in him will do greater works, I think he is referring to this. Paul did not even have to touch people to heal them; simply clothing that he touched could heal people. Very amazing indeed.
Acts 2:43
"And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles."
Was there a time in the new testament where an unbeliever could perform signs and wonders?
Here is an example of a non believer performing signs in Acts. Everyone thought he must have been empowered by God, but he was actually empowered by Satan:
Acts 8:9-13
"But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed."
And here are more verses on signs and wonders that are also good to read. May God bless you all! :) and Thank You for reading! :)
What was the original purpose of signs and wonders?
Hebrews 2:4 "God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will."
The signs and wonders performed by Jesus were intended to bear witness that Jesus really was God. That was their primary purpose. And with the apostles they were to bear witness that they really were empowered by God and that what they said was true. Amen.
Why did the Pharisees keep asking Jesus for a sign?
Matthew 12:38-39
"Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."Jesus would not show the Pharisees a sign because he knew they would not believe even if he did. They only wanted to tire Jesus out and frustrate him.
Is Satan using signs and wonders to prepare people for the greatest deception of all in the last days, the anti-Christ?
Revelation 19:20
"And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur."I think all the false teachers doing false signs and wonders now are just Satan prepping people for the anti Christ and the false prophet who will deceive almost the whole world and get everyone to worship the anti-Christ. It is Satan wearing people down. Satan is getting people to not use their minds and discern and to just run after signs and wonders. It is this mentality that will lead almost the whole world to wear the mark of the beast and either forget about Jesus, or they will think the anti-Christ really is from Jesus because of the signs he does. This kind of mentality is already happening all over the world, people following signs and wonders and the people who do them rather than God! :( And shame on them for doing so. They need to turn from their ways of seeking eye pleasing pleasure and focus on God. Amen!
Revelation 13:11-15
Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.Does the Bible warn us about evil spirits that might try to deceive us?
1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.How do we test the spirits? We look at the fruit of the person doing the signs. Jesus said, "You shall know them by their fruit.
Did Jesus warn that other people will come along doing exactly what he did but only to lead many astray?
Matthew 24:1-51
“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray."How will they lead MANY astray? Because people will believe they are from God because they will do most of the same things Jesus did. But they will teach lies. They might teach mostly truth but some lies, enough lies to get people to fall from the faith who listen to them.
Does the Bible instruct us to be discerning and to judge all things and all people and all things people say to us? Yes.
Acts 17:10-11
"The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."As you should always do when listening to anyone's teachings. Make sure they are saying all the same things the Bible says! Please. If they aren't, then they are a false teacher.
1 Corinthians 14:32-33
And the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints,Acts 2:17-22
“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."I personally think my writing out blogs like this is me prophesying, but there are different takes on what it means to prophesy.
Psalm 105:27
They performed his signs among them and miracles in the land of Ham.People in the Old Testament could perform signs and wonders.
1 Corinthians 12:28-29
And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? (The implied answer to all questions these is no.)1 Corinthians 1:22
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom.John 6:2
"And a large crowd was following him (Jesus), because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick."In Jesus' case obviously it was good large crowds were following him. Today with false teacher, it is very much NOT good that they have large crowds following them. :( Because they are leading many astray with witchcraft, false signs, and making people think what they teach is from God and the Bible when some or most of it is not. Like God wanting you to be rich or never in pain or sick are false teachings. The danger in these teachings is when people are poor or sick they will loose faith in God, because they have been programed to only expect good things from God. This is what will most likely cause the "great falling away" as the Bible talks about before Christ returns. 1 Thess. 2:3, " Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction." The apostasy is many departing from the faith. Why? Because they believed a false gospel from these false teachers and will become jaded when things get hard. They will give up on God when times get tough because they came to God for a party, not suffering or sacrifice and carrying our cross, but the Bible says that we will suffer and we WILL have to die to ourselves, not please ourselves. Amen.
Stay on your guard always. Amen.
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