"If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or wonder, and the sign or wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him." -Deut. 13:1-4.
Yet the differences of what is true, and what is a lie, can be subtle. Today, it seems like you can get away with just about anything that the Bible calls sin, and still be accepted as a Christian! This is our foundation, and it is absolute- the Word of God. Contradictions to what the written Word of God espouses are how the nature of a "sign" will be distinguished.
Why don't we see more signs and wonders within the professed body of Christ? This I have found to be troubling. Just look at Jesus' words from Mark 16:17-20 (abbreviated);
"And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover... And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen."
The positive, "plus" signs among those saved ought to be happening in the body of Christ. Thankfully, they still are! True faith has nearly vanished from the Earth, but God yet has a remnant, praise the Lord! Getting into the positive signs of gifts will be left for the next blog. This one is about warning God's people of Satan's powers to deceive; the signs and wonders that the enemy will perform!
Whenever you pray, please know that not only does God the Father hear you, but so does the devil! It is a profound thing to understand, but vitally important: Satan answers prayers, too. He seduces, deceives, and will convince people to continue on their destructive path by producing miracles. The Bible shows us that in these last of the "last days", that Satan's power will be at its peak.
"And then shall that Wicked be revealed... Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish..." -from II Thess. 2:8-10 (please read all of chapter 2). I encourage you to read the following scriptures which also support the theme of this blog; Matthew 7:21-23, 13:24-30, 36-40, Rev. 13:11-15.
Satan need not possess a person to perform lying signs and wonders in their lives. My wife and I have witnessed both God's power and the devil's in different situations. One of the most profound was attested to in church...
The church we were attending had a bishop, who in turn oversees a number of churches within a district. He doesn't often preach at any one church, but on this particular Sunday morning he took time to share an apparent "miracle" of God in his life. I thought little about this episode at the time, but as I grew stronger in the Lord, years later I came to think of this as the working of Satan...
He claimed that he was wanting to grow in faith (admirable!), and to see God's hand for divine miracles. Somehow, he was convinced to choose a prayer request in which he could "really believe." His prayer was that God would change his ordinary teeth fillings into gold! Apparently it worked. Obviously, I didn't view it happening, but I don't have a reason to doubt it; he does have a wife and several children who were likely witnesses. So what could be wrong with this? The real question should be, is this a Godly request? Would the Lord prompt this prayer, and answer it? The scriptures certainly can direct us in this assessment...
As the bishop of a church district, and with young adult children, this man is no novice believer. I know that the Lord reaches out to His children compassionately, but expects more from us as we mature in Him. If there is one thing that I have learned regarding God's power for miracles, it is that they are done to supply a NEED (Philip. 4:19). Where was the need in changing this man's fillings to gold? Listen to this commissioning that Jesus gives His disciples;
"And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." -Matt. 10:7,8; what was the bishop giving? Just look at what comes next...
"Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey...the workman is worthy of his meat." -Matt. 10:9 & 10. And yet, he wanted gold!
There was simply no need for the request that was made; it helped no one! What happened was "asking amiss" according to his own lusts (James 4:3). You see, this man is quite rich, and likes being that way. This is a truth that we unfortunately know very well (But I don't want to dwell on negative examples). Had he wanted gold fillings, he could have afforded the $ needed to remove the old fillings, and purchase the new gold ones. Not only did this request help no one else, but it was also unnecessary for him.
Think of all the requests that could have been made; all the different people he could have helped, according to the gifts of the Holy Spirit! His thoughts went to gold fillings for his teeth? The scriptures show us that the wealth of the world is in Satan's hands (Luke 4:5,6). Considering all the various warnings that the Bible, especially in the New Testament, gives us about riches, how is this man's life & "miracle" justified? Knowing him quite well, and the "other" gospel which he preaches and lives, I have little doubt but that this man's wealth came straight from Satan; who was also readily available to perform the "miracle" which helped further his delusion (II Thess. 2:11,12). And not only did this further his delusion, but that of the various congregations, which hold him in high esteem.
Such an example is minor, I think, in relative scope. But I fear that professing believers will be all too readily enthralled with the displays of power that Satan will be bringing forth through antichrist. Even now, many miracles are being credited to Maitreya, the new age christ. Will you be ready for other incredible deceptions, like that of NASA's Project Blue Beam? It is high time that we get back to the holy Word of God, and trust in the Lord for what He has shown us.
Please know that the Lord Jesus Christ is the living God, and just as able to do needful miracles in our lives today, as He ever was! But Satan is powerful, too; and his power is growing. Please use diligent, prayerful searching when distinguishing what type of spirit you are dealing with.
"A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." -Matt. 7:18,19.
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