THE DANGER OF MIRACLES

By Pastor Art Watkins of Coden Bible Church (Coden, Alabama)

April 13, 2011

A miracle in the Bible is something that cannot be done by human hands. It is something supernatural. It is something that is impossible for men to do. It is out of the physical realm. Miracles come from the spiritual realm. When a miracle is performed someone from the spiritual realm has done it. Both God and the devil live in the spirit world. They can both work miracles. God uses miracles to benefit his people. The devil uses them to deceive and destroy people. Every miracle the devil does in the Bible is done to hurt people. In John 10:10 Jesus said the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. It is against the devils nature to do good. His miracles are done to call attention to himself, to deceive, and to destroy.

Revelation 13:11-14 says: And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.  And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

These verses tell us some important facts about miracles that God's people need to be aware of.

----(a) Miracles are not always a sign that a person is sent from the Lord.

The devil and his ministers all work miracles. Every member of the satanic trinity work miracles. Judas Iscariot worked miracles but he was a devil.

----(b) Miracles can be evil.

Revelation 16:13-14 says: And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

Miracles will be used by the devil to gather men together to fight against the Lord at the battle of Armageddon. This is an example of miracles being used for evil purposes.

----(c) Miracles can be used to promote false religion.

In Revelation 13:14 (see above) it says the false prophet works miracles to persuade men to worship the antichrist. They are used to promote false religion.

----(d) Miracles can deceive you.

Revelation 13:14 says: And (the false prophet) deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do.

Matthew 24:24 says: For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

The tribulation period will be a time of great deception because of all the miracles the devil and his ministers will work.

----(e) Miracles can hurt you.

Revelation 12:14-16 says: And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.  And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

By miraculous means the devil is able to send a flood against the woman to drown her and kill her but God intervenes with another miracle to save her. This is an example of a miracle being used to hurt and even kill someone.

----(f) Miracles can damn you.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 says: Even him, (antichrist) 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;  Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

In the tribulation if a man will not believe the truth of the gospel God will send him a strong delusion to persuade him to believe a lie that he might damn him. The strong delusion will be the miracles the antichrist and his devils will work.