Hebrews – Chapter Two X

by Ed Urzi

“At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to His will” (Hebrews 2:4 CSB).

In 2 Corinthians 12:12, Paul the Apostle wrote the following message to the church in the ancient city of Corinth: “Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds.” Much like the those who had accompanied Jesus during His earthly ministry, Paul verified his apostolic calling through the miraculous works God performed through him. These miraculous signs pointed the way to Christ, the Savior Paul represented.

Nevertheless, we should recognize that miracles alone do not prove that a reputed miracle-worker is ordained by God. For instance, the magicians of ancient Egypt possessed the ability to duplicate the miraculous signs that God had given Moses- at least for a while (see Exodus 8:16-19). This is important to remember if we should ever encounter a purportedly miraculous event.

Jesus’ teachings are highly instructive in this regard…

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'” (Matthew 7:21-23).

“…false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand” (Matthew 24:24-25).

So, the ability to perform “miracles, signs, and wonders” does not necessarily mean that God endorses a person or a ministry. The following commentary can help us determine the legitimacy of an alleged miracle…

“…true miracles cause one to think more highly of God, tell the truth, and promote moral behavior. Counterfeit signs from Satan do not do this. They tend to glorify the person ostensibly performing the sign, and they are often associated with error and immoral behavior. They also may not be immediate, instantaneous, or permanent.

In short, only God performs true miracles; Satan does counterfeit miracles. This is precisely what the Bible calls them in 2 Thessalonians 2:9 when Paul writes that, ‘The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders.’ Of course, unless one is discerning, such signs can be deceptive and may be mistaken for miracles (Matt. 24:24).” (1)

(1) Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist Copyright© 2004 [p.213]