Last week I began a series of articles to address the question “Are Miracles For Today?” My goal is to address many common objections people have to the idea that God still does miracles today. Last week, we covered the main passage that most cessationists use to verify their position. If you missed Part 1 one, you can check it out here.
Today, I want to address another common objection many cessationists have. Many say if miracles do happen today, they must be counterfeit miracles. This objection comes from 2 Thessalonians 2:9 which talks about lying signs and wonders. It’s a valid concern that I will address in this article, while also showing that signs and wonders are still for today.
Before we go further, I want to say that I agree that there are people today who operate in lying signs and wonders. 2 Thessalonians gives doctrine for it and we see examples of people attempting to counterfeit the anointing in Acts 8 with Simon the Sorcerer and Acts 19 with the seven sons of Sceva.
While I acknowledge there are counterfeit signs and wonders, I do feel obligated to point out that one can only counterfeit something that is real. The fact the Bible says signs and wonders can be counterfeited reveals there must be authentic signs and wonders. This is the reason innocent people accept counterfeit $100 bills. They accept them because there are real $100 bills. You cannot counterfeit something that does not exist.
This leads to an important question. Why would Satan choose to counterfeit signs and wonders? I believe it’s because of their power to grip the human heart and validate the existence of God. Satan counterfeits them because they are so valuable. Crooks counterfeit $100 for the same reason. Crooks don’t counterfeit $1 bills, however, because they don’t have a lot value. It’s just not worth the effort. Miracles are worth the effort. I would submit if miracles are so valuable Satan would try to counterfeit them, we need to learn about authentic signs and wonders for the same reason.
Jesus talked about all this in Matthew 7:21-23:
21 “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. 22 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?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Jesus made it clear deceived people who do not know Him can prophesy, cast out demons, and do wonders. I absolutely and acknowledge and agree with that. Jesus never said, however, people weren’t supposed to prophecy, cast out demons, and do wonders because that could lead people into deception. It’s implied in the verses above and stated in many others that this should be a part of the life of a believer. Here is a short list:
- Mark 16:17-18 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons;they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
- Romans 15:18-19 18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient— 19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
- Hebrews 2:3-4 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?
- Acts 8:5-6 5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
These are just a few examples. There are many more in the scripture. At this point you may be thinking, “Ok, Brian, you’ve made it clear that signs and wonders are supposed to be part of the life of a believer, but how do we know if the sign and wonder is authentic or a counterfeit? Great question. Look at Matthew 7:15-20.
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
These passages make it clear a prophet or miracle worker is known by their fruit. A genuine prophet will always point people to Christ with their prophecy. A prophet that prophecies to build a following, deceive, manipulate, or gain influence over other people is a false prophet. Authentic prophecy and miracles always glorify Christ. When trying to determine if a miracle is genuine or not, look at the fruit produced by the miracle! That’s the major key!
As I close, I want to bring up another point about fruit from the previous paragraph. As I’ve studied revival history over the last few years, I’ve noticed a major correlation between miracles and salvations. Those that embrace the fact that the supernatural is still for today generally see more and larger revivals that lead to winning lost souls. A great example is the Cain Ridge Revival in 1801, which was led by Methodist and Presbyterian ministers. Ironically, neither of these two denominations are known for seeing a lot of miracles today, but there were a lot of them at Cain Ridge. This revival sparked the 2nd Great Awakening! If were really want another awakening in America, we need to embrace genuine signs and wonders as a way God authenticates the gospel and causes it to spread.
Some of these thoughts about signs and wonders being for today may make some of you uncomfortable. I totally get that. Some truths from the Bible make me uncomfortable too, but I’ve learned I can’t throw out things from scripture that make me uncomfortable if I want to fully embrace all God has for me. Embracing the full gospel with signs and wonders following is part of our identity and our destiny, particularly if we want to see revival and see our nation transformed! If you’d like to learn more, check out this message I taught at Grace Life Church.
