|
 |
Signs, miracles, and wonders were significant in Israel's program. It was a covenant God made with them!
Exodus 34:10 And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.
Jesus said in John 4:48 "Except ye [Israel] see signs and wonders, ye will not believe". Paul himself writes in 1 Corinthians 1:22, "For the Jews require a sign, ...", (Also see: Matt.12:38; Mark 8:11; John 2:18; 4:48). I've always wondered why Jews need signs and why signs and wonders are so directly connected to Israel. Consider this. When God saved Abrahams descendants out of Egypt, right there, at the origin of this nation, there were some incredible miracles. The 10 plagues, the Red Sea parting, the Cloud of Fire, manna in the desert, water from a rock, and God's presence on the mountain. I think these signs became ingrafted into the Jews and throughout their unique relationship with the Lord. They expected God to work in this way, they got used to signs as the confirmations of God's work and presence.
When Jesus' ministry started, He confirmed who He was with
miracles. His miracles were performed as signs to testify to his unique
identity.
John 2:23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in
the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he
did.
During His earthly ministry, Jesus even gave His apostles power
to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out devils (Matthew 10:8). He instructed them to speak with new tongues, take
up serpents, drink poison, and lay hands on the sick so they
shall recover, (Mark 16:17-18). But, notice this very important context —Jesus
is sending His apostles with "signs" to lost Israel (Matthew 10:5-7;
Mark 16:17,20), not to the Gentiles. Jews need the 'signs', and will only believe if they first witness God's
miracles.
When God began turning to the Gentiles through the Apostle
Paul, these miracles transferred to the Gentiles, in order to teach Israel that God was
now working amongst the Gentiles (Romans 11:11-12; 1 Corinthians 14:21-22).
Eventually, when Israel's program ceased, these miracles faded, and at the
close of Paul's ministry, no more miracles were taking place. (1 Timothy 5:23;
2 Timothy 4:20).
Today, God's focus is not on miracles that accommodate the
flesh. God wants us to have faith in His Word and in His Son. God is working
His miracles within us, and in the spiritual realm, not within the natural
realm. God can still do miracles today if it suits His purpose and plan, but this
is certainly not the norm today. Today God's grace is sufficient for you, and
the trials and sufferings of life will be FAR outweighed by the glory we will experience
when He comes to fetch us.
2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for
a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
I want to show you a HUGE trend in the list below. This is a list of all the miracles that took place during the New Testament. Notice that the four Gospels and Acts are heavily represented and then there is suddenly NOTHING to speak of in the Epistles. Why? Because God's attention turned to the Gentiles. God started a WHOLE NEW DISPENSATION which focused on having faith in the completed Word and in the Gospel of Grace. Miracles do not have a part to play in todays grace dispensation, but once we are taken up into the clouds and the tribulation begins, we will once again see signs, wonders and miracles under the revived Kingdom program, albeit the wrath of God and the signs of the Antichrist which will deceive many.
List of New Testament Miracles
- Water made wine in Cana - John 2:1-11
- Son of nobleman healed in Cana - John 4:46-54
- Christ passed unseen through crowd in Nazareth - Luke 4:28-30
- Demoniac in synagogue healed in Capernaum - Mark 1:23-26
- Peter’s mother-in-law healed in Capernaum - Matthew 8:14-17
- Draught of fishes in lake of Galileo - Luke 5:1-11
- Leper cleansed in Capernaum - Matthew 8:1-4
- Paralytic healed in Capernaum - Matthew 9:1-8
- Impotent man healed in Jerusalem - John 5:1-9
- Withered hand restored in Galilee - Matthew 12:10-13
- Centurion’s servant cured of palsy in Capernaum - Matthew 8:5-13
- Widow’s son raised in Nain - Luke 7:11-17
- Demoniac healed in Galilee - Matthew 12:22-23
- Tempest stilled in lake Galilee - Matthew 8:23-27
- Two demoniac cured in Gadara - Matthew 8:28-34
- Jairus’ daughter raised from dead - Matthew 9:23
- Woman with isse of blood healed - Matthew 9:20-22
- Blind men cured - Matthew 9:27-31
- Dumb spirit cast out in Capernaum - Matthew 9:32-33
- Five thousand supernaturally fed - Matthew 14:15-21
- Walking on the sea - Matthew 14:25-33
- Syro-phonecian daughter healed - Matthew 15:21-28
- Four thousand supernaturally fed - Matthew 15:32-39
- Transfiguration of Christ - Matthew 17:1-6
- Tribute money supernaturally provided -Matthew 17:24-27
- Deaf and dumb man healed - Mark 7:31-37
- Blind man healed - Mark 8:22-26
- Devil cast out of boy -Mark 9:14-29
- Miracles by the seventy - Luke 10:17
- Ten lepers cleansed - Luke 17:11-19
- Jesus passed unseen through crowd in the temple - John 8:59
- Man born blind healed - John 9:1-7
- Lazarus raised from dead - John 11:38-44
- Woman with infirmity cured - Luke 13:11-17
- Man with dropsy cured - Luke 14:1-6
- Two blind men cured in Jericho - Luke 18:35-43
- Fig tree cursed and withered -Mark 11:12-14
- Malchus’ ears healed - Luke 22:50-51
- Second draught of fishes - John 21:1-14
- Resurrection of Christ - Luke 24:6
- Innumerable miracles of Christ not recorded but witnessed by the apostles - John 20:30
- Christ’s appearance to Mary Magdalene - Mark 16:9
- Christ’s appearance to other women -Matthew 28:9
- Christ’s appearance to two disciples - Luke 24:15-31
- Christ’s appearance to ten apostles (Thomas absent) - John 20:19-24
- Christ’s appearance to eleven apostles (Thomas present) - John 20:126-28
- Christ’s appearance to seven disciples fishing - John 21:1-24
- Christ’s appearance to eleven apostles in Galilee - Matthew 28:16-17
- Christ’s appearance to eleven apostles on day of Ascension - Acts 1:2-9
- Outpouring of the Holy Spirit - Acts 2:1-14
- Lame man cured by Peter - Acts 3:6
- Death of Ananias and Sapphira - Acts 5:5, 10
- Many sick people healed by Peter - Acts 5:15
- Apostles freed from prison by angelic intervention - Acts 5:19; 12:7-11
- Stephen’s great miracles - Acts 6:8
- Dying Stephen’s vision of Christ - Acts 7:55-56
- Philip cast out unclean spirit - Acts 8:6-13
- Ananias’ vision - Acts 9:10
- Paul’s sight restored - Acts 9:17-18
- Aeneas healed of palsy - Acts 9:34
- Dorcas restored to life - Acts 9:40
- Cornelius’ vision - Acts 10:3-4, 30-32
- Peter’s vision - Acts 10:9-20
- Agabus’ prophecies - Acts 11:28; 21:11
- Peter released from prison by angelic intervention - Acts 12:7-11
- Elymas blinded - Acts 13:11
- Lame man cured by Paul - Acts 14:10
- Damsel delivered from evil spirit - Acts 14:10
- Paul’s vision on the way to Damascus - Acts 16:9
- Earthquake released Paul and Silas - Acts 16:25-26
- Gift of tongues - Acts 19:6
- Special miracles by Paul - Acts 19:11-12
- Evil spirit overpowered Sceva’s seven sons - Acts 19:13-16
- Eutychus restored to life - Acts 20:10
- Paul unharmed by viper’s bite - Acts 28:5
- Publius’ father healed - Acts 28:8
- Christ’s appearance to Peter -1 Corinthians 15:5
- Christ’s appearance to five hundred brethren - 1 Corinthians 15:6
- Christ’s appearance to James - 1 Corinthians 15:7
- Christ’s appearance to Paul at his conversion - Acts 9:1-5; 1 Corinthians 15:18
- John’s vision on Patmos - Revelation 1:9; 22:21
No comments:
Post a Comment