By Dr. Ed Hindson
World Prophetic Ministry
Q. What was the significance of miracles in the Bible? Do miracles still happen today?
A. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines “miracle” as “an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs” or “an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment.” When we consider the miracles of the Bible, we note that they give validity to the reality of God’s dealing with mankind, and with the messenger whom God has chosen to use to transmit His truth.
For example, when John the Baptist inquired from prison whether Jesus was indeed the Messiah, Jesus told John’s messengers:
“… Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them,” (Matthew 11:4-5).In keeping with this idea, miracles are often called “signs,” a term which the Apostle John used towards the end of His Gospel to validate Christ’s role as the Son of God:
“And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name,” (John 20:30-31).Although miracles are recorded throughout Scripture, there are three main times in which they were particularly prevalent. These were times when God was dealing with Israel in a unique way and wanted their full attention in the process. The first was during the Exodus, under Moses and Joshua, when He was bringing His people out of Egypt and back to the Promised Land. The second was under the ministry of Elijah and Elisha, when Israel, now in the Promised Land, had fallen into apostasy and was in danger of God’s judgment, which later came in the form of the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities. The third was during Christ’s earthly ministry, to announce to Israel that their Messiah had come.
Another such period is coming, during the Tribulation. The activities of the two witnesses in Revelation 11:3-13, particularly their resurrection in verses 11-12, certainly come under the heading of the miraculous, as do the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments throughout that book. In addition to serving as judgment on an unrepentant world, these events will also be God’s last attempt at bringing mankind into a saving relationship with Himself.
Do miracles occur today? Sometimes they do! Some people hold that the age of miracles is over – that it ceased when the Bible was completed. Others take the opposite position and say miracles are available to everyone today if one only has enough faith to believe they will occur. Either extreme serves to place God in a “box” and attempts to define the parameters of His sovereignty. The truth is, God can do what He chooses, when He chooses, for whom He chooses, and for whatever reasons He chooses.
Meanwhile, let us not forget the greatest miracle of all – and this happens every day, all over the world. That miracle is when a sinner accepts Christ and passes from an eternal death sentence to eternal life with Him, because of what He did on Calvary so long ago. If we have experienced this miracle, we should thank God for it. If we have not, we should make it a priority to appropriate it rather than seeking any miracles of a more temporal nature.
Related Links
Does God still perform miracles? - GotQuestions.org
Revelation 11 - SpiritandTruth.org (Tony Garland)
Confirmation of Jesus' Messiahship - BPB (Doug Bookman)
Miracles - C. S. Lewis (Book)
Biblical Inspiration Validated by Miracles - Grace to You (John MacArthur)
Revelation (Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary) - Edward E. Hindson (Book)