Have Miracles Ceased?

Almost anywhere one can find religious people who claim either that they can "perform miracles" or that they have seen others do so. It requires little Bible study to see that such a person is deceived. Bible miracles were real miracles. The blind saw the lame walked, lepers were healed, the deaf heard, the dead were raised, deadly poisonous liquid could not harm the drinker and deadly poisonous snake bite could not hurt the bitten. A man's sight was purposely destroyed and then restored. "Many other signs did Jesus which are not written ..." If ALL of these miracles recorded in the Bible cannot be done today, NONE of them can be done (Has God's power failed?); and so-called miracles are pure fakes. (Read Matt. 11:2-5; John 20:30-31; Acts 9:40-41; Acts 28:5)
 
Bible miracles were performed for a Bible purpose. "Jesus. . . a man approved of God among you. By MIRACLES and WONDERS ... and SIGNS, as ye yourselves also know." Acts 2:22. Is the miracle worker satisfied with Jesus' divinity? If not, why not require Jesus and Lazarus to come back to earth so Jesus can raise Lazarus again (in every generation for all people)? If yes, why not let our faith rest, on miracles already "written" as John 20:30-31 says we are to do?
 
“How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord (it was NEW), and was CONFIRMED unto us by them that heard him; God also BEARING THEM WITNESS, both with signs and wonders, and with divers MIRACLES, and gifts of the HOLY GHOST…?” Heb. 2:2-4. ". . .They preached everywhere, the Lord… CONFIRMING the WORD with SIGNS following. . . " Mark 16:20. "For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity also a change of the law.'' Heb 7:12. Forgiven sins are now "remembered no more forever." Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:8-12. We are ministers of the "NEW TESTAMENT." 2 Cor. 3:6.
 
All of these passages make it plain that these things - priesthood, sacrifice, law, system, testament, salvation - are NEW. God's command is to "prove all things." 1 Thes. 5:21; "Try the spirits." (Some teachers would be false). 1 John 4:1. That is exactly how it was in the days of Jesus and the apostles. The Jews were not expected to accept everything new without proof. Jesus was APPROVED by MIRACLES. The apostles WORD (the gospel) was CONFIRMED by MIRACLES. The apostles WORD (the gospel) was CONFIRMED by MIRACLES. That was the Bible purpose of miracles. The miracles PROVED the message to be true.
 
"If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God." 1 Pet. 4: 1 1. " . . . preach any other gospel - receive the "curse" (anathema) of heaven. Gal. 1:6-9 " . . . abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God." 2 John 9 - speak only as the oracles of God - no other gospel - only that which is IN the DOCTRINE of Christ. Now remember, God used miracles to make this message DEPENDABLE, trustworthy.
 
Now take a long, hard look at the present day miracle worker.

1. If he is using the Bible motive, he is CONFIRMING a NEW GOSPEL; but adding anything NEW to the Gospel ("any other gospel") is a soul-destroying sin! 2 John 9.
2. If he is still CONFIRMING the New Testament gospel, he insults God by being dissatisfied with God's CONFIRMATION, now nineteen hundred years old!
3. If he is performing miracles for any other purpose, he is a spiritual prostitute!

The simple truth is, the modern miracle worker has a new set of miracles, a new gospel (anything taught not found in the New Testament) and a "purpose for miracles" foreign to the word of God. -Aubrey Belue Sr., Columbus Dispatch, 1970

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