Few Christians would dare to read an account of Buddha's miracles.
Why?
Dare to? Is it that they wouldn’t “dare to”? Who would dare them? Jesus? Or satan?
What are “miracles” after all? And who can perform them?
The devil has the power to mimic certain “miracles” and pretend that they are from God. This is why there are no “miracles” after the apostolic period….because the “miracles” were to demonstrate that God had abandoned the false teachers of Judaism and transferred his favor to the followers of Christ. (Matt 23:37-39)
What were the miracles intended to show? Simply that under the rule of God’s coming Kingdom, that the sick and disabled would be healed, and that the dead would rise. Other gifts of the spirit were intended to promote unity, like being able to speak in languages they had never learned, breaking down the language barrier when Jews from different nations came to Jerusalem for the festival of Pentecost (Acts 2:5-8)….and later when Gentile believers came into the picture.
Prophesying was also something God had gifted to his servants from way back, to indicate his intentions, and to help his servants to identify the outworking of his purpose, despite handing world rulership over to his adversary. (Luke 4:5-7) The fulfillment of prophesy showed that God was still working behind the scenes, though not confined to the timeframe that earth bound humans were restricted to. Prophesy was often spoken hundreds or even thousand of years in advance of its fulfillment.
So what “miracles” could the devil perform that would convince people to turn away from Christ?
For true believers, there were none, because the apostle Paul made it clear that with the end of the apostolic period (the apostles were the only ones who could pass the gifts of the spirit on to others) the gifts would be withdrawn….why? Because they had fulfilled their purpose.
Paul wrote….in 1 Cor 13:1-13…
”If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but do not have love, I have become a clanging gong or a clashing cymbal. 2 And if I have the gift of prophecy and understand all the sacred secrets and all knowledge, and if I have all the faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my belongings to feed others, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I do not benefit at all.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, 5 does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. 6 It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with. 9 For we have partial knowledge and we prophesy partially, 10 but when what is complete comes, what is partial will be done away with. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, to think as a child, to reason as a child; but now that I have become a man, I have done away with the traits of a child. 12 For now we see in hazy outline by means of a metal mirror, but then it will be face-to-face. At present I know partially, but then I will know accurately, just as I am accurately known. 13 Now, however, these three remain: faith, hope, love; but the greatest of these is love.”
13 short verses, but what a wealth of knowledge and understanding are contained in his words….
”Miracles“ were for the benefit of spiritual infants, (”
nēpios” small children) used to show them the power of God’s spirit that will be used for their eternal benefit in the new world to come (2 Peter 3:13)…..but these “infants” had to grow up and concentrate now on the more mature aspects of “faith, hope and love”.
For this reason the miracles would now become obsolete as a means to demonstrate “Christianity”, as John wrote…
”I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are my disciples—if you have love among yourselves.” (John 13:34-35)
This is confirming what Paul said….”love among yourselves” would be the identifying mark of genuine Christianity.….but is this what we see in Christendom?
The patriots who masquerade as “Christians” will gladly take up arms against their own ‘brothers’ if a war breaks out in nations who have “Christians” in their military. Jesus taught us to “love our enemies”, (Matt 5:43-44) so how do “Christians” reconcile their “patriotism” with their “Christianity” then?
How can you “love your enemy” (who is also your brother) with weapons of mass destruction? (1 John 4:20-21) These also take the lives of innocent women and children.
So as the Scriptures clearly show us….our “Christianity” cannot be based on fear….it must be based on “love”, which then carries the additional benefits of “faith” and “hope”.
If we have genuine “faith”, based on “love of God“ and his Christ, we will not be seeking it elsewhere. We will have a secure “hope” in the promises of one who cannot lie.
The devil is a mimic…and he is powerful. When Jesus comes as judge, what will the false “Christians” be offering him as part of their excuses for not living up to their name? (Matt7:21-23) They “performed powerful works in his name”…and yet Jesus says to them…..”I NEVER knew you!”
….so what is the one thing the devil cannot do? He cannot raise the dead. But he proved with his attacks on Job, that he has the ability to make humans very sick and to engender fear by what he can do to bring them immense heartache and grief. Job had no idea where his trails were coming from, but he endured them faithfully, despite wondering why his God was not intervening. Even then, he knew his God well enough to know there had to be a good reason why he permitted such an incredible level of suffering. Proverbs 27:11 proved true in his case. He provided the devil with a demonstration of the most amazing level of faith, so that his aims were not met with surrender or defection.…under extreme circumstances.
We are all Job…..will the devil get to us in all the ways he has already demonstrated that can work among fallen humanity? Are we ignorant of his methods? If we are students of the Bible, we will have no excuse. If we are not students of the Bible, we still have no excuse. All we need to equip us to successfully endure the trials of this life are all provided in God’s word. (Matt 24: 13)
Satan has no new tricks….and planting seeds of doubt was his first approach to Eve. Is it working with those who, out of curiosity, might be taken down a dark path…..the “straight and narrow” one leads to life, but “few” will have enough faith to find the gate, and stay on that “cramped road to life”.
