Author’s note: If you are new to my blog, by reading first read the 23.01 through 23.09, you can learn somethings about how I misunderstood Christianity although I grew up attending church. I consider myself a reformed believer in Jesus Christ and have a passion for His teaching of the “narrow gate” (Matthew 7:13-14). Through the love of God, my posts are focused on pointing your attention to that critical truth.
The iconic helo-evacuation image representing the inglorious end of United States involvement in the Vietnam War in 1975. Image source: wikipedia
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“If I saw a miracle, then I would believe.”
How many times have you heard cynics declare this?
I must relieve you of the terrible unlikelihood of this ever occurring. The Bible is full of accounts of people who have experienced God’s miracles and continued leading a life of unbelief, rebellion, and hard-heartedness.
In the Book of Exodus, for example, you will find several miracles. Some of the most well known miracles were involved in the liberation of God’s people from slavery in Egypt culminating in the parting of the Red Sea. These miracles were followed by the provisions of water, food (Manna from heaven and birds for meat), and the very presence of God in the form of cloud cover by day and fire at night to provide protection and comfort. In the Book of Numbers, which also chronicles many of the events of the Israelites in the desert we find this event associated with the Promised Land that occurs after many miracles experienced by the Israelites.
“The Lord said to Moses, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders” … Numbers 13:1
and the report came back…
“They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.
“Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
“But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Number 13:26-33
All of these life preserving and mighty works of God were not enough for a generation of people to have faith in the trustworthiness of God’s promises. God does not lie.
The results of their fearful unbelief that God would help them defeat the “giants” who inhabited the “promised” land. They focused on their weakness rather than God’s strength. This unbelief resulted in an extra 40 years of wandering in the desert until almost an entire unbelieving generation died never to enter the Promised Land.
How many years have you lost? More importantly, what lays ahead in your future?
Without faith in God that leads to courage to act, miracles cannot save a lost soul.
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Throughout the Old Testament, the great and small miracles of God working through the faithfulness of God’s prophets and sometimes rebelliousness of God’s prophets (i.e. Jonah), we have stark reminders of God’s covenant relationship with the nation Israel as well as His original intention to reach all peoples.
After the reign of King Solomon, Israel broke into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, under the control of two different kings and successionary lines. The work of the prophets and the miracles of God would often not deter the people and rulers who were under the pagan influence, an artifact of adopting the ritual practices of surrounding peoples, which sometimes included child sacrifice.
In retrospect, the works and messages delivered by God through the prophets and the promised judgments of God are very powerful lessons for us. God’s instructions, history, and fulfilled prophecies and future prophecy offer insight to both God’s character, God’s plans, and human nature.
Of the two kingdoms, the “northern” kingdom, called Israel, was always ruled by kings whose hearts pursued not the God of Abraham, but rather worship of idols – pagan worship, an outright breaking of the First and Second Commandments.
The unrepentant attitude of the kings of the northern Kingdom was synergistic with their own sinful behaviors. Moreover, these kings were often married into alliances with the nations of pagan worshippers. King Ahab, a descendant of the house of Israel and Queen Jezebel, who was not, were quite the notorious couple.
One of the most dramatic miracles involved the Prophet Elijah and four hundred and fifty Baal priests, favorites of Queen Jezebel, who served in Ahab’s kingdom. Although many people were convinced this miracle was an Act of God, the fickle minded King, under the overwhelming influence of his wife, continued to live a life without obedience to the God of Israel. In 1 Kings we join the dramatic contest between Baal and God:
1 KINGS 18:26-28, 32-34 and 36-40
“And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!” So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them. Midday passed, and they kept on raving until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no response; no one answered, no one paid attention.…
“…And with the stones, Elijah built an altar in the name of the LORD. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, placed it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots and pour the water on the offering and on the wood.” “Do it a second time,” he said, and they did it a second time. “Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time.…
“At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
“Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!” Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there…”
This was not enough to convince King Ahab of his errors. What is interesting about Ahab, who reigned from 871-852 BC, is he is often proclaimed as the most evil king in the history of Israel. Reading the accounts of his life, I found he was a fickle man, a wishy-washy character who held the reigns of power with his all too clever pagan queen Jezebel. It is a stark reminder that evil men don’t always stand out as strong purposeful characters, it’s their ambivalence towards evil and their faithlessness in God that allows evil to run its course.
Arguably, King Manasseh who ruled Judah, the southern kingdom, from 687- 643 BC, conducted the most evil works of the many kings of Judah or Israel in that he was responsible for obliterating much of the reformative works of his father King Hezekiah (one of a handful or really good kings of Judah), murdering the prophets, and launching the people on a unavoidable trip to unspeakable misery, judgment and exile.
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In the New Testament, Jesus Himself performed countless miracles in the healing of thousands of people. Despite the obvious, the religious rulers of Israel and many of the multitudes of people who eagerly watched Jesus perform, His miraculous healings and providing food for thousands of famished people in the crowds following Him, did not give their lives in devotion and trust to Jesus.
Sadly, there were those physically healed by Jesus but have not turn towards Him as Lord.
Then there’s Judas, one of the 12 disciples who was near the Lord day and night for years.
It remains a fact, that many people are only interested in the sensational, carnal or other simple weakness of the flesh, like Esau, willing to give up their birthright to his brother Jacob for some bread and bowl of stew, nothing more than to appease his desire to eat (Genesis 25: 29-34).
John 12:36-38
“While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of light.” After Jesus had spoken these things, He went away and was hidden from them. Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”…
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Moreover, in the New Testament, in the Book of Revelations, describes how the works of Satan and demons will also perform “miracles” in addition to introducing lies and half-truths. Throughout history, Satan has sought to mislead people into virtual bomb proof bunkers of belief – all religion and philosophy, that are anti-God and anti-Christ, are part of the wide path that has a sign pointed to “heaven”. Christ’s exhortation of the “Narrow way” sets God’s path a part in a way that no other foundation, intended to deceive, can achieve.
Satan’s miracles of healing and supernatural signs from nature will play a major part in the deception of the people during the Tribulation times. From Revelations 13: 11-13
“Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. This beast had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. And this beast exercised all the authority of the first beast and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed.
“And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people. Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived. The second beast was permitted to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed.”
It is clear to those who study God’s word, conveyed in the Bible, that even epic miracles are not an end all cure all. However, God’s mercy and grace in how He has called, from amongst the unworthy, people to Himself are great signs of God’s sovereign work.
Throughout history, while there is evidence that people have done “good” things to overcome and suppress evil, the base nature of people is sinful with an inherent bent towards self-righteousness and idolatry, with a fatal unwillingness to humble themselves to receive the divine gift of salvation from Almighty God and through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
I pray that you repent from sin and open yourself to God’s calling. May this quiet miracle of God make a difference in you and you in God’s kingdom.
Seek the Narrow Gate. Wide is the path to destruction.
CKY
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