Pastor Roy Townsend
As I was preparing for this writing, I came across a section that highlighted false miracles. False miracles have always fascinated me as they are recorded in the Bible. Pharaoh’s magicians in the Old Testament were able to do some pretty spectacular miracles when they were battling Moses and Aaron. Exodus 7:10-11 records, “So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts.”However, in this story, Moses’ demonstration of God’s power is greater as Aaron’s staff swallows up the other staffs from Pharaoh’s magicians.
A New Testament recording of a false miracle involves Simon the sorcerer which is recorded in Acts 8:9-11, “But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, ‘This man is the power of God that is called Great.’ And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.” Again, this Simon the sorcerer saw great works and miracles performed by God through Philip, and it was clear that God’s power was greater than Simon’s false miracles.
Finally, a future recording of a false miracle comes to us through the prophecy recorded in Revelation 13:11-14, “Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.” Here we are given a picture of false miracles performed by Satan through the false trinity. Just like Pharaoh’s magicians, Simon the sorcerer, and now through Satan’s false trinity, we see a “mortal wound”that has been healed. We see people astonished by the “great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people.” The Scripture records that it will deceive many people just like the earlier times that are recorded in the Bible.
However, just like with Pharaoh and Simon, we know that God’s power is stronger than Satan’s power. So even though this prophecy seems very scary and troubling, we know that God will prevail. Wayne Grudem writes, “The power of God is greater than the power of Satan to work miraculous signs and God’s people triumph in confrontations of power with those who work evil.” We cannot forget what God’s Word reveals in 1 John 4:4, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” We are to hold strong in our knowledge that we serve a God who is greater than the one who will work these false miracles at the end of time!