SUBJECT:  Satan and demons

QUESTION:  Can Satan and the demons perform miracles to fool mankind?

ANSWER:

Yes, they can.

Revelation 16:13-14

13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
 

Note:  Clearly Satan and the demons can work miracles, because the Word of God says they can.  Notice these other verses speaking to this fact:

Deuteronomy 13:1-3

13:1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,

2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;

3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Matthew 24:24

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Mark 13:22-23

22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

2 Thessalonians 2:9

Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

Revelation 13:13-14

13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

Revelation 19:20

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Note:  We see clearly that miracles can and will be done.

We found one definition on the Internet that we tend to agree with:

Miracles and the Supernatural

Not all supernatural acts originate from God.  Satan apparently has the power to cause events, which cannot be explained on a purely natural basis.  In other words, they are not just deceptive acts, i.e. sleigh of hand tricks.  See 2 Thessalonians 2:9, Revelation 13:14; 16:14.  The same Greek words are used to describe these events.  They are, however, of a noticeably different caliber.  Satan's power if finite.  His acts are meant to deceive.  They are supernatural events but not miracles in the Biblical sense.

Note:  It is clear from God’s Word that Satan can do nothing without the permission of God (Read the first couple of chapters of Job).

Here is another excerpt:

False Signs

We see Satan performing his false signs before the Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt. The sorcerers from Egypt duplicated some of the signs that God performed through Moses.

Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers: and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their enchantments (Exodus 7:11).

Their power to duplicate God's signs was limited - they could only go so far in their deceit.

---end of excerpt---

WHO DOES GOD HEAL?

Some ask if God will heal people of false religions.  Generally, we would say no, but keep in mind that God can do anything He wants, according to His own good will.

Eph 1:11

11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

God can and does intercede in the lives of individuals on the earth.  Remember that God loves all of mankind and has a plan for all of them.  Keep in mind too, that God has known from the foundation of the world whom He would call and when.  It would follow that if God waited to call a person, say in his or her 30’s, 40’s or 50’s and older, that He would protect and heal them throughout their lives, so as to fulfill the time when He would call them.  We might witness this healing (before the calling) and wonder.  We should not so wonder.

What God does in interceding in the affairs of people in the world is not a direct Salvation-related subject.  That is, one’s personal salvation does not bear on understanding what God is doing in this area.  Clearly, we are to focus on God interceding in the affairs of the church and the brethren, as well as our own lives, but there is no definitive way to track every intervention of God in the affairs of the World.  We state this to keep everything in proper perspective.

  
back to the top