The biblical definition of a miracle is “an event that involves the direct and powerful action of God, transcending the ordinary laws of nature and defying common expectations of behavior.”
Miracles provide evidence of God’s presence and power in the world and demonstrate HIS authoritY OVER THE LAWS OF NATURE. Miracles remind us that God is VERY ACTIVE in this world.
In the Old Testament God would sometimes perform miracles without a human agent, and other times He performed them through His servants the prophets. In the New Testament, God performed MANY miracles through His Son Jesus Christ and later, through Jesus’ twelve apostles.
In the Bible, miracles came in many different forms. In the Old Testament there were several celestial miracles (also called “signs and wonders”). One such miracle…
Joshua’s long day ☀️
Joshua 10:12 Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day when the Lord (YHWH) turned the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
And moon, at the Valley of Aijalon!”
13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.Is it not written in the Book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hurry to go down for about a whole day.
14 There was no day like that before it or after it, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.
We recently discussed the miracle of the THREE DAYS of THICK darkness that fell over Egypt during the days of Moses. Similarly, when Jesus was on the Cross an UNUSUAL DARKNESS fell across the land for three hours AT midday. This was not just another solar eclipse, this was total and unprecedented darkness that lasted for three hours, concluding with a MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE that shook Jerusalem and tore the veil in the Jewish Temple in half from TOP to BOTTOM. The veil was HUGE!! First century Jewish historian Josephus records that Herod extended the temple’s height to 40 cubits high, about 60 feet tall. He also records that the veil was four inches thick.
The New Testament speaks of End-Times Celestial miracles that will occur prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ, the “Great and Terrible Day of the Lord”.
Joel 2:31: “The sun will be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.
Rev. 6:12: And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red
The Bible records many instances where God also took authority over the laws of nature, parting both the Red Sea and the Jordan Rivers. Similarly, Jesus was able to walk on water and calm the stormy seas!
God was also able to cause animals to act in astonishing ways such as speaking through a donkey. 😲
Numbers 22:27: When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 😲
Nothing is impossible for God!
God’s miracles ALWAYS serve a purpose. He does not do miracles simply to amuse us or show off. God reveals Himself to us through His Miracles.
John 10:25: Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me.
Some Biblical reasons for God’s Miracles include….
- To show God’s Authority and power over nature (Father/Son/Holy Spirit is the Creator)
- To authenticate the “miracle worker” and his/her “message” as being sent FROM GOD
- To give mankind a glimpse into the kingdom of God
- To show God’s compassion and grace
- To teach mankind the path to salvation
- To Glorify God (YHWH/Son/Holy Spirit)
- To REVEAL God’s TRUE MESSIAH (Christ/Annointed One/Savior)
When I first came to faith in Jesus Christ, I thought that Jesus was the only One through whom God performed miracles. However, the Lord soon showed me through study of His Word that He (YHWH) also performed many “OLD TESTAMENT” miracles PRIOR to the incarnation of our Lord Jesus.
“The incarnation means that YHWH’s (God’s) Son, who was WITH (IN) YHWH in the BEGINNING as a Spiritual being without a physical body (THE WORD/LOGOS OF GOD), took on a body clothed with the LIKENESS of HUMAN FLESH so that He could come into our reality, our PHYSICAL world, and SAVE mankind.“
In the Old Testament God performed the miracle of the ten plagues through his prophet Moses. God later performed eight known miracles through the prophet Elijah. When Elijah was miraculously taken to Heaven ALIVE in a great whirlwind (type of rapture) (2 Kings 2:1-14), God performed sixteen miracles through Elijah’s protege Elisha.
What set Jesus’ ministry apart from God’s Old Testament prophets if they all performed similar miracles?
Isaiah 49: 6: He says, “It is too small a thing that You (tfj: Messiah) should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the protected ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the gentiles ✝️ So that My salvation (yᵊšûʿâ – YAHSHUA) may reach to the end of the earth.”
7 This is what the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One,
Says to the despised One, (tfj: Yahshua/Jesus Christ is despised by most Jews and many gentiles)To the One abhorred by the nation,
tfj: The name Yahshua/Yahushua/Yeshua is the Messiah (Christ)’s true name AND means SALVATION in HEBREW. The modern name “Jesus” comes from the Latin Iesus, which comes from the Greek Iesous, which comes from the Aramaic Yeshu’a and the Hebrew Yehoshu’a.
To the Servant of rulers:
“Kings will see and arise,
Princes will also bow down,
Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”
The word “Messiah” comes from the Hebrew word mashiach and means “anointed one” or “chosen one”, one who is “set apart for special service”. The Greek equivalent is the word Christos or, in English, Christ. During the prophetic period of Israel’s history, the Jewish people were promised that God would raise up a redeemer (Mashiach) from the seed of David who would bring physical deliverance from their gentile enemies, restore the Temple, and reestablish the kingdom rule of David. According to tradition, Mashiach will be wiser than Solomon, and a prophet around the level of Moses.
The majority of Jewish people do not yet understand that there is One Messiah (JESUS) who comes to earth TWICE…
- FIRST as suffering servant 2000 years ago, ✝️
- SECOND as conquering King very soon 👑
Because the Bible makes it clear that the Messiah is both a suffering servant and a conquering king, many Jews believe that there are “two Messiah’s
- Messiah ben Joseph – Suffering servant
- Messiah ben David – Conquering king
Sadly, this false belief will make it quite easy for the antichrist/false prophet duo to deceive them. 👿 (Revelation 13)
The reformed branch of modern Judaism has reinterpreted their messianic hope into something that they think they can bring about themselves through human agency. Instead of a “personal Messiah” they now believe that the prophesied “Messianic Age” will be brought about through the humanist progression of world leaders negotiating for peace. 😲 They have IMAGINED that WORLD LEADERS will somehow be able to bring about “universal peace, righteousness, and justice in the world“, allowing Israel to enjoy peace in her land forever. They are DECEIVED by the man of sin! This false belief is one of the driving forces behind the ONE WORLD RELIGION and the NEW WORLD ORDER that will ultimately lead to Israel’s destruction.
However, this too God will use for His purposes because it is at THIS TIME that Israel will CRY OUT for her TRUE MESSIAH -YAHSHUA HAMASHIACH (JESUS CHRIST). Jesus will return to earth, rescue Jerusalem and the Jewish people from the antichrist and his armies, and they will mourn the One whom “they pierced”✝️like one mourning for an only Son.
Zechariah 12: 8 On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them on that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them.
9 And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of pleading, so that THEY WILL LOOK AT ME WHOM THEY PIERCED✝️; AND THEY WILL MOURN FOR HIM, LIKE ONE MOURNING FOR AN ONLY SON, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.
Because Jesus’ ministry was of the utmost importance, ultimately leading multiple MILLIONS of people to SALVATION and the KINGDOM OF GOD, Jesus had to put His MESSIANIC STAMP on His Miracles. The Old Testament (Tanakh) alluded to the Messiah’s miracles being something that would uniquely display the GLORY OF GOD!
The Old Testament Prophecy: The Messiah will heal the blind, lame and mute as He releases His Holy Spirit (LIVING WATER) on this (dry/dusty) earth.
Isaiah 35:1: The wilderness and the desert will rejoice,
And the desert will shout for joy and blossom;
Like the crocus2 It will blossom profusely
And rejoice with joy and jubilation.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
The majesty of Carmel and Sharon.They will see the glory of the Lord, 👀
The majesty of our God.Isaiah 35:5: “THEN the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6: Then the lame man will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing; for waters ⛲ will break out in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.”
The Fulfillment of the Isiaah 35 Prophecy: Jesus healed the blind, the lame and the mute!
Matthew 15:29: “Jesus departed from there and came near to the Sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain and sat there. Great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, crippled, and many others, and they put them down at his feet.
He healed them, so that the multitude wondered when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healed, the lame walking, and the blind seeing — and they glorified the God of Israel.”
Jesus’ Miracles were set apart by their incredible VOLUME. Elisha healed a few people, but Jesus healed MULTITUDES. Additionally, the specific TYPES of MIRACLES that Jesus performed were prophesied in the Old Testament to be the WORK of the MESSIAH. This is why the GREAT MULTITUDE (of Jewish people) began to wonder…“Could this be the PROPHESIED Messiah we have been expecting??
Jesus performed miracles of a quality and quantity not seen prior to His time on earth by any prophet. Moses stated in Deut.18:15 that There would be a prophet like unto Moses.
Deuteronomy 18:15: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me (Moses) from among you, from your countrymen; to him you shall listen.
Just as Moses fed the people supernaturally with manna, the Messiah fed 4,000 and 5,000 people fulfilling the prophecy that he would be like Moses. When Jesus walked on water it was similar to Moses parting the waters and walking through without getting wet.
Sometime prior to the coming of Jesus (Yahshua), the Rabbis divided miracles into two separate categories:
- Those that anyone could perform if empowered by YHWH to do so
- Those reserved only for the Messiah.
In Jewish belief, there were four physical conditions in mankind that could only be corrected by God Himself. It was believed that God would send THESE SIGNS or YHWH’s “MESSIANIC STAMP” that would PROVE to the Pharisees (Jewish religious elite) THE IDENTITY OF THE TRUE MESSIAH. The Jewish Rabbis believed that there were four specific types of miracles that only the Messiah could perform.
These are known as the four Messianic Miracles:
The FOUR MESSIANIC MIRACLES
- Cleansing a Leper
- Casting out a Deaf and Dumb Spirit
- The Healing of Birth Defects
- Raising the Dead after three days (i.e. the fourth day) – THE SIGN OF JONAH
1. Cleansing a leper.
It was believed that Leprosy was inflicted by YHWH (God) Himself. They called leprosy “The Finger of God”. There was no Biblical record of an Israelite ever having been cleansed of leprosy. Lepers were condemned by YHWH to live in shame outside the camp of Israel (Deut. 28:37). God gave them instructions to follow, however, in case a leper was cleansed. He had to bring a Guilt/Trespass Offering to the priest to make atonement for his defilement.
Because the JEWS BELIEVED that leprosy was inflicted by God, they also believed that only God or His Messiah would be able to cleanse a leper.
Luke 5:12: While He (Jesus) was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 13 And He (Jesus) reached out with His hand and touched him, 😲saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him.
2. DEAF AND DUMB SPIRITS
Demons are malevolent supernatural beings who desire to take control of a human body for their own purposes. 👿 Demonic possession of a human being was fairly well understood by the Jews. Demonic possession causes physical and psychological harm to the person being possessed. The Jews (religious leadership) practiced exorcism (casting out demons) by a formula involving three steps:
- They spoke to the demon asking its name.
- The demon would reply using the voice of the possessed individual.
- The exorcist would then cast out the demon by its name.
The Jews could not cast out a deaf and dumb spirit because the demon could not identify itself through one who could not hear the command nor speak the answer. This led to the belief that when the Messiah came, He would demonstrate His Messiahship by casting out a deaf and dumb spirit.
Mark 9:17: And one person from the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, because he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; 18 and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes stiff. And I told Your disciples so that they would cast it out, but they could not do it.”
19 And He (Jesus) answered them and *said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” ” 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again!”
26 And after crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him, and he got up. 28 When He came into the house, His disciples began asking Him privately, “Why is it that we could not cast it out?” 29 And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything except prayer.” 🙏🏻
Note: If you are a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, then you HAVE God’s Holy Spirit living inside of you and cannot be possessed. Born again believers can be OPPRESSED (harassed) by demons, but their bodies cannot be possessed because their “house is full” (Holy Spirit). All unbelievers can be possessed.
3. Healing of birth defects
The Hebrew sages believed that birth defects were a punishment from God for the sins of a child or his ancestors. This belief was based upon two scriptures:
Exodus 34:7: “He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.
“Exodus 4:11: “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I the Lord?”
They, therefore, reasoned that since it was a punishment from God, only God (or His Messiah) could correct birth defects. Jesus healed many who were born deaf, blind and mute. Jesus also taught us that the Jewish Rabbis had faulty interpretation when they ASSUMED that either the parents or the person must have sinned to be born with a birth defect.
John 9:1: As Jesus passed by, He saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him
4 We must carry out the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” 🕯️
6 When He (Jesus) had said this, He spit on the ground, and made mud from the saliva, and applied the mud to his eyes, 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he left and WASHED AND came back seeing.
4. RAISING THE DEAD AFTER THREE DAYS (i.e. on the 4th day)
In Jewish thought, a dead person’s spirit remained with his body for three days. The dead person could, they believed, be brought back to life within that time by a prophet through the authority of God. After three days, however, corruption (DECAY) of the flesh set in; Then, only God Himself could raise the dead person back to life. It was believed that when the Messiah came, He would raise someone from the dead after three days (on the fourth day)–– after his spirit had left his body and corruption of the flesh had begun.
In the book of John, Chapter 11, we learn of an account where Jesus is told that His friend Lazarus is very sick. Jesus purposely remains where He is two additional days. When He finally travels to His friend Lazarus’s home Jesus discovers that Lazarus has been dead for four days. Lazarus’s sisters were very upset with Jesus because they felt that if He had only BEEN there earlier, Jesus could have HEALED Lazarus. Of course, they were right; however, Jesus had something GREATER planned.
Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead on the FOURTH day, after his body had begun decaying…
John 11:38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, *came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus *said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
40 Jesus *said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 But I knew that You always hear Me; nevertheless, because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 And when He had said these things, He (Jesus) cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
44 Out came the man who had died, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
After this incredible MESSIANIC Miracle, the Jewish Pharisees HAD TO KNOW that JESUS CHRIST WAS the PROPHESIED MESSIAH. However, did they fall on their knees and worship HIM as they SHOULD have done? No. They instead sought to KILL JESUS and LAZARUS because they DID NOT WANT to LOSE their POWER and STATUS! 😲
Sadly, this is still the response of this fallen world who does not want God to tell them that their “deeds are evil”, or that we NEED a Messiah.
John 7:7: The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me (Jesus) because I testify about it, that its deeds are evil.
TYRANTS, DICTATORS and COMMUNIST regimes have ALWAYS been TERRIFIED of JESUS CHRIST. They do NOT want the TRUE GOD and CREATOR of the earth removing their POWER and STATUS. This is why they absolutely cannot tolerate anyone BELIEVING the Word of God and why they attack Jesus’ followers, belittling, persecuting and even killing them all over the world.
Sadly, like the Jewish Pharisees, there are also CHRISTIAN LEADERS (wolves in sheep’s clothing) who are trying to move CHRISTIANS away from belief in the BIBLICAL Jesus Christ and into believing in a “different Jesus” or a “different gospel”. They desire a “god” of their own making (idolatry) (Galatians 1:8 ;2 Corinthians 11:4). New polls tell us that only 37% of AMERICAN PASTORS have a BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW. 😲. Many of these Pastors refuse to talk about eschatology (end-times), even though it is a MAJOR theological issue in the Scriptures. Many of these apostate churches will welcome the One World Religion that is now at the door.
Study: Only 37% of American Pastors Have a Biblical Worldview | Answers in Genesis
“Eschatology is a major theological issue in the Scriptures. R.C. Sproul says that two thirds of the New Testament is either directly or indirectly eschatological. Other experts say that 25 to 30 percent of the whole bible is eschatological.”
As it was in Jesus’ day, much of humanity is in OPEN REBELLION against YHWH. Many World leaders (both political and religious) are attempting to do whatever it takes to STOP the SECOND COMING of JESUS CHRIST and set up their own FALSE “Millennial reign” on the earth. But they will FAIL. The Pharisees’ plan backfired on them, and by killing Jesus, they actually advanced YHWH’s plan of SALVATION for MANKIND! ✝️
In like manner, all attempts to stop and thwart the second coming of the Messiah Jesus will only serve to hasten the day.
For instance, just this week (9/19/2022) FIVE PERFECT RED HEIFERS were moved to Israel in preparation for the sacrifice that the Jewish people believe is necessary to ritually purify Israel prior to the building of the THIRD TEMPLE and the MESSIANIC AGE. As New Testament Christians WE UNDERSTAND that Jesus Christ is the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, and that even the sacrifice of the red heifer is only a SHADOW or reminder of the true Sacrifice, the Messiah.
Hebrews 9:11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things having come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle (tfj: Tabernacle in Heaven), not made by hands, that is, not of this creation;
12 and NOT through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place (tfj: In Heaven) once for all time, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 HOW MUCH MORE WILL THE BLOOD OF CHRIST, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Hebrews 10:4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Christians understand that the blood of bulls and goats cannot wash away sin; however, the Jewish people do NOT understand this…yet. God is again using all of this to advance HIS PLANS.
As it turns out, these red heifers would not have been perfect had the Covid 19 not struck (demonic manmade virus) in 2020/2021. What the enemy (Satan) meant for evil, God (YHWH) has used to HASTEN HIS OWN plans. These five red heifers were transported from TEXAS (USA) to the Ben Gurion airport. Normally, Texas has a law in place that dictates all newborn heifers be tagged on the ears. The holes in the ears created by the tags would have disqualified the heifers for the purification ritual. HOWEVER, because of the Covid, the man who normally tags the animals was unable to show up. The heifers were therefore NOT TAGGED, leaving them PERFECT, “FLAWLESS”, and ready to be shipped to Israel in preparation for the CEREMONY.
The ceremony of the Red Heifer is done when the animal is 2 years of age, which will happen in the next few months. After the ceremony of the red heifer is complete, the nation of Israel is considered ritually cleansed and the THIRD TEMPLE can be built! This is the Temple that the antichrist will likely come into “first”, but ultimately JESUS CHRIST WILL RETURN and take HIS RIGHTFUL SEAT in Jerusalem as KING of kings, where HE will reign over the whole world! Jesus came into this world the first time as a suffering servant to SAVE MANKIND✝️, but JESUS’ SECOND COMING will be as a CONQUERING KING 👑to AVENGE the blood of His Saints and to judge the nations. Jesus is coming to establish His Eternal KINGDOM on this earth!
Daniel 2:44: And in the days of those kings (tfj: new world order) the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. 💕 (The Kingdom of God!)
As we see the day approach, the nations of the world are in an uproar and the enemy (Satan) is angry because he knows his time is short. Like the Jewish Pharisees, the “kings of the earth” are doing everything they can to try to hinder, thwart, and stop the plans of God (YHWH); however, they WILL NOT STOP Jesus Christ from returning to the earth. We know how this story ends; it is WRITTEN in the WORD OF GOD.
The question is…where will YOU be when the story ends? Please choose Jesus, our MESSIAH, our SAVIOR now while it is still day for night comes quickly. ✝️Jesus LOVES you! Jesus DIED for you! Jesus WANTS to SAVE you!!! And once you are SAVED, Jesus will NEVER LEAVE or FORSAKE you!
HalleluYAH!💕🙌🏻
