Forget signs and wonders. Look at prophecy.


1 Peter 1:16-20 reveals the importance of prophecy.

Peter saw a lot of miracles in his day. Through the power of God, he even participated in some. And yet, he tells us that prophecy, not the miraculous signs, was a more sure and confirmed word.

Chuck Missler had something very interesting to say regarding the problem with chasing after signs and wonders, and why true prophecy is how God shows us when he is the one at work. Missler first establishes that the Bible tells us that Satan can do miracles, too. We see that throughout the Bible (e.g. Pharaoh's magicians), and we know he and his demonic hordes will be doing miraculous things during the tribulation.

Missler explains:

This presents a problem. If Satan can duplicate the miracles of God, then "signs and wonders" cannot be used as the arbiter of truth. That is, we cannot determine whether someone or something is good or evil based on ability to perform "signs and wonders." 1

Missler then points out that in Matthew 12:38-40, when the religious leaders asked Jesus to perform a miracle or present a sign to them, Jesus instead responds with prophecy. He also said that an evil and adulterous nation seeks after signs.

Why would Jesus say that? What's wrong with wanting to see miracles? To see and experience signs and wonders? To see God do something mighty, like part the Red Sea or heal the sick?

Missler explains:

Jesus disparaged signs and wonders to authenticate his messianic claim. Why? Because signs and wonders will be counterfeited by the coming antichrist. So instead of a sign to authenticate his messianic claim, Jesus gave them prophecy.

Missler then lays out even clearer:

It turns out that God's ability to foretell history distinguishes him from Satan and the powerful forces of darkness. It demonstrates his total independence and transcendence of our time domain---something which neither Satan, nor the fallen angels, nor any alien entity can do.

There's a good reason God was (and is) hard on false prophets. 

True prophecy is his domain, and no one else's. It is the proof that he is who he says he is, the one thing no one and no thing can replicate. No self-proclaimed prophet, no psychic, no tarot card reader, no fortune teller, no human being or demon or fallen angel or false god or black/white magic or drug experience can touch true prophecy. It can only trick people through an experience or miraculous sign and wonder to think otherwise.

Yet we chase signs and wonders because it's an awe-inspiring experience with intense feelings as the result.

We have a culture that says it is good to forgo status and possessions and instead live your life collecting "experiences." Guess who will be easy pickings with the antichrist comes along with all kinds of powerful experiences? 

It surely makes sense to see the rise in superhero and occult-based entertainment, because we have people who want to feel something, to feel powerful or experience something outside of the natural realm. The natural realm of day-to-day life is so unbearable for people today that they turn to drugs and distraction to create some kind of feeling in otherwise numb living.

In Christian circles, we aren't any better. So many are busy chasing after the experience, even if it isn't a true sign or wonder. We create worship services with low lights and intense music and other effects. We see the twisting and manipulation of emotions of the congregation (with their permission, sadly) so that they can leave the church service feeling refreshed from an experience. Whether it's sing-song powerhouse preaching that ramps you up, whether it's mystical music and repetitive "worship chorus" chanting that puts you into a delirium at the altar, whether it's warm social fellowship and feelings of belonging, we exchange truth for experience.

We want to experience intense love and meaning, we want a supernatural moment, we want an emotional cleansing. We want, in other words, what we'll have in eternity with God. And Satan knows what we want, so he is quick to provide an alternative.

Pastors know great experiences are what people want. Is it no wonder why they don't preach on prophecy?

So we have massive numbers of people, including in the church, who are eager for the miraculous, the supernatural, the experience. And we are entering a time when we are seeing more "paranormal" things and strange occurrences, along with interest in occult and increasingly strong deception.

All of that, and a drought of preaching God's prophetic Word.

How do you think it will turn out?

(We already know how it turns out. God prophesied as much.)

Prophecy is the sure word, preachers won't preach it, but dole out substitute wonder experiences instead.

Satan isn't just busy ramping up his own signs and wonders in preparation for the Tribulation. He's also busy inspiring fake prophets today, people who pollute the understanding of what true Biblically-defined prophecy is. They've trained us to accept that prophets "get it wrong" sometimes, and that's OK. 

In other words, Satan trained us to lower the bar on what prophecy is, down to something that he and his fallen angels could accomplish in their efforts to deceive. 

Remember that Satan is a created being, and does not exist outside of time. He doesn't know what will happen. He is not the opposite of God. He was created by God. His opposite would be more along the lines of Michael, the archangel.

Prophecy that comes from God is never wrong; it's always accurate. Signs and wonders are not a determiner of good or evil. Satan works miracles, too. 

Please remember that in the days ahead. Because we will continue to see some strange things.


1 Missler, Chuck, and Mark Eastman. “Chapter 14: The Ultimate Hyperdimensional.” Essay. In Alien Encounters: The Secret behind the UFO Phenomenon, 313–17. Coeur d'Alene, ID: Koinonia House, 2013. 

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