Many Christian believe that the Devil can heal, but this is not so – neither is he able to accomplish miracles.? What he is able to do is parlor tricks, something where reason is affected improperly and sight becomes faith. But the Christian does not walk by sight, but by faith, in the Word of God. Remember, magicians accomplish the same affects, but we understand that what we see on stage are secret parlor tricks.? A man disappearing on stage can be accomplished through mirrors, laser images and the desire amuse!
Satan is similar in his activity. He knows that people just love to be entertained and wowed, as Jesus found with Herod Antipas, the Pharisees, and the common people.? Herod was excited to see Jesus, because he wanted our Lord to perform miracles [Lk.23:8].? The Pharisees frankly asked for a miraculous demonstration [Mt.12:38; 16:1], and the people wanted more loaves and fish, [Jn.6:26] and a comedy theater [Mt.11:16-19].
We need to follow two fundamental rules of Biblical hermeneutics [interpretation], when discerning a miracle or a fraud.? One is verb confusion (confusing one word for another, or equal to another in Greek or Hebrew) and abrogating a fundamental doctrine of Christ, and applying it to Lucifer and / or his minions.
The Greek text never uses the word ?Healing? [Gk. therapeuo, iaomai, sozo, diasaoso] or the words Creator, Creation or Created [Heb., bara; Gk., ktizo] with the works of the Devil.**? However the words ?Wonders? [Gk. Teras = something strange], ?Miracles or Works? [Gk., dunamis] and Signs [Gk. Simeion= signal) are attributed to both the work of God, and the Devil.? Where the observed (viewed by eye) event is attributable to Satan, a modifier is used, ?A Lie? (gk psudeos = falsehood), hence a ?lying wonder.?? One can say that a magician uses lying wonders.
However, the ?wonders? of God are always followed by the presentation of the Word of God- meaning after a sign or wonder has been wrought by God, there is an explanation presented, followed by a glorification God, and a call to repentance.? The miraculous signs and visions of Moses [Ex.7:8-12:33], Daniel [Da.5:1-30], Peter [Ac.2:12-41] and Paul [Ac.13:11-12] are good examples of this.
An extraordinary event of comparison is recorded in Acts 19:11-20.? God manifested his miraculous power in Paul, at the city of Ephesus.? A local Jewish priest decided to enter into a contest with Paul, concerning the authority of casting out demons – reminiscent of the event between Moses and the Jannes and Jambres [Ex.7:11-12; 2Tim.3:8].? Paul did well, but when the Jewish priest, known as Seven Sons of Sceva, used the same words of authority, the demon overpowered him ? beating the priest profusely.
Sceva the priest, and Elymas the sorcerer [Ac.13:6-12] did not evince true miracles, but utilized the device of ?teras,? ? that being something strange. The strange event or sign is then fed propaganda by the slick speech, and psychological persuasion.? This can be understood by events such as: odd sounds in a ?haunted? house, piercing looks from the eyes, guttural sounds from the voice, and moving shadows.? Disney world in Orlando has a haunted house dedicated to the marriage of technology and teras.
From Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words: ?teras,? something strange, causing the beholder to marvel, is always used in the plural, always rendered ?wonders,? and generally follows ?signs;? (semeia).? The opposite order occurs in Acts 2:22, 43; 6:8, R.V.; 7:36; in Acts 2:19 ?wonders? occurs alone. ? A sign is intended to appeal to the understanding, a wonder, appeals to the imagination; a ?power? (dunamis) indicates its source as supernatural.? ?Wonders? are manifested as Divine operations in thirteen occurrences (9 times in Acts); three times they are ascribed to the work of Satan through human agents, Matt. 24:24; Mark 13:22 and 2 Thess. 2:9.
Two things are instantly understandable: The events [miracles] are odd, different, unusual, and are precipitated to invite the observer (note: the seer, not the hearer) to consider a supernatural event.? The events are observations that attract attention, and are not readily understandable information.? The interpretation can be subjective.? Objective inference can only come by the use of scripture. Always, when God does a miracle, he follows up with a direct interpretation, but the Devil does not.
The Mariology, or Lady Miracles, of the Roman Catholic Church are found all over the world. They are manifestations that attract the viewer, but have no immediate reference to God or Christ Jesus in explanation or glorification.? After many days or weeks, a supposed prophetess comes up with a meaning, and it also does not reflect a glorification of God, or a plain explanation, but only more ?mystery.?
In the Old Testament, Yehovah) presented his holy characteristic to Israel in Exodus 15:26. ?? I ((am) the LORD (Yehovah) that heals (rapha) thee.?? Hence, a name that presents his holy attribute, ?Jehovah-rapha.?? This is one of the specific characteristics of God, and therefore of Christ.? In the Old and New Testament economies, the concept of healing was always attributed to God.
In Mt.12:22-37, an argument ensues between the Lord and the Pharisees.? The Pharisees, out of jealousy, attribute the healing work of Jesus with the Devil.? Jesus rebukes them by teaching that it is impossible for the Devil to heal, caste out demons etc. because he would be destroying his own Kingdom.? Therefore any genuine work of grace, a manifest healing (one which can be materially documented) is attributable to the work of the Holy Spirit.? Jesus went on to rebuke them stating that to attribute healing to the Devil is a blasphemy, and defames the Holy Spirit, and an action for which there is no forgiveness.
Reasoning with the Pharisees, Jesus characterized his ministry of healing, as definite proof to his claim that he was Israel?s Messiah.
?Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ?I am God?s Son?? Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does.? But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles [Gk., ergom = works], that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father? [Jn.10:36-38].
The KJV follows the original Greek and uses the word, ?works,? which is the Greek word, ?ergom,? that can be translated as: work, deed, or business.? What is the business of God?? Is it entertainment and a pompous display of power, or is it the serious business of directing men?s attention to repentance and acts of kindness?
In Matt 11:1-6, John the Baptist inquires, ??are you the one or should we look for another.? ? Jesus plainly states that the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have the good news taught to them.? The idea is central to the work of God, his person, his attributes and the identification of the real Messiah.
In retrospect, the work of Satan is with lying wonders, and acts of sickness and death. ? Jesus calls Satan a liar and a murderer [Satan?s attributes], in Jn.8:44.? To raise the dead or to heal, one must have life in him.? Satan has death within himself, it is therefore logically impossible for Satan to heal or grant life.
The Apostle Paul warned us of the machinations and lying wonders that shall come upon mankind at the end.
?The coming of the lawless one (The Antichrist) will be in accordance with the work [Gk., energeia] of the Satan, displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles [Gk., dunamis], signs [Gk., semeion] and wonders [Gk, pseudos teras.], and in every sort of evil [Gk., adiaka] that deceives [Gk., apete] those that are perishing? [2Thes.2:9-10].
In conclusion; to attribute a real healing, resurrection, or miraculous wonder to Satan, constitutes a major doctrinal error.? This error falls within the category of apostasy (to remove from), and not in the area of heresy (to ignore).? A Christian needs to be constantly aware of this distinction when discerning the truth of a matter.
Nephilim; a Work of Satan
**Note: Creation, Created ? It is of interest that only those things brought about by the power and hand of God [men, animals and flora] are given the designation in the Hebrew of bara, and in the Greek of ktizo.? This is of special interest since the ?Giants? mentioned in the Old Testament are attributable to the works of the Devil via Anakim and the Philistines. These automatons [Merrian-Webster: an individual that acts in a mechanical fashion] are referred to as the Nephilim, which is rendered giants, not men, nor a creation.
?The word Nephilim is a compound of several Hebrew words; im = that one and like or unto; the word illem = dumb man;? the word illen = these;? nephal = fall down; nephaq = come forth; and nephel = untimely birth.? Joining these meaning we can translate as a definition, the noun, Nephilim as: those things that act like dumb men who came about as an untimely birth, from the falling.
In essence they are the offspring of ?the fallen,? hence, pseudo-human, not an intended creation of God.? Note that the Nephilim have been linked Gen.6:1-2, Biblical books, such as Enoch and express aptly a work of Satan.
It was Jesus who attributed to Satan the works [the dunamis or power] of theft and lying ? two very important abilities of the Evil One.? As a fallen Cherub he is still beautiful [an angel of light, 2Cor.11:14], and has obvious physical power, but his forte is guile.
As he used guile to seduce Eve in the garden, his angels of light used their beauty to seduce the daughters of men [Gen.6:1-2] into giving up their seed [ovary eggs] to produce an untimely birth of dumb men.? So it will be at the coming of the Antichrist.? Satan will use his guile to seduce men and women not only to give up their seed for new sons of Satan, but he will seduce mankind to give up their creative knowledge and knowhow of technology.? This is how it will be, as it was in the days of Noah.
The most important understanding to grasp is why?? Satan and the angels were never intended by God to possess creative power.? Only through their guile and subversion can they get access to that power, which is inherent in men.? That power is in the natural [procreation] and in mental extrapolation of thought.
It reasons then; that the coming of the Antichrist will be in the use of the power of men, and the seduction of Satan to produce false or lying wonders.