What do we make of the miraculous claims in the Bible? The creation of the universe from nothing, the global flood and enormous ark preserving only a single human family and a pair of every kind of animal, the floating pot which passes through the corridor of the animal pieces on Abraham’s behalf, the barren womb of an elderly woman yielding a son, the Nile turning to blood, the separation of the Red Sea, the cloudy pillar by day and fire by night, the manna from heaven, the thunder, lightning and giving of the law at Mount Sinai, the walls of the city Jericho falling from the trumpet blast, the raising of the dead, the falling of fire from heaven, the immediate beginning and ending of draught from prayer, the putting to flight of armies by hornets and angels, the virgin birth of Christ, the feeding of the five thousand, the walking on water, the calming of the storm, the innumerable immediate healings from a mere human word, and even with all this, the Apostle John says there is so much more were all of it written down, “I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25)
The most popular response to all of this is to regard it as fiction. Those who do believe these stories are supernaturalists through and through, with the first item in the list — the creation of the world from nothing — serving as the fundamental basis for believing all the rest. If there is a God who created the universe from nothing, perhaps he has taken the initiative to condescend into the world of human affairs? Among those who believe, an interesting question emerges, since these things are true, shouldn’t we expect to see them today?
The Absence of the Miraculous Today
One major reason the miraculous stories in the Bible are regarded as fiction is our own experience. We do not see the dead raised. People don’t walk on water. Perhaps many Doctors and Nurses in the operating room see things they cannot explain and some are regarded as mysterious or even miraculous, but this is categorically distinct from what we see in the Bible. In the Bible the sick are told “be healed” and it is so. In the Bible, the sick fled to Christ. The dead were raised. Where is this today? For those who claim powers to heal, why not enter the hospitals? Why not put it on camera? Furthermore, the healing of the sick is only one class of the miraculous. What about all the other kinds of miracles? Where are they today?
This is a real problem for those who regard the miracles of the Bible as true.
Miracles as Signs
In the Bible itself the miraculous is not the norm. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and Christ themselves are characters surrounded by great miracles and yet these characters are representative of great epochs within the Bible. Those who come after one character and before the next are not similarly surrounded by such miraculous events. In other words, the experience of these prominent Biblical characters is exceedingly rare!
This surfaces an important question. Why are miracles rare?
This question can be answered indirectly. Once we understand the purpose of miracles, we know why they are given by the LORD in his mercy to us. The God of Israel introduces miracles as a seal authenticating his his Divine Word through Moses. In the following scene, Moses anticipates the unbelief of God’s people and God responds by giving Moses the sign of miracles:
“But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you.’” The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the LORD said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— “that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” Again, the LORD said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”
Exodus 4:1-9
Much later in the Biblical narrative we see the same thing. After Christ tells a sinful man the glorious words “Take heart, my son, your sins are forgiven” he performs a great miracle prefaced by these words:
For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”
Matthew 9:5-6
In both examples, miracles are subservient to God’s purpose of Redemption. In the case of Moses, they are signs of God’s power and wisdom authenticating the voice of Moses on behalf of God. In the case of Christ, the miracle is given to confirm the authority of Christ to forgive sins. Miracles are not primarily given to relieve human suffering, nor as helps to our faith, but rather to stamp a seal of authenticity on God’s voice. With this design for miracles accepted, we can anticipate a time where God’s voice has concisely, sufficiently spoken and been abundantly confirmed with great signs and miracles.
God’s Appraisal of His Word
God’s Word is far superior to miracles. We see this in the ministry of Christ, where he considers those who seek the temporal benefits of his miracles as having failed to see the sign:
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves…
John 6:26
In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man from hell petitions Abraham for a miracle so that his family would believe. The response is given that it would not help their faith:
But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
Luke 16:29
The Apostle Peter experienced something that dwarfs even the greatest miracles in the Bible. He was on the Mount of Transfiguration with Christ, Elijah, and Moses. He was overshadowed by a bright cloud from which he heard a voice exclaiming “this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” And yet, in comparison to this great experience, Peter says the Bible itself is “more fully confirmed” than an audible voice from heaven!
For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts
2 Peter 1:18, 19
Conclusion
In these last days, the LORD has appeared to us in the Person of his Son to accomplish all his will.1 God’s work of redemption is complete.2 The miracles which attended Christ’s first advent were so many it has been said it was as if heaven itself came down with him and disease was banished from the earth for a time.3 He rose from the dead and appeared to over 500 eye witnesses at once.4 The Apostles — being filled with the Holy Spirit which Christ and the Father sent from Heaven — turned the world upside down.5 None of these things — the miracles, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the giving of the Spirit at Pentecost — happened in a corner.6
It is unwise to expect God to “prove himself” or “reveal himself” to every person in every generation via special signs or personal visitations. We cannot summon God; rather, he can and will summon us! The appearing of God to Abraham, Moses, and the Apostles is sufficient for all generations. The miracles of Moses, Elijah, and Christ are sufficient for all generations. Today we stand between the first and second comings of Christ. These are the last days.7
The miraculous works of God are all subservient to the all wise purpose of God in the redemption of humankind. Therefore, now that redemption is completed by Christ and abundantly confirmed by many miracles we no longer have an expectation for the miraculous. The miraculous was only given so that we would have the Word of God. Now, we have it! The Apostle Peter has told us it is “fully confirmed”! What more is there for God to say? He has spoken and his Word is sufficient!8 We no longer stand in need of new revelation and the consequent confirming signs. For this we should be exceedingly thankful and rejoice with the hymn writer:
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
How Firm a Foundation, George Keith
is laid for your faith in God’s excellent Word!
What more can be said than to you God hath said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
- In his High Priestly prayer just before his crucifixion, Jesus prays “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work you gave me to do.” (John 17:4) It was God’s Divine plan from before the foundation of the world that the Son of God should live a life of perfect obedience to the law. There was nothing left undone by Christ’s righteous life. He completely satisfied the law which is God’s perfect will. He even went beyond the law by offering his spotless life as an offering for sin.
- As Christ dies he declares God’s work of Redemption complete with the words “it is finished.” (John 19:30)
- “When our Lord came down to earth He drew heaven with Him. The signs which accompanied His ministry were but the trailing clouds of glory which He brought from heaven, which is His home. The number of the miracles which He wrought may easily be underrated. It has been said that in effect He banished disease and death from Palestine for the three years of His ministry. If this is exaggeration it is pardonable exaggeration.” (Benjamin B. Warfield, The Cessation of the Charismata)
- Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:6 that after Christ was raised from the dead and appeared to his disciples “then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.”
- When Paul and Silas were in Thessalonica, they were accused of being “These men who have turned the world upside down…” (Acts 17:6) After Christ ascended into Heaven, he was working powerfully by his Holy Spirit through his Apostles. Their works dwarfed those of Christ himself as thousands were born again with spiritual life thus fulfilling his own words in John 14:12 where Christ said “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”
- In Paul’s defense before King Agrippa in Acts 26, Paul argues that he has not stirred up any unlawful revolutions. He further shares the great works of Christ in redemption and seeks to persuade all in his hearing — whether small or great — to become a Christian. At the end of his testimony in verse 26 he says these memorable words “…for this has not been done in a corner.” The resurrection was not a private affair but a public event with hundreds of eye witnesses who gave their life in sacrifice to the glory of the resurrected, ascended Christ. These things were dramatic, public matters which radically changed human civilization.
- In the book of Hebrews, the author teaches the coming of the Son of God in the flesh has ushered in the last days. The first advent of Christ was what Paul called “the fullness of time.” (Galatians 4:4) The coming of Christ was and remains the centerpiece of history. The times are marked with reference to this event. We live after it and are therefore in the last days.
- The sufficiency of God’s word is a necessary attribute for any volume of Divine origin as required by the wisdom of the author. The Bible itself pronounces a curse on any who would add or take away from it. (Revelation 21) To deny the sufficiency of the Holy Scripture in teaching that personal revelations are necessary or any other supplement, we insult and grieve the Holy Spirit who is its author. He has given us the Scriptures and his desire is for us to cherish, imbibe, meditate, and learn the book he has given us. Paul teaches this in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 where the affirmation is given that the Scriptures are profitable for all kinds of purposes, ultimately so that the man of God — with Scripture’s aide — “may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
