What does the Bible say about demonic/satanic miracles?
According to the Bible, there is only one true God. Ephesians 4:4–6 says: "There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." While God has ultimate power, Satan also has power to do miracles, which explains why all major religions have had miracles reported by their followers—Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, etc. Catholicism has many miracles that are unique to it, including the stigmata, weeping or bleeding statues, "incorruptible bodies," and appearances of the Virgin Mary. Are these miracles "real"? Yes. But are they from the one true Holy Spirit? No.
Satan is the "father of lies" and wants nothing more than to deceive (John 8:44). Second Corinthians 11:14 warns that "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." Demonically based miracles are real, and it's important to know that just because a miracle happens does not mean it is of God. This is one of the reasons John instructs believers to "test" the spirits: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already" (1 John 4:1–3). Someone may claim to be in God and perform miracles, but if their teaching is in opposition to God's Word, or if they refuse to confess Jesus Christ as Lord, their miracles are demonic, because they are not coming from the right Spirit.
In the Old Testament, when Moses and Aaron went to deliver God's message to Pharaoh, they confirmed its Divine origin by performing a miracle (Exodus 7:8–10). The Egyptian magi were able to perform the exact same miracle (Exodus 7:11); however, God's miracle was proven to be the most powerful (Exodus 7:12). The main point to note is that the magi were readily able to mimic a God-ordained miracle with a satanic miracle.
Jesus warned about false prophets in the end times who "will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive" (Matthew 24:24, NIV). And Paul told the Thessalonians that "the coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:9). We should be aware of the reality of demonic / satanic miracles so as not to be deceived by false teachers.
Demonic / satanic miracles are real and they happen on a regular basis. There is no need for us to be fearful of demonic miracles, however, for Jesus is greater (1 John 4:4). But this also doesn't mean we can turn a blind eye to them. As believers in Jesus Christ, we must remain vigilant in our discernment and "test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil" so that we do not give into the charms of a false spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:21–22). It's important for us to stay in God's Word and in prayer, so that we keep His truth at the forefront of our minds (Ephesians 6:10–18). He promises to give us wisdom when we ask for it (James 1:5).
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