Two thousand years ago, miracles were relatively common. Knowledge had not yet accumulated into science, so a lot of unexplained phenomena existed. Over time, many of the miracles described in the Bible have been explained scientifically—some more convincingly than others. Our Creator is certainly capable of parting the sea or stopping the earth’s rotation by using the natural laws of creation, but the Bible also recounts many miracles that science cannot explain. Yet, they are true. With God, all things are possible.
Many Christian communities emphasize the significance of miracles. Events where someone is healed, another begins speaking in tongues, or a third person prophecies in ecstasy may be fascinating from a human perspective. On the other hand, they may also cause us to doubt the authenticity of divine miracles in general—or perhaps convince us of them. But do miracles prove the true faith that saves man?
Miracles in the Bible
The Hebrew language has several words for “miracle.” The most common is nipla’ot, meaning “wondrous events”. Another frequently used word is mopet, which means “miracle” or “omen”. In the Old Testament, miracles primarily refer to God’s wondrous acts in the history of Israel and other nations. There were also periods when miracles occurred unusually often. The first great period of miracles was when the Israelites were freed from Egyptian slavery. Moses, as the leader of the people, served as an instrument for God’s miracles.
The second period of miracles occurred during the time of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. At that time, pagan beliefs and idol worship had spread among the people. Through miracles, God led His people back into His fellowship. One such event was Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, where God demonstrated His power and dominion (1 Kings 18:36–39). From the time of the patriarchs, we can also mention the taking away of Enoch (Gen. 5:24), the flood (Gen. 7:10–12), the confusion of languages at Babel (Gen. 11:5–7), and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24–26).
In the New Testament, the Greek word teras is often used for miracles, along with semeion, meaning “sign” or “miracle,” and dynamis, meaning “power” or “authority.” All of these words appear together in Acts 2:22: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles [dynamis], and wonders [teras], and signs [semeion], which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know.” (Acts 2:22)
The miracles done by Jesus
Jesus did indeed perform many miracles. John tells us that only some were documented (John 20:30). Jesus healed lepers, the lame, the blind, and the deaf; raised the dead; and fed large crowds with little food. Jesus also cast out evil spirits from people and later gave the same power to His disciples.
Some people think that there were not really evil spirits in those people, but that they were afflicted by diseases that were not known at the time. However, this was not always the case. Once, Jesus cast a “legion” of demons out of a man. At the demons’ request, instead of banishing them completely, Jesus sent them into a herd of pigs. Immediately, the entire herd of about two thousand pigs ran off a steep bank into the sea and drowned (Mark 5:1–13). The Bible testifies that a person can be possessed by an evil spirit, even if we no longer see such cases today.
The miracles Jesus performed were not just spectacular acts, but above all signs that proved he was the Son of God. In Him, the prophet’s words were fulfilled: “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” (Isa. 35:5) His miracles demonstrated to the people of His time that the Kingdom of God had come near and that He had the power to free people from the bondage of sin and death. This was evident, for example, when Jesus forgave the sins of a paralyzed man (Mark 2:5) and a sinful woman (Luke 7:48).
The Evangelist John writes: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31).
Heavenly Experiences
The Bible also describes supernatural experiences in which the veil between this world and the next is momentarily lifted, allowing a person to see into the unseen realm. Such events include God appearing to Moses (Exod. 33:18–23), Elijah ascending to heaven (2 Kings 2:11), the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus at His baptism (Matt. 3:16–17), and the speaking in tongues at the first Pentecost (Acts 2:1–12).
Heavenly experiences still occur today. A preacher once told of a small child who was looking out the window of their home. Suddenly, the child told their mother they saw an angel. The child described how the angel came from a neighboring house and ascended high into the sky carrying a small baby. The mother saw nothing. Later, they learned that at that very moment, a baby had passed away in the neighboring house.
Another account tells of a man who received the grace of repentance shortly before his death. Since he had left the church earlier in his life, he was not given a formal church funeral, but instead, his coffin was taken directly to the cemetery. As the coffin was lowered into the grave, the people heard singing—like a choir singing a hymn. The gravedigger, assuming there was choir practice in the church, went to check, but the church was empty.
Do Miracles Prove the True Faith then?
Jesus said: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matt. 7:21–23)
Miracles can also come from the devil. The book of Acts tells of a man who amazed the people of Samaria with his miracles. He was baptized after hearing Philip’s preaching, but he did not truly believe, due to the fact that he lacked the Holy Spirit. This became clear when after seeing Peter and John give the congregation members the Holy Spirit by laying hands on them, he tried to buy that ability for himself. Peter said to him: “I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” (Acts 8:4–24)
There are also those for whom angels have become an object of faith instead of God. However, the Bible says that angels are not to be worshipped or prayed to (Rev. 22:8–9). Paul warns: “Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!” (Gal. 1:8)
Miracles and visions of angels cannot be the foundation of the true faith. When Jesus’ disciples rejoiced at their power over evil spirits, He reminded them: “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:19–20)
Teachings that rely on miracles are false teachings. They do not emphasize repentance and life after death in communion with God but rather focus on earthly experiences—personal spiritual sensations that benefit this life rather than the next. Moreover, the purpose of Jesus’ miracles was not to evoke amazement or admiration. He performed miracles so that people would believe in Him. He also desired that the true faith would be born and remain even without miracles. Their lasting effect was to be grounded in God’s Word and lead to personal faith. By healing both the body and soul, Jesus thus gave birth to and strengthened saving faith. Therefore, Jesus’ miracles were not an end in themselves, but they served the plan of salvation.
The Greatest Miracle—The Birth of Faith
Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians contains a passage known as the hymn of love. Its message is that even the greatest miracles mean nothing without love: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” (1 Cor. 13:1–2)
What love is Paul speaking of? He speaks of God’s love within the believer: “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Rom. 5:5)
A visitor from the neighborhood came to home services. He listened in delight to the familiar songs of Zion from his childhood. Then he told about his grandmother, who, from her sickbed, had lifted herself up to look toward the door and said, “Here come the fetchers.” After that, she peacefully passed away. That childhood memory had remained in his heart as a profound experience. The visitor desired to have the same faith that his grandmother had possessed. He was preached forgiveness for his sins and unbelief, and a miracle happened: he was spiritually healed.
A miracle is also the reunion of believers with their loved ones in heaven. King David, reflecting on the death of his infant child, said that the child could not return to him, but he would one day go to the child. In the 1800s, a pastor in northern Finland, Lars Levi Laestadius, wrote about his deceased son Levi: “The most wonderful thought was that little Levi would be the first to run to greet his father and mother on the green shores of eternity.” Later, he found the true faith, experienced the miracle of repentance, and gained the glorious hope of reunion.