Every human being desires a miracle and every Christian loves the stories of Jesus teaching and working miracles in the Bible. Miracles in the Bible occur over the lifetime of those men and women of God who tapped upon the flow of miracles. There are those who think and believe that miracles are no longer necessary, but these are those who intrinsically do not believe in the continuation of God’s revelation in our modern days as He did so in the Bible. Others suppose that miracles are purely a sovereign act of God and has no human element. If that is true, then Elisha asking for the double portion would be unclassifiable as it is a human act of desire to work the miracles (2 Kings 2:9). Although this desire might be said to be divinely inspired, the theology of God’s respect for human free-will dictates that it would still involve human free will. Not forgetting that our Lord Jesus spoke of His followers doing miracles (John 14:12; Mark 16:15-18). For those of us who truly believe the Bible literally, we know that God still works miracles and the question is not ‘whether He works miracles today’ but rather ‘how’ and ‘how and when’ He works miracles.
Miracles in the Bible occurs when a man or woman of God rises to the scene of a natural world going about its human business. Life for the Israelites was sad and oppressive under Pharaoh when Moses stepped into the scene to take Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 7:1-10). From Moses to Elijah, there were men and women of God doing great exploits from Joshua, Judges and Samuel but none work miracles like Elijah did when he came to the scene (1 Kings 17:1-7). The great works of the judges and Samuel were specific to the situation and spaced out over years. Joshua, of course, flowed from the breakthrough in miracles that Moses had when the Spirit that was on Moses came upon him (Deuteronomy 34:9). It strengthens one of the principles we will discuss here that a breakthrough in the flow of miracles must be done first and if passed on correctly can last to the next generation; example, Moses-Joshua, Elijah-Elisha, Jesus-Apostles, Apostles-Deacons and Paul-Silas, etc. There are periods of miracles that God Himself sets forth prophetically in the Bible:
- The Abraham-Moses prophecy
Four hundred years before Moses, God spoke to Abraham about a great time of deliverance, miracles and provisions (Genesis 15:13-14; Exodus 3:7-8; 20-22). This time of miracles continues to the Joshua generation. Then it somehow stopped.
- Samuel-David period of God’s manifestations
There was no revelation, visions or miracles before Samuel came to the scene (1 Samuel 3:1). From his first encounter with the Lord as a young boy to his finale days, Samuel brought forth another period of great manifestations and workings of the Holy Spirit. Samuel then imparted the flow into David when he anointed David. By the end of Solomon’s reign, the period of special manifestations seem to be ending with the exception of some prophets including the young prophet who prophesied against Jeroboam but died when he disobeyed by listening to the old prophet (1 King 13:1-32). (That is the price paid for not harkening to one’s own reception in hearing the Lord and yielding to every ‘Thus says the Lord’ from others that do not confirm what God has already spoken to one own’s heart). The flow of the Spirit of God continue through David, after he was anointed by Samuel, and it grew into a mighty wave through his mighty men, prophets and priests. Everything seem to stop after Solomon’s reign ended or it might have actually stopped during his idolatrous period.
- Elijah-Elisha prophetic phase
There was a short pause with things spiritually dying down, until the rise of Elijah to the scene. Samuel the prophet had left behind a school of prophets and David’s ministry had created a wave of various anointings on many prophets and priests which continue for some time, though in smaller scale. In a time of great spiritual darkness in Israel, God raise Elijah to be a bright and shining light with mighty demonstrations of miracles. The school of prophets grew under Elijah and the many known and unknown prophets who functioned during the period of Israelite kings came from this flow. Some of them like Isaiah and Jeremiah continue to increase the flow through their own dedicated lives. Daniel was one of those who shone brightly (being himself influenced by Jeremiah the prophet and his own visitations) but after him the prophetic wave began to decline. The four-hundred-year gap between the Old Testament to the New Testament lacked much of the supernatural.
- Jesus-Apostle New Testament period
John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus although he himself did not work any miracles. From the age of thirty years old, Jesus began His ministry after the imprisonment of John, being anointed by the Holy Spirit to work miracles (Mark 1:14-15). The period of the miraculous during Jesus’ time was prophesied by Isaiah the prophet about seven hundred years before Jesus (Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:16-20). After His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus succeeded in establishing the flow of miracles through His apostles (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4, 42-45). The Apostles themselves succeeded in passing this flow on to some of those amongst the leaders of the church, including the deacons, especially Stephen and Philip (Acts 6:5-8; 8:5-13).
- Paul-Silas, the Times of the Gentiles
From an increase of miracles in Jerusalem to the highest point of healing by Peter’s shadow, things declined when the Jerusalem church became more concern with being part of the established Jewish community than being an independent body, with less and less miracles amongst them (Acts 5:12-16; 11:1-2; 15:1; 21:17-24). By the second generation from Paul’s time, the flow of miracles was tapering down Somewhere between the time of the third to fourth generation of those who followed the Apostles to our modern times, the flow of miracles stopped. No doubt there must have been occasionally miracles here and there but not extensively. From the Reformation Period, there have been various waves that has grown larger and wider and varying: from the rediscovery of salvation by grace to the restoration of fivefold ministries. These culminated in the revival of Pentecostalism at the beginning of the twentieth century. Finally we are in the twenty-first century, in a humanistic and many times atheistic society, with some Christians believing in miracles but not seeing them in sufficient numbers to constitute an outpouring of miracles.
Today, we stand at the threshold of the flow of the miraculous. This period in which we live has been prophesied forth in the Bible as the time when God set up His kingdom, approximately two prophetic days or two thousand years after Christ. In the days of the ten toes, after the demise of the Roman Empire, and during the period of the little horn versus the ten horns, God sets a time when it is time for the saints to possess the kingdom (Daniel 2:44; 7:22). This is also the time when everything that can be shaken will be shaken, so that what cannot be shaken will remain and we all receive the kingdom of God manifest (Hebrews 12:25-29). This period is in our modern times; yes, in the midst of modern distaste towards anything supernatural and spiritual. Only after the second world war, did the ten toes arose: almost simultaneously as the rise of the modern nation of Israel in 1948. The formation of Israel as a nation is a miracle after nearly two thousand years of wandering without a nation. In the year 70 AD, General Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the holy temple and since then the Jews have had no nation to call their own. These two thousand years are like two prophetic days in the prophecy of Hosea, after which God restores Israel (Hosea 6:2). And the same generation that sees this will live to see the last final revival of God. Jesus, who also prophesied of the destruction of Jerusalem, spoke in a parable that the fig tree budding and putting on leaves is liken to Israel coming back as a nation (Matthew 24:32-33; Mark 13:28-31; Luke 19:41-44). Only in the gospel of Luke does Jesus tie this event with the establishment of the kingdom of God (Luke 21:29-33). A generation is a hundred years according to the Bible (Genesis 15:13-16). Between 1948 to 2048, the generation that lives then will experience the events leading to the establishment of the kingdom of God in the days of the ten toes. The Lord showed that the event of the little toe felling three of the ten toes will take place between the years 2027-2029 (leaving just seven plus one toes). The kingdom of God has indeed come upon us in these end times (Daniel 7:20)!
As we saw the long wait between periods of high manifestations of miracles in the Bible, we will also see the culmination of two thousand years of Christianity leading to a great revival filled with miracles, signs and wonders. We are now at the threshold of this great event and must prepare ourselves for this outpouring. As it was in the Bible, so it will be in our time. There will need to be the following:
- Men and women of God must prepare themselves to be the recipients of the flow of the Holy Spirit, bringing an end to a dearth of the miraculous and the beginning of signs and wonders. As Moses, Elijah and our Lord Jesus prepared themselves, so must we prepare ourselves to receive this anointing and this commission. The best place to prepare ourselves is in ministering unto God with like-minded brethren (Acts 13:1-2). God always need willing and surrendered men and women to put His Spirit upon.
- Those willing must receive all the revelations and word necessary to prepare for the coming season of signs and wonders. God always brings His servants into a new revelation and understanding (in line with the Holy Bible) before His manifestation in their generation. God brought Samuel into visions and revelations before He brought him into the miraculous (1 Samuel 3:19-21). God brought Paul into a new revelation of the gospel before he became an apostle (Galatians 1:15-17). Jesus prepared His apostles with revelations and word before He poured out His Spirit upon them to work signs and wonders (Luke 24:44-49; John 15:1-8; 17:6-8).
- There will be a time of gathering together to wait upon the Lord, whether with a group or alone. This took place in the upper room in Jerusalem after Jesus ascended (Acts 1:12-14). The leaders of the Antioch church gathered to minister to the Lord and God sent Barnabas and Paul into the first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-2). Sometimes it is a solitary walk with God like Moses in the wilderness or Elijah before his appearance before Ahab (Acts 7:30; James 5:17).
- God will manifest and commission the individuals He chose for their special assignments and predestination. God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and sent him forth with the rod in his hand (Exodus 3:1-6, 10). God manifest to the Antioch church leaders and sent forth two of them; Barnabas and Paul (Acts 13:2). God showed Isaiah His glory and sent him forth (Isaiah 6:1-10).
As we see the world enter into times that has not existed before, we must enter ever deeper into the Lord in prayers and fasting and give ourselves to do the Will of God and establish His kingdom on earth, and it is in heaven. Forever is a long time and life on earth is short. Let us enter into the fullness of our predestination and calling and work the works of God in our generation. Amen.