The day of “signs and wonders” is upon us. The Lord Jesus warned us, saying, “There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew GREAT SIGNS and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matt. 24:24)

We are rapidly moving into an era of all manner of mystic manifestations. Multitudes have been conditioned to receive the horrible delusions of hell, and they shall be tools in the hands of the enemy for the destruction of many souls. The devil himself is the instigator and chief operator of this last-day “DEVIL'S REVIVAL.” Consider these words: “And he doeth greal wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do.” (Rev. 13:13-14)

Friends, you may believe it or not, but we are even NOW in the midst of a REVIVAL OF DEMONISM. Certain factions of apostate Christendom have forsaken “the fountain of Living Waters” and are now having communion with “the god of this world.” Night after night, throughout our fair country, thousands of people of all ages are giving themselves over to the spirits manifestations, which are gradually leading them into spiritualistic practices. Familiar spirits again “peep and mutter” through human lips; and quivering flesh jerks spasmodically under the power of unseen forces. For centuries such things were only to be found among the heathen tribes; but in this twentieth century a generation of many intelligent people have surrendered their bodies to the wild orgies of the evil spirits. While “under the power” of these spirits many people have barked like dogs, howled like wolves, and acted generally like animals. Some have even gone insane, and now are confined to institutions. With one accord, these folks all boast of “THE POWER,” or “THE MIRACLES,” or “THE SIGNS.” Public testimony of supernatural things is constantly encouraged, and those who have the greatest manifestations are considered to be the most spiritual.

Is it an evidence of spirituality for saints to want to see a sign? Is it not a demonstration of a very wicked heart for one to seek PROOF of the supernatural? A saint KNOWS he is God's son. He needs no PROOF. He has KNOWLEDGE. A trifler tries to tempt God in seeking PROOF that He is. Such acts are great wickedness in the sight of heaven, and are satanically inspired.

“When Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by Him.” (Luke 23:8)

King Herod was as wicked as any man who ever lived, yet he was “EXCEEDING GLAD” to see Jesus. Certainly not because he wanted to make peace with God! This base scoundrel was curious: He loved entertainment, and he expected that Jesus would be glad to PERFORM for him. Every human being is intrigued by mystery. The unknown and the strange can easily fascinate any of us. By nature we are curious. Scoundrels have often been able to take advantage of many people because of this natural tendency. The magicians of Egypt performed in order to entertain, to mystify, and to influence Pharaoh and his court. All through the ages false prophets have used SIGNS and MIRACLES as means of retaining their power and influence among men. As a matter of fact, the main tools of most of the false prophets are their powers to work certain miracles and signs. Almost every HEALER of the present day constantly advertises THE HEALINGS that are brought about under his ministry IN ORDER TO PROVE HIS AUTHORITY AS A HEALER.

Pentecostal ministers PROVE (?) THAT THEY ARE SENT OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD BY THE SPEAKING IN TONGUES. Now we are being introduced to other great SIGNS AND WONDERS: the OIL in the hands, and the SIGN OF THE CROSS OF BLOOD in the forehead. And we are told that there are THOUSANDS of people who are having this experience! The villain Herod sought a MIRACLE AND A SIGN. The wicked priests of Jerusalem also asked Jesus for a SIGN; and the Savior made a statement to them that it would be well to consider in our day. He said: “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign...” People who are sign seekers are wicked TRIFLERS. Unstable souls who have no walk with God are ever indulging in sensationalism, and when this carnal appetite is turned toward things of a spiritual nature, these people become victims of spiritual wickedness. Consider the rest of this verse of scripture from Matthew 16:4. “... and there shall no sign be given unto it BUT THE SIGN OF THE PROPHET JONAH.”

It is a fact that God has given men many SIGNS; but the signs which He gives are not for entertainment. As a matter of fact, the SIGNS OF GOD ARE DESPISED and almost completely REJECTED by this present generation. Consider the SIGN OF THE PROPHET JONAH: What does it signify? A little child could answer this question. Jesus WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS in the heart of the earth. Since He died at about three in the afternoon, it is a very simple matter to figure the approximate hour of His resurrection. Jesus left the tomb IN THE AFTERNOON of the third day. (Read Mark 8:31 and 9:31, and see that He rose ON THE THIRD DAY.) But this God-given SIGN is rejected of men.

Here we find another God-given SIGN: “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one for another.” (John 13:35) The lack of love among Christians is appalling. Many lodge members have more love for one another than most church members have. The Masonic Lodge takes care of the orphans and widows of its members, but most churchmen dump this job off on the county authorities. The rivalry among churches is a real disgrace; and many of the tricks that they play on one another are not only uncharitable and petty, they are actually mean and contemptible. If one church starts a special series of meetings, the others immediately secure an evangelist and start one too! Anyway, why have more than one church in a town? In Jesus' day, they had but one place of worship IN THE NATION!

The most convincing SIGN of God is that which is referred to in Hebrews 2:13, but is given in full in Isaiah 8:18. “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for SIGNS and for WONDERS in Israel from the Lord of hosts.” Look carefully at this one: THE CHILDREN OF GOD THEMSELVES ARE THE SIGNS. Before the world was allowed to contaminate the church, GOD'S PEOPLE WERE A SIGN. Consider the record in the book of Acts and take note of how things were when “THE MULTITUDE OF THEM THAT BELIEVED WERE OF ONE HEART AND OF ONE SOUL.” (Chapter 4:32) This was a condition that prevailed AFTER conversion. “And all that believed were together, and had all things common.” (Chapter 2, verse 44) It is easy to see how people such as these can be counted as SIGNS. Our Saviour COMMANDED His people, in the Sermon on the Mount, saying: “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” These men forsook their business and their possessions and devoted their lives to their Lord. By their OBEDIENCE TO HIS COMMANDS, they honored Him before men and angels.

“Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 10:32) So many people take the position that a mere verbal confession is enough to please the Lord, but not so: “Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that DOETH THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN.” (Matthew 7:21)

The will of the Father is that we obey the COMMANDS of Jesus.

“Sell that ye have, and give alms ... be ye therefore ready.” (Luke 12:33-40) “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:33) “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on ... your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:25-33)

The economic life of most Christians today is ordered by the world. Ministers and laymen alike have surrendered to the economic gods of the heathen. In the world they must have social security, old age pensions, hospital insurance, life insurance, fire insurance, and many other kinds of insurance. The SIGNS of a true Christian are certainly despised; He gives ALL, forsakes ALL, and follows his Lord. Many foreign missionaries have known what it means to have all earthly ties cut and go out into a strange land to be led by their Lord. Such people never SEEK AFTER A SIGN; they need no sign, for they KNOW THEIR LORD. Herein lies a great difference between the shallow trifler and the true child of God: A trifler seeks a SIGN; but a saint SEEKS KNOWLEDGE. “And hereby we do KNOW THAT WE KNOW HIM, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2:3-4) The proof that most of these so-called “Latter Rain” Pentecostal people are not of God is made quite evident by their WORKS. They neither obey THE COMMANDS of our Savior, nor live a sanctified, consistent Christian life. We do not deny their claims of SIGNS AND WONDERS. We believe that many of them do have such things, BUT THE DEVIL ALSO SHOWS SIGNS AND WONDERS. These people who shiver, jerk, jump, and have all manner of exciting manifestations are moved by demons, and not by the Lord. “Spirits of devils working miracles.” (Rev. 16:14)

There are many good, true Christians who have had a genuine Holy Ghost baptism, but for every one genuine, there are ten thousand counterfeits. A real saint lives and acts like a saint: he does not have an up-and-down experience; he has a steady walk with the Savior. But the wild excitement-eaters are always at an altar begging for mercy, for they live in sin and continually serve their carnal god. It is people such as these who play with the Holy Spirit, who are victims of the evil power. They have many manifestations, and through such they gain a false assurance that God is with them. It is this that is spoken of in second Thessalonians 2 as “STRONG DELUSION.” No delusion is stronger than that which comes to those who have spirit manifestations, which are not of the spirit of God. Such people boast that they KNOW the Lord is with them: many have actually “SEEN AN ANGEL OF LIGHT.” To try to convince Pentecostal fanatics that they have not the spirit of Christ is an impossible task. Most of them are such spirit addicts that they want nothing but the sensational. They refuse teaching or correction. Since they feel spirit movings in their bodies, they are quite satisfied that what they have is of God. Such sensations of the flesh are pleasant to them and since they attribute it all to Christ, they prefer not to be disturbed!

The end is not yet here. Demonism is only in its primary stage. As the devil gains power in the lives of these people, this force will increase, and in its final stages it will reach complete demon possession. As far as the signs manifest by demon power are concerned, they have only just begun. As these things progress, they will be so many and varied that IF IT WERE POSSIBLE they would deceive the very elect. (Matt.24:24)

(Reprinted from Number 370, September, 1994 issue of “The Testimony of Truth” with permission from “People of the Living God”)

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