Similar Power but a Different Source
Revelation 13:12
“And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.”
A Christian should never underestimate the power of Satan. Satan, at his core, is a deceiver. You will recall when Moses went in to Pharaoh to show him signs from God so that he would believe, Pharaoh had his prophets who also could do many of the same signs. This is why every Christian must be careful about using signs and wonders as a measuring stick to determine if someone is used of God.
In the verse above, a beast was released during the tribulation that could perform many signs and wonders. Notice, he was able to heal himself. In verse 12, he was able to make fire come down from heaven. In verse 14, he had power to perform miracles. In verse 15, he seemingly gave life to the image of a beast. When you look at these powers, it is no wonder that people would be deceived by this beast.
Yet, the identifying mark that this beast was not of God is found in verse 14 when he commands people to make an image of the beast. What was the purpose of this image people were to make? It was to worship the image and not God. The whole purpose of this beast using these great powers was to deceive people into not worshipping God.
You will find that the beast even had its own mark that it would place upon people, that mark is commonly known as the mark of the beast. Again, this beast is simply copying what God would do, for in Revelation 14:1 God wrote His name on the foreheads of the hundred forty and four thousand. Satan’s whole purpose is to pull people away from Christ to himself.
You will notice that everything God does or will do, Satan will always provide a counterfeit. This is why Christians must be careful about following people because of great signs and wonders that are performed in their ministries or life. As humans, we are enamored with the miraculous. We love to see the dead raised to life, the blind to see, the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak. These are certainly great miracles to read about. But, what is most important is the Word of God.
If we are not careful, we can be deceived by someone who is not following the Word of God because of the results they have. You must be careful that you don’t allow results to determine whether you follow someone. Many people have been deceived because they allow the miraculous to dictate whether someone is of God. Friend, you can watch television and see the seemingly miraculous acts of men cause you to follow their ministries. You can hear of the great growth of a man’s ministry and think that he is someone good to follow.
The determining factor of whether someone is of God is the doctrine they preach. It all comes down to the Word of God. Just because someone experiences great miracles and sees great results does not mean you should put your loyalty behind their ministry. If someone sees great results, but they compromise and don’t follow the Word of God, then you are not to follow them.
I encourage you to study the Word of God so that you may know whether a movement or ministry is of Christ. Don’t let the numbers of a ministry deceive you. I’m not against numbers, I’m truly for them, but numbers themselves don’t dictate God’s blessings. Always keep in mind that God isn’t the only One Who can perform great signs and wonders. Let God’s Word be your measuring stick to determine whether you should yoke up with a ministry or movement. Anything that contradicts God’s Word should never be followed or promoted.