eign languages represented the Spirit’s enablement for world-wide evangelization. There’s still a dispensation which has not yet made its appearance, which is known as the age of the Kingdom. The miracle events termi nating the great Tribulation will come after the church goes home, and will usher in the millennium for 1,000 years (which is what the word actually means). The armies of the earth will ravage the city of Jerusa lem (Zech. 14:1-2). When every thing seems to be lost, the Lord Jesus, accompanied by the raptured believers of the church and the holy angels, will personally and visibly de scend from heaven to the Mount of Olives on the east of Jerusalem (w. 4-5). When Christ’s feet touch the earth the mountain will split in the middle eastward and westward. This will form a huge valley into which the Jews will flee from their oppres sors. There will be a severe earth quake. A miracle stream of living water will flow perennially from Jerusalem into the Dead Sea (v. 8). The beseiging hosts of Gentile ar mies, moving against Israel, are go ing to be stricken by a wasting plague characterized by rotting flesh and blinded eyes (v. 12). There will be fear and confusion so that the soldiers will fight among themselves. They will be utterly defeated by the divinely strengthened Jewish nation (w. 13, 14). Miracles are discernible not only at the beginning of new ages, but also when God seeks to begin a new way of introducing Himself and His program to others. Before Jesus went to the marriage feast at Cana of Galilee, He had never performed a miracle. The hour of His public manifestation as the divine Messiah had not yet come (John 2:4). At that occasion the divine Son of God performed a miracle of creation. The water in the ja r became wine of
the very best quality. The immedi ate result was that His disciples transferred their trust from them selves to their own miracle-working Messiah. Jesus soon followed this with other more public miracles. In contrast to Moses, who turned water into blood s ig n ify in g typically death, the Lord Jesus Christ turned water into wine which speaks of the gladness of life. John declared, “The law was given to Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (1:17). The thrust of the New Testament church to win the lost began with a miracle. Look at the evangelization of the city of Jerusalem (Acts 2:43). Later when believers were scattered in Judea and Samaria by the fierce opposition of Saul of Tarsus (Acts 8) the Lord again bestowed miracu lous powers upon His witnesses. Miracles followed the preaching of Paul and Barnabas as they sought to evangelize the uttermost part of the world of their own day. At each new stage of God’s advance in His missionary program, He granted miracles which were aimed at de stroying entrenched Satanic powers. It is wonderful to know this miracle- working God who delights to guide the affairs of our own lives day-by- day. P art F ourteen B iblical prophecy differs from a miracle in that the former is a wonder of heavenly prediction while the latter is a wonder of heavenly power. All prophecies are wonders but they do not necessarily depend upon special supernatural power for their fulfillment. We have miracles that prophesy. Several miracles in the Bible brought immediate judg ment upon the persons involved. These are typical of future judg ments which God is going to pour out upon sinful men in the days which are ahead. 27
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs