Can the devil work miricles?

[Kyra]

Ok hold on a second. We are not really addressing the issue.

This isn't about God vs. satan. We all know God is superior in every way. We also know that regardless of what satan does, his ultimate goal is to kill, steal and destroy. So whatever work satan does, it is ultimately to this end.

1.) Does Satan work miracles? If we take the general definition of a miracle to be: an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.

Then yes, satan does work miracles. Read Exodus 7. Mahogony is right, he turned staffs into snakes and water into blood. (fyi- don't you love how God's snake ate his? lol) But he did those miracles to destroy the testimony of God in the eyes of man.


2.) Does Satan work healing?We know he can alter the physical world, we saw that in Exodus. But a human being is more then just a physical body, it exists spiritually, emotionally and psychologically. Thus disease and healing are much more complex.

If we break it up, compartmentalize a human being, and say just on a biological level, Could satan change the cell structure,etc and "heal" them? Then yes, we have seen that he can alter the physical world.

But, here is the problem- we are more then just flesh- thus he must have permission to work.
Think about it. Whenever Jesus healed someone he told them to go and sin no more. Why? Because sin gives the enemy a foothold, it is his permission, the entry card. And for those who are not in sin and who do not give him permission, satan has to obtain permission from God. ( see Job)

Every time I have seen someone claim healing from satan ( of course they would not call him satan) they have gotten into worshiping the wrong thing and have decidedly given satan permission to work. Their mind, emotions, and spirit are drawn into the event. So if a human gives Satan permission to change their body, and has bowed to him, they are disconnected from God, who by very definition is Life. ( John & Revelation)

So a work of satan cannot be a true healing. It does not include the spirit or the mind or the emotions- because apart from God we are a mess! It is, instead, a way for satan to take over the life of a human, hold the human captive and work to destroy faith in the one true God, by deception through physical alteration.

I know people who have bowed their knee to satan and have given him permission to work in their lives. They hold on to what they believe is healing, and it looks like it on the outside.
But the spiritual reality is that they are in captivity, and a very dark one.


If anyone would like exact scripture references, just ask.

 

[Charles]

satan has power, human beings have power, all depends on what kind of power we are talking about.
Aside from the use of deception or illusion, yes, the devil can work miracles. Remember Pharoah's magicians turning their staffs into snakes, they could do the same thing which Moses and Aaron could do. The difference is the source of the power. Moses and Aaron's power came from God, the magician's power either came from satan or from somewhere else, themselves or the earth. I think its witches use magic harnessing the power from the earth or something like that. There's no doubt that this power has the ability to heal, cause illness, move or throw physical objects etc. They are not merely illusions or deceptions.

Just look what Satan did to Job!

 

[Charles]

Well i think they Devil has no power to maych God, He still has a lot of power. Take a look at all mediums, psychics etc. they certainly don't get their power from Christ.

Remember Acts 8:9-24.

 

[olivetree32]

Ok hold on a second. We are not really addressing the issue.

This isn't about God vs. satan. We all know God is superior in every way. We also know that regardless of what satan does, his ultimate goal is to kill, steal and destroy. So whatever work satan does, it is ultimately to this end.

1.) Does Satan work miracles? If we take the general definition of a miracle to be: an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.

Then yes, satan does work miracles. Read Exodus 7. Mahogony is right, he turned staffs into snakes and water into blood. (fyi- don't you love how God's snake ate his? lol) But he did those miracles to destroy the testimony of God in the eyes of man.


2.) Does Satan work healing?We know he can alter the physical world, we saw that in Exodus. But a human being is more then just a physical body, it exists spiritually, emotionally and psychologically. Thus disease and healing are much more complex.

If we break it up, compartmentalize a human being, and say just on a biological level, Could satan change the cell structure,etc and "heal" them? Then yes, we have seen that he can alter the physical world.

But, here is the problem- we are more then just flesh- thus he must have permission to work.
Think about it. Whenever Jesus healed someone he told them to go and sin no more. Why? Because sin gives the enemy a foothold, it is his permission, the entry card. And for those who are not in sin and who do not give him permission, satan has to obtain permission from God. ( see Job)

Every time I have seen someone claim healing from satan ( of course they would not call him satan) they have gotten into worshiping the wrong thing and have decidedly given satan permission to work. Their mind, emotions, and spirit are drawn into the event. So if a human gives Satan permission to change their body, and has bowed to him, they are disconnected from God, who by very definition is Life. ( John & Revelation)

So a work of satan cannot be a true healing. It does not include the spirit or the mind or the emotions- because apart from God we are a mess! It is, instead, a way for satan to take over the life of a human, hold the human captive and work to destroy faith in the one true God, by deception through physical alteration.

I know people who have bowed their knee to satan and have given him permission to work in their lives. They hold on to what they believe is healing, and it looks like it on the outside.
But the spiritual reality is that they are in captivity, and a very dark one.


If anyone would like exact scripture references, just ask.

um., yes Kyra there is no dought in my mind satan dose miricles according to the word. but are they real? is it a real miricle, or false.

Mat 24:24For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

 

[Kyra]

What is your definition of the word miracle?

 

[eagleheart]

Numbers 14:22 the miracles which Moses did in Egypt,the magicians of pharaoh did the same miracles,where did pharoahs magicians get this power? satan

Revelation 13:13-14
Revelation 16:14
yes satan can perform miracles,with all signs and lying wonders

2Corinthians 4:4 satan is the god of this world

 

[Rosinsky]

um., yes Kyra there is no dought in my mind satan dose miricles according to the word. but are they real? is it a real miricle, or false.

Mat 24:24For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Do you have any biblical evidence that would state they were not real?

 

[MahogonySnail]

of cours if anything took place mahog, it was not permanent because its not REAL! satan has power and authority in areas in our lives if we let him yes, but the real power comes from Christ Alone.

I still disagree that it isn't real.I wouldn't use that term "real". I mean, a fake miracle to me is like a smoke and mirrors illusion that party-trick magicians do. It isn't real, because there's nothing supernatural about it.
A real miracle is something that is supernatural and beyond our natural explanation. And yes satan and all angels, and former angels, demons, etc being supernatural do have the ability to do those. Even angels have the ability to heal remember, and also to give sicknesses. Satan being a ex-angel I think has some of that angel power remaining, I think that's where he gets it from.

 

[MahogonySnail]

I know of some christians who believe that satan has no ability to do miracles or heal or whatever. The danger with this stance is that they attribute all supernatural events to God. They are forced to conclude that psychics, mediums, reiki, and healing witches etc are all using the same power of God which christians have. Nothing could be further from the truth.

 

[christkid777]

There are many things we can get from scripture either by logical inference or by extrapolation. Only the passage of time and experience can show us when this is safe and when it is not. Because the Bible says a thing does not mean it infers a particular extrapolation. One thing I think is very important in this discussion and that is the human element. Off the top of my head I can only recall the case of Job where the devil used power by himself. I consider that to be borrowed power since God is reported to have said "He is in your hand". The human element I think accounts for much of the devils ability. Having been made in the image and likeness of God we were probably designed to operate within the structure of the universe in a very unique way. A way we presently don't really understand. But the devil was there when the universe was created. I think from scripture he was our babysitter. Perhaps he was to teach us the ways of the world so to speak but decided to try to use us to fulfill his own ends. I think he is really using our God given ability and calling it his own. Like God we have the power to create. I am not aware of where it says any angle has that ability. If the devil had been so well set up on his own he would not have needed man to fulfill his desire. I think misdirected human faith is the culprit where there seems to be miraculous power. We are in effect extending the devil's reach far beyond his own. Even Christ could do no miraculous work were human faith was lacking or contrary. This puts the real power back in the hands [or minds] of the Christian. It is why we were warned about keeping our hearts and minds stayed on God. Does this mean the devil is not dangerous? I think he is very dangerous. I think he is insane. I think he was cut out of the vine a very long time ago and has been loosing ground ever since. I think it means the ideas and behavior he proposes are far more dangerous to us than we are aware of. Every dish he prepares and every drink he set before us is poisoned in some way. I think when the devil was cast out he was allowed to take only what was his own. Christ said he was the father of lies. Lies means deception. I think the only true power the devil has is the power of deception. However when we consider all he seems to have been able to accomplish through deception it is not to be taken lightly. Slip away from the word of God and there are many pitfalls. Keep your mind on Christ and the way is plain.

 

[NazariteNation]

A lot of illness can be and are often caused by various forms of stress and having to tolerate stress over long periods of time. It makes sense that a person who has personally lived under the influence of an unclean spirit or has lived in an abusive enviroment with someone under the influence of an unclean spirit is going to be stressed out to the max. This kind of oppression can be just as powerful as an actual possession. Just look at all the folks today who suffer from various forms of mental illness, the most common being depression, fear and anxiety, due to stressful living conditions, especially during childhood when the brain was still in development. These people grow up to live very disfunctional lives and in turn influence the lives of others thus causing a generational cycle of pain and suffering.

As far as Satan's power is concerned, it really doesn't matter. When Christ died on the cross, not only did He die for the forgiveness of sin but He also restored man's dominion over the earth (through Christ Jesus). People give Satan way too much access / power over their thoughts and their lives through giving into selfish desires and temptations ( aka sin), just as Kyra stated.

The simple truth is we have a choice and what you are willing to believe is the amount power that you are giving Satan to work in your life. Although I have personally encountered unclean spirits at work in the lives of others, I've never seen a plate fly across the room by itself nor have I ever saw a chair dance across the dinning room floor and I never will because I refuse to give Satan that kind of power in / over my life.... in Jesus name and by His blood we do have authority! However, you can not operate in that authority if Satan has authority over you in some capacity. That is why it is crucial that we do our best to eliminate sin from our lives.

 

[NazariteNation]

I know of some christians who believe that satan has no ability to do miracles or heal or whatever. The danger with this stance is that they attribute all supernatural events to God. They are forced to conclude that psychics, mediums, reiki, and healing witches etc are all using the same power of God which christians have. Nothing could be further from the truth.

You guys should familiarize yourselves wit the term "familiar spirit" . This will explain much of what you have just listed.

 

[MahogonySnail]

satan can sometimes manifest during church meetings etc which is where we might see plates fly across the room.

 

[NazariteNation]

You guys should familiarize yourselves wit the term "familiar spirit" . This will explain much of what you have just listed.

As for healing, the bible reads that "a house divided can not stand". It makes no sense that Satan would want to heal someone that he has placed an illness on. However, if an unclean spirit were to enter in, then it is quite possible for that unclean spirit to influence the host body to mentally not feel the pain of such illlness.

 

[NazariteNation]

satan can sometimes manifest during church meetings etc which is where we might see plates fly across the room.

I have witnessed exorcisms in church and if the Holy Spirit is alive and well in your church, those sort of manifestations aren't going to happen especially if the spiritual gifts are alive and operating.

Unclean spirits can sense fear / doubt and will play on those emotions if given the opportunity. If by chance you suspect that someone could be under the influence of an unclean spirit, yet you have fear or doubt, it's best not to confront that person / spirit because things could get out of hand very quickly. In confidence, talk to a respected elder in your church and allow that person the opportunity to pray about and observe the behavior of the person in question. You too should pray for the person in question as well because this is a very serious matter that should never be taken lightly. One should never point the finger either without having probable cause.

 

[NazariteNation]

Most exorcisms I have witnessed (which have been less than a handful over the years and spanning across different church enviroments) have involved "religious spirits" which reside in people who had no clue whatsoever that there was even an issue. In fact, most under the infuence of an unclean spirit believe they are just as "christian" as anyone else.

Most of these "events" have taken place in a conference or revival enviroment where, the person in question just thought they were going to just another religious event yet when the Holy Spirit manifests Himself, thus the person in question is ussually taken by suprised and the unclean spirit begins to reveal itself.

 

[MahogonySnail]

How does a religious spirit manifest?

 

[NazariteNation]

How does a religious spirit manifest?

I think this line conversation would be better suited in a private discussion....

 

[MahogonySnail]

The thing is the term "religious spirit" is not in the bible.
It may simply be a term to describe a concept rather than an actual demonic spirit.
Attributing something which I believe is merely a condition of the fallen nature of man , to a demonic spirit called a "religious spirit" may be dangerous.

 

[christiancanadian]

I've seen with my own eyes satan do supernatural things such as ufos. I was filming this stuff for months last year. It was so amazing some of the things I was getting on film it defied logic. I still have a hard time coping with the reality of what I saw and filmed. With my personal experiences, satan is certainly capable of making 'ufo's' and various things appear real. It's all deception though. satan will use any lie he can to pull everyone away from the truth of Jesus Christ and the Bible. For me he tried to show me so-callled "aliens" were real. It didn't work because God showed me they were demons. But satan used this because of my prevous curiousity in the whole 'alien' concept. Believe me, a simple curiousity can bring this stuff on. For someone else, he may use the 'virign Mary', or a so-called ghost of a dead relative. The lies go on and on. Sorry to digress, but YES, satan can definately display so-called miracles. However, they are not the same as God's because satan's are counterfeit and deceptive.