Counterfeit Gifts
What does the Bible teach about counterfeit gifts and their origin? Matt. 7:22, 23; 2 Thess. 2:9, 10; Rev. 16:13, 14.
By the power of God, Moses and Aaron, standing before Pharaoh, turned a staff into a snake (Exod. 7:10), the river Nile into blood (vs. 20), and made frogs come out of the Nile to cover the land (Exod. 8:6); but by the power of Satan the Egyptian magicians could do the same. However, from the third plague onward the Egyptian magicians were unable to counterfeit God’s miracles.
This teaches us two things: (1) Satan can produce miracles that look like the genuine article; (2) Satan can work only within the limits set by God.
Counterfeit gifts are not just a perversion of the true gifts of God, but can be similar manifestations from a different source–Satan.
A study of the texts listed above should reveal to us a few other important points about the existence of counterfeit spiritual gifts. First, as we can see, these false manifestations can be done by those professing the name of Jesus; indeed, as Jesus said, many will claim to do some miracles in His name. And yet, according to Jesus, they are not of Him.
Second, there will be miracles, miraculous signs and wonders, powerful enough to deceive many. In other words, we need to be very careful not to be swept away by the existence of the supernatural. Even though something is done in the name of Jesus, and appears to be supernatural, doesn’t mean it’s a genuine gift of the Spirit.
Finally, in the end, Satan is working to do what he can to deceive as many people as possible. Thus, whatever manifestations that do appear, we always must test them by the Bible. If they are not in harmony with the Word of God, we have our answer, regardless of how impressive the manifestations appear to be. The Bible must be our ultimate standard.
| With these few thoughts in mind, what are we to make of these ministries that claim to manifest all sorts of prophecies, healing, and wonders week after week? Without wanting to judge anyone, why should we be leery? What kind of questions should we ask, and why? |
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