CRYSTAL THOMAS MINISTRY

REVEALING THE VOICE OF GOD TO THE NATIONS

The Basics of ‘Signs & Wonders’

Signs & Wonders

  • SPECIAL MIRACLES THAT “SIGNIFY” THAT SOMETHING MIRACULOUS IS GOING ON.
  • EVENTS WHICH UNMISTAKEABLY INVOLVE AN IMMEDIATE & POWERFUL ACTION OF GOD DESIGNED TO REVEAL HIS CHARACTER & PURPOSES

Modern-Day Mysticism

“ The heavenly realm tends to be magnetic by nature. When you begin to talk about miracles, miracles occur. When you begin to share about His presence, His presence shows up. When you being to discuss signs and wonders, signs and wonder arrive. What you set your attention on manifests in the world around you. God’s domain, it not only reveals itself in the most exciting ways through the journey of life, but then repeats itself and multiplies from one person to the next. Heaven is attracted to itself. When meditating, discussing, contemplating various aspects of the supernatural realm, it seems to attract that very same realm, producing itself again and again. From eternity past, God’s original intent was for each believer to live commonly supernatural – not having experiences that are few and far between, but experiences of His very nature and likeness in day-today life. We need not only read about our God but also experience Him on a frequent basis. The divine relationship between God and man is not to be one of mere knowledge and intellect, but one of excitement through experiences and encounter. ” -Brian Guerin

Words used to describe miraculous events

  • SIGN
  • WONDER
  • WORKS
  • MIGHTY WORK
  • PORTENT
  • POWER

Old Testament

TWO HEBREW WORDS MOST FREQUENTLY USED FOR “MIRACLE” ARE TRANSLATED:
– “SIGN” (OTH)
– “WONDER” (MOPHETH)

THEY ARE SYNONYMS AND OFTEN OCCUR TOGETHER IN THE SAME TEXT:
– EXODUS 7:3
– DEUTERONOMY 4:34, 6:22, 7:19, 13:1, 26:8, 28:46, 34:11,
– NEHEMIAH 9:10
– PSALM 105:27
– ISAIAH 8:18
– JEREMIAH 32:20
– DANIEL 6:27

Sign – Old Testament

  • MAY BE AN OBJECT OR DAILY ACTIVITY AS WELL AS UNEXPECTED DIVINE ACTION (GENESIS 1:14 ; EXODUS 12:13 ; JOSHUA 4:6 ; EZEKIEL 24:24)
  • THE BASIC NATURE OF A SIGN IS IT POINTS PEOPLE TO GOD.
  • SIGNS SEEK TO BRING BELIEF (EXODUS 4:5 ; EXODUS 10:2), BUT
  • THEY DO NOT COMPEL A PERSON TO BELIEVE, (EXODUS 4:9).
  • AT TIMES GOD INVITES PEOPLE TO ASK FOR SIGNS (ISAIAH 7:11)
  • THE SIGNS HE HAS DONE SHOULD MAKE ALL PEOPLE STAND IN AWE (PSALM 65:8)
  • ALL SHOULD JOIN THE PSALMIST IN CONFESSION THAT GOD OF ISRAEL “ALONE WORKS WONDERS” PSALM 72:18

Wonder – Old Testament

  • DESCRIBE GOD’S SUPERNATURAL ACTIVITY
  • A SPECIAL MANIFESTATION OF HIS POWER (EXODUS 7:3)
  • WONDERS CAN SERVE AS A SIGN OF A FUTURE EVENT

New Testament

SIGNS & WONDERS IS OFTEN USED IN THE SAME SENSE AS IT IS FOUND IN THE OLD TESTAMENT (MATTHEW 24:24, MARK 13:22, JOHN 4:48, ACTS 2:43, 4:30, 5:12, 6:8, 7:36, 15:12, ROMANS 15:19, 2 CORINTHIANS 12:12, 2 THESSALONIANS 2:9, HEBREWS 2:4.

Sign – New Testament

  • SIGN (SEMEION) IN THE NEW TESTAMENT IS USED FOR MIRACLES TAKEN AS EVIDENCE OF DIVINE AUTHORITY. (LUKE 23:8, ACTS 4:16, 4:22)
  • JOHN WAS FOND OF USING “SIGN” TO DESCRIBE MIRACULOUS ACTIVITY (JOHN 2:11, JOHN 2:18, JOHN 3:2, JOHN 4:54, JOHN 6:2, JOHN 6:14, JOHN 7:31, JOHN 9:16, JOHN 10:41, JOHN 11:47, JOHN 12:18, JOHN 37:1, JOHN 20:30, REVELATION 12:1, REVELATION 12:3, REVELATION 13: 13-14, REVELATION 15:1, REVELATION 16:14, REVELATION 19:20

Wonder – New Testament

  • “WONDERS” (TERAS) TRANSLATES A GREEK WORD FROM WHICH THE WORD TERROR COMES FROM.
  • IT DENOTES SOMETHING UNUSUAL THAT CAUSES THE BEHOLDER TOMARVEL.
  • ALTHOUGH IT USUALLY FOLLOWS “SIGNS”, IT SOMETIMES PRECEDES IT, (ACTS 2:22, ACTS 2:43, ACTS 6:8). OR OCCURS ALONE, (ACTS 2:19).
  • WHEREAS A SIGN APPEALS TO THE UNDERSTANDING, A WONDER APPEALS TO THE IMAGINATION.
  • “WONDERS” ARE USUALLY PRESENTED AS GOD’S ACTIVITY, (ACTS 2:19, ACTS 4:30, ACTS 6:8, ACTS 7:36, ACTS 14:3, ACTS 15:12), THOUGH SOMETIMES THEY REFER TO THE WORK OF SATAN THROUGH HUMAN INSTRUMENTS, (MATTHEW 24:24, MARK 13:22, 2 THESSALONIANS 2:9, REVELATION 13:11-13
  • NEW TESTAMENT WRITERS ALSO USED THE WORD DUNAMIS, POWER OR INHERENT ABILITY TO REFER TO ACTIVITY OF SUPERNATURAL ORIGIN OR CHARACTER: MARK 6:2, ACTS 8:13, ACTS 19:11, ROMANS 15:19, 1 CORINTHIANS 12:10, 1 CORINTHIANS 12:28-29, GALATIANS 3:5, 2 THESSALONIANS 2:9, HEBREWS 2:4

Works – New Testament

  • WORK (ERGON) USED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT IN THE SENSE OF “MIRACLE”
  • JOHN THE BAPTIST HEARD OF THE “WORKS” OF JESUS WHILE HE WAS IN PRISON (MATTHEW 11:2)
  • THE APOSTLE JOHN USED THE TERM A LOT: MATTHEW 5:20, MATTHEW 5:36, MATTHEW 7:3, MATTHEW 10:38, MATTHEW 14:11-12, MATTHEW 15

Purpose of signs and wonders

  • TO PROVE THAT JESUS WAS GOD (ACTS 2:22)
  • TO BACK UP THE WORD OF GOD (MARK 16:20)
  • TO SHOW THAT GOD WAS WITH THE CHRISTIANS NOW IN ACTS 2, LIKE AS HE HAD BEEN WITH THE JEWS IN EXODUS (DT 6:22)
  • TO MARK CHANGES IN GOD’S DEALINGS WITH MANKIND (ACTS 2:19)
  • WONDERS OF APPREHENSION ((THERE ARE ACCOUNTS OF MANY MEN AND WOMEN THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE WHO EXPERIENCED SUPERNATURAL HAPPENINGS TO THEM INDIVIDUALLY WHEN THE LORD CALLED THEM FOR A SPECIAL PURPOSE.))
    • MOSES AT THE BURNING BUSH (EXODUS 3) IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD, HE EXPERIENCED GOD’S REQUIREMENT FOR HOLINESS.
    • SAUL ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS (ACTS 9) IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD, SAUL WAS SHOWN HIS REBELLION.
  • MIRACLES OF PROVISION (WHEN GOD’S PEOPLE HAD A NEED THAT COULD NOT BE MET AT THE MOMENT IN THE NATURAL.)
    • FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND (MATTHEW 14:16-21)
    • PROVISION OF THE MANNA TO THE ISRAELITES (EXODUS 16:35)
  • MIRACLES OF PROTECTION (GOD KEEPS HIS PEOPLE WITH ANGELIC PROTECTION WHEN THEY ARE IN DANGER.)
    • DANIEL IN THE LION’S DEN (DANIEL 6)
    • THREE HEBREW CHILDREN IN THE FIERY FURNACE (DANIEL
  • MIRACLES OF DELIVERANCE FROM PLOTTED DESTRUCTION (GOD SENDS ANGELIC MESSENGERS TO WARN HIS PEOPLE OF DANGER AND THE WAY OF ESCAPE.)
    • JOSEPH AND MARY WITH BABY JESUS (MATTHEW 2)
    • PETER FROM PRISON (ACTS 11)
  • MIRACLES OF HEALING (GOD HEALS HIS PEOPLE FROM ALL MANNER OF DISEASE AND SUFFERING THROUGH MIRACLES.)
    • HEALING OF THE BLIND, LAME, DISEASED AND SICK BY THE APOSTLES (BOOK OF ACTS)
    • HEALING OF THE DEMONIZED GADERENE (LUKE 8:26-39)
  • MIRACLES OF DIVINE REVELATION (GOD GIVES DIVINE UNDERSTANDING OF HIS WORD AND HIS PLANS.)
    • JESUS REVEALS THE SCRIPTURES TO HIS DISCIPLES (LUKE 24:45)
    • DANIEL RECEIVES VISIONS AND REVELATION FROM GOD (DANIEL 10).

Supernatural

  • SUPERNATURAL: REFERRING TO THINGS THAT CANNOT BE EXPLAINED WITH A SCIENTIFIC OR NATURAL EXPLANATION.
  • IT IS BEYOND THE NATURAL, A WONDER THAT SEEMINGLY DEFIES LOGIC AND IS NOT EXPLAINABLE BY THE KNOWN FORCES OR LAWS OF NATURE.
  • THERE ARE TWO SOURCES THAT SUPERNATURAL PHENOMENON CAN COME FROM.
  • SUPERNATURAL MANIFESTATIONS ARE ACTUALLY THINGS THAT HAVE THEIR SOURCE OF POWER FROM THE SPIRITUAL WORLD.
  • THE SPIRITUAL WORLD HAS TWO ACTIVE POWERS IN EXISTENCE: GOD AND HIS ANGELS AND SATAN AND HIS DEMONS

Lying wonders and signs

  • SATAN USES LYING WONDERS & SIGNS TO TRAP MEN INTO FOLLOWING HIM.. WHILE THE LORD USES HIS MIRACLES TO LEAN MEN IN A RIGHTEOUS PATH TO FOLLOW HIM. (2 Thessalonians 2:8-11)
  • WE HAVE TO LEARN TO DISCERN THE DIFFERENCE SO THAT WE DO NOT GET CAUGHT UP IN SOMETHING THAT IS NOT OF GOD

Matthew 4:5-7

Then the devil took Him into the holy city [Jerusalem] and placed Him on the pinnacle (highest point) of the temple. And he said [mockingly] to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELSCONCERNINGYOU [to serve, care for, protect and watch over You]’; and ‘THEY WILL LIFT YOU UP ON their HANDS, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST THE STONE.’” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written and forever remains written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT TEST THE LORD YOUR GOD.’

Matthew 4:5-7

Move beyond the seashore

  • GOD DOES NOT WANT US TO SETTLE FOR JUST LITTLE PEBBLES,HE WANTS THOSE WHO ARE WILLING TO PLUNGE INTO THE DIVINE OCEAN AND GET LOST IN THE WONDER.
  • MOVE BEYOND THE SEASHORE AND PLUNGE INTO THE OCEAN AND SEE THINGS NEVER SEEN BEFORE
  • REVELATION = WHAT WE KNOW
  • MYSTERY = WHERE WE’RE GOING

Shock and Awe

“WHAT THE LORD IS ABOUT TO DO WILL SHOCK AND AWE MANY” — PATRICA KING
WE NEED TO SEE STUFF SO WONDERFUL THAT NATIONS COME TO OUR LIGHT. GOD IS CRAZIER AND WILDER THAN WE IMAGINE. SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO OFFEND THE MIND TO EFFECT THE HEART. WE ARE WIRED TO WORK AS HE DID, WE ARE THE INHERITORS. HES POURING HIS SPIRIT OUT ON ALL FLESH.

New and uncharted territory

JUST AS WE IN THE NATURAL ARE GROWING AND DEVELOPING NEW THINGS, THE SUPERNATURAL RUNS PARALLEL AND WE’RE GOING FROM A TINY FLOW TO A MORE DEEPER UNCHARTED TERRITORY. ACTS AND POWERS LIKE NEVER BEFORE. (EX: THE RAINBOW WAS NEW TERRITORY) BELIEF ALWAYS GET WHAT IT EXPECTS. WHAT YOU RELEASE WILL INCREASE. WALK WITH HIM B E Y O N D WHERE YOU ARE COMFORTABLE. JESUS IS GOING TO START USING STUFF THE CHRUCH THINKS IS NOTHING AND GOD WILL COME OUT OF IT!!

DIVE INTO THE PROPHETIC, IT’S THE BASIS OF IT ALL. ITS LIKE A COOKIE TRAIL OF GOLD –YOU GET TO ONE PIECE AND THEN ANOTHER ONE POPS UP. WE ARE WIRED FOR THE UNSEEN. ISAIAH 2 MENTIONS IN THE LAST DAYS MANY WILL SAY LET US GO UP ((GO UP)) IN TO THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD!!