Our God is a God of design and purpose—nothing is trivial or unimportant. The unfolding plan of redemption from Genesis to Revelation clearly reveals this truth.
Isaiah 46:9–10 assures us that God is sovereign and always accomplishes His purposes.
Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.”
God affirmed this in the following verse, saying, “Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.” While these promises were specific to Israel, we can certainly glean the truth principles that God fulfills His promises and that everything He does is purposeful.
In studying Jesus’ miracles, we notice a purposeful design behind His actions. Is it possible that there is a correlation between His miracles and what will take place in the future Millennial Kingdom?
Why Are Jesus’ Miracles Listed in Scripture?
The word miracle comes from the Latin word miraculum, which means “object of wonder.” More specifically, the Oxford Dictionary defines a miracle as a “surprising and welcome event [unexplainable] by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.” While many attempt to dismiss or explain away the miracles of Jesus, we who believe God’s Word agree that His miracles were certainly of divine agency.
These signs, or miracles, are listed so that we would believe He is the Son of God and that we would believe in His name and have eternal life.
The apostle John gave the most basic reason for the listing of these specific miracles in the Gospel record: “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30–31).
These signs, or miracles, are listed so that we would believe He is the Son of God and that we would believe in His name and have eternal life.
Miracles in the Gospels
All four Gospels record many of Jesus’ miracles—and all had a specific purpose. Let’s break these down into two categories:
• Miracles of physical healing: Jesus healed and cleansed lepers (Matthew 8:1–4), gave sight to the blind (Mark 8:22–26), healed people of many diseases (Matthew 9:35; Mark 1:29–31), restored an ear cut off (Luke 22:47–53), cast out demons (9:37–42), and raised the dead to life (John 11:1–45).
• Miracles of natural phenomenon: He fed multitudes (Luke 9:12–17), walked on water (John 6:15–21), calmed the stormy sea (Mark 4:35–41), filled nets with fish (John 21:1–14), turned water into wine (2:1–11), and caused a cursed tree to wither (Matthew 21:18–22).
Without a doubt, these miracles are unexplainable by natural or scientific laws and therefore must be regarded as of divine agency—to verify the truth of Jesus as the Son of God and lead people to believe in Him.
Keep in mind that the Pharisees, the spiritual leaders in Jesus’ day, refused to accept this truth and attributed His miracles to Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons (12:22–32). Up to this point, Jesus had been offering the Kingdom to Israel; but after this point, the offer was withdrawn.
Miracles in the Kingdom
While the Old Testament prophets prophesied of a literal earthly kingdom over which Messiah would rule, that offer from Jesus would now be delayed and remains an unfulfilled prophecy until the end of the Times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24), which conclude at the end of the Tribulation. Then the Lord Jesus will set up His Kingdom in the 1,000-year reign of Christ, the Millennium.
The Millennial (theocratic) Kingdom will be “times of refreshing” and the “times of restoration of all things” (Acts 3:19–21). Mankind will not bring about these changes, but clearly these will result from the presence and power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Undoubtedly, the “times of restoration” will be miraculous.
In his book What On Earth Is God Doing? Renald Showers notes, “When He establishes the theocratic kingdom, Christ will begin to reverse many of the tragic consequences of man’s rebellion in Eden.” That reversal includes these miracles, which are notably similar to Jesus’ miracles in the Gospels:
• Miracles of physical healing: Jesus will heal all diseases and deformities (Isaiah 33:24; 35:5–6) and will increase the lifespan of man (65:20). While this is clearly miraculous, sin will still exist in the world until the present heavens and earth are destroyed and there is a new heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1–4).
• Miracles of natural phenomenon: He will make all the wild animals tame again (Isaiah 11:6–9; 65:25). There will be an abundance of trees and fruit (55:13) and wine and grain (Joel 2:24). A multitude of fish will swim in the healed waters of the Dead Sea (Ezekiel 47:7–10).
The curse’s removal from the earth will be miraculous and beyond our imagination. This time will be surpassed only by the coming of the new heavens and the new earth when sin will be forever abolished.
The Correlation
Is there a correlation—and why? All of these miracles, both in Jesus’ time on Earth and in the coming Kingdom, declare Jesus’ authority and power over all creation. The world shifted from a theocracy to a Satanocracy (Satan’s rule over the earth) in Genesis 3. Though God remains sovereign over everything, Jesus will take back the title deed to the world (Revelation 5) and miraculously restore this cursed world.
All of these miracles, both in Jesus’ time on Earth and in the coming Kingdom, declare Jesus’ authority and power over all creation.
Perhaps Jesus’ miracles recorded in the Gospels were designed to be a foreshadowing of the Kingdom He offered Israel—which, though delayed, will be fulfilled in the future. Perhaps those miracles were designed and purposed to verify His deity as the King of the Kingdom He was offering. We can be confident that God has a purpose in all He does, and His purposes will be fulfilled in His time and in His ways.
Romans 8:18–23 reminds us that even creation groans and anxiously awaits the miracle of restoration. Verse 23 says we also (as redeemed individuals) await the “redemption of our body.” Jesus’ miracles declare His deity and are also a guarantee of what the future holds and the hope we have as believers.
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