Demonic signs and wonders

2 Thessalonians 2:9-15

"Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
Where unto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle."
"Then some of the scribes and pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the Sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights." (Matthew 12: 38-40).

Being raised in the Pentecostal church and having experienced many wonderful works of God, I absolutely consider myself to be "'Pentecostal".
Because of this I believe in things that don't make sense to the natural man. That said, I also believe that we are living in the end times and need to be VERY discerning about what signs are from God and which ones ARE NOT.
"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matt. 24:24
How are we to know if signs are of God? The same way we are to know if ANYTHING is from Him, His WORD!
I hear people getting very excited about things like gold teeth, "gold" dust, magic Manna and people barking like dogs but what does Jesus say about these things?
Popular opinion is that God does these things as evidence (proof)that He is there and approves of what is being said or done.
God says that the way we know if someone is of Him by their fruits.:
Gal 5:22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law

1) fruit(καρπός karpos)

a) the fruit of the trees, vines, of the fields

b) the fruit of one's loins, i.e. his progeny, his posterity

2) that which originates or comes from something, an effect, result

a) work, act, deed
(Notice that it doesn't say gold dust,cross shaped dental implants or barking)

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matt. 24:24
[Mark 13:22; Luke 21:8]
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. . .Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders." II Thess. 2:3,9

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." I Tim. 4:1

Hbr 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Hbr 13:9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For [it is] a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein


"Mammon"(treasure) is always shown as being in opposition of spiritual truth. There is NO scriptural basis for Jesus using gold and earthly objects as a sign of his presence. However, there is scriptural reference for gold being used in satanic worship.

I hear the phrase "behold I will do a new thing" used to cause confusion and doubt. Hey, if God is going to do something new, how can we say this isn't it?
NEWSFLASH, HE TELLS US EXACTLY WHAT THE "NEW" THING IS AND HE ALREADY DID THE "NEW" THING!!!

Isaiah 43:19Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
20The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.
21This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.

So why do I believe in signs like speaking in other tongues, falling down under Gods power, healing and deliverance from demons? Not because I have experienced them (although I have) but because they are specifically taught about in Gods word!

Corinthians 12:7-11 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
Note the phrase "FOR THE COMMON GOOD".

Acts 26:14
We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.
(Revelation 5:8
And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Revelation 5:14
The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.
(There is another references too-where Ananias and Sapphira fell down and died.(Matt 5)
)
God's signs and wonders were and are a sign that Jesus is who He says he is -GOD.
It is not to get us "high" on Jesus or prove a mans message is true. God does not appeal to our flesh to prove our spirituality.