11

CHAPTER 11.

FROM JUDEA TO GALILEE.


THE BAPTIST'S TESTIMONY OF JESUS.

During the period of our Lord's retirement in the wilderness the Baptist
continued his ministry, crying repentance to all who would pause to
hear, and administering baptism to such as came duly prepared and asking
with right intent. The people generally were greatly concerned over the
identity of John; and as the real import of the voice[309] dawned upon
them, their concern deepened into fear. The ever recurring question was,
Who is this new prophet? Then the Jews, by which expression we may
understand the rulers of the people, sent a delegation of priests and
Levites of the Pharisaic party to personally question him. He answered
without evasion, "I am not the Christ," and with equal decisiveness
denied that he was Elias, or more accurately, Elijah, the prophet who,
the rabbis said through a misinterpretation of Malachi's prediction, was
to return to earth as the immediate precursor of the Messiah.[310]
Furthermore, he declared that he was not "that prophet," by which was
meant the Prophet whose coming Moses had foretold,[311] and who was not
universally identified in the Jewish mind with the expected Messiah.
"Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to
them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice
of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as
said the prophet Esaias."[312] The Pharisaic envoys then demanded of him
his authority for baptizing; in reply he affirmed that the validity of
his baptisms would be attested by One who even then was amongst them,
though they knew Him not, and averred: "He it is, who coming after me is
preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to
unloose."[313]

John's testimony, that Jesus was the Redeemer of the world, was declared
as boldly as had been his message of the imminent coming of the Lord.
"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world," he
proclaimed; and, that none might fail to comprehend his identification
of the Christ, he added: "This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a
man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him
not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come
baptizing with water."[314] That the attestation of the ministering
presence of the Holy Ghost through the material appearance "like a dove"
was convincing to John is shown by his further testimony: "And John bare
record saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and
it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize
with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the spirit
descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with
the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of
God."[315] On the day following that of the utterance last quoted, John
repeated his testimony to two of his disciples, or followers, as, Jesus
passed, saying again: "Behold the Lamb of God."[316]


THE FIRST DISCIPLES OF JESUS.[317]

Two of the Baptist's followers, specifically called disciples, were with
him when for the second time he expressly designated Jesus as the Lamb
of God. These were Andrew and John; the latter came to be known in after
years as the author of the fourth Gospel. The first is mentioned by
name, while the narrator suppresses his own name as that of the second
disciple. Andrew and John were so impressed by the Baptist's testimony
that they immediately followed Jesus; and He, turning toward them asked:
"What seek ye?" Possibly somewhat embarrassed by the question, or with a
real desire to learn where He might be found later, they replied by
another inquiry: "Rabbi, where dwellest thou?" Their use of the title
Rabbi was a mark of honor and respect, to which Jesus did not demur. His
courteous reply to their question assured them that their presence was
no unwelcome intrusion. "Come and see," said He.[318] The two young men
accompanied Him, and remained with Him to learn more. Andrew, filled
with wonder and joy over the interview so graciously accorded, and
thrilled with the spirit of testimony that had been enkindled within his
soul, hastened to seek his brother Simon, to whom he said: "We have
found the Messias." He brought Simon to see and hear for himself; and
Jesus, looking upon Andrew's brother, called him by name and added an
appellation of distinction by which he was destined to be known
throughout all later history: "Thou art Simon the son of Jona; thou
shalt be called Cephas." The new name thus bestowed is the Aramaic or
Syro-Chaldaic equivalent of the Greek "Petros," and of the present
English "Peter," meaning "a stone."[319]

On the following day Jesus set out for Galilee, possibly accompanied by
some or all of his newly-made disciples; and on the way He found a man
named Philip, in whom He recognized another choice son of Israel. Unto
Philip He said: "Follow me." It was customary with rabbis and other
teachers of that time to strive for popularity, that many might be drawn
to them to sit at their feet and be known as their disciples. Jesus,
however, selected His own immediate associates; and, as He found them
and discerned in them the spirits who, in their preexistent state had
been chosen for the earthly mission of the apostleship, He summoned
them. They were the servants; He was the Master.[320]

Philip soon found his friend Nathanael, to whom he testified that He of
whom Moses and the prophets had written had at last been found; and that
He was none other than Jesus of Nazareth. Nathanael, as his later
history demonstrates, was a righteous man, earnest in his hope and
expectation of the Messiah, yet seemingly imbued with the belief common
throughout Jewry--that the Christ was to come in royal state as seemed
befitting the Son of David. The mention of such a One coming from
Nazareth, the reputed son of a humble carpenter, provoked wonder if not
incredulity in the guileless mind of Nathanael, and he exclaimed: "Can
there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip's answer was a
repetition of Christ's words to Andrew and John--"Come and see."
Nathanael left his seat under the fig tree,[321] where Philip had found
him, and went to see for himself. As he approached, Jesus said: "Behold
an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile." Nathanael saw that Jesus
could read his mind, and asked in surprize: "Whence knowest thou me?" In
reply Jesus showed even greater powers of penetration and perception
under conditions that made ordinary observation unlikely if not
impossible: "Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the
fig tree, I saw thee." Nathanael replied with conviction: "Rabbi, thou
art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel." Earnest as the man's
testimony was, it rested mainly on his recognition of what he took to be
a supernatural power in Jesus; our Lord assured him that he should see
yet greater things: "And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending
and descending upon the Son of man."


"THE SON OF MAN."

In the promise and prediction made by Christ to Nathanael, we find the
significant title--The Son of Man--appearing for the first time,
chronologically speaking, in the New Testament. It recurs, however,
about forty times, excluding repetitions in parallel accounts in the
several Gospels. In each of these passages it is used by the Savior
distinctively to designate Himself. In three other instances the title
appears in the New Testament, outside the Gospels; and in each case it
is applied to the Christ with specific reference to His exalted
attributes as Lord and God.[322]

In the Old Testament, the phrase "son of man" occurs in ordinary usage,
denoting any human son[323] and it appears over ninety times as an
appellation by which Jehovah addressed Ezekiel, though it is never
applied by the prophet to himself.[324] The context of the passages in
which Ezekiel is addressed as "son of man" indicates the divine
intention of emphasizing the human status of the prophet as contrasted
with the divinity of Jehovah.

The title is used in connection with the record of Daniel's vision,[325]
in which was revealed the consummation, yet future, when Adam--the
Ancient of Days--shall sit to judge his posterity;[326] on which great
occasion, the Son of Man is to appear and receive a dominion that shall
be everlasting, transcendently superior to that of the Ancient of Days,
and embracing every people and nation, all of whom shall serve the Lord,
Jesus Christ, the Son of Man.[327]

In applying the designation to Himself, the Lord invariably uses the
definite article. "_The_ Son of Man" was and is, specifically and
exclusively, Jesus Christ. While as a matter of solemn certainty He was
the only male human being from Adam down who was not the son of a mortal
man, He used the title in a way to conclusively demonstrate that it was
peculiarly and solely His own. It is plainly evident that the expression
is fraught with a meaning beyond that conveyed by the words in common
usage. The distinguishing appellation has been construed by many to
indicate our Lord's humble station as a mortal, and to connote that He
stood as the type of humanity, holding a particular and unique
relationship to the entire human family. There is, however, a more
profound significance attaching to the Lord's use of the title "The Son
of Man"; and this lies in the fact that He knew His Father to be the one
and only supremely exalted Man,[328] whose Son Jesus was both in spirit
and in body--the Firstborn among all the spirit-children of the Father,
the Only Begotten in the flesh--and therefore in sense applicable to
Himself alone, He was and is the Son of the "Man of Holiness,"
Elohim,[329] the Eternal Father. In His distinctive titles of Sonship,
Jesus expressed His spiritual and bodily descent from, and His filial
submission to, that exalted Father.

As revealed to Enoch the Seer, "Man of Holiness" is one of the names by
which God the Eternal Father is known; "and the name of his Only
Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ." We learn further that
the Father of Jesus Christ thus proclaimed Himself to Enoch: "Behold, I
am God; Man of Holiness is my name; Man of Counsel is my name; and
Endless and Eternal is my name, also."[330] "The Son of Man" is in great
measure synonymous with "The Son of God," as a title denoting divinity,
glory, and exaltation; for the "Man of Holiness," whose Son Jesus Christ
reverently acknowledges Himself to be, is God the Eternal Father.


THE MIRACLE AT CANA IN GALILEE.

Soon after the arrival of Jesus in Galilee we find Him and His little
company of disciples at a marriage party in Cana, a neighboring town to
Nazareth. The mother of Jesus was at the feast; and for some reason not
explained in John's narrative,[331] she manifested concern and personal
responsibility in the matter of providing for the guests. Evidently her
position was different from that of one present by ordinary invitation.
Whether this circumstance indicates the marriage to have been that of
one of her own immediate family, or some more distant relative, we are
not informed.

It was customary to provide at wedding feasts a sufficiency of wine, the
pure though weak product of the local vineyards, which was the ordinary
table beverage of the time. On this occasion the supply of wine was
exhausted, and Mary told Jesus of the deficiency. Said He: "Woman, what
have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come." The noun of address,
"Woman," as applied by a son to his mother may sound to our ears
somewhat harsh, if not disrespectful; but its use was really an
expression of opposite import.[332] To every son, the mother ought to be
preeminently the woman of women; she is the one woman in the world to
whom the son owes his earthly existence; and though the title "Mother"
belongs to every woman who has earned the honors of maternity, yet to no
child is there more than one woman whom by natural right he can address
by that title of respectful acknowledgment. When, in the last dread
scenes of His mortal experience, Christ hung in dying agony upon the
cross, He looked, down upon the weeping Mary, His mother, and commended
her to the care of the beloved apostle John, with the words: "Woman,
behold thy son!"[333] Can it be thought that in this supreme moment, our
Lord's concern for the mother from whom He was about to be separated by
death was associated with any emotion other than that of honor,
tenderness and love?[334]

Nevertheless, His words to Mary at the marriage feast may have conveyed
a gentle reminder of her position as the mother of a Being superior to
herself; even as on that earlier occasion when she had found her Boy,
Jesus, in the temple, He had brought home to her the fact that her
jurisdiction over Him was not supreme. The manner in which she told Him
of the insufficiency of wine probably suggested an intimation that He
use His more than human power, and by such means supply the need. It was
not her function to direct or even to suggest the exercize of the power
inherent in Him as the Son of God; such had not been inherited from her.
"What have I to do with thee?" He asked; and added: "Mine hour is not
yet come." Here we find no disclaimer of the ability to do what she
apparently wanted Him to do, but the plain implication that He would act
only when the time was right for the purpose, and that He, not she, must
decide when that time had come. She understood His meaning, in part at
least, and contented herself by instructing the servants to do
whatsoever He directed. Here again is evidence of her position of
responsibility and domestic authority at the social gathering.

The time for His intervention soon arrived. There stood within the place
six water pots;[335] these He directed the servants to fill with water.
Then, without audible command or formula of invocation, as best we know,
He caused to be effected a transmutation within the pots, and when the
servants drew therefrom, it was wine, not water that issued. At a Jewish
social gathering, such as was this wedding festival, some one, usually a
relative of the host or hostess, or some other one worthy of the honor,
was made governor of the feast, or, as we say in this day, chairman, or
master of ceremonies. To this functionary the new wine was first served;
and he, calling the bridegroom, who was the real host, asked him why he
had reserved his choice wine till the last, when the usual custom was to
serve the best at the beginning, and the more ordinary later. The
immediate result of this, the first recorded of our Lord's miracles, is
thus tersely stated by the inspired evangelist: "This beginning of
miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory;
and his disciples believed on him."[336]

The circumstances incident to the miraculous act are instructive to
contemplate. The presence of Jesus at the marriage, and His contribution
to the successful conduct of the feast, set the seal of His approval
upon the matrimonial relationship and upon the propriety of social
entertainment. He was neither a recluse nor an ascetic; He moved among
men, eating and drinking, as a natural, normal Being.[337] On the
occasion of the feast He recognized and heeded the demands of the
liberal hospitality of the times, and provided accordingly. He, who but
a few days before had revolted at the tempter's suggestion that He
provide bread for His impoverished body, now used His power to supply a
luxury for others. One effect of the miracle was to confirm the trust of
those whose belief in Him as the Messiah was yet young and untried. "His
disciples believed on him"; surely they had believed in some measure
before, otherwise they would not have followed Him; but their belief was
now strengthened and made to approach, if indeed it did not attain, the
condition of abiding faith in their Lord. The comparative privacy
attending the manifestation is impressive; the moral and spiritual
effect was for the few, the inauguration of the Lord's ministry was not
to be marked by public display.


MIRACLES IN GENERAL

The act of transmutation whereby water became wine was plainly a
miracle, a phenomenon not susceptible of explanation, far less of
demonstration, by what we consider the ordinary operation of natural
law. This was the beginning of His miracles, or as expressed in the
revized version of the New Testament, "his signs." In many scriptures
miracles are called signs, as also wonders, powers, works, wonderful
works, mighty works,[338] etc. The spiritual effect of miracles would be
unattained were the witnesses not caused to inwardly wonder, marvel,
ponder and inquire; mere surprize or amazement may be produced by
deception and artful trickery. Any miraculous manifestation of divine
power would be futile as a means of spiritual effect were it
unimpressive. Moreover, every miracle is a sign of God's power; and
signs in this sense have been demanded of prophets who professed to
speak by divine authority, though such signs have not been given in all
cases. The Baptist was credited with no miracle, though he was
pronounced by the Christ as more than a prophet;[339] and the chronicles
of some earlier prophets[340] are devoid of all mention of miracles. On
the other hand, Moses, when commissioned to deliver Israel from Egypt,
was made, to understand that the Egyptians would look for the testimony
of miracles, and he was abundantly empowered therefore.[341]

Miracles cannot be in contravention of natural law, but are wrought
through the operation of laws not universally or commonly recognized.
Gravitation is everywhere operative, but the local and special
application of other agencies may appear to nullify it--as by muscular
effort or mechanical impulse a stone is lifted from the ground, poised
aloft, or sent hurtling through space. At every stage of the process,
however, gravity is in full play, though its effect is modified by that
of other and locally superior energy. The human sense of the miraculous
wanes as comprehension of the operative process increases. Achievements
made possible by modern invention of telegraph and telephone with or
without wires, the transmutation of mechanical power into electricity
with its manifold present applications and yet future possibilities, the
development of the gasoline motor, the present accomplishments in aerial
navigation--these are no longer miracles in man's estimation, because
they are all in some degree understood, are controlled by human agency,
and, moreover, are continuous in their operation and not phenomenal. We
arbitrarily classify as miracles only such phenomena as are unusual,
special, transitory, and wrought by an agency beyond the power of man's
control.

In a broader sense, all nature is miracle. Man has learned that by
planting the seed of the grape in suitable soil, and by due cultivation,
he may conduce to the growth of what shall be a mature and fruitful
vine; but is there no miracle, even in the sense of inscrutable
processes, in that development? Is there less of real miracle in the
so-called natural course of plant development--the growth of root, stem,
leaves, and fruit, with the final elaboration of the rich nectar of the
vine--than there was in what appears supernatural in the transmutation
of water into wine at Cana?

In the contemplation of the miracles wrought by Christ, we must of
necessity recognize the operation of a power transcending our present
human understanding. In this field, science has not yet advanced far
enough to analyze and explain. To deny the actuality of miracles on the
ground that, because we cannot comprehend the means, the reported
results are fictitious, is to arrogate to the human mind the attribute
of omniscience, by implying that what man cannot comprehend cannot be,
and that therefore he is able to comprehend all that is. The miracles of
record in the Gospels are as fully supported by evidence as are many of
the historical events which call forth neither protest nor demand for
further proof. To the believer in the divinity of Christ, the miracles
are sufficiently attested; to the unbeliever they appear but as myths
and fables.[342]

To comprehend the works of Christ, one must know Him as the Son of God;
to the man who has not yet learned to know, to the honest soul who would
inquire after the Lord, the invitation is ready; let him "Come and see."


NOTES TO CHAPTER 11.

1. Misunderstanding of Malachi's Prediction.--In the closing chapter of
the compilation of scriptures known to us as the Old Testament, the
prophet Malachi thus describes a condition incident to the last days,
immediately preceding the second coming of Christ: "For, behold, the day
cometh, that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that
do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them
up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor
branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness
arise with healing in his wings." The fateful prophecy concludes with
the following blessed and far-reaching promise: "Behold, I will send you
Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of
the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children,
and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite
the earth with a curse." (Malachi 4:1, 2, 5, 6.) It has been held by
theologians and Bible commentators that this prediction had reference to
the birth and ministry of John the Baptist, (compare Matt. 11:14; 17:11;
Mark 9:11; Luke 1:17), upon whom rested the spirit and power of Elias
(Luke 1:17). However, we have no record of Elijah having ministered unto
the Baptist, and furthermore, the latter's ministry, glorious though it
was, justifies no conclusion that in him did the prophecy find its full
realization. In addition, it should be remembered, that the Lord's
declaration through Malachi, relative to the day of burning in which the
wicked would be destroyed as stubble, yet awaits fulfilment. It is
evident, therefore, that the commonly accepted interpretation is at
fault, and that we must look to a later date than the time of John for
the fulfilment of Malachi's prediction. The later occasion has come; it
belongs to the present dispensation, and marks the inauguration of a
work specially reserved for the Church in these latter days. In the
course of a glorious manifestation to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery,
in the temple at Kirtland, Ohio, April 3d, 1836, there appeared unto
them Elijah, the prophet of old, who had been taken from earth while
still in the body. He declared unto them: "Behold, the time has fully
come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi, testifying that he
(Elijah) should be sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord
come, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the
children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse.
Therefore the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands,
and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is
near, even at the doors." (Doc. and Cov. 110:13-16.) See also _The House
of the Lord_, pp. 82-83.

2. The Sign of the Dove.--"John the Baptist ... had the privilege of
beholding the Holy Ghost descend in the form of a dove, or rather in the
_sign_ of the dove, in witness of that administration. The sign of the
dove was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the
Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of a dove. The Holy
Ghost is a personage, and is in the form of a personage. It does not
confine itself to the _form_ of the dove, but in _sign_ of the dove. The
Holy Ghost cannot be transformed into a dove; but the sign of a dove was
given to John to signify the truth of the deed, as the dove is an emblem
or token of truth and innocence."--From Sermon by Joseph Smith, _History
of the Church_, vol. 5, pp. 260-261.

3. The Testimony of John the Baptist.--Observe that the Baptist's
testimony to the divinity of Christ's mission is recorded as having been
given after the period of our Lord's forty-day fast and temptations, and
therefore approximately six weeks subsequent to the baptism of Jesus. To
the deputation of priests and Levites of the Pharisaic party, who
visited him by direction of the rulers, probably by appointment from the
Sanhedrin, John, after disavowing that he was the Christ or any one of
the prophets specified in the inquiry, said: "There standeth one among
you whom ye know not; he it is who coming after me is preferred before
me." On the next day, and again on the day following that, he bore
public testimony to Jesus as the Lamb of God; and on the third day after
the visit of the priests and Levites to John, Jesus started on the
journey to Galilee (John 1:19-43).

John's use of the designation "Lamb of God" implied his conception of
the Messiah as One appointed for sacrifice, and his use of the term is
the earliest mention found in the Bible. For later Biblical
applications, direct or implied, see Acts 8:32; 1 Peter 1:19; Rev. 5:6,
8, 12, 13; 6:1, 16; 7:9, 10, 17; etc.

4. "Come and See."--The spirit of our Lord's invitation to the young
truth seekers, Andrew and John, is manifest in a similar privilege
extended to all. The man who would know Christ must come to Him, to see
and hear, to feel and know. Missionaries may carry the good tidings, the
message of the gospel, but the response must be an individual one. Are
you in doubt as to what that message means to-day? Then come and see for
yourself. Would you know where Christ is to be found? Come and see.

5. The Eternal Father a Resurrected, Exalted Being.--"As the Father hath
power in himself, so hath the Son power in himself, to lay down his life
and take it again, so he has a body of his own. The Son doeth what he
hath seen the Father do: then the Father hath some day laid down his
life and taken it again; so he has a body of his own; each one will be
in his own body."--Joseph Smith; see _Hist, of the Church_, vol. 5, p.
426.

"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted Man, and sits
enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil was
rent to-day, and the Great God who holds this world in its orbit, and
who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself
visible,--I say, if you were to see him to-day, you would see him like a
man in form--like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as
a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image, and likeness of
God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed
with him, as one man talks and communes with another."--Joseph Smith;
see _Compendium_, p. 190.

6. Waterpots for Ceremonial Cleansing.--In the house at Cana there stood
in a place specially reserved, six waterpots of stone "after the manner
of the purifying of the Jews." Vessels of water were provided as a
matter of prescribed order in Jewish homes, to facilitate the ceremonial
washings enjoined by the law. From these pots or jars the water was
drawn off as required; they were reservoirs holding the supply, not
vessels used in the actual ablution.

7. "The Attitude of Science Towards Miracles" is the subject of a
valuable article by Prof. H. L. Orchard, published in _Journal of the
Transactions of the Victoria Institute, or Philosophical Society of
Great Britain_, 1910, Vol. 42, pp. 81-122. This article was the Gunning
Prize Essay for 1909. After a lengthy analytical treatment of his
subject, the author presents the following summation, which was
concurred in by those who took part in the ensuing discussions: "We here
complete our scientific investigation of Bible Miracles. It has embraced
(1) the _nature_ of the phenomenon; (2) the _conditions_ under which it
is alleged to have occurred; (3) the character of the _testimony_ to its
occurrence. To the inquiry--Were the Bible miracles probable? science
answers in the affirmative. To the further inquiry--Did they actually
occur? the answer of science is again, and very emphatically, in the
affirmative. If we liken them to gold, she has made her assay and says
the gold is pure. Or the Bible miracles may be compared to a string of
pearls. If science seeks to know whether the pearls are genuine, she may
apply chemical and other tests to the examination of their _character_;
she may search into the _conditions and circumstances_ in which the
alleged pearls were found. Were they first found in an oyster, or in
some manufacturing laboratory? And she may investigate the _testimony_
of experts. Should the result of any one of these examinations affirm
the genuineness of the pearls, science will be slow to believe that they
are 'paste'; if all the results declare their genuineness, science will
not hesitate to say that they are true pearls. This, as we have seen, is
the case of the Bible miracles. Science, therefore, affirms _their
actual occurrence_."

8. The Testimony of Miracles.--The Savior's promise in a former day
(Mark 16:17-18), as in the present dispensation (Doc. and Cov.
84:65-73), is definite, to the effect that specified gifts of the Spirit
are to follow the believer as signs of divine favor. The possession and
exercize of such gifts may be taken therefore as essential features of
the Church of Christ. Nevertheless we are not justified in regarding the
evidence of miracles as infallible testimony of authority from heaven;
on the other hand, the scriptures furnish abundant proof that spiritual
powers of the baser sort have wrought miracles, and will continue so to
do, to the deceiving of many who lack discernment. If miracles be
accepted as infallible evidence of godly power, the magicians of Egypt,
through the wonders which they accomplished in opposition to the
ordained plan for Israel's deliverance, have as good a claim to our
respect as has Moses (Exo. 7:11). John the Revelator saw in vision a
wicked power working miracles, and thereby deceiving many; doing great
wonders, even bringing fire from heaven (Rev. 13:11-18). Again, he saw
three unclean spirits, whom he knew to be "the spirits of devils working
miracles" (Rev. 16:13-14). Consider, in connection with this, the
prediction made by the Savior:--There shall arise false Christs, and
false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that,
if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect (Matt. 24:24).
The invalidity of miracles as a proof of righteousness is indicated in
an utterance of Jesus Christ regarding the events of the great
judgment:--"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy
name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I
never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matt. 7:22-23).
The Jews, to whom these teachings were addressed, knew that wonders
could be wrought by evil powers; for they charged Christ with working
miracles by the authority of Beelzebub the prince of devils (Matt.
12:22-30; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15).--From the author's _The Articles of
Faith_, xii:25, 26.