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Those of the Gospels and Acts were special miracles attesting the truth of this earthly kingdom. They were nearly
all public and spectacular in character. At least 20 of the Acts miracles were seen by witnesses, sometimes by great
multitudes, as on the day of Pentecost. Some of these miracles produced holy `boldness' and godly `fear' among
believers (Acts 4:29-31). Some silenced the most vehement opposers who could not deny their genuineness. They
were forced to admit, `that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in
Jerusalem and we cannot deny it' (4:15,16).
There can be no doubt from holy Scripture that they were of a special class and were linked with the
confirmation of the earthly kingdom and at the conclusion of the Acts the age of great public miracles came to an
end. To take them out of this divine setting and context as is so often done today, can be dangerous, for it gives
Satan, the great enemy of God and the believer, the opportunity to travesty these miracles and so deceive the
unwary. This is why that even during the Acts when they spoke their testimony, God gave the gift of discerning of
spirits to believers which enabled them to infallibly sift the true from the false. Hence the warning in 1 John 4:1-3.
Some will admit the absence of such miracles in the present age, but they argue that this is due to the
unspirituality of the Lord's people and if there was a revival and deep concern with regard to the things of God, these
miracles would take place again. This is largely the attitude of the present Pentecostal movements. The answer to
this is clear. There have been great spiritual revivals in the past and outstanding spiritual leaders have arisen such as
Luther, Calvin and others but there have been no corresponding revivals of great public miracles such as occurred
in the Acts.
Now in this era, we have the silence of God (see The Silence of God by Sir Robert Anderson, published by
Kregel in U.S.A.), a silence of abounding grace. Moreover, at the time of these miracles special Pentecostal gifts as
detailed in 1 Corinthians 12 occurred. And that these had primarily no connection with spirituality is clearly
evidenced by the fact that the most unspiritual and carnal church, the one at Corinth, had an abundance of these
Pentecostal gifts!
Before we leave the consideration of the miracles which occurred during the Acts period, it is well to see the
contrast between the first miracles performed by Peter and Paul. Peter commences by healing a Jew as detailed in
Acts 3:1-9, typical of what God was prepared to do for Israel in spiritual healing and restoration if only they would
turn to Him, whereas Paul's first miracle blinded a Jew (Acts 13:6-11) for a season, a prophetic foreview of the
spiritual blindness that was to fall on the nation in the last chapter of Acts (28:25-28) for their wilful turning away
from the Lord. In the case of Elymas, it was not permanent, but `for a season' (13:11) and we know from Romans
11 that Israel's blindness is also not permanent, but until `the fulness of the Gentiles be come in' (Rom. 11:25),
although their period of darkness has been a long one, nearly 2000 years up to date.
Before this happened, Paul warned them, in his first recorded speech:
`Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and
wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man
declare it unto you' (Acts 13:40,41).
At the same time he reminded them of the privileged position God had given them in His plan to use them to reach
the Gentile, in fact to reach the whole world with the gospel and the kingdom message. In doing this Paul quoted
Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6:
`For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee (Israel) to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou
shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth' (Acts 13:47).
This is a very concise summing up of Israel's position in God's plan. In the latter quotation from Isaiah, it is difficult
to determine whether Christ is referred to or Israel, but it is true of both and in this verse Paul condemns the Jew
who was opposing. It is important to understand that, during the Acts, Gentile blessing was through Israel and
Gentile believers were associated with Israel, but never apart from them. `Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with His people
(Israel)' (Romans 15:10). Such were partakers of Israel's spiritual things (Rom. 15:27).
As we go on with our study a further link between the book of the Acts and the Old Testament is seen by the fact
that there are at least twenty quotations from the Old Testament in the Acts either in fulfilment of what was then