There are different kinds of miracles recorded in the Bible, along with different ways to categorize them. Some miracles are physical as well as nonphysical. Physical miracles would be raising the dead, parting the Red Sea, walking on water, etc. Nonphysical miracles would be knowing someone’s heart, speaking in tongues, and prophesying. But, not all miracles are from God. There are demonic miracles. Therefore, we can also categorize miracles as those worked by God and those worked by demonic forces. This is important because Jesus warned us about false miracle workers.
- “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS,'” (Matthew 7:22–23).
- “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect,” (Matthew 24:24).
As you can see in Matthew 7:22-23, some people performed miracles but were never Christians. Therefore, they performed them with demonic influence. Nevertheless, the following is a list of different miracles. First, I will categorize them as physical and spiritual (non-physical). Second, I will categorize them by those performed by God and those by demonic forces.
Physical and Spiritual miracles
There are different miracles in the Bible, which I’m categorizing here as physical and spiritual. These are not all the miracles recorded in the Bible, but they will give you a good idea of the different ways that God works in miracles.
- Physical
- Creation of the world by God (Genesis 1:1-27)
- The Flood (Gen. 7:17-24)
- Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed (Genesis 19:24-25)
- Burning Bush (Exodus 3:3-15)
- Moses’ rod changed into a snake (Exodus 4:3-4)
- Nile River turned to blood (Exodus 7:20-25)
- Parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-23)
- Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego delivered through the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:19-27)
- Jonah in the belly of the fish for three days (Jonah 2:1-10)
- Jesus changed water into wine (John 2:1-11)
- The resurrection of the widow’s son (Luke 7:11-17)
- Jesus’ virgin birth (Luke 1:35)
- Jesus calmed a storm with the command (Matthew 8:23-27)
- Jairus’ daughter raised from the dead (Matthew 9:23)
- Jesus fed the 5000 (Matthew 14:15-21)
- Jesus walked on water (Matthew 14:25-23)
- Jesus’ resurrects Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-44)
- The resurrection of Jesus (Luke 24:6)
- Christ appears to Paul (Acts 9:1-5)
- Lame man cured by Paul (Acts 14:10)
- Spiritual
- God the Father spoke from heaven (Matt. 3:17)
- Jesus knew the thoughts of people (Matt. 9:4; 12:25)
- Tongues of fire on the disciples (Acts 2:3–4)
- Agabus prophesies about famine (Acts 11:28; 21:11)
- Gift of tongues (Acts 19:6)
- Interpretation of tongues (1 Cor. 14:26-27)
- Gift of miracles (1 Cor. 12:10)
- Gift of prophecy (Luke 1:6-7; 1 Cor. 14:4)
- The Holy Spirit speaking (Acts 13:2)
- God opened Lydia’s mind to respond to what Paul said (Acts 16:14)
- Jesus opened the minds of the disciples (Luke 24:45)
- Being born again (John 3:3-8)
Different sources of miracles: God and demonic
As you can see in the list above, there are different kinds of miracles. The following list, though shorter, draws from the previous list regarding the miracles from God. But this list adds those done by demonic forces.
- From God
- Creation of the world by God (Gen. 1:1-27)
- The Flood (Gen. 7:17-24)
- Parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-23)
- Jesus calmed a storm with the command (Matt. 8:23-27)
- Jesus’ resurrects Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-44)
- The resurrection of Jesus (Luke 24:6)
- etc.
- From demonic forces
- Pharaoh’s sorcerers and magicians changed a staff into a snake (Exodus 7:10-11)
- Pharaoh’s sorcerers and magicians made frogs come onto the land (Exodus 8:7)
- False prophets work miracles (Deut. 13:1-3)
- The activity of Satan will have signs and wonders (2 Thess. 2:8-10; Rev. 13:13-14)
- Magicians perform miraculous signs (Acts 8:9-10; 13:8)
- Casting out demons and performing miracles (Matt. 7:22-23)
- Miracles performed by false prophets (Matt. 24:24)
We must always be wary of miraculous works. Though God can certainly perform them today (1 Cor. 1:7), the enemy of the gospel can also work wonderous signs through his servants, the false prophets, the false Christ, and the false teachers (Matt. 24:14). This is why we are called to examine everything (1 Thess. 5:21) with the word of God (Acts 17:11).
See also
