Signs & Wonders Blog

When asked by His disciples about the signs of His Second Coming, Jesus answered , “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, "I am the Christ,' and will deceive many...Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.” (Matthew 24:4-5, 11). The Lord later said in verse 24, “ For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” The word prophet comes from the Latin word “propheta” which means, “One that foretells future events; a predicter; a foreteller.” Throughout the Bible, men of God such as Moses, Elijah, David, and Isaiah were inspired or instructed by God to announce future events. Under the New Covenant, we still have prophets as well as other ministers who operate in the prophetic. Some of the latter get dubbed “false prophets” by critics who disagree with their teachings. Many of them don’t even claim to be prophets . In April 1997, John Kilpatrick, then-pa...

One thing that kept me away from Christianity during my younger years was religious ideas regarding music . Some church folk preaches against genres of music they hate, such as hard rock and rap. After becoming a believer, I learned of one denomination that prohibits musical instruments during worship services. They only allow a cappella singing. A meme circulating online lists the following reasons why some believers are against instrumental music for worship (along with Scripture references to defend their beliefs): Was not commanded by Christ (Matthew 28:18-20, Colossians 3:17) Goes beyond the doctrine of Christ, and adds to the Word of God (2 John 9-11) Makes worship vain (Matthew 15:1-9) Is not a part of true worship (John 4:24) Is not a part of “the truth” of the Apostles (John 16:13; 17:17) Is not walking by faith (Roman 10:17) I find these narrow interpretations of God’s word ridiculous. Laptops, tablets, and smartphones aren’t in the Bible. Wouldn’t that mean one shou...

This past Friday, I bought an iPhone at the Apple Store. Since I had debated between two models, I almost got a different one the previous week but mentioned the possibility of exchanging it for another. The salesman tried convincing me to buy AppleCare, a protection plan to extend the complimentary coverage of my purchase. I decided to wait until getting settled on the model I wanted. I’ve been a long-time Apple customer but never bought AppleCare. I own a five-year-old iPad that’s still running great. My first MacBook Pro had battery issues. That got covered by a one-year warranty. My next two Macs both needed the hard drive cable replaced. Because both laptops were several years old, AppleCare wouldn’t have covered those cables. My current MacBook Pro (which I’ve had for over three years) has had two repairs. The first happened within the warranty period. The second one a year later cost me $85. It would’ve cost me more money in the long run if AppleCare was purchased. I recall ...

I don't read the New International Version much but consider it a viable translation of the Bible. Nevertheless, it receives a lot of unnecessary flak, particularly from King James Onlyists . One reason is that it supposedly has missing verses . Some critics believe it’s satanically inspired . A misleading Facebook post that’s appeared several times in my news feed claims: “NIV was published by Zondervan but is now OWNED by Harper Collins, who also publishes the Satanic Bible and The Joy of Gay Sex.” The New International Version’s copyright is owned by the nonprofit ministry Biblica (formerly International Bible Society). Zondervan and its parent company HarperCollins is licensed to publish the NIV but doesn’t oversee its content. It should be pointed out that HarperCollins has a separate Christian division that also includes Thomas Nelson, a publisher of books by Billy Graham and Max Lucado plus Bibles including the King James Version! Some will argue Christians shouldn’t be ...

Sometimes while evangelizing, you meet people with weird ideas about Jesus Christ. Two days ago, I witnessed to a man standing by his stalled car. He wore a cap indicating he was an Air Force veteran. So I thanked him for his service. Then I handed him a gospel tract after saying, “I used to be in the army. Now I’m in the army of the Lord.” We talked for a couple of minutes. During which, this man claimed there were three Jesuses in the Bible. I wanted to warn him about following another Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4). By this time, a state trooper arrived and offered to push this man’s car off the main road. I took that as a sign it was time for me to leave. That incident reminded me of a television program called “To Tell the Truth.” Four celebrity panelists are introduced to three contestants claiming to be the same person. The panelists then ask them questions to determine which  contestant is the genuine article. The host eventually asks, “Will the real so-and-so please stan...

Often we take simple things for granted, such as the liberty to walk to the store. What if you couldn’t do that anymore? Imagine someone controlling your life all hours of the day and forcing you to do horrific things. Millions of children are trapped in a modern-day holocaust that’s now being exposed on the silver screen. The movie “Sound of Freedom” is based on a true story. Jim Caviezel (who played Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ”) stars as Tim Ballard, a former Homeland Security agent who later quit his job to devote his life to rescuing children caught in sex trafficking . Early in the movie, Tim and his associates arrest a man for downloading child pornography. Information obtained through this pedophile enabled Tim to track down another one attempting to smuggle a Honduran boy across the border. Tim soon learns the boy’s sister is held captive by traffickers. He then embarks on a dangerous mission in Colombia to save her. “Sound of Freedom” encountered opposition from Hol...

Moses overlooking the Promised Land Some of the social causes Americans stand for have gotten ridiculous. Last Sunday at a festival in New Orleans, R&B singer Jill Scott sang “The Star Spangled Banner” but altered the words claiming black people are oppressed and “blood built this land.” Those remarks come from a woman with a net worth of $12 million. It’s true blood built this land. Countless U. S. soldiers shed theirs so one could be free to desecrate our National Anthem by singing misguided lyrics. I’ve already boycotted Ben & Jerry’s ice cream because their founders promote ungodly causes like abortion and same-sex marriage. This past Fourth of July, the Vermont-based company posted a tweet suggesting it was “high time we recognize that the U.S. exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it.” Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield better be ready to put their money where their mouths are. One Native American leader wants them to return the land their company headqua...