Miracles: Signs of Divine Power

Miracles are extraordinary acts of God that transcend the natural order—events that cannot be explained by natural causes alone but manifest divine power and purpose. They are not random displays of might but purposeful signs pointing to God’s character, His covenant faithfulness, and His redemptive plan. In the biblical and Quranic narratives, miracles validate prophets, demonstrate God’s sovereignty, inspire faith, and foreshadow ultimate salvation.

Across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, miracles occupy a central place in salvation history. The Exodus from Egypt, marked by ten devastating plagues and the parting of the Red Sea, established Israel as God’s covenant people. Jesus’ miracles—healing the sick, raising the dead, commanding nature—revealed the inbreaking of God’s kingdom. Muhammad’s night journey (Isra and Mi’raj) and the Quran itself as an inimitable miracle affirm his prophetic authority.

Yet miracles also raise profound questions. Why doesn’t God always intervene? Can miracles happen today, or were they limited to certain eras? How do we distinguish genuine miracles from natural coincidences, fraud, or demonic deception? And what is the relationship between miracles and faith—do miracles produce faith, or is faith prerequisite to miracles?

In Judaism, miracles (nissim) testify to God’s active involvement in history, especially in rescuing Israel from bondage and sustaining them in the wilderness. While rabbinic thought acknowledges God’s miraculous power, it also cautions against demanding signs and emphasizes that the natural order itself is a continuous miracle.

In Christianity, Jesus’ miracles are “signs” (sēmeia) that reveal His identity as Messiah and Son of God. They demonstrate that the kingdom of God has come near in His person. The early church continued to perform miracles as confirmation of the gospel, though debate continues about whether such gifts persist today.

In Islam, miracles (mu’jizat) are given to prophets to authenticate their message. Yet the Quran emphasizes that the greatest miracle is the Quran itself—a literary and theological masterpiece that no human can replicate. Muslims believe that God’s power is unlimited, but miraculous intervention is always subject to His wisdom and will.

Despite differences in emphasis and interpretation, all three traditions affirm: God is not bound by the natural order He created. He can and does act in extraordinary ways to accomplish His purposes. Miracles are possible because God is sovereign.

What Is a Miracle?

Defining the Miraculous

The English word “miracle” comes from the Latin miraculum, meaning “object of wonder.” But what distinguishes a miracle from a merely unusual or fortunate event?

Traditional definition: A miracle is an event caused by God that transcends the natural order. It is not merely rare or unexpected but impossible according to the known laws of nature.

Biblical terminology: The Bible uses several overlapping terms:

• Hebrew: Nes (נֵס, miracle or sign), mofet (מוֹפֵת, wonder or portent), ot (אוֹת, sign)
• Greek: Sēmeion (σημεῖον, sign), teras (τέρας, wonder), dunamis (δύναμις, power or mighty work)
• Arabic: Mu’jizah (معجزة, that which renders others unable to match), ayah (آية, sign)

These terms emphasize different aspects:

• Sign (ot, sēmeion, ayah): Points to something beyond itself—God’s presence, power, or purpose
• Wonder (mofet, teras): Evokes awe and astonishment
• Power (dunamis): Demonstrates divine might
• Mu’jizah: Emphasizes inimitability—something no human could replicate

Purpose of Miracles

Miracles are never random. They serve specific purposes:

1. Authenticate messengers: Miracles confirm that a prophet truly speaks for God (Exodus 4:1-9; John 3:2; Quran 13:7)
2. Reveal God’s character: They demonstrate His power, mercy, justice, and faithfulness
3. Accomplish redemption: Miracles rescue, heal, and restore
4. Inspire faith: They call people to believe and trust in God (John 20:30-31)
5. Foreshadow ultimate salvation: They are previews of the final restoration of all things

Miracles are not ends in themselves but means to a greater end: knowing and glorifying God.

Miracles in Judaism

The Foundational Miracles: Exodus

The defining miracles of Judaism are the Exodus events—the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, manna from heaven, water from the rock, and the giving of the Torah at Sinai amid thunder and fire.

The Ten Plagues (Exodus 7-12): God struck Egypt with escalating judgments—water turned to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock disease, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and finally the death of the firstborn. Each plague demonstrated God’s power over Egyptian deities and Pharaoh’s impotence.

The Parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14): When Israel was trapped between the sea and Pharaoh’s army, Moses stretched out his hand, and God drove back the sea with a strong east wind. “The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left” (Exodus 14:21-22). When the Egyptians pursued, the waters returned and covered them.

This miracle became the paradigm of God’s saving power. Prophets and psalmists repeatedly reference it as proof that the LORD is the one true God who redeems His people.

Wilderness Miracles: For forty years, God sustained Israel in the desert:

• Manna: Bread from heaven fell daily except on the Sabbath (Exodus 16)
• Quail: God provided meat in response to Israel’s complaints (Numbers 11)
• Water from the rock: Moses struck a rock, and water gushed out (Exodus 17; Numbers 20)
• Bronze serpent: Those bitten by serpents were healed by looking at the bronze serpent Moses lifted up (Numbers 21:8-9)

These miracles demonstrated God’s faithfulness to provide for His people, even when they grumbled and rebelled.

Miracles of the Prophets

After the Exodus, miracles continued through the prophets, especially Elijah and Elisha.

Elijah (1 Kings 17-2 Kings 2):

• Drought and rain at his word (1 Kings 17:1; 18:41-45)
• Multiplied widow’s oil and flour (1 Kings 17:14-16)
• Raised widow’s son from death (1 Kings 17:22)
• Called fire from heaven to consume sacrifice (1 Kings 18:38)
• Outran Ahab’s chariot (1 Kings 18:46)
• Taken up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11)

Elisha (2 Kings 2-13):

• Parted the Jordan River (2 Kings 2:14)
• Purified poisoned water (2 Kings 2:21)
• Multiplied widow’s oil (2 Kings 4:5-6)
• Raised Shunammite woman’s son (2 Kings 4:35)
• Made iron axe head float (2 Kings 6:6)
• Struck Aramean army with blindness (2 Kings 6:18)
• Even his bones raised a dead man (2 Kings 13:21)

Daniel and his friends:

• Survived the fiery furnace (Daniel 3)
• Daniel survived the lions’ den (Daniel 6)
• Interpreted dreams and visions (Daniel 2, 4, 5)

These miracles authenticated the prophets as God’s spokesmen and demonstrated God’s sovereignty over nature, disease, and death.

Rabbinic Views on Miracles

Rabbinic Judaism approaches miracles with both reverence and caution.

Miracles as testimony: The rabbis affirmed that biblical miracles happened and testified to God’s power and covenant love. The Passover Seder retells the Exodus miracles, and prayers regularly recall God’s “signs and wonders.”

Caution against seeking signs: The Talmud warns against demanding miracles or relying on them instead of obedience to Torah. Rabbi Yochanan said, “A miracle does not occur every day” (Pesachim 50b). Miracles are extraordinary; the ordinary course of providence is God’s usual way of working.

Hidden miracles: Some rabbis taught that God prefers to work through “hidden miracles”—events that appear natural but are divinely orchestrated. This preserves human free will and rewards faith.

Pre-ordained at creation: A fascinating rabbinic tradition holds that certain miracles were pre-ordained at twilight on the sixth day of creation (Pirkei Avot 5:6)—including the splitting of the Red Sea, the mouth of Balaam’s donkey, and the manna. This suggests that miracles are not violations of nature but part of God’s original design.

Miracles and Messianic Expectation

Jewish tradition expects miracles in the messianic age. Isaiah prophesied: “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy” (Isaiah 35:5-6). When the Messiah comes, miraculous healing and restoration will accompany the establishment of God’s kingdom.

This expectation is one reason why Jesus’ miracles led some to ask, “Could this be the Messiah?” Yet the prevailing Jewish assessment is that Jesus’ miracles, while impressive, do not prove Messiahship, since false prophets can also perform signs (Deuteronomy 13:1-3).

Miracles in Christianity

Jesus’ Miracles: Signs of the Kingdom

The Gospels record approximately 35 specific miracles performed by Jesus, categorized as:

1. Healings: Blind, deaf, mute, paralyzed, lepers, woman with bleeding, demon-possessed
2. Exorcisms: Casting out demons
3. Nature miracles: Calming storm, walking on water, multiplying bread and fish, turning water to wine
4. Resurrections: Jairus’ daughter, widow of Nain’s son, Lazarus

Jesus’ miracles serve multiple purposes in the Gospel narratives:

Authentication of His identity: John writes, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31).

Compassion: Jesus was “moved with compassion” when He saw the crowds “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). His miracles flowed from genuine love for suffering people.

Signs of the kingdom: Jesus declared, “But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20). His miracles were evidence that God’s kingdom was breaking into the world.

Fulfillment of prophecy: Matthew repeatedly notes that Jesus’ healings fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecies (Matthew 8:17; 12:17-21).

The Greatest Miracle: Resurrection

Christianity’s central miracle is Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Paul writes: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). The resurrection is not peripheral but foundational.

The Gospels record post-resurrection appearances to Mary Magdalene, the disciples, Thomas, the two on the road to Emmaus, and more than 500 witnesses at once (1 Corinthians 15:6). The resurrection validated Jesus’ claims, demonstrated His victory over death, and inaugurated the new creation.

Apostolic Miracles

After Pentecost, the apostles performed miracles “in the name of Jesus Christ”:

• Peter healed a lame beggar (Acts 3:6-8)
• Peter’s shadow healed the sick (Acts 5:15)
• Philip performed signs in Samaria (Acts 8:6-7)
• Peter raised Tabitha from death (Acts 9:40)
• Paul healed a crippled man (Acts 14:10)
• Paul raised Eutychus from death (Acts 20:10)
• Handkerchiefs from Paul healed the sick (Acts 19:11-12)

These miracles confirmed the apostolic message: “God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will” (Hebrews 2:4).

Spiritual Gifts of Miracles

Paul lists “gifts of healing” and “miraculous powers” among the spiritual gifts distributed by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9-10, 28). These gifts enable believers to perform miracles for the edification of the church.

Cessationism vs. Continuationism

A major debate in Christianity concerns whether miracles continue today:

Cessationism: Miracles (especially apostolic-level miracles) ceased with the death of the apostles and the completion of the New Testament canon. The primary purpose of miracles was to authenticate the apostles and the gospel message; once Scripture was complete, this purpose was fulfilled.

Continuationism: The Holy Spirit continues to distribute miraculous gifts, including healing and miracles, according to His will. There is no biblical indication that these gifts have ceased; indeed, Jesus promised that believers would do “even greater works” (John 14:12).

Cessationists point to the decline of documented miracles after the apostolic era. Continuationists point to ongoing reports of miracles, especially in mission contexts and the Global South.

Faith and Miracles

Jesus often connected miracles to faith:

• “Your faith has healed you” (Mark 5:34; Luke 17:19)
• “I have not found such great faith even in Israel” (Matthew 8:10, about the centurion)
• “According to your faith let it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29)

Yet Jesus also performed miracles for those with little or no faith (the paralytic lowered through the roof, Lazarus). Faith is often the result of miracles, not just the prerequisite.

Conversely, unbelief can hinder miracles: “He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith” (Matthew 13:58).

Miracles in Islam

The Quran as the Supreme Miracle

In Islam, the greatest miracle (mu’jizah) is the Quran itself. The Quran challenges anyone to produce a single chapter (surah) like it:

Quran 2:23-24: “And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant, then produce a chapter the like thereof and call upon your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be truthful. But if you do not—and you will never be able to—then fear the Fire, whose fuel is men and stones, which is prepared for the disbelievers.”

The Quran’s linguistic beauty, theological coherence, scientific accuracy (as Muslims see it), and transformative power are considered miraculous—evidence that it could not have been authored by an illiterate man (Muhammad) but must be divine revelation.

Miracles of the Prophets

The Quran recounts miracles performed by earlier prophets, authenticating their messages:

Moses (Musa):

• Staff turned into a serpent (Quran 7:107; 20:20-21)
• Hand became white (Quran 7:108; 20:22)
• Parted the sea (Quran 26:63)
• Struck the rock, producing twelve springs (Quran 2:60)
• Received the Torah on stone tablets (Quran 7:145)

Jesus (Isa):

• Born of a virgin (Quran 3:47; 19:20-21)
• Spoke as an infant (Quran 19:29-33)
• Created a bird from clay and brought it to life (Quran 3:49; 5:110)
• Healed the blind and lepers (Quran 3:49; 5:110)
• Raised the dead (Quran 3:49; 5:110)
• Brought down a table of food from heaven (Quran 5:112-115)

The Quran affirms these miracles but emphasizes that they were performed “by Allah’s permission.” Jesus is a prophet, not divine; the miracles demonstrate Allah’s power, not Jesus’ deity.

Muhammad’s Miracles

While the Quran is Muhammad’s primary miracle, Islamic tradition (hadith and sirah) records other miracles:

The Night Journey (Isra and Mi’raj): Muhammad was miraculously transported from Mecca to Jerusalem and then ascended through the seven heavens, meeting earlier prophets and receiving the command for five daily prayers (Quran 17:1; detailed in hadith).

Splitting of the moon: “The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has split” (Quran 54:1). Traditional interpretation sees this as a literal miracle performed by Muhammad, though modern interpreters debate whether it’s figurative or refers to a future event.

Multiplication of food and water: Hadith literature records instances of Muhammad multiplying food to feed many or producing water from his fingers.

Healing: Muhammad is reported to have healed the sick and wounded.

Protection: Angels protected Muhammad in battle, and attempts to assassinate him failed miraculously.

The Role of Miracles in Islamic Thought

Authentication: Miracles prove a prophet’s truthfulness. Allah would not grant miracles to a false prophet.

Invitation to faith: Miracles call people to believe, though the Quran notes that even after witnessing miracles, some still disbelieve (Quran 17:90-93).

Not coercion: Allah could compel everyone to believe through overwhelming miracles, but He values free choice. The Quran is a sufficient miracle for those with open hearts.

Limited in scope: Unlike Christianity, where believers are promised they will perform signs (Mark 16:17-18), in Islam, miracles are specific to prophets. Ordinary believers do not perform miracles, though saints (awliya) in Sufi tradition are sometimes credited with wonders (karamat).

Comparative Themes

Miracles Authenticate Divine Messengers

All three traditions agree that miracles validate prophets. When Moses hesitated to go to Pharaoh, God gave him miraculous signs to prove his commission (Exodus 4:1-9). Nicodemus acknowledged to Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him” (John 3:2). The Quran repeatedly references miracles as proof (bayyinah) of prophethood.

Yet all three also warn that miracles alone are not sufficient. Deuteronomy 13:1-3 warns that false prophets may perform signs to lead people astray. Jesus warned that false messiahs would perform great signs and wonders (Matthew 24:24). Discernment is necessary—miracles must align with true doctrine.

God’s Sovereignty Over Nature

Miracles demonstrate that God is not bound by the natural order. He created the laws of nature and can suspend or supersede them at will.

This conviction distinguishes Abrahamic monotheism from deism (which holds that God created the world and left it to run on its own) and from naturalism (which denies any supernatural intervention).

The Problem of Selective Intervention

If God can perform miracles, why doesn’t He always intervene to prevent suffering? Why heal one person and not another? Why part the Red Sea but not always deliver His people from oppression?

All three traditions wrestle with this:

• Judaism: God’s ways are higher than our ways. We cannot always understand His purposes, but we trust His wisdom and justice.
• Christianity: In a fallen world, suffering is pervasive. Miracles are signs of the kingdom that is “already” present in Christ but “not yet” fully consummated. When Christ returns, all sickness, death, and sorrow will be abolished.
• Islam: Allah acts according to His perfect wisdom. Miracles serve specific purposes; demanding them may indicate lack of faith.

Faith and Miracles

All three traditions see a complex relationship between faith and miracles:

• Miracles can produce or strengthen faith
• Faith can be prerequisite to experiencing miracles
• Yet God sometimes grants miracles apart from faith, to display His glory

Jesus both praised great faith and performed miracles for those with weak faith. The relationship is dynamic, not mechanical.

Modern Challenges and Questions

Do Miracles Still Happen?

This is debated:

• Naturalists deny that miracles ever happen, attributing all alleged miracles to natural causes, fraud, or hallucination
• Cessationists (some Christians) believe biblical-era miracles have ceased
• Continuationists (many Christians, Muslims, and Jews) affirm that God still performs miracles today, though perhaps not as frequently or publicly as in biblical times

Reports of miracles are common in the Global South, in Pentecostal/Charismatic Christianity, in Islamic contexts (especially associated with shrines and saints), and in Orthodox Judaism (especially among Hasidic rebbes).

Skeptics demand empirical verification. Believers respond that miracles by definition transcend natural explanation and may not be repeatable under laboratory conditions.

Can Science Explain Miracles?

Some argue that what ancient people called miracles were natural events they didn’t understand (e.g., an earthquake at precisely the right moment, a disease’s natural remission).

Others argue that even if natural mechanisms were involved, the timing and purpose reveal divine orchestration. If God uses natural means to accomplish His purposes at precisely the right moment, is it any less miraculous?

The deeper question is metaphysical: Is the universe closed (only natural causes operate) or open (God can and does intervene)? Science as a method cannot answer this question; it assumes methodological naturalism (study natural causes) but does not require philosophical naturalism (only natural causes exist).

How Do We Discern True from False Miracles?

All three traditions acknowledge the possibility of counterfeit miracles—performed by demonic power, illusion, or fraud.

Tests include:

• Doctrinal consistency: Does the miracle support true teaching or false teaching?
• Moral fruit: Does it lead to godliness or sin?
• Purpose: Does it glorify God or the miracle-worker?
• Credible testimony: Are there reliable witnesses?

Even impressive signs must be tested against revelation and truth.

Why Doesn’t God Always Heal?

One of the most agonizing questions: If God can heal, why doesn’t He heal everyone who prays?

Responses include:

• Mystery: We don’t always know God’s purposes
• Greater good: Sometimes suffering produces spiritual growth that health would not
• Already/not yet: We live between Christ’s first and second coming; complete healing awaits the resurrection
• Faith: Sometimes (not always) lack of healing is connected to weak faith or unconfessed sin
• Sovereignty: God acts according to His will, not our demands

None of these answers fully satisfies when we or loved ones suffer, but they represent the tradition’s attempts to hold together God’s power, wisdom, and love in the face of unanswered prayers.

Significance

Miracles are not peripheral curiosities but central to the Abrahamic faiths. They testify to truths that define these religions:

God Is Personal and Active

Miracles demonstrate that God is not a distant, impersonal force but a personal being who acts in history. He hears prayers, responds to needs, and intervenes to accomplish His purposes.

The parting of the Red Sea, Jesus’ healings, and Muhammad’s night journey are not mythological tales but historical claims. If God does not act in history, these faiths collapse.

God Is Sovereign

Miracles reveal God’s absolute sovereignty over creation. He is not constrained by the natural order He created. Cancer, storms, and death obey His command.

This is both comforting (God can help when all natural means fail) and unsettling (why doesn’t He always intervene?).

God Is Compassionate

Many miracles are acts of mercy—healing the sick, feeding the hungry, raising the dead. They reveal God’s heart toward human suffering.

Jesus wept at Lazarus’ tomb before raising him (John 11:35). His miracles flowed from genuine compassion, not mere displays of power.

Miracles Point Beyond Themselves

Miracles are signs—they point to deeper realities:

• The Exodus pointed to ultimate deliverance from sin and death
• Jesus’ healings pointed to the kingdom of God and the resurrection
• The Quran’s inimitability points to Allah’s transcendent majesty

Miracles are not ends but means—invitations to faith, glimpses of the world as it will be when God’s purposes are fully realized.

The Hope of Ultimate Restoration

Every miracle is a preview of the age to come, when all sickness, death, and sorrow will be abolished. The blind will see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, and the dead rise—not as isolated miracles but as the permanent state of the new creation.

Isaiah prophesied: “He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces” (Isaiah 25:8). Revelation echoes: “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

Until that day, miracles are signs of hope—glimpses of God’s power, foretastes of the restoration to come.

The Call to Faith

Miracles call for a response. Jesus said to Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).

The purpose of miracles is not spectacle but faith. They invite us to trust the God who has power over nature, disease, and death—the God who can and will accomplish all His purposes.

Conclusion

Miracles are God’s extraordinary acts in history, demonstrating His power, revealing His character, and accomplishing His purposes. They authenticate prophets, inspire faith, and foreshadow the ultimate restoration of all things.

In Judaism, the Exodus miracles established Israel as God’s covenant people and remain the paradigm of divine deliverance.

In Christianity, Jesus’ miracles reveal the inbreaking of God’s kingdom, and His resurrection is the firstfruits of the new creation.

In Islam, the Quran is the supreme miracle, and the miracles of prophets authenticate their divine commission.

All three traditions affirm: God is sovereign, powerful, compassionate, and active. He is not distant or impotent but intimately involved in His creation.

The question is not whether God can perform miracles—He is omnipotent. The question is whether He does—and the testimony of Scripture, tradition, and countless witnesses is a resounding yes.

Miracles happen because God is real, active, and sovereign. They happen to reveal His glory, accomplish His purposes, and invite faith.

And they continue to happen—not as common occurrences (or they wouldn’t be miraculous) but as sovereign acts of the God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The God who parted the Red Sea, who healed the blind and raised the dead, who revealed the Quran—that God still reigns. And He still acts in power when it pleases Him, for His glory and our good.

Do we believe?