Featured Are miracles always instantaneous?

No, you just tried to make me say something I did not.

Every single NT miracle was instantaneous. Every single OT miracle was instantaneous. However, the many examples of Providence in the Bible were not referred to in Scripture as miraculous: Noah preparing for the flood, Moses being prepared for leadership, Joseph being prepared for leadership, God preparing the way for David to be king, etc., etc.

From Strong's Systematic Theology:

"Providence is that continuous agency of God by which he makes all the events of the physical and moral universe fulfill the original design with which he created it" (Strong, p. 419).

"A miracle is an event palpable to the senses, produced for a religious purpose by the immediate agency of God; an event therefore which, though not contravening any law of nature, the laws of nature, if fully known, would not without this agency of God be competent to explain" (Strong, 117).

 

By the same token we can say there are no such things as movies. All they are are a series of individual photos.

 

Well, of course Satan can do miracles. But the definition is the same, no matter who does the miracle (or in the case of the Charismatics, claims to do the miracle).

 

I fail to see any connection. Are you saying that all of the times the lady was helped miraculously occurred in just 1 1/2 hours?

 

Nope

Anything not according to the natural or usual or expected can be deemed supernatural or miraculous.

For example when I am puzzled over the meaning of some passage and pray for enlightenment, and then in a day or two have a fresh insight, not necessarily correct, but no matter, I count it as evidence of the leading of the Holy Spirit, even when I seem to have garbled the message.

 

The ones done by Jesus and the Apostles happened right at that time, and were never "lost", as many today say that miracles and healing can take time, and can be forfeited by :lack of faith"

 

Are miracles always instantaneous?... Instead of going to the Bible where there are many instantaneous miracles, let me tell you are true story within my own family, that has been handed down through generations... Then you tell me... My grandfather, my Dads, Dad, at the age of 21 was pronounced dead and was laid out on a slab in a funeral home and they we getting ready to embalm him... I guess you have to understand this was beginning of the century, was he really dead?... Well I guess they wouldn't have him laid out on a slab if he wasn't, according to measurements in those days... Suddenly he came to!... If he died, my Dad, would never have been born... I would not be here... There are probably instantaneous miracles all around us we never see... Why did God intervene in some and not others?... The greatest miracle to me, is when the Son Of God Jesus Christ, stepped from his world into ours, to carry out the will of his Father... Remember once we were ALL DEAD!... Then a miracle happened!... God intervened!... Brother Glen

Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins:

2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)

2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

 

How should Peter’s deliverance from prison (see Acts 12) be categorized? Miraculous or providential?

Be sure to note the city gate's opening by itself.

It might be helpful to define precisely what is meant by instantaneous in your definition.

And also note that Strong's does not employ "instantaneous." And it applies "immediate" to "the agency of God," not to the result's occurrence.

 

I would not say instantaneous, but unmistakably supernatural, and immediately recognized as such, for that is the purpose of a miracle.

 

Yeah!... Brother Robert I kinda dropped the ball on that one... We look at things that happen around us that we can not understand and because of our understanding of scripture, things that are usually out of our control are miracles... While others not understanding scripture and even some who do see the same thing and say... NAH!... Just a coincidence!... My Dad always said when waking up... I woke up this morning on the right side of the dirt and saw the rising sun... A miracle!... Brother Glen

 

Even if the word of God was spoken instantaneously,

did the inspired scriptures all come together in an instant?

Does a bible get instantly translated?

How about its effects on the people that read it?

All happening from the same book instantly.

Feeding the multitudes instantaneous?

How about that slow healing process from robycop3's wife, destined to die by the doctor's analysis, not a miracle?

Birth?

No, a natural process that God has a hand in, but not a miracle.

Just because God is directly involved does not a miracle make.

Perhaps all of our definitions of what is a miracle need to be adjusted.

 

It seems there are different levels of miracles. The Apostles and those they gave the signs and wonders gifts to were always instantaneous. Jesus provided the same but also faith healing that involved small elements of time. The instantaneous miracles of the Apostles ceased sometime in the writing of the Epistles when Paul no longer healed but placed his sick friends on medicine, so to speak. And the prayer of faith that heals psychosomatically in many cases today. Stop drinking and health might be restored etc.

One of the miracles God provides today for all is that he increased human knowledge as foretold in Daniel. And we see this all around us in the hospitals of our day. All miracles based on God's providence where child and sinner alike die a hundred years old.

 

The people who were first to dip in the sheep market pool after the angel troubled the waters were healed, no doubt psychosomatically. Even today, repentance from health-damaging sins will heal regardless of religion. As Jesus said, which is easier to say, thy sins are forgiven or take up thy bed and walk?

Modern medicine performs miracles because God increased our knowledge. So glory is due to him. Psychosomatic cures are miracles if God grants repentance from the sins causing them. But we have nothing today close to the Apostle's signs and wonders, or Jesus' creative cures.

 

I see some confusion about my use of the word "instantaneous." It means, simply, in an unmeasurable moment of time. To narrow it down a little bit, no one measured the miracles of Jesus by time. In none of his miracles did the Gospel writers write about some kind of time frame of His miracles.

1. The feeding of the 5000: "And I looked, and behold, the bread and fish gradually grew in my basket."--Nope.
2. Walking on water: "And Peter stepped out of the boat, and his foot started to sink, but then he felt the water begin to harden."--Nope.
3. Healing of lepers--" And I looked, and behold, the leprous sores began to fade, until five minutes later they were gone."--Nope.

When time is referred to in the miracles of Jesus, the word used is "immediately" (Greek εὐθυς).

1. Matt. 8:3, "And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed."
2. Mark 1:31, "And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them."
3. Mark 2:12, "And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion."

Etc.