Nonbelievers Produce Miracles - Exodus 5-8

Exodus 8:5-7 (ESV Strong's)
5 And the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

Unbelievers Produce Miracles

We live in a world where the extraordinary gets our full attention.   In today’s society it is typically conveyed as a video that captures an extraordinary moment or event.   We count the number “clicks” the thing gets and that makes it even more extraordinary.  Imagine the “clicks” Moses and Aaron would have received back in the day when they were bringing miracle after miracle over the land of Egypt.   Miracles are special.  Those who see them are giving an amazing look at the power of God.   In the above passage, Moses and Aaron are given the power to produce frogs all over the land.   That is truly an act of the power of God.   Yet, notice, also, that the false magicians, employees by Pharaoh, could also produce frogs.   The miracle of the frogs was the 2nd plague God brought upon the Egyptians.   The 1st was turning water into blood.  The false magicians were able to do that miracle, as well.  They could NOT, however, reproduced the third plague; bring gnats all over the land.   The fact that they could not produce more gnats was probably not a disappointment to Pharaoh.   It is doubtful that the WANTED to produce more and more blood and frogs, either.   The real miracle would have been as Moses created these plagues, but the power of God, the magicians stopped them, by the power of their sorcery.   The lesson to learn her is that God does allow nonbelievers to do miracles ... but for God’s plan.   Remember what Paul told us about the power of Satan:

2 Corinthians 11:12-15 (ESV Strong's)
12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

False prophets make a living at mimicking God’s power.   Because we are so captivated by the extraordinary, it is easy for society to follow anyone who can do something out of the ordinary.   In the last days we are going to see a lot of false prophets do a lot of extraordinary things and will take captive many foolish people.  

2 Timothy 3:1-7 (ESV Strong's)
Godlessness in the Last Days
1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

The miracle is not what should grab our attention.  It is the purpose of the plan behind the miracle.   God is working miracles every day for us to see His love and grace and mercy.  Those are the miracles that should get the clicks.   Click on anything that glorifies God.