Can Satan perform "mircales"

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Was Satan behind the deaths of many early century Martyrs ? We know the Jews turned in a lot of the Christians to the Romans …knowing it was their death sentences.

And, more recently, Hitler’s near extermination of Jews in WW2…was he under full control of Satan ?
 
brb3 said:
Was Satan behind the deaths of many early century Martyrs ? We know the Jews turned in a lot of the Christians to the Romans …knowing it was their death sentences.

And, more recently, Hitler’s near extermination of Jews in WW2…was he under full control of Satan ?
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i don’t know about control - ppl chose;
it wasn’t just Hilter, i don’t know if he actually killed anyone personally.
it is all individuals succumbing to sin: from the judge sentencing an innocent person to the prison guards, etc

i don’t think Satan can do miracles; i don’t think he has to

it’s all about temptation related to the flesh, the things of the the world, and various manifestations of pride, which ultimately involve a moving away from love
 
WildCatholic said:
Since Satan is an angel, albeit a fallen one. Can he perform what appear to be to our eyes miracles in order to deceive people? for example, could Satan heal a person or raise the dead or cure illness. This honestly scares me because when people talk about miracles, I wonder if Satan is behind some of them.
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I think the dominant view of Satan in scripture is one of tempter and accuser. I’ve always find it interesting that the desert fathers used “demons” and “thoughts” interchangeably. For example Evagrius described “eight thoughts” which included acedia (spiritual listlessness or carelessness), which John Cassian characterized as the “noonday demon”.

To me, that is where we find our own Satan, our own tempter and accuser, in our thoughts.
 
We generally give the name Miracle to actions in this world, outside the norm, performed by God. Satan can certainly affect the physical and his actions can lie outside the norm, ie that science would say is possible… ie a miracle?. For an example, read the case of exorcism *BEGONE SATAN * ewtn.com/library/NEWAGE/BEGONESA.htm which contains the following episode:
Father Theophilus had hardly begun the formula of exorcism in the name of the Blessed Trinity, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, in the name of the Crucified Savior, when a hair-raising scene occurred. With lightning speed the possessed dislodged herself from her bed and from the hands of her guards; and her body, carried through the air, landed high above the door of the room and clung to the wall with a tenacious grip. All present were struck with a trembling fear. Father Theophilus alone kept his peace.
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“Pull her down. She must be brought back to her place upon the bed!”
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Real force had to be applied to her feet to bring her down from her high position on the wall. The mystery was that she could cling to the wall at all! It was through the powers of the evil spirit, who had taken possession of her body.
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Can Satan or other demons deceive us into believing that a miracle has occurred? Yes. The powers of darkness are capable of the preternatural. The magicians in the court of Pharaoh were able to mimic the miracles God wrought through Moses. They were real and occurred. As for healing, certainly if a demon caused an illness then the cessation of that intervention would ‘cure’ the ailment. There could be reasons for doing that. One would be to credit a some sort of magic as the source of the ‘cure’.
 
WildCatholic said:
Since Satan is an angel, albeit a fallen one. Can he perform what appear to be to our eyes miracles in order to deceive people? for example, could Satan heal a person or raise the dead or cure illness. This honestly scares me because when people talk about miracles, I wonder if Satan is behind some of them.
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Satan cannot perform miracles.

See Catholic definition of miracle:

MIRACLE. A sensibly perceptible effect, surpassing at least the powers of visible nature, produced by God to witness to some truth or testify to someone’s sanctity. (Etym. Latin miraculum, miracle, marvel; from mirari, to wonder.)
 
thistle said:
Satan cannot perform miracles.

See Catholic definition of miracle:

MIRACLE. A sensibly perceptible effect, surpassing at least the powers of visible nature, produced by God to witness to some truth or testify to someone’s sanctity. (Etym. Latin miraculum, miracle, marvel; from mirari, to wonder.)
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So what would you call it when Satan masquerades as a prince of light and does things that appear to be a miracle?

For example, ‘false healing’.

I’ve known people who went to faith healers and were ‘healed’ but within a few weeks they were sick again. Clearly a ‘false’ miracle but for a bit it was pretty convincing!
 
thistle said:
Satan cannot perform miracles.

See Catholic definition of miracle:

MIRACLE. A sensibly perceptible effect, surpassing at least the powers of visible nature, produced by God to witness to some truth or testify to someone’s sanctity. (Etym. Latin miraculum, miracle, marvel; from mirari, to wonder.)
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I think that given it is satan performing them, we do not need to specify that they are nasty versions of miracles rather than proper ones. 🙂

If satan’s underlings can perform miracles - or if you like “apparent miracles” which is what we’re talking about as per revelations, which will appear to be proof, then it seems obvious that satan can too.
But, why would God allow ? God is love, the author of reason & truth, not confusion.
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Our Lord allows us choice, free will. It falls to us to resist temptation with our complex hearts and minds and souls, which we have been given and without which our lives and our paths would be… robotic.

Nothing happens in all of creation which God does not allow. Even if the enemy thinks he is exploiting a system, he is not.
 
nickybr38 said:
So what would you call it when Satan masquerades as a prince of light and does things that appear to be a miracle?

For example, ‘false healing’.

I’ve known people who went to faith healers and were ‘healed’ but within a few weeks they were sick again. Clearly a ‘false’ miracle but for a bit it was pretty convincing!
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(emphasis mine)

That seems to be describing the placebo effect.
 
cornbread_r2 said:
(emphasis mine)

That seems to be describing the placebo effect.
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Yes, I know. But I’m sure there are other cases of such ‘healings’ that don’t include the big fanfare and excitement that can lead to the placebo effect?
 
As long as we understand they are “miracles” rather than miracles. He deceives which great works which upon first glance look spectacular to us. But of course, Satan has no true power. His defeat was already secured by the cross.
 
nickybr38 said:
So what would you call it when Satan masquerades as a prince of light and does things that appear to be a miracle?

For example, ‘false healing’.

I’ve known people who went to faith healers and were ‘healed’ but within a few weeks they were sick again. Clearly a ‘false’ miracle but for a bit it was pretty convincing!
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Hate to double post, but this is way too good an example. In many cases it is believed Satan caused someone to feel ill in the first place using some natural means, but then when the person visited the 'faith healer" retracted the ill feeling.

God on the other hand can take someone who is genuinely sick, clinically speaking and make them well. I think one great example to ponder is Moses’s back and forth with Pharaoh as recorded in the Exodus. I would recommend reading the aid of the Haydock commentary and you will clearly see many cases where Pharaoh’s magicians failed because God opted to disallow them to succeed in order to make a point.
 
nickybr38 said:
Yes, I know. But I’m sure there are other cases of such ‘healings’ that don’t include the big fanfare and excitement that can lead to the placebo effect?
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As I understand it, one doesn’t necessarily have to be the target of a spectacular Benny Hinn-style healing ceremony to realize a placebo effect. All that’s required is that the person believes in the alleged cure’s efficacy.
 
cornbread_r2 said:
As I understand it, one doesn’t necessarily have to be the target of a spectacular Benny Hinn-style healing ceremony to realize a placebo effect. All that’s required is that the person believes in the alleged cure’s efficacy.
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And to the person in question it would FEEL like a miracle… until a few days later when things switch up.
 
By definition (see my earlier post) a miracle is only from God and it is something good.
Whatever Satan does you can call it whatever you want but it is NOT a miracle.
 
thistle said:
By definition (see my earlier post) a miracle is only from God and it is something good.
Whatever Satan does you can call it whatever you want but it is NOT a miracle.
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I think you’re getting caught up in terms…

Whether or not it is truly a miracle if it SEEMS as such, it can be destructive to those being deceived.
 
nickybr38 said:
I think you’re getting caught up in terms…

Whether or not it is truly a miracle if it SEEMS as such, it can be destructive to those being deceived.
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No. I am clear on what a miracle is and it can never be from Satan.
 
If I say a prayer aloud entreating God to please allow me to meet a nice woman for a relationship, then I get an email a day later from a lady (Catholic) on a dating site saying that she liked my profile and we should talk, then we meet and hit it off and date but 3.5 months later she breaks it off to go back to her abusive, alcoholic ex husband that she left once before - did that come from God, or did Satan have his hand in it?

This woman’s family and friends were incredulous and told her she’s making a huge mistake by going back to him but she is adamant about it. Would God allow a person to leave a loving and caring relationship to go back to an abusive relationship, or is Satan behind this somehow?

I am very confused and dismayed because I was falling in love with the woman and I thanked God every day for putting her in my life. I am also very concerned for her mental well being.

Much Peace!

Mike 🙂
 
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