Greater Works Than These Shall You Do

Devotion #4 of 13

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." (John 14:12)

The Plagues of the Book of Revelation

Whatever your view of the book of Revelation, there is teaching here that helps to clarify the nature of God's Kingdom--particularly regarding the subject before us. The sixteenth chapter of Revelation provides a glimpse of God's wrath and indignation. It is pictured as "seven bowls of wrath, poured out upon the earth" (16:1). This is God's response to a degenerate world that has rejected His great salvation in preference for lies and delusions. The response of the people to these plagues is noteworthy. "and they blasphemed the name of God Who has the power over these plagues; and they did not repent, so as to give Him glory . . . and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores: and they did not repent of their deeds" (v 9-11). Change could not be affected from the outside!

WHY THESE THINGS MUST BE SAID

As laborious as it may seem, these things must be said. Our view of "greatness" is to be measured by its effects, not its appearance! We are explicitly told not to judge "according to appearance" (John 7:24). When it comes to the working of the Lord, therefore, we must not allow ourselves to be unduly impressed by physical phenomenon. As a matter of observation, I have noted that those possessing an inordinate appetite for the miraculous invariably emphasize outward things. They give them greater weight in the workings of the Lord. To them, it is easier to be saved than it is to work a miracle attested by the senses. Health, for instance, is more difficult to achieve than the forgiveness of sins, and therefore they work harder at it. All of this sounds strange to those whose food is the Word of God! This is not to be construed as a denial of the miraculous. I will never consent to the postulate that God has ceased to work transcendently to nature. Nor, indeed, will I consent to the proposition that "greater works" are greater miracles.

-- TOMORROW: LOOKING AT JOHN 14:12 --