Today we are going to talk about healing according to the word of God. Many people do not believe in divine healing. But when you read the word of God, then you will understand that God wants his children to be healthy. God did not create mankind sick from the beginning. So, as you like your children to be healthy and wealthy, in the same way we are the children of God. God wants us to be healthy. Some people do not understand. When problems, sickness, or disease comes, they just blame it on God and say, “God is punishing me.” And some people even say that God gives sickness and disease to correct you or that sickness and disease can bring you closer to God. But, dear friends, that’s not the truth. In each and every situation, you can come closer to God. God doesn’t have to give you sickness and disease to bring you closer to him. So today we are going to see from the beginning, and you will know the plan of God for your health.

When God created mankind, he created them healthy. The Bible says God breathed on him and man became a living soul. Man was created from the dust. But as soon as God breathed on that man, that man became a living soul. And now you can see your body, even though we are made out of clay or out of dust. Someone will not even believe that we were made out of dust, but that’s the way we were created. God created man healthy and strong, and there was no sickness or disease in that man. Then you will say, “How and when did man become sick? And how did sickness and disease come into this world?”

When man committed sin, death came into this world. The curse came into this world as well. Death is separation from God. When man committed sin, he was separated from God. That means he was spiritually dead. He could not communicate with God. In Ephesians 2 we read that Jesus Christ quickened the spirit of dead man. That means we were dead spiritually. Christ quickened or gave life to our spirits. Disobedience also brought the curse to mankind. We read in Genesis 3:16-19 that the woman was cursed. She had to have pain and suffering with childbearing. Man had to work hard to survive. Thorns and thistles were given. Thorns and thistles are poisonous things. If you get pricked, you can have a wound, and some of the thorns and thistles are very poisonous. You can get poison in your body. You can get sick, and you can even have death. So thorns and thistles were a curse for mankind because of sin. We read all the curses from Deuteronomy 28:15 onward. So the curse is the result of sin.

But when man committed sin, God also promised them a redeemer in Genesis 3:15. In Galatians 3:13 we read that Jesus Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. The curse came because of sin. But Jesus Christ took our sin on the cross. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:17, Jesus knew not sin. He did not commit any sin. But he was made sin for you and for me. That means Jesus Christ took your curse and my curse on the cross. That means if someone accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, their curse will be removed.

When the first couple committed sin, what was their sin? Their sin was disobedience. They disobeyed God. The word of God says in 1 Samuel 15:22, 23 that disobedience is like witchcraft. Man disobeyed God, and death and a curse came into this world. But the Bible says in the book of Hebrews, as well as in the book of Philippians, that Jesus Christ came as an obedient son and servant and took our penalty on the cross.

They disobeyed God. That was sin. Also, they did not believe in God. That’s unbelief. God said, “The day you will eat this fruit, you will surely die.” But they did not believe what God said. They believed what the enemy said. Who is the enemy? The enemy is the devil. Satan is the enemy of God. And they listened to the enemy. That’s why the word of God says disobedience is sin, or unbelief is sin. We read in the word of God that unbelief is sin (Rev. 21:8).

God told the man, “You are in charge of this garden. Take care of this garden.” But he knew the truth. What God said was right for him. It was good for him. But knowingly he disobeyed God. The word of God says in James 4:17, if you know how to do good, and if you don’t do it, it is sin. So you can see, the first couple did not even murder somebody, steal anything, or do very dangerous things. But the word of God teaches us plainly. Disobedience, unbelief, or knowing to do good and not doing it are all sins. And the Bible says in Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Because of sin, spiritual death came. That means man was separated from God. Before they committed sin, God used to have fellowship with them. But now, because of sin, the fellowship was cut off. From Isaiah 59:1-2, we know that our sin comes between God and us. That’s why God cannot hear us. This means we cannot have fellowship with God.

Before mankind committed sin, they were living a sinless life. They were having a good time with the Lord, having fellowship with God. They did not have any sickness or disease. No one knows how long this first couple lived without committing sin. It can be millions of years. We do not know. Only one thing we know. The day man committed sin, the counting of his life was started. We read Genesis 5:5. So all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.

As soon as man committed sin, the result of sin brought death into this world. The first death they saw was when God gave them the leather jackets. So the lamb had to be killed to give them the leather jackets. After that, he saw his own son was killed by his son. Cain was the first son. He killed his younger brother Abel. So Adam was able to see physical death before he died. You can read this story in Genesis 4. And if you read verse 8, it says that Cain rose against Abel his brother and he killed him. And because of this sin, more curses came to mankind. In Genesis 4:11 we read, “So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. Genesis 6:5 says, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man and the beast, creeping things and the birds of the air; for I am sorry that I have made them.”

Genesis 7:22-23 says, “All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of man, all that was on the dry land died. So he [God] destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground; both man and cattle, creeping things and the birds of the air, they were destroyed from the earth.” Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. Why was Noah alive? Because the word of God says in Genesis 6:8 that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Verse 9 says Noah was a just man, perfect in his generation. Noah walked with God.

So we can see now that sickness, disease, and death came because of sin.

In Genesis 9 we read, “So God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.’” If you have time, please read Genesis 9:1-17. You will find that God made a covenant with Noah and gave him a rainbow as a sign. And God said, “I will never destroy the whole earth again by flood.” So God is a good God.

We read in Genesis 1:26-28, when God created mankind, God blessed them. They did not have any need - no sickness, no disease. Nothing was lacking, like the psalmist says in Psalm 23. “The Lord is my shepherd, and I shall not want.” That is the way they were living - happy, healthy, joyful, and blessed.

As we read, because of the curse, sickness and disease came to this world. But our God is a good God. He wanted his people to be healthy and blessed.

Noah was a good man, a just and blameless man. God blessed him and his children.

Abraham is another example. (His name was Abram.) Let us see how God used him and his children to show God’s love, healing, and miracles in their lives.

In Genesis 12:1-2 we read, “Now the Lord had said to Abram: Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” Why did God bless Abraham? Because he heard the voice and obeyed. He left everything and followed the Lord. The Lord blesses the person who loves and obeys His commandments. We see that, wherever Abraham went, God blessed him. Whenever anyone came to harm him, God punished them. Let us see a few examples in the book of Genesis. In Genesis 12:14-15,17, we read, “So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house.... But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.” We see that the plague came to Pharaoh’s house because the son took Sarai from Abraham. This was not pleasing in the sight of God.

In Genesis 20:2-18 we read about King Abimelech and the curse which came upon him. In verses 6-7 we read, “And God said to him in a dream, ‘Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.’” And in verses 17-18 we read, “So Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; for the Lord had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.”

From these verses we see that the whole kingdom was cursed because of Abimelech’s sin. The curse was lifted when Abraham prayed to God. Here see that the Lord protected Abraham and his family and used Abraham to pray for Abimelech.

In these examples we saw how God deals with people who commit sin and how God deals with people who love Him and obey Him.

As we read earlier, God said that whoever blesses Abraham will be blessed and whoever curses Abraham will be cursed.

As we study the Bible, we see the pattern that every person who lived a godly life was blessed. In Genesis 5:24 we read that “Enoch walked with God.... God took him.” We read in Hebrews 11:5, “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him,’ for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

So we see that God blessed Abraham, his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob. Later on, Jacob’s name was changed to Israel (Gen. 32:28). Israel means “prince with God.” We read in Genesis 28:3-4 how Abraham’s blessing was poured down to Jacob. “May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples; and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land in which you are a stranger, which God gave to Abraham.”

Jacob (Israel) had twelve sons, and the name of one of his sons was Joseph. If you would like to know more about Joseph, please read Genesis chapters 37-50. Joseph’s story is an interesting and inspirational study. You will learn how God blessed Joseph in Egypt. His father, his brothers, and their families also were blessed because of Joseph. Even the whole land of Egypt reaped the blessings of Joseph.

We read in Exodus 1:7-16 about the persecution of the children of Israel by the Egyptians. “But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them. Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph, and he said to his people, ‘Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.’ Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage - in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.” The children of Israel did not do any harm to the Egyptians to deserve these persecutions.

In Exodus 2:23-25 we read, “Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them. As we see here, when the children of Israel called upon God, He heard their cry and remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel).

God called Moses and told him, “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.” If you would like to learn more about the story of Moses and the deliverance of the children of Israel, please read Exodus chapters 1-15. Now let me draw your attention to Exodus 12:21-23: “Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, ‘Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.’” The children of Israel obeyed the command.

Since they obeyed the Lord, they saw the miraculous work of God in their lives. As we read in the scriptures, the children of Israel were persecuted terribly by the Egyptians. They were beaten and tormented. Many were sick, afflicted, weak, and torched under taskmasters. But when they ate the Passover lamb, they were healed, strengthened, and saved from the destruction. God also delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh.

Psalm 105:26-37 gives a summary of how God delivered the children of Israel from the bondage in Egypt. I would like to point out, especially, verse 37, where we read that “there was none feeble among His tribes.” From this we have proof that all the children of Israel who ate the sacrificial lamb were healed and made strong. That Passover lamb was symbolic of Jesus Christ who is the lamb of God to take away our sin (John 1:29).

Pharaoh again changed his mind and decided to stop the children of Israel from leaving Egypt. We read in Exodus 14:9-10, “So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon. And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.” In verses 13-16 we read, “And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.’ And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.”

Even though the situation looked hopeless, when Moses obeyed God’s command and stretched out his rod by faith, they were able to escape the enemy. The impossible became possible.

Again, when they crossed the Red Sea, the enemy tried to chase them, as we read in Exodus 14:23. “And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

However, the Lord again protected the children of Israel from the enemy as we read in Exodus 14:26-31.

When God brought the children of Israel from Egypt, He wanted them to live in good health. He told Moses how they could live a healthy life in Exodus 15:26: “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” You may also read Deuteronomy 28:1-14. From these verses we know that if we keep the commandment of God, listen to the word of God, and obey God, no sickness or disease can stay in our body. That is the promise of God.

In Proverbs 4:20-22 we read, “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.” Here again the word of God says that if we listen to the word of God, keep His commandments in our hearts, and obey Him, it will be health to all our flesh. The word of God can keep us healthy because there is life in the word of God.

We read in Proverbs 3:5-8, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.” Again, from these verses we know that if we listen to the word of God, obey God, and depart from evil ways, we will live a healthy, happy, and prosperous life.

This was the case in the lives of the children of Israel. As long as they listened to the Lord and obeyed His commandments, they lived happy and healthy lives. God supplied all their needs. However, some of them murmured, complained, and disobeyed God. So, many of them died in the wilderness. We read about this event in Numbers 21:4-9: “Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom, and the soul of the people became very discouraged along the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.’ So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.’ So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.” Here we see that the people came to Moses saying, “We have sinned, and pray to God to take away the serpents.” Moses made a bronze serpent as instructed by God. When a person who was bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he or she lived and did not die from the venom.

God did not take the fiery serpents away. He told Moses, “Make the bronze serpent. Put it on a pole. Lift it high, and, when they look on that serpent, they will live.” It seems to be impossible. How will the poisonous snake’s poison go away, and how will they live, just by looking at that bronze serpent? But simple obedience and faith in the word of God healed them and cured them, and they lived.

In Egypt, God told the children of Israel, “Take the Passover lamb. Take the blood of the lamb. Put it on the doorpost. Roast the lamb, and eat. And simple obedience brought them health and deliverance. That Passover lamb was pointing towards Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our Passover lamb. The word of God says Jesus Christ was slain before the foundation of the world. So Jesus Christ is the lamb of God. You know, John the Baptist said, in John 1:29, “Behold the lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world.” It seems to be impossible. But if you simply believe that Jesus Christ is the lamb of God who was sacrificed for you, for your sickness, disease, and eternal life, you will receive eternal life, and you will be healed. Because in Isaiah 53 we read that with his stripes we are healed. In the same way, God told Moses to take the serpent and put it on a pole and that if they looked on the serpent they would live. Jesus Christ was talking to Nicodemus in John 3. You can read the whole chapter, but let me read verses 14 and 15. This is Jesus talking. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

We read in Isaiah 53:4, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed.” So, from these verses, we are sure that Jesus Christ, when he was hanging on the cross of Calvary, took our sickness, disease, pain, and sin on the cross. And the word of God says, with his stripes we are healed.

Dear friends, the children of Israel just obeyed the word of God and looked at that bronze serpent, and they were healed. In the same way, if you lift up your spiritual eyes and look at Jesus Christ, who is your savior, deliverer, and Lord, you will be healed, saved, delivered, and set free, and you will have eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I would like to give you another example of when the children of Israel committed sin against God. This time, they worshipped idols. And because of that, there was a plague among them, and 24,000 people died. You can read this story in Numbers 25:3-9. What do we learn from this? Sin brings sickness, disease, and death. In Romans 6:23 we read that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

One day the children of Israel committed idol worship. Moses got so angry. And he said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. So now I will go up to the Lord. Perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have sinned and have made for themselves a god of gold. Yet now, if you will forgive their sin.... But if not, I pray, blot me out of your book which you have written. And the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot them out of my book.” Here again we see, God is saying to Moses, “I’m not going to take your name off of my book.” But, whoever commits sin, God will blot their name out of his book. This is a good point for the people who believe in eternal security. Here we read that God delivered the children of Israel with a mighty hand. He gave them commandment and promise. And when they started disobeying, many of them died in the wilderness. I don’t think those people who died in the wilderness in sin are going to make it to heaven. Because here God says plainly, “If someone commits sin, I will take their name off of my book.”

So, dear friends, don’t believe blindly that, once you are saved, you are saved forever. That is a wrong teaching. God is a good God. God is love. But the same God is a consuming fire. If you believe Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will be saved. But if you turn around, start committing sin and going after idols, and do not repent of your sin, don’t think that you’re going to make it to heaven. God plainly said here, “I will take their name out of my book.” So please be careful. Here we see that if we listen to the word of God and obey the commandment of God, God keeps us healthy, wealthy, and prosperous. But when we disobey God, sickness, disease, and death comes.

Now we’re going to see all the prophets God sent into the world. There was only one reason for them to come into this world. That reason was to foretell Christ’s coming into this world. From Genesis to Revelation, in each and every book you read, there is a message. Different prophets prophesied about Jesus Christ. If you are a Bible student, please study the prophecies from Genesis to Malachi. The first person who prophesied is Enoch, and then you go up to Malachi. We do not have time to study these prophecies right now, because our subject is not prophecy. Our subject is healing according to the word of God. But we are going to study what a few prophets said about Jesus.

Let’s read what Moses said in Deuteronomy 18:15: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren; him you shall hear.” And verse 18: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I commanded him.” Here we see Moses said to the children of Israel, “God is going to raise up a prophet like me, and you’re going to hear him.” And God supported him. God said, “I’m going to send a prophet.”

We’re going to see one more prophet who prophesied about Jesus. That’s Isaiah. We see his prophecy about Jesus in Isaiah 7:14. “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 9:6 says, “For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Verse 7 says, “Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 53:4-6 says, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But He wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” All of these prophecies have already been fulfilled.

Matthew 8:16-17 speaks about the fulfillment of this prophecy: “When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.’” The apostle Peter also wrote about this in his letters. “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps, ‘who committed no sin, nor was guile found in his mouth,’ who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:21-24).

As we read in these verses, the prophecy about Jesus Christ by Moses and Isaiah is fulfilled. God spoke through these prophets about His Son, Jesus, who was going to come to save, heal, and deliver people and give them eternal life.

We read in Hebrews 1:1-3, “God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” In Acts 10:38-43 we read, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.” We see from these verses what the plan of God was.

God’s plan was to send Jesus to this world to preach the gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, and give us eternal life. These prophecies are already fulfilled.

Peter says even though the prophets did not understand what they were prophesying, they did it for us. We read in 1 Peter 1:10-12 of this. “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven - things which angels desire to look into.” God spoke to us through Jesus Christ. He took our sickness, disease, and death on the cross, and with his stripes we are healed (as we read earlier in 1 Peter 2:24). Old Testament prophets like Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and others did some miracles; however, Jesus Christ did many more miracles than any prophets who lived before Him.

Jesus the healer

Jesus is not only the Savior, but he is also the healer. Many Christians believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary to save mankind from sin and whoever believes in Him is saved. So those Christians don’t look for another savior. We read in Acts 4:12, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Jesus means ‘savior.’ I am not going to elaborate on the salvation message here since that is not my subject here. (If you want to know more about salvation, please contact us.) Many people who believe Jesus as their personal Savior do not believe that he is their healer. Many Christians believe that Jesus did many miracles, healed many sick people, cast out demons, and raised the dead. If you read the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you will learn about them. Let me give you a few verses as a proof about Jesus’ healing ministry. “Now Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great multitudes followed Him - from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan” (Matthew 4:23-25). “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you might believe, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31). “This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen” (John 21:24-25).

In Luke 4:16-20 we read, “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.’ Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.”

From these verses we know that Jesus Christ did so many miracles, and nobody can deny it. When He was on this earth, Jesus encouraged His disciples to do the same thing.

We read about this in Matthew 10:1: “And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.” And in verse 8 we read about Jesus commanding His disciples, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” In Mark 6:7 we read, “And He called the twelve to Him, and began to send them two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.” And in verses 12 and 13 we read, “So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.” In Luke 10:1 we read, “After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.” And in verse 9 He commanded, “And heal the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” In John 14:12-15, Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

Here we see that Jesus sent His disciples two by two and commanded them to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, and even raise the dead. Jesus told them that they will be able to do even greater works than He did because He was going to the Father. From this we know that the ministry of healings and miracles did not stop with Jesus. However, some people still believe that the days of miracles are over.

Jesus promised His disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit. We read about it in Luke 24:49 and in Acts 1:4-5, 8. “Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.... But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth’” (Acts 1:4-5, 8). As promised He sent them the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, which we read about in Acts 2:1-4: “Now when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” When they received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, they received the boldness and the power they needed to fulfill the Great Commission. The Lord was working with them as we read in Hebrews 2:4: “God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?” Here we see that the will of God is to preach the gospel with signs, wonders, miracles, and healing.

Let me give some examples. The apostle Peter did miracles in the name of Jesus. We read in Acts 3:1-11 about Peter healing a lame man in the name of Jesus. In Acts 5:15-16 we read about the unusual miracle of people being healed by the passing shadow of Peter. In Acts 9:36-43 we read about Peter raising a dead woman.

In Acts 14:6-10 we read about the apostle Paul healing a lame man. In Acts 16:16-18 we read about the apostle Paul casting out a spirit of divination. In Acts 19:11-12 we read about unusual miracles by the apostle Paul where even his handkerchiefs were used to heal the sick and cast out evil spirits. In Acts 20:9-10 we read about the apostle Paul raising the dead.

We read about Philip in Acts 6:2-6. Philip was not an apostle, but he was a man of good reputation and wisdom and full of the Holy Spirit. He was chosen to serve the table. However, God used Philip as a mighty evangelist. We read in Acts 8:5-7 about the miracles and healing he did: “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.”

From these examples we can understand what Jesus Christ said to his disciples in John 14:12. We read about Peter, that even his shadow was able to heal people. We read about Paul. He also did unusual miracles. So whatever Jesus promised is fulfilled. Still some people would say, “No one can do the miracles that Jesus did.” But I believe that Jesus said, “I am the truth,” and, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” If you really believe what Jesus said, Jesus did not lie. Jesus said, “You will do greater miracles than I did. So these are the unusual miracles that Jesus did not do in his ministry. But his disciples did signs, and wonders, and miracles. We read in Hebrews 2:1-4, “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken to angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard him, God also bearing witness, both with signs and wonders, with various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit?” Here we read they did signs and wonders because they had the gift of the Holy Spirit. We read earlier that Jesus promised them the Holy Spirit in Luke 24 and Acts 1. According to the promise, the disciples received the Holy Spirit. We read in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 that there are various gifts you can receive from the Holy Spirit.

From these verses you can understand that God has given an awesome power to the children of God to do signs, wonders, and miracles and bring a healing message to the whole world. But, still today, people are saying that healings and miracles are over because Jesus and the apostles are not here. But I showed you from the word of God that Philip did miracles and he was not an apostle. So if someone says that miracles are over because apostles are not here, that is not the truth. The truth is this. Jesus said in John 14:12, “I’m going to go to my Father, but, whatever miracles I did, you will do, and you will do greater miracles.” Jesus was not lying. He was saying, “If you believe and if you obey my commandments, you will do it.”

So let me tell you. Believe Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and believe that Jesus Christ is alive today, that his commandments are with us, and Jesus is with us. Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do you believe that? If you believe that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, that means our God, Jesus Christ, is not a dead God. Jesus said in Revelation 1:18, “I was dead, but now I am alive forevermore.” Do you believe that Jesus Christ is alive, that what he said is true? Then you cannot say that miracles do not happen today because Jesus and his apostles are not here. Do you remember when Jesus Christ was risen, and he came and talked to his disciples, and Thomas was not there? Thomas said, “I will not believe, until I put my finger in his hand and put my hand in his side.” You know what happened. His story is recorded in John 20. When Jesus Christ came in that room and said to Thomas, “Come, and see,” what did Thomas say? He said, “My Lord and my God,” and he worshipped him. What did Jesus say to Thomas? John 20:29 says that Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen me and yet have believed.” What did Jesus say in Matthew 28:18-20? Let’s see. “Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given unto me, in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you. And, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” Do you believe this commandment was only for these twelve apostles? If this commandment was only for twelve people, then he wouldn’t have to say, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age. They’re already dead in Christ and gone. But his commandment is still alive. Jesus Christ is alive, and he is always with us. Let’s read Hebrews 13:5. “Let your conduct be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have; for he himself has said, ‘I will never leave you, nor forsake you.’” If you believe these verses and what Jesus has said, you will never say miracles do not happen today because Jesus and the apostles are not here. His commandment is here. He has given us the Holy Spirit, and he promised that he will be with us until the end of the age.

Then you would say miracles cannot happen because there are no more apostles. I have already proven to you that Philip was not an apostle and he did miracles. So that teaching also is false. And I’ll prove it to you. If you say there were only twelve apostles, then what is the word of God saying? Let’s read Ephesians 4:11. “And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.” Now you tell me. When you say “some,” does that “some” mean twelve? And if you read a little further, it says, “for the equipping of the saints of the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to a measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of man in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive, but speaking in truth and love, may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ.” From these verses we know, if the apostles and prophets are gone, then why is the word of God saying that God has given these five ministries to edify the church, and one of them is the pastor? And how can you say that these ministries are over? We still have pastors and teachers. So how can we say we only have pastors and teachers, and other ministries we don’t have or need? That is not the truth? So when we read this word, we know some people are teaching wrong doctrine and deceiving people. We have to know that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is an unchanging God. The miracles he did then he can do today, and he is doing them today. We only have to believe what the word of God is saying. And if we believe, we will see the miracles of God.

What do we read in Mark 11? Let’s see, starting from verse 22. “So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Have faith in God. For assuredly I say unto you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed, and be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things which he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask in prayer, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Is this scripture for you and me and every believer who reads the Bible and who is a born-again believer? Jesus started saying from verse 22, “Have faith in God.” That means if you have faith in God, then we will do the things that Jesus Christ has promised and said. There is nothing impossible with God. Saint Paul says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

So, dear friends, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do miracles in Jesus’ name. Are you a believer? Then you have the commandments of God. Let me give you a scripture. Mark 16:18 says, “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe.” Are you a believer? Do you believe Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Then he says, “These signs will follow those who believe. In my name they will cast out demons. They will speak with new tongues. They will take up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” This is a promise for believers. If you are a believer, then you can do it today. You can do it in the name of Jesus.

Let’s read James 5:13. “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sin, he will be forgiven.” So if you are a deacon or a pastor or a believer in Christ and someone tells you that you cannot do miracles and talk about healing because it is not for today, then here it says “if anyone among you,” in your church, in your congregation, in your neighborhood. If anyone is sick, believers have to pray. Otherwise, they can call the pastor or deacons, and they can anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the word of God says, “And the prayer of faith will save the sick.” Do you have faith in Jesus? Do you believe that God can do miracles? Then you can pray. And the word of God says, in verse 16, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Who is righteous? Jesus Christ shed his precious blood for you and for me. He has washed us with his precious blood, and He has given us His righteousness. We are the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We are washed with the blood of Jesus Christ. And the word of God says, “The just shall live by faith.” “Just” means “righteous.” If you believe Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are the righteous person, and God will hear your prayer. If someone discourages you, you tell them, “I am a believer.” But if you are living in sin, and you have anger, frustration, and unforgiveness, God will not hear your prayer. Because we read in Mark 11:25, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive your sins.

If you love the Lord, and you follow the Lord, and you believe that God is alive today, miracles and healing will take place in your ministry. So believe it and receive it. There is nothing impossible with God.

Many people believe that Saint Paul’s thorn in the flesh was sickness or disease and he prayed three times and God did not heal him. And you ask them, “What kind of sickness or disease?” They will tell you he had some kind of eye problem or some kind of infirmities. And when you say, “What kind of eye problem?” they will say, “When he saw that great light he was blinded, and that’s why he had some kind of permanent damage to his eyes.” But let’s see what the word of God says. We read in Acts 9:17, ‘And Ananias went his way and entered the house, and laying hands on him, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once. And he arose, and was baptized. And when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus." From reading these scriptures, I am sure that the word of God says he received his sight at once. That means there was no permanent damage remaining. At once he received healing. That means his healing was not gradual healing. God did not say, "Okay, I'm going to heal you, and gradually you will be all right." It says at once he received his sight. And the other verse says when he received food he was strengthened. Now, whatever weakness he had, the word of God says he received his strength. So he was no more weak and no more blind, but he was strengthened by the power of God. So how can somebody say that he had permanent damage in his eyesight? God never does half the job.

And if he had some other problems, what is Saint Paul saying in Romans 8:32? "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" So he is saying from his own experience, if God gave His Son for us, He will give us anything and everything we ask Him. So healing is nothing impossible with God. In Philippians 4:19 Saint Paul says, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Here it says all your need. If he could say God is going to supply all your need, do you believe God did not supply Paul's need? In Philippians 4:13, Saint Paul says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me." If Saint Paul says he can do all things, how can someone say he was not able to see, or that he had some kind of deformity? He says, "I can do all things." If he himself says, "I can do all things through Christ," we cannot say he was not able to see or he was not able to do things properly. In 2 Timothy 4:17, Saint Paul says, "But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear, and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." Can you see what Saint Paul is testifying? If somebody says he had some kind of weakness, here Saint Paul is saying, "He strengthened me," and here he is saying, "He delivered me out of the mouth of the lion." So if God can deliver him out of the mouth of the lion, out of all these troubles and trials, do you think he would not deliver him out of these weaknesses? So, from these verses, I am one hundred percent sure it was not physical illness or disease.

I would like to point out that when God called Saul, what did he say? Let's read Acts 9:15-16. "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake." Now here the word of God is saying Paul was going to suffer for the sake of Jesus Christ. That means, when he was going to preach the gospel, all sorts of obstacles would come. That's what the apostle Paul was saying. In 2 Corinthians chapter 12, we're going to read from verse 7. "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelation, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.'" Here it's clear that in the beginning God said he must suffer, and when Paul said that he should not suffer more, that's when God said, "My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weaknesses." This is not talking about sickness and disease. When somebody tells you someone is a "pain in my neck" or "thorn in my flesh," do you think it means that someone gave that person sickness or disease? You know it means that someone is troubling. That's what Saint Paul is saying. He did not want any trouble from Satan. He wanted to be free, so that he could preach the gospel freely. But there were obstacles, and God told him from the beginning, "You must suffer." Acts 9:13 says, "Ananias answered, 'Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all that call upon your name.' But the Lord said to him, 'Go, for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake."

From this we know Paul did not have any sickness or disease.

If someone tells you God doesn't heal today, that means they don't believe in healing in miracles. According to Mark 16:17-18, "These signs will follow those who believe in my name: they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." If you are a believer, you should not be afraid to pray for the sick. According to these scriptures, believers will lay hands on the sick, and the sick will recover."

I believe that when believers preach, teach, and pray for the sick, God will do miracles. Hebrews 2:3-4 says, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed by those who heard him, God also bearing witness through signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will?" From these verses we know God approved our salvation message, healing, and miracles. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." So Jesus is with us all the time. Revelation 1:18 says, "I am he who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of death." That means Jesus is alive. Our God is not dead. Jesus also said in John 14:12, "Most surely, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."

If any believer believes Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and believes that He is alive and that His commandments are alive, then he should have no doubt that God is doing miracles today and using His servants who believe in Him. So don't believe unbelievers and doubters, but believe the word of God and what Jesus said. I have been serving the Lord since 1956. God did so many miracles in my life, and he used me to pray for others. I have seen in their lives healings and miracles. I have no doubt that Jesus does miracles today. I encourage you not to believe wrong teaching. Study the four gospels and the book of Acts, so you will know more about miracles and healing. Your faith will increase. The Bible says that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Please don't look at any man. Hebrews 12:2-3 says, "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls." So our model is Jesus. If you trust in Jesus and obey His commandment, He will use you mightily for His glory. Please read Ps. 37:3-6. "Delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." He will give you the desires of your heart, and he will let your righteousness shine like the noonday. That means God will use you for His glory, and other people will notice what God is doing in your life.

I hope this study on healing will help you. If you are sick, you will be healed, and if others are sick, you can pray for them, and they will be healed.

May God richly bless you and use you more and more for His glory.