The Purpose Of Bible Miracles

Of course Jesus healed the sick and the hurt because He had compassion on them (Matt 20:34, Matt 14:14, etc.), but the overriding purpose for miracles was to confirm that the healer was from God and was speaking the truth. The following passages illustrate such …I King 17:24 (after the Zarephath widow’s son was resurrected via Elijah’s request of God) “And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.”John 3:2 “The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.”Mark 16:20 “And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.”Hebrews 2:3-4 “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?”Matthew 9:6 “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.”Acts 14:3 "Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands." (NKJV)However I think it is a false argument for the truth to say the purposes for miracles have ceased, therefore miracles have ceased – because some of the purposes for miracles have not ceased, namely Jesus healed people out of compassion, that is, so the person would be well again. As long as we have physical sickness in the world, there would be a need for miracles. The argument that should be used is that miracles have ceased because the Bible teaches they would cease at the completion of the New Testament (I Cor 13:8-13), during the time period of the first coming of Christ (Zech 13:4).