.........Sickness and disease have been the biggest foe of humanity since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Since the world population is rapidly increasing, naturally there are more sick people in the world also.
God has always, since the fall up to present, healed by His divine grace when it was His will to do so, but the only time He gave the actual "gift of healings" to any men other than Himself, was when He passed the gift on to men to authenticate the Gospel, and the New Testament dispensation!
First, Jesus gave the gift to His twelve apostles. These gifts were temporary sign gifts which were also miracles, unlearned languages and interpretation of those languages, in addition to the gifts of healings.
The progression of the power to use the sign gifts at will by the men possessing them were as follows: Jesus first gave the gifts to the twelve apostles. In Luke 9:1 we are told, "Then He called His twelve disciples and gave them power and authority over all demons---" this was actually the gift of miracles or powers, however this never gave them any ability to work natural miracles such as Jesus did when he walked on water, changed water into wine, multiplied food, made a tree fall dead, or controlled the sea and wind. This miracle gift was the gift of "dunamis", power over Satan, the ability to cast out demons. The end of the verse says, "---and to cure diseases." They were given the power over disease, and could heal at their own will, whenever they chose to manifest the gifts! This is quite a contrast between those claiming to have the gifts today.
In Luke 10:1 Jesus extended these abilities another group of seventy: "after these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two by two," then He said to them in verse 9, "and heal the sick that are there, and say unto them, the kingdom of God is come near unto you."
Up to this point, only the twelve apostles, and the seventy were given the gifts of miracles and healings. From that point, a few of the associates of the apostles, used of God, were given the gift. Therefore, Christ had the gifts, along with His apostles, the seventy, and some of the apostle's associates. The gifts were never used at random in the churches, but were always associated with Christ, the twelve, the seventy, and the associates of the twelve, such as Philip and Paul. It was never extended beyond those men, so was very limited in terms of the people who possessed the gifts.
The purpose of the gifts, as I stated before, was to confirm the Gospel message. As they went out preaching, proclaiming the good news of salvation, God gave them the ability to heal diseases instantaneously and totally in order to convince people that they were from God and that their message was indeed believable. (Mark 16:20) So, these gifts were given in order to authenticate and confirm the proclamation of these particular individuals. I have heard of the gifts being given again all over to use at will, but the evidence is very superficial, except on hearsay, especially in Gospel hardened nations such as the United States and others like it. I have heard of reports in the mission field overseas, such as T.L. Osborn reported, of the Lord confirming his ministry to heathen who had never heard the Gospel before, by healings and miracles.
In those instances, I believe it is very possible, the Lord will, and has honored the prayer of faith and performed healings and miracles to authenticate the preaching of the Gospel to unbelievers who never heard the word. However, that is not the normative, and certainly does not apply to the claims we are hearing today, such as controlled, advertised tent meetings, or to the other extremes of even mass healing on the air waves by radio and T.V. on even delayed taping!
Concerning the hypocrisy of modern healers, I have never heard it said better than how John MacArthur Jr. says it: "The question I hear all the time is: "well, how do you explain what goes on?" All right, let me ask you a question. Since none of the healers can heal with a word or a touch, instantaneously, totally, everybody, organic diseases, and raise the dead; since none of there have received the gift of healing from Jesus or the apostles; since the Bible is complete, the revelation has ceased, and more signs are no longer necessary; since the Word needs no confirmation, it is sufficient that the man of god might be perfect; since their healings are based on faulty theology of the atonement and salvation; since they disallow God His own purposes in having some people remain sick; since their personal lives are not known to manifest the fruit of the Spirit; since so many tricks, gimmicks, and special effects are often used; since the evidence is weak, unsupported, and so called testimonies exagerated; since they do not go to where the sick are, as Jesus did; since they cannot heal all who come to them; and since their healings can have other possible explanations rather than that God has acted supernaturally; let me ask you this question: "How do you explain it? You can't explain it Biblically - it is a fraud, they are deceived. Maybe they don't know they are deceived; maybe they are honestly deceived, but the are deceived."
Since sickness and disease is used by God for His sovereign purpose, it is only logical, only He can heal at His will, not our will!
Other than the fall, why are Christians sick, especially if they have already been spiritually healed by conversion? Several possibilities are as follows: Satan makes you sick. Luke 13:11 says, "And, behold there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years and was bowed together, and could in no way lift herself up. And when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him, and said unto her, woman, thou are loosed from thine
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