God's miracles for Israel were tied to His dealings with that nation and its demand for signs, so they are not the pattern for believers today.
Les Feldick teaches that Israel's history was filled with the supernatural because God was proving His power, His purposes, and His chosen leaders to a people who demanded signs. The same kind of visible supernatural, such as angels opening prison doors, does not happen in this present age. God can still answer prayer and do the miraculous, but the miraculous signs that Israel experienced were unique to His program with that nation and will return when He deals with Israel again.
1 Corinthians 1:22 — This verse directly states that the Jews required a sign, explaining why miracles were so frequent in Israel's history.
Joshua 3:7 — This verse shows God using a miracle at the Jordan to prove to Israel that Joshua was His chosen leader.
The Bible shows that Israel's history was marked by supernatural signs. The apostle Paul wrote, "For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom" (1 Corinthians 1:22). This demand for signs is visible throughout Israel's record, from Moses' rod becoming a serpent, through the wilderness miracles, and into Christ's earthly ministry. In Joshua's day, God miraculously stopped the Jordan River so the nation could cross on dry ground. The Lord told Joshua, "This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that I am with thee, as I was with Moses" (Joshua 3:7). That miracle was given to confirm Joshua as God's appointed leader before the whole nation.
Les Feldick teaches that the supernatural was a normal part of God's dealings with Israel. Beginning with Moses and Aaron in Egypt, God used signs and miracles to prove that He was at work. The Jews required a sign, as 1 Corinthians 1:22 says, and that trait followed them all the way through the Old Testament and into Christ's ministry. Les also explains why Jesus performed so many miracles: He was proving to the nation of Israel who He was. The same signs, however, are not happening today. Les notes from Sir Robert Anderson that there is no record in church history of angels delivering God's people as they did in Israel's history. God is still the God of miracles and can answer prayer, but the kind of continual supernatural signs Israel experienced will not resume until God again deals with the nation of Israel.
The Bible is clear that Israel operated on visible proof. 1 Corinthians 1:22 says, "For the Jews require a sign." In Joshua 3, God miraculously stopped the Jordan to magnify Joshua before Israel, proving that He was with Joshua as He had been with Moses. These miracles were not random; they were the signs Israel demanded.
Les shows that signs began with Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh. Even Moses, a Jew, did not believe at first, so God turned his shepherd's rod into a serpent as proof. This pattern continued through all of Israel's history. When Moses performed the signs before the children of Israel, they believed because they saw the signs.
Les teaches that Jesus' miracles were intended to prove to the Jews who He was. The Jews required a sign, and they constantly asked Jesus for one. In the book of John, Les points out that there were seven recorded miraculous signs, and each one carried truth for the nation of Israel.
Les Feldick explains that the same kind of supernatural miracles Israel experienced—such as angels opening prison doors—does not happen today. He says there is no account in church history of that happening. God can still answer prayer and perform the miraculous, but the constant signs that Israel saw will not occur again until God begins once more to deal with the nation of Israel.
Jordan Crossing Confirms Joshua
Les explains that God stopped the Jordan River to magnify Joshua before Israel, proving Joshua was God's appointed leader just as Moses had been.
Israel's Demand for Signs
Les points out that Jews require a sign according to 1 Corinthians, and from Moses onward Israel's history was filled with supernatural proof.
Jesus' Miracles Prove His Identity
Les teaches that Jesus performed miracles because the Jews required signs and were always looking for visible proof of who He was.
Signs for Moses and Aaron
Les shows that the rod-to-serpent sign was given to convince Moses and Aaron that God would do the supernatural to bring Israel out of Egypt.
Signs Lead Israel to Believe
Les says that when Moses performed signs before the children of Israel, they believed because they saw the signs, and this pattern continued throughout Israel's history.
Supernatural Silence Today
Les notes that there is no church-history record of angels delivering believers, and the kind of miracles Israel saw is not happening today and will return only when God deals with Israel again.
Signs Begin Under Moses
Les reminds listeners that signs for Israel began with Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh, and that believers today cannot practice those signs because we are not under those circumstances.
Rod Becomes a Serpent
Les uses the shepherd's rod turning into a serpent to show that Israel has been demanding signs since Moses, and God proved to Moses that He was behind Israel's deliverance.
1 Corinthians 1:22: For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
This verse explains why Israel constantly demanded visible supernatural proof of God's work.
Joshua 3:7: And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that I am with thee, as I was with Moses.
This verse shows God using a miracle to confirm Joshua as Israel's leader after Moses.
Exodus 4:3: And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
Les references this rod-to-serpent sign as God's proof to Moses that He was sending him to deliver Israel.
Les Feldick says God can still answer prayer and perform the miraculous. But the kind of miracles Israel experienced—such as angels opening prison doors—has not happened in church history and will not happen until God resumes His dealings with the nation of Israel.
1 Corinthians 1:22 states that the Jews require a sign. Les explains that this was Israel's nature throughout the Old Testament; they always looked for visible proof of God's activity, from Moses' rod becoming a serpent to Jesus' miracles.
Les teaches that Jesus' miracles were to prove to the nation of Israel who He was. The book of John records seven signs, and each sign carried truth specifically for Israel, not for the Gentiles or the church.
Watch the Teaching: Crossing the Jordan on Dry Ground — What Most People Miss