Relics And Miraculous Bleeding And Weeping

Relics and Miraculous Bleeding and Weeping

Over the years, I have heard of all kinds of things that are revered and really worshiped. It is claimed that these things have special powers to heal because they belonged to someone in the Bible. Tears, oil and blood have flowed from all kinds of statues, paintings, etc. It is even claimed that the shroud of Christ is still in existence as well as enough slivers of the original Cross that might build a nice three-story home.

I do not place any stock in any of these things nor that which is claimed about them. Indeed, I would very much like to have these things be authentic, but the very premise of these things having special powers is unbiblical. I cite the following case.

II Kings 18:4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. (KJV)

The brasen serpent had no power in itself. It was created for a specific event in a specific time. What saved the people was their obedience of faith to look at the serpent, not the serpent itself. It made no logical sense that if you look at a brass serpent on a pole you would be healed of snakebite. However, God said to look and live. Those that believed Him looked and lived. Those who did not died. After that, it may have been kept as a memorial to the event, but it no longer had any usefulness past that.

However, it seems that many years later when Israel fell into apostasy they turned the thing into an idol and offered incense to it. Incense was symbolic of prayers rising up to God. In essence, they were praying to it as any other pagan idol. They took a thing that God used and made it a God. This is much like the folks in Romans 1:23 who exchanged the real God for one made like man or animals. We have a snake here and since satan is often referred to as a serpent, we could have an example of taking something of God’s and using it for devil worship.

In reality, a Christian does this every time he sins. He takes himself who is bought with a price and pays homage to the devil by rebelling against God and committing that which God prohibits or by not doing what God commands. Heavy thoughts that should drive us all to the floor on our face and cry out as Isaiah, "Woe is me…"

Note what happened to the serpent relic when the King got right with God and started cleansing the land of idolatry. The serpent bit the dust. It was a piece of brass and that is all. I thoroughly believe that this is why we cannot find the Ark of the Covenant and why we cannot get to Noah’s ark, if it really is up on that mountain. We will adore it and make more of it than it is. Besides, we are to be people of faith not sight. All these relics and bleeding. and oozing are sight things, not faith things.

You may be saying that I am a doubting Thomas. Nope, I just know that we live in an age of heresy and demonic deception. If I am a doubting Thomas, let us see what Jesus said to him.

John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (KJV)

I would rather have that blessing of faith without seeing though my flesh would love to see flashy miracles and have things that I can touch and be healed or "enlightened." If it is truly Jesus’ shroud, it is a piece of cloth and quite possibly should be burned as it has become more than Christ would have ever meant it to be. He left it behind in the tomb so that the disciples could see that His body was not stolen, but rather that He arose and no longer needed it.

What about bleedings and things? Why are they needed? To win souls? We have his Word and His Spirit to do those things. To increase faith? No, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. When we see God’s promises fulfilled, our faith is increased. Sight things like bleedings or tears or visions on a tortilla may increase our emotions, but not our faith. What happens when they cease or are proven fraudulent? Our "faith" is destroyed. Things of God do not destroy faith. We are to have faith when He speaks and when He is silent.