ContradictionsReading order 122Bible context 1 min read
Can only God work wonders?
The psalm reserves great wonders for God, while Thessalonians attributes impressive signs to Satan. The qualification 'lying' affects whether the acts belong to the same category.
- Textual conflict
- Interpretive tension
- The passages pull in different directions, but the conflict depends on how their wording, scope, or narrative context is read.
- Importance
- Foundational
- A central claim about origins, salvation, divine justice, or religious authority.
Satan's wonders challenge God's exclusive agency only if lying describes their message rather than counterfeit events.
An editorial assessment of the quoted passages. Importance describes the stakes; it does not increase certainty. Reading order weighs both.
God alone performs great wonders
To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalms 136:4
Translation / edition: King James Version (KJV)
Read the full chapter:Psalms 136
Satan's activity includes power, signs, and lying wonders
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2 Thessalonians 2:9
Translation / edition: King James Version (KJV)
Read the full chapter:2 Thessalonians 2