The particular wonders to which the prophecy refers are evidently wrought for the purpose of deceiving the people; for verse 14 reads, “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast.”  This identifies the two-horned beast with the false prophet of Rev. 19:20; for this false prophet is the power that works miracles before the beast, “with which,” says John, “he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image,” the identical work of the two-horned beast.  We can now ascertain by what means the miracles in question are wrought; for Rev. 16:13, 14, speaks of spirits of devils working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty, and these miracle-working spirits go forth out of the mouths of certain powers, one of which is this very false prophet, or two-horned beast.

Miracles are of two kinds, true and false, just as we have a true Christ and false Christs, true and false prophets, and true and false apostles.  By a false miracle, we mean not a pretended miracle, which is no miracle at all, but a real miracle, a supernatural performance, wrought for the purpose of deceiving, or of proving a lie.  The miracles of this power are real miracles, but are wrought for the purpose of deception.  The prophecy does not read that he deceived the people by means of the miracles which he claimed that he was able to perform, or which he pretended to do; but which he had power to do.  They, therefore, fall far short of the prophecy who suppose that the great wonders wrought by this power were fulfilled by Napoleon when he told the Mussulmans that he could command a fiery chariot to come down from heaven, but never did it, or by the pretended miracles of the Romish church, which are only shams, mere tricks played off by ungodly and designing priests upon their ignorant and superstitious dupes.

Miracles, or wonders, such as are to be wrought by the two-horned beast, and withal, as we think, the very ones referred to in the prophecy, are mentioned by Paul in 2 Thess. 2:9, 10.  Speaking of the second coming of Christ, he says, “Whose coming is after ([Greek:  kata], at the time of) the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”  These are no slight-of-hand performances, but such a working of Satan as the world has never before seen.  To work with all power and signs and lying wonders, is certainly to do a real and an astounding work, but one which is designed to prove a lie.

Again, the Saviour, predicting events to occur just before his second coming, says, “For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”  Here, again, are wonders foretold, wrought for the purpose of deception, so powerful that, were it possible, even the very elect would be deceived by them.