Notice that Jesus describes false prophets as having “great signs and wonders.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 describes Satan as using “all power and false signs and wonders.” The word “false” or “lying” does not necessarily mean that Satan’s miracles appear unreal, but rather that they serve lies and falsehood. Indeed, according to 2 Thessalonians 2, Satan’s deception comes with “all power.” This passage also shows that people must have a genuine love for truth, or else they will be deluded and perish.
Satan’s workers have long used various powers to gain followers. Acts gives us several examples.
But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic (Acts 8:9-11 cf. Acts 13:8; 19:13).
As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour (Acts 16:16-18).
As described in Acts 16, this “spirit of divination” was a real spirit. We are not told just how far into the future this spirit could look, or how much detail it could predict. But the divination was very effective in the view of the girl’s owners and customers. Her fortune telling was so profitable that the loss of the girl’s power led to a riot (Acts 16:19-22).