Sign
SIGN
A token, pledge, or proof, Gen 9:12,13 17:11 Exo 3:12 Isa 8:18 . Also a supernatural portent, Luk 21:11 ; and a miracle, regarded as a token of the divine agency, Exo 4:7-9 Mar 8:11 . The “signs of heaven” were the movements and aspects of the heavenly bodies, from which heathen astrologers pretended to obtain revelations, Isa 44:25 Jer 10:2 . See SHIP.
Fuente: American Tract Society Bible Dictionary
Sign
The word (sign) is used (1) of the autographic part of a letter, the mark of authenticity-2Th 3:17 (English Version token); (2) as meaning a symbol-Rom 4:11 (the sign of circumcision, i.e. circumcision as a sign of the covenant); (3) as an indication-Mat 26:48 (Judas kiss), Luk 2:12 (to the Shepherds) Luk 2:34 (the child Jesus set for a sign); (4) hence for some wonderful indication-Mat 24:3; Mat 24:30, Mar 13:4 (of Christs Coming), Mat 16:1; Mat 16:4, Mar 8:11, Mar 16:17; Mar 16:20, Luk 11:15; Luk 11:29 (to show Christs power), Mat 16:3 (signs of the times) Mat 16:4 (sign of Jonah), 1Co 14:22 (tongues and prophesying as a sign of the power of Christianity); and therefore for a miracle or wonderful deed which has instruction as its object. The signs in heaven of Rev 12:1; Rev 12:3; Rev 12:15 : are a connecting link between these two shades of meaning. The usual sense of in the NT is a miracle, especially in the plural (see article Miracle).
In the English Version the word sign is used in two places where does not occur. In Luk 1:62 they made signs renders , a verb used in Pro 6:3; Pro 10:10 (Septuagint ) of winking with the eye. In Act 28:11 a ship whose sign was the Dioscuri renders , where is either an adjective (= marked) or else, less probably, a substantive with in apposition (but in that case it means a ships flag in classical Greek; see Liddell and Scott, s.v.). A. J. Maclean.
Fuente: Dictionary of the Apostolic Church
Sign
is the rendering in the A. V. of several Heb. and Gr. words, especially , 6th, , which usually denote a miraculous or, at least, divine or extraordinary token of an event, generally in the future. SEE MIRACLE. In Biblical language a sign is a token, or whatever serves to express or represent another thing. Thus the Lord gave to Noah the rainbow as a sign of his covenant (Gen 9:12-13), and for the same purpose he appointed circumcision to Abraham (Gen 17:11; see also Exo 3:12; Jdg 6:17). In Isa 7:18 the word is used for a prophetic similitude Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel” (see also Eze 4:3).Signs and wonders, as they are usually connected, sometimes denote those proofs or demonstrations of power and authority which were furnished by miracles, and by other tokens of the divine presence (Joh 4:48; Mat 12:38; Act 2:22); sometimes those unusual appearances which betoken the approach of great events (Luk 21:11; Luk 21:25), and at other times tokens or pledges as evidences of fulfilment (Luk 2:12; 1Co 1:22). This word is emphatically used in Scripture for a miraculous appearance, which would attest the divine authority of a prophet or teacher. The Jews asked our Lord for “a sign from heaven” (Mat 16:1),’ meaning, thereby, the appearance of the Messiah coming in the clouds of heaven, which Daniel had foretold (Dan 7:13), and which ,”the traditions of the elders,” as appears from the Talmud, had declared to be the only certain sign of the advent of the promised inheritor of David’s throne and deliverer of the Jewish nation. So our Lord refers to “the sign of the Son of man” (Mat 24:30), as prefigured by the national overthrow of the Jews (see Zettner, De Astre. Judceis quondam Ominoso [Alt. 1724], and the monographs cited by Hase, Leben Jesu, p. 187). SEE ESCHATOLOGY.
Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
Sign (2)
a term used in defining a sacrament to describe the relation existing between an external ordinance-and that which it represents. The former is called the “outward part, or sign,” the latter the “inward part, or thing signified.” SEE SIGNS.
Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
Sign
SIGN (, signum).The Gospels contain many references to signs in connexion with the anticipations of Messiahs advent and with the life and work of Jesus Christ. But the various shades and degrees of significance attached to the word sign by speakers, writers, and the people generally, must be carefully discriminated by a close regard to the particular occasion on which it is employed. Most of all must distinction be made between the value placed upon the word by the people of our Lords time and by our Lord Himself.
1. The fixed expectation of the generation into which Jesus was born, that signs would be associated with every true prophet and reformer and supremely with the Messiah, that marvellous events, largely of a material character, would occur in connexion with every authoritative teacher, and with every manifestation of the will of God, was part of the mental fabric of the Jewish people. The depth to which this expectation penetrated into the general consciousness may be judged by the traces of it in the Apostolic writers and in those trained under their influence. The Apostles generally did not easily throw aside Jewish prepossessions in regard to the kind of phenomena which might be expected to accompany a Messianic advent or a Divine revelation. Although they lay the main emphasis on the ethical and spiritual elements of Christian authority, the lower conceptions persist, and often no clear distinction is made between the and the (cf. Mat 24:29 f., Mar 13:24 f., Luk 21:11; Luk 21:25, Act 2:22, Heb 2:4, 2Co 12:12, Rev 12:1; Rev 13:13; Rev 15:1; Rev 16:14; Rev 19:20, 2Th 2:8 f.).
It is abundantly clear that the general assumption was made that credentials of a striking and material character must be demanded of the Messiah as a proof of the authority of His teaching and Person. Repeatedly the Jews, and especially the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees (see below), pressed this demand upon Jesus. They wanted a clear convincing proof of His authority. The signs they had seen were possible by collusion with the powers that rule the lower world, by a compact with Beelzebub (Mar 3:22). Only a sign in the heavens would satisfy them. Clearly what they sought was of the nature of a prodigy, properly to be classed with the , with which our Lord stedfastly refused to have any part or lot. Similarly, Herods desire to see Jesus was animated by his wish to see a miracle () performed by Him. We can be sure that what Herod desired had more relation to prodigies, as most in harmony with his nature and suited to his capacity, and the word used is due to the Evangelist, who himself drew no clear line between the and the (Luk 23:8).
2. Our Lords attitude towards signs.Indications are given that the common expectation of signs on the part of His generation was not without its solicitation to Jesus. One temptation in the wilderness was an urgent pressure on the noblest side of His nature to give a sign of this character with the view of gaining a more speedy influence over the people (Mat 4:5-7, Luk 4:9-12). The temptation was resisted and overcome. Our Lord would put no trust in external and magical signs for the furtherance of His work or the emphasizing and enforcing of His teaching. He knew their futility for the purpose of bringing real conviction to men (Luk 16:31). And the strenuous effort of His life was to resist these unspiritual conceptions of truth and reality.
The request for a sign in confirmation of His teaching He uniformly refused. The apparent response in Joh 2:18 is no exception. The sign He would give would be granted only in its due place as His career was consummated by His own resurrection. Joh 6:26 contains an apparent commendation of those who accepted Him because of His wonder-working, but it was only a relative commendation in comparison with the far lower spirit which was unconcerned about any spiritual authority so long as their physical wants were easily and bountifully provided. Luk 7:21-22 on the surface appears to be a sign given for the sake of convincing John the Baptist, and if ever our Lord could have departed from His habitual way, it was to help that lone prisoner, suffering mental and spiritual anguish because the work Messiah was doing was so unlike what he had expecteddeeds of quiet beneficence instead of sharp vengeance against iniquity. But the action sprang out of the Divine impulse as our Lord, deeply moved by Johns doubt, realized afresh that to bless and heal men was the truest mark of One sent of God.
Jesus resolutely and persistently refused to give any external sign for the sake of evidencing His claims, and only in the most chary manner spoke of His miracles as signs. He chose rather to call them (works) arising out of the need of man and prompted by His own inner life in response to that need (see art. Miracles). His works were signs because they were part of His whole revelation of God, and elsewhere He regards opportunities for His miracles as occasions for the manifestation of the works of God (Joh 9:3), or for the glorifying of Himself (Joh 11:4). Self-manifestation and Divine revelation were identical in the mind of Jesus (Joh 14:13). Clearly our Lord only refrained from applying the word to His miracles because of the general associations of the word. To Him they were vital parts of the revelation of Divine power which He came to give.
A very particular and urgently-pressed demand for a sign in the heavens is recorded in Mat 12:38-41; Mat 16:1-4, Mar 8:11-12, and Luk 11:16; Luk 11:29-32. The various accounts give a full idea of the occasion, or occasions. Mk. records the astonishment and bewilderment of Jesus at such a claim made by those who professed to be religious leaders. In an age which was full of signs, in which He Himself had been the most signal manifestation of the Divine presence and power, these religious teachers were still asking for signs. Why doth this generation seek after a sign? No sign shall be given. Mt. and Lk. record our Lords answer that no sign should be given but that of Jonah. Lk. gives the explanation of that sign to the Ninevites as consisting in the man and his message, not in his deliverance from the sea-monster, which they could only have believed on the strength of their faith in the man himself. Mat 16:1-4 gives the same interpretation, as also does Mat 12:38-39; Mat 12:41, which forms a consistent whole and regards Jonahs preaching as the sign. Mat 12:40, with its parallel to the Resurrection of Jesus, must be regarded as an after thought incorporated incongruously into the narrative. And the chief point is that our Lord declares that the one Divine sign to that generation was Himself, the Son of Man, His Person and His teaching. Simeon, under the exaltation of the Spirit, gives expression to the same essential truth (Luk 2:34). Jesus entirely severs Himself from the common conception of a sign. A mere sign was the prodigy desired by an evil generation; His works were signs in the truer and higher sense of having in them a spiritual and Divine significance, and as pointing to greater possibilities of soul and higher regions of reality. They were signs of the Divine power and life which dwelt in Himself.
Joh 10:41, declaring the embarrassment felt by those who were conscious of the truth of the Baptists message regarding Christ, together with the fact that he wrought no sign, is witness that more spiritual conceptions were breaking through the ancient crust of superstition. And the Fourth Gospel is evidence that one Evangelist was able to disentangle the spiritual and ethical from the material and catastrophic. The conceptions of Christs power set forth in this Gospel are of a distinctly more spiritual order. The word used by the writer is invariably (Joh 2:11; Joh 3:2; Joh 4:54, etc.), and there are plain indications that the truer and higher significance was attached to it. The value of the sign is seen to be its revealing quality. The miracle of the Cana-marriage is described as the beginning of His signs, in which He manifested forth His glory ( ), showing that the disciple had truly apprehended the Masters teaching.
T. H. Wright.
Fuente: A Dictionary Of Christ And The Gospels
Sign
SIGN.Any outward fact which serves as a pledge of a Divine word or a proof of a Divine deed is a sign, whether it be natural or supernatural in its character. The rainbow served as the sign of the Noahic, as the rite of circumcision of the Abrahamic, covenant (Gen 9:12; Gen 17:11 token, Rom 4:11). That God was with, and worked for, the Israelites was shown in the plagues of Egypt (Exo 10:2). Gideon asks for and receives a sign that it is Jehovah who speaks with him (Jdg 6:17), and Saul also receives signs to confirm the words of Samuel (1Sa 10:7). The prophetic word is thus proved from God (Isa 7:14; Isa 38:7, Jer 44:29, Eze 14:8). The sign need not be supernatural (1Sa 2:34, Isa 8:18; Isa 20:3); but the Jews in the time of Christ desired miracles as proofs of Divine power (Mat 12:38; Mat 16:1, Joh 4:48, 1Co 1:22), a request which Jesus refused and condemned. The message of the Baptist, though not confirmed by any sign, was seen to be true (Joh 10:41). It is Jonahs preaching that is probably referred to when Jesus speaks of him as a sign to his generation (Mat 12:39). The babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger, is the simple and humble sign to the shepherds of the birth of a Saviour, Christ the Lord (Luk 2:12); and He is welcomed by Simeon as a sign which is spoken against (Luk 2:34). The Fourth Gospel frequently describes the miracles of Jesus as signs (Luk 3:2, Luk 4:44), and attributes to them an evidential value which is not prominent in Jesus own intention. This confirmation of the gospel was found in the Apostolic Church (Mar 16:20, Act 4:16; Act 6:3; Act 8:6; Act 8:13; Act 15:12, 2Co 12:12). The last things will be ushered in by extraordinary signs (Mat 24:30, Luk 21:25, 2Th 2:9the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, Rev 12:1; Rev 13:13 etc.). The faith that depends on signs, if not altogether condemned (Joh 6:26), is by Jesus deprecated (Joh 4:48, cf. 1Co 1:22). Cf. also p. 568b.
Alfred E. Garvie.
Fuente: Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible
Sign
I should not have paused at this word had it not been with a view to have noticed the five signs of the Jews, which they regarded as so highly important in the first temple, and which they confessed the second temple was destitute of.
First, The Urim and Thummim, by which the High Priest was miraculously instructed in the will of God.
Second, The ark of the covenant from whence the Jews observed JEHOVAH gave answers by revelation.
Third, The fire upon the altar, which was always burning.
Fourth, The Shechinah, or manifestation of glory, to intimate the divine presence.
Fifth, The spirit of prophesy.
Now as these five symbols or signs of the Lord’s favour to his church and people were in the first temple, but not in the second, what a blessed prophecy and promise was that of the Lord by Haggai, that the glory of the latter house should be greater than the former! (Hag 2:9) A circumstance only to be explained by the actual presence of the Lord himself in the temple, which those five signs typified and represented. And what a blessed accomplishment of both prophecy and promise was it, when the Lord Jesus himself came suddenly to his temple in substance of our flesh! (Mal 3:2) In him all the signs and symbols, shadows, types, and figures, had their whole meaning realized. Oh, the felicity to behold in him “all the fulness of the GODHEAD bodily!” (Col 2:9)
Fuente: The Poor Mans Concordance and Dictionary to the Sacred Scriptures
Sign
sn (, ‘oth a sign mark , mopheth, wonder’ , semeon, a sign, signal, mark): A mark by which persons or things are distinguished and made known. In Scripture used generally of an address to the senses to attest the existence of supersensible and therefore divine power. Thus the plagues of Egypt were signs of divine displeasure against the Egyptians (Exo 4:8 ff; Jos 24:17, and often); and the miracles of Jesus were signs to attest His unique relationship with God (Mat 12:38; Joh 2:18; Act 2:22). Naturally, therefore, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, signs are assimilated to the miraculous, and prevailingly associated with immediate divine interference. The popular belief in this manner of communication between the visible and the invisible worlds has always been, and is now, widespread. So-called natural explanations, however ingenious or cogent, fail with the great majority of people to explain anything. Wesley and Spurgeon were as firm believers in the validity of such methods of intercourse between man and God as were Moses and Gideon, Peter and John.
The faith that walks by signs is not by any means to be lightly esteemed. It has been allied with the highest nobility of character and with the most signal achievement. Moses accepted the leadership of his people in response to a succession of signs: e.g. the burning bush, the rod which became a serpent, the leprous hand, etc. (Ex 3 and 4); so, too, did Gideon, who was not above making proof of God in the sign of the fleece of wool (Jdg 6:36-40). In the training of the Twelve, Jesus did not disdain the use of signs (Luk 5:1-11, and often); and the visions by which Peter and Paul were led to the evangelization of the Gentiles were interpreted by them as signs of the divine purpose (Acts 10 and 16).
The sacramental use of the sign dates from the earliest period, and the character of the sign is as diverse as the occasion. The rainbow furnishes radiant suggestion of God’s overarching love and assurance that the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy the earth (Gen 9:13; compare Gen 4:15); the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a reminder of God’s care in bringing His people out of bondage (Exo 13:3); the Sabbath is an oft-recurring proclamation of God’s gracious thought for the well-being of man (Exo 31:13; Eze 20:12); the brazen serpent, an early foreshadowing of the cross, perpetuates the imperishable promise of forgiveness and redemption (Num 21:9); circumcision is made the seal of the special covenant under which Israel became a people set apart (Gen 17:11); baptism, the Christian equivalent of circumcision, becomes the sign and seal of the dedicated life and the mark of those avowedly seeking to share in the blessedness of the Kingdom of God (Luk 3:12-14; Act 2:41, and often); bread and wine, a symbol of the spiritual manna by which soul and body are preserved unto everlasting life, is the hallowed memorial of the Lord’s death until His coming again (Luk 22:14-20; 1Co 11:23-28). Most common of all were the local altars and mounds consecrated in simple and sincere fashion to a belief in God’s ruling and overruling providence (Jos 4:1-10).
Signs were offered in proof of the divine commission of prophet (Isa 20:3) and apostle (2Co 12:12), and of the Messiah Himself (Joh 20:30; Act 2:22); and they were submitted in demonstration of the divine character of their message (2Ki 20:9; Isa 38:1; Acts 3:1-16). By anticipation the child to be born of a young woman (Isa 7:10-16; compare Luk 2:12) is to certify the prophet’s pledge of a deliverer for a captive people. See IMMANUEL.
With increase of faith the necessity for signs will gradually decrease. Jesus hints at this (Joh 4:48), as does also Paul (1Co 1:22). Nevertheless signs, in the sense of displays of miraculous powers, are to accompany the faith of believers (Mar 16:17 f), usher in and forthwith characterize the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, and mark the consummation of the ages (Rev 15:1). See also MIRACLE.
For sign of a ship (, parasemos, ensign, Act 28:11). See DIOSCURI; SHIPS AND BOATS, III., 2.
Fuente: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Sign
A miracle to confirm faith
Mat 12:38; Mat 16:4; Mat 24:3; Mat 24:30; Mar 8:11-12; Mar 13:4; Joh 2:11; Joh 3:2; Joh 4:48
Asked for by, and given to:
– Abraham
Gen 15:8-17
– Moses
Exo 4:1-9
– Gideon
Jdg 6:17; Jdg 6:36-40
– Hezekiah
2Ki 20:8
– Zacharias
Luk 1:18
Given to Jeroboam
1Ki 13:3-5
A token of coming events
Mat 16:3-4; Mat 24:3 Miracles
Fuente: Nave’s Topical Bible
Sign
(Lat. signum, sign) Logic has been called the science of signs. In psychology that which represents anything to the cognitive faculty. That which signifies or has significance, a symbol. Semasiology or sematology is the science of signs. See Logic, symbolic; Symbolism.
For Theory of Signs, see Semiotic. — J.K.F.
Any event of character A whose occurrence is invariably accompanied by another event of character B may be said to be an index of that event. Any index which is recognized as being such may be said to function as a sign. Thus as contrasted with ‘index’, the use of ‘sign’ presupposes a triadic relations. — M.B.
Fuente: The Dictionary of Philosophy
Sign
“a sign, mark, indication, token,” is used (a) of that which distinguished a person or thing from others, e.g., Mat 26:48; Luk 2:12; Rom 4:11; 2Co 12:12 (1st part); 2Th 3:17, “token,” i.e., his autograph attesting the authenticity of his letters; (b) of a “sign” as a warning or admonition, e.g., Mat 12:39, “the sign of (i.e., consisting of) the prophet Jonas;” Mat 16:4; Luk 2:34; Luk 11:29-30; (c) of miraculous acts (1) as tokens of Divine authority and power, e.g., Mat 12:38-39 (1st part); Joh 2:11, RV, “signs;” Joh 3:2 (ditto); Joh 4:54, “(the second) sign,” RV; Joh 10:41 (ditto); Joh 20:30; in 1Co 1:22, “the Jews ask for signs,” RV, indicates that the Apostles were met with the same demand from Jews as Christ had been: “signs were vouchsafed in plenty, signs of God’s power and love, but these were not the signs which they sought … They wanted signs of an outward Messianic Kingdom, of temporal triumph, of material greatness for the chosen people. … With such cravings the Gospel of a ‘crucified Messiah’ was to them a stumblingblock indeed” (Lightfoot); 1Co 14:22; (2) by demons, Rev 16:14; (3) by false teachers or prophets, indications of assumed authority, e.g., Mat 24:24; Mar 13:22; (4) by Satan through his special agents, 2Th 2:9; Rev 13:13-14; Rev 19:20; (d) of tokens portending future events, e.g., Mat 24:3, where “the sign of the Son of Man” signifies, subjectively, that the Son of Man is Himself the “sign” of what He is about to do; Mar 13:4; Luk 21:7, Luk 21:11, Luk 21:25; Act 2:19; Rev 12:1, RV; Rev 12:3, RV; Rev 15:1.
“Signs” confirmatory of what God had accomplished in the atoning sacrifice of Christ, His resurrection and ascension, and of the sending of the Holy Spirit, were given to the Jews for their recognition, as at Pentecost, and supernatural acts by apostolic ministry, as well as by the supernatural operations in the churches, such as the gift of tongues and prophesyings; there is no record of the continuance of these latter after the circumstances recorded in Acts 19:1-20.
an adjective meaning “marked at the side” (para, “beside,” sema, “mark”), is used in Act 28:11 as a noun denoting the figurehead of a vessel.
Fuente: Vine’s Dictionary of New Testament Words
Sign
This word is used in the sense of token and pledge; as, when the Lord gave to Noah the rainbow, as a sign of his covenant, Gen 9:12-13; and when he appointed to Abraham the use of circumcision, as the seal of the covenant he had made with him and his posterity, Gen 17:11. Sign is also put for a miracle: Thou shalt do these signs and wonders in the midst of Egypt, Exo 4:7-9, &c. A sign or token is often put for the proof or evidence of a thing: For example, This shall be a token or sign unto thee, that I have sent thee, Exo 3:12.
Shew me a sign, that thou talkest with me, Jdg 6:17, that is a proof. What shall be the sign, or evidence, that the Lord will heal me? 2Ki 20:8. This acceptation agrees with the first above mentioned; as also what is said in Gen 4:15, And the Lord set a mark or sign upon Cain; he gave him a pledge that his life should not be taken away. The signs of heaven, and the signs of the magicians, are the phenomena of the heavens, and the impostures of magicians, which they made use of for the purposes of deception: The Lord frustrateth the tokens or signs of the liars, and maketh diviners mad, Isa 44:25. Be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Heathen are dismayed at them, Jer 10:2. To be a sign was farther to be a type, or prediction, of what should happen. Thus the Prophet Isa 8:18, Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me, are for signs and for wonders in Israel. See also Eze 4:3.
Fuente: Biblical and Theological Dictionary
Sign
The word is used as a type to represent or express some great truth. Here are some of the signs mentioned in Scripture:
Exo 4:8 (a) Moses, taking the serpent by the tail, represents the power of GOD over Satan and the power of the servant of GOD over the evil powers of earth. Moses’ hand in his bosom became leprous. Upon removing it from his bosom it became well. This indicates that man is first wicked within and then through the command and work of GOD he becomes right within.
Exo 8:23 (a) The plague of flies demonstrated the power of GOD over nature and the purpose of GOD to punish His enemies.
Exo 13:9 (a) Evidently this refers to the Word of the Lord which was to be bound both upon the hand and the head as a constant reminder of the fulfillment of GOD’s Word in delivering Israel from the bondage of Egypt. (See also Deu 6:8).
Exo 31:13 (a) The Sabbath was a sign of that blessed rest which would be offered in its fullness through the Lord JESUS and in His blessed Person when He came and said, “I will give you rest.”
Num 16:38 (a) The brazen censers (of the rebels). which were beaten into broad plates were to remind Israel and also us today that it is fatal to rebel against the Word and the plan of GOD.
Num 26:10 (a) The disaster sent upon Korah and his company was ever to remind Israel and us, too, of the punishment of GOD upon those who rebel against His order.
Jdg 6:17 (a) GOD saw the genuine desire of Gideon to really know His will and therefore granted him the evidence he requested. It is not always so. Very few servants of GOD ever have asked for a sign to confirm the Word of GOD. JESUS said about this matter. “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign.” (Mar 8:12). We should believe GOD’s Word without signs.
Isa 7:14 (a) The coming of CHRIST was a sign to the world that no other remedy for sin would avail.
– it was a sign of man’s helplessness and inability to save himself.
– it was a sign of the miraculous gift of a Saviour without human means or device.
– it was a sign of GOD’s plan and pleasure in sending one who could and would be the Mediator between GOD and men.
– It was a sign of GOD’s loving interest in the needs of men.
Isa 19:20 (a) This prophecy indicates that at some time in the future GOD’s rich grace will reach into the land of Egypt, and hearts will turn to the Lord in that country. The altar which shall be built there will be a testimony to the Egyptians and to the world that they no longer are followers of Mohammed and the Moslem philosophy, but that they have accepted the GOD of Israel as their GOD. The altar does not refer to the Pyramids. These are not altars, they are tombs of the dead.
Isa 20:3 (a) GOD used the prophet as a living sermon to Israel. What happened to him personally would happen to Israel nationally. The people were to look at Isaiah and learn the lesson of their own future. See that this happened also to Ezekiel in Eze 12:6; Eze 14:8; Eze 24:24.
Isa 55:13 (a) The thorn and the brier are types of wickedness and sinfulness that always work injury to men. They were to be replaced by the fir tree and the myrtle tree which are types of the joyful, beautiful Christian life. These latter growing instead of the former would be a constant testimony to the faithfulness of GOD and to his restoring power.
Isa 66:19 (a) Probably this refers to the Lord JESUS Himself ruling and reigning on Mount Zion as Governor of the world. The presence of the Son of GOD would prove to all men that CHRIST JESUS has the approval of GOD.
Jer 6:1 (b) This sign may represent a destructive fire at this suburb near Bethlehem which would be a warning to Israel that their country would be invaded by the forces of the north, and be destroyed by the local fire. Or, it may refer to the presence of the Lord JESUS CHRIST coming there, for He will sit one day as a refiner’s fire to judge Israel and separate the dross from the silver, or the wicked from the just.
Jer 44:29 (a) In this exhibition of GOD’s wrath against the people who went down to Egypt from the land of Israel, GOD is proving to His people His Word is not in vain, but that He will fulfill every promise, whether it be for punishment or for blessing.
Eze 4:3 (a) Our Lord used this object lesson as a type or a picture of the manner in which He would deal with the house of Israel in the time of His wrath. It particularly applied to His plan concerning Jerusalem, and was a picture of the destruction of that city.
Mat 12:39 (a) Wicked people do not usually believe GOD’s Word. They require some kind of evidence. Even when the miracle is performed, the ungodly do not believe GOD, but raise questions and often show their hatred. GOD did give them a sign in the Old Testament which was Jonah’s experience in the whale. He would repeat that sign in the New Testament by His own experience of going down into the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. That experience of Jonah was a sign that the Israelites represented by Jonah would be swallowed up by nations which are represented by the whale, and then would be thrust out to return to their own land.
Mat 24:3 (a) Our Lord does give evidences of His purposes, but sometimes we have difficulty in discerning them, or understanding them. The answer He gives to this question concerning the sign is a rather long one, and complicated. It does, however, include the existence of wars, troubles and the putting forth of the leaves of the fig tree. The fig tree is a type of Israel nationally, or politically. This is taking place at the present time. A complete nation has been born in one day. It is growing and flourishing, and shows that a new national existence has begun with this “tree” which has been dormant for a number of centuries.
Joh 2:11 (a) The word here translated “miracle” is really the word “sign.” There are eight of these signs in the Gospel of John. These eight signs teach us four great lessons.
– in the first sign they had nothing to drink, and in the eighth one they had nothing to eat. Then JESUS came and their needs were satisfied.
– in the second sign the boy was ready to die, and in the seventh sign the man was dead. Then JESUS came and life, and life more abundant was present to defeat death.
– in the third sign the man could not walk and in the sixth one the man could not see.
Then JESUS came and both men were able to walk with CHRIST and to see His loveliness. Both of these signs happened on the sabbath day, telling us that those who walk with GOD and see GOD by faith, these have rest in their souls and hearts. Both of these signs were at pools. These represent the Word of GOD and the Spirit of GOD. They are always preeminent in the salvation of the individual.
– in the fourth sign and the fifth one reveal the presence of fear in the heart. In the fourth one they were afraid of dying of hunger, and in the fifth they were afraid of dying by drowning. Then JESUS came and the fear of death was removed. These eight signs are as follows:
Chapter 2 (b) Water into wine. The Lord can take the ordinary things of life and make them unusually profitable for His glory. There can be no joy in the sweetest scenes of earth unless He is present.
Chapter 4:54 (b) The young man was at the point of death but was not yet dead. The Lord JESUS is able to sustain and to support the life which He gives. He only can keep us from the second death.
Chapter 5:9 (b) This indicates that those who are unable to walk with GOD and have no power to change their condition need the Saviour to touch them and enable them to walk with GOD and to live for His glory.
Chapter 6:11 (b) We learn the lesson from this sign that the hunger of the heart and the desires of the soul can only be satisfied and gratified by the presence and power of the Lord JESUS.
Chapter 6:21 (b) This sign teaches us that the storms of life and fears of the soul may be quickly and surely calmed by the presence and the word of the sovereign Lord.
Chapter 9:7 (b) This reveals that only the Lord JESUS can open blind eyes to see their need and to see the sufficiency of the Saviour. It is interesting to note that the lame man was by the pool and the blind man went to the pool. The pool may represent the Word of GOD or the Spirit of GOD or both. We should note also that both of these “signs” were given on the sabbath to teach us that when we are able to walk with GOD and are able to see the things of GOD as we should, then we have rest in our souls.
Chapter 11:44 (b) This is a blessed sign to teach us that only JESUS CHRIST can give life to a dead sinner and only the Word of CHRIST can break open the grave and cause a resurrection. As the young man in John 4 was about to die and needed to be kept alive, so in this case the man was already dead and needed to be restored to life. Only CHRIST JESUS can do either or both of these blessed miracles in our lives today.
Chapter 21:6 (c) This is to teach us that we cannot be successful in life in the true sense of the word unless the Lord directs our way. We learn also that in the ministry of preaching we shall not gather in a harvest for Him except as He directs both as to the manner and the place. In the first sign, they were lacking wine to drink. Only He could provide. In this, the last sign, they were lacking food to eat and only He could provide. So in these eight signs in John we are told that CHRIST JESUS is GOD’s answer to every need of the human heart.
Rom 4:11 (a) The circumcision of the Old Testament was a constant testimony to Israel; first, that they belonged to GOD; and second, that they were not to live according to the lusts and desires of the flesh, but according to the will of GOD. (See also Gen 17:11).
1Co 14:22 (a) The gift of tongues was a gift in which the servants of GOD were enabled to instantly speak in a different language from the one they knew. The Spirit of GOD gave them immediately the power to preach the Gospel in foreign tongues which had never been learned. This has never been repeated since the apostles’ day. Those who today claim to have that “gift” must always learn the language of the country to which they go as missionaries. The message was always an intelligent message, and understandable to those to whom it was addressed. The gift was not given for Christians, but for the heathen. If today those from this country could go to China or Russia and immediately speak freely and fluently in the language of those countries, though they had never learned those languages, that would be a sign to the natives of that country that GOD was working.
Rev 15:1 (a) In almost every case the Lord forewarned the earth of impending judgment. He did so in this case. When John saw those seven angels with the seven plagues he knew there was trouble ahead for the inhabitants of the earth. This is written in the Scripture so that all men everywhere will today take heed to this sign and repent and turn to GOD.