There Will Be Signs

Introduction

Matthew 16:1–4 NAS

The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ “And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a 1sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.

They sought for a sign but could only read the world around them.

They could not see the “signs” of the Son of Man’s presence by means of Scripture/prophets.

“Signs” =

Jesus performed many signs

John 6:2 NASB95

2 A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick.

The apostles also performed signs

Hebrews 2:4 NASB95

4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

The prophets also performed signs

Acts 8:5–8 NASB95

5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. 6 The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. 7 For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 So there was much rejoicing in that city.

But, now, there are no more signs except the signs mentioned in this passage!

This passage is during the Tribulation.

v.25

Luke 21:25 NASB95

25 “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,

These signs precede the Lord’s appearing.

“There will be...” = “…signs will be (occurring)...”

The Greek New Testament, Fifth Revised Edition (with Morphology) Chapter 21

Καὶ ἔσονται σημεῖα

The signs are displays of something unusual, profound, supranatural, unusual.

The defining reality of these elements will change to the extreme opposite.

Luke 21:33 NASB95

33 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

Joel 3:14–15 NASB95

14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness.

Sun

Matthew 24:29 NASB95

29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Mark 13:24 NASB95

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light,

Acts 2:20 NASB95

20 ‘The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood, Before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come.

Revelation 6:12 NASB95

12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;

Revelation 16:8 NASB95

8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire.

Moon (since the sun will be darkened, the moon will stop shining as well. The moon reflects the light of the sun).

The moon will become darkened.

Matthew 24:29 NASB95

29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Mark 13:24 NASB95

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light,

The moon will become blood.

Revelation 6:12 NASB95

12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;

Stars

The stars will stop shining.

Isaiah 34:4 NASB95

4 And all the host of heaven will wear away, And the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; All their hosts will also wither away As a leaf withers from the vine, Or as one withers from the fig tree.

The stars will fall from the sky

Matthew 24:29 NASB95

29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Mark 13:25 NASB95

25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.

Revelation 6:13 NASB95

13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.

Revelation 8:12 NASB95

12 The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.

Earth (it already happened once before-Mark 15:33 (NASB95) When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour.)

Acts 2:19 NASB95

19 ‘And I will grant wonders in the sky above And signs on the earth below, Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke.

Revelation 8:5–9 NASB95

5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. 7 The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. 8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Luke 18:1–8

1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they aought to pray and not to blose heart,

2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not arespect man.

3 “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘1Give me legal protection from my opponent.’

4 “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor arespect man,

5 yet abecause this widow bothers me, I will 1give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will 2bwear me out.’ ”

6 And athe Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge *said;

7 now, will not God abring about justice for His belect who cry to Him day and night, 1and will He cdelay long over them?

8 “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, awill He find 1faith on the earth?”

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Isaiah 13:10–11

10 For the astars of heaven and their constellations

Will not flash forth their light;

The bsun will be dark when it rises

And the moon will not shed its light.

11 Thus I will apunish the world for its evil

And the bwicked for their iniquity;

I will also put an end to the carrogance of the proud

And abase the dhaughtiness of the 1eruthless.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Isaiah 24:23

23 Then the amoon will be abashed and the sun ashamed,

For the bLORD of hosts will reign on cMount Zion and in Jerusalem,

And His glory will be before His elders.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Isaiah 50:3

3 “I aclothe the heavens with blackness

And make sackcloth their covering.”

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Revelation 6:12–17

12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great aearthquake; and the bsun became black as csackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;

13 and athe stars of the sky fell to the earth, bas a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.

14 aThe sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and bevery mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15 Then athe kings of the earth and the great men and the 1commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains;

16 and they *asaid to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the 1presence of Him bwho sits on the throne, and from the cwrath of the Lamb;

17 for athe great day of their wrath has come, and bwho is able to stand?”

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Joel 3:14–15

14 aMultitudes, multitudes in the bvalley of 1decision!

For the cday of the LORD is near in the valley of 1decision.

15 The asun and moon grow dark

And the stars lose their brightness.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Joel 2:30–32

30 “I will adisplay wonders in the sky and on the earth,

Blood, fire and columns of smoke.

31 “The asun will be turned into darkness

And the moon into blood

Before the bgreat and awesome day of the LORD comes.

32 “And it will come about that awhoever calls on the name of the LORD

Will be delivered;

For bon Mount Zion and in Jerusalem

There will be those who cescape,

As the LORD has said,

Even among the dsurvivors whom the LORD calls.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update 2 Peter 3:10–13

10 But athe day of the Lord bwill come like a thief, in which cthe heavens dwill pass away with a roar and the eelements will be destroyed with intense heat, and fthe earth and 1its works will be 2burned up.

11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,

12 alooking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which bthe heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the celements will melt with intense heat!

13 But according to His apromise we are looking for bnew heavens and a new earth, cin which righteousness dwells.

Distress (συνοχη [sunochē]). From συνεχω [sunechō]. In the N. T. only here and 2 Cor. 2:4. Anguish. In perplexity (ἐν ἀποριᾳ [en aporiāi]). State of one who is ἀπορος [aporos], who has lost his way (α [a] privative and πορος [poros]). Here only in the N. T. though an old and common word. For the roaring of the sea (ἠχους θαλασσης [ēchous thalassēs]). Our word echo (Latin echo) is this word ἠχος [ēchos], a reverberating sound. Sense of rumour in Luke 4:37. Billows (σαλου [salou]). Old word σαλος [salos] for the swell of the sea. Here only in the N. T.1

1 A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), Lk 21:25.

v.26

Luke 21:26 NAS

men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Luke 21:26 UBS5

ἀποψυχόντων ἀνθρώπων ἀπὸ φόβου καὶ προσδοκίας τῶν ἐπερχομένων τῇ οἰκουμένῃ, αἱ γὰρ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν σαλευθήσονται.

Men fainting = “(their) souls go away from them.”

People will faint because of 2 things:

Fear of the things that about to come upon the world.

Revelation 6:15–17 NAS

Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Revelation 11:13 NAS

And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Expectation of the things which are about to come upon the world.

Revelation 14:19–20 NAS

19So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. 20And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.

Revelation 14:9–11 NAS

9Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11“And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his cimage, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Revelation 16:1–12 NAS

1Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” 2So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. 3The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died. 4Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. 5And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; 6for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” 7And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.” 8The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. 9Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory. 10Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, 11and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds. 12The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.

“…for the powers of the heavens will be shaken…”

= The “powers” of the heavens refers to the permanence of the celestial bodies and their constancy.

However, they will be disrupted.

Sun, moon, stars, earth…. As above.

v.27

Luke 21:27 NAS

“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Luke 21:27 UBS5

καὶ τότε ὄψονται τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐν νεφέλῃ μετὰ δυνάμεως καὶ δόξης πολλῆς.

The “powers” of the heavens will be replaced with the “power” of Jesus Christ present.

Mark 13:26–27 NAS

“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. “And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.

Matthew calls this event the “sign:”

Matthew 24:30–31 NAS

“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. “And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

NOTE:

Matthew 24:24–25 NASB95

24 “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 “Behold, I have told you in advance.

v.28

Luke 21:28 NAS

“But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Luke 21:28 UBS5

ἀρχομένων δὲ τούτων γίνεσθαι ἀνακύψατε καὶ ἐπάρατε τὰς κεφαλὰς ὑμῶν, διότι ἐγγίζει ἡ ἀπολύτρωσις ὑμῶν.

“…these things…” = all the things in this discourse.

Some say: “Only the event of the Son of Man coming.”

However, the original question involved a longer answer than just this event.

Jesus wants His people to read the smaller indications of the larger event, “sign,” that is coming.

“Redemption: = consummation of the plan of God to have Jesus rule the world.

Luke 6:20–23; 9:24; 10:20; 11:2–3; 12:8, 37–38; 14:14; 16:9, 22; 18:7, 29–30; 19:17, 19, 26; 22:18, 29–30

“Compared with seeing, hearing plays only an indirect role in relation to אוֹת. The word has no direct connection with hearing.” TDNT “signs”

Conclusion

2 Peter 3:10–14 NASB95

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,