Kinds of signs

Miraculous signs

2 Corinthians 12:12 KJV 1900

Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.

See also Ex 10:1; Ps 78:43; Ps 105:27; Mt 24:24; Mk 16:17; Ac 2:43; Ro 15:19

The signs of Jesus Christ in John’s Gospel

Jn 2:11 John refers to the miracles of Jesus Christ as “signs” in order to bring out the significance of these deeds.

See also Jn 6:26 Jesus Christ, the bread of life; Jn 9:16 Jesus Christ, the light of the world; Jn 11:47 Jesus Christ, the resurrection and the life

Signs associated with the second coming of Jesus Christ

General signs

Matthew 24:3–8 KJV 1900

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Signs preceding the second coming

See also Mt 24:9–24

Signs simultaneous with the second coming

Mt 24:27–31; Lk 17:24; Ac 2:19–20; Joe 2:30–31; 2 Pe 3:12–13

False signs

Deuteronomy 13:1–3 KJV 1900

If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

See also Is 44:25; Mt 24:24; 2 Th 2:9; Re 13:11–14; Re 16:14; Re 19:20

Jesus Christ refers to Jonah as a sign

Matthew 12:39–41 KJV 1900

But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

Prophetic signs

Exodus 3:12 KJV 1900

And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

See also 1 Sa 10:7–9; 1 Ki 13:1–5; 2 Ki 19:29; Is 7:14–17; Is 8:18; Is 19:19–20; Lk 2:12

Signs of protection

Ex 12:13; Ex 12:23; Jos 2:12–13; Jos 2:17–21

Signs given to guarantee promises

The rainbow

Genesis 9:12 KJV 1900

And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

See also Ge 9:13–17

Circumcision

Genesis 17:10–11 KJV 1900

This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

See also Ge 17:12–14; Ro 4:11

Signs serve as reminders of past blessings

Monuments

Joshua 4:4–7 KJV 1900

Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

Religious observances

Passover:

Ex 13:9; Ex 13:16

Sabbath:

Ex 31:12–17; Eze 20:12; Eze 20:20

Signs associated with the birth of Jesus Christ

The virgin birth

Isaiah 7:14 KJV 1900

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, And shall call his name Immanuel.

See also Mt 1:22–23; Lk 1:34–36

The birthplace

Luke 2:12 KJV 1900

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

See also Lk 2:7; Lk 2:16

The star

Matthew 2:1–2 KJV 1900

Now when Jesus was born in Beth-lehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

See also Mt 2:9–10

Signs associated with the death of Jesus Christ

Darkness at midday

Matthew 27:45 KJV 1900

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

See also Am 8:9

The curtain of the temple torn in two

Matthew 27:51 KJV 1900

And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

The dead came back to life

Matthew 27:51–53 KJV 1900

And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

Signs associated with the coming of the Holy Spirit

The sound like a violent wind

Acts 2:2 KJV 1900

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Tongues of fire

Acts 2:3 KJV 1900

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

Speaking in other languages

Acts 2:4 KJV 1900

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

See also Ac 2:5–11