How many atheists and agnostics have asked why an all-powerful God wouldn't make Himself known with an unmistakable miracle? How many Christians have also wished for a miraculous sign to strengthen their faith?

Jesus Christ told His disciples that awesome, supernatural signs are in our future. But the Bible shows that God much prefers that we get the point without such drastic measures.

Seeking a sign

In Matthew 24 Jesus Christ answered His disciples' question, "What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (verse 3). In this pivotal prophecy He outlined the trends and events that would occur from that day to the time of His return to establish His Kingdom.

Interestingly, when He first mentions supernatural signs in this chapter, Christ warns His chosen people not to be deceived. "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect" (Matthew 24:24). Contrary to popular belief, miraculous signs are not always proof of God's involvement. God has allowed Satan and his human instruments to use the supernatural to mislead people—for now.

It's also interesting to note that the religious leaders of Christ's day had asked Him earlier for a sign. To His own generation, Jesus said the only sign He would give was the sign of the prophet Jonah.

"Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, 'Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.' But He answered and said to them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth'" (Matthew 12:38-40).

Though He gave this miraculous sign of His resurrection, most people then did not believe. And few today seem to believe that His resurrection actually occurred after three days and three nights as He said it would. So even that one sign has been disbelieved and ignored.

Heavenly signs

But back in the Olivet Prophecy in Matthew 24, we read that Jesus did give some important end-time signs: "Immediately after the tribulation [the unprecedented time of trouble described earlier in the chapter] of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (verse 29).

The apostle John expanded on this theme of heavenly signs under the inspiration of Jesus Christ. Revelation 6:12-17 records the sixth seal (see our booklet Are We Living in the Time of the End? to see more parallels between Matthew 24 and Revelation 6).

"I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

"And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'" (Revelation 6:12-17).

Through the ages mankind has been fascinated by the heavenly bodies, sometimes worshipping them, sometimes reading portents in them. Unusual events such as eclipses and comets sparked fear and were seen as signs of impending disasters.

But modern man has mapped the heavens and calculated the eclipses and orbits of comets. What would it take to get people's attention today? Likely it will take the awesome spectacles Christ foretold. The heavenly signs He mentioned will be clearly supernatural, and they will fulfill numerous prophecies of the Old Testament.

A brief survey of heavenly signs

Jesus' description of a darkened sun and moon, falling stars and the heavens being shaken would have struck a chord in the minds of His audience. So would John's record, which included the element of an earthquake. Such events were described many times throughout the Old Testament in connection with the time called the Day of the Lord.

Isaiah's vivid imagery also talks about people hiding in the rocks "from the terror of the Lord" (Isaiah 2:10). Verses 11 and 12 go on to show part of the reason God will intervene in this way: "The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down. And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up—and it shall be brought low."

Human pride has always been a stumbling block to the incredible relationship God offers us—to be His children. Pride destroys our other relationships as well, leading to untold suffering and heartache. But seemingly the only way to break through a hardened shell of pride is to shake things up a bit. So that is what God will do.

In the midst of this traumatic time, people will finally see the worthlessness of their idols, which they will throw to "the moles and bats" (Isaiah 2:20). While this includes actual idols, charms and religious objects, the apostle Paul equates idolatry with our modern pastime of greed and covetousness (Colossians 3:5). Our cars, entertainment centers and other toys can be the focus of our attention and affections today, as much as a household god would be in a different society. Finally the greedy desire for more and more things will be seen for the pointless goal that it is.

Isaiah addresses the Day of the Lord again in Isaiah 13:9-11, this time tied in to the darkening of the stars, sun and moon.

Ezekiel also describes heavenly signs in his prophecy and lamentation for pharaoh and Egypt (Ezekiel 32:7-8). The darkness mentioned here is reminiscent of the ninth plague brought on Egypt at the time of the Exodus. And in the end times it seems darkness will also play a part in softening up the hard hearts of a world too long under Satan's sway.

Joel also pinpoints the time of these heavenly signs: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord" (Joel 2:31).

Haggai 2:6 reveals that God will once more "shake heaven and earth." The Nelson Study Bible says that this is "another way of speaking of the day of the Lord. The purpose of the day of the Lord is to prepare the earth for the glorious reign of Jesus Christ on earth."

Why a wrathful Lamb?

So why will God send the heavenly signs? Their purpose is to prepare for Christ's return and His Kingdom. Our loving God must wake this world up and expose its evils, including pride, idolatry and greed, to bring this world to repentance.

But still it can seem shocking to hear about "the wrath of the Lamb" (Revelation 6:16). The word picture produces a stark contrast—it's hard to imagine a cuddly lamb as angry. Why is our loving Savior described as coming in wrath?

Part of the answer is seen a few verses earlier, in the opening of the fifth seal. Here saints who have been martyred just because they served God are pictured as crying out to God. "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" (Revelation 6:10).

God's anger is righteous and controlled, and it is totally justified. Even His anger is motivated by love! This world is destroying itself with perverted thinking and depraved actions.

Christ compared the end time with the time of Noah (Matthew 24:37-39). In Noah's day humanity had descended to the depths of evil that worsened from generation to generation. "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart" (Genesis 6:5-6).

God is grieved at all times to see those He created to be His sons and daughters destroying themselves. But at key times and places in history His grief and righteous anger—and His controlled power and endless love—demand action. The God who created humanity and who can bring us back to life expresses tough love when that is all that will get through to us. He did it with the world of Noah's day and with the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. And He will do it again in these last days.

Why does God hate sin so much? It goes against everything He stands for, and it has brought every evil and suffering on the world. When God's ways are practiced, the world will know true peace and happiness. All tears will be wiped away and all sorrow will be comforted. Sin and its evil effects must be banished forever.

The great innumerable multitude

The Bible describes horrendous times ahead as the Great Tribulation, heavenly signs and the Day of the Lord come upon this world (see "The Heavenly Signs in the Sequence of End-Time Events," page 7, for more on the time order of these events).

God is a God of love, and He is sending a warning to this world about what is to come. But, sadly, most won't heed now, and so God has planned for additional, supernatural signs to warn this world yet again—the heavenly signs in the sun, moon and stars.

Revelation 7 shows that God will call and convert many even during the Great Tribulation. A great, innumerable multitude is described as "the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:14).

Nearly 50 years ago a faithful minister wrote about this innumerable multitude and about the heavenly signs. The message remains poignant for us today:

"After the Great Tribulation, when men are seized with stark terror at these supernatural heavenly signs, multiplied thousands will at last recognize that it is really God warning them! Yes, multiplied thousands who now hear this warning from God will not heed it now... They are not repenting and turning to God, now! Oh, how well I know that!

"But when they see these things actually occur... when they see these terrifying supernatural signs in the heavens, then, at last, hundreds of thousands of them—perhaps even some of you—will at last recognize the truth, and at last turn to God in complete submission, fully repenting, and coming through Jesus Christ the Savior of the world! We of this ministry well know that our real reward in the harvest of precious lives will mostly come after our labors are finished!" (Herbert W. Armstrong, The Book of Revelation Unveiled at Last!, 1959 and 1972, p. 32).

Don't wait for heavenly signs!

We don't have to wait for the heavenly signs. Jesus Christ reveals the broad outline of prophetic events now, and encourages us to discern the signs of the times and to watch and pray always (Matthew 16:3; Luke 21:36).

On the personal level, Paul exhorts us to act to fulfill God's law of love, "Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light" (Romans 13:11-12).

Don't wait. Make the time now to act. To help you in your study of these important subjects, we provide free of charge the following booklets: The Book of Revelation Unveiled and Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion. Request them or read them at www.ucg.org/booklets today. You may also want to watch or listen to our sermon "Our Universe and the Sixth Seal" at www.ucg.org/sermons/index2002.htm (scroll down to July 20). WNP

---

The Heavenly Signs in the Sequence of End-Time Events

Christ said, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29).

Notice, in the concluding description of the sixth seal, what is to follow the heavenly signs: "And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'" (Revelation 6:15-17; compare Zephaniah 1:14-17).

Note the order of these three separate events: First comes the tribulation, as described in the fifth seal. Next the heavenly signs, described in the sixth seal, occur. After the heavenly signs is the Day of the Lord, the day of God's wrath.

The heavenly signs occur after the time of tribulation has begun but before the Day of the Lord begins. The prophet Joel confirms this: "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord" (Joel 2:30-31).

Why is this so significant?

Satan's vindictive rampage of terror will be launched against the descendants of the tribes of Israel and the people who live among them, as well as the converted servants of Christ before the heavenly signs announce the Day of the Lord.

This means that Satan's wrath—the time when great tribulation will fall on God's people—will have been underway for some time before the beginning of God's wrath. Even after the time of God's wrath—the Day of the Lord—Satan's destructive war on God's people apparently will not cease until he is bound at Jesus' return (Revelation 20:1-2).

Notice that the woman of chapter 12 will be "nourished for a time and times and half a time [a year, years and half a year], from the presence of the serpent" (verse 14). Even though God will nourish, strengthen and protect some of His people during that terrible time, many others will be killed.

Revelation 11:2 tells us that Jerusalem is to be trampled underfoot by gentiles for 42 months (Revelation 11:2). God also promises to raise up two prophets to be His witnesses for 1,260 days (verse 3).

That each of these periods equals 3 1/2 years appears to be significant. These references indicate that a total of 3 1/2 years elapses from the beginning of Satan's attack on the people of God until his political and religious systems are destroyed and he is locked away at Christ's return.

Source: The Book of Revelation Unveiled

---

Recommended Reading

To help you better understand how the heavenly signs fit into the overview of prophecy, we have prepared several booklets. Please request Are We living in the Time of the End? and The Book of Revelation Unveiled. To learn more about how to respond to God's calling, request Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion.