Many people do not understand that the Second Coming was manifested as a sign. The disciples asked Jesus for the sign of his coming, and Jesus talked about the ‘sign’ of the Son of Man in the heavens.
What is a sign?
There were many signs that Jesus performed during his ministry to Israel. The Jews asked him for a sign. His disciples asked him for signs. It is important for us to have the right understanding of what is a sign. According to the scripture, the miracles Jesus did, were called ‘signs.’
The Apostle John gave the purpose of these signs. “Jesus also did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.
But these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God…” (John 20:30-31).
The purpose of these visible signs was to help the people realize Jesus’ true identity. He was the invisible Son of the Living God, but God dwells in the realm of the invisible. Signs were a way for God to inform Israel of heavenly things.
A sign in Hebrew thought was a visible event that indicated an invisible event of greater importance. In the context of the ‘second coming’, signs would be earthly manifestations of events that were occurring in Heaven.
Example of a Sign in the miracles of Jesus
Let us examine the healing that Jesus performed on the paralytic, recorded in Matthew 9:2-6. The paralysed man was brought to Jesus. Jesus said to him, “Take courage, son; your sins have been forgiven.” (Matt 9:2). The onlooking scribes were offended by Jesus’ pronouncement. He then challenged them, “which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk?’” Matt 9:5
Jesus presented two realms to the scribes, the Unseen Spiritual realm and the Visible Natural realm.
1. The removal of sins, occurred in the invisible realm.
2. The healing of the body, occurred in the visible realm.
The visible healing of the man of his paralysis was a sign of the unseen removal of his sins. Look at what Jesus told them, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” Matt 9:6
Notice, Jesus said that by seeing a visible sign, they would know something was accomplished in that invisible realm which they could not see with their natural eyes. The visible healing would be a ‘sign’ that they might know [see with the understanding] that He had authority to remove sins.
