Fire Proof - Rumor notes 114

 

Revelation 13

13 He performs great signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people. 14 He deceives my own people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast; saying to those who dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast who had the sword wound and lived.

making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people

There are two places in Revelation that talk about fire coming down from heaven, this passage and another near the end. What we have been learning is that Satan's kingdom counterfeits everything in God's kingdom, so it would be no surprise to learn that this fire is a counterfeit of the true fire from God. We need to be aware of the differences between the authentic fire of God and what Scripture calls strange fire which is not of heavenly origin. There are similarities of course, but that is to be expected of a counterfeit. We need to understand this subject of fire and how each side uses it. A powerful experience is realized when one is baptized in the fire of God's passionate Spirit of love. But there is a false version of fiery passion that is devoid of love and truth, and is relied on to deceive people into imagining it provides proof of God's authority.

And after the thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison, and he will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. They went up over the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city. Fire came down out of heaven from God, and devoured them. (Revelation 20:7-9)

Throughout Scripture God's fire is referred to as devouring. But it is vital that we understand why.

Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Meeting, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the people. There came forth fire from before Yahweh, and consumed the burnt offering and the fat upon the altar: and when all the people saw it, they shouted, and fell on their faces. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, and put fire in it, and laid incense on it, and offered strange fire before Yahweh, which he had not commanded them. And fire came forth from before Yahweh, and devoured them, and they died before Yahweh. Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what Yahweh spoke of, saying, 'I will show myself holy to those who come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified.'"

Aaron held his peace. Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, "Draw near, carry your brothers from before the sanctuary out of the camp." So they drew near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said. (Leviticus 9:23 – 10:5)

This was one of the first passages God brought to my attention years ago as He took me on a two year intense study through the Bible to open my mind to the real truth that would set me free from the suffocating fear I had lived under all my life. When I came to this passage and ignored the chapter break, allowing the passage to remain connected and cohesive, I suddenly saw with new clarity how these two events helped explain the truth about the nature of God's devouring fire and exposed fallacies in traditional views of God that block people from being able to trust and love Him fully.

Notice how the exact same phrasing is used in both instances. But there is one key difference that is noticeable in the Hebrew. In the first instance the fire happened in the face of Yahweh while that word is missing when Nadab and Abihu died. This is not clear in many translations, but I find it highly significant to appreciate the truth about God's disposition in such stories. In essence, because the word for face is absent when the fire of Yahweh consumed them, they were experiencing the passion of His presence without the favor of His countenance on them as was seen in the first instance where fire consumed the sacrifice.

This also highlights something we mentioned in our previous study but did not emphasize enough. In the story of Simon the sorcerer, we noted how he was addicted to amazement while other believers were experiencing great joy. I now see this as a key element in how we are designed to live in relation to God's fire. Amazement can be a counterfeit for joy, but with deadly consequences. Unless true joy is the motivation and comes from a heart overflowing with love and respect for God, we are susceptible to amazement motivating us as a substitute for joy. But this means our heart is not right before God, for only authentic joy can synchronize us with the will of God and connect us safely to His heart from where flow rivers of passionate fiery love. When true joy and respect for God's design for our lives does not define the condition of our heart, we are in danger of fatal consequences when we come into the presence of God's power, as that which is meant to bring only life, happiness and joy is turned into terror, torment and death for us.

This contrast between joy and amazement is the war raging around us and is centered in how we choose to relate in the heart level to the true message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus made it plain that the reason He gave us the words of life was for the purpose of amplifying our joy.

If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you. "In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples. Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and remain in his love. I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full. "This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. (John 15:7-12)

What does this have to do with fire coming down from heaven used as a sign to deceive people? The closer we come to appreciating and embracing the truth about God's heart and the real reason He sent us Son into the world, the more all this makes sense. We must learn to distinguish between the true fire of heaven and the misrepresentations of God's fire that appear so similar.

I came to throw fire on the earth. I wish it were already kindled. But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! (Luke 12:49-50)

The fire that Jesus came from heaven to throw on this earth was a revelation of the fire of passionate love God has for each one of us. That is the original Fire, the Source by which everything and everyone exists, a fire of passion that continuously circulates within the Godhead. Yet this very fire Lucifer once walked in was counterfeited by that same being who turned himself into the archenemy of God, the dragon, the ancient serpent bent on deceiving the whole earth about the true nature of God's fire and its purpose. Sadly not only enemies of God but also many of His appointed leaders have misunderstood the nature and true power of agape love and have misrepresented God by employing their gifts received from Him in ways that contradict love.

Elijah came near to all the people, and said, "How long will you waver between the two sides? If Yahweh is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." The people answered him not a word. Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of Yahweh; but Baal's prophets are four hundred fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bull, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under. You call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh; and the God who answers by fire, let him be God." All the people answered, "It is well said." (1 Kings 18:21-24)

It happened at the time of the offering of the evening offering, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Yahweh, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Hear me, Yahweh, hear me, that this people may know that you, Yahweh, are God, and that you have turned their heart back again. Then the fire of Yahweh fell, and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, Yahweh, he is God; Yahweh, he is God. and Elijah said to them, Take the prophets of Baal; don't let one of them escape. They took them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there. (1 Kings 18:36-40)

How does this story relate to this fire coming down out of heaven to deceive people? For one thing, reliance on supernatural signs and manifestations of spectacular displays of power is not all that effective to induce genuine, long-lasting faith in God's love. The shock and awe approach certainly grabs attention, and though it has been tried repeatedly throughout history, it has proven to be very weak in winning the kind of respect and admiration and allegiance that is needed to hold together the body of Christ. The problem is that external displays of power are what the enemy relies on to rivet attention and gain control of the world through manipulation of emotions. But when it comes to real heart transformation, such manifestations fall short and only lead to short-term reforms with little long-term tenacity.

Elijah apparently received the gift of fireworks and used it in ways he felt would benefit God's cause and him personally. The story of his impressive confrontation against the rampant idolatry of his day has gone down in history as a favorite Bible story, especially on the part of those who prefer the shock and awe effect version of God to jolt people into repentance. Yet here in Revelation 13 we see that such an approach is used as a way for the enemy to deceive people into believing that God is supportive of the beast and dragon version of justice. This counterfeit copies Elijah's example as well as pouring out a powerful spirit mimicking the Holy Spirit while reinforcing the deception that our hierarchy, commerce and law-enforcement mentality is ordained of God!

Elijah answered to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from the sky, and consume you and your fifty. Fire came down from the sky, and consumed him and his fifty. Again he sent to him another captain of fifty and his fifty. He answered him, man of God, thus has the king said, Come down quickly. Elijah answered them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from the sky, and consume you and your fifty. The fire of God came down from the sky, and consumed him and his fifty. (2 Kings 1:10-12)

Keep in mind that a counterfeit must rely on a genuine original that is true and valid and beneficial. We must receive discernment from the true Spirit of God to know the difference, and that is only found in testing every spirit by measuring it to the standard of the true Son of God and how He related to people. This alone is where we can find truth and safety to know how God views each situation. This takes us back to one of our key standards of interpretation in our current study, the very first words of this book. The revelation of Jesus Christ is simultaneously the revelation of God's disposition as well, and Jesus Christ is God's true witness who alone reveals the full truth about how God overcomes evil.

When his disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from the sky, and destroy them, just as Elijah did?" But he turned and rebuked them, "You don't know of what kind of spirit you are. For the Son of Man didn't come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." They went to another village. (Luke 9:54-56)

What was the problem with Elijah's use of fire to destroy those sent to arrest him? He used firepower to protect himself against deadly force. He used violence to defend his life in sharp contrast to the Son of God who willingly laid down His life in love for His enemies. Jesus had full access to the same firepower that Elijah used, and He made that very clear when the violent mob came to arrest Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Yet Jesus came to demonstrate the true Spirit of God's heart which had been misrepresented throughout history by His people. That is why Jesus Christ alone is the only true and full revelation and express image of God that is to be trusted and emulated.

Or do you think that I couldn't ask my Father, and he would even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53)

God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds. His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance,... (Hebrews 1:1-3)

There is another compelling story that is often overlooked but is very relevant to this issue of accessing fire from heaven to use on earth. Elijah, I believe, misrepresented the methods of heaven by using fire to defend himself which is not the spirit that Jesus brought to light as we have seen. But the prophet who succeeded Elijah was actually much closer in disposition and similarity to the life of Christ and had the same access to power as did Elijah. What many don't realize is that Elisha faced a similar situation as did Elijah and could have made a similar choice to protect himself from arrest by an exponentially bigger army if he had chosen to do so. But instead Elisha modeled much more closely the disposition of Jesus in the way he utilized the power offered to him, much as did Jesus in the garden.

The background for this fascinating story is that the king of Syria was extremely upset at being thwarted by Elisha's repeated alerts to the king of Israel exposing the secret strategies of Syria to capture him. Upon investigation the king of Syria learned that Elisha was the one telling the king of Israel all his secrets because God was the real informant. Amazingly the king of Syria imagined he could capture Elisha by sending a large army to arrest him when he was the very one informing the king of Israel of similar plans. Somehow this escaped his logic, so we pick up the story here.

Therefore sent he there horses, and chariots, and a great army: and they came by night, and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an army with horses and chariots was round about the city. His servant said to him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

He answered, Don't be afraid; for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. Elisha prayed, and said, Yahweh, Please open his eyes, that he may see. Yahweh opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to Yahweh, and said, Please smite this people with blindness. He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. (2 Kings 6:14-18)

Elisha found himself is far greater danger that had Elijah when facing 50 soldiers sent to arrest him. He knew that he had access to the same kind of fire that Elijah had accessed and he could have chosen to call down fire to consume this much larger army just as easily as had Elijah. But Elisha had asked for a double portion of the Spirit of God than Elijah had, and I believe it showed in the way he related to situations such as this. Rather than relying on violence to defend himself, he chose to turn this into a teaching opportunity to help his servant see a better way to relate to one's enemies. He began the lesson by instructing his servant to not be afraid and to keep in mind the much larger perspective. This is an extremely important lesson for us as well.

Elisha asked God to allow his servant to visually see the far greater resources awaiting instructions from Elisha. This certainly brought encouragement to the servant, but what we often miss in this story is the enormous temptation Elisha faced as a result. Whether or not Elisha visibly saw this supernatural army at his disposal or not is unknown. Yet clearly he knew it was there and the servant was enabled by God to see it clearly. But the key point in this story is this: how did Elisha choose to relate to this overwhelming firepower?

Elisha could have easily called upon this heavenly army of angels to incinerate his enemies with their fiery power as his predecessor had chosen to do previously. Yet that would have only perpetuated confusion about God's disposition and methods as Elijah had already done. On the other hand, Elisha might have viewed this as an opportunity to simply escape. After all, Elijah had been whisked up into heaven by a single chariot of fire, while here many chariots of fire awaited instruction from God's man on earth as to what they should do next. Maybe Elisha could have arranged to be raptured up himself along with his servant and anyone else he might have chosen to bring along in order to escape this situation. But that is not what he chose to do, for Elisha displayed a spirit more in line with that of Jesus, so instead of defending himself through violence or choosing escape from imminent danger, he chose to demonstrate the far superior power of love for his enemies and how doing so could result in a far better outcome in the long term.

Elisha said to them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek. He led them to Samaria. It happened, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Yahweh, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. Yahweh opened their eyes, and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

The king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I strike them? shall I strike them? He answered, You shall not strike them: would you strike those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.

He prepared great provision for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. The bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel. (2 Kings 6:19-23)

Notice how many of these phrases resonate with the words of Jesus.

This is not the way

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. (John 14:6)

Follow me

If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there will my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:26)

I will bring you to the man whom you seek.

These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we want to see Jesus." Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew came with Philip, and they told Jesus. (John 12:21-22)

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him." When Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. (Matthew 2:1-3)

Open the eyes of these men.

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." (Luke 4:18-19)

Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, that those who don't see may see; and that those who see may become blind." Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, "Are we also blind?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains. (John 9:39-41)

Shall I strike them?

When those who were around him saw what was about to happen, they said to him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" (Luke 22:49)

You shall not strike them. Set bread and water before them.

You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. (Matthew 5:43-45)

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink: for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and Yahweh will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21-22; Romans 12:20)

He sent them away.

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." (Luke 4:18-19)

Jesus summoned his disciples and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away fasting, or they might faint on the way." ...Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. Then he sent away the multitudes, got into the boat, and came into the borders of Magdala. (Matthew 15:32,39)

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)

Let's look at some instances of authentic fire coming down from heaven so we may see what this counterfeit is imitating and the far superior purpose that the true fire can produce.

David built there an altar to Yahweh, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on Yahweh; and he answered him from the sky by fire on the altar of burnt offering. (1 Chronicles 21:26)

Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of Yahweh filled the house. The priests could not enter into the house of Yahweh, because the glory of Yahweh filled Yahweh's house. All the children of Israel looked on, when the fire came down, and the glory of Yahweh was on the house; and they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped, and gave thanks to Yahweh, saying, For he is good; for his loving kindness endures for ever. (2 Chronicles 7:1-3)

True adoration, worship and heart response is what God desires, not merely compliance. Jesus came as God's light to our world, and He longed for us to experience His fire in line with its true purpose.

I came to throw fire on the earth. I wish it were already kindled. But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! (Luke 12:49-50)

Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak. (Acts 2:1-4)

The nature of a counterfeit is that it looks compellingly like the authentic. The master of deception knows how to deceive all those who dwell on the earth as trading, hierarchy and law-enforcement are embraced as being God's will for how things are to be organized and controlled. Spirits of demons can readily put on displays of power to sway emotions so that people feel compelled to think the beast system is the great power of God. Sorcery involves both demonic influence as well as mind-altering substances that numb the conscience and stimulate lower passions. The last deceptions will be overwhelming ones as the dragon and all his accomplices determine to stop at nothing to achieve their objective of a comprehensive world takeover with no exemptions. They often operate under the guise of religion and social justice relying on law and order through enforcement of manipulative laws that compel people to surrender their will and conscience for the sake of the common good to save the planet from imminent demise.

Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth, and destroy by the manifestation of his coming; even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn't receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10)

For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. (Matthew 24:24 NAS95)

What did Jesus have to say in response to disciple's questions about the end of the world?

Jesus answered them, "Be careful that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will lead many astray. (Matthew 24:4-5)

Then they will deliver you up to oppression, and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name's sake. (Matthew 24:9)

Then they will deliver you up to oppression, and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name's sake. Then many will stumble, and will deliver up one another, and will hate one another. Many false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray. Because iniquity will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end, the same will be saved. This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:9-14)

I have little doubt that these words of Jesus apply particularly to the times we are investigating here in Revelation 13. Deception and intimidation is the main focus of the dragon and all who participate in his campaign to subvert and defeat the Lamb's followers. The name of Jesus will be used by religion to justify pogroms carried out against true Lamb reflectors, insisting they are misrepresenting God as too weak and unjust, that such notions are dangerous for maintaining order. Those who dwell on the earth will be deceived because like the Jews of Christ's day, they want a messiah who will be willing to use force to defeat rampant evil and to enforce laws based on earthly versions of justice. Anything less than this will be viewed as blasphemy and ultimately be worthy of death.

False Christs refers to anyone claiming to have the answers needed to rescue people from the overwhelming problems threatening to disintegrate order and threaten uniformity on this planet. A Christ literally means a champion, a rescuer, one who attracts attention as having the best viability to save the planet and restore peace to a world ravished by violence and corruption. This may especially apply to the first beast symbol who is referred to repeatedly as the hero who recovered from a mortal wound. This resonates with the authentic Christ who also suffered an apparently deadly wound on the cross but recovered through His resurrection in power and glory. Thus the beast from the sea will masquerade as having the ultimate answers to the world's intractable problems so long as everyone is willing to get on board fully with its agenda without any exceptions allowed.

False prophets specialize in achieving unity by means of emotional manipulation of the populace using miracles, signs and wonders all designed to overwhelm the senses and keep the mind distracted so it has no time to think clearly or objectively. Prophets are those claiming to speak on behalf of God's honor and claim authority to protect His reputation. We see a progression in this current chapter of hierarchal authority handed down through each succeeding entity identified here while channeling all worship back up to focus on the dragon. Thus the entire network is designed to accomplish the agenda of the dragon while relying on the name and under the guise of representing God and enforcing His dictates for justice.

These things have I spoken to you, so that you wouldn't be caused to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time comes that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God. (John 16:1-2)

Today we see a growing emphasis on law and order and defending God's reputation forcibly. The pressure is in reaction to rampant corruption and abuse of power along with blatant immorality everywhere. Proposals to resolve the moral demise of the world appear like the ultimate solution as people yearn to see order and peace restored through forceful intervention. In reality it will involve an even more subtle tactic of the enemy that is so deceptive only the pure in heart, diligent students of Scripture and followers of the Lamb can discern the telltale nuances of the dragon's spirit.

But concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need that anything be written to you. For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. For when they are saying, "Peace and safety," then sudden destruction will come on them, like birth pains on a pregnant woman; and they will in no way escape. But you, brothers, aren't in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief. You are all children of light, and children of the day. We don't belong to the night, nor to darkness, so then let's not sleep, as the rest do, but let's watch and be sober. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-6)

Sign Wars pt. 2 - Rumor notes 113

 

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Revelation 13

13 He performs great signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people. 14 He deceives my own people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast; saying to those who dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast who had the sword wound and lived.

He performs great signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people.

Let's review how signs function in the true work of God for spreading the good news of God's love and light with no darkness at all in Him. Keep in mind that God never sends a spirit of fear, for fear is a fatal virus that will subvert and hijack any victory achieved if allowed to remain.

For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7 BBE)

This cannot be over-emphasized. If we harbor a spirit of fear to motivate us or others to obey the truth, we are playing with dangerous fire, a strange fire that will prove fatal in the end. Fear is not of God, for it is opposite the motive of all true obedience – love.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. (1 John 4:18 NAS95)

What does this have to do with signs and wonders? We need to discern what the intended effect is for any display of supernatural signs. Are signs exercised to provide incentive to persuade people's beliefs about the veracity of what is promoted by those utilizing signs and wonders to draw attention? Or are signs the natural outcomes of experiencing the true power of God's love in the heart? True signs will be aligned with the core principles of truth – selfless love and respect for freedom for all.

He said to them, "Go into all the world, and preach the Good News to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages; they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. They went out, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen. (Mark 16:15-20)

The sequence here is significant and parallels the story involving Simon the sorcerer. Let's look at that story and see how it might apply to our own lives. Here is the backdrop of that story.

Saul was consenting to his [Stephen's] death. A great persecution arose against the assembly which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen, and lamented greatly over him. But Saul ravaged the assembly, entering into every house, and dragged both men and women off to prison. Therefore those who were scattered abroad went around preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ. (Acts 8:1-5)

This Philip is not the same person and the disciple Philip but was one of the fresh new deacons chosen along with Stephen who had just been murdered for testifying the truth about Jesus. I would imagine that these deacons may have been younger than most of the disciples, and likely they had not spent near as much time if any, being around Jesus personally like the apostles had done. This can help explain some of what happened when Philip arrived in the region of Samaria.

The multitudes listened with one accord to the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard and saw the signs which he did. For unclean spirits came out of many of those who had them. They came out, crying with a loud voice. Many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. There was great joy in that city.

But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who used to practice sorcery in the city, and amazed the people of Samaria, making himself out to be some great one, to whom they all listened, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is that great power of God." They listened to him, because for a long time he had amazed them with his sorceries.

But when they believed Philip preaching good news concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself also believed. Being baptized, he continued with Philip. Seeing signs and great miracles occurring, he was amazed. (Acts 8:6-13)

Notice that Philip first presented the good news before any signs are mentioned. Also note that Simon both believed and was baptized just like everyone else. We might want to insist that Simon was a fake and the Scriptures are not accurate when it says he believed. But he believed and was baptized.

Note some key words in this story. Sorcery is another word for magic. Magic involves suspension of reason from cause to effect, bypassing reason by manipulation of our emotions to embrace conclusions outside principles of truth. Magic is about inducing wonder, amazement, electrifying feelings and emotions that blind us to thinking rationally, carefully, thoughtfully and in reference to conscience. This is what spiritualism relies on to deceive people without their realizing that trusting feelings can easily lead to tragic consequences.

This is how demonic spirits effectively enslave and exploit humans. Amazement in reaction to supernatural signs lead us to believe things without checking with God first before making important decisions. Ask Eve about that problem. What we must be alert to is our need of total dependence on God as our only fact-checker for truth in every situation, especially when it comes to the supernatural. Amazement, wonder and intense emotions tempt us to make snap decisions that are almost guaranteed to get us into trouble rather quickly and result in serious regrets. Intense emotions can blind us to what otherwise might be obvious.

I am starting to sense this story may be one of the most important reference passages to bring proper understanding to this passage here in Revelation 13. This story highlights the subtle nature of how sin can infect us without our realizing it. While God does not judge us based on how we lived in darkness previously, He bring us to a knowledge of His heart where His light exposes everything out of harmony with love that needs to be replaced with His truth to restore His image in us.

Simon had long made himself out to be a great person that everyone should listen to and follow. Compare this with much of what we see all around us today in the media. Thousands and even millions are clamoring to attract our attention to listen to them by using any number of enticing means to rivet our attention so they can control our imagination. We are so accustomed to this we hardly give it a thought and we allow endless videos to manipulate our feelings, not realizing there are sinister forces involved intent on exploiting us to subtly gain access to our spirit through our imagination in order to prep us for even more overt control over our lives.

The people in Samaria came to believe that Simon's display of signs and emotional manipulation was the power of God. How can this happen? Because the world has been conditioned to believe God manipulates us like those others who amaze us do. The fact is that signs that are normally impossible or beyond explanation induce a presumption they must be of God. This grabs attention, admiration and lead many to allow miracles to guide their decisions and about whom they will trust.

Notice the difference in the effect of the true gospel when it was brought to people by Philip. It says they believed it and were baptized, but it also says that Simon too believed and joined everyone else by being baptized. Now we have a problem in our reaction to this statement, for immediately we question how it could be true that Simon believed given what we see later in the story when Peter exposed the real motives of Simon. We need to allow the Spirit to show us how easy it is to be seduced by our own emotions rather than rush to minimize the authenticity of Simon's 'conversion' experience. If we judge him we may be found to be condemning ourselves.

Simon's motives may well have been authentic to the limit of his capacity at the time. Every one of us can make decisions to follow God, yet there can be many hidden residual issues buried deep inside us that emerge later to lead us to question our previous choices. Yet this is a natural part of growth as we mature in truth. We should not be so quick to judge either others or ourselves, for the problem may not be a hypocritical profession of faith but whether or not one is willing to be further confronted as truth exposes our heart increasingly in its light. Simon made a right decision to believe in the good news, and just because evil motives were exposed later is no reason to judge him as evil or a sinister hypocrite. Rather his story is a reality check as to how deep the infection of selfishness can be and how blinding sin can be as over time it comes into the open. Our heart and motives need continual cleansing, so let us not judge Simon harshly, for in doing so it may be discovered we are not all that different. We need to be willing to continue to repent as increasingly issues hidden deep inside ourselves are exposed that hold us in bondage.

Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of Christ Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, "Give me also this power, that whoever I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit."

But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart isn't right before God. Repent therefore of this, your wickedness, and ask God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity."

Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that none of the things which you have spoken happen to me." (Acts 8:14-24)

The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent, (Acts 17:30)

What can we learn from this story that might unmask our own blind spots to help us avoid getting stuck in a similar condition as Simon? Notice where Simon's attention was focused. He thrived on sensationalism and amazement. He had spent years in the limelight of having people admire his abilities as he manipulated their feelings and emotions. He was also trapped in the mindset of trading as his way to navigate the system. His popularity depended on attracting attention by inducing amazement to grab public attention, and with attention comes ability to leverage income. Yet when Philip worked signs and wonders, Simon failed to discern the difference between what was behind those miracles and the ones he had long relied on for his means of livelihood. In other words, simply believing the gospel was not enough to expose the motives and methods he had lived by all his life, so he assumed this new power was merely a superior version of what he had been doing all along so he could gain even more attention and enhance his income even more.

 

Simon was most amazed by the outpouring of the Spirit upon at least some of the believers there. Yet what might this have to do with making fire come down out of heaven on the earth to deceive people? Think about it from this perspective and in conjunction with this story about Philip and Simon.

Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak. (Acts 2:1-4)

Simon wanted to purchase what he saw in Peter and John. He wanted to be able to manipulate the Holy Spirit. Simon was so entrenched in the mindset of trading that he had no clue what an affront this was to the gospel. While he had been baptized along with everyone else in the name of Jesus and 'believed in Jesus,' yet his heart was terribly out of sync with heaven. Peter saw this clearly and called him out, urging him to seek God for repentance if that was at all possible.

I sense it may not be a coincidence that Peter's original name was also Simon. I believe Peter saw this Simon's problem instantly because he had been there and had had a similar problem himself. Peter knew the extreme danger of Simon's disposition and was thus uniquely qualified to warn Simon more effectively than anyone else.

Peter had long been addicted to amazement along with the other disciples. Peter had been impulsive, given to outbursts of passion and outspoken. Jesus worked with Peter and all the disciples for years, seeking to get them to perceive that the Kingdom of heaven was entirely different than what they imagined. Yet Peter's desire to be in control and be seen as more important than others fueled many arguments amongst the disciples as they all jostled for the highest position in competition to be awarded power and prestige when Jesus would presumably assert His place as King of the world.

Throughout His ministry Jesus had sought to downplay the amazement factor. Jesus came to salvage human hearts, not manipulate people with miracles to amaze. Yet in demonstrating the humility, kindness, gentleness and compassion of the Father's heart, He was at odds with the priorities of those around Him who wanted to use His power for their own agenda. This largely persisted until after His death and resurrection and ascension to heaven, when the remaining disciples finally began to realize what Jesus had come to reveal and what He wanted them to do.

The gospel is about returning humans back to total dependence on God as our sole source to reflect His glory alone. Jesus lived that kind of life as a human so that all could see that anyone can reflect that same glory by keeping their focus on Christ as their example. This was in sharp contrast to the mindset of pride and lust for power that thrives on the spirit of amazement. We have seen already in this chapter how one of the main ways the beast is able to manipulate all those who dwell on the earth is by means of amazement at displays of power and supernatural signs.

Sadly in Simon's response to Peter, it became clear that he was in denial about his danger and determined to cling to his old patterns of thinking and living. Instead of crying out to God as Peter had challenged him to do, Simon wanted Peter and John to use their connection with God to acquire him a dispensation so he could avoid the tragic consequences they had warned him would result if he continued in his unremedied condition.

Deacon Philip (and Peter)	Sorcerer Simon
proclaimed to them the Christ	making himself out to be some great one
multitudes listened with one accord	they all listened, from the least to the greatest
they believed Philip preaching good news concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ	This man is that great power of God
when they heard and saw the signs which he did	he had amazed them with his sorceries
There was great joy in that city	practice sorcery in the city
There was great joy in that city	Seeing signs and great miracles occurring, he was amazed
you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money	he offered them money, saying, "Give me also this power"
they received the Holy Spirit	your heart isn't right before God
There was great joy in that city preached the Good News to many villages	you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity

I find the response of Peter and John along with God's instructions to Philip highly relevant to this situation. There was nothing more anyone could do for Simon, for he had made it clear what his disposition was and he showed no interest in letting go of the bitterness and iniquity that dominated his thinking. His heart was not right, but he had no interest in having it set right, so he was left alone.

They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Good News to many villages of the Samaritans. But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise, and go toward the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert." (Acts 8:25-26)

Some key points in this story is the need to realize that something was still missing in the lives of new believers. The preaching of Philip had led many to turn over their lives in commitment to Christ and believe the gospel to the extent they perceived it. Yet none of them experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Maybe this became a concern for those back in Jerusalem to the point where they sent Peter and John to mature the experience of these believers. It says that Peter and John prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

My question is this: does this apply just as much to us today? It should make us squirm at least a bit when we read this. If we rationalize this away, maybe we are in the same dilemma as those believers who had witnessed signs and even experienced miraculous healing. Are we willing to admit that the true power of the Spirit is not clearly seen and experienced in our own lives? When it comes there will be a sharp contrast between our old way of thinking and an entirely new perception of reality. Are we living as baptized believers devoid of the fuller power that can only experienced through a very real immersion in the Spirit of the Lamb? What do we think that even means?

In Mark Jesus instructs His disciples to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. He did not say to start by working signs and wonders to get people's attention, but to spread God's Good News. Then He declares that signs will accompany those who believe, meaning that signs are not to lead us to believe or become the basis of our faith but are only meant to confirm, affirm and provide evidence that there is liberating power in believing the truth. But that power is not to be the focus of attention but rather the truth inherent in the gospel Jesus brought to us which is the actual truth about God's heart of passionate love for everyone.

The Jews therefore answered him, "What sign do you show us, seeing that you do these things?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews therefore said, "Forty-six years was this temple in building, and will you raise it up in three days?" But he spoke of the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this, and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name, observing his signs which he did. (John 2:18-23)

They said therefore to him, "What must we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." They said therefore to him, "What then do you do for a sign, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you do? (John 6:28-30)

Let us fear therefore, lest perhaps anyone of you should seem to have come short of a promise of entering into his rest. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, even as they also did, but the word they heard didn't profit them, because it wasn't mixed with faith by those who heard. (Hebrews 4:1-2)

Do we see the difference in how signs function? Our faith is not to be rooted in signs but in using our will to believe the Good News. Signs merely intended to help firm up our faith.

You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The good man out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings out evil things. I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you." But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, someone greater than Jonah is here." (Matthew 12:34-41)

The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. But he answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' In the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you can't discern the signs of the times! An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah." He left them, and departed. (Matthew 16:1-4)

Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads, and saying, "Ha! You who destroy the temple, and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!" Likewise, also the chief priests mocking among themselves with the scribes said, "He saved others. He can't save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe him." Those who were crucified with him insulted him. (Mark 15:29-32)

This clearly reveals the nature of the signs humans are addicted to looking for as their basis of belief. Jesus had already told them the only sign they would be given was His death and resurrection, which they would reject just like all the other signs they had witnessed. The kind of signs they lusted for (but would still not have led them to receive the truth Jesus brought to them) were spectacular displays of power over enemies. They were demanding that Jesus use His access to supernatural power to rescue Himself from their sinister power to bring Him pain, torture and humiliation. That was the kind of power they craved and was the only kind of Messiah they wanted. Jesus would not comply with their demands to use God's power for their agendas, so He was rejected as the kind of God they wanted to worship. The Good News brought to them so freely was spurned in favor of the gods of this world who promise power, riches and exaltation as the definitions of success and victory.

Jesus answered them, "Most certainly I tell you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled. Don't work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed him." (John 6:26-27)

Now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy Servant Jesus. (Acts 4:29-30)

By the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. They were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. (Acts 5:12)

These signs were not intended to attract more followers but were evidence affirming the oneness of heart the believers were experiencing. Keep in mind that this verse immediately follows the story of the sudden deaths of Ananias and Sapphira who were likely baptized and in good standing in the community of believers. The following verse says None of the rest dared to join them, however the people honored them. If their agenda was to increase their numbers, their use of signs and wonders would have been very different. But their focus was not on advancing their popularity but was entirely focused on drawing attention to the goodness of God in the name of Jesus.

It happened in Iconium that they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed. But the disbelieving Jews stirred up and embittered the souls of the Gentiles against the brothers. Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. (Acts 14:1-3)

For I will not dare to speak of any things except those which Christ worked through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of God's Spirit; so that from Jerusalem, and around as far as to Illyricum, I have fully preached the Good News of Christ; yes, making it my aim to preach the Good News, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build on another's foundation. (Romans 15:18-20)

For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith wouldn't stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:2-5)

how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation--which at the first having been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard; God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders, by various works of power, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will? (Hebrews 2:3-4)

Sign Wars pt. 1 - Rumor notes 112

 

Revelation 13

12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. He makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people. 14 He deceives my own people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast; saying to those who dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast who had the sword wound and lived.

He performs great signs

He deceives my own people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast; saying to those who dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast who had the sword wound and lived. (Revelation 13:14)

I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, something like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs; which go forth to the kings of the whole inhabited earth, to gather them together for the war of that great day of God, the Almighty. (Revelation 16:13-14)

The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. (Revelation 19:20)

What is it about signs that makes them such a compelling attraction for humans? There is something about supernatural occurrences that sucks us in like a magnet. There are a growing number of television shows that exploit this penchant to gain popularity, and the allure of seeking after signs intensifies even as faith disappears from the earth.

The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. But he answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' In the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you can't discern the signs of the times! An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah." He left them, and departed. (Matthew 16:1-4)

Then if any man tells you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or, 'There,' don't believe it. For there will arise false christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones. Behold, I have told you beforehand. (Matthew 24:23-25)

...when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8)

This is no coincidence, for faith and signs may actually be inverted proportionally. And while signs can be found on both sides in this war, we need to understand the important difference in how they are used or we will be sitting targets susceptible to the crafty spirits of demons who know far better than anyone else how to utilize signs to blind people into going the wrong direction when it comes to faith. In fact, this verse alerts us to this very issue, so we need to unpack this if we want to avoid being manipulated and deceived by signs that for most people provides irrefutable proof that God is behind them so we should not question them but embrace them as evidence that power is proof that the ones performing them are of God. It is insisted that to resist evidence provided by such signs involves putting ourselves at risk of losing our soul. Yet in reality the very opposite is true.

Supernatural signs have a way of bypassing conscience and even logic, reason and previous revelations of truth received from Scripture. We know that fear is the main emotion the enemy uses to manipulate and control people, but there are two aspects in the system designed by Satan and represented in the name of the Tree he used to seduce us into his rebellion against heaven. Fear can correlate to the evil part of that Tree, but signs and wonders resonate much more with the good part of that Tree. The problem is that whether we participate in the evil or try to stay on the good side exclusively, or even if we attempt to amass enough knowledge to figure it all out, the entire matrix results in leading us toward death. The entire system is rooted in counterfeit principles of those designed to bring life, so in order to discern between what is authentic and original versus what appears true but is really a dangerous counterfeit, we have to have more than human knowledge of facts and figures or proof texts – we must have a tight connection to heaven through the Spirit of truth guiding our conscience and aligned to the Word of God or it will be impossible to avoid being deceived. And one of the quickest ways to be deceived is through signs and wonders, for they can appear to confirm assertions of truth and seem to validate that those performing the signs have God's approval because such signs are impossible to refute or explain away naturally.

It is crucial that we come to know and apply the principles of truth rather than allow the intense power of emotional reactions to supernatural signs to blind our minds and infect our hearts by subtle deceptions beyond our capacity to explain. The superior intelligence and capacities of supernatural forces of darkness are intent to keep us blind to the truth of pure love and a saving knowledge of God. We cannot depend on our own wisdom or feelings, for we are in a world infected by the logic and reasoning of so-called science that distorts the image of God in creation. Religion also redefines the truth about morality and God's disposition, and spiritualism exploits our penchant for trusting our feelings to discern between what is true and what is deception. Whether trusting in logical arguments or surrendering to overwhelming feelings and emotions, the enemy is a master deceiver and will stop at nothing to gain control over our thinking, our spirit and our will.

We are no match for supernatural forces on either side of this war, which is why it is so important for us to listen to warnings such as this given by heaven to alert us to the dangers of believing and trusting sources whose agenda is not in line with the Spirit and disposition of the hero of Revelation, the violently slaughtered Lamb who alone is victorious over evil without resorting to any of the dragon's methods.

The signs that are witnessed on God's side of this war differ from how the enemy uses signs to deceive. We need to appreciate this difference so we may be better equipped to discern in our spirit which supernatural spirits are involved in miracles and why signs can be so dangerous yet effective.

There are nuances to the meaning of the word signs. One of the two principles we are relying on to interpret everything we study in this prophetic book is that we begin with the presumption that everything is first and foremost to be viewed as signs or symbols before even considering whether it might involve literal applications. This has proven to be effective in allowing our minds to discover many insights that were impossible without assuming this position. And clearly the book of Revelation is an fantastical collection of signs and wonders, so it is critical we allow Scripture to be its primary interpreter along with the other principle we rely on to filter every potential explanation, which is that it must fully align with the revelation of Jesus Christ as the only version of God that can be trusted. That truth is vital for interpreting every sign from any source, for unless it perfectly synchronizes with the true gospel of Jesus Christ, it is certain to contain a deadly virus that in the end will prove fatal even while appearing at first to be life-giving.

A great sign was seen in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. (Revelation 12:1)

Another sign was seen in heaven. Behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns. (Revelation 12:3)

Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. (Genesis 1:14-15 NAS95)

While this describes that God created the physical light-emitting bodies throughout the universe that can be seen from our planet, stars also represent angels God created to dispense the light of His own glory throughout the universe to all created beings. Soon after the initial launch of Lucifer's rebellion against the government of God, one third of the angels of heaven chose to side with Lucifer in his grand experiment promising greater freedom and independence and a more reliable form of government based on improved principles in place of selfless love that God relies on to govern. Keep in mind that all this transpired in heaven and involved angels. Heaven or the cosmos, may well represent what is beyond our control or capacity to understand from our limited perspective.

With this in mind, God's statement regarding the purpose for the lights in the heavens correlates with what we find just before these signs seen in heaven – the great red dragon. This dragon is a symbol of Satan, previously known as Lucifer the light bearer. God's statement that His intent for the lights in the heavens to serve as signs and give light to the earth resonates with the history that the brightest angel to dispense the light of God's love to the entire universe, devolved into the most light-defying being inducing the most darkness deception. In this sense, this dragon angel is indeed a sign in heaven, but just the opposite from sharing the light he was originally designed to reflect. This formidable opponent of light, love and truth became the leader of all forces of darkness that are united to capture complete control of our planet even as we study this. Their power is enormous and their capacity to deceive far beyond anything we can comprehend. Our only hope is to synchronize with the heart of the Lamb by the Spirit He offers to give us co-perception with God.

"When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, 'Perform a miracle!' then you shall tell Aaron, 'Take your rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent.'" Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, as Yahweh had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers. They also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. (Exodus 7:9-12)

Yahweh said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.'" Moses and Aaron did so, as Yahweh commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. The fish that were in the river died; and the river became foul, and the Egyptians couldn't drink water from the river; and the blood was throughout all the land of Egypt. The magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their enchantments; and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he didn't listen to them; as Yahweh had spoken. (Exodus 7:19-22)

Yahweh said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Stretch forth your hand with your rod over the rivers, over the streams, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.'" Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. The magicians did in like manner with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt. (Exodus 8:5-7)

They did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and struck the dust of the earth, and there were lice on man, and on animal; all the dust of the earth became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. The magicians tried with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they couldn't. There were lice on man, and on animal. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God:" and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he didn't listen to them; as Yahweh had spoken. (Exodus 8:17-19)

If there arise in the midst of you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, Let us go after other gods, which you have not known, and let us serve them; you shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of dreams: for Yahweh your God proves you, to know whether you love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 13:1-3)

In those days was Hezekiah sick to death. Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, Thus says Yahweh, Set your house in order: for you shall die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed to Yahweh, saying, Remember now, Yahweh, I beg you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in your sight. Hezekiah wept sore.

It happened, before Isaiah was gone out into the middle part of the city, that the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, Turn back, and tell Hezekiah the prince of my people, Thus says Yahweh, the God of David your father, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears: behold, I will heal you; on the third day you shall go up to the house of Yahweh. I will add to your days fifteen years; and I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for my own sake, and for my servant David's sake. Isaiah said, Take a cake of figs. They took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

Hezekiah said to Isaiah, What shall be the sign that Yahweh will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of Yahweh the third day? Isaiah said, This shall be the sign to you from Yahweh, that Yahweh will do the thing that he has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps? Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to decline ten steps: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten steps. Isaiah the prophet cried to Yahweh; and he brought the shadow ten steps backward, by which it had gone down on the dial of Ahaz. (2 Kings 20:1-11)

In those days Hezekiah was sick even to death: and he prayed to Yahweh; and he spoke to him, and gave him a sign. But Hezekiah didn't render again according to the benefit done to him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath on him, and on Judah and Jerusalem. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of Yahweh didn't come on them in the days of Hezekiah. Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor: and he provided him treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of goodly vessels; (2 Chronicles 32:24-27)

Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel, and delivered his servants who trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which speak anything evil against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill; because there is no other god who is able to deliver after this sort. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all the peoples, nations, and languages, who dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked toward me. How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. (Daniel 3:28 – 4:3)

Then king Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages, who dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel; for he is the living God, and steadfast forever, His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed; and his dominion shall be even to the end. He delivers and rescues, and he works signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. (Daniel 6:25-27)

It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes. (Acts 2:17-20)

Signs and wonders evoke intense emotional reactions. But when we give credibility to aroused intense feelings that override a love of the truth, it is a crisis of faith. This war is over whether we will give our highest priority to God's word, or give greater credibility to our own emotions.

Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, (2 Thessalonians 2:8-11 NAS95)

Here is one last example of how Jesus related to human compulsion for signs and wonders.

But when Pilate heard Galilee mentioned, he asked if the man was a Galilean. When he found out that he was in Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days. Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad, for he had wanted to see him for a long time, because he had heard many things about him. He hoped to see some miracle done by him. He questioned him with many words, but he gave no answers. The chief priests and the scribes stood, vehemently accusing him. Herod with his soldiers humiliated him and mocked him. Dressing him in luxurious clothing, they sent him back to Pilate. Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before that they were enemies with each other. (Luke 23:6-12)

Herod wanted a sign from Jesus, a supernatural proof to titillate his senses. Herod was into sensationalism and knew how to manipulate people's feelings. However, Herod had destroyed his capacity for repentance through a sordid life of crime, immorality and debasement. There was nothing left that could be awakened by Jesus to restore him to live in humble faith. What was different here from when these same religious leaders demanded a sign from Him, was His complete refusal to respond. He spurned every enticement to gratify the morbid senses of this wicked ruler to possibly lessen the abuse He was receiving, while the religious leaders joined themselves with Herod to heap even more shame and abuse on Jesus as they sought to manipulate Him with their demands to order something exciting in order to save Himself from suffering humiliation from them.

I recently was forwarded an email from a distant friend that expresses this quite succinctly. Here is an excerpt from that email that I find very relevant to give more perspective to what we are learning now.

One of the most powerful testimonies Jesus ever gave was his silence to Herod. In fact, Herod was the only person in the Gospels to whom Jesus did not respond when addressed.

It is clear from the text that Herod was delighted at the opportunity to meet Jesus. He was hoping to see some spectacular supernatural feat.

In my long career in matters of legal advocacy, government relations, and religious liberty, I have not known nor heard of many Christian leaders who wouldn’t jump at the chance to witness to a powerful governmental official or celebrity who desired to see Jesus (v 8). Yet, Jesus, put in that very position “gave him (Herod) no answer.”

There he stood, badgered by Herod’s questions while simultaneously being hectored by the chief priests and scribes. Despite the provocation, in the words of the old Spiritual, “He never said a mumblin’ word.”

The vehement criticism of the chief priests and the scribes gave religious cover to Herod to show his own contempt of Jesus, to join his soldiers in mockery, shaming the quiet Jesus. It is a terrible thing when a political leader engages in such low and personal conduct, and associates with religious types that encourage it.

Jesus’ refusal to respond to Herod’s questions and harassment seems counter-intuitive, but it revealed the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of his would-be judge. All Herod could muster against Jesus were smack-talking insults.

Leaders should stand for principle, reasoned positions, and fair process. They diminish themselves when they indulge in ad hominem, invective-laden attacks.

By contrast, Jesus distinguished himself by his silence in the face of scorn. To engage with Herod, would be to credit Herod with an importance and an authority he didn’t deserve. Herod had murdered Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist for speaking the truth, making it clear that he wasn’t interested in the truth.

In the day of “send” buttons and social media posts and replies, Jesus’ silent treatment of Herod is still wisdom. I have too often had to repent for things I have said, but rarely for what I didn’t say. May “God be in my head and in my understanding.” Amen.

(Excerpt from post by attorney Kent Hansen)