Matthew 16:1-4 KJV — The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
Who can it be now? Ringtones, dings and vibrations. The cell phone seems to have a mind of its own. Back in the day, well, a least, the latter part of the 20th Century, we would say that the phone was ringing off the hook. People are calling, texting and face timing, asking in desperate tones, “What happened? Did we miss something? Is this a sign?” A decision had to be made. The people of the land had to make a choice, but when the day came, they couldn’t decide. No matter what the leaders, talk show hosts and the news media instructed the people to do, they still couldn’t finish the task. Somehow, they were expecting a great epiphany or wondrous work to appear before their very eyes to give them a confirmation on how the contest would end. In this case, the 2020 presidential election of the United States and the subsequent local and national elections that have followed. What is painfully obvious for others to see, the erosion of American democracy is in full display and no one can find a solution to fix it.
The political three-ringed circus has, for the past 35 years, set up their tents and with the help of the public led social media machine, are showing no sign of going away anytime soon. So, as we put our cell phones on silent or lend them to our children to play endless games until the battery drains out, we turn to our “Electronic Prophets” hoping they have a divine insight on the confusion that surrounds us.
Streaming online, holding events in rural and secondary communities, these “Modern Day Elijahs” come to us with, what they claim, inspired messages or predictions from God and that they know what the final results are. When asked directly, the answers are seemingly vague and very short on detail. Though many of these evangelicals are biblically sound, their emphasis is mostly focused on the products, seminars and memberships they offer to get the full message from God. For the ones who live with “too much on their plate” and not enough time to have a homemade meal, this can be a very frustrating thing. Because of this, many are looking for a supernatural sign or miracle and it may cause many to overlook the warning that Jesus gives us;
Mark 13:21-23 KJV — And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
If there’s anything the decade of the 2020’s has taught us is how shallow, insecure and insincere people are. Trust and balances have been thrown out the window, commitments and loyalties are abandoned and society has pledged their allegiance to a system that only supports the power elite and the immoral. The erosion of the American dream began in 1948. Ironically, the same year that the cold war began, the nuclear arms race commenced and the rebirth of Israel as a sovereign nation took place. The Lord told the Pharisees that they were able to recognize how the weather would be according to the atmospheric signs they observed, but could not see the signs of the times. Jesus also expressed that only the sign of the Prophet Jonah would be given.
Some believe that “the sign of Jonah” was simply Jesus’ call for those in His audience to repent, much as Jonah had also preached a call to repentance.
Jonah 1:1-2 KJV — Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
Later, we find what Jonah taught:
Jonah 3:4-5 KJV — And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
The inhabitants of Nineveh responded to Jonah’s impassioned call to repentance. From the least to the greatest, all turned away from their sinful lifestyle.
Jonah 3:10 KJV — And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
The reluctance or should it be said, the unwillingness to repent from their wicked ways, is most likely the reason why the United States is having the erosion it is experiencing. Political corruption, racial bigotry and lawlessness are the highlighted sins of a nation, but abortion, sexual immorality and a renewed hatred towards Christians, Jews and the nation of Israel are leading and contributing America to a catastrophic collapse. Repentance and a return to God and Jesus is warranted, but will the U.S. heed the call? The cell phone is ringing.
If lights, flash, signs and wonders are what you are looking for, then maybe a well produced show in Las Vegas is what you need. It will only last a couple of hours and the price for that escape from reality can be astronomical. What Jesus offers is life, rest and peace in a world of turmoil. The price He paid for the atonement of our sins and redemption was on the cross at Calvary. Through faith and His grace we are saved, but we have to believe and accept Him as our Lord and Saviour.
When the sun rises, a new day begins and it should remind us that God gave us life and through His Son that life can be everlasting if we believe and accept what Jesus did for us on the cross. The empty tomb is the everlasting wonder and sign of His victory over death and the salvation that He provides for us.
Philippians 4:6-7 KJV — Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
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