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33 Theatrical Prophetic Sign Acts in the Bible
Definition of a Sign Act:
1. Sign Acts are non-verbal tools of prophecy.
2. A "sign act" is where a prophet engages in a non-verbal theatrical display in order to visualize in advance, the outcome of a prophecy.
3. "Sign acts are nonverbal actions and objects intentionally employed by the prophets so that message content was communicated through them to the audiences" (Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets, K. G. Friebel, Sign Acts, p707, 2012 AD)
Catalogue of 33 Sign Acts in the Bible
A. Sign Acts in Exodus:
1. 1446 BC (Exodus 7:8-13)
2. When Aaron's staff swallowed up staffs of the
pagan Egyptian priests, it was predictive and prophetic of defeat.
3. "Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
"When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, 'Work a miracle,' then you shall
say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, that it
may become a serpent.' " So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and thus
they did just as the LORD had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down
before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also
called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of
Egypt, did the same with their secret arts. For each one threw down his
staff and they turned into serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their
staffs. Yet Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them,
as the LORD had said." (Exodus 7:8-13)
B. Sign Acts in Kings/Chronicles:
1. 933 BC (1 Kings 11:29-37)
a. Solomon's persistent idolatry caused the prophet Ahajah to
tear his new coat up into 12 pieces and give 10 to Jeroboam, Solomon's
army commander, as a symbol of the ten northern tribes.
b. This is two years before Solomon died. Jeroboam fled to Egypt.
Solomon came to repentance (2 Sam 7:14f) and wrote Ecclesiastes and Song of
Solomon as "self rebuke books".
c. "It came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of
Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now
Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in
the field. Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore
it into twelve pieces. He said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten
pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I will tear
the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes (but he will
have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of
Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel),
because they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of
the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of
Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight
and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did.
'Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I
will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant
David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes; but I
will take the kingdom from his son's hand and give it to you, even ten
tribes. 'But to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may
have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for
Myself to put My name. 'I will take you, and you shall reign over
whatever you desire, and you shall be king over Israel." (1 Kings 11:29-37)
2. 853 BC: (2 Chron 18:10; 1 Kings 22:11)
a. False prophet Zedekiah predicts victory, but Micaiah
correctly predicted the death of Ahab.
b. "Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please
inquire first for the word of the LORD." Then the king of Israel
assembled the [false] prophets, four hundred men, and said to them,
"Shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?" And
they said, "Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king." But
Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not yet a prophet of the LORD here that we
may inquire of him?" The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is
yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, for he
never prophesies good concerning me but always evil. He is Micaiah, son of
Imla." But Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so." Then the king
of Israel called an officer and said, "Bring quickly Micaiah, Imla's
son." Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were
sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting
at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the
prophets were prophesying before them. Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made
horns of iron for himself and said, "Thus says the LORD, 'With these
you shall gore the Arameans until they are consumed.' " All the
prophets were prophesying thus, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and
succeed, for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king." Then the
messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, "Behold, the
words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. So please let
your word be like one of them and speak favorably." But Micaiah said,
"As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak." When he came
to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead
to battle, or shall I refrain?" He said, "Go up and succeed, for they
will be given into your hand." Then the king said to him, "How many
times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of
the LORD?" So he said, "I saw all Israel Scattered on the mountains,
Like sheep which have no shepherd; And the LORD said, 'These have no
master. Let each of them return to his house in peace.' " Then the
king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not
prophesy good concerning me, but evil?" Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear
the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the
host of heaven standing on His right and on His left. "The LORD said,
'Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at
Ramoth-gilead?' And one said this while another said that. "Then a
spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice
him.' And the LORD said to him, 'How?' "He said, 'I will go and
be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then He said,
'You are to entice him and prevail also. Go and do so.' "Now
therefore, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of
these your prophets, for the LORD has proclaimed disaster against you."
Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the
cheek and said, "How did the Spirit of the LORD pass from me to speak to
you?" Micaiah said, "Behold, you will see on that day when you enter an
inner room to hide yourself." Then the king of Israel said, "Take
Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the
king's son; and say, 'Thus says the king, "Put this man in prison and
feed him sparingly with bread and water until I return safely." ' "
Micaiah said, "If you indeed return safely, the LORD has not spoken by
me." And he said, "Listen, all you people."" (2 Chronicles 18:4-27;
1 Kings 22:11)
3. 810 BC: (2 Ki 13:14-19)
a. Jehoahaz shooting the arrow and hitting the arrows on the
ground to defeat Aram (under his son Joash in 697 BC).
b. This is the period where Adad-nirari II, Ben-hadad III and his
son of Hazael oppressed Israel. But Ben-hadad III delivered Israel from the
hand of Adad-nirair III as per 2 Ki 13:5.
i. See outline: Ben-hadad III the deliverer of 2 Kings 13:5
ii. See also: Hazael, king of Aram (841-800 BC) Tel Dan "House of
David" Inscription Tel Dan "House of David" Inscription, Victory Stele of
Hazael: 841 BC
c. "So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He
gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Aram, and into the
hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael. Then Jehoahaz entreated the favor of
the Lord, and the Lord listened to him; for He saw the oppression of
Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them. The Lord gave Israel a
deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Arameans; and
the sons of Israel lived in their tents as formerly." (2 Kings 13:3-5)
d. "When Elisha became sick with the illness of which he was to
die, Joash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over him and said,
"My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" Elisha
said to him, "Take a bow and arrows." So he took a bow and arrows. Then
he said to the king of Israel, "Put your hand on the bow." And he put
his hand on it, then Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands. He said,
"Open the window toward the east," and he opened it. Then Elisha said,
"Shoot!" And he shot. And he said, "The Lord's arrow of victory,
even the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at
Aphek until you have destroyed them." Then he said, "Take the
arrows," and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike
the ground," and he struck it three times and stopped. So the man of God
was angry with him and said, "You should have struck five or six times,
then you would have struck Aram until you would have destroyed it. But now
you shall strike Aram only three times."" (2 Kings 13:14-19)
C. Sign Acts in Hosea: 750 BC
1. 750 BC: (Hosea 1:2-9)
a. Hosea takes a wife of harlotry, symbolizing God's
relationship to his people.
b. "When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to
Hosea, "Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of
harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the Lord." So
he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore
him a son. And the Lord said to him, "Name him Jezreel; for yet a little
while, and I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel,
and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. "On that day
I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel." Then she
conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to him,
"Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house
of Israel, that I would ever forgive them. "But I will have compassion on
the house of Judah and deliver them by the Lord their God, and will not
deliver them by bow, sword, battle, horses or horsemen." When she had
weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord
said, "Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people and I am not your
God."" (Hosea 1:2-9)
2. 750 BC: (Hosea 3)
a. Hosea buys back his wife to symbolize God's taking back
and restoring his wayward people.
b. "Then the Lord said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is
loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of
Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes." So I
bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half
of barley. Then I said to her, "You shall stay with me for many days. You
shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so I will also be
toward you." For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without
king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or
household idols. Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord
their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord
and to His goodness in the last days." (Hosea 3:1-5)
D. Sign Acts in Isaiah:
1. 740 BC: (Isa 20:1-4)
a. Isaiah goes naked for three years to represent the people of
Cush and Egypt being led away naked as captives by the Assyrians.
b. "In the year that the commander came to Ashdod, when Sargon
the king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashdod and captured it,
at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, "Go
and loosen the sackcloth from your hips and take your shoes off your
feet." And he did so, going naked and barefoot. And the Lord said,
"Even as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot three years as a
sign and token against Egypt and Cush, so the king of Assyria will lead
away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old, naked and
barefoot with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt." (Isaiah 20:1-4)
C. Sign Acts in Jeremiah:
1. 605 BC (Jer 35)
a. Jeremiah offers wine to the Rechabites, who refuse to drink
it out of commitment to their ancestral oath. Their faithfulness is then
verbally contrasted with the Judahites' failure to keep their covenant
with God.
b. ""Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak to them, and
bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and give
them wine to drink."" (Jeremiah 35:2)
c. "Then I set before the men of the house of the Rechabites
pitchers full of wine and cups; and I said to them, "Drink wine!" But
they said, "We will not drink wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our
father, commanded us, saying, 'You shall not drink wine, you or your
sons, forever." (Jeremiah 35:5-6)
d. "Then Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, "Thus
says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Because you have obeyed the
command of Jonadab your father, kept all his commands and done according to
all that he commanded you;" (Jeremiah 35:18)
2. 597 BC (Jer 13:1-11)
a. Jeremiah buys, wears and buries, by the River Perat, a waist
sash to illustrate the people's initial closeness to God and their
subsequent deterioration.
b. "Thus the LORD said to me, "Go and buy yourself a linen
waistband and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water." So I
bought the waistband in accordance with the word of the LORD and put it
around my waist. Then the word of the LORD came to me a second time,
saying, "Take the waistband that you have bought, which is around your
waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the
rock." So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the LORD had commanded
me. After many days the LORD said to me, "Arise, go to the Euphrates and
take from there the waistband which I commanded you to hide there." Then
I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the waistband from the place
where I had hidden it; and lo, the waistband was ruined, it was totally
worthless. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Thus says the
LORD, 'Just so will I destroy the pride of Judah and the great pride of
Jerusalem. 'This wicked people, who refuse to listen to My words, who
walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have gone after other gods to
serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this waistband
which is totally worthless. 'For as the waistband clings to the waist of
a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of
Judah cling to Me,' declares the LORD, 'that they might be for Me a
people, for renown, for praise and for glory; but they did not listen.'"
(Jeremiah 13:1-11)
3. 597 BC (Jer 16:1-9)
a. Jeremiah does not marry or attend funerals or feasts,
representing the people's future decimation, such that they would be
devoid of family members and occasions of ritual mourning and festivity.
b. "The word of the Lord also came to me saying, "You shall
not take a wife for yourself nor have sons or daughters in this place."
For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters born in this
place, and concerning their mothers who bear them, and their fathers who
beget them in this land: "They will die of deadly diseases, they will not
be lamented or buried; they will be as dung on the surface of the ground
and come to an end by sword and famine, and their carcasses will become
food for the birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth." For thus
says the Lord, "Do not enter a house of mourning, or go to lament or to
console them; for I have withdrawn My peace from this people," declares
the Lord, "My lovingkindness and compassion. "Both great men and small
will die in this land; they will not be buried, they will not be lamented,
nor will anyone gash himself or shave his head for them. "Men will not
break bread in mourning for them, to comfort anyone for the dead, nor give
them a cup of consolation to drink for anyone's father or mother.
"Moreover you shall not go into a house of feasting to sit with them to
eat and drink." For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
"Behold, I am going to eliminate from this place, before your eyes and in
your time, the voice of rejoicing and the voice of gladness, the voice of
the groom and the voice of the bride." (Jeremiah 16:1-9)
4. 597 BC (Jer 19:1-13)
a. Jeremiah shatters an earthenware jar, demonstrating that God
will shatter Jerusalem.
b. "Thus says the LORD, "Go and buy a potter's earthenware
jar, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the senior
priests. "Then go out to the valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the
entrance of the potsherd gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell
you, and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and
inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel,
"Behold I am about to bring a calamity upon this place, at which the ears
of everyone that hears of it will tingle. "Because they have forsaken Me
and have made this an alien place and have burned sacrifices in it to other
gods, that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had
ever known, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the
innocent and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the
fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke
of, nor did it ever enter My mind; therefore, behold, days are coming,"
declares the LORD, "when this place will no longer be called Topheth or
the valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the valley of Slaughter. "I will
make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will
cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of
those who seek their life; and I will give over their carcasses as food for
the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth. "I will also make this
city a desolation and an object of hissing; everyone who passes by it will
be astonished and hiss because of all its disasters. "I will make them
eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will
eat one another's flesh in the siege and in the distress with which their
enemies and those who seek their life will distress them." ' "Then
you are to break the jar in the sight of the men who accompany you and say
to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Just so will I break this
people and this city, even as one breaks a potter's vessel, which cannot
again be repaired; and they will bury in Topheth because there is no other
place for burial. "This is how I will treat this place and its
inhabitants," declares the LORD, "so as to make this city like Topheth.
"The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be
defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the houses on whose rooftops
they burned sacrifices to all the heavenly host and poured out drink
offerings to other gods." ' "" (Jeremiah 19:1-13)
5. 594 BC (Jer 27-28)
a. Jeremiah wears a yoke to advise Judah to continue its
submission to Babylon. In response, Hananiah the false prophet breaks the
yoke to symbolize the divine breaking of the Babylonians' rule.
b. "In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of
Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying-
thus says the Lord to me-"Make for yourself bonds and yokes and put
them on your neck, and send word to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab,
to the king of the sons of Ammon, to the king of Tyre and to the king of
Sidon by the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah."
(Jeremiah 27:1-3)
c. "I spoke words like all these to Zedekiah king of Judah,
saying, "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve
him and his people, and live!" (Jeremiah 27:12)
d. "Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from the neck of
Jeremiah the prophet and broke it. Hananiah spoke in the presence of all
the people, saying, "Thus says the Lord, 'Even so will I break within
two full years the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of
all the nations.' " Then the prophet Jeremiah went his way. The word
of the Lord came to Jeremiah after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke
from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "Go and speak to
Hananiah, saying, 'Thus says the Lord, "You have broken the yokes of
wood, but you have made instead of them yokes of iron." 'For thus says
the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "I have put a yoke of iron on the
neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon; and they will serve him. And I have also given him the beasts of
the field." ' " Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the
prophet, "Listen now, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have
made this people trust in a lie. "Therefore thus says the Lord,
'Behold, I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This year
you are going to die, because you have counseled rebellion against the
Lord.' " So Hananiah the prophet died in the same year in the seventh
month." (Jeremiah 28:10-17)
6. 588 BC (Jer 32:6-15)
a. See also: Creation of legal documents sealed with string and
bulla. Notice two copies were made, one that was sealed and placed in a
vault and the second was located in room outside the vault for anyone to
look inside. If anyone disputed the outside copy differed from the copy in
the vault, they would unseal the copy in the vault.
b. Jeremiah purchases a parcel of land to signify that, in the
future, fields would once again be bought and sold by the Judahites.
c. "And Jeremiah said, "The word of the Lord came to me,
saying, 'Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle is coming to you,
saying, "Buy for yourself my field which is at Anathoth, for you have the
right of redemption to buy it." ' "Then Hanamel my uncle's son
came to me in the court of the guard according to the word of the Lord and
said to me, 'Buy my field, please, that is at Anathoth, which is in the
land of Benjamin; for you have the right of possession and the redemption
is yours; buy it for yourself.' Then I knew that this was the word of the
Lord. "I bought the field which was at Anathoth from Hanamel my uncle's
son, and I weighed out the silver for him, seventeen shekels of silver.
"I signed and sealed the deed, and called in witnesses, and weighed out
the silver on the scales. "Then I took the deeds of purchase, both the
sealed copy containing the terms and conditions and the open copy; and I
gave the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah,
in the sight of Hanamel my uncle's son and in the sight of the witnesses
who signed the deed of purchase, before all the Jews who were sitting in
the court of the guard. "And I commanded Baruch in their presence,
saying, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "Take these
deeds, this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an
earthenware jar, that they may last a long time." 'For thus says the
Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "Houses and fields and vineyards will
again be bought in this land." '" (Jeremiah 32:6-15)
7. 587 BC (Jer 43:8-13)
a. In Tahpanes, Egypt, Jeremiah buries a stone to indicate that
the king of Babylon would invade Egypt and construct a throne on that very
location.
b. "Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes,
saying, "Take some large stones in your hands and hide them in the mortar
in the brick terrace which is at the entrance of Pharaoh's palace in
Tahpanhes, in the sight of some of the Jews; and say to them, 'Thus says
the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "Behold, I am going to send and get
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and I am going to set his
throne right over these stones that I have hidden; and he will spread his
canopy over them. "He will also come and strike the land of Egypt; those
who are meant for death will be given over to death, and those for
captivity to captivity, and those for the sword to the sword. "And I
shall set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he will burn them
and take them captive. So he will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as a
shepherd wraps himself with his garment, and he will depart from there
safely. "He will also shatter the obelisks of Heliopolis, which is in the
land of Egypt; and the temples of the gods of Egypt he will burn with
fire." ' "" (Jeremiah 43:8-13)
8. 561 BC (Jer 51:59-64)
a. Jeremiah sends with Seraiah a scroll to Babylon, which is
thrown into the Euphrates to signify the demise of Babylon.
b. "The nonverbal action consisted of Seraiah binding a stone
to the scroll, then casting it into the Euphrates. The purpose of the stone
being attached to the scroll was to facilitate the nonverbal demonstration
by producing the desired illustrative effect needed to communicate the
message: the communicative analogy was with the scroll sinking. So as to
prevent the scroll from floating on the surface, and thus obviating the
communicative analogy, the stone ensured its sunken status. Since the stone
functioned to facilitate the communicative message about the sunken scroll,
to attribute other noncommunicative reasons to the use of the stone, such
as to prevent the scroll from being found by the Babylonians,191 is
unnecessary. And if the stone bore a simile function, it was not as a
figure of the nation (unlike the simile of Exod. 15:5) or of the divine
will which would destroy Babylon, but as the calamity (v. 64a) which God
brought upon Babylon which caused that city to sink." (Jeremiah's and
Ezekiel's Sign-Acts, Kelvin G. Friebel, p160, 1999 AD)
c. "The message which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah
the son of Neriah, the grandson of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the
king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. (Now Seraiah was
quartermaster.) So Jeremiah wrote in a single scroll all the calamity which
would come upon Babylon, that is, all these words which have been written
concerning Babylon. Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, "As soon as you come
to Babylon, then see that you read all these words aloud, and say, 'You,
O LORD, have promised concerning this place to cut it off, so that there
will be nothing dwelling in it, whether man or beast, but it will be a
perpetual desolation.' "And as soon as you finish reading this scroll,
you will tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates,
and say, 'Just so shall Babylon sink down and not rise again because of
the calamity that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become
exhausted.' " Thus far are the words of Jeremiah." (Jeremiah
51:59-64)
D. Sign Acts in Ezekiel:
1. Discussion:
a. "At least seven clearly identified sign acts appear in
Ezekiel, the first four of which occur in Ezek. 4-5. In the very first
instance, Ezek. 4:1-3, the prophet is told by Yahweh that his divinely
dictated actions are to be a "sign" (אות /ʾôṯ) for the house of
Israel (Ezek. 4:3). After the appearance of the term אות in 4:3, the
word that is used to identify the sign act is מופת (môp̄ēṯ; cf.
Ezek. 12:6, 11; 24:24, 27), which is a synonym for אות. This explains
why the LXX translates both אות and מופת with the term
σημεῖον (sēmeion). At the same time, in some cases such as Ezek.
5:1-4, neither of these two terms appear even though a sign act is clearly
in view. In this case, the use of אות in Ezek. 4:3 appears to govern the
four signs appearing in close canonical proximity (i.e., 4:1-3, 4-6, 9-17;
5:1-4). As for the remaining three sign acts, the use of מופת
identifies them as such (Ezek. 12:6, 11; 24:24, 27). The double appearance
of the term מופת in Ezek. 12:6 and 12:11 is clearly dealing with the
same sign act and thus we can group the entire section under one event
(Ezek. 12:1-20). There is one other debated sign act in Ezekiel: the
unification of the two sticks in Ezek. 37:15-28. In this case, the account
does not have a specific designation as a sign act, but it could be argued
that it is utilized as one." (John's Use of Ezekiel, Brian Peterson,
p72, 2015 AD)
b. "The audience's evaluation of what Ezekiel was doing must
have been, as is typical of any audience, interpreted through their own
belief system and their perception of Ezekiel as a prophet. Since this
complex of nonverbal behaviors must be attributed to the initial phase of
Ezekiel's prophetic ministry,345 the audience may not have had any
preconceived notions as to the type of prophet Ezekiel was going to be. Due
to the lack of any repertoire of his previous messages, they would not have
known whether Ezekiel was going to be a prophet like those who were
proclaiming an imminent return from exile and exhorting the people to rally
around those advocating Judah's rebellion against Babylon (cf. Jer.
27-29), or whether he would be a prophet similar to Jeremiah who spoke
about God's judgment against Jerusalem. The lack of Ezekiel's previous
public proclamation coupled with the influence of the popular theology may
have led the people to anticipate that Ezekiel would proclaim messages
which favorably corresponded to their own beliefs about the future of
Jerusalem. Their anticipation, coupled with the ambiguous aspects in the
nonverbal behaviors, could have led the audience to some initial
misconceptions of the message. But the misconceptions of understanding the
actions as being favorable, would have meant the lack of producing
counterarguments against Ezekiel's message, and thus resulting in a more
receptive audience attitude." (Jeremiah's and Ezekiel's Sign-Acts, Kelvin
G. Friebel, p228, 1999 AD)
2. Ezekiel remains speechless from the time of
his calling as a prophet until he receives the news that Jerusalem has
fallen.
a. 593 BC (Ezek 3:24-27) "The Spirit then entered me and made
me stand on my feet, and He spoke with me and said to me, "Go, shut
yourself up in your house. "As for you, son of man, they will put ropes
on you and bind you with them so that you cannot go out among them.
"Moreover, I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so
that you will be mute and cannot be a man who rebukes them, for they are a
rebellious house. "But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and
you will say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD.' He who hears, let him
hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house."
(Ezekiel 3:24-27)
b. 589 BC (Ezek 24:25-27) "'As for you, son of man, will it not
be on the day when I take from them their stronghold, the joy of their
pride, the desire of their eyes and their heart's delight, their sons and
their daughters, that on that day he who escapes will come to you with
information for your ears? 'On that day your mouth will be opened to him
who escaped, and you will speak and be mute no longer. Thus you will be a
sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD.' "" (Ezekiel
24:25-27)
c. 586 BC (Ezek 33:21-22) "Now in the twelfth year of our
exile, on the fifth of the tenth month, the refugees from Jerusalem came to
me, saying, "The city has been taken." Now the hand of the LORD had
been upon me in the evening, before the refugees came. And He opened my
mouth at the time they came to me in the morning; so my mouth was opened
and I was no longer speechless." (Ezekiel 33:21-22)
3. 593 BC: (Ezek 4:1-3)
a. Ezekiel drawing Jerusalem on a brick and mimicking laying
siege to the city. He inscribes "Jerusalem" on the brick. He lays siege
to the city, sets an iron griddle next to it, and sets his face against the
griddle.
b. "In the representation of the model siege (4:1-2), there
was no ambiguity as to what the nonverbal artifacts represented-they
illustrated the siege of a city. But there was probably ambiguity over
specifics of the representation, such as what city it was and who the
attackers were. Since the inscribed city may have been like that of a
victory depiction showing the siege from the ground level with primarily
only the outer city walls being depicted, distinctive internal
characteristics of the city, such as the Temple, the royal palace,
significant streets, would not have been represented. Due to the
schematized nature of the drawing, regardless of whether it was a side view
of the city walls or an overhead, map-type drawing, the specific
identification of the city may well have been very difficult to ascertain
immediately. Because of the popular theology, the audience may have thought
or hoped that Ezekiel was representing the siege of Babylon itself, and
thus declaring a message like other prophets (cf. Jer. 27-29) who were
proclaiming Babylon's imminent demise. This ambiguity was not clarified
until the verbal proclamation was given by Ezekiel (4:7). If the nonverbal
displays by the prophet were thus erroneously misconstrued by the audience
because of their being filtered through the popular theological beliefs,
the impact of Ezekiel's words 'This is Jerusalem' (5:5) must have
been immensely shocking. It was a message the audience would not have
anticipated hearing nor desired to hear." (Jeremiah's and Ezekiel's
Sign-Acts, Kelvin G. Friebel, p229, 1999 AD)
c. ""Now you son of man, get yourself a brick, place it
before you and inscribe a city on it, Jerusalem. "Then lay siege against
it, build a siege wall, raise up a ramp, pitch camps and place battering
rams against it all around. "Then get yourself an iron plate and set it
up as an iron wall between you and the city, and set your face toward it so
that it is under siege, and besiege it. This is a sign to the house of
Israel." (Ezekiel 4:1-3)
4. 593 BC: (Ezek 4:4-6)
a. Ezekiel lying on his side for 390 days and then on his right
side for forty days to symbolize the him bearing of the people's sins.
b. ""As for you, lie down on your left side and lay the
iniquity of the house of Israel on it; you shall bear their iniquity for
the number of days that you lie on it. "For I have assigned you a number
of days corresponding to the years of their iniquity, three hundred and
ninety days; thus you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.
"When you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on
your right side and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah; I have
assigned it to you for forty days, a day for each year." (Ezekiel 4:4-6)
5. 593 BC: (Ezek 4:9-17)
a. Ezekiel eats rationed portions of food and water to
represent the scarcity of food during the siege; he bakes his bread on dung
to symbolize the unclean food of the exile.
b. ""But as for you, take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet
and spelt, put them in one vessel and make them into bread for yourself;
you shall eat it according to the number of the days that you lie on your
side, three hundred and ninety days. "Your food which you eat shall be
twenty shekels a day by weight; you shall eat it from time to time. "The
water you drink shall be the sixth part of a hin by measure; you shall
drink it from time to time. "You shall eat it as a barley cake, having
baked it in their sight over human dung." Then the LORD said, "Thus
will the sons of Israel eat their bread unclean among the nations where I
will banish them." But I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I have never been
defiled; for from my youth until now I have never eaten what died of itself
or was torn by beasts, nor has any unclean meat ever entered my mouth."
Then He said to me, "See, I will give you cow's dung in place of human
dung over which you will prepare your bread." Moreover, He said to me,
"Son of man, behold, I am going to break the staff of bread in Jerusalem,
and they will eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and drink water by
measure and in horror, because bread and water will be scarce; and they
will be appalled with one another and waste away in their iniquity."
(Ezekiel 4:9-17)
6. 593 BC: (Ezek 5:1-4)
a. Ezekiel cuts his hair, divides it into three portions, and
then, to show the threefold fate of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, burns one
third upon the model siege, chops up another third with his sword, and
scatters the last third to the wind and chases after it with the sword.
b. ""As for you, son of man, take a sharp sword; take and use
it as a barber's razor on your head and beard. Then take scales for
weighing and divide the hair. "One third you shall burn in the fire at
the center of the city, when the days of the siege are completed. Then you
shall take one third and strike it with the sword all around the city, and
one third you shall scatter to the wind; and I will unsheathe a sword
behind them. "Take also a few in number from them and bind them in the
edges of your robes. "Take again some of them and throw them into the
fire and burn them in the fire; from it a fire will spread to all the house
of Israel." (Ezekiel 5:1-4)
7. 592 BC: (Ezek 6:11-12)
a. Ezekiel claps his hands and cries "Ah!" to display
God's indignation over the people's wicked practices.
b. ""Thus says the Lord GOD, 'Clap your hand, stamp your foot
and say, "Alas, because of all the evil abominations of the house of
Israel, which will fall by sword, famine and plague! "He who is far off
will die by the plague, and he who is near will fall by the sword, and he
who remains and is besieged will die by the famine. Thus will I spend My
wrath on them." (Ezekiel 6:11-12)
8. 592 BC: (Ezek 12:1-16)
a. Ezekiel mimicking going into exile. Ezekiel prepares a bag,
digs a hole in the wall of his house, places the bag upon his shoulder,
exits through the hole with his eyes covered, and departs from the city to
represent the people of Jerusalem going off into exile.
b. "Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Son of
man, you live in the midst of the rebellious house, who have eyes to see
but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a rebellious
house. "Therefore, son of man, prepare for yourself baggage for exile and
go into exile by day in their sight; even go into exile from your place to
another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand though they are
a rebellious house. "Bring your baggage out by day in their sight, as
baggage for exile. Then you will go out at evening in their sight, as those
going into exile. "Dig a hole through the wall in their sight and go out
through it. "Load the baggage on your shoulder in their sight and carry
it out in the dark. You shall cover your face so that you cannot see the
land, for I have set you as a sign to the house of Israel." I did so, as
I had been commanded. By day I brought out my baggage like the baggage of
an exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands; I went
out in the dark and carried the baggage on my shoulder in their sight. In
the morning the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Son of man, has not
the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, 'What are you
doing?' "Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God, "This burden
concerns the prince in Jerusalem as well as all the house of Israel who are
in it." ' "Say, 'I am a sign to you. As I have done, so it will be
done to them; they will go into exile, into captivity.' "The prince who
is among them will load his baggage on his shoulder in the dark and go out.
They will dig a hole through the wall to bring it out. He will cover his
face so that he can not see the land with his eyes. "I will also spread
My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. And I will bring him to
Babylon in the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, though he
will die there. "I will scatter to every wind all who are around him, his
helpers and all his troops; and I will draw out a sword after them. "So
they will know that I am the Lord when I scatter them among the nations and
spread them among the countries. "But I will spare a few of them from the
sword, the famine and the pestilence that they may tell all their
abominations among the nations where they go, and may know that I am the
Lord."" (Ezekiel 12:1-16)
9. 592 BC: (Ezek 12:17-20)
a. Ezekiel eats and drinks with trembling to show the
Jerusalemites' emotional distress during the Babylonian invasion.
b. "Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me saying, "Son of
man, eat your bread with trembling and drink your water with quivering and
anxiety. "Then say to the people of the land, 'Thus says the Lord GOD
concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel, "They will
eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water with horror, because
their land will be stripped of its fullness on account of the violence of
all who live in it. "The inhabited cities will be laid waste and the land
will be a desolation. So you will know that I am the LORD." ' ""
(Ezekiel 12:17-20)
10. 591 BC: (Ezek 21:6-7)
a. Ezekiel groans to demonstrate the people's response to the
news of God's impending judgment.
b. ""As for you, son of man, groan with breaking heart and
bitter grief, groan in their sight. "And when they say to you, 'Why do
you groan?' you shall say, 'Because of the news that is coming; and
every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint
and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it comes and it will
happen,' declares the Lord GOD."" (Ezekiel 21:6-7)
11. 591 BC: (Ezek 21:8-17)
a. Ezekiel cries out and strikes his thigh to depict the
people's gestures of grief. Later, he claps his hands to show the divine
indignation toward the people.
b. "Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Son of
man, prophesy and say, 'Thus says the Lord.' Say, 'A sword, a sword
sharpened And also polished! 'Sharpened to make a slaughter, Polished to
flash like lightning!' Or shall we rejoice, the rod of My son despising
every tree? "It is given to be polished, that it may be handled; the
sword is sharpened and polished, to give it into the hand of the slayer.
"Cry out and wail, son of man; for it is against My people, it is against
all the officials of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with My
people, therefore strike your thigh. "For there is a testing; and what if
even the rod which despises will be no more?" declares the Lord God.
"You therefore, son of man, prophesy and clap your hands together; and
let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword for the slain. It is the
sword for the great one slain, which surrounds them, that their hearts may
melt, and many fall at all their gates. I have given the glittering sword.
Ah! It is made for striking like lightning, it is wrapped up in readiness
for slaughter. "Show yourself sharp, go to the right; set yourself; go to
the left, wherever your edge is appointed. "I will also clap My hands
together, and I will appease My wrath; I, the Lord, have spoken.""
(Ezekiel 21:8-17)
12. 591 BC: (Ezek 21:18-23)
a. Ezekiel sets up a signpost to show the ways the king of
Babylon might take in his march against the west.
b. "The word of the Lord came to me saying, "As for you, son
of man, make two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to come; both of
them will go out of one land. And make a signpost; make it at the head of
the way to the city. "You shall mark a way for the sword to come to
Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and to Judah into fortified Jerusalem. "For
the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the
two ways, to use divination; he shakes the arrows, he consults the
household idols, he looks at the liver. "Into his right hand came the
divination, 'Jerusalem,' to set battering rams, to open the mouth for
slaughter, to lift up the voice with a battle cry, to set battering rams
against the gates, to cast up ramps, to build a siege wall. "And it will
be to them like a false divination in their eyes; they have sworn solemn
oaths. But he brings iniquity to remembrance, that they may be seized."
(Ezekiel 21:18-23)
13. 589 BC: (Ezek 24:15-18, 24)
a. Ezekiel not mourning his wife's death. Ezekiel refrains
from weeping or performing the normal mourning rituals at his wife's
death to illustrate how the people should respond to the news of the fall
of Jerusalem.
b. "And the word of the Lord came to me saying, "Son of man,
behold, I am about to take from you the desire of your eyes with a blow;
but you shall not mourn and you shall not weep, and your tears shall not
come. "Groan silently; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban
and put your shoes on your feet, and do not cover your mustache and do not
eat the bread of men." So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in
the evening my wife died. And in the morning I did as I was commanded."
(Ezekiel 24:15-18)
c. "'Thus Ezekiel will be a sign to you; according to all
that he has done you will do; when it comes, then you will know that I am
the Lord God.' "" (Ezekiel 24:24)
14. 589 BC: (Ezek 24:27)
a. See above.
b. The opening of Ezekiel's mouth
c. "'On that day your mouth will be opened to him who
escaped, and you will speak and be mute no longer. Thus you will be a sign
to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.' "" (Ezekiel 24:27)
15. 586 BC: (Ezek 37:15-28)
a. The unifying of the two sticks after Ezekiel learns
Jerusalem has fallen. Ezekiel joins two pieces of wood to signify the
reunification of Israel and Judah in the church.
b. "The word of the Lord came again to me saying, "And you,
son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, 'For Judah and
for the sons of Israel, his companions'; then take another stick and
write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of
Israel, his companions.' "Then join them for yourself one to another
into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. "When the sons of
your people speak to you saying, 'Will you not declare to us what you
mean by these?' say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I will
take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes
of Israel, his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of
Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand." '
"The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.
"Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I will take the sons
of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather
them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make
them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will
be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no
longer be divided into two kingdoms. "They will no longer defile
themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any
of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling
places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be
My people, and I will be their God. "My servant David will be king over
them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My
ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them. "They will live on the
land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they
will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons' sons, forever; and
David My servant will be their prince forever. "I will make a covenant of
peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will
place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst
forever. "My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their
God, and they will be My people. "And the nations will know that I am the
Lord who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst
forever." ' "" (Ezekiel 37:15-28)
E. Sign Acts in Zechariah: 519 BC
1. 519 BC: (Zechariah 6:9-15)
a. Zechariah makes a crown and places it on the high priest
Joshua to show God's crowning of Jesus Christ who will rebuild the
temple.
b. "The word of the Lord also came to me, saying, "Take an
offering from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah; and you go the
same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they
have arrived from Babylon. "Take silver and gold, make an ornate crown
and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
"Then say to him, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, "Behold, a man whose
name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build
the temple of the Lord. "Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the
Lord, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus,
He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between
the two offices." ' "Now the crown will become a reminder in the
temple of the Lord to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen the son of Zephaniah.
"Those who are far off will come and build the temple of the Lord."
Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And it will
take place if you completely obey the Lord your God." (Zechariah 6:9-15)
G. Sign Acts in the New Testament:
1. 2BC: Zecharias was struck with muteness after
being chosen by lot to offer the incense for the temple worship until John
the Baptist was born and he named him!
a. "And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the
right of the altar of incense. Zacharias was troubled when he saw the
angel, and fear gripped him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be
afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife
Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. "You
will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. "For he
will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or
liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his
mother's womb. "And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the
Lord their God. "It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the
spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE
CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to
make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Zacharias said to the angel,
"How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is
advanced in years." The angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel,
who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and
to bring you this good news. "And behold, you shall be silent and unable
to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not
believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time." The
people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the
temple. But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they
realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs
to them, and remained mute." (Luke 1:11-22)
2. 55 AD: "As we were staying there for some days,
a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took
Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, "This is what
the Holy Spirit says: 'In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the
man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'"
(Acts 21:10-11)
a. Ababus made two prophecies in the book of Acts:
i. Famine: "One of them named Agabus stood up and began to
indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all
over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius." (Acts 11:28)
ii. Paul would be captured as a prophetic sign act using Paul's
own belt.
By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.
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