My first wife and I loved to entertain. Whenever we were preparing for a party, my wife would always say, “Watch for the signs! Pay attention to the signs!” It was her way to remind me to watch when she might need help. You see, I was more like Mary and my wife like Martha (Luke 10:40). I could get so engrossed in conversation with guests that I would lose sight of all the required preparations I’d left to my wife!

Forty years later, her words still ring in my head! It’s a reminder for me that there are important signs to watch for. Too often, many are missed, even by Christians who are warned to watch.

Watching for Biblical Signs

The Bible has a lot to say about signs and watching for them. But truth be told, it’s really easy to lose sight of them. Hence why Scripture so often urges vigilance. The first mention of signs is the creation of the sun, moon and stars as signs (Genesis 1:14). Cosmic signs see their fulfillment in Christ’s coming. But most people missed it including Herod who likely had a staff watching the heavens for signs!

Most weren’t watching and those that were, didn’t know what to look for. Check out our post if you want to understand how difficult identifying the Star of Bethlehem is! And that’s the point. We all want to believe signs are easy to see, but most of us completely miss them. And that’s problematic given Christ’s Parousia is also marked by cosmic signs (Luke 21:25). That so many missed the cosmic sign of Christ’s first coming portends that many will similarly be unprepared for His return.

The “Hidden” Sign of Circumcision

Consider circumcision: It was the sign of the covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:11), a cutting in the foreskin, a place one wouldn’t expect to find a sign – especially among Semites who considered exposure of nakedness humiliating (Genesis 9:22-25; Isaiah 20:4; 47:3; 2 Corinthians 5:3). Ironically, it is another sign hidden from public view!

But one must understand the background of the sign. Sarah’s barrenness was introduced at the outset of the story (Genesis 5:30). Yet God promised Abraham he would have innumerable descendants (Genesis 13:16). Her extended barrenness caused Abraham to seek reassurance from God while patiently waiting for its fulfillment (15:2). At age 99, God assured him that He would make Abraham fruitful (17:6) and he would have a son through Sarah though she was 90 years old (17:16). With both beyond child-bearing years, Abraham laughed (17:17).

So God made a covenant, the sign of which was placed upon Abraham’s “organ of fruitfulness” as surety! Where God put it, Abraham certainly wouldn’t miss the sign. Others wouldn’t need to see it as they would be able to see the fruit of his loins.

Israel was a Community Determined by Circumcision, not Ethnicity

The odd part is found in God’s instructions. Every male in Abraham’s household was to be circumcised, even those who were not his physical descendants – including the slaves he purchased (vss 12-13)! This is absolutely unexpected, and most have missed it. Abraham would be fruitful and have innumerable descendants but strangely, he is only promised one son (17:16, 19)! No wonder then, why everyone in his household was to receive the sign and enter into the covenant (17:10-14).

Pay attention to the signs! Everyone in Abraham’s household was a legitimate heir, including foreigners, slaves bought with money, those who were his physical heirs (Ishmael) and those who weren’t! This point proves critical when Ishmael is rejected as an heir for mocking Isaac (21:9-10). Abraham would have only one physical son as a legitimate heir, but he would have many non-physical sons as legitimate heirs.

Israel was Always a Multi-Ethnic Community

The circumcised slaves and foreigners in Abraham’s household were inherited by Isaac and then Jacob. They were then taken with Jacob to Egypt during a drought (41:57-42:1) and subsequently everyone in Jacob’s household became slaves in Egypt.

When the exodus came, a “mixed multitude” (AV) came out with Israel (Exodus 12:38). They were the children of the slaves and foreigners Jacob took to Egypt. They left Egypt with ethnic Israel, wandered the wilderness and entered the land with the ethnic Israelites. Joshua 8:33 reveals they entered the land with ethnic Israel.

The mixed multitude renewed the covenant together with ethnic Israel, took circumcision (Joshua 5:3) and celebrated the Passover together and after that everyone is simply called “Israel”. There is no further mention of a mixed multitude. Both groups became one community Israel, sharing the Abrahamic inheritance of land. Everyone had full fights under the Abrahamic covenant and thus received land. From Israel’s creation as a people and nation, she was always a multi-ethnic community. The Sign of membership in Israel was circumcision.

A Sign Forgotten

Israel’s requirements for treatment of foreigners (Exodus 21:21; Leviticus 19:34) was to remind her of her multi-ethnicity. Israel would always have foreigners in her midst whom she was to “invite’ to join their community by taking circumcision and following God’s commands.

Yet in Jesus’ day, many Israelites saw themselves as God’s people strictly because they were physical descendants of Abraham. Somehow they lost sight that circumcision was the sign of Abrahamic descent. Jesus and the Baptist both offered correctives (Matthew 3:9; John 3:3, 7) but to no avail.

The oversight is striking, especially in light of the testimony of the prophets. Ezekiel, who wrote during Israel’s Babylonian exile, prophesied their return (Ezekiel 40-48). Note the instructions for division of the land between the tribes:

21 “You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. 22 You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners residing among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 23 In whatever tribe a foreigner resides, there you are to give them their inheritance,” declares the Sovereign Lord. Ezekiel 47

The Jewish people knew that their return under Ezra did not fulfill Ezekiel’s prophecy. Only a remnant returned, the rebuilt temple lacked the glory of Solomon’s temple and there was no indwelling cloud of God’s presence. Further, Ezekiel’s description of the land is Eden restored (48:1-12) with features unknown in Israel. Ezekiel is signaling that this return represents redemption accomplished.

Critically, Israel’s return would include a vast multitude of Gentiles, recapitulating the Egyptian exodus (Isaiah 49:22; 60:9-10)! Israel understood these prophecies. It would be a time when the Abrahamic promise would finally be fulfilled. Abraham’s descendants (everyone bearing the mark of circumcision), would finally be a blessing to all the nations (Genesis 12:3), leading them to God . . . and making them part of Israel (Isaiah 14:1-2; 19:33-34)! Thus, God not only ordained Israel’s multi-ethnic origins, but foreordained Israel’s greatness as a multi-ethnic community. It is how they would bless the nations – by making them part of the congregation of the righteous.

A Greater Meaning Lost

It was Moses who first prophesied Israel’s exile for sin and promised return to the land when they turned to God in obedience (Deuteronomy 30:1-5). Coincident with their return, he promised a better circumcision, one of the heart (30:6) that would finally allow them to faithfully love the Lord and “live”. The cycle of death and destruction would end (30:19).

Moses understood that circumcision of the foreskin portended circumcision of the heart. It was the sign of a better covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34) that would finally bring life. This greater meaning has been lost.

Many Jews have sought refuge in Palestine after a lengthy history of brutal persecutions against them. The Nazi persecution in particular seemed to leave no safe country in which to dwell. No wonder then, Israel sought a Jewish state in Palestine for their security.

Yet in seeking it, Israel may have inadvertently precluded opportunity to be the promised blessing to the nations. In seeking a Jewish state, she is separating herself from the nations rather than bringing them to God, which is her true calling. The sign, and its greater meaning, has been lost.

Relevance for the Church Today

The Church is the True Multi-Ethnic Community of Israel

Here is where one must pay attention to the signs. The early church struggled with whether Gentiles needed to be circumcised in the flesh. But today, most Christians find little relevance in the subject. And unsurprisingly, many in the church have made the same mistake – thinking the Jewish people are God’s people strictly because of their Abrahamic ancestry! But this is scripturally wrong. Even many Jewish people knew their community was defined by circumcision. Hence why they called themselves “the circumcision” (Ephesians 2:11).

If anyone should understand the sign of circumcision, it should be those in the church. The church are the true children of Abraham (Romans 9:7; Galatians 3:7). The church is truly “the circumcision” (Philippians 3:3). Paul declared it. It cannot be denied. The church is the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16). How is this possible?

We have received the greater circumcision Moses promised – circumcision of the heart, which is the sign of the new covenant in Christ! It makes the church the true Israel and true descendants of Abraham, as we believe by faith like him in God’s Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

But as Abrahamic circumcision required obedience (Genesis 17:1-2), so also our circumcision. To be circumcised but disobedient is to be uncircumcised (Romans 2:25). Crucially, circumcision of the flesh could not make one obedient. It was merely a sign. But circumcision of the heart enables one to be obedient (Deuteronomy 30:6). Without it, obedience is impossible and thus, restoration to God is impossible. And restoring people to God is Israel’s calling!

Circumcision of the Heart is for Fruitfulness

Like its forerunner, circumcision of the heart is also a promise of fruitfulness. It is a promise of spiritual fruitfulness empowering the church through God’s Spirit (Acts 2) to finally fulfill the Abrahamic promise to be a blessing to the nations! Peter’s preaching on Pentecost addressed the nations, as did tongues spoken in their languages but understood by everyone from the nations! Tongues was a sign to the nations! Pay attention to the signs!

Like its forerunner, circumcision of the heart is also something one cannot see. But like its forerunner, one doesn’t need to see the sign. The sign was confirmable by the fruit of one’s life (Matthew 7:16). Did that person bring forth the fruit of “life” by leading others to God, restoring lost Edenic relationship? Or was their life marked by false fruit of cursed “thorn bushes” and “thistles” – note the Edenic-curse echo (Genesis 3:18). True fruit is the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), in contrast to false fruit that is carnal and destructive (5:19-21).

Fruitfulness Comes Through One

One of the more striking outcomes from the Abrahamic narrative is that the one who was promised descendants more numerous than the stars in the sky or sand on the seashore would ultimately have only one child, Isaac. He would be Abraham’s only physical heir. There is unexpected irony in this outcome.

Most Christians know that Isaac was offered as a sacrifice on the altar, foreshadowing Christ’s propitiatory offering. To understand the author’s purposes, again one must watch for the signs. The entire Abrahamic narrative revolves around God’s promise to give him a land and descendants. Yet throughout Abraham’s life, his wife is barren and the land subject to drought (unfruitfulness).

But unexpectedly, as the story approaches the end of Abraham’s life – he’s 100 years old, he finally has a son, but only one son. That’s hardly fruitful! And the land is never called fruitful during Abraham’s life, nor Isaac’s, nor Jacob’s. The fulfillment of the promise of fruitfulness of people and land is not fulfilled until Israel’s exodus over 400 years later! So Abraham must live by faith, believing in a promise he never saw fulfilled!

It foreshadows the coming of our Redeemer. Countless generations waited for the fulfillment of the promise of a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15), yet never saw its fulfillment. They also waited for restoration to God’s fruitful “Edenic” land, again without fulfillment. Like Abraham, they had to believe by faith.

Yet as the end of the ages approached, the Redeemer finally came – just like promised Isaac came when Abraham was approaching his end of life! Like Isaac, from that One Redeemer will come innumerable descendants and restoration to a fruitful, Edenic land with God – but not until hundreds of years pass. Like Abraham and Isaac, we must believe by faith in the promise of God!

Be Fruitful, Multiply and Fill the Earth

The “path” from the One fruitful Son of God to innumerable descendants of Christ is through our personal fruitfulness. In Genesis, the mandate to be fruitful and multiply was a blessing to bring forth physical life through physical progeny. But this blessing was also a sign. It anticipated Christ’s mandate to go into all the world, preaching the Gospel and making disciples (Mark 16:15). True fruitfulness is saving the lost.

That is the great message of the church to the world. Anyone can be a descendant of Christ, part of God’s household, even though we’re not physical descendants. Christ is the Abrahamic Heir and we can be heirs with Him – whether of Jewish or Gentile descent. This is the invitation we are to offer the world.

Pay Attention to the Signs . . . of the End of the Age!

This invitation extends to the end of our age, when the earth is finally “filled” with disciples of Christ. We must save the lost, convincing them of the many signs Christ showed as our Redeemer (John 2:11, 23: 3:2; 6:2; 7:31; 9:16). More than that, the same power of miracles, wonders and signs should accompany our ministry (Acts 2:43; 5:12; 6:8).

Some might argue it is not so important that there be miracles, wonders and signs in the modern church. We would disagree. Moses warned that a prophet would come who would perform signs and wonders but who would urge the people to worship idols (Deuteronomy 13:1-3). It would be a test to see if Israel would be faithful.

John sees its fulfillment at the end of the age (Revelation 13:13-14; 16:14). A false prophet would perform signs and wonders, deceiving the inhabitants of the earth into worshiping the Beast. This false prophet is contrasted with two witnesses who “prophesy” (11:3), but also perform wonders and miracles as signs (11:6).

These two witnesses behave like Moses and Elijah. The Mosaic miracles recapitulate the exodus. Israel must leave Egypt so she can worship God (Exodus 7:16). The Mosaic miracles also seem to point to the battle between Moses and the Egyptian magicians. Both conducted miracles (as signs) but Moses’ miracles proved greater.

The Elijahic miracle (no rain) recapitulates God proving to His people idols are useless and He is the true God. Note the irony: Elijah brought a drought making the land unfruitful to show that fruitfulness can only come from the true God!

John thus portrays an epic battle between good and evil. There is a false prophet performing miracles as signs to convince the world to worship the Beast idolatrously (as Moses warned), and true prophets who conduct greater miracles as signs to show we must worship only the true God (Christ), whom the world should also worship!

The two witnesses are clearly godly representatives performing miracles as signs. It urges us to also seek such miracles as signs to the world. But don’t be fooled. There is an epic spiritual battle ongoing for our souls and one must be able to recognize true from false signs, and there’s strong scriptural precedent that it won’t be obvious or easy! Success requires us to know the signs! Watch for the signs! Pay attention to the signs!