Portents, often referred to as signs or omens, are significant events or phenomena that serve as indicators of future occurrences, particularly divine interventions or judgments. In the biblical context, portents are frequently associated with God's communication to humanity, revealing His will, intentions, or forthcoming actions. These signs can manifest in various forms, including natural phenomena, miraculous events, or symbolic acts, and are intended to capture attention, provoke reflection, or prompt a response.

Old Testament Portents

In the Old Testament, portents are often linked to God's covenant relationship with Israel and His sovereign control over creation. For instance, the plagues of Egypt are classic examples of portents. These miraculous events, described in the Book of Exodus, served as signs of God's power and His demand for Pharaoh to release the Israelites from bondage. Each plague was a portent of God's impending judgment and a demonstration of His supremacy over the Egyptian gods (Exodus 7-11).

Another significant example is the sign of the virgin birth prophesied by Isaiah: "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). This prophecy served as a portent of the coming Messiah, a divine intervention in human history.

New Testament Portents

In the New Testament, portents continue to play a crucial role in revealing God's redemptive plan through Jesus Christ. The birth of Jesus itself was accompanied by several portents, such as the star that guided the Magi to Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-2) and the angelic announcement to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-14). These signs underscored the significance of Christ's arrival as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.

Jesus Himself performed numerous signs and wonders during His ministry, which served as portents of His divine authority and the inauguration of God's Kingdom. The Gospel of John particularly emphasizes these signs, stating, "Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:30-31).

Eschatological Portents

Portents also feature prominently in eschatological contexts, where they signal the approach of the end times and the return of Christ. Jesus spoke of various signs that would precede His second coming, including wars, famines, earthquakes, and celestial disturbances (Matthew 24:3-31). These portents are meant to alert believers to the unfolding of God's final plan for humanity and to encourage vigilance and faithfulness.

The Book of Revelation is replete with apocalyptic portents, such as the opening of the seven seals, the sounding of the seven trumpets, and the pouring out of the seven bowls of wrath. These symbolic events serve as divine warnings and judgments, heralding the ultimate victory of God over evil and the establishment of His eternal kingdom.

Interpretation and Response

Throughout Scripture, portents are intended to elicit a response from those who witness or hear of them. They call for repentance, faith, and obedience, urging individuals and nations to align themselves with God's purposes. The proper interpretation of portents requires discernment and a heart attuned to God's voice, as they often carry profound spiritual significance beyond their immediate appearance.

In summary, portents in the Bible are divine signs that reveal God's will, announce His interventions, and call His people to respond in faith and obedience. They underscore the reality of God's active presence in the world and His ultimate sovereignty over history.

Of the Use of Reason in Religion; and of Dreams, Auguries, Oracles ...
... the divine institutes. Book II. Of the Origin of Error. Chap. viii."of the use of
reason in religion; and of dreams, auguries, oracles, and similar portents. ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap viii of the use of.htm

That it is not Contrary to Nature That, in an Object Whose Nature ...
... For we say that all portents are contrary to nature; but they are not so. ... But who
can number the multitude of portents recorded in profane histories? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 8 that it is not.htm

Why the Pharisees Asked a Sign from Heaven.
... And they ought to have known that even many of the portents wrought against Egypt
in the time of Moses, though they were not from heaven, were clearly from God ...
/.../origens commentary on the gospel of matthew/2 why the pharisees asked.htm

From the Thirteenth Chapter.
... 11. "And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth."] He is speaking of the
great and false prophet who is to do signs, and portents, and falsehoods ...
/.../from the thirteenth chapter.htm

The divine institutes
... of ancestors. Chap. viii.--of the use of reason in religion; and of dreams,
auguries, oracles, and similar portents. Chap. ix.--of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/lactantius/the divine institutes/

Letter vii.
... And, by no means do I allege the great works in Egypt [81] , or certain other Divine
portents, which took place elsewhere, but the well-known and celestial ones ...
/.../dionysius/letters of dionysius the areopagite/letter vii.htm

From the Tenth Chapter.
... "The time," says he, "is at hand." [2286] For the apostles, by powers, by signs,
by portents, and by mighty works, have overcome unbelief. ...
/.../commentary on the apocolypse of the blessed john/from the tenth chapter.htm

Light at Evening Time
... But there always were evil prophets. There always have been times and
crises when dark portents favoured unwelcome predictions. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 62 1916/light at evening time.htm

The Battle of Life
... if at every call to fresh deeds of heroism we listen to the crowing of those
whose nature it is to look black, and utter dark portents. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 62 1916/the battle of life.htm

The Characters of Herod and Augustus were as Far Apart as their ...
... his purposes. The Sanhedrim held that when he came into the world there
would be certain signs and portents seen of all men. This ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bacheller/vergilius/chapter 12 the characters of.htm

Portents (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Portents (2 Occurrences). Isaiah 8:18 See, I
and the children whom the Lord has given me, are for signs ...
/p/portents.htm - 6k

Porter (6 Occurrences)

/p/porter.htm - 11k

Parousia
... Plagues fall upon men (Rev, passim; compare especially Philo, Execr.), and natural
portents occur (Acts 2:19, 20; Rev, passim; compare 2 Esdras 5:4, 5; Enoch 80 ...
/p/parousia.htm - 36k

Omen (6 Occurrences)
... 2. (vt) To divine or to foreshow by signs or portents; to have omens or premonitions
regarding; to predict; to augur; as, to omen ill of an enterprise. ...
/o/omen.htm - 8k

Joel (22 Occurrences)
... (4.) Finally, the prophet foretells portents and judgments as destined to fall on
the enemies of God (ch. 3, but in the Hebrew text 4). Jehovah is his God. ...
/j/joel.htm - 49k

Portent (5 Occurrences)

/p/portent.htm - 7k

Miracle (15 Occurrences)
... higher power. (2.) Terata, "wonders;" wonder-causing events; portents; producing
astonishment in the beholder (Acts 2:19). (3.) Dunameis ...
/m/miracle.htm - 44k

Greece (15 Occurrences)
...Portents in Nature-meteors, comets, eclipses, etc.-claimed the attention of the
superstitious; but there was no science of astrology, and superstition had no ...
/g/greece.htm - 59k

Ancient (64 Occurrences)
...Portents in Nature-meteors, comets, eclipses, etc.-claimed the attention of the
superstitious; but there was no science of astrology, and superstition had no ...
/a/ancient.htm - 98k

Astronomy
... Jeremiah 10:2). To the Hebrew prophets, eclipses were "signs" of the power and
authority of God who forbade them to be alarmed at portents which distressed the ...
/a/astronomy.htm - 40k

What is an omen? | GotQuestions.org

What is the Shemitah? | GotQuestions.org

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