The Sign of the Son of Man

When our Lord and God Jesus Christ returns, we are told He will come on the clouds of heaven (Revelation 1:7) and with armies (Revelation 19:11-16). The apostle Matthew adds an intriguing addition, “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:30). The sign of the Son of Man, what could that be? Some scholars believe that this is simply a turn of phrase uses in antiquity, that to say “The sign of the son of man, is to simply say the sign of his coming which is Himself.” However, this view collapses under the clarification of Matthew, “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory,” Matthew makes a distinction, he says the sign or signatius will appear and people of this planet will mourn, then he says we shall see Christ come on the clouds of heaven. So there is a sign or symbol that will appear to announce Christ’s Return. What does this sign look like? 

The most probable answer is the cross. For upon the cross our Lord Jesus Christ poured out Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). The apostle Paul says He boasts in the cross of Christ, “As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died,” (Galatians 6:14), and that there are enemies of the Cross, “For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.” (Philippians 3:18 NLT), which would be the tribes of the earth who refuse to believe (John 3:18) and what Paul says is the stumbling block, “but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:23 NKJV). Any other symbol than the cross would be counterintuitive. The fish or Ichythus is not well known to the world, and the Lamb again may elude the wicked, but the cross without a doubt is a symbol connected to One, Jesus Christ. 

The cross has been the definitive symbol of our Christian faith since 33 A.D. with the symbol carved on cave walls by early Christians, and was made the official symbol since 323 A.D. by Constantine the Great. Konstantine did two good things, made the cross the offical symbol and called for the Council of Nicea, he however did damage to the church by restoring the old Pharisaical priesthood and order. 

The Sign of the Son of Man in Greek is σημεῖον, ου, τό or sémeion (say-mi'-on) which is a token, mark, miracle, indication: “sign (typically miraculous), given especially to confirm, corroborate or authenticate. /sēmeíon ("sign") then emphasizes the end-purpose which exalts the one giving it. Accordingly, it is used dozens of times in the NT for what authenticates the Lord and His eternal purpose, especially by doing what mere man can not replicate of take credit for.” (HELPS Word Study, Bible Hub). While a miracle or supernatural occurrence could fit the description, I still think token or mark, specifically the cross fits best because it was what our Lord was crucified upon and all the world will recognize it as associates with Jesus Christ. I believe our God is not an author of confusion, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV), and thus He would use a sign that conveys His Coming with clarity; and to me that is the cross. Amen.