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An Evil and Adulterous Generation
October 21, 2023

World events that can even remotely have a tie-in to Bible prophecy tend to grab our attention, and recent events in Israel are no different. As we consider the world in which we live we see a world of good and evil, directly linked to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil from the Garden of Eden, and when we consider people who live in this world, by this world’s standards we see both good and evil people. Because our experience with the world is limited to the years in which we are alive, and all else comes to us through the lens of history, we sometimes overlook the reality of the world that has always been, that since the Garden of Eden this world has been a world of good and evil.

During his earthly ministry, Jesus Christ touched on the evil that is present in this world when responding to some of the scribes and Pharisees who wanted Jesus to provide a sign that He was indeed the Messiah, and instead of giving them a sign, He told them that an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and then told them the only sign they would be given that He was the Messiah was that he would be in the grave for three days and three nights like Jonah was in the belly of the whale. Jesus then added that the people of Nineveh, who Jonah was trying to avoid when he encountered the whale would judge the scribes and Pharisees and condemn them because they repented at the preaching of Jonah and Jesus is definitely greater than Jonah. He also added that even the Queen of Sheba would do the same, because she came to hear the wisdom of Solomon with Jesus being greater than Solomon.

Matthew 12:38-42
Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

It’s easy to look at scribes and Pharisees and see that they rejected Jesus, to think of them as part of an evil and adulterous generation, and to think the same of similarly minded people today, not ever considering that any hiccup in our faith could lead us down a similar path today. Let’s consider the disciples shortly after the death of Jesus, but before He ascended to heaven. The disciples were with each other on the first day of the week gathered behind closed doors because the Jews were causing them grief, when out of nowhere came Jesus who showed them his hands and his side and then explained they would receive the Holy Spirit.

For whatever reason, Thomas was not with the twelve when Jesus came and did not believe what the other disciples were telling him. A little more than a week passed when Jesus returned to the disciples and directly engaged Thomas, telling him to not be without faith, but to believe. Jesus then told Thomas he believed because he saw Jesus and then proclaimed a blessing on all who would believe without first seeing.

John 20:19-29
Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Thomas wouldn’t believe unless he first saw, totally different than the reaction of the people of Nineveh who repented when Jonah came. After spending time in the belly of the whale as presented in the New Testament or a great fish from the Book of Jonah, Jonah did what God told him to do and went to Nineveh to preach the message that God wanted him to share.

Unlike the disciple Thomas who needed to first have proof before believing, the people of Nineveh believed the message of God as delivered by Jonah and they all fasted, even the animals fasted. Because the people believed and fasted while turning from their evil ways, God relented from the harm he had planned to bring to them.

Jonah 3:1-10
And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. 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. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? 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.

Imagine how different this story would look if the people of Nineveh would have first demanded proof of God’s ability to have their city overthrown. It would have been a disaster. The Queen of Sheba came to see for herself the wisdom of Solomon, his incredible wealth, and all that had been done in the name of God. She used the occasion to engage Solomon with hard questions, and Solomon passed her test with flying colors, and realized everything she had heard about him and the blessing bestowed upon him and the nation by God was true.

1 Kings 10:1-10
And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions. And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not anything hid from the king, which he told her not. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel forever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice. And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

The people of Nineveh believed without first having any direct proof, and the Queen of Sheba believed after first seeing for herself. The scribes and Pharisees who sought a sign from Jesus were told they didn’t match up to the people of Nineveh or the Queen of Sheba, and from this comparison we can see the Pharisees and scribes would never believe Jesus was the Son of God.

When the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign, the Greek word from which sign is translated is Strong’s Greek word 4592, semeion, meaning a sign, token, wonder, miracle whether ceremonially or supernaturally.

In writing to the Thessalonians, Paul showed how his handwriting served as a token that he wrote his letters. Today when a check is written or a contract is signed, a signature is used to affirm and serve as a sign to the person’s intent.

2 Thessalonians 3:16-18
Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Another English word translated from semeion is miracle, and throughout His human lifetime on earth, Jesus was connected to many miracles. When under arrest before the crucifixion, Herod knew of these miracles and was hoping to see one for himself.

Luke 23:8-12
And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.

Herod was interested in the miracles of Jesus never seemingly connecting those miracles to God and yet other everyday people easily connected the miracles of Jesus to God. In one instance before the Passover, Jesus crossed the sea of Galilee and was followed by a crowd who knew of His miracles and wanted to see more. Jesus was sitting with the disciples and saw the crowd when he asked Philip where they could buy bread from to feed the crowd. Philip told Jesus they didn’t have enough money to buy bread for everyone, but Jesus knew he already intended to perform another miracle. With this miracle Jesus took five loafs of bread and two small fish and fed over five thousand people, and when all was said and done, there were many more leftovers than when they started. Those who saw this miracle understood that Jesus was that prophet promised to come to the world.

John 6:1-14
After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

Moving forward in time to the early church shortly after the crucifixion of Jesus, the Sanhedrin found themselves in quite a bind because of the boldness of Peter and John. They understood these two lacked any formal religious training and yet couldn’t ignore the miracle of healing that came to a man older than forty. That miracle of healing caused many in the community to glorify God.

Acts 4:13-22
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done. For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed.

Sometimes the Greek word semeion is translated as wonder, and wonder is found in several places in the Book of Revelation. In Revelation twelve, two wonders appear in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. We also see the wonder of the great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns who wore seven crowns upon his heads.

Revelation 12:1-4
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

In Revelation thirteen we see the second beast who had two horns like a lamb but who spoke as a dragon who does great wonders in the sight of men, like calling fire down from heaven. These miracles cause many to be deceived, especially when the people of earth are encouraged to make an image to the beast, and then that image is brought to life with the power of speech. Those miracles also allow many to receive the mark of the beast.

Revelation 13:11-18
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Semeion is also translated as sign. It is Paul who shows how tongues serve as a sign to non-believers but how prophesying, inspired preaching, better serves the needs of the church. Paul even added while speaking in tongues serves as a sign to non-believers, those same non-believers would likely judge a church with nothing more than speaking in tongues to have collectively lost their mind. Paul then added that if that same church was focused on inspired preaching, it would not only benefit those who are already in the church, but would also benefit those first attending.

1 Corinthians 14:20-25
Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

Before his death, Jesus shared with his disciples what people could expect immediately before and at His second coming. As part of what was shared, Jesus said the sign of the Son of man would appear in heaven causing the world to mourn, and they would see the Son of man coming in clouds with power and great glory. That sign of the Son of man in heaven is the same Greek word semeion.

Matthew 24:29-31
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and in the extreme this trust in signs will cause many to be deceived as Jesus also spoke of false Christs and prophets who shall arise and deceive many through signs and wonders, to the point where it is just short of possible to deceive the elect.

Mark 13:14-23
But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, let him that readeth understand, then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take anything out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. 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.

In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul writes of a falling away at the end of time and about a person who opposes and exalts himself above all that is God. This person is inspired and empowered by Satan with signs and lying wonders.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

While Jesus said an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, He also asked if when He returned He would really find faith on earth. People who seek a sign lack faith, and that should clue us in that faith is lacking. That should be expected among non-believers, but never among those who are of the faith. We who are of the faith act through faith and not signs. In a parable to explain this concept, Jesus showed how a persistent widow never gave up in asking an unjust judge that her needs be met, and that unjust judge gave in to her. We must have faith that Jesus and God who are just and righteous will provide our needs.

Luke 18:1-8
And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

We know the end time will be very toxic for people of faith. We must endure to the end even though the love of many will be icy cold; and we can never allow our faith to devolve into seeking after signs.

Matthew 24:9-13
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

From Ephesians we can gather it is not by responding to signs and wonders that we are saved. When we respond to signs and wonders we are part of that evil and adulterous generation that Jesus mentioned. We are saved by grace through faith as a gift from God, and it is faith we must have.

Ephesians 2:1-10
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved; And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

In Revelation what constitutes the patience of the saints, what equates to the ability to endure to the end is keeping the commandments of God and having the faith of Jesus. It is not responding to signs and wonders as part of an evil and adulterous generation.

Revelation 14:9-12
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

In the first letter of John we are told that the victory that overcomes this world is our faith, and that that faith is coupled with the love of God which is keeping God’s commandments, and also includes loving others who are also called in the faith.

1 John 5:1-4
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. When a sign is sought there is no need for faith because confirmation of that sign replaces faith. Throughout the Bible, the elders did not obtain a good report by seeking after a sign. They obtained a good report through faith, and through faith many of the remarkable accounts of the Old Testament happened. It is impossible to please God without faith.

Hebrews 11:1-6
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Knowing it is impossible to please God without faith, and that seeking after a sign subverts faith, why would anyone seek after a sign, unless that person is part of the evil and adulterous generation?

We who are of the faith cannot be part of that evil and adulterous generation. We might find ourselves living among that evil and adulterous generation, but we cannot be part of that evil and adulterous generation. We who are of the faith must always remain people of faith, people who have an incredible hope of the Kingdom of God, knowing we have not yet seen that Kingdom, knowing that the promises given to us in the Bible are rock solid. We have no need to look to this or that as a sign that there will be a Kingdom of God. Instead of living a life responding to signs and wonders with an absence of faith, we endure to the end keeping the commandments of God and having the faith of Jesus Christ.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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