Q. I found the words, 'wonder(s)' and 'sign(s)' in the Bible. How are wonders and signs different? I want to be able to distinguish between them well.
A. As sins and evil get prevalent over time many people deny the existence of God. Others live as if this visible world is all that exists under the influence of materialism. This is why Jesus said in John 4:48, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe." During the Holy Spirit's time, in particular, God has been showing His existence through the works of the Spirit to save people who live in the sin-filled world (Hebrews 2:3-4). Such evidential works are recorded in the Bible as wonders and signs.
01. Wonders
The term 'wonders' in the Bible refers to God's control over natural phenomena
The 'nature' includes celestial bodies in the universe such as stars and meteorological phenomena on the earth.
Acts 2:19 reads, "And I will grant wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below…" Let's look into the biblical records about 'wonders in the sky above'.
Joshua 10:13 reads, "And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day."
God administers the motion of all astronomical objects. Under His order, the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and didn't go down almost all day.
A similar thing happened as read in 2 Kings 20:11, "Isaiah the prophet cried to the LORD, and He brought the shadow on the stairway back ten steps by which it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz." A recent scientific account shows that there is a day, 24 hours, missing in space in elapsed time, revealing the elapsed time that was missing back in Joshua's day was 23 hours and 20 minutes and the 'ten steps' is exactly 40 minutes.
Matthew 2:9 says, "After hearing the king, they [the magi] went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was." The star guided the magi to Bethlehem in which Jesus was born. Each star has its own proper motion but here the star moved to lead the magi. This is a 'wonder'.
The term 'wonders' include God's works that control weather conditions
'Weather' is the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, cloudiness, moisture, pressure, precipitation, etc.
The Bible records many cases where God changed the weather.
Exodus 11:9 reads, "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.'"
Saying this, God sent ten plagues onto the land of Egypt to deliver the sons of Israel from Egypt. Of them there were wonders: God rained hail (Exodus 10:13) and directed an east wind, which then brought locusts (Exodus 10:13).
Additionally, the Red Sea was parted by a strong east wind (Exodus 14:21); the Jordan River stopped when the Israelites stepped into it (Joshua 3:14-17); a drought had lasted for three and a half years, but it rained by the prayer of Elijah (1 Kings 17, 18), and the sea was calmed by Jesus' Word (Mark 4:39).
02. Signs
God also performs 'signs', which leave behind a visible trace or evidence of His working. For now we will talk about signs that are performed by God the Father Himself, or God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit.
The signs that God the Father performs
Exodus 4:17 reads, "You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs." Most of ten plagues coming upon Egypt are signs which God the Father performed: a staff becoming a serpent, the water in Nile turning into blood, swarms of flogs coming up from Nile, dust becoming gnats, and plagues of swarms of insects, severe pestilence, and boils.
As 2 Kings 32:22-24 says, "So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side…In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill; and he prayed to the LORD, and the LORD spoke to him and gave him a sign," God also performed a sign for King Hezekiah.
The signs that Jesus, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit perform
Jesus performed His first sign when He changed water into wine (John 2:11). He continued to show signs for sick people (John 6:2). He healed the sick of their diseases; revived the dead; and caused the blind to see, deaf to hear, and mute to speak. He caused them to become whole. He did what man can't do.
Then Jesus said in John 14:12, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father."
He also said in John 16:7, "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you."
He meant that a man who received the Holy Spirit with faith in Jesus Christ can manifest His signs as well.
Jesus promised it in Mark 16:17-18, saying, "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
So during the Holy Spirit's time, Apostle Paul also performed signs while preaching the gospel (Acts 19:11-12; Romans 15:18).
Today as well, a true Christian who lives only by the Word of God can perform signs by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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