The Biblical Precedent of the Sign and the 3rd Secret of Medjugorje
What the Sign of Medjugorje is remains a mystery, even though the 6 Seers have given a very precise description of it: “Beautiful, indestructible, lasting, which comes from the Lord”. Exercising one’s imagination to try to guess would be unrealistic and useless.
However, we know that Our Lady often uses language, images and biblical references in her Messages, as befits the Mother of the Word. This is enough to direct us to look for traces of the promised sign in Sacred Scripture.
Considering that Our Lady wanted to connect the ten Secrets of Medjugorje with the ten plagues of Egypt, it is in the book of Exodus that we must look for some trace that leads us to the sign on Podbrdo. In this regard, we should not expect a material identity between the two signs, but rather a spiritual affinity, since both are aimed at strengthening faith and protecting from dangers.
This is clearly seen in Exodus 13:21-22: The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them on the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud never left the people’s sight by day, nor the pillar of fire by night.
What is particularly significant and refers to the Sign of Medjugorje is the fact that the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night are instruments with which the Lord guides his people and certifies his divine presence without ever abandoning them.
What else is the Sign of Medjugorje if not something that makes visible to the world the presence of the Lord and His Lordship over the events that are to come?
This is evident in the following verses, when the Lord takes the initiative to bring the people to salvation, allowing Pharaoh’s army to be overwhelmed by the waters:
“ And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Pharaoh, against his chariots, and against his horsemen.” And the angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them. And the pillar of cloud also moved from before them and went behind them, so that it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. And the cloud was a darkness to the one, but it gave light by night to the other, so that they could not come near one another all night (Exodus 13:18-20).
The sign on the hill of Medjugorje, like the pillar of fire of the Exodus, will be dark for non-believers and a light that illuminates the darkness for believers throughout the time of the subsequent Secrets, the seven plagues with which the new pharaohs will drown in the waters of their iniquities.
Obviously we do not know what the Sign promised by the Madonna actually is, but we know that it will have the meaning of the column of cloud and fire, that is, to make us sure of the presence of the Lord and certain of his protection in the fury of the powers of evil.
