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 Jonah: For as Jonah 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 Jonah; and, behold, a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, 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. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation (Matthew 12:38-45)."
Here there are people asking Jesus for a sign even though He has already done many. They want Jesus to give them one hundred percent proof that He is truly the Son of God. Jesus tells them that they will only have the sign of Jonah, which is the last miracle of the Old Testament. Later in chapter 16 they come back an asked this same thing again. Jesus, being the truth that He is, gives them the same answer. Jesus then talks about how an evil spirit will search for rest and when it finds none it will come back with more that in had before finding the place it left empty and swept. This almost seems to be an invitation to move back in. When a person truly turns from Satan to God he is filled with God's Spirit, and there is no room for anything else. They asked for a sign so that they could believe in that rather than them believing in God. Israel believed in what God did, but most of them never truly gave their hearts to God. Israel believed in God but the Book of James 2:19 says even the devils know that and they tremble in terror. Signs and wonders is not what will save a man because there are those who will do these things and still not make it into heaven. Even the antichrist will be given the power to do signs that will deceive the nations, because they will be looking to those signs instead of looking to God.
All of these examples have shown that in reading God's word and seeking after God then you will become one of God's children and they will hear from God. Knowing God is what will bring salvation to a man. The ones who cannot hear from God are the ones who are children of the Devil. How is it that a person can become unable to hear from God in any way?
No other gods
"Do not worship any other gods beside me. Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish. You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god (Exodus 20:3-5)."
God makes it clear that he will not share his glory with any other false so called god. There have been times though that people have worshiped other gods, but the true God was there without them knowing it.
So Paul, standing before the Council, addressed them as follows: "Men of Athens, I have noticed that you are very religious for as I was walking along I saw your many altars. And one of them had this inscription on it TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. You have been worshiping Him without knowing who He is, and know I will tell you about Him (Acts 17:22-23)."
Here there are people who have worshiped God as if he was an idol. Paul tells them that they are wrong for this and that God cannot be contained in idols of silver or gold (Acts 17:29). He also says that God beforehand decided who would rise or fall so that they would seek Him and in some way find him. What would be keeping them from this if they looked to idols?
And instead of worshiping the glorious ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people, or birds and animals and snakes (Romans 1:23).
