God’s Signature

Forrest R. Smith III, 48, of Exeter, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 33 months in prison and to pay $120,000 in restitution after getting busted for forging author signatures in books by Truman Capote, Michael Crichton, Tom Clancy, Kurt Vonnengut, and Anne Rice and then selling them on eBay. Smith had obtained documents containing authentic signatures of each author and had ink-based stamps made for the signatures. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Dubnoff said someone in the book-selling field initially uncovered Smith’s scheme and alerted authorities. Another bookseller noticed that someone was buying up first-edition books and a short time later those same books were being put up for sale—but as signed copies of a book whose author was dead.

Signatures serve many purposes. One is to identify a document. Another is to indicate the purpose of a document. That’s why a signature is often located at the end. Signatures of famous people are often called autographs and tend to be artistic in nature and are usually given as souvenirs.

What are some of the most valuable signatures in the world? Try purchasing one of only five known copies of William Shakespeare’s signature and you will pay about $5 million. In 1991 someone purchased Abraham Lincoln’s signature that defended the Emancipation Proclamation; it went for $748,000.

Paul had to deal with an apparent forgery. His benediction at the end of his second letter to the church at Thessalonica ends with, “The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every epistle; so I write” (2 Thessalonians 3:17). Paul not only identifies himself but indicates this letter is not a forgery. It is authentic. Apparently another letter was circulating (2:2) from a false teacher. So Paul warns his friends to not be led astray but to be faithful to the truths he communicated with them.

As we study our Bibles, we can know that the signature of God is in the inspired word. We will not be fooled if we stick with the message of Scripture.

Key Bible Texts

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2 Timothy 3:16 KJV)