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Look up harbinger in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

A harbinger is a sign of things to come. Throughout history and literature, harbingers and omens figure prominently, and are responsible for major decisions which have altered the course of both.

An example of a harbinger is that of Constantine the Great, who, as legend goes, saw a vision in which either (depending on the version) a cross, a fish or a labarum monogram was emblazoned in the sky. A loud, steady voice then allegedly told him, In hoc signo vinces ("By this as your standard, you will conquer"). He used that standard in battle, and conquer he did, bringing Christianity to the Empire.

[edit] Religious interpretation

In the Biblical sense, prophecy, when describing the foretelling of an event, is to be subjected to scrutiny of the Scriptures. Biblical prophecy is also distinct from harbingers, in the sense that the foretelling comes by the spoken word (often attributed directly to God), and not in the manifestation of signs.