The Sign of Jonah

[CaseyButler]

Hello everybody,

Jesus through His Words was constantly referring us to the Old Testament Prophetic Truths He was teaching from.

Three times when asked for a "sign", He told the people the only sign they would get was the "sign of Jonas".

In Matthew Jesus presented us with a powerful riddle, one that confirms God's Power in the Last Day to convert even the most evil of men!

Consider:

"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 Jonas:

"For as Jonas 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." [KJV-Bible: Matthew 12:39-40]

Is there anyone here who hasn't questioned this statement?

We know from the Gospels that Jesus didn't spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. All four Gospels testify that Jesus didn't even spend 48 hours in the tomb.

Now many Adventist ministers will tell that what Jesus really meant was the He would be in the tomb for portions of three days.

But that doesn't wash, thanks to Jesus, because He said plainly "three days and three nights".

So if the "sign of Jonas" really was not about the time Jesus spent in the heart of the earth, what is it?

Consider God's words to Jonah after Ninevah repented and Jonah got angry because the death and destruction he had threatened Nineveh with did not take place because the city repented:

"Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:

"And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and (also) much cattle?" [KJV-Bible: Jonah 4:10-11]

There is a sign for us in the book of Jonah, and it is a very urgent and wonderful sign!

* God needed someone to warn Nineveh and he chose Jonah

* Jonah didn't want to go, so God had to chasten him by the whale, scaring him to death

* Jonah went to Ninevah, a city of Gentiles that did not worship God.

* Jonah warned Ninevah of CERTAIN destruction - whatever Jonah preached, we know the people were convinced they would die if they did not repent

* This ENTIRE CITY of Gentiles, not Jews - unbelievers, not believers - nasty people, many who oppressed and committed all kinds of sin... REPENTED. Everybody.

"So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, [color:#990000]from the greatest of them even to the least of them." [KJV-Bible: Jonah 3:5]

Now some unstudied theologians would talk you out of this, saying "Yes, but of course the people of Nineveh will not be Ressurrected to eternal life".

On the contrary, hear the Words from God through Jesus Christ:

"The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas (is) here." [KJV-Bible: Matthew 12:41]

Now that the men of Nineveh have been convinced of God's Power to convert anyone He wishes without using force, who are these very men of Nineveh going to rise in judgment and condemn?

Jesus says even the Queen of Sheba will judge this generation!

They will judge people who question Jesus' Power from God like the Pharisees:

They will judge those who refuse to repent and Love others whom God Loves and has Promised to convert: the sinners, the "heathen", the poor, the meek, the homeless, and the oppressed.

They will judge those who claim "justification" of themselves before God while refusing to grant the Mercy of God they have received to those whom they consider only worthy of death.

May you justify God's Power to convert instead. May you uphold the Promise of Jesus to the world. Justify His Love. Justify all of His creations whom He loves just as much as He loves you.

The sinners of this world will turn to God through His Power and Love. God has Promised it in His Covenant of Promise of the Messiah.

May God bless His servants by a showering of His Spirit!

Casey

[Gerr]

Quote:

The sinners of this world will turn to God through His Power and Love. God has Promised it in His Covenant of Promise of the Messiah.

Here is what the Covenant Promise says:

These are the words of the covenant which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel....

"I make this covenant and this oath, not with you alone, but with him who stands here with us today before the LORD our God, as well as with him who is not here with us today...

"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you LIFE and DEATH, BLESSING and CURSING; therefore CHOOSE life, that both you and your descendants may LIVE.

"But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today, that you shall SURELY perish..." DT 29 & 30 NKJ.

Gerry

[jasd]

QR Frame:

Casey,

Moreover...

>>In Matthew Jesus presented us with a powerful riddle, ...<<

Matt 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

>>All four Gospels testify that Jesus didn't even spend 48 hours in the tomb.<< [ed.]

Matthew 28:1 uses "In the end..." as incorporated within "the sabbath(s),..." of the second phrase [note: the use of Sabbaths in the Greek Text]; thereby,

stating that Jesus Christ arose from the tomb while it was yet 'the Sabbath(s)' -- of the first compounded phrase.

Ipso..., according to orthodoxy,

Jesus Christ did not even spend 24 hours in the tomb.

Hmmm.

[jasd]

>>Jesus Christ did not even spend 24 hours in the tomb.<<

"... not even ..."!

Perhaps, I exaggerate... a bit However,

even with an admission to a bit of exaggeration, there remains, the PROBLEMATIC and "supposedly" idiomatic three days of expository commentaries...

Jn 11:9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

A couple of things...:

1/ Jesus, in the above text, establishes a non-idiomatic period; namely, "... there are twelve hours in the day ..." -- and its extension, that is, a twelve hour night. (theories of fractionals notwithstanding)

2/ He establishes the use of a Roman time-period.

[David Koot]

We know from the Gospels that Jesus didn't spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. All four Gospels testify that Jesus didn't even spend 48 hours in the tomb.

So if the "sign of Jonas" really was not about the time Jesus spent in the heart of the earth, what is it?

[Aliensanctuary]

I'm beginning to think that the 3 Angel's Messages of Rev 14 occur after the 2nd Resurrection. This makes sense in that everyone who has ever lived will have an opportunity to hear the Good News and then make a choice to either follow Satan and be fooled by his lies and receive his mark, or follow God, seemingly outnumbered and outgunned, and receive eternal life.

What we do in this life prepares us for what we will do during the time span following the 2nd Resurrection. If we choose evil and harm others in this life, we probably will do so during this time of testing of the whole world.

Remember Jesus' story about the sheep and the goats? The sheep and the goats are together until separated by God at the Judgment at the End of Time. Everyone who has ever lived, save the 144K and a few others, will stand before God on Judgment Day. Their life records have been examined and only those chosen will receive the gift of eternal life according to what they have done to and for others during their lifetimes.

This doesn't have much to do with the sign of Jonah, though, unless the sign is repeated during the End Times.

[CaseyButler]

Quote:

Jesus never was "in the heart of the earth," literally speaking. However, the phrase Jesus used was referring to the time He was under the power of satan.

Jesus was never under the power of Satan.

As usual, no scripture, just "David's take".

Jesus was under the power of people like you and I, and people like you and I are not the "heart of the earth".

Are you saying we are Satan - that the rebelliousness in all people is really all Satan is?

It is interesting to note that the dimensions of the square City of New Jerusalem, 1500 square miles, are also the diameter, 1500 miles, of the inner iron core of the earth, that spins slightly faster than the earth itself.

That would be the literal "heart of the earth".

The City of New Jerusalem thus being represented by God as the new hearts He will give all of His Creations.

Quote:

God has not promised to save everyone. That is not Scriptural.

Yes, it is scriptural. It is Promised in The most powerful statement of the entire Bible, the Covenant of Promise of the Messiah recorded in Isaiah, containing the most authoritive use of the Seal of God in the entire Bible.

Interpret it differently as our "idols" of today interpret it, and you will remain ignorant of the words of the prophets.

God promised plainly the following Oath quoted throughout the New Testament:

"They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together (that are) makers of idols.

"(But) Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.

"For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I (am) the LORD; and (there is) none else.

"I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

"Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye (that are) escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god (that) cannot save.

"Tell ye, and bring (them) near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? (who) hath told it from that time? (have) not I the LORD? and (there is) no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; (there is) none beside me.

"Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I (am) God, and (there is) none else.

"I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth (in) righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

"Surely, shall (one) say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: (even) to him shall (men) come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.

"In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory." [isaiah 45:16-25]

Being incensed against Christ for saving all sinners will not profit us Spiritually.

We have been taught God's version of Good by the Holy Spirit within us, through God's Word - not by Satan. Creating in order to kill, or to allow a creation to die, is murder, and the worst of sadistic behavior.

Questioning the Power of God to fulfill His Plan of Salvation allows people to exalt themselves over others by justifying killing done in the name of human "justice" by state authorities.

Questioning the Power of Christ is crucifying Him afresh.

But that's what men who make money from His Word accuse God of, and why they question Christ's Power to save all.

It's amazing watching the news these days...

Today these men are being understood as responsible for defrauding literally billions of people through the lies they teach "from the Bible" or "scriptures", which they call "doctrine", though no doctrine agrees with another.

But the Bible is quite clear in what it teaches!

The state of the world, a state these people are clearly responsible for by not following Jesus' teachings while making money from His Name by inventing sadistic doctrines of a god of death, proves the evil of their God who would kill, steal, commit adultery, and lie as these people do.

Every good thing, every Spiritual advancement, recorded in the Bible has been instigated by individuals stepping out in faith to believe God's Word, through the prophets in the Bible, over the words of men who claim to know Him through private interpretations and invented traditions of their own.

Every Spiritual advancement has been made in spite of the Saints of organized religion, their aquired hard-heartedness and rebelliousness, as witnessed by the opposition of the Pharisees to Jesus.

Yet Jesus saw joy for all of mankind, not just for Himself, in God's Plan.

It will always be for all of mankind, as all of mankind has contributed to His Plan.

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (us), and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of (our) faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

"For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." [Hebrews 12:1-3]

Endure the persecution and the sinners' mockings with joy, but judge them as unloved by God or eternally lost before Him and you are judging Jesus Christ and God as unworthy.

God bless you,

Casey

[David Koot]

Jesus was never under the power of Satan.

As usual, no scripture, just "David's take".