~ Jonah and the resurrection ~

Mt 12:38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 12:39 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: 12:40 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. 12:41 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.

The only sign given to the generation of Jesus�?day was that of Jonah. 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 man of Nineveh shall rise in judgment and condemn that generation for they repented at the preaching of Jonas.

Mt 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Mt 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Jonah 1:1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 1:2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. 1:4 But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. 1:5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

Now this may seem like a bunch of ‘unrelated�?Scripture, but lets just take a close look at it.

Jonah was more of a sign than has been realized. As he ran from the presence of the LORD and went down into a ship, this is showing that Jesus became as a sinner and went down into hell from the presence of the LORD. At his death the storms rent rocks and fear came upon those who saw it. The storm in the sea with Jonah is showing this very thing and also the great wind of Pentecost, which shook the nation of the Jews and the world around them. The mariners were afraid and cried unto their gods and tried to lighten their ship of its load.

Now we are told in the Word to cast out of our lives every sin and the weight, which does so easily, beset us. People are being taught they can just come to God with all their load of sins still in their lives. But this is not true to the Word. We are told to repent or cast out all of our sins; lighten our ‘ship�?of this unnecessary load.

So the storm which came upon the men after Jonah entered their ship caused them all to seek for a god which could save them and to search out where the sin was which had caused this. They knew it was not some ordinary storm but was sent as a result of sin.

Jonah’s being in that ship, running from the presence of the LORD, shows Jesus down here in humanity. His presence caused everyone to become conscious of their sins and a need for a God which could save them. So they began, as the disciples did at the supper, to search out who was to blame.

Notice that Jonah was fast asleep when this storm came up and frightened the men. This is showing the ten virgins all asleep at the time they should be awake searching their lives for sin and repenting. The men came and woke Jonah and demanded of him why he was asleep instead of crying out to his God to save them. This is showing the midnight cry which awakens all of the virgins.

The men in the ship also type the OT as the storms of judgment strikes it at the time Jesus entered into this world to set an end to that dead OT Covenant. The presence of Jesus always caused the OT priests and lawyers to become upset and in a storm. They knew not which way to turn. As they sought to their ‘god�?they could not find him, for they were indeed serving a wrong concept of God.

Jonah 1:6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. 1:7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

As the shipmen cast lots to find out for whose cause the evil had come upon them, so the priests and Pharisees of that day came together to discuss why things were against them as it was. They finally blamed it all on Jesus and caused him to be killed. The lot fell upon Jonah = Jesus. Yes, Jesus became guilty of the sins of us all.

Jonah 1:8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? And whence comest thou? What is thy country? And of what people art thou? 1:9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. 1:10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. 1:11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. 1:12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. 1:13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

Notice how they began to hurl so many questions at Jonah to find out what was going on. This shows how they constantly came to question Jesus and try to find some way to put a stop to him. The sins of the world was piling up and bringing the wrath of God again. So the priests and religious people of his day were seeking some way to put a stop to this. So they fulfilled the prophecy that one must die for the sins of the people and that the whole nation perish not. Thus Jonah is showing the decision to crucify Jesus to save the ‘ship�?of mankind. As they rowed hard to try and do it themselves, it shows that man thought he could save himself without the death of Jesus. But it could not be done.

Jonah 1:14 Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. 1:15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. 1:16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. 1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Now the shipmen finally saw that it actually was the will of God to cast Jonah into the sea. They are typing the fulfillment of Isa 53 which shows that Jesus was smitten of God. It pleased the LORD to bruise Jesus. God put him to grief. So as Jonah was cast into the sea by the shipmaster, so was Jesus cast into hell by God. Jesus bore the sins of the whole world. So Jonah’s being cast into the sea brought safety to the ship and the men.

As Jonah was three days and nights in the belly of the whale, so shall the Son of man be three days and nights in the heart of the earth.

Jonah 2:1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, 2:2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. 2:3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

Ps 69:2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. 69:3 I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. 69:4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away. 69:5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee. 69:6 Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel. 69:7 Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face. 69:8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children. 69:9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

Ps 69:14 Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. 69:15 Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.

Now all these verses show that Jesus prayed the same prayer to God when he was in hell that Jonah prayed after the whale swallowed him. There are several other prayers recorded in the Word, which Jesus prayed unto God as he was in hell. He was seeking God’s deliverance just as Jonah was seeking to be delivered from the ‘hell�?he was in.

Jonah 2:3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. 2:4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. 2:5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. 2:6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God. 2:7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

Now the above verses shows that as Jesus was in hell, cast out of the sight of God, he had faith that he would again look toward the holy temple of his glorified body. He is showing faith that God would bring up his life again from corruption. Jesus knew the Word that God would not leave his soul in hell nor allow his Holy one to see corruption.

Jonah 2:10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

This is showing the resurrection of Jesus. So then let’s watch what happened AFTER this ‘resurrection�?

Jonah 3:1 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, 3:2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. 3:3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. 3:5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. 3:6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 3:7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: 3:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

Ac 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Now here we have the account of how the king of Nineveh rose from his throne when he heard the message which Jonah preached. Jonah had told them that unless they repented of their sins, God was going to destroy their city in 40 days. Now the people of Nineveh were Gentiles. They are showing how God brought in the Gentiles into salvation and the family of God after the resurrection of Jesus and the preaching of the apostles.

The mighty wind, which filled all the house where the disciples were, is showing the wind and storm, which beset that ship Jonah was on. It was signaling either repent or destruction is on the way.

Notice it said they were all with one accord in one place.

Ac 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 2:45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

One accord; all things common; ye are all ONE in Christ Jesus. Equals. This is true Christianity. We esteem each the same. One is not lifted up above another in true Christianity.

So when Nineveh heard the message of Jonah AFTER his resurrection, they all repented from the king down to even the animals. This king, rising off his throne, taking off his kingly robe and sitting in ashes with his whole kingdom is showing this thing of EQUALITY.

See that they all came to be just alike in this true repentance which moved the God of Heaven to bless them instead of destroying them. Gentiles brought to salvation. Ye are all ONE.

See then that this preaching of Jonah to Nineveh is typing the preaching of the apostles after the resurrection of Jesus to convert Gentiles and bring about one new FAMILY of God’s people into EQUALITY.

Jonah 3:6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 3:7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: 3:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. 3:9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

So the king of Nineveh saw the glory of God and showed his faith in God’s mercy. He called upon his whole kingdom to repent, turn from their evil way for he knew this would bring about God’s mercy to them. This is also fulfilling the Word in Chronicles, which says if God’s people will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways God will heal them and their land.

Jonah 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

Here we have a picture of how the Jews hated true Christianity, which included the Gentiles and they went about to kill them.

Three days and three nights in the heart of the earth; hell; to bring about grace; equality for all mankind. Praise the Eternal God for such love!

By: Jo smith

8/12/04