PURPOSE: To reveal God’s message to antitypical Assyria that will be given her before her fall.
INTRODUCTION
Jonah prophesied about the reign of Jeroboam 2 (2Kings 14:23-29). Jonah’s story is well known by everyone. He was sent by God to Nineveh but choose to go to Tarshish (Spain). The storm-Sea-Fish experience, however brought him to Nineveh where he had to deliver a message:
Jonah 3:4: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown”
The Assyrians repented and God withheld the punishment, but Jonah was not happy about it! And God rebuked him for his indifference.
1. THE SIGN OF JONAH BY CHRIST (Matt. 12:40) MAT. 12:38-40
“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 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.”
NOTE: Jonah was 3 days, 3 nights in the fish’s belly. Christ gave this as a sign to the Jews about His death and resurrection.
(a) Typical Passover Lamb
The lamb used to be separated on 10th day of 1st month (Exo. 12:2-6) and slain on 14th day evening – the night that makes the first part of day 15. Num. 28:17 – Lamb eaten on 15th day. (That was, Wed – the lamb was slain and eaten in the same day evening – meaning the start of Thursday that year, 31AD). There were 7 days in the Passover week: 14th to 21st day of the first month – having the Sabbath in the middle. And the following Sunday 18th day – was the day of Weave sheaves (Lev. 23:9-15).
Mark 14:12-14 – “And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the pass-over, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the pass-over? And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the good man of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the pass- over with my disciples?”
Christ ate the Passover with His disciples in the upper room at the same time the Jews had it – Wednesday night i.e. Wednesday 19hrs – 21hrs by example. After it they went to Gethsemane and was arrested same night about midnight to 03hrs by example. Taken to Annas ( a former High Priest and in-law to Caiaphus), then to Caiaphus. To make it legal, the Sanhedrin sat to condemn him immediately after sunrise – Thursday morning.
According to the Gospels this trial was a long one – they Pilate at 6th hrs 12hrs (John 19:14) – along one also, entering the night of Thursday evening (Friday part) which involved even being taken to Herod who was also in his palace in Jerusalem (Note Pilate was residing in Ceaserea and Herod in Galilea – they were coming to Jerusalem in special occasions like the Passover, to monitor the Jews – in case of a Revolution).
Was crucified at 3rd hr, 9hrs Friday (Note: the Pharisees wanted to get a fast track judgement from Pilate and same day Thursday to crucify Christ before eating the 2nd feast that evening but failed, that was why they did not enter the Hall but shouted from the gates – (John 18:28) so as not to defile themselves to miss the feast). Died at 15hrs, eclipse from 12 hrs to 15 hrs. Buried around 17 hrs.
THIS GIVES A 3 DAY 3 NIGHT PERIOD – the
sign he gave to the Jews. Not necessary being in the grave that period. Being a sign (type), Jonah’s 3 day 3 nights refer to His period in the “heart”, government or hands of evil leaders – from the time He was arrested to the time He resurrected.
3. THE MESSAGE OF JONAH IN THE ANTITYPE
“The purpose of this study is to help us all to see that Jonah’s experience is a sign not only to the Jews in Christ’s time but also to you and me” (-11SC 8:7).
1. Jonah = “type of a people who know they were commissioned to carry a message but were sleepy …the Jewish people” 11SC 8:8,9. They failed and were taken away from the land.
2. The sea = “Is a symbol of the old country” id 8 – Asia, Europe and Africa.
1. The Earth = new world –America.
2. The Sea experience = providentially the Jews found themselves in Nineveh (USA)- the capital of (super power in ) Assyria – the English-speaking –Christian World.
11SC 8:9-10
“And so the descendants of Jacob, failing properly to testify of the kingdom in the land which was given them for that purpose were through necessity expelled from their land and no more had a country of their own. Then they had to go through an experience typified by being assimilated in the sea and then providentially being taken to the new world where finally they would be again commissioned to carry a message to Nineveh which would save not only themselves but Nineveh as well. And as Jonah finally did carry his message, so God’s people at this time will carry theirs.”
In the process of time we see the Jews again carrying God’s message of salvation to USA… “and the only message to Nineveh today is that contained in the Truth given in War News Forecast, Tract No. 14,” 11SC 8:10
1. They are to bear a message of Elijah to the SDA church and message of Jonah to the world – USA and her allies.
2. As the type revealed that Jonah was not happy to see Assyria escape God’s punishment by repentance, so are we not zealous to warn the church (about the purification of the church – Ezek. 9) and Assyria (before her fall in Palestine).
11SC 11:811-12
“This should be a great object lesson to us. In carrying our message of Elijah we should not be anxious for the execution of Ezekiel 9 in the church, but rather we should be anxious for the souls of the people. Likewise in bearing our message of Jonah we should not be anxious for Assyria’s fall, but rather for her repentance and salvation…. The message we have from the Scriptures concerning Nineveh says that Nineveh is to be overthrown. In fact all the prophets who speak of Nineveh or Assyria say that she is to be overthrown. Yet the type and other scriptures say she is to be saved. It is Nahum’s prophecy, the message contained in Tract 14, War News Forecast, that is to bring salvation to antitypical Assyria. She will not be saved from the nations not defeating her, for they will. But in her defeat she will be brought to repentance and be reconciled to God and be saved.”
1. THE FALL OF ASSYRIA – HOPE OF HER SALVATION
In the type, Assyria repented and was saved before her predicted fall, whereas our Jonah message will not prevent her from falling. “But in her defeat she will be brought to repentance and be reconciled to God and be saved” 11SC 8:13
Isa 10:20-27 /Isa 11:1-10/Isa 27:12 – Israel saved – sealed as individuals and gathered to make a Kingdom church in Palestine.
Isa 11:11-15/Isa 27:13/Isa 19:23-25 – Then
multitudes from “Assyria” and “Egypt” shall heed the call of Rev 18:4 – and be gathered unto Israel (purified SDA church).
Isa 3:1-4, 12-17, 25-26 / ITG 6:26 /1TG 5:19-21 – A situation in God’s church (SDA) and how He pleads with it with the sealing message, then He enters into Judgement with them (1Pet.4:17/Ezek 9)
– starting with the leaders. The war in which they fall is “the war that is fought while God’s people are being delivered.” (ITG 6:31) it is WW III. “The kingdom then, is to be established before the complete fall of Assyria takes place” 13SC 1,2:26,3
Isa. 30:30-31
“And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall show the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of [his] anger, and [with] the flame of a devouring fire, [with] scattering, and tempest, and hailstones. For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, [which] smote with a rod.”
Assyria will fall by God’s audible voice. The first fall of Assyria shall be in Palestine. If in the type Jonah gave a 40 days deadline before the fall of Assyria, then our message will have some time deadline before her fall. If the kingdom is set before her eyes (Isa 31:9) while she is yet in Palestine, then we can make a simple chart like this one:
* NOTE: This chart is only a sketch of what we understood form the study. The columns are not in uniform scale and some events do overlap.