The prophesy of Jonah is important in our time. Christ, when asked to show a sign from God said of this generation, that the only sign we would see is the sign of Jonah(Mathew 16:4). The mission of Jonah to Nineveh is also the mission of Christ to our generation(Luke 11:30.)
Prophet Jonah is different from many prophets of the day in that his mission was to a gentile nation, Nineveh. Why did God expect repentance from them? They had not entered a covenant with God like Israel. This prophetic word teaches us that God reigns not just over the just, but the entire universe. It also represents the universality of Gods expectations of all men, the universality of His statutes.
Nineveh was an idolatrous nation. It exerted power over many nations, Israel included. Nineveh on other occassion is recepient of damning prophesies (Nahum 2:8, 3:7, Zephaniah 2:13.)
When God appears to Jonah, he sends Him to Nineveh "to cry against it," which is to declare the judgement of God against it. Jonah is not pleased, knowing how forgiving God can be to the repentant. In fact, Jonah makes alternative plans to avoid the mission altogether, so that Nineveh could finally get what they deserved(Jonah 1:3.) The insistence of God in making sure His message got to Nineveh is only testament to the prophetic significance of it. God not only moved the wind and the sea, but even the creatures in it to ensure the success of the mission.
Nineveh is a strong city in the spirit too. It has its roots in the great man Nimrod, a grandson of Cush, the son of Ham, the son of Noah(Genesis 10:8,9.) The beginning of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of Nimrod was on the land of Shinah(Genesis 10:10,) out of which land also Asshur arose. Asshur built Nineveh, amongst other Cities. Out of Shinah was also the great tower of babel, from whence the tribes of the earth were scattered (Genesis 11:2, 4:9). From these beginings also sprung the Assyrian Kingdom. Over all these reigns one powerful principality in the spirit, the heritage of Nimrod(Micah 5:6.) The land of canaan was alienated from the same, and given to Israel(Genesis 9:24,25.) Canaan was the land later possessed by the Amorites among other tribes (Genesis 10:15,16, 15:16,18-25.) By executing vengeance on the gods of Egypt and seizing the high places of Canaan, Isael was able to exert power over the rest of the principalities of the earth. This is
because of the importance of Zion as a high place of Jehovah. This remains so even in the spirit. This is the significance of the spiritual over the physical.
The great thing about the prophesy of Jonah is that Nineveh actually listened, beleived, and repented (Jonah 3:5.) God responded to this turnaround by repenting of the evil He would have otherwise visited on them(Jonah 3:10). Jonah is on the other hand not amused. God reacts to his attidude with a quetion "(you have pity on a plant for which you have not laboured, neither made it grow, which came up in the night and perished in the same night, should I not spare Nineveh, that great City where there are persons that cannot discern between their right and left hand; and so much cattle? (Jonah 4:10,11.)
Jonah revealed the loving personality of God. He is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29.) Like in the days of Jonah, there is now in this age a nation that cannot discern between their right and left hand, being blinded by the gods of this world...lest they should repent and be saved(John 12:40, Romans 11:7, 2nd Corinthians 3:14, 4:14.) If now they hear the decree of judgement of God against them, and if they turned and repented, shall God not spare them?
Christ reiterated the message of Jonah in His parables. This is the message of the restoration of the prodigal son (Luke 15:1-32), a restoration also envisaged by Isaiah 65:25, where peace is restored between the wolf and the lamb, the lion is pacified and the serpent is harmless. These were previously destructive beast on the same land(Jeremiah 5:6, Daniel 7:4-6). As Christ takes over the reigns of power, the lives three out of four adversaries are prolonged (Daniel 4:11,12.) Revelation 1:7 implies a time of renewal and revelation even for the enemies of Christ, those "who pierced Him, and all the kindred of the earth..." This time comes as "...the power that deceived the nations..." Is bound for a season (Revelation 20:3.) This is the choice that our age now needs to make, to turn around in repentance, just like Nineveh, and be spared, just as Nineveh. I am confident of the success of this on the current age, being an age bought by the blood of Jesus,
and concerning which Christ said is a chosen generation. This is the generation promised a spiritual heritage of all principalities of the earth, Christ having said that all He was given, He lost none.
Prophet Jonah is different from many prophets of the day in that his mission was to a gentile nation, Nineveh. Why did God expect repentance from them? They had not entered a covenant with God like Israel. This prophetic word teaches us that God reigns not just over the just, but the entire universe. It also represents the universality of Gods expectations of all men, the universality of His statutes.
Nineveh was an idolatrous nation. It exerted power over many nations, Israel included. Nineveh on other occassion is recepient of damning prophesies (Nahum 2:8, 3:7, Zephaniah 2:13.)
When God appears to Jonah, he sends Him to Nineveh "to cry against it," which is to declare the judgement of God against it. Jonah is not pleased, knowing how forgiving God can be to the repentant. In fact, Jonah makes alternative plans to avoid the mission altogether, so that Nineveh could finally get what they deserved(Jonah 1:3.) The insistence of God in making sure His message got to Nineveh is only testament to the prophetic significance of it. God not only moved the wind and the sea, but even the creatures in it to ensure the success of the mission.
Nineveh is a strong city in the spirit too. It has its roots in the great man Nimrod, a grandson of Cush, the son of Ham, the son of Noah(Genesis 10:8,9.) The beginning of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of Nimrod was on the land of Shinah(Genesis 10:10,) out of which land also Asshur arose. Asshur built Nineveh, amongst other Cities. Out of Shinah was also the great tower of babel, from whence the tribes of the earth were scattered (Genesis 11:2, 4:9). From these beginings also sprung the Assyrian Kingdom. Over all these reigns one powerful principality in the spirit, the heritage of Nimrod(Micah 5:6.) The land of canaan was alienated from the same, and given to Israel(Genesis 9:24,25.) Canaan was the land later possessed by the Amorites among other tribes (Genesis 10:15,16, 15:16,18-25.) By executing vengeance on the gods of Egypt and seizing the high places of Canaan, Isael was able to exert power over the rest of the principalities of the earth. This is
because of the importance of Zion as a high place of Jehovah. This remains so even in the spirit. This is the significance of the spiritual over the physical.
The great thing about the prophesy of Jonah is that Nineveh actually listened, beleived, and repented (Jonah 3:5.) God responded to this turnaround by repenting of the evil He would have otherwise visited on them(Jonah 3:10). Jonah is on the other hand not amused. God reacts to his attidude with a quetion "(you have pity on a plant for which you have not laboured, neither made it grow, which came up in the night and perished in the same night, should I not spare Nineveh, that great City where there are persons that cannot discern between their right and left hand; and so much cattle? (Jonah 4:10,11.)
Jonah revealed the loving personality of God. He is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29.) Like in the days of Jonah, there is now in this age a nation that cannot discern between their right and left hand, being blinded by the gods of this world...lest they should repent and be saved(John 12:40, Romans 11:7, 2nd Corinthians 3:14, 4:14.) If now they hear the decree of judgement of God against them, and if they turned and repented, shall God not spare them?
Christ reiterated the message of Jonah in His parables. This is the message of the restoration of the prodigal son (Luke 15:1-32), a restoration also envisaged by Isaiah 65:25, where peace is restored between the wolf and the lamb, the lion is pacified and the serpent is harmless. These were previously destructive beast on the same land(Jeremiah 5:6, Daniel 7:4-6). As Christ takes over the reigns of power, the lives three out of four adversaries are prolonged (Daniel 4:11,12.) Revelation 1:7 implies a time of renewal and revelation even for the enemies of Christ, those "who pierced Him, and all the kindred of the earth..." This time comes as "...the power that deceived the nations..." Is bound for a season (Revelation 20:3.) This is the choice that our age now needs to make, to turn around in repentance, just like Nineveh, and be spared, just as Nineveh. I am confident of the success of this on the current age, being an age bought by the blood of Jesus,
and concerning which Christ said is a chosen generation. This is the generation promised a spiritual heritage of all principalities of the earth, Christ having said that all He was given, He lost none.
