At (Matthew 12:38, 39) the religious leaders of Jesus’ day said to him, “We want to see a sign from you.” In reply, he said, “A wicked and adulterous generation keeps on seeking for a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet.”
Leading up to this instance, the self righteous leaders were resisting and confronting everything Jesus was saying and doing. His retaliations always had underlying time of the end references. The sign of Jonah may have been presented to us through the city of Nineveh, however the greater meaning, or prophetic message was intended for the last generation of this system of things! If this was not the intent, the prophetic purpose of the entire bible would be null and void for today’s world. (Romans 15:4) (2nd Peter 3:1-3)
Another scripture, (Matthew 16:3, 4) speaks of a similar occurrence. Once again, the highly decorated religious leaders approached Jesus saying, “Display to us a sign from heaven.” He answered, “You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but the signs of the times you cannot interpret. A wicked and adulterous generation keeps on seeking for a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah. With that he went away, leaving them behind.”
Each time this scenario occurred Jesus made it very clear that the sign of Jonah was going to have great significance, and be the only sign that would identify the time of the end generation. This fact should allow us to realize its future impact and even more importantly, provide great incentive to seek a true understanding. Unfortunately, it seems to garner little or no attention from today’s leaders of religions. How could such a profound statement by Jesus himself be disregarded, if our shepherds are truly feeding their sheep? (Ezekiel 34:7-10)
The following facts need to be recognized by all of God’s sheep…..Just as in the days of Jesus, today’s shepherds have difficulty providing their flocks with accurate understanding of the allegorical content found in the prophets, primarily because of literal application and false traditional influence. They are concerned with details that have nothing to do with their intended forecast of events. They are quick to repeat the stories and are familiar with all the names of the participants. Many of today’s leaders can also relate exactly when the events took place, and their historical impact. They can certainly appear very knowledgeable…..but should God’s people just hear the stories repeated over and over? Shouldn’t we all want to know what the stories really mean? This is exactly why Jesus said at (Matthew 12:41) “Look! Something more than Jonah is here.” In this statement, Jesus confirms a seldom recognized fact: Even though the stories in the prophets were written thousands of years ago and originally applied to primitive nations and peoples, the modern day relevance of the patterns established, is due to God’s unfathomable insight and foresight.
He did not use modern day entities that didn’t even exist at that time. He used a method called a similitude. The definition of similitude is: likeness, resemblance, counterpart, allegory, an imaginative comparison.
It’s easy to see why today’s teachings are so misconstrued! When our leaders apply words such as; Jerusalem, Israel, Zion, Jew, in a strictly literal sense, the good news of how God will provide salvation is replaced with fraudulent information!
The prophets are not just entertaining little stories or ancient history lessons!! (Luke 24:25) The entire bible is a book of eschatology. Webster’s 3rd new international dictionary defines eschatology as a study or science of the ultimate destiny and purpose of mankind and the world. This means that within all of the prophet’s seemingly unimportant and historic content, our God has provided genuine seekers an opportunity to study the ultimate destiny and purpose of mankind. The main purpose of the stories told by the Old Testament prophets is to reveal every detail of how Abraham’s descendants will inherit the promised new covenant. (Galatians 3:29) (Isaiah 41:8)
There will come a point in time when the true meanings of the prophets will be properly understood. The 10th chapter of Revelation proclaims this will occur when the sealed up seven thunders roar like a lion! Then the mystery (musterion) of God should be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the prophets. (Revelation 10:3, 4, 7) The promises echoed in many different similes and visions will be fulfilled. The world will hear….. Thunder in the wilderness!
We all have, no doubt, heard many explanations as to what the sign of Jonah means. Most preachers will say that the time Jonah spent in the belly of the great fish before he was expelled depicts the same amount of time Jesus was in the tomb before his resurrection. This is true, but as we will see, it does not represent the sign. Others have said it’s about preaching in a hostile environment. However, trying to change people’s religious beliefs has been met with hostility long before this time period. Still others have said that Nineveh’s acceptance of Jonah’s preaching, symbolizes a resurgence of Christianity.
Some of these explanations have end-time concatenations, in other words they are part of a series of events connected together that will occur during the last generation of this system of things. They are not however, the focal point of the sign of Jonah. There is a reason some of the apocryphal writings indicate that Jesus showed great passion for Jonah’s prophecy.
One event that displayed his passion for this time of the end prophecy was the only time he appeared agitated and disgusted. This happened when he found the temple in Jerusalem being used as a place to make money. (John 2:13-16) If we want to be honest with ourselves, every religious facility in our world today, is guilty of this very thing! (Micah 3:11) (Revelation 22:17)
In order to understand the sign of Jonah properly, we must obtain knowledge of a future event, which will be for most people, a tough pill to swallow. In the 21st chapter of Isaiah it’s referred to as a grievous and troubling vision. This hard vision is called, the pronouncement against the desert or wilderness of the sea.
Throughout the chapter the watchman is described as being disturbed and having severe pains. He says, “My heart has wandered about, a shuddering has terrified me. The twilight [the ending] for which I had an attachment has been made for me a trembling.” He continued to speak out and say, “She has fallen! Babylon has fallen, and all the graven images of her gods have been broken to the earth.”
The 17th and 18th chapters of Revelation explain what Isaiah has seen in his vision of the burden of the sea.
The appointed angel says, “Come, I will show you the judgment upon the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom those who inhabit the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”
This woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and was adorned with gold and precious stone and had in her hand a golden cup that was full of disgusting things. And upon her forehead was written a name, “Babylon the Great, the mother of the harlots and of the disgusting things of the earth.”
What does Babylon the Great represent in today’s world? Let’s allow the scriptures to explain her identity…… and her destiny.
“In one day her plagues will come, death and mourning and famine, and she will be completely burned with fire, destroyed forever. The merchants of the earth will mourn over her, for there will be no one to buy their stock anymore. A full stock of gold and silver and precious stone and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and everything in scented wood and every sort of ivory object and every sort of precious wood and copper and iron and marble.”
“The sound of singers and musicians will never be heard in you again. No light of a candle will ever shine in you again and no voice of a bridegroom and of a bride will ever be heard in you again, for by your spiritual practices, all the nations were deceived and led astray.”
There is no doubt that God’s word is describing our modern day churches and religious organizations. These impostors have sat down in their beautiful churches, cathedrals and kingdom halls, publicly showing them to be holy places! In others words, they have exalted themselves to a position of reverence they are totally unworthy to occupy. As Daniel the prophet says, “They will keep throwing truth to the earth, and having success until the holy place is brought into its right condition.” (Daniel 8:11-14)
Today’s disgusting impostors, claiming to be the holy place, are currently standing where they have no right or business! This true understanding is now being emphasized because of the many false explanations that God’s sheep have been taught! Realizing that truth has stumbled in the public square and has proven to be missing from all of men’s religions will not be easy for anyone. (Isaiah 59:12-21)
We must be patient and stop eating unripe grapes, complete truth is coming! (John 16:13) (1st Corinthians 13:9, 10) It will appear in the same unlikely manner as Jesus did and shock this unsuspecting world! Only complete truth can bring the holy place into its right condition. After this occurs, even the true holy place will eventually come under attack. (This will be explained in the 7th thunder) The true holy place cannot be established…. infiltrated with false teachings!
Today’s impostors are presently trampling all over it, as they continue to throw truth to the earth. The squatters, who are right now standing in the way, must first be removed! (2nd Thessalonians 2:6, 7) They have repeated exactly what the temple leaders did in Jesus’ day! Their misled followers will continue to accept them as holy places and will keep believing their desolating lies until God intervenes and this world’s money driven system of worship is brought to an end.
How should we now react to Jesus’ warning about the transgression that causes desolation: “When you see the disgusting thing standing in a holy place, as spoken through Daniel the prophet, flee to the mountains.” (Matthew 24:15, 16)
Today, the mountains would be represented by the midbar or the wilderness. This is where the 43rd chapter of Isaiah says that water will be given to the people God has chosen for Himself, or called out of men’s teachings, to recount His praise. This is where the true holy place will have its beginnings! As Jesus continued, he admonished the urgency of fleeing to this position immediately upon gaining proper understanding. He then clearly identified what we must flee away from in his follow up comments at Mathew 24:24, 25 and Mark 13:22, 23. “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will give signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.” “You then, watch out, I have told you all things beforehand.”
To sum up; Colossians 2:21-23 confirms the urgency of today’s flight to the wilderness, where the water is turned into wine!
“Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch, respecting things that are all destined to destruction, by being used up, in accordance with the commands and teachings of men.” “Those very things are, indeed, possessed of an appearance of wisdom in a self-imposed form of worship and mock humility.” (As Jesus said; “Let the reader use discernment”)
God has vowed to remove the disgusting thing that is standing in a holy place, where it ought not, or where it has no business, by completely destroying her.
“And the ten horns that you saw, and the wild beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshly parts and will completely burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his thought by giving their kingdom to the wild beast, until the words of God will have been accomplished.” (Revelation 17:16, 17)
A similitude providing the same information is recorded throughout the 50th and 51st chapters of Jeremiah. The content is just as clear as we have seen in Revelation.
“O woman residing on abounding waters, abundant in treasures, your end has come, the measure of your profit making. God has sworn by himself, I will fill you with men like the locusts, and they will lift up a shout against you.”
“Every man has behaved so unreasoningly as not to know. Every metalworker will feel ashamed because of the carved image; for his molten image is a falsehood, and there is no spirit in them. They are vanity, a work of mockery. In the time of their being given attention they will perish.” (Jeremiah 51:13, 17, 18)
Do you want to follow the path of those who apply Babylon the Great to other entities which make no sense? Or those who say, “It’s talking about false worship and churches all right; but not ours.” Or maybe do like the majority, just ignore it, and wait on an ear-tickling fable to whisk you away. (2nd Timothy 4:3, 4) (Jer. 8:20) (Dan. 11:14)
“Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (Revelation 18:4)
Now that we have a proper understanding about the Great Harlot who sits on many waters, let’s get to the rest of the story, because it is going to play a big part in many people’s lives. The rest of the story is about every person who has the intelligence and intestinal fortitude to turn their back on lifelong beliefs when they realize that God’s ways are different than they have been taught. We might be surprised as to how many self righteous people will remain steadfast in their religion’s false teachings and say, “God’s ways are not adjusted right.” (Ezekiel 33:17) (Acts 19:9) (Isaiah 55:8)
God foresees this at Job 40:8, “Really, will you invalidate my justice? Will you pronounce me wicked in order that you may be in the right?”
The book of Jonah is an imaginative comparison of a monumental future event! (Isaiah 18:5) God will use this event to cause His people to earnestly search for Him at the proper time. (Isaiah 55:6, 7)
Let’s now look into this small but powerful book of the bible, for beneath its depths lies the only sign that will distinguish the end-time generation!
In chapter 1, a disobedient Jonah was running away from the task God had told him to accomplish. Instead of performing that task, he went down to Joppa and boarded a ship going to Tarshish. God himself then hurled forth a great wind by the sea. As for the ship, it was about to be wrecked. The mariners became very frightened and said, “Let us cast lots that we may know on whose account we have this calamity.” Finally the lot fell on Jonah. They said, “What then shall we do to you in order for the sea to become still for us?” So he said to them, “Lift me up and hurl me into the sea.” So they lifted him up and hurled him into the sea, and the sea began to calm.
This act of Jonah being thrown overboard, into the watery deep, symbolizes the initial point in time, when a righteous minded person comes to the abrupt realization that his ways and means of worship, has been taken away from his life. The one thing that has always provided his security of salvation is no longer available. The environment where he has placed his love and trust, his entire life has vanished. The many people he trusted to guide his spirituality, are now enveloped in this same astonished frame of mind…. what a devastating moment!
This worldwide situation will come to fruition when the prophecies we just read in Jeremiah and Revelation are fulfilled. The destruction of this world’s entire religious system will cast billions of people overboard, into the watery deep! This future predicament will occur after all of men’s religious organizations have been hit by pestilences and plagues, financial famine…..and the end-time truth. (Ezekiel 7:15-19) (Isaiah 19) (2nd Thessalonians 2:8) The perils and the destitute feeling of not having any opportunity to worship in a traditional manner, after this occurs, is made known to us through a vision at (Psalms 42:3, 4, 7)
“To me my tears have become food day and night, while they say to me all day long; Where is your God?” “These things I will remember and I will pour out my soul within me. For I used to pass along with the throng, I used to walk slowly before them to the house of God. With the voice of a joyful cry and thanksgiving; Of a crowd celebrating a festival.” “Watery deep to watery deep is calling. At the sound of your waterspouts, all your breakers and your waves over me they have passed.”
The loss of carrying out worship the only way they have ever known, will leave all religious people in a forlorn mental condition. This quandary of confusion and forsaken feeling is symbolized by the phrase; “The Watery Deep.” It’s important to understand how the bible uses the frantic feeling of drowning in deep water, to symbolize the desperate frame of mind we would be in after losing the opportunity to worship our God.
Some translations render the phrase “watery deep” as the deep, or the depths. Regardless of how it’s rendered, the gist and meaning are the same. Watery deep is however, more descriptive and extremely accurate.
“Watery Deep to Watery Deep is calling, over me all your breakers and waves have passed.” “Where is my God?”
As the 1st chapter ends, after being thrown overboard, the disobedient Jonah is plunging through the depths of the sea. God however, doesn’t forget him. He appoints a great fish to swallow Jonah. (Romans 11:32) (Job 41:1, 13, 14) As the 2nd chapter begins, the symbolic illustration of the sign of Jonah starts to unfold.
Verse 1: “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to Jehovah his God.”
(When God’s people are thrown overboard into the watery deep, an attitude of repentance will be mandatory. (Acts 17:30, 31) In other words, change your way of thinking to God’s ways. The power of repentance will be mighty.) (Job 42:1-6)
Verse 2: “Out of my distress I called out to God and he proceeded to answer me. Out of the belly of sheol I cried for help. You heard my voice.”
(Out of the gliding serpent of the watery deep or the symbolic safe haven of Leviathan, God’s future new covenant people will urgently call to Him; He will listen and provide rescue. Leviathan is not Satan himself as many claim, but rather a symbol of something that exists in God’s mind, because of the resister’s lies. (Romans 11:33) God uses this sea monster from Canaanite mythology to symbolize a waiting position for the people who have followed those lies. (Psalms 104:26-30) There are many other scriptures that explain the identity of Leviathan, such as Romans 11:32. “For God has shut them all up together in disobedience, that he might show all of them mercy.”
We should now begin to see the connection between the great fish that swallowed Jonah and the great sea monster Leviathan. Understanding God’s allegoric presentations is indeed, a rare privilege as Job 41:13, 14 verifies: “Who has uncovered the face of Leviathan’s clothing…. Who has opened the doors to its face?”
Verse 3: “When you threw me to the depths, into the heart of the open sea, then a very river encircled me. All your breakers and your waves—-over me they passed on.”
(This is describing the despair and acknowledgement of being cast into the watery deep. What will we do in the confused state of the wilderness of the sea? Who will we turn to?)
Verse 4: “And as for me I said, I have been driven from in front of your eyes! How shall I gaze again upon your holy temple?” (This confirms that a loss of worship opportunity has occurred! When God afflicts the world with plagues of sickness, the walls of men’s structures of worship will be barricaded, eliminating attendance! (Nahum 2:4,5) When this occurs, the very question Jonah faced will be on the minds of millions of people! During this time of confusion, people will fulfill the visions of many scriptures, as they say, “Where is my God?” “How can I serve him again? Read the 43rd chapter of Psalms. It tells the story of how our escape from the men of deception must come first, then, God’s true ways can be found.)
Verse 5: “Waters encircled me clear to the soul; the watery deep itself kept enclosing me.” (The sign of Jonah is raging here! Through the years there have been pestilences, famines, earthquakes, wars and rumors of wars to some extent. But the plagues that will destroy Babylon the Great will happen only one time! (Revelation 17:16) (Jeremiah 50:41-46) (Jeremiah 51:53-57) (Nahum 2)
Babylon’s destruction will create an absolute world-wide confusion among all devout people! This will be the sign that distinguishes and separates the end-time generation from all other generations. This is the real sign of Jonah!)
Verse 5 continues: “Weeds were wound around my head.”
(The combination of no longer being allowed to gather at their places of worship, and trusted doctrines being exposed as mere lies after being hit with the arrows of truth…. will cause a devastating time of confusion and bewilderment for God’s people. (Psalms 18:13, 14) Some will swim…. some will sink!
Verse 6: “To the bottoms of the mountains I went down. As for the earth, its bars were upon me for time indefinite. But out of the pit [corruption] you proceeded to bring up my life, O Jehovah my God.”
(As Romans 11:32 and Isaiah 27:3 explains, even though God’s people have been disobedient, and will be in a forlorn state of mind during the time period of the watery deep, He will not leave them. Everyone who searches for Him with an open mind and open heart will be safeguarded night and day.)
Verse 7: “When my soul fainted away within me, Jehovah was the one whom I remembered. Then my prayer came into your holy temple.”
(This scripture contains the most important information anyone can learn. It is the only answer to the watery deep! To search for and find The Almighty God and His Word, are endeavors men’s religions claim, must occur through them. Our greatest example of walking with God without organizational influence is Jesus Christ himself! His love and devotion to his Father who sent him, was the only thing he had, and the only thing he needed! Therefore by causing the events of the sign of Jonah to take place, God will create the opportunity for all people to be footstep followers of His son, Christ Jesus.
They will begin to understand the true meaning of (Hebrews 10:25)…. this scripture pertains to a future event associated with Jesus’ method of teaching in a wilderness setting. (This wilderness setting will be explained in the 4th thunder) As the lead-in scriptures explain, it’s referring to when the Holy Spirit activates the new covenant. It is currently used out of context by many religions to advocate the necessity of their existence. This green grape type of application has a tendency to create devotion to one’s religion rather than to God…. which contradicts all the teachings of Jesus! They will realize that being seen in a particular building, at a certain time, has nothing to do with the heartfelt love our God desires from us. Jesus said, “When you pray, go to your closet.” (Matthew 6:1-6) (Matthew 23:24-28, 36) (Acts 17:24) The new covenant, for which Jesus gave his life, will be a covenant of the heart! (Hebrews 10:16, 17) Being part of this future covenant can only become possible by giving The Sovereign God exclusive devotion.) (Nahum 1:2)
Verse 8: “As for those who are observing the idols of untruth, [lying vanities] they leave their own loving-kindness.”
(Even after the sign of Jonah lifts the skirt of the great harlot and exposes her worthless teachings for all men to see, (Nahum 3:4-7) those who still cling to her will forfeit the grace that could be theirs.)
Verse 9: “But as for me, with the voice of thanksgiving I will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed, I will pay. Salvation belongs to Jehovah.”
(The sign of Jonah will change the world’s landscape entirely. All people who realize that God is found through genuine love and faith in His Word will be extremely thankful during that time period. They will no longer have to listen to their leader’s constant cries for membership and money. Then they will know, salvation is not in the hands of men! Salvation belongs to God!)
Verse 10: “In time Jehovah commanded the fish, so that it vomited out Jonah onto the dry land.”
(Complete truth…. at last…. will be found by all deserving mankind……. when the seven thunders roar like a lion!!!)
These last few verses sum up the sign of Jonah very emphatically. What are these idols of untruth referred to in verse 8? Aside from lying vanities, or worthless teachings…. idols of untruth can come in the unsuspected forms of trinkets, crosses, flags, trees, statues, properties etc. In many cases people’s minds become totally sidetracked by their religion’s extra-curricular activities. Rather than focusing on God’s word, most of their time is spent organizing fund raisers and singing events, Easter egg hunts, Christmas and Halloween parties, decorating for these many events…. and keeping records of service hours spent. The tendency for many religious people is to allow their worship to degenerate into the worship of the religion itself.
When the sign of Jonah begins and the watery deep explodes onto the world scene, men’s idols of untruth will no longer stand in the way of the things God has in store for all righteous mankind. People who are not interested in learning God’s ways will flounder, just like they did during the watery deep’s counterpart, the flood in Noah’s day! (Matthew 24:39) (Luke 21:25)
The thing that now acts as a restraint will be gone! Lies will no longer block truth. The thunder of the end-time word will then be heard…..and have impact!
Read 2nd Thessalonians 2:3-13 very carefully, it describes this scenario perfectly. “Let no one seduce you in any manner, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction.”
“He is set in opposition and lifts himself up over everyone who is called “god” or an object of reverence, so that he sits down in the temple of The God, publicly showing himself to be a god.”
“Do you not remember that, while I was yet with you, I used to tell you these things?”
(This is not singling out one particular religion as some have said. Nor is it some intelligent deceiving ruler that will suddenly appear on the world scene! The guilty parties have to invent something to apply this prophecy to, hence another lie is born! Even though it has been an unsolved mystery to the religious world…. The deceiving apostasy of the real anti-Christ has been going on for many years.)
“True, the mystery of this lawlessness is already at work, but only till he who is right now acting as a restraint gets to be out of the way.”
“Then, indeed, the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will do away with by the spirit of his mouth and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his presence.”
“But the lawless one’s presence is according to the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and portents and with every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth that they might be saved.”
“So that is why God lets an operation of error go to them, that they may get to believing the lie, in order that they all may be judged because they did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness.”
These scriptures have clearly revealed the true identity of the real anti-Christ! A similitude of today’s rise and fall of Babylon the Great is told in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th chapters of Daniel. The king of Babylon had no idea who the anti-Christ figure in his dream really was…. until Daniel revealed…. It is you, O king! (Daniel 4:22)
If God didn’t cause the sign of Jonah to take place, people would never change. There are primarily two reasons why this is true. Most people do not personally study their bibles enough to detect the falsehoods they are being taught. Also, even if they did, very few have the intestinal fortitude to make a stand against the deceptive lies of men!
The solitude position in the wilderness requires a much deeper embedded faith and a much stronger constitution than casually sitting in a church pew. This is the real meaning of the story when Jesus was walking on water. Peter wanted to join him, so he left the comfort and safety of his little boat and stepped out onto the water…. after a few steps he sank! Jesus then said “O ye of little faith, why do you doubt?”
Anyone who desires to follow Jesus into the wilderness had better gird up their loins with a complete suit of armor! When you step out of the safe vessel of men’s accepted ways of worship, you will become the target of many skeptics and scoffers…. just as he was! The breastplate of faith will be your shield to stand firm…. even on the turbulent waters of the deep! (Ephesians 6:14-20)
The following fact is known by all, but spoken of by few……. Jesus was killed for speaking against men’s traditional, established holy places!
Until the sign of Jonah begins, this world’s worship will continue to be just as Nineveh was before Jonah revealed their impending destruction. People will remain engrossed in their forefather’s handed down doctrines, and cling to the lying vanities that each and every religion currently teaches. (John 12:42, 43) If you are an astute thinker and a seeker of real truth, you should now understand why Jesus never explained the sign of Jonah to the religious leaders of his day, it wasn’t the time or the place. He would speak in parables (Matthew 13:13) or simply turn away from them, leaving them behind. You should also now realize; when God removes the burden of the yoke, the freedom to find His truth will abound for all. (Habakkuk 3:10-13) (Habakkuk 2:14) This is the key reason for the only sign of the end-times. The sign of Jonah will happen, whether you believe it or not. However, God does nothing without first a warning. (Amos 3:7)
Our God desires for all to attain salvation. His future acts will balance the scales of justice for all good people. The children of God can be found in all walks of life, scattered about all over the earth. (John 11:52) Contrary to the beliefs of many, being a member of any particular religion, in this day of small things, is irrelevant, for only God knows the hearts of those who will become His people or His Israel. Righteousness resides on the inside of an individual…. it’s not acquired because of a membership! (1st Samuel 16:7) (Ezekiel 33) (Zechariah 4:10) The present day scattering of Jacob, who will become Israel, (Genesis 35:10) is described through the following similitude in the 30th chapter of Jeremiah.
“In that day, declares the LORD Almighty, I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds. No longer will foreigners enslave them. I will surely save you out of a distant place. I am with you and will save you. Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice. Because of your great guilt and many sins I have done these things to you. But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.” (Zion, for whom no one is currently searching, will be explained in the 4th thunder.) (Jeremiah 30:17)
These futuristic scriptures are describing the coming day of Jacob’s trouble; alias the sign of Jonah. The last verse of the chapter confirms the timing: “The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand this.”
When pestilences and plagues begin to attack the world’s religious systems, the sign of Jonah will burst into our lives! The future new covenant people will be floundering in the symbolic watery deep. Their desperate search for God, at that time, is again portrayed to us at Psalms 69:1, 2, 3, 12, 13, 14, 15, 35, 36.
“Save me, O God, for the waters are come unto my soul.”
“I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.”
“I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.”
“They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.”
“But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.”
“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.”
“Let not the water flood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.”
“For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.”
“The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.”
If you understand how God’s end-time word will correspond like a fire and smash the teachings of men like a forge hammer, (Jeremiah 23:29) and you are also in agreement with God’s heart, (read Jeremiah 3:15)….. You might be among those chosen to teach His people and build the metaphoric temple made of human stones when Jerusalem is created! This presently unknown event will be brought to light in the 4th & 5th thunders.
When God pulverizes the sacred poles and the incense stands, and then makes the pasture ground abandoned like a wilderness…. You must be ready to feed His babes in truth! (Read Isaiah 27:9-13)
Many of these future teachers of truth are currently just as Jonah was in the beginning of his mission…. asleep in the boat! This is a call to wake the sleepers up! Rise up you sleepers, (Jonah 1:5, 6) (2nd Peter 3:13-18) (James 1:25) and heed the words Jesus kept repeating to Peter. Because if you truly love God and His Word, you will do much more than just say it…. as most do…. you will digest it daily until you are prepared to “Feed His Sheep.” (John 21:15-17)
The time to rebuild and restore Jerusalem is drawing near! (Daniel 9:22-27) (Isaiah 40:1-5) (Isaiah 42:9-16) (Isaiah 44:25-28) (Isaiah 49:5-9) (Isaiah 52:1-10) (Isaiah 54:1-3) (Jeremiah 3:13-23) (Acts 3:21, 24)
These are just a few of the many scriptures that describe your future work! However, a word of caution for all of God’s called out teachers……Jonah’s bottle-gourd plant represents the churches and organizations that have provided shade and comfort your entire lives. These will be replaced by the arrival of the spirit of truth. (Jonah 4:6-10) (John 16:13) Learning to lean on the Holy Spirit, instead of organizations built by men will be necessary in order to remain under God’s direction. (Read Daniel 11:33-35) (Revelation 13:9, 10)
When the true knowledge becomes abundant, (Daniel 12:3, 4) God will indeed show mercy to all who love His ways! As stated in the last verse of Jonah; “even to those who do not know the difference between their right hand and their left.” (Jonah 4:11) (Romans 11:32) (Psalms 104:26, 27) (Job 38:4, 16)
LISTEN FOR THE THUNDER…. IT ALWAYS PRECEDES THE STORM!!!! (Psalms 29)