Ten Plagues: Sign of Jonah Illuminates the Darkness
Part 1. This Part 2 of the Plague of Darkness.
Ten Plagues: Tangible Darkness are the Shades of Death Upon Our Land
Even a casual look at the sign of Jonah is mind-boggling. It was the time of Kings and when each man cried upon his own god. It was determined that the god who can reply and deliver us from this trouble shall be deemed the true God This sounds very much like today. We can compare Jonah's with Elijah's appearance on Mt. Carmel in I Kings 18:24 when these calls to idol were to no avail…
Elisha appointed one of his disciples the responsibility of removing a light from Israel by killing all the wicked survivors of the evil house of Ahab and Jezebel. A young prophet was dispatched to carry out this historic task (II Kings 9:1-10). Jonah anointed Jehu in the year 3055 (705 B.C.E) as king of the Ten Tribes.
Jonah a prophet is dispatched to warn a city it must change its ways or be destroyed. Jonah attempts to flee the Omnipresent. He is condemned to die for his free-will choice but is saved by a miracle. He carries out his assignment bringing about a mass repentance.
The name Jonah is derived from the dove, a bird, which remains inviolable loyal to its mate through all of its days. Jonah literally means my constant dove (Song of Songs 6:9). I cannot help but think about the baptism of Jesus:
As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. Matthew 3:16
Faith Lesson: We are to posses these characteristics as we go forth into the End of Days:
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16
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.
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 queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. Matthew 12:38-42 KJV….
Then the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, testing Him by demanding from Him a sign from heaven. Jesus sighed deeply in His spirit and said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” And He left them, got back into the boat, and crossed to the other side.… Mark 8:12
Days of the Tempest
The Book of Jonah is a picturesque portrayal of God taking a supernatural wind out of His treasury and casting it over the sea. The wind was blowing from the land out to sea preventing the ship Jonah had chartered from returning to land.
This storm is specifically attributed to God therefore it was not a natural storm. It was unseasonable weather being clearly Divine Providence. It is sometimes characterized as a stray wind which became violent when the ship reached it. The mighty tempest was both in the air and raving within the sea. As we recall from the Ten Plagues of the Exodus God demonstrated His power and authority over the air, land, and sea.
We see evidence of this type of Providential localized wind directed towards Job's house in Job 1:19 and the third mighty wind in the days of Elijah, I Kings 19:11.
Faith Lesson: There will be Providential tempests surrounding us in the days to come. These Providential Directed Energy Tools will be interdimensional and will blow in our environment as well as our spiritual life to refine us, destroying the sacred cows of our life. We must prepare to be as a reed, submitting to the sovereign Will of the Lord.
Entering In
Jonah descended into the ship's hold, the innermost parts of the ship. He was sound asleep as the storm began. So too was Jesus as He and His disciples crossed the Galilee:
he {Jesus}was entered into a ship…And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. Matthew 8:24-25
As for Jonah we was confident that the tempest was brought about by his sin and he felt certain that God would not answer his prayers.
Faith Lesson: Are you ready to go into the innermost and intimate relationship with Jesus as you enter the tempest that is stirring around you?
Billows Are Crashing In
It was a pleasant camping trip to the Point or Arches at the tip point of Washington State. Unfortunately, within two hours the warm beach sands were replaced with angry seas and leaden skies. Friends were down the beach looking at the skeletal remains of ships who met a watery grave. By the time they returned it was late and the storm was driving inches of water upon our heads. We fled to a primitive hotel in Neah Bay soaked to the bone. Youth perceives themselves as invincible. We had planned to go out salmon fishing with friends, and so we did. Our tiny ship was caught up on the rolling wave billows and crashed down drenching us all. The sea roared as a mighty lion. The swirling and chaos had its impact on our stomachs and heads. One could not stand, there we all were, in the hand of God as the sea violently surged around us.
Billows in the original language means:
~Heap of stones
~Alone Job 8:17 with roots (weeds) wrapped about it
~Heap or pile made for use in ratifying compact
~Figurative of chastisements
~Spring of Water, a fountain sealed
~Rolled together, rolling, rolling up
In the surge waters of Tribulation we will discover:
The deep is calling to deep and billows will go over us. Psalm 42:7
The noise of the sea is like the noise of the multitude peoples. Psalm 65:7
God says He appoints the tempest and lifts the billows. Psalm 107:25
God establishes the whirlwind and billows and makes them calm. Psalm 107:29
The Lord of Hosts quiets the seas when their billows roar. Isaiah 51:15, Jeremiah 31:35
Babylon has a great voice that God will destroy. Jeremiah 51:55
And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows; Luke 21:25
Faith Lesson: If one has eyes to see God is revealing His signs in the heavenlies. Anyone watching the news can see the distress of nations and the perplexity of mankind. We go through this Tribulation storm knowing He is control; we will not go through this tempest unscathed for His billows will wash over us; but at His command the tempest will become calm and quiet. We must stand in faith as chaos swirls about us.
Ye of Little Faith
Jonah knows that he is guilty from running from God and that is the true reason for the mighty storm. He acknowledged he was a sinner. How many storms in our life come our way due to our free will decisions?
During the storm on the Galilee Jesus rebukes His disciples faith [matters of the heart] when He says, And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?
Faith Lesson: What lessons of faith is He teaching you? Or do we suffer the terrible affliction of little faith? Are you willing to open your ears and your heart to learn as deep lessons of God call unto the deep recesses of your heart?
Descent into the Nethermost Parts
Jonah wanted to die which is why he descended to the nethermost parts of the ship which are hidden. In the original language the wording has an elliptic meaning that he did not go to all the innermost chambers of the ship, but to a specific chamber. We also see this language style in Judges 12:7.
It is not uncommon for a Believer to come to such despair that one desires to die. Elijah, a prophet of God, in I Kings 19:4-5 requested that he might die and he lay and slept under a broom tree in hope.
This portion of Jonah is a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, for Jesus willing lays down His life for you. There is controversy on whether Jesus descended into hell during the three days between His death and His Resurrection. Scripture is fairly silent on this matter except for, in I Peter 3:19, this Jesus, who by the same spirit by which he is raised from the dead goes and preaches to the lost spirits in prison.
Most of us are familiar with the Apostles Creed which states that states when Jesus died He went to the abode of the dead. This Creed is fraught with controversy and cannot be counted as biblical evidence of where Jesus resided for three days.
We come closer when we read, Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation 1:17-18.
From this passage we see that is possible (but with uncertainty) that Jesus, in the process of conquering the sting of death, visited some chamber in hell. He alone would have that power to go and to return in victory. We must balance this with other verses such as Jesus saying to the thief on the cross, Today you will be with me in Paradise. Once again, we must refrain from putting Jesus in a box, limited by our understanding. In asymmetrical interdimensional warfare time and space are very different than our understanding.
Faith Lesson: Two-fold can be our instruction. We can expect to be discouraged to the point of giving up, but until Jesus takes our life breath, we stand and occupy. I see biblical evidence that Jesus may have descended to a hidden chamber for a purpose known only to Himself and the Father. What matters is that He lives and He brings eternal life to all who believe in Him.
Sleeping on the Job
He laid down and he had fallen fast asleep …Commentaries vary if Jonah's sleep was one of anguish of the soul or of complete submission and peace.
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He giveth His beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2 We therefore can have confidence in God, Who watches over us when we are awake and peacefully asleep.
We can almost hear this conversation, and many of us have had this conversation with others:
How can you remain slumbering? This is not time for sleep.
We are standing here between life and death and you are slumbering and sleeping!
Don't you realize that we are in mortal danger?
Why don't you pray like the others?
[For idolaters only] Up! Call upon your God, and maybe he will be appeased.
Jonah knew that if he died others would live because the tempest was on his account. The captain, actually rendered- officer of the ship is derived from the word tying a rope. He seeks a private audience with Jonah while the idol worshipers were fervently beseeching their idols to save them. The particular wording alludes that the officer and his sailors were knowledgeable of the craft. As they were idolaters this hints that they were skilled in the forbidden Dark Magical arts and used this for purposes of navigation. Given the original description of these particular sailors, a discussion about propulsion, and the language alluding to their Dark Arts craft, and navigation might these sailors have had access or gained access to interstellar travel?
Faith Lesson: Jesus slept. Jonah slept. God provides us restful sleep when we are weary. What I do not see advocated in the Holy Scriptures is a person during waking hours asleep, in their normalcy bias state. It is essential we remain awake and ready for His call.
Idol Worshipers
The narrative switches from Jonah to the crewmen. Malachim are the oar-men of the vessel. They are called this because they stir up the water with their oars when propelling the ship, like one who whips up a bowl of beaten eggs. This same word is used interchangeably with angels and kings in the original language.
These oarsmen saw that their idols were vanity as the storm surged, not subsiding with their devout prayers. They decided that the storm was retribution and so they purposed to cast magical lots. Make note that these men showed restraint and cunning. The word 'lots' is plural. Upon perceiving this Jonah confesses culpability to dissuade their use of magic. They cast lots several times because the demanded a conclusive answer to their calamity. Each and every cast fell upon Jonah. Lots were considered to be divine sanction.
They demanded a detailed account in regard to who, what, why when, and where this calamity (evil) befallen them.
Jonah responds that he is a Hebrew, a fearer of God, the Supreme Ruler it is He Who caused this storm. He will quiet the storm when He desires it. He will bring us back to dry ground. He made the sea and the dry land. He did not use the word create which encompasses more than one day attributing to God that it was on the third day that He confined the waters making dry land and this event would follow a similar pattern.
Faith Lesson: Be ready to give a true account of the hope that is within us. We must also do as best we can not to be a stumbling block for those who do not know God. Jonah confessed his sin to deter the idolaters turning to magical lots.
If we are honest, we have all attempted to run from God, His mission or calling for us, or in other ways. Jonah brings this into our consciousness so that we might make wise free-will decisions.
Jonah finally realizes how futile it was to flee to the sea and he acknowledges this notion. The hand of God would seek him out and force him to complete his prophetic mission. These men were seized with great fear [awe] of God which is why the text specifically uses the term men instead of sailors. They had potential for salvation.
They were incredulous as to why Jonah thought he could How escape God's presence in the sea?
God's rhetorical question in the Garden: What is this that you have done? Genesis 3:13
Jacob to Laban: What have you done, that you have deceived me? Genesis 31:26
And if they hide from before My eyes in the land of the sea, from there I will command the serpent, and it shall bit them. Amos 9:3
It is interesting that even these idol worshiping men knew that Jonah was running from God's prophetic ministry.
Many years ago I was a guest on Steve Quayle's daily show. I do not recall the topic but I had many listeners' contact me inquiring where they could go to be safe for the days to come. The answer is the same today as it was back then, your only safety is in Jesus Christ and His will for your life.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8: 38-39
Faith Lesson: Let Jesus, Maker of heaven and earth, be your Tribulation refuge. Build your relationship so tightly that you will merely peer out at the destruction wrought upon the wicked.
Raging Sea
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