The Great American Eclipse, The Sign of Jonah l Adam Fink
Adam Fink recently put out a video which encourages you to watch other videos relating to the Eclipse and The Sign of Jonah. It is a concise video (12 Minutes) and I am sure you will be blessed by it and it will potentially lead you into a deeper study on some of these topics...
Here are the 3 main videos he references and encourages we watch:
Is the American Eclipse the Sign of Jonah (Barry)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNAMc...
Prophetic Food for thought: Sign of Jonah (Zeus)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPJjf...
Pastor Mark talks about Nineva, Jonah, and the total solar eclipse coming in 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpR42...
Here are the 3 main videos he references and encourages we watch:
Is the American Eclipse the Sign of Jonah (Barry)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNAMc...
Prophetic Food for thought: Sign of Jonah (Zeus)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPJjf...
Pastor Mark talks about Nineva, Jonah, and the total solar eclipse coming in 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpR42...
The thing that trips me up on the Jonah sign is that when Jesus referred to it he was talking about the parallel of Jonah being in the belly of the fish 3 days, likening that to how he would be in the belly of the earth 3 days. I see no mention whatsoever of the eclipse in that scripture.
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly, the case he made was that since this eclipse happened so close to the time when Jonah visited, the people were extra ready to repent. God used it to warn them and soften their hearts in preparation for his messenger. At the same time Jonah was being prepared to give the message with another form of darkness!
DeleteDeniwest, this is a paradox of unfolding Scripture. On one hand we need to approach Scripture as Holy Ground and have the utmost respect for the specific, literal words used as a starting point. However, we also allow the Spirit to unpack and unfold applications and nuance to each revelation. Our Lord loves puzzles and inviting us to puzzle after Him as we study Him and His Word.
ReplyDeleteIt is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. (Prov 25:2, NKJV)
Another detail which can add insight is a certain Rabbinical perspective I have encountered. As Hebrew writing has no vowels, there are commonly multiple ways any given verse can be rendered, even to the point of being entirely different words as you infer the vowels. The Rabbis teach that ANY rendering of a verse which is readable has SOME meaning to be pondered, while the primarily accepted version is dominant in context and its acceptance as witness to its primacy.
So, while "the Sign of Jonah" has direct application surrounding the 3 days in the fish paralleling 3 days in the tomb, once again showing how our Lord uses happenings in the physical world to illustrate Truths in the Spiritual (i.e. Stars as 'SIGNS'), He is also a Master of turning a phrase and, in this case, co-opted a very well-known term to again illustrate how He Jam-Packs His messages with layers upon layers of meaning.
In the same way as modern parlance now has the phrase, "since 9/11" and we all know what that means, the 'street' in the ancient world, who were near the events recorded in the tale of Jonah, would immediately recognize the phrase "the Sign of Jonah" as referring to various calamities which preceded Jonah's call to Nineveh to repentance, those signs being ultimately concluded with a great eclipse, the greatest recorded in the ancient world. When our Lord used that phrase, He again demonstrates His Sovereignty over ALL things historical for His Purposes, as well as showing how limited is the understanding of application of His Work in the dealings of men. So, by using the term "the Sign of Jonah" he was showing OWNERSHIP of the events (plagues, eclipse, etc.) associated with that sign BEFORE he spoke of it in this context, AND then he was taking it further and unpacking the parable to show it had greater meaning when THAT (what happened surrounding Jonah) was understood to actually being a secondary message to the PRIMARY one which was Christ crucified and resurrected covering our sins.
However, NO ONE could have known this until He comes later, DOES IT, and tells us. This picture of our Lord HIMSELF, PERSONALLY adding New Testament revelation to ADD MEANING His Old Testament revelation, without changing or contradicting the Old by the New, especially in context of the VERY THING we are looking at in THESE times, should be instructive to all as we encounter a NEW understanding of an OLD verse thanks to His unsealing of things at this time.
So, YHWH orchestrated the entire drama of Jonah, from which great understandings were realized as well as testimony of repentance and ministry and much more. THEN Jesus comes along and shows us that there was another layer WHICH NO ONE COULD POSSIBLY HAVE KNOWN WAS PRESENT until HE comes later, LIVES IT OUT and then speaks about it and explains it to us, even though the DATA was there all along.
When he spoke the words, telling them the that this was the only sign they would get HE WAS PROPHECYING, as it relates to the 3-day layer of meaning, as he hadn't even gone to the tomb yet. However, like a Boss, He was ALSO using a multi-layered phrase which had OTHER meaning which WAS DIRECTLY RELEVANT even prior to anyone being able to make the 3-day connection. In this manner He gives immediate information (Truth) to His audience when He spoke it AND, at the same time, gives a peek at a NEW layer of Revelation (Truth) , intended all along, but which isn't even yet applicable when he spoke it nor even discernible until He lives it and yet He tells us BEFORE the cross, in love, knowing we will desperately need to know after.
DeleteBut wait, there's more! As a further example of the layering within our Lord's teaching, "Jonah" means "Dove". So, another nuance of meaning is that we should look for the sign of the Dove. As many are unpacking the Song of Solomon and its numerous hints of having been speaking toward the harpazo, references to the Bridegroom's Beloved as a Dove (SoS 2) can also be another car on this train pulling in to the "sign of Jonah" station.
Lastly, the principle that there seems to "always be one more thing" to unpack in His Word, even in any given verse, is consistent with an infinite God Who's Word is ALIVE and ACTIVE (Heb 4:12). Moreover, Scripture demonstrates this, "but always just one more thing" principle in verses such as Proverbs 30:18:
18 "There are THREE things that are too amazing for me, FOUR that I do not understand: ..."
Maranatha!
Wow Jim you need a mic drop!
DeleteExcellent post Jim!
DeleteWow. You should be a writer if you're not. That was really good.
DeleteI appreciate Adam and Barry my dear brethren, but this "sign of Jonah" hype now concerning this American eclipse is really NOT biblical. Luke 11:30 couldn't be more clear about what it says. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteRead Jim above
DeleteDear Matthew I DID read it. But we ought to interpret scripture with scripture. One thing is ex-egesis but another is eis-egesis (i.e. interpreting things INTO the text that are not written but based on assumption only). Jim did the latter this time. Luke 11:30 is CRYSTAL CLEAR and doesn't need to be interpreted at all. The "sign of Jonah" hype eisegesis seems to be a bandwagon some people now like to jump on because of some sensational effects around the great eclipse in US. Beware of that, let's stick to scripture please. Blessings to you! ;-)
Delete@Matthew don't get me wrong brother: I don't doubt that it was a solar eclipse that somehow 'prepared' people hearts in Niniveh to repent like it might be the reason for God sending a likewise eclipse to the US nation now. But if we talk of the "SIGN OF JONAH" here it must be clear from scripture that in fact JONAH HIMSELF was the "sign" Jesus was talking about in comparison to Himself. NOT the eclipse. You must not believe in an eclipse though, it's all about belief in JESUS CHRIST until today! And this is and has been the ONLY sign EVER given to UNBELIEVERS. Believers might get and being able to interpret many other "signs of the times" (compare Matthew 16:3 likewise 24:3 or Luke 21:7 followed by the signs of convergence explained). But in connection to Jonah, HE HIMSELF was "the sign" according to Luke 11:30 which talks about a GLOBAL sign for unbelievers and not sth only of local or nationwide importance. See as well Luke 11:32 talking about the PREACHING of Jonah (= the prophet having just survived 3 days in the belly of a big fish/whale and having crossed Niniveh in a days' hike, please imagine this kind of person preaching to them face to face!) and not about any!! heavenly sign combined to it. I cannot really see how you can read this scripture in any other sense as it is written in the bible. Plain and simple. Clear as day.
Delete@Annabel,
DeleteKeep this in mind: [Pro 25:2 KJV] [It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter.
So, Jonah 3:3-6, says that Nineveh was a 3 days journey wide, but he only traveled 1 days journey into the city. He did not walk the entire city in 1 day.
Remember: [Pro 27:17 KJV] Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
lol, take a deep breath, don't pass out. This is just a puzzle piece we are looking at, also elements of Jonah we get more clue's when you go to when Jesus Died, there was 3 hours of darkness (Eclipse of a planetary object?), this object has visited before, like when the flood was kicked off, Joshua also had a thing happen to him, like when the sun stood still, and there were asteroids that killed his enemies and it says that God killed more with falling rocks than then Israel did with sword. In revelation many things happen that harmonize with this idea. Even to the point that it speeds up the days to 16 hours a day instead of 24 hours. Also, just look at the moon, something hit it. Major Destruction. It is funny that Nasa is currently hunting for Planet X, and saying it has messed up the orbits of our system. Also, there is an asteroid belt, that use to be a planet, something smashed it (the great fiery dragon?). External proof, they know something is out there or they wouldn't be making apocalyptic movies about it. There were interesting evens during Sodom and Gomorrah, it rained brimstone. The brimstone returns in Revelation 9:18.
Is it wrong to take historical evidence to bring clarity to what they were speaking about in the bible? The bible even references the books of Jasher but they took that book out of the bible.
Jasher is interesting because it explains Abram's birth. There was events in heaven that marked it. Historical evidence = evidence of a world wide flood, chaos in our solar system, our sun is tilted 6 degrees off axis, just look at Mars, it has been beaten by objects, Jupiter swallows some of the really bad objects out there, thank goodness God put it out there. The earth is cracked like an Egg, something caused that... Japan has found the fountains of the deep.
[2Sa 1:18 KJV] (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah [the use of] the bow: behold, [it is] written in the book of Jasher.)
[Jos 10:13 KJV] And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. [Is] not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
Dear Matthew, I hear you. I just want to avoid using misleading terms that clearly do not correspond to scripture. When talking about "THE sign OF Jonah" it must be explained that this was NOT what Jesus said in Luke 11:30 when giving a comparison between two PERSONS and an allegory of RESURRECTION, nothing else. False terms used too often lead to false conclusions in a whole teaching. Like e.g. the "birth of the church" at Pentecost (instead of using the term of "conception"). Which will then lead to traditional use of false terms, cementing wrong conclusions and thinking of whole generation of believers. That's my point. Again, it is NOT what Jesus said and also not what He MEANT. All eclipse aside. ;-)
DeleteHi Brad, I just wanted to send this link to you as I feel it is a Very good video covering a number of recent postings. Please take 15 min. and view it! Thank you so much. MARANATHA! link is>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaFml82JOSU
ReplyDeleteHi Ron. I did watch that! That is interesting info to be sure. Thanks for sharing! Its amazing to see this alignment occurring before our eyes....
DeleteThanks guys for the additional insight!
DeleteThe heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship. Psalm 19:1