What did our preachers teach us to understand from this sign?
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Mat_12:39 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:
I found it interesting that Jonah was in the fish for three days. When it was apparent that God was not going to let him die, he finally prayed to be let out. Jonah was a really tough character.
I found it interesting that Jonah was in the fish for three days. When it was apparent that God was not going to let him die, he finally prayed to be let out. Jonah was a really tough character.
There was a time when the scribes and Pharisees asked the Lord Jesus for a sign so that they could see the truth.
They were seeking a sign, but the sign that the Lord gave them was the sign of Jonah, as recorded in Jonah 1:17. Therefore, it is very important for us to understand this sign, because it can reveal the truth to us.
MATTHEW 12:38-39
38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
39 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:
So my question is this: What have our preachers taught us about the sign of Jonah that can help us see the truth?
In the sign the Lord gave concerning Jonah, who was in the belly of the great fish for three days, He compared it to the three days that the Lord would be dead.
MATTHEW 12:40
40 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.
After three days, Jonah was brought out alive from the belly of the great fish. Likewise, after three days, the Lord rose again from the dead.
The question is: Why did it have to be three days? Couldn’t the great fish have brought Jonah out alive on the very first day? And likewise, couldn’t the Lord have risen again on the very first day?
Why did it have to be three days?
Another question: Why did the great fish not spit Jonah out on the second day? And why did the Lord Jesus not rise again on the second day?
Again, Why did it have to be three days?
If one believes in the Good Friday to Sunday morning bit, then it was not three days.
Jesus in fact was crucified on a Wednesday; thus, you have 3 days and 3 nights in the grave, rising on Sunday morning.
You are correct sir, if you mean the Jewish Sunday morning and not the present calendar Sunday morning.
The question is: Why did it have to be three days? Couldn’t the great fish have brought Jonah out alive on the very first day? And likewise, couldn’t the Lord have risen again on the very first day?
Why did it have to be three days?
We who know the one true God, because we completely depend on what God reveals as the truth through His Word, have asked Him these questions.
We believe that the sign given by the Lord concerning Jonah is of great importance, because through this sign, the truth will be revealed.
For it is the truth alone that can set people free.
JOHN 8:32
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
When we asked the Lord what the sign of Jonah was, He revealed that there are three aspects contained within the words of God:
- Literal
- Physical
- Spiritual message.”
Here, in what God reveals about the three aspects of His Word, it seems that the number three has significance.
For example, Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days before he was brought out alive.
Likewise, the Lord rose again after three days. Now, God reveals three aspects in His Word.
- Literal
- Physical
- Spiritual message.”
- Literal
- Physical
- Spiritual message.”
In what God has revealed, #1 is the Literal Meaning. This is the clear and straightforward understanding that people derive from God’s words.
For example, when the Lord Jesus said to the Jews, “Destroy this temple,” the Jews clearly understood that the Lord was referring to the literal temple where they were at that time. Therefore, their response was about how long it would take to rebuild the literal temple.
JOHN 2:19-20
19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three
Therefore, it is clear that the literal meaning of God’s word is not yet the truth itself.
Yes, the literal meaning is the truth. Jesus actually said those words; that is the literal truth of the text. You are applying "literal truth" to the wrong thing.
#2 Physical
Physical refers to things that can be perceived through the senses—things that can be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched. According to what God has revealed, however, the physical things perceived through our senses cannot be used as the basis for salvation.
Because physical things that are perceived through the senses are beneficial only to the flesh or the body. And here is what God says about His words.
JOHN 6:63
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
However, what some people do who they read and believe in the Holy Scriptures is that they seek healing for physical illnesses, even though the one who benefits is the human body.
And what is remarkable is that even cancer, which doctors can no longer cure, is said to be healed in the name of Jesus Christ.
There are groups within Christianity who demonstrate that they have been healed in the name of Jesus Christ.
For example, if someone was previously unable to walk and needed crutches, they testify to people that they can now walk without using them. They even collect the crutches they used before and display them to the people as evidence of their healing.
However, on the Day of Judgment, the Lord does not accept their claim that they performed these works in the name of Jesus Christ.
MATTHEW 7:22-23
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Therefore, #2 Physical, which is perceived through the senses, cannot be used as a basis for salvation because it cannot be considered the truth.
If Jesus was in the tomb for one day, people would have claimed that he really wasn't dead; he was stunned or unconscious. After 3 days in the tomb it would be hard to argue that he was in a coma or something else other than dead.
When the Jews asked the Lord what sign He would give as proof of the truth, He answered with the sign of Jonah. Jonah was in the belly of the great fish, and on the third day, Jonah was brought out alive.
So we ask the Lord, why was it on the third day and not on the first day or the second day?
And the Lord’s revelation to us is that there are three ways His words can be understood:
- Literal
- Physical
- Spiritual
And through God’s revelation, we understand that the first two—the literal and the physical—do not give life because they are not the truth in themselves.
That is why Jonah was not brought out of the great fish on the first or second day.
If he had been, he would not have been brought out alive.