The book of Jonah is not only story of past events. The book of Jonah is also a prophecy of the
end times. If you understand the book
of Jonah, you will also understand the end times. Jonah is a symbol of the end-time
church. In the book of Jonah, we find a
prophetic picture of many end time events, including the purifying of a
victorious, end time church, the rise of the beast, and the final harvest.
This message is part one of a teaching about Jonah that I have been giving in conferences in Africa.
Jonah Flees the Presence of theLord
Jon 1:1-17
(1) Now the word of the
LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
(2) "Arise, go to
Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come
up before Me."
(3) But Jonah arose to flee
to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a
ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with
them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
Jonah represents the end time church. In the story of Jonah, we read that God
called Jonah to “Arise, go to Nineveh…and cry out against it..!” When this call came to Jonah, the Bible says
that he arose and fled from the presence of the Lord to Tarshish.
Why would Jonah flee the presence of the Lord? The Lord’s presence feels so wonderful. Churches today seek the presence of the
Lord. When we worship Him, we feel His
peaceful presence come into the room. So
why would Jonah flee the wonderful presence of God?
It is true that God’s presence often feels wonderful. However, there are different manifestations
of God’s presence. God’s presence comes
in different ways. Sometimes He comes as
the healer, sometimes He comes as the Counselor. In Jonah’s case, God came as a holy,
consuming fire.
There are different levels of God’s presence. At the outer levels, people feel His peace,
love and acceptance. Because they keep
at a distance from Him, they can feel his presence and continue living normal
lives. They have only experienced the
outer limits of His presence. However,
some desire to walk more closely with God.
As they draw nearer to Him, they discover that if they want to walk with
God, every hidden thing in their lives will be exposed. God is light, and He is fire. His light exposes the hidden places of the
heart. He exposes the hidden motives of
the heart. If you stay at a distance,
you can continue living a nice life, concerned mainly with making money and
providing for your family. But if you
come closer, you will become consumed with a holy desire to know God and to
serve Him. The desire for His kingdom
to come will burn like fire in your heart,
You will be willing to give up all things to see Him glorified. Everything else will seem unimportant.
This is the fire that burned in the early church. When this fire burned, people began to give
away all their possessions. They began
to sell their shambas and houses and to give the money that they earned
away. They had one desire, to follow the
Lord and to live for Him. They were
baptized in Holy Spirit, and fire.
This fire was very dangerous.
If you walk in this fire, it costs you everything. If you try to hide sin in a place where the
fire is burning, it might cost you your life.
Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit and to the church, and they
were struck dead.
In other words, there is a level of God’s presence in which if you
desire to walk with Him, you must obey Him.
His presence is so strong, so full of fire, that you can no longer live
a double life. If you stay in that
holy fire, you will have to obey God.
You will have to give up everything to Him.
This is the holy fire that Jonah experienced. Jonah knew that if he stayed in this awesome
fearful presence of God, he would have to completely obey God. He would need to go to Nineveh, a hated,
dangerous city, and preach the gospel to them.
He knew that if he went to this evil city and preached the truth to
them, they could easily kill him.
A Nice Life in Tarshish
So Jonah fled from the presence of the Lord, fled to
Tarshish. Tarshish was a business
center, a place where a man could go and do business, and build a life for himself.
For some Kenyans, America is Tarshish to them. They want to go there and do business, but it
is not really the place that God has called them to go to. They want to go to America and build a nice
life, but if they do so, they miss their real calling. Africa needs Jesus. Somalia needs Jesus. The Sudan needs Jesus. Ethiopia and the DRC need Jesus. Kenya is surrounded by nations that
desperately need Jesus. Many Kenyans are
called to these nation, but this call is very expensive. So they leave their real calling, and seek to
escape just like Jonah did.
You see, when you follow Jesus there is much blessing. He blesses your finances, and His angels
protect you. I can’t count how many
times that I have seen God do miracles on my behalf, blessing me in amazing and
unexpected ways. You can ask of Him
anything. This blessing is
wonderful. However, if you completely
obey God, it will cost you everything.
If you completely walk out God’s call on your life, you will discover
that there is more to the call than just blessing. God has a call upon your life that will cost
you everything.
There is a cross for every
disciple of Jesus Christ. There is a
cross for you. It is not enough to only
seek the blessings of God. If you truly
want to follow Jesus, you must know that there is a also a cross made for
you. Jesus said, “"If anyone
desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me.”
The disciples were blessed many times as they followed Jesus. However, as they walked further into their
calling, each one discovered that his calling was very expensive. Each one of them paid a very high price as he
took up his cross and followed after Jesus.
The disciples gave their lives for Jesus. When God called them to go, they left
everything and went. They didn’t value
their own lives. They lived for the
glory of Jesus Christ. They were
imprisoned, tortured, and killed for the sake of the calling. All the disciples except John died as
martyrs.
To Walk in the Fire is to Walk in Complete Obedience to God
If you focus only on blessings and prosperity, you will miss the
real call that is on your life. If you
focus only on blessings and prosperity, you will not go to Nineveh and to do
the will of the Lord. If you focus only
on blessings and prosperity, you will get on the boat that goes to
Tarshish. In Tarshish, Jonah thought
he could still enjoy the blessings of God as he built a nice life for
himself. He just didn’t want to live in
the holy fire of God. If he stayed close
to that fire, he knew it would cost him everything. He would need to risk his life, and go to
Nineveh and declare the word of the Lord.
If you completely obeyed God, would your life be different? If you completely obeyed God, what would it
cost you? The real call upon your life
is very expensive. It is frightening to
think about obeying God completely. If
you completely give yourself to him, and obey Him completely, He can ask anything
from you. He might ask you to go and
preach the gospel to the Moslems. He
might send you to the Indians. He might
send you to Nineveh, just like He did to Jonah.
This is a frightening thought.
Are Kenyan preachers on the road to Nineveh, prepared to obey the
Lord even if it costs them their lives?
Or are they on the boat going to Tarshish, fleeing the presence of God
and the real call that is upon their lives?
I think that most are on the boat going to Tarshish. When I turn on the television in Kenya, what
do I hear? I hear preachers telling us
how to have a nice life. I hear them
preaching about how to become rich. They
preach about blessings and prosperity.
They are preaching about Tarshish.
The winds are beginning to blow.
Kenya is entering a time of severe judgment. Islam is coming to Kenya like a roaring
lion. Most ministries will collapse in
Kenya, as the winds of judgment blow.
Why will God allow these things to happen? God allowed a storm to come upon the ship
that was carrying Jonah to Tarshish. As
Jonah slept in the lowest part of the ship, the storm began to tear the ship
apart. In the same way, God is allowing
storms to come to Kenya. These storms
are coming because the church has left her real calling.
Three baptisms of Jesus
Jesus passed through everything in life that we are asked to pass
through. He faced the same temptations
and trials. When Jesus walked on the
earth, he passed through the same baptisms that His people are asked to pass
through.
Mat 3:11-17
(13) Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the
Jordan to be baptized by him.
(14) And John tried to
prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to
me?"
(15) But Jesus answered and
said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us
to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him.
(16) When He had been
baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens
were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and
alighting upon Him.
(17) And suddenly a voice came
from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased."
Mat 4:1
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted by the devil.
The first baptism that Jesus went through is water baptism. Jesus came to John and asked John to baptize
him in water. At first John objected,
but Jesus told him that this baptism
needed to be performed to fulfill all righteousness. So John baptized Jesus in
water. As Jesus came up out of the
river, the heavens were opened and the Spirit of God descended like a dove and
alighted upon Jesus.
Water baptism is a public declaration that one has decided to
follow Jesus. It is a public testimony,
declaring to all people, angels, and demons, that a person has turned away from
their sins, and put their faith in Jesus Christ, who forgives all sin.
A person goes through water baptism at the beginning of his
Christian walk. He has not yet passed
through the tests and trials that will come later in that walk. His public declaration will be tested by the
enemy, who will try to prove that this new believer is not a true servant of
God. For many people water baptism
marks the beginning of a time of testing, as the evil one tries to push the new
believer from the path of life.
After Jesus climbed out of the Jordan River, the Spirit of God
came upon him in the form of a dove.
This represents the second baptism that Jesus passed through, the
baptism of the Holy Spirit. When we are
baptized in the Holy Spirit, we receive the power of God and the gifts of
God. Often when people are baptized in
the Holy Spirit, they begin to speak in tongues.
Jesus walked through everything that we are called to walk
through. He was baptized in water and
baptized with the Holy Spirit. Was He
also baptized in fire?
In the very next verse, Matthew 4:1, we read about the baptism of
fire that Jesus passed through. This
verse reads “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted by the devil (Matt. 4:1).”
What happened in the desert?
In the desert, Jesus was tested and tempted. In the desert the devil tried to find just a
little bit of difference between the will of Jesus and the will of the
father.
In the first test that Jesus passed through, the devil came to Him
and said "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become
bread." Jesus had already received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, when
the spirit of God alighted upon him in the form of a dove. Although he walked this earth cloaked in
human flesh, he had received the power of God.
He could easily turn stones into bread.
This is a test that is put before many preachers today. They have the gifts of God, and the power of
God,. The devil tempts them and encourages
them to use the power of God to fill their own stomachs. He tells them to misuse the gifts of God. If
they have the gift of healing, they can use that gift to fill their
stomachs. They can use that gift to
become rich, and to make a name for themselves in Tarshish. Likewise, whatever gifts God has given you,
the devil tempts you to use those gifts to fulfill your own selfish
desires. Some African preachers try to
“sell” the anointing, telling the people that if they give the preacher money, they
will receive their miracle.
Jesus answered Satan, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY
BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD.' " Jesus rejected Satan’s call to use God’s
power for his own selfish interest.
Jesus was not trying to use God’s power to become rich or to make a name
for himself. Jesus was walking a path that led to the cross, and he would not
be turned aside. He was willing to pay
the price of his calling, and he was not willing to leave his calling to go to
Tarshish.
Again the Devil tempted Jesus, telling him to throw himself down
from the temple, so that the Father would be forced to rescue him. Jesus answered Satan "It is written
again, 'YOU SHALL NOT TEMPT THE LORD YOUR GOD.' " Again, the devil was trying to find just a
little bit of difference between the will of Christ and the will of the
father. Many people try to manipulate
God to get what they want, instead of humbling themselves and serving God. This was the second test that Jesus passed.
Finally, the devil took Jesus up to a high place and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
The devil said to Jesus,
“"All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
These kingdoms belonged to the devil because men had given their
kingdoms to him. Now he gave an offer to
Jesus. If Jesus would just acknowledge
that that the devil was lord over the earth, the devil would share his lordship
with Jesus. Jesus could rule and reign
over the kingdoms of the earth without going to the cross. Jesus answered, "Away with you, Satan!
For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ONLY YOU SHALL
SERVE.' "
Jesus passed through the tests of the desert. Jesus passed through the baptism of
fire. If you walk in the fire of God,
you must obey God completely. Jesus left
the desert, and began to preach the gospel with great power in the surrounding
region.
The Baptism of Fire takes place in the midst of Trials
Jonah knew that God was a consuming fire. He fled the fiery presence of God, because he
knew that if he stayed in that fire, he would need to completely obey God, take
up his cross, and go to Nineveh, the place that he hated.
The baptism of fire often comes in the midst of severe tests and
trials. In the midst of those tests, a
person must decide whom he will serve.
He must decide whether or not he will completely obey God. He must decide whether or not he will take up
his cross and walk out his true calling.
Jesus passed through this time of testing. Jesus was baptized in fire. On the Day of Pentecost, people were baptized
in Holy Spirit and fire. They not only
received the gifts of the Holy Spirit, they had also passed through a time of
severe testing. All of them turned away
when Jesus was crucified. Jesus appeared
to 500 people after he rose from the dead.
But of that five hundred, only 120 believed God enough to wait for the
Holy Spirit in the upper room. These 120
servants of God waited in that room in faith, worshiping God, praying and
giving their lives upon the altar of God. These are the ones who decided to
completely obey God. They turned their
hearts towards God. When the Day of Pentecost
came, they were not only baptized in the Holy Spirit. They were also baptized in fire.
Jonah is baptized in Fire
Jonah was cast into the sea when the sailors realized that he was
the cause of the terrible storm that came upon them. The Lord prepared a great fish to swallow
Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the
fish for three days and three nights.
In following teachings, we will discuss the prophetic identity of
the fish that swallowed Jonah.
Revelation 13 speaks of a great beast that comes out of the sea and
overcomes the saints. Jonah is a symbol
of the end time church. There is a beast
that comes out of the sea to “swallow” the end time church that is on the boat
to Tarshish. In my opinion, the beast
of Revelation 13 and the beast that swallowed Jonah are the same beast. I will explain the identity of this beast in
the following teaching.
Jonah was in the belly of the beast for three days and three
nights. This is the same periods of time
that Jesus Christ was in the earth after he died on the cross. When Jonah was in the belly of the beast, he
was struggling with the cross.
Jesus said to His disciples, “"If anyone desires to come
after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For
whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for
My sake will find it.
Jonah’s cross was Nineveh.
He knew that if he completely obeyed God, he would need to go to
Nineveh. Jonah knew that if he went to
Nineveh and preached the judgments of God, it was quite possible that he would
not come back alive. Jonah despised the
Ninevites, and the thought of dying at their hands was repulsive to him.
In the belly of the beast, Jonah went through his time of testing,
his desert. In that dark and terrible
place, he cried out to the Lord and turned his heart to the Lord. As he worshiped God, he turned back to the
fiery presence of God.
Jon 2:6-10
(6) I went down to the
moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever;
Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD, my God.
(7) "When my soul
fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; And my prayer went up to You,
Into Your holy temple.
(8) "Those who regard
worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy.
(9) But I will sacrifice to
You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is
of the LORD."
Jonah embraced his cross.
He said to the Lord “I will sacrifice to you with the voice of
thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed.”
Jonah decided to pay the price.
In a terrible place of death and desperation, Jonah decided to
completely obey God.
As soon as Jonah did this, the Lord ordered the fish to
release Jonah. Jonah was vomited out
onto the beach, a free man. The fire of
God brings freedom. To walk in the fire,
one must walk in total obedience to God.
Jonah was now a free man, baptized in fire, walking the path of
obedience.
The story of Jonah is one of the most amazing stories in
the entire bible. Imagine the most
wicked city in the whole world, a city so wicked that God is about to destroy
it by fire. One little man, smelling
like fish guts, walks into that city. He
has no posters, or sounds systems with which to hold a crusade.
This little man is baptized in fire. During a time of testing, he turned his heart
to complete obedience. Now, the fire of
God flows through him. When he opens his
mouth, the word of the Lord comes for th like fire. When he opens his mouth, conviction seizes
the heart of every person who hears him.
They suddenly know that God is alive, and that his terrible judgments
are about to come upon the city. People
begin to wail and scream, crying out to God for mercy. In just three days, the entire city, from the
mayor to the homeless man on the streets repent in sackcloth and ashes.
This is a prophetic picture of the final harvest. This is what will happen God’s servants are baptized with fire. When the saints stop seeking a good life in
Tarshish, and decide to completely obey God, God’s fire will change them. In a time of testing, in a time of judgment,
their hearts will be transformed by God’s awesome presence. They will become messengers of fire, sent
into all the earth to preach the gospel.
What is the gospel?
Most people think the gospel is good news, because that is what the
Greek word translated as “gospel” means.
However, the Bible gives us a definition of the end time gospel that
will be preached in every nation. In Revelation
14 we find a prophecy of the final harvest of the earth. In this chapter, John has a prophetic
experience in which he sees an angel flying in the midst of heaven, carrying
the everlasting gospel that will be
preached to every nation, tribe, tongue and people (v.6).
This is the everlasting gospel. It is not the “Old
Testament” gospel that was only valid before Christ came to the earth. It is the everlasting
gospel. What is this gospel? What is the message that will bring in the
end time harvest?
“Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His
judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and
springs of water (Rev. 14:7).”
The everlasting gospel is the same gospel that Jonah
preached! The end time preachers are not
only preaching “God loves you and wants
to bless you!” They will preach the
message of Jonah: “The hour of God’s
judgment has come! In 40 days Nineveh
will be destroyed! Fear God! Repent and give Him glory! Worship Him!
The King is coming to rule the earth and to judge every soul!”
And the end time harvest will be similar to the great
harvest that took place in Nineveh. The
bible teaches us that during the time of terrible judgments, even during the
Great Tribulation itself, a multitude that no man can number will be saved (Rev. 7: 9-15). During the terrible judgments of the Day of
the Lord, the bible tells us that “Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved.”
Act 2:19-21
(19) I WILL SHOW WONDERS IN
HEAVEN ABOVE AND SIGNS IN THE EARTH BENEATH: BLOOD AND FIRE AND VAPOR OF SMOKE.
(20) THE SUN SHALL BE
TURNED INTO DARKNESS, AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE COMING OF THE GREAT
AND AWESOME DAY OF THE LORD.
(21) AND IT SHALL COME TO
PASS THAT WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.'
During the final judgments, as every nation reaps what it has
sown, the servants of God will be there to preach the everlasting gospel. These servants will have been baptized in
fire just like Jonah was. During a time
of testing, they turned their hearts completely to the Lord and embraced the
cross that the Lord gave them. Now they
are able to act as God’s messengers.
They will warn nations of the God’s judgments are upon them. They will preach with such conviction and
fire that men’s hearts will be cut open with the word of God. Multitudes will hear the word that is
preached, and multitudes will be saved.
The time of judgment becomes a time of harvest, because Jonah is
there. The greatest harvest that the
world has ever seen will take place during the terrible judgments of the last
days, because God’s servants, baptized in fire, will be there to call cities to
repentance.
If we are baptized in fire, we will not fear when the nations shake.
We will only fear God . We will
live for Him, and die for Him. No power
on this earth will be able to stop us.
Study Questions
1)
Why did Jonah flee to Tarshish?
2)
Jonah is a prophetic symbol of what?
3)
What does Tarshish represent?
4)
What were the three baptisms of Jesus described
above?
5)
What happened to Jonah in the belly of the fish?
6)
What are some similarities between the final
harvest that will come upon the whole earth and the salvation of Nineveh?
7)
Why was Nineveh saved from destruction?
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