“An In-depth Look into These Signs of the Time”
PART I
Introduction:
The Sign of Jonah, the Age of Aquarius, and the Days of Noah have tremendous significance and layer upon layer of meaning.
Jesus had spoken to a group of religious leaders known as the Pharisees, in his time, and gave them a distinct sign. Before Jesus gave this sign, he informed these religious leaders that he knew that they always sought a sign, and he was going to give them one, but it would be one with obvious and hidden interpretations. In fact, if these religious leaders, the Pharisees, were truly understanding of the very scriptures and messages they claimed to live by, then they would have caught on to the obvious interpretation of this sign Jesus gave. But instead, they missed it, and thereby, they missed the very Messiah they had long awaited and anticipated coming. Well, what sign was it that Jesus gave them? I will let the scriptures speak.
Matthew 12:38-42
Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
For as Jonah was 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth.
The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom,
and now something greater than Solomon is here.
In Matthew 12:38-40 & Luke:29-30 Jesus used the sign of Jonah to let the Pharisees know that they were ultimately rejecting the one who was greater than the prophet Jonah, their promised Messiah and awaited Savior. Jesus goes on to tell them that because of this they will also suffer condemnation at the Last Judgment by the Ninevites, and these Jews would not be part of the First Resurrection, because unlike the Ninevites, they remained unrepentant. When we look at the words of Jesus to the Pharisees we see an allegory in His analogy to them regarding the “Sign of Jonah”. Just as Jonah hated the Ninevites, and thought them to be undeserving of mercy, forgiveness, and grace, so too did the Jews/Pharisees believe themselves to be better than the Gentiles, despising the Gentiles.
The Jews looked at Gentiles as unclean, like swine, and this perception caused them to refrain from reaching out to the Gentile nation and instead withholding the light of the Gods Holy Word (Torah/Law) from them. According to Helena Lehman of “Pillars of Enoch: Language of God in Humanity” (2007), by Jesus’ request to others to keep the miracles they’d witnesses secret, he may have used this as an illustrative example of how the Jews were in fact “hiding their lamps under a bushel” (Matthew 5:15), and failing to share God’s miraculous power to the Gentile nation. This very well may be why Jesus chose to request this secrecy of those who witnessed his miracles. If so, then we could see Jesus mirroring the Pharisees to themselves by hiding his divinity, miraculous acts, and hiding God from them, as they had also hidden these things from others they deemed unworthy.
End Time Signs: The Passover, The Last Supper, & The Upper Room of Aquarius
{Before we delve deeper into the Sign of Jonah, I want to reference the Days of Noah. This was also something that Jesus spoke of, and he gave us another sign with similarities to the Sign of Jonah, that are just too hard to ignore for the deep diving seeker. We find this reference being made by Jesus in Matthew 24:37 as he discusses signs of the end times with his disciples.}
Matthew 24:37
As it was in the days of Noah so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
Because Jesus is giving these signs, we ought to hone in on them and seek to understand them. However, because Jonah like Noah was cast into a sea of chaos, dealing with a large territory of wicked people, and God also gave them a 40-day commission, we can see there these two biblical characters and stories share some common ground already. Yet I believe this sign, along with the Sign of Jonah, are connected to the Age of Aquarius. While Jesus is dropping signs on different sects of people, he also drops another sign, but this one is found in the heavens. And this sign is referenced shortly before the betrayal of Judas, when Jesus would be “leaving his disciples” and going to be sacrificed, and it is also during the “Last Supper” in preparation for the “Passover”. Again, great significance here. Jesus is giving a sign during a time when 3 important things are taking place and they are all associated with his departure! And I believe that this sign was given by Christ to speak to the “Last Generation” who will prepare for the Supper with the Bridegroom in the Age when they would meet him again.
Without further or due.
Luke 2:9-12
Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”
“Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked.
He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. FOLLOW HIM to the HOUSE that HE ENTERS, and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large room UPSTAIRS, all furnished. Make preparations there.”
The sign of Aquarius is of a man holding a water pitcher from an upper room (upper heavens) and we are to prepare there for the wedding supper with the Bridegroom (Revelation 19:9). Just as the disciples were preparing. Jesus is telling us this is the way to go and prepare to be united/married to him and we will celebrate this Holy communion in Heaven, in the room Upstairs. Ironically enough, the reference to the wedding supper is given in the last book of the Bible in REVELATION. Why? Perhaps because it is a revelation of a deeper truth, and a revelation of something for the last generation, and end time children of God.
Without going into too much examination of this particular sign right now, we will continue on in our study starting with the Sign of Jonah and leading into the others, as I tie them uniquely together and wrap them in a gift for you to receive.
The Folly of the Pharisees, The Sign of Jonah, & The Neglect for the Ministry of Mercy and Forgiveness
The Israelite nation was to be a light in a dark world, and the spiritual food for the hungry, and they failed in their perception that they were better and in their belief that others were not worthy of the spiritual manna, light, mercy, forgiveness, and grace. This point ties to Jesus’ declaration to the Jews that He came to give them one sign only. Jesus quoted from Hosea 6:6-7, and told His disciples in Matthew 9:12-13
“And…the Pharisees…said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with …sinners?” When Jesus heard that, He said…” Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy and not sacrifice”.
For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance……
Although the Jews were zealous for the Mosaic Law, they failed to fulfill the main spiritual purpose of mercy and forgiveness. This however proves all the more of their inability to provide salvation regardless of their keeping of the Law.
Hosea 6:6-7
“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings. Like Adam, they have broken the Covenant-they were unfaithful to me there.
The beauty in the sign Jesus gave them was also the magnificence of the message in the sign. Jesus was illustrating to them their own issue, their need, and their solution to the issue. The sign of Jonah reflected to the Jews that like Jonah they needed to reach out to the world in love, be merciful, preach the Good News to those who were spiritually lost, and feed those who were spiritually hungry. Also, like Jonah they needed to love their enemies through sharing the Path to Salvation with them (Helena Lehman, 2007).
It’s impossible for me to write about this and not share the observation of Christs’ character. Like a great teacher, he doesn’t just tell you what your problem is, he provides the solution. That is an act of love. You don’t just tell people how blind they are, but you give them the medicine to help them see.
Like their Old Testament prophet Jonah, the Pharisees needed to die to their old way of life and be born to a new life, a life in Christ (Ephesians 2:5). A life that requires obedience over sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). Ironically, the Sign of Jonah pointed to a transformation; one from the lower nature to the higher nature (the new nature in Ephesians 4:24 NLV). They needed to be transformed like Jonah, by the renewing of their mind (Romans 12:2), putting on the mind of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5), and that would start with repentance now, followed by obedience. By letting go of the old man, and putting on the new man (Colossians 3:10), the Jews would learn differentiate how to love the sinner and hate the sin that contaminates their lives (Jude 1:23). They would learn to love the unlovable, the lost, the broken, the undeserving, they would learn to love others as themselves and become merciful, gracious, and forgiving to the Gentiles. Ultimately, they would learn to have more compassion on their neighbor. In part 2 of this article we will discuss the new life in fuller detail.
Unearthing the Esoteric Wisdom, Hidden Enlightenment, and Symbolism of Jonah’s’ Story
Now, let’s go deeper into the study of Jonah and the associated signs. In my study of Jonah, I was brought to an awareness found in Romans 6:4-6.
In Roman 6:4-6 it says,
Therefore, we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life.
For if we have been joined with Him in the likeness of His death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of His resurrection.
For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin.
In this scripture, we can see a correlation to Jonah’s’ example. As touched on beforehand in regards to the esoteric and mystical meaning of Jonah’s story, we can see it here in Romans 6:4-6. Jonah was buried in the belly of the whale. Jonah being thrown into the sea and swallowed by a whale not only represents a death, but also a baptism in water before his being swallowed up in death for 3 days and nights. Jonah was symbolically resurrected from the dead, in that he was considered a dead man until he washed up on shore, and he descended into what he described at the “roots of the mountains”, “in the earth with its bars around him”, and “in the pit”. These are all references to a kind of death, a place of death.
In Jonah 2:6 he says,
I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me forever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.
Jonah’s’ resurrection was to a new life in God (the high road life), however, this new life was as a representation or SHADOW of Christ Jesus, whose ministry was one of mercy, grace, forgiveness, and willingness to lead unrighteous Gentiles to the Light of God. Therefore, we not only see Jonah’s resurrection from the dead, to walk in a new way of life, but also being raised from the dead by and for the glory of the Father as spoken of in Romans 6:4.
Romans 4:5 goes on to say that we have been joined with Him in the likeness of His death, and will certainly also be in the likeness of His resurrection, which signifies Jonah being joined with God/Christ in the likeness of his temporary death, and being resurrected in the likeness of His resurrection. That is why Christ statement to the Pharisees about no other sign than the sign of Jonah is jam-packed with significant revelation, testimony, truth, hidden wisdom, and allegory.
It is in fact the Sign Post Jesus claimed it to be, and is the only sign that was needed because it was loaded with meaning. I do want to make note here that this sign was given to the Pharisees and referred to the only sign that THEY would be given. However, spiritual things must be spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14), and if the Pharisees were as spiritual as they claimed to be they would have had ears to hear, eyes to see (Matthew 13:16), and the ability to discern Christ sayings to them (1 Corinthians 2:13-14).
The bible is so multifaceted/multi-dimensional/multi-illustrative, that Gods Word is more than meets the eye, and is filled with depths of hidden wisdom and revelation. While I do not claim that this scripture only signifies the sign of Jonah to this generation, I do believe that by revelation, it does reference the “Sign of Jonah” in general, but I am certain that this scripture is not limited to the “Sign of Jonah either.
Dying to Self
When we get to Romans 6:6 we can see another association with its contents to Jonah wherein it states that “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin. When Jonah dies to self he in essence is dying to his will, his lower nature, the “old man”, his untransformed mind, and his flesh. It is a form of crucifying of self to God in order that his lower nature; his untransformed mind, his will, his old man, and his old wineskins, will not have dominion over him anymore. The lower nature is the ego that reflects selfishness, unrepentance, judgmental attitudes, disobedience, unforgiveness, mercilessness, sin and will be abolished through this type of death to the old self & lower nature. When this happens, he will no longer be enslaved to the sinful disobedient nature.
And when we begin to tie this all together we truly can relate to it. See towards the end of Jonah’s story he becomes angry and displeased with the Gods mercy towards Nineveh. This aspect makes me think of how it doesn’t end with Jonah being completely transformed, but instead, still wrestling with his old self, and old mind set. Much like us who still struggle with the old self, the unrenewed mind, and therefore we fall and get back up repeatedly in this life, being as though we are not yet made perfect, just as Jonah was not. So, while all of Roman 6:4-6 is fitting for the story and Sign of Jonah, what is also fitting is this generation, who like Jonah, stumbles in sin, wrestles with the flesh, wars with the old man, battles with the old mindset, and strives to resist the lower nature; the flesh.
The Magic Formula of Gods Green Light
In this investigation of the “Sign of Jonah” we will continue to dig further and unearth its revelations. With that being said, I noticed that before Jonah is come back to life when he is “vomited out of the whale”, he does a few things in sequence, that is a revelation of a formula with God, that gets His attention, brings a deliverance, and like a map leads us to salvation. So, it is important to note that in Jonah 2:2, Jonah starts out by saying “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me.”
Children of God know something about crying out to the Lord, because when you cry out to the Lord, He does answer and it is typically associated with a form of repentance and surrendering which is Gods green light to come into your situation. It is also a fulfillment of the word in Psalm 18:6 “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple, he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. This scripture reveals to us that when we cry out to God he hears, even from the most hidden place, even in the depths of the earth He will hear and He will save us. Isn’t that where we end up finding Jonah? In the depths of the earth with her bars surrounding him (Jonah 2:6).
Let the Word continue to speak for itself here:
Psalm 71:20
Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.
Psalm 139:8
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
In Jonah 2:9 Jonah says “Salvation is of the Lord” right before he is spit out of the fish onto dry land. I can right away see an allegorical reference to the Salvation brought to the people in the bowels of the earth (Sheol, where Jonah found himself and cried out and received salvation) when Jesus died, and like Jonah descended into the pit of the earth (Matthew 12:40, 1 Peter 3:19). But when Jesus descended he had the keys to death, hell, and the grave, and He gave the gospel to the dead in the earth and brought salvation to them, setting free the Patriarchs and other lost souls (1 Peter 3:18-20).
It is amazing to recognize this fulfillment of scriptures, because again, Jesus is giving the Jews a right- on declaration as to no other sign than the “Sign of Jonah” due to its highly symbolic associations and revelations.
1 Peter 3:18-21
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few that is, 8 persons, were brought safely through water.
Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…
*Because this article is exhaustive in content, I have chosen to break it up into 3 parts. Please click on Pt. 2 of the article to continue reading, and thank you for sharing in the learning of this knowledge with me!
[the-post-grid id=”287″ title=”Post Seven”]