Matthew 16:1-4 NKJV — Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; “and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. “A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.
Somehow we keep getting it wrong. It doesn’t matter what the media, the politicians, coaches, doctors and whomever else you can think of say…we keep asking for a sign. If we read the passage given at the beginning of this article we find that people are always looking for a reason for why things or events are happening around them. Why does chaos rule the day? We long for the “good ol’ days” but revisionists say that those “days” were filled with hate, corruption and racism. In all nations of the world you will find that nothing’s ever perfect. We turn on the TV and what do we see?
File / Archive
Hate, corruption and racism. The sins of the “good ol’ days” are still with us today. No matter where we turn, there it is. What is good is now called bad and what is called bad is now called good. The world has gone backwards but are we to blame for all this confusion? Have we gone past the point of no return? It seems that we have found ourselves living that old cliché, “as long as we’re still breathing there’s a chance.”
But is that chance slipping away?
Jesus said to the Pharisees and the Sadducees,
Matthew 16:4 NKJV — “A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.
But what did He mean by “the sign of the prophet Jonah?” What did God say to Jonah? Could this be a message for us?
Jonah 1:1-2 NKJV — Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”
The reconstructed Mashki Gate of Nineveh – Courtesy of AP
Jerusalem and Nineveh had a lot of parallels, especially on the political front. What the Pharisees and the Sadducees could not discern was the coming downfall of Israel if they could not receive what Jesus was presenting them. God had given a message for Jonah to give to Nineveh. The message could be the same for Washington D.C. and the United States. What was Nineveh in the time of Jonah?
Nineveh Shown within Iraq
Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located on the outskirts of Mosul in modern-day northern Iraq. It was located on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, and was the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. It was the largest city in the world for some fifty years until the year 612 BC when, after a bitter period of civil war in Assyria, it was sacked by a coalition of its former subject peoples, the Babylonians, Medes, Chaldeans, Persians, Scythians and Cimmerians. Nineveh’s ruins are across the river from the modern-day major city of Mosul, in Iraq’s Nineveh Governorate.
Jonah On the Shoreline – File / Archive
After running away and three days in the belly of a big fish Jonah delivered God’s message to the king and the people of Nineveh and they repented from their wickedness. At first, Jonah was not happy with God’s mercy but soon relented;
Jonah 4:2 NKJV — So he prayed to the LORD, and said, “Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.
Many Christian leaders believe that the United States and our leaders in Washington D.C. are in the same position as Nineveh. Embracing lawlessness, false doctrines and immoral behavior has not escaped God’s attention. There are many preachers and teachers of the Word of God that have brought the same message but for some reason the warning has been ignored. Nineveh may have repented but over time it still fell victim to its own excesses and from within, the city and the king lost their power and influence. With the fight over open borders, citizenship and climate change, our priorities are focused on selfishness and power instead of love and generosity.
James 3:13-18 NKJV — Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
The sign we’re looking for is a sign of self recognition. “It’s me you need to pay attention to!!” Get a social media site then all of a sudden the world is your playground. Too many people are telling you what you should be doing. They lie and want you to believe that they are telling you the truth. The problem they have is that the truth is the last thing they are interested in. If we follow the path of the globalists and accept their ideals then we are falling in the trap that Satan has set. The Anti-Christ will be in control before we realize it and by then it’ll be too late.
Don’t get lost in the rhetoric of fools. Ignorance of the Word of God is not an excuse for a sinful life, especially when the Gospel of Jesus Christ is freely available around the world. The time is now! Take a stance for God. Reach out to those who need Jesus and continuously pray that our direction will change and grow closer to God. The forecast doesn’t look promising but soon the Son will return in His glory.
John 8:28-32 NKJV — Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. “And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
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