Receive the Sign of Jonah

“...the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” -John 12:48B.

We've already revealed the truth about Easter in past blogs; how the Bible never directs us to observe Jesus' birth, or resurrection, but only His death for our sins through the occasional sacrament of communion. We've seen how Easter was in place long before Jesus' time in the flesh, and celebrated Spring, reproduction (rabbits, eggs), and the mother goddess of earth. These generalities won't be gone over again here.

But if Easter is a worldly pollution and not of God, we can expect LIES to accompany it. One really, really bad lie attached to Easter regards the observance of Good Friday, celebrated as the day Jesus died on the cross. I do hope we will praise God continually for this unspeakable gift! And yet we will account to God for all of our words (Matthew 12:36,37), and LIES cannot honor Him, and they won't be a part of His eternal, heavenly kingdom.

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” -John 4:24.

“And there shall in no wise enter into it (New Jerusalem) any thing that...maketh a lie:..” -from Revelation 21:27. (New Jerusalem) was added for clarity.

Surely, there are at least some that question the validity of Good Friday! It is well known that Jesus was in the grave for 3 days, but from late Friday afternoon until early Sunday morning is more like 1.5 days, and certainly less than 2! In a quick count, I saw 13 times Jesus said directly that He would be counted as dead for 3 days, then rise again.

Yet there is one, prime mention of the 3 days found in Matthew 12:40, here with verses 38-41;

“Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 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: 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. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.”

When the Jewish leaders asked Jesus for a sign, He replied that no sign would be given except that of Jonah; and as Jonah was 3 days & nights in the whale's belly, so He (Jesus) would be 3 days & nights in the heart of the earth. This is more than a dispute about the number of days, Jesus said this was His sign that testified of Him for the redemption and judgment He would bring to the world-just as Jonah brought it to Nineveh, as included in verse 41.

Brethren, if Good Friday were true, then Jesus lied to us, and never gave us His promised sign! Thankfully, our God doesn't lie, and we have additional support from the Bible for the 3 day sign;

Matthew; 12:40, 16:21, 17:23, 20:19, 27:63. Mark; 8:31, 9:31, 10:34,

Luke; 9:22, 18:33, 24:7,46. John; 2:19-21.

Jesus was crucified on the Passover, which falls on the 14^th day of the Jewish month Nisan, and some have traced it back to a Wednesday the year Jesus was killed. The day after Passover is a day of rest known as the High Sabbath; instructed in both Leviticus 23:5-7, and Numbers 28:16-18, and mentioned in John 19:31;

“The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.” Bold type added to emphasize High Sabbath.

We know that Sunday is the beginning of the week, starting Saturday evening 6p.m. as the Jews account days, so from Wednesday afternoon to Saturday afternoon were the 3 days Jesus promised. But why observe a Good Friday, and should it matter?

Good Friday may have begun by confusing the High Sabbath with a regular Sabbath, which goes from Friday 6p.m. to Saturday 6p.m; but why would John 19:31 refer to the Sabbath in a special way unless it differed from regular Sabbaths? This might be an excusable mistake for your average layman, but NOT for any reasonable Bible scholar over these many centuries.

And there should be no doubt that it matters, for we rely on scripture to be true, and salvation comes through these accounts, taken to be given from God. Jesus' presence in the grave for 3 days is a foundation for who He is, and our need to repent; just as Jonah's time in the whale was a foundation of preaching for Nineveh's repentance.

But I think what matters most is that we need to trust God's Word by faith, and not give in to traditions of men that contradict it (Mark 7:9). Jesus declared that we need EVERY Word of God, and if we act unjustly with that which is least, it will grow into being unjust with much more.

“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” -Matthew 4:4.

“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” -Luke 16:10.

“Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” -1 Corinthians 5:6,7.

The Bible identifies that people of this age will have a form of godliness which actually denies Him (2 Timothy 3:5), and from such we should turn away. The real question is whether or not we will stand up for the truth at this late point in history, “swimming against the tide,” as it were. We truly live in a time of lying deceptions, a time that's even overtaken the body of Christ.

Taking a stand over this sign of Jonah issue is one key way you can begin to act against bad practices that have crept in, and to actively realize there IS a cost for being a Christian. Embrace the Word of God as true, and prayerfully look into this matter more deeply for yourself.

“For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.” -Acts 20:29-31.

Here is a link to the YouTube Short that I also did on this subject  https://youtube.com/shorts/8uYYUJdKXMo.