Jesus was ever dutiful Son who would while hanging on the cross entrusted the care of his mother to John, "When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!/Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home."( John 19:26-27). By literal approach how false teachers consistently strip passages of their pith and serve the husks instead. This is one example. Covenant between God and Man entrusts man with His creation and does he care?
God had prepared a worm as he a great fish to instruct Prophet Jonah. At the end of the book He tells Jonah,"And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?"( Jonah 4:11) Family of man is incomplete without this same care for His creation. The Four beasts in heaven is a memorial.
Pilgrims in 1630 settled in the Americas to make a New Canaan. However it was like sewing old garment to the new in the manner the divine Will was shortchanged. Salt crystal is made up of chlorine and sodium which by themselves have their distinctive characteristics. Sodium is metal, and corrosive while chlorine is a gas and poisonous. How billions of these atoms are precisely arranged by force keeping the formation gives the table salt its savor. In the manner culture wars have dogged the country tells making a family or nation without fulfilling the will of the Father is a non-starter. "And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles."(2:22)
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Matthew 24:14
We are living in a time where an understanding of the nature of the True Gospel and the character of the Day in which we are living could not be more urgent. ZionInTravail provides a Biblical view regarding these fundamental questions and is dedicated to serving Christ in the ministry of the True Gospel to all mankind regardless of age, sex, nationality, or economic status.
They hold that God is saving his elect today from every corner of the world, using sources which are completely non-affiliated with any church or religious institution. They use every possible resource at their disposal to get the True Gospel out into the world, whether via internet, radio, or printed tracts. They teach that as Christians our highest priority is to love our fellow man, and the greatest expression of love that we can have is that of sharing the True Gospel with our fellow man. Their main focus is to serve those who may have very little understanding of the Bible, like the 120,000 Ninevites who believed God in Jonah chapters 3 and 4, and who shall rise in judgment and condemn this generation ( Jonah 4:11; Matthew 12:41).
They are currently ministering in Africa in the countries of Ghana, Lesotho, Botswana, South Africa, and Tanzania. In the nation of China, they are engaged in developing videos to be aired on social media platforms in that country. They have a shortwave facility in Florida and are airing programs in English and Spanish to six different regions of the world.
"And the evening and the morning were the fifth day."
While we are considering 7 days (or for clarity sake let us put these as articles instead, breaking up the everlasting contract between God and Man. What is the creation account then: We have the rationale and this verse explains,"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.") God blessed the association of marine and land animals with with man to which we shall come anon.(Ge.1:28)
Adam as a steward is on a firmer ground since he is a stand in for the Son. The emblem of the slain Lamb establishes credentials of the Lamb of God who as the Son of man came from the loins of King David. Prophet Jeremiah had predicted "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast."(Je.31:27) The word of God had created a continuity in the Law of Moses to this emblem so the remnant of the nation of israel shall be acceptable,'I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts" (He.8:10). It is not without reason that the throne in the eternity is known as the Throne of God and of the Lamb. This association stands as a sign for 'the pleasure of His Will'. God blessed all His creation in his Son. The four beasts as memorial in heaven is another.
In the Law of Moses five signifies this association.(Ex.22:1) If one steals the ox of another he gives five oxen by way of making amends . The rationale is that a man and the beast which is his livelihood is considered as one. At the end of the Book of Jonah we have this line, "And should not I spare Nineveh; and also much cattle?"( Jonah 4:11)
Number Four is a command number for the Word become flesh; Number Five commemorates the glory of God in his creative faith supplied everything needful for life and godliness
It seems hard to fathom why the Lord would call and commission Job when; knowing all things He would have expected him to take such an aversive action of going in the other direction; then when he finally obeyed the commission after dying or nearly dying in the body of the fish he still was upset that the large city repented of Nineveh.
What is equally interesting and often flies off the radar is God's concern for the huge population of heathen who; according to historians oppressed Israel and eventually God destroyed as seen in Nahum. Other than individual rulers such as the case of Nebuchadnezzar under Daniel or perhaps healing of Naaman the Syrian we don't see such an evangelistic campaign anywhere else before the New Testament. Jonah 4:10 shows God's concern contrasted with the vine which was Jonah's sole comfort being taken away.
What we do see here also is how those called and chosen by God are hunted down; I like to refer to it as the hounds of heaven.
We do see with Jonah's message it was for repentance; there was the obvious fear of God of the Hebrews as evidenced by the men who cast him into the sea; and no reluctance as was seen with Pharoah in the case of Moses. The ruler himself put on sackcloth and declared no man or beast was to eat or drink. ( Jonah 3:5). It is hard to conceive that they would have all ceased from food or water for 40 days including animals without a huge casualty rate; surely if they survived that it would be a miracle.
It seems plausable that God relented well before the 40 days were up under those circumstances; or the ruler implied a shorter fast; but if Jonah declared that it was not mentioned. He was sitting around to "see what would happen"; after he declared the city's destruction in 40 days.
Think about it; there were 120000 saved; certainly genuine repentance among some or God wouldn't have relented. How Job could have been disappointed is hard to fathom.
Hi GiGi. Thanks for your question; an important one, though unsure how well it can be answered. This is one that I've given much thought to in the past & even till now, I feel I haven't been able to properly grasp its full implications.
Put succinctly, I would define it as follows: Mercy is one of God's Attributes, just as Holiness, Truth, Wisdom, Power, etc. are; and Grace is what flows from His Attribute of Mercy, & we as His creation, are the recipients of it. Or, in other words, we could never know experientially God's Mercy if we did not receive it as Grace afforded us.
When we read that God is "a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil" ( Jonah 4:2), we understand that Jonah, in spite of his anger against the LORD for saving Nineveh, he also knew that God was a gracious & merciful God and would be so to him even when he disobediently fled to Tarshish.
I read this verse as Jonah's view & understanding of God's Character: that God was altogether gracious, merciful, patient, kind, & just; but to receive such blessings, they had to emanate from a God Who is a merciful God, and His Mercy would consistently prevail until the need for a warranted immutable justice be delivered by Him.
As Lamentations 3:22 reads, "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not". Both the believer & unbeliever are alive today because a merciful God continues to extend His Mercy to us. This we receive as His Grace (Gk. charis) to live, function & enjoy life that He gives us. But when the day comes when His Mercy is no longer extended to humanity, Grace ceases & His Wrath & Judgement are poured out.
I'd be interested to read how others understand God's Mercy & Grace.
Concerned4TheMisinformed - In Reply on Jonah 4 - 2 years ago
I pray you are joking! Harry Potter is a very good example of evil being seen as good bringing us one step closer to The End Times. All you need is the Bible. Think of it this way. Bible= B asic
Johannes, Your friend is steering you the wrong way. Anakin was in Star Wars, not Harry Potter. Star Wars teaches false belief about God. Harry Potter is full of witchcraft and sorcery. Stay clear of anything that promotes, glorifies, or instructs in occultic practices that the Bible prohibits.
Read the Gospels in the Bible to learn about Jesus, and only read the Bible concerning Him. You will find in Him the answer to our greatest and deepest need-that of being saved from our sin and wrongdoings.
Who is this Jesus/ God character? I have been trying to read up on the Bible and it's characters, and a friend of mine told me that I have to read Harry Potter before reading the Bible because Anakin Skywalker from Harry Potter is one of the 27 disciples of Jesus from the Bible. Is this true?? I cant seem to find any evidence of it. Any help is appreciated.
Hi Diana. Daniel has shared some very good thoughts with you & special Scriptures for you to read & rest upon. But I just share a little to further encourage you, assuring you that you are not alone in your struggles.
Clearly, you love the Lord Who ransomed you & you want to live for Him to please Him; you are His witness right there at school, right there among the believing & unbelieving friends that you have. In every situation in life, and you will see many more of them as to grow older, we must always understand that the Lord has placed His children in a particular place, at a particular time, for a particular purpose. We are not remote islands in the middle of the ocean, but vital members of His Body (the Church) engaging with the people of the world that He has made & loves. If you get despondent at times because of the volume of animosity against you, remember the One Who is greater (living) in you than the miserable one having his wicked grip on those ignorantly following his leading.
We should never feel sad or sorry for our lot in life, rather pity those who have nothing of eternal value in them, glibly pursuing fleshly lusts & wisdom. You will always stand out as God's Light, His beacon, exposing the thoughts & actions of those living in darkness. Remember John 1:5, "And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not": Jesus has given you His Light - to be His Light in the midst of darkness - and that darkness (in the unbelieving) could not "seize or overtake" that Light. That Light will always shine in its full strength - no darkness can ever extinguish it no matter how hard it tries. The Light will always be a testimony against their dark thoughts & deeds & we can only pray that some Light will filter through to some of them, revealing the state of their darkness.
Be strong dear one, encourage yourself in the Lord (as David did when things weren't going too good for him), & pursue the friendship of those in the faith.
It's difficult and I know many here like myself have passed beyond teenage many years (decades) ago; some forget how challenging it was to be saved as a teenager, especially in the public schools where even some schools forbid prayer, Bibles and prayer meetings. However, to be a light to those unsaved in your youth -- keep your testimony blameless before them. It's easy to get angry and to make the unsaved feel excluded. However, you have a great opportunity to be a witness to those around you. Even if you had a Bible study with a group of 20 students and only one listens to you; that's a big number for God.
What about if they try to tempt you or distract you from walking in your Faith? The Word of God has advice on that and it's very firm:
2 Corinthians 6: 14 & 15
"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?"
Persecution will come but it came to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior too...
John 15:17-21
"These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me."
Some will tell you "God loves everyone." God does love all His Creation but He also wants them to be saved. Many say that to cover up a hidden message that God loves sin. No...God hates sin but loves the sinner.
Be strong in your Faith and a witness toward the lost youth. Amen.
How does a teenage girl deal with controversy and tribulation? At times I feel so alone with challenges. I.E. gay students saying nothing wrong with being gay! I feel my Christian belief, my love of Jesus my Saviour is used by so called friends against me. I recently lost two close friends for stupid jealousy. Praise the Lord Jesus!! Thank You. Whomever you are keep looking up, Jesus is coming back.
7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.
8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.
10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
No. Jonah did not go to hell. Scripture says he'll is empty. All people who die (wherever that happened);
their grave is where the body or remains are.
They are as the Bible says: SLEEPING.
Jonah was not happy to be called to deliver a message from God. Disgruntled, he was taken on a cruise in the belly of a whale; so he could rethink his objections
The whale vomits him in the beach. He's bleached white from the gastric liquids of the whale. He has seaweed all over & some other stuff :/
A Ninevite fisherman sees this horror and Jonah says REPENT. He continues to Nineveh and delivers Gods message. They repented from top to bottom: people, donkeys, cats, dogs. They all got saved.
Jonah goes back out to the beach and proceeds to grumble to himself under a shrub. While he's asleep, God in his kindness makes leaves grow on the shrub to shade Noah.
It makes me think of the Book of Jeremiah (the weeping prophet), when he spoke of the heart of God to those stubborn non-repentant Israelites. It makes me cry.
I love stories even better where you can see the merciful heart of God.
I don't see anything that would have me to believe that Jonah went to Hell. Here's what I get out of that passage and how it might relate to us today. What I see is that God has a will and a purpose for everything He does. He told Jonah to go to Nineveh. You see, God had a purpose for Jonah. But what did Jonah do? He said, (and I am paraphrasing here), "I'm not going to Nineveh, I'm going the opposite direction. It was God's will that Jonah go to Nineveh and since it was God's will and Jonah went against it, Jonah ended up being spit out of the mouth of a great fish. Guess where Jonah ended up? Right there on the shore of Nineveh.
You see, it's the same for us today. Whatever God's will is for us, whatever God wants us to do, He will make it happen one way or another. We cannot fight against God's will and expect to win that battle!
Hello, welcome to the Discussion & Questions section of this website.
Many of us here volunteer here because we love GOD & love HIS people, whom HE created.
Like Adam said be careful about listening to opinion. This is such a difficult topic, emotionally, spiritually, morally etc. This issue effects society, families, individuals.
1st let's address the effects = Loss to their family, loved ones, friends, community & even the World. Loss of what that person would have accomplished, & what that would have attributed to each mentioned. 1Corinthians 12, Psalms 139,
2nd, What that leaves behind = confusion, sadness, undue feelings of guilt, grief, helpless feelings to those dear & close to the person & then effecting all around them, even extended to people that looked at that person as an example, children nearby, jobs, everyone & everything left, all effected 2Corinthians 3:2, 1Timothy 4:12,
3rd root causes = pain, abuse, sometimes just selfishness, etc. But we are not without hope, Romans 8, (whole chapter)
Wow I(was/am) much like Jonah. Grew up spoiled and felt entitled to things without working for them like this chapter. How ungrateful we are sometimes and don't even see it.
Scott, you shared great insights to the Mind of God & the carnal mind of man (Israel). And a great challenge to us, to personal introspection of our thoughts & motives resulting of the Work of the Cross in our lives.
No one is outside the bounds of God's Love & Mercy & we need to have that always before us as we look at others, seeing them & understanding them as God does. Not always easy to do as our eyes & minds sometimes get clouded, but the Spirit speaks expressly & clearly in every facet of our lives. Thank you again for that worthy & timely message.
Jonah 4:2 reveals the prophet's knowledge of God and His character of mercy and compassion. He knew God so well, but refused to be like Him. God's desire for Israel was to use them to display the glory of God and draw the world to God. Instead, Jonah exemplifies Israel's arrogance in claiming "those people" are undeserving of the grace extended to themselves from a loving God.
This attitude resulted in the religious leaders of Christ's day putting Him on a cross, rejecting His message of salvation. Their sinful response provided for our salvation and the creation of the church, Christ's bride. Now we are to be "one" with Christ and display His compassion and mercy while speaking to all people's of His love and forgiveness available to them through Calvary. His church - meaning each Christian - is commissioned to make disciples, and commanded to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily.
Do I really believe God is full of mercy and compassion? What I do with God's message of forgiveness and mercy through offering Jesus Christ's salvation and calling for sinners to repent = the answer to that question.
In chapter 1 Jonah never prays to God, but tries to run away. As we understand God's call for us to give the gospel to the world, prayer for wisdom, power, and love for sinners should be our "first priority". Jonah also teaches me to understand anytime I think of some one or people group as "those people", I need to humble myself and realize we are all "one people" in God's eyes. No one is more undeserving of God's love than I am. The fact that He brought the knowledge of the gospel to me is proof He can save anyone who repents of sin and takes Christ as Lord and Saviour. Amen!
Apparently Jonah did not want to even warn the people of Ninevah. He wanted them to be destroyed. Perhaps they were doing things so detestable, so disgusting and revolting when the Lord told him to go preach to them he went the other way. You know the story, Jonah did preach to the people and from the King on down they believed and repented and the Lord withheld his judgment. Jonah on the other had was angry, because he wanted them to die. You see the Lords response to Jonah's attitude. This should give all people hope, our Lord loves mankind and is rich in mercy, we all have a chance. If we repent and believe.
I think that answer may have only been more confusing, lol. But I see where you went, and I appreciate the comment. I did wonder why they mentioned the cattle. I will have to look into how they took census back then. I find this interesting. Thank you.
Lisa, you have that figure correct at 120,000. But if you read the verse fully, you will see that that figure applies to those "who cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand" So this figure of 120K, refers to the immature ones of the population, i.e. young children.
That being the case, then it's very likely that those other numbers you've seen, 600K plus, would refer to the rest of the population of Nineveh. So, the differing numbers you noted, are just people's guesses as to what Nineveh's population might have been at that time. So, I hope you are clear on this. And don't forget the "much cattle"! They're important too, as if Jonah didn't go to preach repentance to them, not only the people but also innocent children & innocent cattle would have been destroyed.
In Jonah 4:11, It says there were more than sixscore thousand saved. That is 120,000. I heard a song with a Billy Graham excerpt where he states it was the greatest revival in history, over 600,000 were saved. In my search for where this number came from, I have seen a few sites that use numbers similar. Some say 100,000 to 600,000. I even saw one that said there were anywhere from 600,000 to 1,000,000. Does anyone know where these numbers come from? If it were more than 140,000, wouldn't it have said more than seven score? Is there another scripture that gives evidence there were anywhere near 600,000?
Jesus was ever dutiful Son who would while hanging on the cross entrusted the care of his mother to John, "When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!/Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home."( John 19:26-27). By literal approach how false teachers consistently strip passages of their pith and serve the husks instead. This is one example. Covenant between God and Man entrusts man with His creation and does he care?
God had prepared a worm as he a great fish to instruct Prophet Jonah. At the end of the book He tells Jonah,"And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?"( Jonah 4:11) Family of man is incomplete without this same care for His creation. The Four beasts in heaven is a memorial.
Pilgrims in 1630 settled in the Americas to make a New Canaan. However it was like sewing old garment to the new in the manner the divine Will was shortchanged. Salt crystal is made up of chlorine and sodium which by themselves have their distinctive characteristics. Sodium is metal, and corrosive while chlorine is a gas and poisonous. How billions of these atoms are precisely arranged by force keeping the formation gives the table salt its savor. In the manner culture wars have dogged the country tells making a family or nation without fulfilling the will of the Father is a non-starter. "And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles."(2:22)
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Matthew 24:14
We are living in a time where an understanding of the nature of the True Gospel and the character of the Day in which we are living could not be more urgent. ZionInTravail provides a Biblical view regarding these fundamental questions and is dedicated to serving Christ in the ministry of the True Gospel to all mankind regardless of age, sex, nationality, or economic status.
They hold that God is saving his elect today from every corner of the world, using sources which are completely non-affiliated with any church or religious institution. They use every possible resource at their disposal to get the True Gospel out into the world, whether via internet, radio, or printed tracts. They teach that as Christians our highest priority is to love our fellow man, and the greatest expression of love that we can have is that of sharing the True Gospel with our fellow man. Their main focus is to serve those who may have very little understanding of the Bible, like the 120,000 Ninevites who believed God in Jonah chapters 3 and 4, and who shall rise in judgment and condemn this generation ( Jonah 4:11; Matthew 12:41).
They are currently ministering in Africa in the countries of Ghana, Lesotho, Botswana, South Africa, and Tanzania. In the nation of China, they are engaged in developing videos to be aired on social media platforms in that country. They have a shortwave facility in Florida and are airing programs in English and Spanish to six different regions of the world.
"And the evening and the morning were the fifth day."
While we are considering 7 days (or for clarity sake let us put these as articles instead, breaking up the everlasting contract between God and Man. What is the creation account then: We have the rationale and this verse explains,"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.") God blessed the association of marine and land animals with with man to which we shall come anon.(Ge.1:28)
Adam as a steward is on a firmer ground since he is a stand in for the Son. The emblem of the slain Lamb establishes credentials of the Lamb of God who as the Son of man came from the loins of King David. Prophet Jeremiah had predicted "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast."(Je.31:27) The word of God had created a continuity in the Law of Moses to this emblem so the remnant of the nation of israel shall be acceptable,'I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts" (He.8:10). It is not without reason that the throne in the eternity is known as the Throne of God and of the Lamb. This association stands as a sign for 'the pleasure of His Will'. God blessed all His creation in his Son. The four beasts as memorial in heaven is another.
In the Law of Moses five signifies this association.(Ex.22:1) If one steals the ox of another he gives five oxen by way of making amends . The rationale is that a man and the beast which is his livelihood is considered as one. At the end of the Book of Jonah we have this line, "And should not I spare Nineveh; and also much cattle?"( Jonah 4:11)
Number Four is a command number for the Word become flesh; Number Five commemorates the glory of God in his creative faith supplied everything needful for life and godliness
no offense was taken, thank you for your kind words just the same.
Jonah 4:11
God does care for all His creatures.
It seems hard to fathom why the Lord would call and commission Job when; knowing all things He would have expected him to take such an aversive action of going in the other direction; then when he finally obeyed the commission after dying or nearly dying in the body of the fish he still was upset that the large city repented of Nineveh.
What is equally interesting and often flies off the radar is God's concern for the huge population of heathen who; according to historians oppressed Israel and eventually God destroyed as seen in Nahum. Other than individual rulers such as the case of Nebuchadnezzar under Daniel or perhaps healing of Naaman the Syrian we don't see such an evangelistic campaign anywhere else before the New Testament. Jonah 4:10 shows God's concern contrasted with the vine which was Jonah's sole comfort being taken away.
What we do see here also is how those called and chosen by God are hunted down; I like to refer to it as the hounds of heaven.
We do see with Jonah's message it was for repentance; there was the obvious fear of God of the Hebrews as evidenced by the men who cast him into the sea; and no reluctance as was seen with Pharoah in the case of Moses. The ruler himself put on sackcloth and declared no man or beast was to eat or drink. ( Jonah 3:5). It is hard to conceive that they would have all ceased from food or water for 40 days including animals without a huge casualty rate; surely if they survived that it would be a miracle.
It seems plausable that God relented well before the 40 days were up under those circumstances; or the ruler implied a shorter fast; but if Jonah declared that it was not mentioned. He was sitting around to "see what would happen"; after he declared the city's destruction in 40 days.
Think about it; there were 120000 saved; certainly genuine repentance among some or God wouldn't have relented. How Job could have been disappointed is hard to fathom.
Put succinctly, I would define it as follows: Mercy is one of God's Attributes, just as Holiness, Truth, Wisdom, Power, etc. are; and Grace is what flows from His Attribute of Mercy, & we as His creation, are the recipients of it. Or, in other words, we could never know experientially God's Mercy if we did not receive it as Grace afforded us.
When we read that God is "a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil" ( Jonah 4:2), we understand that Jonah, in spite of his anger against the LORD for saving Nineveh, he also knew that God was a gracious & merciful God and would be so to him even when he disobediently fled to Tarshish.
I read this verse as Jonah's view & understanding of God's Character: that God was altogether gracious, merciful, patient, kind, & just; but to receive such blessings, they had to emanate from a God Who is a merciful God, and His Mercy would consistently prevail until the need for a warranted immutable justice be delivered by Him.
As Lamentations 3:22 reads, "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not". Both the believer & unbeliever are alive today because a merciful God continues to extend His Mercy to us. This we receive as His Grace (Gk. charis) to live, function & enjoy life that He gives us. But when the day comes when His Mercy is no longer extended to humanity, Grace ceases & His Wrath & Judgement are poured out.
I'd be interested to read how others understand God's Mercy & Grace.
I nstructions
B efore
L eaving
E arth
Read the Gospels in the Bible to learn about Jesus, and only read the Bible concerning Him. You will find in Him the answer to our greatest and deepest need-that of being saved from our sin and wrongdoings.
If you want to know who Jesus is start with: Matthew 1:1, Mark 1:1, Luke 1:1, John 1:1, & read through each chapter.
Hopefully you find that helpful.
Clearly, you love the Lord Who ransomed you & you want to live for Him to please Him; you are His witness right there at school, right there among the believing & unbelieving friends that you have. In every situation in life, and you will see many more of them as to grow older, we must always understand that the Lord has placed His children in a particular place, at a particular time, for a particular purpose. We are not remote islands in the middle of the ocean, but vital members of His Body (the Church) engaging with the people of the world that He has made & loves. If you get despondent at times because of the volume of animosity against you, remember the One Who is greater (living) in you than the miserable one having his wicked grip on those ignorantly following his leading.
We should never feel sad or sorry for our lot in life, rather pity those who have nothing of eternal value in them, glibly pursuing fleshly lusts & wisdom. You will always stand out as God's Light, His beacon, exposing the thoughts & actions of those living in darkness. Remember John 1:5, "And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not": Jesus has given you His Light - to be His Light in the midst of darkness - and that darkness (in the unbelieving) could not "seize or overtake" that Light. That Light will always shine in its full strength - no darkness can ever extinguish it no matter how hard it tries. The Light will always be a testimony against their dark thoughts & deeds & we can only pray that some Light will filter through to some of them, revealing the state of their darkness.
Be strong dear one, encourage yourself in the Lord (as David did when things weren't going too good for him), & pursue the friendship of those in the faith.
What about if they try to tempt you or distract you from walking in your Faith? The Word of God has advice on that and it's very firm:
2 Corinthians 6: 14 & 15
"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?"
Persecution will come but it came to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior too...
John 15:17-21
"These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me."
Some will tell you "God loves everyone." God does love all His Creation but He also wants them to be saved. Many say that to cover up a hidden message that God loves sin. No...God hates sin but loves the sinner.
Be strong in your Faith and a witness toward the lost youth. Amen.
7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.
8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.
10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
No. Jonah did not go to hell. Scripture says he'll is empty. All people who die (wherever that happened);
their grave is where the body or remains are.
They are as the Bible says: SLEEPING.
Jonah was not happy to be called to deliver a message from God. Disgruntled, he was taken on a cruise in the belly of a whale; so he could rethink his objections
The whale vomits him in the beach. He's bleached white from the gastric liquids of the whale. He has seaweed all over & some other stuff :/
A Ninevite fisherman sees this horror and Jonah says REPENT. He continues to Nineveh and delivers Gods message. They repented from top to bottom: people, donkeys, cats, dogs. They all got saved.
Jonah goes back out to the beach and proceeds to grumble to himself under a shrub. While he's asleep, God in his kindness makes leaves grow on the shrub to shade Noah.
It makes me think of the Book of Jeremiah (the weeping prophet), when he spoke of the heart of God to those stubborn non-repentant Israelites. It makes me cry.
I love stories even better where you can see the merciful heart of God.
I don't see anything that would have me to believe that Jonah went to Hell. Here's what I get out of that passage and how it might relate to us today. What I see is that God has a will and a purpose for everything He does. He told Jonah to go to Nineveh. You see, God had a purpose for Jonah. But what did Jonah do? He said, (and I am paraphrasing here), "I'm not going to Nineveh, I'm going the opposite direction. It was God's will that Jonah go to Nineveh and since it was God's will and Jonah went against it, Jonah ended up being spit out of the mouth of a great fish. Guess where Jonah ended up? Right there on the shore of Nineveh.
You see, it's the same for us today. Whatever God's will is for us, whatever God wants us to do, He will make it happen one way or another. We cannot fight against God's will and expect to win that battle!
Hello, welcome to the Discussion & Questions section of this website.
Many of us here volunteer here because we love GOD & love HIS people, whom HE created.
Like Adam said be careful about listening to opinion. This is such a difficult topic, emotionally, spiritually, morally etc. This issue effects society, families, individuals.
1st let's address the effects = Loss to their family, loved ones, friends, community & even the World. Loss of what that person would have accomplished, & what that would have attributed to each mentioned. 1Corinthians 12, Psalms 139,
2nd, What that leaves behind = confusion, sadness, undue feelings of guilt, grief, helpless feelings to those dear & close to the person & then effecting all around them, even extended to people that looked at that person as an example, children nearby, jobs, everyone & everything left, all effected 2Corinthians 3:2, 1Timothy 4:12,
3rd root causes = pain, abuse, sometimes just selfishness, etc. But we are not without hope, Romans 8, (whole chapter)
Hope = Hebrews 4:8-16, Romans 5:1-21, Romans 15:4,13, Galatians 5:5, Colossians 1:23,
Strength to endure = James 5:10, Romans 12:12,
Comfort = 2Corinthians 1:2-4,
Purpose = Ephesians 1:17-19,
People that went through feelings of that but made it through = 2Corinthians 1, Job 7:15, Jonah 4:9, Matthew 26:38,
Direction = Proverbs 2, Proverbs 8, Proverbs 10:2, Proverbs 24:10-12, Hebrews 4:15-16,
Disobedience to GOD = Psalms 68:20, Ezekiel 18:32, Ezekiel 33:11, Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17,
Hopefully these are helpful
No one is outside the bounds of God's Love & Mercy & we need to have that always before us as we look at others, seeing them & understanding them as God does. Not always easy to do as our eyes & minds sometimes get clouded, but the Spirit speaks expressly & clearly in every facet of our lives. Thank you again for that worthy & timely message.
This attitude resulted in the religious leaders of Christ's day putting Him on a cross, rejecting His message of salvation. Their sinful response provided for our salvation and the creation of the church, Christ's bride. Now we are to be "one" with Christ and display His compassion and mercy while speaking to all people's of His love and forgiveness available to them through Calvary. His church - meaning each Christian - is commissioned to make disciples, and commanded to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily.
Do I really believe God is full of mercy and compassion? What I do with God's message of forgiveness and mercy through offering Jesus Christ's salvation and calling for sinners to repent = the answer to that question.
In chapter 1 Jonah never prays to God, but tries to run away. As we understand God's call for us to give the gospel to the world, prayer for wisdom, power, and love for sinners should be our "first priority". Jonah also teaches me to understand anytime I think of some one or people group as "those people", I need to humble myself and realize we are all "one people" in God's eyes. No one is more undeserving of God's love than I am. The fact that He brought the knowledge of the gospel to me is proof He can save anyone who repents of sin and takes Christ as Lord and Saviour. Amen!
GOD told jonah that ..he had pity on the gourd ,what he did not labour for or plant and also he did not knw how it grows,...
and that was a clear message to jonah ....
That being the case, then it's very likely that those other numbers you've seen, 600K plus, would refer to the rest of the population of Nineveh. So, the differing numbers you noted, are just people's guesses as to what Nineveh's population might have been at that time. So, I hope you are clear on this. And don't forget the "much cattle"! They're important too, as if Jonah didn't go to preach repentance to them, not only the people but also innocent children & innocent cattle would have been destroyed.
I like your reply