Was Jonah a False Prophet?

We have heard the story of Jonah and the whale since we were children.  Jonah was to go to the city of Nineveh and proclaim that in forty days Nineveh would be overthrown ( Jonah 3 ).  After running as far as he could, and an encounter with a large fish, Jonah finally gave God's message to the Ninevites.

So after 40 days what happened to Nineveh?  Was the king overthrown?  Were the people destroyed? No! Doesn't that make Jonah a false prophet?  Was God wrong to say that Nineveh would be overthrown?

God is a God of mercy and love.  People point to this event to say "See, God was wrong!" instead of pointing to the fact that out of God's mercy 120,000 people had repented and were saved.  Those men, women and children would live because they had turned from the wickedness they had committed.

Was God still wrong to say that Nineveh would be overthrown when after 40 days the city still stood? The Hebrew word for overthrown is hafak.  Hafak means overthrown, but it also means overturned, changed and converted.  The wickedness of the city was overthrown by the Spirit of God.  The people changed their lives and were converted to follow God instead of the evil that had been in their hearts.

God desires to be merciful more than He desires judgement.  He is willing to appear wrong if it means the salvation of a person. When you have a choice to believe God or believe man's logic, always choose God.

Photo Credit: the Story of Nineveh by Joe More

The Smallness of the Universe

The Hebrew word olam is the universe, this world and all that you see.  When we look at our world it seems so great and powerful in our lives.  We see the stars above and wonder at how vast the universe is.  The olam dwarfs us in so many ways.  Hurricane Harvey is an example of just how powerful a small bit of the olam is and how great it can affect our lives.  Could there be anything in all of existence greater than the olam?  Can anything have more impact to our lives than the olam?

Before the olam came into existence there was nothing.  No, not even space or time.  The olam came into being when God spoke.  Such a small thing as a word from God created all of olam.  The Earth, the solar system and all of the universe came into existence because of the word of God.  The Hebrew word for word is Davar.  Davar gave olam the power, the vastness, and the beauty we see today.

Which than is more powerful, the olam or the davar?  Which can have more of an impact on your life. the olam or the davar?  Which one should you be led by, the olam or the davar?

The word came first and was spoken.  The world followed and obeyed the word.  The world and all of the universe is nothing compared to the word.  We must never follow the world or our circumstances.  The word of God is where the true power is.  Even if all that is occurring in the world and in our lives seems overpowering, we must still follow the word.  It can be tough at times, but trusting God and following His word is the surest place to stand when the world comes against us.

You will find the davar filling the Bible.  The Bible is the most powerful force in the Universe.  It is the Word of God.

Photo by Wil Stewart on Unsplash

What Road of Life do you Travel?

Looking at your life, what road are you traveling?  I am sure that many people had planned to be on the Road of Success.  Perhaps you made it, but perhaps you ended up on the Road of
Failure or the Road of Mediocrity.  Everyone wants to be on the Road of Happiness and I hope you are.  Sadly many people find themselves on the Road of Misery and Sadness.

There are many roads in life that we want to be on and many roads we never planned to be on but find ourselves traveling down or perhaps we have even broken down on.  The roads we travel on are ones where we look at what the situation is like now and determine if it is a good road or a bad one. Is it a rocky road, or a smooth road?  Is this road a pleasant drive or one through a desolate desert?

In The Holy Land it is different.  Roads are named for their destination.  They have names such as, the Road to Bethlehem, the Damascus Road, or the Emmaus Road.  The roads were not name for the terrain or how difficult they might be, but for where the road would take you.

We must never judge a road by where we are now, but by where that road takes us.  Perhaps you are on a pleasant road today, but if it ends up at a cliff it is not the road you really wanted to take.  If the road is rocky but delivers you to a happy and fulfilling destination, you will forget about the rocky road and rejoice at where it brought you.

What is the destination you desire to travel to?  If it is a destination of this world such as riches, job success, power, possession or any other short term desire, then you are aiming too low.  The only destinations worth striving for are those that are eternal.  Everything else is worthless in the end.
Short term goals are important, but remember where your life's road ends up is much more important.

There are only two roads of eternity.  The Road to Heaven with eternal blessings and the Road to Hell with eternal damnation.  If your eyes are not set on Heaven you will walk the Road to Hell.  What type of road your life is on does not matter as much as where that road is headed.  We must look up the road and keep our eyes on the destination.  Never let the the terrain stop you, but press on. Never give up.  Keep your eyes fixed on the prize.

Photo by Tegan Mierle on Unsplash  

The Feast of First Fruits Mystery

The Jewish feast and holidays were placed by God on certain days as a sign of His work. The Feast of First Fruits took place the first day after the Passover Sabbath.  This was the beginning of the spring harvest.   The farmer would take the first sheaves of his crop and consecrate it to the LORD.  The first grain from his fields represented all the grain that was to follow.  By consecrating the first fruit of his crop to God, the whole harvest therefore was consecrated to God.

This grain sacrifice was a new day showing that winter and its hardships were past.  The death which winter brings was now turning to life.  Spring had arrived.  Rebirth and life would now rule the day. This feast was the beginning of a new and bright season where God blessed His people and gave hope.

Jesus Christ was crucified on Passover and the day after the Passover Sabbath was the day he arose from the dead.  He was resurrected on the Day of the Feast of First Fruits.  Jesus Christ was our first fruits.  He was the first fruit which was lifted up to the LORD as a representative of the all mankind. He is the one who turns our winters into spring.  Our lives can now be reborn into a new and bright hope, because of Jesus.  He died and rose again as our representative.

Because Christ overcame death and this world, so can we.

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him." 1 Corinthians 15: 20-23

Photo by Jordan McQueen on Unsplash

Where is the Mantle of Christ?

A mantle is a cloak worn over indoor clothing.  In the Scriptures it represents God's calling to a ministry.  It shows the anointing of God upon the person.  As Elijah ascended up into Heaven, his mantle fell to Elisha for him to carry on Elijah's prophetic ministry. When Elisha picked it up the spirit of Elijah fell upon him.

Moses laid the mantle of leadership upon Joshua.  He laid his hands upon Joshua who had been his disciple during the wanderings and God's Spirit fell upon him.  The authority of Moses now belonged to Joshua.

When Jesus walked upon this earth with his disciples, he commanded great authority and a very heavy mantle upon his shoulders.  When he ascended into Heaven, who took that mantle which he had carried?

The Mantle of Christ was too heavy to fall on just one person or even upon twelve.  On the day of Pentecost the Mantle of Christ came down from heaven and fell upon all who believed in Jesus as the Messiah.  The Spirit of God is given to everyone who comes to Christ for salvation.  His ministry is carried on not by one person, but by the Christian Body of Christ.

If you follow Christ, than part of His mantle has fallen on you.  You are called to continue the ministry of Christ.  You are called to to walk as Jesus walked, in His Spirit.   God has anointed you to step into the footprints of Christ and fulfill your calling.

Photo Credit: Behind the cloak is the transformation by Mount Saint Mary's Abbey

Why God Created Marriage

Marriage is not something that man came up with.  God designed and instituted marriage in such a way that it would enhance life.  Because of marriage a couple can feel loved and secure in their relationship.  It also represents the relationship between God and man.

In Genesis 1:28 God commands Adam and Eve to go out into the world, be fruitful and multiply. Have children, fill the world with human life.  The fruit of the womb was blessed by God and He wanted them to fill the whole world with children.

A marriage is designed for having children.  Children are designed to be raised by a father and a mother.  Children living in a healthy home with a mother and father are far more likely to attain a happy and fulfilling life.

Marriage was also created as a model of our relationship with God.  A man and a woman are different.  They have different ways of thinking.  Their bodies are designed for different purposes. It is mystery how two so different individuals can not just tolerate each other but flourish with love for each other.  Together they find the part of themselves which was missing before they were married.

Man and God are also different.  It amazes me to think that God could love someone like me, and yet He does.  God created mankind so He could have intimate fellowship with us.  His desire is to bless us completely.  He is there to lead, guide, protect and defend us. Together, God and man, we fulfill a spiritual oneness that nothing else can answer.

This spiritual oneness produces spiritual fruit. There are few things, if any, that God has ever done in this world, since creation, without man's participation. To be spiritually fruitful man requires God. A man and a man, or a woman and a woman, can not be fruitful and have children. Since creation, God has not produced a human life without the aid of a human. It takes both different elements to produce life.

Marriage is for two people to love each other completely and fully, just as God and man are designed to love each other completely and fully.  Both are designed to bear fruit and to fill the world with life both physical and spiritual.

Photo by Ilya Yakover on Unsplash

The Eternal Nation

If God were to place a human, historical witness to His existence, who would that witness be like? To be a historical witness of an eternal God in history, that witness would have to be eternal in some way as well. This witness would also have to stand out in some special way so that people noticed.

That witness is not a person, but a nation.  The Jewish nation is the witness of God's existence.  No other people have survived over 4 millennium and still retain the same religion, the same language, the same monetary unit and live in the same land as they did thousands of years before.  When they disobeyed God, they suffered even to the point of losing their lands, but God is faithful and He brought them back. They are His witness forever.

2 Samuel 7:24 "You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, LORD, have become their God."

You want proof of God?  Look to the Jew.  Winston Churchill wrote "Some people like the Jews, and some do not.  But no thoughtful man can deny the fact that they are, beyond all question, the most formidable and the most remarkable race which has ever appeared in the world."

The next time you meet someone Jewish, thank them for showing you that God does exist.  That person has the thumbprint of God on their life.

Photo Credit: fingerprint by Jose Luis Agapito