by Janet Mushi | 10 July 2018 08:46 am07
Glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
We give thanks to God for this opportunity and grace to study His Word once again. Today we conclude our study of the Book of Jonah by exploring the fourth and final chapter—a chapter filled with theological depth and a strong prophetic warning for the Church in these last days.
The character of Jonah is not just a historical figure but also a prophetic symbol of a specific group of believers in the end times: lukewarm Christians and compromising preachers. Jesus Christ Himself warned of this spiritual state in His letter to the church of Laodicea:
“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm… I will spit you out of my mouth.”
— Revelation 3:15–16 (ESV)
Jonah, like many believers today, was called by God but resisted His will. He feared not failure, but success—he knew that if Nineveh repented, God would forgive them. Jonah’s disobedience reflected an assumption about God’s mercy, which blinded him to the seriousness of God’s commands.
This mindset is echoed by the foolish virgins in Jesus’ parable (Matthew 25:1–13), who assumed their lamps had enough oil for the Bridegroom’s arrival. But because they lacked extra oil—a symbol of the Holy Spirit (see Zechariah 4:1–6)—they were shut out.
Let us examine the text carefully (all verses quoted from the ESV):
“But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the LORD and said, ‘O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that You are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.’”
— Jonah 4:1–2 (ESV)
Here, Jonah quotes from Exodus 34:6, where God revealed His character to Moses. Jonah knew the Lord’s nature and used that as a reason to disobey Him.
“Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
— Jonah 4:3 (ESV)
Jonah would rather die than see his enemies forgiven. This exposes his heart and mirrors the ethnocentric pride and spiritual complacency that can still exist in churches today.
God responds to Jonah not with anger, but with a visual lesson:
“You pity the plant, for which you did not labor… and should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left…?”
— Jonah 4:10–11 (ESV)
The plant Jonah loved was temporal and self-serving, but God’s compassion for Nineveh was eternal and covenantal—based on His desire that all should come to repentance (see 2 Peter 3:9).
Many preachers today, like Jonah, were once genuinely called by God to proclaim repentance:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
— Matthew 3:2, 4:17 (ESV)
This was the first message both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ preached. Yet today, many messages focus on comfort, prosperity, and motivational themes—with repentance barely mentioned.
Their phrases sound like:
These are half-truths that obscure the holiness of God and the need for transformation by the Holy Spirit. In truth:
“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”
— Hebrews 12:14 (ESV)
True salvation is evidenced by repentance, regeneration, and a Spirit-filled life—not just good feelings or church attendance.
The route to Tarshish represents fleeing from God’s will and heading toward spiritual compromise. Symbolically, many Christians are sailing toward “Tarshish” today—following a version of Christianity shaped by the culture rather than the cross.
In Revelation, we read of a beast that rises from the sea:
“And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads…”
— Revelation 13:1 (ESV)
This beast symbolizes a global system of deception that will consume all who are not sealed by God (Revelation 7:3–4). Those who ignore repentance and holiness now may find themselves swallowed by the tribulation later—after the true Bride of Christ has been taken in the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).
During the time of Jeremiah, God had decreed that Judah would go into exile in Babylon due to their sin. But a false prophet named Hananiah claimed God had changed His mind, bringing false comfort to the people.
“The LORD has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie.”
— Jeremiah 28:15 (ESV)
As a result, Hananiah died two months later (v.17). This shows us that false hope can be fatal when it replaces God’s truth.
Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be deceived by a feel-good gospel. We are living in the last of the last days. Christ’s return is near.
Now is the time to:
This is true spiritual success. Material blessings may follow, but they are not the goal—eternal life is.
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May the Lord bless you and guide you into all truth.
Prepare your heart. Jesus is coming soon.
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