GOD'S MIRACULOUS SIGN TO US IN THESE LAST DAYS! THE SIGN OF JONAH!

Back in mid-May of this year, a gray whale, over 15 meters long, was spotted off the Herzliya coast of Israel which according to all scientific authorities, is unheard of.

"This was the first time this species has been seen in Israel, according to Israel's Marine Mammal Research Assistance Center".

."Gray whales usually live in the Pacific Ocean, and it is still unclear what the whale was doing so far away from it's usual habitat, or so close to the shoreline"

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/lost-in-search-of-lunch-rare-pacific-whale-spotted-off-israel-s-coast-1.289085

"Over a lifetime, a gray whale migrates the equivalent distance of a return trip to the moon. However, these new images show that this particular whale would have had to beat all previous distance records to end up where it has," whale expert Nicola Hodgins said."

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/05/24/2739292/israel-under-the-radar1

"A gray whale has appeared off the coast of Israel, shocking conservationists.

Gray whales are thought to be extinct across the Atlantic Ocean, so the appearance of an individual within the Mediterranean Sea is a major surprise"

  

"This discovery is truly amazing. To find one in the North Atlantic, let alone the Mediterranean Sea, is bizarre in the extreme" ~Nicola Hodgins of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8672000/8672970.stm

"It was only after returning to shore and closely examining the photographs they had taken that the researchers allowed themselves to acknowledge that what they had seen was, in fact, a gray whale. There was only one problem.

There are no gray whales off Israel.

There are no gray whales in the Mediterranean.

There are, in fact, no gray whales in the Atlantic.

None of them swim within half a planet of the Holy Land.

And yet..."

"There is no doubt that this is a gray whale, and as such the sighting is little short of astonishing,"

http://news.discovery.com/earth/gray-whale-spotted-on-wrong-side-of-world.html


The very sighting is "a little short of astonishing" by itself. Factor in other astounding facts and this may be nothing short of a miracle. 

This may even be a miraculous sign to us in these end times as it appears to coincide with the great fish (whale) that swallowed Jonah:

Jonah 1: ¹ Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ² “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” ³ But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

⁴ But the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.

⁵ Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load.^[a] But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.
⁶ So the captain came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.”
⁷ And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. ⁸ Then they said to him, “Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?”
⁹ So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 

¹⁰ Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “Why have you done this?” For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. ¹¹ Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?”—for the sea was growing more tempestuous.

 ¹² And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.” 
 
¹³ Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. ¹⁴ Therefore they cried out to the LORD and said, “We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You.” ¹⁵ So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. ¹⁶ Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows. 
¹⁷ Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

It is important to note that the Strait of Gibraltar is the only natural gap in the topographic barriers that separate the Mediterranean Sea, in which the whale was sighted, from the Atlantic Ocean.

The Mediterranean Sea itself is about 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) long and covers about 2.5 million square kilometers (1 million square miles), while the Strait is only about 13 kilometers (8 miles) wide.

Note the narrowness of the Strait of Gibraltar in both the above map and the below aerial photo:

Please note on the map, the myriad of shorelines of the many countries that are bordered by the Mediterranean Sea.

There are various well populated resorts in the
Mediterranean Sea but none of the millions of tourists/beachgoers spotted the gray whale as it was only sighted at Israel.

There were no reported sightings of the whale from any of the other beaches or shores except at Herzliya Beach, Israel. 

Amazing to note is the fact that Herzilya Beach is located close to the modern day city of Jaffa, which in Biblical times was the seaport of Joppa, from which Jonah set sail. 

Notice that the Scripture delineates in Jonah 1:

^"Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them."

As such, it appears that land was still in sight as they were rowing "hard to return" to it.

Therefore, it appears as though the storm commenced soon after disembarking from the  ancient port of Joppa which is in an inlet close to Herzliya beach.


As such, it appears that the modern day whale sighting was in the same geographical area that the whale of Jonah was located.

This is an astounding finding as the current day whale sighting is an astonishing rarity as would have been the whale's presence in the exact same location in Jonah's time.


For both whales to be recorded to be in the same locale is phenomenal.

The fact is that the whale sightings in the Mediterranean are scientifically impractical to begin with as gray whales are "extinct in the Atlantic Ocean" from whence they would have had to exit to enter into the Mediterranean.

Factor in that both rare sightings were in the same exact location out of the 27,320 miles of the bordering coastlines (not including the shorelines of the various large islands).

Add in that both whales would have had to navigate around multiple islands while journeying 2300 miles across the Mediterranean to reach the exact same destination near Jaffa/Joppa which is the complete opposite shore from the Strait of Gibraltar.


This broad expanse of the Mediterranean Sea proves what an monumental chance it is for both whales to be sighted at the same locale. 

Out of the million square miles that compromise the waters of the Mediterranean Sea what are the odds that both would be found in the same site?


Additionally, what are the odds that both whales would enter the narrow 8 mile wide strait of Gibraltar from the ocean that they are not even indigenous to, to begin with?

So, out of the million square miles of the Sea with the all the bordering coastlines (as well as island shorelines)both whales were sighted in the same exact region with no sightings noted elsewhere.

This modern day whale was sighted from the beach, right off the shore, as was Jonah's whale.

According to the scientific authorities, it is highly unusual for a whale to be "so close to the shoreline". 

Certainly this facts shows what appears to be even more of God's handiwork.


Let us remember, that scientifically, both whales were not even supposed to be in the Mediterranean to begin with! 

It would surely seem that statistically the odds of the ancient whale of Jonah and the gray whale recently sighted, being in precisely the same area, would be astronomical.


This surely constitutes a miracle and thereby may be the sign of Jonah that Jesus spoke of:

"An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah 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" Matthew 12:40

Just as the Lord sent the ancient whale to swallow Jonah, He may have also sent this modern day whale for the purpose of signaling to His children, the closeness of the His return in order to remind us that we need to return to Him.

Our God so loves us that He provided us Biblical prophecies in order to understand the times in which we live and to realize that we are now entering the last days.

The religious leaders of Jesus's day, the Pharisees, ignored the ancient prophecies and were not watching for His first coming. 

They were much too comfortable with their earthly, exalted position. They did not necessarily desire the Messiah to come at that time as it would interfere with their role in the religious community.


Had they been watching according to the words of the prophets, they would have known to the exact date, the day of His visitation.

Since they did not, they missed His first coming just as many in the modern day church may miss His second coming.

The majority of the Church and the Church leadership have not heeded the dictates to "watch" and are therefore unaware of the the closeness of His return in these end times.

If the Pharisees had been watching for the prophetic fulfillment of the Scriptures they would have realized that it was the time for the visitation of their Messiah.

The book of Daniel actually provides the timeline for the advent of the Messiah:

 ²⁵ "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. ²⁶ After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing.

Historically, the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem came in 445 BC on March 14th. The Biblical calender is based on the lunar cycle and has 360 days in a  year. 

From the decree of March 14, 445 BC until the time that the "Anointed One will be cut off" which is referring to the first coming of Jesus, Daniel prophesied it to be an interval of 62 weeks + 7 weeks =69 weeks or a total of 69 seven year periods.

69 weeks x 7 years= 483 years

483 years x 360 days annually=173,880 days

Taking the date of the decree of March 14, 445 BC and adding 173,880 days lands exactly on the date of April 5, 32 AD, the date recognized as when Jesus, as King of Kings, rode into Jerusalem on the donkey fulfilling Zechariah 9:

 The Coming King

    ⁹ “ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you;  He is just and having salvation. Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. 

The Pharisees, who Jesus called a wicked an adulterous generation, completely missed their Messiah since they chose not to watch even though it was clearly outlined for them in the Scriptures.

Just as today, many professing Christ followers and the "leaders of the flock" are missing the signs of His second coming because they have neglected to watch for the signs of the times that Jesus commanded us to watch for.

Many today appear way too satisfied with this life on earth to even want to listen when they are approached with the blaring signs of the return of Jesus (including the leaders of the church).

As such, a majority of the modern day Church of Jesus Christ can be equated to be modern day Pharisees.


Remembering what Jesus thought of the Pharisees should cause us to not want to be guilty of the same:

Matthew 23: ²⁷"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. ²⁸In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

13 But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from men; for you do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." 

³³"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

Those who ignore the prophetic Scriptures and the signs of the times will miss the return of our Messiah just as the Pharisees did His first visitation.


This may also be what the "sign of the prophet Jonah" alludes to as Jesus was addressing the Pharisees of His day for their disbelief, which resulted because they were not watching and were thus not aware even though Scripture provided them the exact timing, just as it is also signaling to us in these last days.

The prophet Jonah had been sent to Ninevah to warn their wicked society to repent, lest they face judgment. 

Perhaps this bewildering modern day sighting of yet another whale is also a warning. The people of today's society in which evil abounds, may be being warned that it is time to repent as God's judgment is soon coming.  

Just as Jonah remained asleep during the "tempestuous storm", so are many Christians remaining asleep through the tumultuous end time events that surround us. 

It is time for the Church to wake up to all the many signs of the times that the Lord Jesus warned of and commanded us to watch for.


It appears that we have been presented with the prophesied "sign of Jonah" to forewarn us of just how very close we are, as we rapidly approach the end of the age.

May we allow this amazing sign to help us to realize that it is time to release our grip on the things of this world and instead focus on eternity, making sure we have repentant hearts and are covered by the blood of the Lamb, Yeshua Ha Mashiach.

IT IS TIME TO HEED THE LORD'S COMMAND TO WATCH!

Jesus wants His people to be aware of and watch for the signs of His return as it gives us the urgency to ready not only ourselves but also reach out to the lost. 

The Lord gave us these signs of His coming not to scare or alarm us, but to the contrary, to prepare, encourage and comfort us.

In John 14: 1-3 our Lord told us to “not let your hearts be troubled” because He has gone to prepare a place for us and is coming back to get us so that we may be with Him. So, we know that He is returning to come back for us.

 ^{John 14: 1}"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. ²In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.    

In verse 27, He reiterates to us to not “let your hearts be troubled” as well as “do not be afraid“ as He has given us His peace. The Lord is reassuring us that we need not be fearful regarding His return.

^{John 14:27}Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  ²⁸"You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.'

 In fact, knowing the signs of His coming can help give us His peace as we see the world scene destabilizing because we know it is all in His perfect plan. 

We can be comforted as we see this chaotic, spinning out-of-control world, knowing that He will be soon coming for us as He promised.

So, instead of fear, seeing the signs coming to pass should give us hope, excitement and joy knowing just how very close we are to seeing our Lord and what He has prepared for us!

1 Corinthians 2:9 Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
 
We are instructed in Hebrews to meet and encourage each other "all the more as you see the Day approaching". 

If we are not watching, we cannot see the Day approaching in order heed the dictates of this Scripture. 

Jesus gave us these instructions for us to gather together so that by our fellowshipping we can exhort one another to operate in the Spirit as it is only by His Spirit that we will be emboldened to proclaim His Gospel and the nearness of His return.
 
Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

We are actually warned in Revelation 3:3 that if we do not watch, He WILL come upon us a thief and we WILL NOT know the hour when He is coming. 

To the converse, if we ARE watching, He WILL NOT come upon us a thief and we WILL know the hour of His coming:


Revelation 3:3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not WATCH, I will come upon you as a thief. and you will not what hour I will come upon you.

In 1st Thessalonians 1:5-6, we are reminded that "the day of the Lord will come like a "thief in the night." 

Next, we are given end time signs to watch for:
 
"While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." 

Then, we are told that we are "not in darkness" meaning that since the prophetic Word gives us so many end times signs to be on the watch for, that we are not being kept "in the dark" as to God's end time prophetic timeline.  

Therefore, if we ARE watching, the Day of the Lord WILL NOT surprise us as a "thief in the night"!

Conversely, those who are NOT watching will NOT be awakened to the nearness of the end of the age to see the many signs He forewarned us to watch for, come hurtling at them. 

They will then be more easily overtaken as by a "thief in the night".

For this reason, we have been commanded to "not sleep, as do others; but let us WATCH and be sober".

1 Thessalonians 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us WATCH and be sober.

There is a perpetual preparedness that naturally accompanies a fervent watch. In the following parable of the virgins, only the wise were prepared, having their lamps filled with oil, as they watched for the coming bridegroom.

Matthew 25:1 Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming ;go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’13 “WATCH therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
 
As we approach the end of the age, we need to be watching and operating in His spirit as the Spirit is the oil in our lamps that enables us to be ready for His return.

As with the foolish virgins who were shut out of the wedding so shall it be for the "foolish" professing Christians who have not been watching and staying in constant readiness. 

In fact, to those who are not watching and are thus unprepared the Lord will say " Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you".  They will be then be left behind because the door will already be shut.

As this parable relates, NOT watching has dire consequences. If Christians are not watching for the signs and thereby not even aware of their fulfillment, they will be lax and unprepared as were the foolish virgins.

Whereas, watching incites us to realize the lateness of the hour which spurs to ready ourselves and to ensure that our oil in our lamps are to the brim as we await the bridegroom.
Note that this parable of the virgins concludes with the admonition for us to WATCH:

“WATCH therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." Matthew 25:13

Important to note is that in Luke 21:28 we are told that If we are watching for the fulfillment of the prophetic Scripture, then we will be able to know "when these things come to pass" so we can then anticipate our soon redemption.

Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
  
As such, only those aware of the prophetic Scripture and watching for its fulfillment would know when to "look up, and lift” our heads; for the coming “redemption" that "draweth nigh".

To the contrary, those who are NOT watching will not know when to "look up". 

Those who have not heeded the Lord's command to be on watch, will be clueless when it is time to "look up" to await redemption.

In Luke 21:36, we are commanded not only to watch but also to pray that we may be counted worthy to escape the wrath to come, and stand before the Lord, Jesus Christ:

Luke 21:36 WATCH you therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Therefore we are supposed to be not only diligently watching for the signs of our Lord's return as He instructed ,but also praying that we "may be accounted worthy to escape" the coming wrath.

The Lord is so gracious and merciful that He gave us the signs of His return. These many end time signs coming together, signaling the end of the age, are to remind us that it is time to separate from the things of this world.

They are but temporary and these earthly lives that we live are as a vapor as we face eternity, which is everlasting.

If only the children of the Most High God will obey His command to WATCH they will see that He is providing clear evidence to us that His return as near, even at the door.

It is now time for those who truly belong to the Risen Lord to lessen their grip on the material distractions of this world, shifting their focus upward, to things eternal.