Period of testimony
Man of God - prophet
The Bible does not go into much detail of Jonah's life. In fact we can only estimate as to when the Book of Jonah occurred. Besides the Book of Jonah, he is only mentioned historically one other time within the scriptures. 2 Kings 14 gives us an anchor date of 792 B.C. for this is when Jeroboam began to rule the nation of Israel.
2 Kings 14:23-27 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years.
24 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher.
26 For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel.
27 And the LORD said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
Although we do not have a defined period of time before he was within the fish, we do know that Jonah was a man of God. Therefore we know that it is by spiritual nature that he preached the Word whether great or small... it was a time of testimony.
THE TIME PERIODS WITHIN JONAH'S JOURNEY
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Period of no testimony
Within the fish
Jonah 1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Matthew 12:40 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.
What's interesting is that Jonah was asleep when the affliction began. This mirrors the disciples falling asleep as Jesus began His affliction. It so appears this might be a pattern we missed comparing our great tribulation that began in 1988. It appears we too were asleep at the beginning and did not realize it.
Period of testimony
Preaching the warning
Jonah 3:3-4
So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.
4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
Jonah's period of testimony began the day he entered the city. But can we know how many days he preached the warning? We do know that he did not preach the warning for the whole 40 days because he waited outside the gate...
Jonah 4:5 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.
Verse 3 indicates that the city was, "of three days' journey". So in order to warn the whole city he would need to walk and preach for at least 3 days. According to many of Jonah's verses he did not want to warn them so he would have preached the bare minimum...
Jonah 4:1-2 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
So, once again it appears the number 3 or 3 1/2 is representative of this period of testimony. Jonah preached for 3 days of those 40 days of warning.
Period of no testimony
Waiting outside the gate
Jonah 4:5 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.
This is now the period of time of no testimony. As noted above in verse 5, Jonah waited "outside the city"... "till he might see what would become of the city". No preaching. This is now the ending period of time. If Jonah preached the warning for 3 days out of the 40 days, this would leave 37 days left.
Jonah 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
40 days - 3 days = 37 days
As we have seen within the Full New Testament Salvation Plan, the numbers 3 and 37 represent the same meaning. The only difference is that the number 37 represents the ending period of the whole plan. That is why we only see the number 37 at the end.
THE FOUR DISTINCT PERIODS OF TIME WITHIN JONAH'S JOURNEY
1. Period of testimony - A man of God
2. Period of no testimony - Within the fish
3. Period of testimony - Preaching the warning
4. Period of no testimony - Waiting outside the gate
In Jonah's journey we find alternating periods of testimony then no testimony and finally a period of waiting. These distinct periods exhibit the number 3 and end the number of 37 days following the example of Jesus' 4-part journey
Man of God - prophet Within the fish - 3 days Preaching the warning - 3 days Waiting outside the gate - 37 days
Jonah 1:2
Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
Where the 1,335 days are first mentioned. We find out why it was included within Daniel 12.
The 1,335 days span the entire 4 part salvation plan + the Feast of Pentecost.
Jonah's Journey
God's command of Jonah to preach to the Ninevites mirrors each part of Jesus' journey.
Our Final 4 part salvation plan mirrors Jesus' journey of 1,335 days ending with the Feast.
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