SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/24/2025 10:56 PM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-3 “A Rebuking Message”
Bible Reading and Meditation Reference: Jonah 3:-3b-4
Message of the verses: “Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. Then Jonah began to go into the city, one day’s walk; and he called out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
I have been thinking about the great revival, which we will see as we continue to look at the book of Jonah, and from what I have read it seems that this may have been the greatest revival found in the Old Testament. What I am referring to is that this revival happened in a very short time as the Holy Spirit of God had the Ninevites ready to become true believers in Yahweh. It is the Holy Spirit of God who is the One who brings about great revivals and from what I have learned there was a great revival in the United States even before it was the United States which happened right before the Revolutionary War, then one before the Civil War too. Both times we find this as a perfect time for the Spirit of God to bring about a revival. I have been praying for another revival to happen, hoping that it will happen right before the rapture of the church, and perhaps the death of Charlie Kurk which has certainly being used by the Lord will be what brings about this revival. I pray so!!
Back to Jonah as we talk about his mission which was to proclaim God’s pending judgment to the people of Nineveh. The prophet called out and said, “Yes forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Now this message clearly expressed God’s words of warning, and this was how the Holy Spirit used Jonah to begin this revival. Now the term overthrow denotes total upheaval, to uproot an object, flip it upside down, and then smash it to the ground. This act of overthrowing describes thorough destruction, something that Nineveh surely was not use too, it makes something completely unusable. “13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was relating a dream to his friend. And he said, "Behold, I had a dream; a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat" Judges 7:13). Another example is that this was the very judgment the Lord leveled against Sodom and Gomorrah as seen in Genesis 19:25, and Jonah was declaring that Nineveh was about to meet the same judgment which would have ended Nineveh. Jonah’s doomsday message, as given to him by Yahweh seen in Jonah1:2 flew through the city. It was utterly distinct from the usual lies of the false prophets who cried out “peace and safety” which. Compare Ezek. 13:10; Jer. 28:11-17; 1 Thess. 5:3.”
John MacArthur writes “The reality of divine judgment has always been a crucial part of God’s message. The ministries of Enoch (Jude 14-15), Noah (cf. Heb. 11:7; 1 Peter 1:20; 2 Peter 2:5), Moses (Exod. 4:23), Joshua (Joshua 24:19-20), the prophets (e.g., Isa. 1:1-7; Jer. 1:11-114; Joel 2:1-11), the apostles (Acts 2:40; 17:31; Rom. 1-3; 2 Peter 2:20-22; Jude 4), and Jesus (Matt. 11:20-24; 23:1-28; Luke 11:37-54) all included urgent warnings of God’s pending wrath against the wicked. Faithful preaching is the work of a dutiful watchman who does not tickle ears (2 Tim. 4:3) but warns the wicked (Ezek. 3:17-27). This was precisely what Jonah did in Nineveh.
“The prophet’s message that the destruction would take place in forty days. By giving the people time to repent, God demonstrated not only His righteousness but also His grace and compassion. The Lord could have annihilated the city immediately and without warning, as He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah centuries earlier (cf. Gen. 19:1-17; 2 Peter 2:6). Any delay of judgment against Nineveh was an expression of divine patience. The delay of forty days paralleled the amount of time God gave Moses to intercede for Israel’s sin after the golden calf incident (cf. Exodus 34:28; Deut. 9:25; 10:10). The Lord extended to Nineveh the same mercy He had given to His own people in the wilderness. God gave the Ninevites forty days to repent and be spared from the devastation of divine wrath.”
We don’t get to see at the outset of what Jonah had preached to them as no detail is recorded of his preaching, as he simply declared the message that God had given to him. However that divine word surely did not and could not return empty (Isa. 55:11), “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Now as illustrated by the response of the Ninevites, the gift of repentance is the result of God’s work, as He powerfully sends His Word to convict and convert the heart of the sinner as can be seen in 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5). Now this is a fairly long passage, but I still want to put it onto this Spiritual Diary, and I think you will see why.
18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, "I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE." 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD."
1 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”
Spiritual meaning for my Life Today: It is my desire to continue to write my Spiritual Diaries and post them onto my blogs so that those who read them will grow in the grace of God, and those who are not believers will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. What Paul wrote to the Corinthians above fits into this reason why I take the time each day to post three Spiritual Diaries onto my two different blogs.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust that the Lord will work out some of the complications that happen to my wife after she gets her chemo treatments.
10/24/2025 11:45 AM
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