On Tisha B'Av, the 9th day on the Hebrew calendar month of Av, I had a spiritual revelation that I wanted to document in order to remember and build on it in future study and meditation. I also want to share it.
For me, a spiritual revelation is the culmination of long periods of searching, learning, and connecting insights from scripture, tradition, and personal experience. It is a bit like assembling a complex puzzle, each piece—sometimes seeming random or disconnected at first—begins to form a coherent, illuminating picture.
The Old Testament contains many complex, symbolic, and prophetic pieces that can be puzzling on their own—like separate pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The New Testament is often described as the "decryption key" or "decoding key" for understanding the Old Testament because it reveals fuller meaning behind many of the Old Testament's messages, prophecies, and laws.
When a moment of clarity arrives, it brings a uniquely deep sense of satisfaction, peace, and even awe. I feel as though I am glimpsing truths that transcend individual parts, making the whole even more amazing.
Given the complex interwoven nature of such a process, it is very hard to write an explanation that is clear and concise enough for the reader. So please give me grace and allow me to entertain you with my wild ideas.
I will preface this by saying, I am not alone in the sense that mankind, more specifically Israel is on the verge of a giant spiritual moment
God Has Foreknowledge
One of the words used to describe God is "omniscient." This means God is all-knowing, possessing perfect knowledge of everything: past, present, and future. Because of His sovereignty—Adonia has an eternal plan and purpose, so nothing surprises or is hidden from Him.
It is fair to say that God knew the prophet Jonah better than Jonah knew God. While from God's very first word to Jonah, "Arise," Jonah knew God would have mercy on the people of Nineveh, the Assyrians. God knew the whole story when he picked Jonah. Which is to say that God had a plan for Jonah and for the Assyrians even after the Book of Jonah concludes.
The Book of Jonah is a Warning to Israel
The bible clearly shows that God warns people to give them an opportunity to change their minds, repent, and turn from their sinful ways. This divine warning is a demonstration of God's patience and mercy, allowing time for repentance rather than rushing to judgment. Two such examples:
- Jeremiah 18:8 (ESV) -- "If that nation I warned turns from its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned."
- Ezekiel 33:11 (ESV) -- "Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?’"
These verses reflect God's desire to give humanity opportunities to repent and be saved rather than be destroyed. His warnings serve as acts of grace, inviting a changed heart and restoration.
The Book of Jonah is one of the most well-known books that touch deeply on themes related to atonement. It powerfully illustrates God's mercy, repentance, and forgiveness—key components of atonement theology.
Some key points about atonement in Jonah include:
- Jonah’s story highlights God's willingness to relent from judgment when His people repent, showing divine compassion and mercy (Jonah 3:10).
- The theme of repentance (teshuva) is central; Nineveh's collective turning from evil leads to their salvation and sparing from destruction.
- Jonah himself struggles with this mercy, illustrating human resistance to God's grace and the universal scope of divine love extending beyond Israel.
- The book is traditionally read on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) in Jewish practice, underscoring its lessons on sin, repentance, divine forgiveness, and renewal.
- Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish (Jonah 2) is a profound psalm of distress and deliverance that Christians believe foreshadows Jesus’ suffering and the atoning work.
Thus, Jonah embodies a narrative of God's gracious atonement—inviting sinners to repent, offering forgiveness, and revealing God's justice accompanied by steadfast love.
"He left them and went away." When He returns, He will come to judge the world.
The Book of Jonah is widely regarded as one of the greatest stories of repentance in the Bible. It powerfully portrays the mercy of God extended to even the most unlikely and undeserving people when they genuinely repent.
So it stands to reason that the Book of Jonah has important relevance to end times and a world facing judgment.
What Are We to Conclude After the Book of Jonah Concludes?
Jonah 4:5-11 -- Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth (Sukkah) for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. Now the Lord God appointed a plant (kikayon) and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 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, and also much cattle?”
There is so much I want to say about these verses, but I have to be painfully brief and to my point in order to finish the revelation I am trying to summarize. So I will simply say this about my interpretation of those versus in chapter 4.
Firstly, God is the author and finisher, and He appointed the "great fish" that saved Jonah.
Jonah 1:17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
The Book of Jonah is like a long parable and the images are metaphors.
Jonah is Israel. The Sukkah is the tabernacle that the Israelites built for the Tablets of Testimony which Adonai gave Moses on top of Mount Sinai. The kikayon plant that shaded Jonah and saved him from his discomfort represented Adonai's manifested glory or presence among His people in the wilderness, known as the Shekinah, which is Hebrew word that means "that which dwells."
The "worm" in Jonah 4:6-7, as well as Psalm 22:6, is specifically called a tolaath (תּוֹלָע). This word, often translated as "worm," actually refers to a specific type of insect, commonly referred to as the "crimson worm" (Coccus ilicis). It would leave a crimsom stain on a tree as it gave up it's body to feed it's young for approximately 3 days. This particular "worm" produced a vibrant red dye that was used to color fabric, including the scarlet cord, a Tikva, that Rahad hung out her window for Joshua to see so he could spare her and her family from the destruction of Jericho. The crimson worm was used to make the die for the scarlett thread that was tied on the scapegoat and the ancient temple door.
If you apply these interpretations to chapter 4 of Jonah I think you'll gain a deeper appreciation for the Book of Jonah including why the story ends with God pitying the great city of Nineveh and implying to Jonah, in the closing question, that the people need instruction. They did not know the Torah. Consider how Jonah responded to God’s question.
History tells us something important about Jonah and God's plans for both him and the Assyrians. History shows that Jonah stayed in Nineveh. His tomb is there.
Jonah is traditionally believed to be buried in the city of Mosul in Iraq, which was historically known as Nineveh—the ancient Assyrian capital to which Jonah was sent. The tomb, also known as the Shrine or Mosque of the Prophet Jonah (Nabi Yunus in Arabic), stood on a mound called Nebi Yunus.
The tomb of Jonah is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims as Jonah's burial place. Bringing Jew, Christian and Muslim together is an image of "One Man" unity which has end times implications.
The mosque and shrine were historically significant and a site of pilgrimage until they were largely destroyed by ISIS militants in 2014. Archaeological excavations beneath the site uncovered Assyrian artifacts and structures, underscoring its ancient heritage connected to Nineveh.
As we know, God had mercy on the people of Nineveh because they repented the moment they were warned of their impending destruction. Unlike the people of the city of Sodom who were not spared!
What Came of the Assyrians?
God had a plan for the Assyrians which would unfold approximately 100 years later at the walls of Jerusalem with King Hezekiah.
As I see it, the sparing of Nineveh is part of a divine plan not out of love for Assyria itself, but so that the Assyrians might be preserved to fulfill God’s purpose as an instrument of judgment against Israel and Judah for their sins, as emphasized by later prophets like Isaiah.
Isaiah prophesied about an Assyrian attack on Jerusalem. From the early chapters of Isaiah (especially chapters 7–12) through chapters 36–37, Isaiah warned the leaders of Judah about the impending danger from Assyria due to their lack of trust in God and their political alliances. When the Assyrian king Sennacherib ultimately invaded Judah, Isaiah both described and predicted the siege and devastation of many Judean cities, leaving Jerusalem as the final target.
Isaiah also prophesied that the Assyrians would not succeed in capturing or destroying Jerusalem itself. In Isaiah 37:33, God declared through Isaiah that the king of Assyria "will not enter this city or shoot an arrow into it... He will go back the way he came". This prophecy was fulfilled when, after threatening Jerusalem, Sennacherib's army withdrew following a divine intervention. Thus, Isaiah’s prophecies included both the real danger and partial fulfillment of Assyrian conquest, as well as God’s promise of Jerusalem’s deliverance during that specific campaign.
Consider the implication of foreknowledge: Nothing is hidden from God: Not Jonah's actions and not the future Assyrians actions. God’s mercy in saving Nineveh is therefore seen as preparing Assyria to carry out the role ordained by God. God shows mercy to Assyria so they can be preserved to fulfill this role, showing both justice and mercy simultaneously.
Point of Fact
While Assyrians originally worshipped their native gods, they became one of the earliest peoples outside the Jewish world to convert to Christianity, believing in Jesus as the Messiah. Their conversion traditionally dates back to the first century AD, very soon after the time of Jesus and his apostles. Today, modern Assyrians are almost entirely Christian. Evidently, the story of Jonah was an influence. This suggests to me that God’s plan for the Assyrians, as well as Jonah, extends long past the story we read in the Book of Jonah. Clearly it does since he was used by Jesus as "the sign."
Thus, Jonah’s mission to Nineveh and their repentance fits into a broader biblical theme: God’s sovereignty extends even to future enemies, using them according to His purpose. The sparing of Nineveh following their repentance is consistent with this plan, which aligns with the Messianic and prophetic reflections connected to Hezekiah’s time and the Assyria threat.
The Connection to Tisha B'Av
The story of Hezekiah and the sparing of Jerusalem is related, in a thematic and historical sense, to Tisha B'Av, the Jewish day of mourning for the destruction of Jerusalem and both Temples.
Tisha B'Av is a day that commemorates numerous Jewish tragedies, particularly the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. It is a solemn fast day marked by mourning practices and reflection on Israel's suffering and exile. Hezekiah's story of deliverance from the Assyrian siege, where Jerusalem was miraculously spared, is part of the broader historical and prophetic context surrounding Jerusalem's trials and the recurring cycles of destruction and deliverance that Tisha B'Av mourns and contemplates.
Importantly, the Sabbath before Tisha B'Av, called Shabbat Chazon, includes prophetic readings from Isaiah, who lived during Hezekiah's time. Isaiah’s vision speaks about Jerusalem’s desolation and eventual hope, reflecting on the same era of Assyrian threat and divine deliverance that Hezekiah experienced. This sets the tone for mourning Jerusalem’s destruction but also anticipates future redemption.
The Story is Deeper Still
There is a well-known tradition in Jewish texts—particularly the Talmud (Sanhedrin 94a)—that asserts King Hezekiah was almost appointed as the Messiah. According to this tradition, after Jerusalem was miraculously spared from the Assyrian army under Sennacherib, God was prepared to make Hezekiah the Messiah and Sennacherib the embodiment of Gog and Magog (apocalyptic enemies). In this passage the Gemara elaborates on the "eight names of Hezekiah are as it is written: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government is upon his shoulder; and his name is called Pele Joez El Gibbor Abi Ad Sar Shalom” The phrase "Pele (1) Joez (2) El (3) Gibbor (4) Abi (5) Ad (6) Sar (7) Shalom (8)" is a Hebrew phrase from Isaiah 9:6, meaning "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
In Jewish tradition, interpretations vary, with some seeing it as referring to King Hezekiah or as a description of God's attributes. Christians reading this will no doubt recognize the Messiah, Jesus, in those those attributes. (Could this event be tied to one of the times Jesus refered to in Luke 13:34?)
The Talmudic sages say that Hezekiah failed to sing praises or offer a thanksgiving song to God after the deliverance, so Messiah's presence was not revealed and the future Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem was put in motion.
The logic given in these traditional sources is that singing praise and gratitude to God following a miracle is a sign of righteous leadership and messianic potential. For example, after the crossing of the Red Sea, Moses and the Israelites sang praises, which was a model of appropriate response to salvation. Hezekiah, who experienced a similar deliverance, did not respond with song and praise, and therefore, according to the Talmud and rabbinic commentary, the messianic age was not realized in his time.
I liken this missed opportunity to the scene with Moses who fails to "speak to the Rock" and the belief that exists that God/Messiah would have been revealed had he done so. We know that Moses paid a high price for denying the Israelites.
Hezekiah's failure to praise God for sparing Jerusalem was a "giant spiritual moment" and mistake.
Because of this omission, the Talmudic theory is that messianic era did not begin with Hezekiah, and future history, including tragedies such as the destruction of the Temple, unfolded instead.
Christian traditions do not hold Hezekiah as the would-be Messiah, but they do view him as a type (or foreshadowing) of the coming Messiah.
Jonah Foreshadows the Messiah
In the Gospel of Matthew 12:42, Jesus presented himself as “one greater than Solomon.”
I mentioned above the the Book of Jonah was like a long parable. Parables transmit understanding of wisdom. King Solomon, renowned for his God-given wisdom, conveyed understanding through concise, memorable sayings—proverbs. These proverbs provide practical instruction for living wisely and righteously, addressing many aspects of daily life and the human heart. Jesus used parables. The Hebrew word for proverb and parable are one in the same -- mashal (מָשָׁל). Parables hide profound truths in everyday imagery, requiring listeners to engage with faith, openness, and contemplation (Matthew 13:10–17). Through parables, Jesus invited his hearers to grasp the mysteries of God’s kingdom—wisdom not just for right living, but for understanding divine grace and salvation.
There is an end times implication in the Book of Jonah. In Matthew 12:41 Jesus says: "The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here."
This statement points to a future judgment day when the repentant Ninevites, historically outsiders and enemies of Israel, will testify against the generation of Israel in Jesus' time for their unbelief and refusal to repent despite Jesus' greater revelation. The people of Nineveh responded to Jonah's call with repentance, turning from their evil ways, while many in Israel rejected Jesus, who came with an even greater message.
The idea that the Ninevites stand in judgment of Israel is a strong theological theme in the book of Jonah and subsequent prophetic reflections. The Ninevites, despite being Assyrian enemies known for their wickedness and oppression of Israel, repent sincerely and quickly when Jonah warns them of God's impending judgment. Their genuine repentance contrasts sharply with Israel’s repeated failure to heed God's calls for repentance over long periods, leading to Israel's eventual judgment and exile by Assyria itself, whose capital was Nineveh.
The Problem with Saying "Never Again"
I want to challenge a famous expression that Jews use. Jews say "Never Again." The problem I see with this phrase is that I think it implies too much that man is in complete control, and that God isn't a factor.
The concept of "never again" is a powerful slogan and ethical directive, most famously associated with the remembrance of the Holocaust and Jewish history.
"Never again" emerged after the Holocaust, where 6 million Jews were murdered by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. Survivors, Jewish leaders, and the wider world embraced the phrase as a commitment to ensure genocides like the Holocaust would never be allowed to happen again. It is a rallying cry. We have to do our part!
By the same token, saying "Never Again" is also like saying we will never let Tisha B'Av happen again. If we are in God's hands, Tisha B'Av is in God's hands. Who are we to say that Tisha B'Av can never happen again? If God spares Israel, like He spared Jerusalem during Hezekiah's time, will Israel sing praises God?
Never Again Is Now
I'd posit that Israel is facing a similar moment now with historic spiritual parallels and significance. Israel's enemies, Hamas, Syria, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran surround Israel and threaten it's destruction. Like the Assyrians at Jerusalem during Hezekiah's time.
Israel has a secular majority. While religion plays an important public and political role in Israel, many Israelis—especially in major cities like Tel Aviv—live largely secular lifestyles with Jewish identity expressed more culturally or ethnically than religiously or spiritually.
The war with Hamas appears to be coming to a close. Hamas soldiers are coming up from the tunnels and surrendering their weapons in large numbers. This started happening literally in conjunction with Tisha B'Av! President Trump and several Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar, have also just demanded at the same time that Hamas give up it's weapons, control of Gaza and hand over ALL the hostages!
Who will Israel praise?!
WARNING
After the Holocaust, during the Nuremberg trails, one of the chief prosecutors, Benjamin Ferencz, gave a stark warning to the world about the consequences of unchecked hatred. Ferencz famously, and I believe prophetically, said that the world could not withstand "another Holocaust."
Jews are living in a world of unchecked hate, and not just the hate of non-Jews. There is the hate by Jews of Israel's Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. There is hatred by Jews of Jews who support Donald Trump, who supports Israel. I think their is the kind of "Baseless Hate" that is attributed by the rabbis to causing Tisha B'Av.
If we continue to hate one another, rather than love one another, and we fail to praise God for miraculous protection, the final Tisha B'Av may be close at hand. We should take a lesson on repentance from the Ninevites, otherwise they may stand at our judgment.
Throughout History
The bible is made up of multiple stories of God trying to guide and instruct us on a righteous path back to Him. One can imagine God weeping over all the times we were so stubborn and would not let God gather us to himself.
The big question I see facing the Nation of Israel, including Jews around the world, is whether the Nation of Israel at large will praise God for the miraculous protection Israel it has recieved since October 7th 2023. If we don't, Israel may face the final Tisha B'Av when we will be faced with such utter destruction that we will say what is written:
Psalm 118:26 (ESV) -- Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.
Conclusion
Israel is at what I am calling a "Hezekiah moment." The Nation of Israel and Jews collectively must sing praise to God for His protection. Isreal must shout a mighty Hallelujah for the protection the nation has recieved from it'senemies during present wars. Israel must acknowledge "Salvation is of God!" (Jonah 2.9). The miraculous protection Israel has experienced is beyond Israel's weapons and warriors alone. Israel should show the world that "Salvation belongs to the Lord" by giving all the praise to Adonia. This is something Jew, Christian and Muslim will appreciate.
Psalm 150:1-6 (ESV)
"Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!"
Israel is nearly at a Hezekiah moment. Victory is at hand for Israel in the current war. Woe to Israel if it fails to sing songs of praise that satisfy Adonia.
