The sign of Jonah
The destruction of Mosul may be the end time sign of Israel’s time of trouble.
By Craig C. White
The ancient city of Nineveh was known for its bloodshed and cruelty. Back around 800 BC God sent the Prophet Jonah to the city of Nineveh with a message, “Repent of your evil ways or the city would be destroyed in forty days!” That generation repented but it seems that this generation doesn’t want the chance.
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.
Today the ruins of Nineveh lie within the city limits of Mosul. The terrorist group called ISIS consists of Al-Qaeda members from the Nineveh Province. Since June 10th, 2014 ISIS in Mosul has been behaving in the same way as the ancient Ninevites. They have committed horrific atrocities against their fellow countrymen in the Nineveh province of northern Iraq.
On July 24th 2014 ISIS blew up the shrine to Jonah in Nineveh.
In Jonah’s day the city of Nineveh repented however God finally judged the city in 612 BC. The Prophet Nahum foretells the destruction of Nineveh. The city was flooded by the Tigris River and was then besieged by three nations. Babylon, Persia, and the Medes plundered Nineveh for two months leveling the city. Today the same three nations are fighting against ISIS in Mosul. They are Iraq, Iran, and the Kurds. Perhaps God will send another flood along with these three armies to once again overwhelm Mosul at Nineveh!
Nahum 1:8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
Conditions in Mosul are the same as they were in ancient Nineveh. There is overflowing bloodshed. The Mosul dam is in danger of bursting. The same three armies are set against it. Nahum likely also foretells the destruction of Mosul.
Nahum 3:1-3 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not; 2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. 3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:
God spared the city of Nineveh in Jonah’s’ day. Jonah was upset because the people of Nineveh repented and escaped God’s punishment. God reminded Jonah that many innocent lives would be lost during the destruction of Nineveh. I suppose that most of us today would be happy to see ISIS in Mosul wiped out. In the book of Jonah God reminds us of the human tragedy his judgment brings. Moral of the story; repent while you still can!
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Folks wanted proof that Jesus was God so they demanded a sign. Jesus gave them the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah was inside of the fish for three days Jesus also rose from the grave in three days. But there may be more to the sign of Jonah. Long before the Mosul dam was ever built Bible scholars have wondered if the preaching of Jonah was also a part of the sign. The grammar of Mathew 12:39-41 leads some Bible scholars to think that the subject of Jesus’s comment was the preaching of Jonah.
Matthew 12:38-41 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 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. 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
The Greek word translated as “sign” means miracle or supernatural wonder. Notice in verse 41 that the men of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah. They did not repent at the miracle of surviving in a large fish for three days.
The unbelieving religious rulers in Jerusalem demanded a sign from Jesus to prove that he was their promised messiah. Jesus told them that they would not be be given a sign except for the sign of Jonah. Jonah was sent to ancient Nineveh to tell them to repent because God’s judgment was coming on the city. The destruction of Mosul could be the end time sign to Israel that their time of trouble is at hand.
Jesus said that an evil generation desires to be shown a sign. We should already know and honor God because it is evident that he has created all things and also because has given us his word. We should not require a sign in order to motivate us to repent from our unbelief and rebellion. Nevertheless Jesus gave his generation the sign of Jonah.
Perhaps this generation will repent at the preaching of Jonah when Mosul is flooded! If Israel repents at the preaching of Jonah then they will narrowly escape God’s coming judgement on the city of Jerusalem and on the nation of Israel.
Jesus said that even the men of ancient Nineveh will rise from the dead and condemn his generation for its unbelief. It seems to me that this generation is about to witness another sign of Jonah. ISIS in the city of Mosul rejected Jonah’s offer of repentance by blowing up Jonah’s shrine. A terrible time of God’s judgment is coming upon Israel and also upon all of the earth. Only by repentance from unbelief can we escape it.
I suspect that the Prophet Nahum describes the fall of ancient Nineveh as well as the demise of modern day Mosul. I think that Mosul will fall soon by a flood and by the same three armies that wiped out Nineveh.
Since I wrote this I have learned that the dam just north of Mosul is very unstable and requires continuous maintenance. The capture of the dam by ISIS and the recapture of the dam by the Kurds has disrupted its maintenance schedule. In 2007 the Army Corp of Engineers declared it the most dangerous dam in the world. Perhaps Jesus will flood ISIS in Mosul forty days after his return for the Rapture.
Listen to my verse by verse Bible study through the Old Testament book of Nahum titled The End of ISIS is near!
https://www.spreaker.com/embed/player/standard?episode_id=8076847&autoplay=false
High Time to Awake 
Hi, Craig! I am wondering if you have seen any evidence yet of the fall of Mosul on Sept. 2nd, which was yesterday, as you indicated in this article that 40 days after ISIS destroyed Jonah’s tomb to indicate their refusal to repent of their dastardly deeds, there would be judgment on them. I see them becoming more powerful instead, having stolen planes from Syria’s army now, and yesterday they killed another American journalist. I am so disturbed by all this as they’ve threatened to invade both England and the US that it is affecting my immune system. You said you are certain ISIS will be judged soon, but I wonder if you see any indications of it at all yet as I don’t want them to take over the world by their methods.
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Hi Nancy. Thanks for keeping your eye on Mosul. Counting 40 days from the destruction of Jonah’s shrine was my hunch and not a clear instruction from the bible. If Mosul doesn’t fall today then you can scrap my theory. I still think that ISIS in Mosul will be judged soon. Conditions in Mosul today are very similar to ancient Nineveh when it was destroyed in 612 BC. About a week ago I heard that the Kurds took over the Mosul dam but I haven’t heard any confirmation. The Iraqi and Iranian army are in Baghdad but I haven’t heard of any military operations. These are the same armies that destroyed Nineveh.
Nineveh was destroyed by a flood and also by these three armies. The Mosul dam is in jeopardy of bursting.
The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction said in 2007 that the Mosul dam was quite unstable and could very well collapse at any moment. In fact, in 2006, the Army Corps of Engineers said it was the most dangerous dam in the world. The BBC reported in 2007:
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/08/18/mosul-dam-needs-crucial-maintenance-to-reduce-flooding-risk-expert/
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Hi Craig: Thanks for the link about the dam being the most dangerous one in the world. If it goes, 500,000 people could perish. The shame is that not all of these people are ISIS. It would be nice if most of ISIS were concentrated in this area, but I believe that as you said in your comment of Aug. 29th, Turkey would have to get involved against ISIS in Western Syria if they begin to threaten Turkey. It seem that if Obama has such a vested interest in helping to see to it that Turkey becomes the head of the Caliphate that he would at that point go in to help Turkey fight against ISIS if he thinks they need the help. Do you think there is a chance that Obama would at least try to help Turkey defeat ISIS in Syria, as he’s pretty much leaving Iraq to fend for themselves against ISIS with the help of the Kurds and Iranians? Even Assad said he would welcome the help in Syria to fight ISIS, but he qualified that by stating they have to let him know first.
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I think that Obama will act quickly to aid Turkey against ISIS.
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Iraqi engineers are taking emergency measures and are opening the floodgates to relieve pressure on Mosul Dam.
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