Death on The Cross? — Page 4
Again: "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: 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. " (Matthew 12:39, 40). Jesus Christ is here comparing his own fate with that of the Prophet. Jonah. Now what was the sign given by Jonah to the Ninevites? The. Bible says: "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. " "Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly. And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the. Lord, and he heard me out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest, my voice. " (Jonah 1:17, & 2:1,2). According to this verse in the Bible, Jonah was swallowed up by a big fish, where he remained three days and three nights and then came out alive from the belly of the fish. It was a sign given to the. Ninevites. Jonah prayed to God for deliverance while in the belly of the fish, the Lord heard his prayer and Jonah came out alive. Jesus says that no sign shall be given to the evil and adulterous generation of his time except that of Jonas. Now what is the resemblance between the two signs of Jonas and Jesus? It is nothing but going alive into the belly of the fish and the heart of the earth and coming out alive. Both Jonah and Jesus cried by reason of their respective afflictions and prayed to their Lord for deliverance. The prayers of both were heard! If Jesus did not enter the heart of the Earth (sepulchre) alive, and come out alive, where is the resemblance of the two signs?. Jesus promised to show only one sign to the generation of his time but even if that sign did not prove to be true, is there anything also to prove the truth of his claim to be a prophet? Jesus' reference to the sign of Jonah simply means that he would not die on the cross. . Therefore, there is every reason to believe that the swoon theory is 4