LEARNING DAILY

Matthew 12:41, “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.”  Jesus

I find the need for a sign in order for one to believe in Jesus to be interesting. Jesus declared in the passage the verse above was taken from that this generation, His generation, was evil and spiritually unfaithful to God. If Jesus was walking on earth today, what would He say about this generation of people? They demanded a sign from Jesus to show He was who said He was; the miracles He had already done and that had been witnessed by them was enough to confirm His divine authority, to validate He was the Messiah; but they did not believe. Jesus told them the only sign they would get was the “the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Jesus was comparing the Pharisees with the people of Nineveh. The people of Nineveh repented of their evil ways after hearing Jonah’s message. The Pharisees, however, continued in their unbelief after seeing Jesus perform miracles.  Jesus told the Pharisees they were responsible for their unbelief after all they had seen and heard from Him. The people of Nineveh had received far less teaching and had less evidence but still believed God and changed their ways. He told them by way of a prophetic statement that the only sign they would get was He would be in the earth three days and three nights just like Jonah in the belly of the great fish.

Back up to verse 36 in this passage and you find another reference to judgment. This judgment is referred to as coming when Jesus returns as King to set up His kingdom on earth; it is also referred to as the second coming. Two judgments occur. One is for those who have not placed their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who reject Him as their Savior and Lord will be judged on their own righteousness which will come short of God’s standard. Their names will not be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life; this is known as the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). This time will clearly show how each person’s sinful life (their rejection of Him) has deservedly separated them from God.

The second judgment will be for those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:10 describes the Judgment Seat of Christ where Believers stand before Him, where He will examine their words and deeds in order to determine their rewards in eternity with Him. Let me emphasize that their salvation is not determined here because their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life the moment their faith is placed in the Lord Jesus.

It is on this day of the Great White Throne Judgment that Jesus says the people of Nineveh, even as wicked as they were, will criticize and condemn the people of His generation. The people of Ninevah repented when they heard of God’s judgment coming. The people of His generation did not.

The sign of Jonah has been fulfilled. It has happened. The judgment Jesus spoke about is still to come and it comes down to personal choice by each person living right now. The choices we face comes down to a truly repentant heart, believing God or not. The choice is to walk a narrow way that leads to eternal life in God’s kingdom or walk a broad way that leads to destruction. We have the choice to follow the people of Nineveh or to follow the Pharisees and the Jewish people of Jesus’ generation. The people of Nineveh will also respond to the people rejecting Jesus as Savior and Lord.

In my opinion, there is no real choice to be made here. “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord choose this day whom you will serve, …. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (the beginning and end of Joshua 24:15).