Jonah
Jonah, the prophet from Gath-hepher who spent three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish (Jon. 1:17), is identified by Jones as a two-part type of Christ. The first part of the “sign of Jonah” (Matt. 12:39-40) typifies Christ’s death and resurrection: Jonah’s three days in the fish are the type of Jesus’ three days in the heart of the earth. The second part typifies the future work of the manifestation of the Sons of God: just as Jonah after his resurrection preached the gospel to Nineveh, so the glorified sons of God will bring all nations to repentance in the coming age.
Biblical Anchoring
| Reference | Context |
|---|---|
| Jon. 1:17 | ”Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish” |
| Jon. 3:1-10 | Jonah preaches to Nineveh; the city repents — type of universal gospel proclamation |
| Matt. 12:39-40 | ”As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” — Jesus’ own type designation |
| Matt. 12:41 | ”The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment… and behold, something greater than Jonah is here” |
| Ps. 22:6 | ”I am a worm and not a man” — the towla worm as an additional type connected with Jon. 4:7 |
Typological Treatment by Author
Jones
Jones builds his Jonah exegesis on Jesus’ own statement in Matt. 12:39-40. The “sign of Jonah” is a two-part prophetic type:
The first part is the type of Christ’s death work as the Passover Lamb. Jonah’s descent into the sea and his three days in the fish are the exact type of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection:
“This clearly identifies Jonah as a type of Christ in His death work on the Cross as the Passover Lamb. Even as Jonah spent three days in the belly of the fish, so also did Jesus spend three days in the heart of the earth. Even as Jonah was vomited out of the belly of the fish to picture resurrection from the dead, so also was Jesus raised from the dead.”1
Jones adds that the towla worm that God appointed to strike down Jonah’s shade plant (Jon. 4:7) is an additional type of Christ’s crucifixion, connected to Ps. 22:6 (“I am a worm”):
“Jones uses the towla worm in Jon. 4:7 as an additional type of Christ’s death on the cross, connected to Ps. 22:6.”2
The second part of the sign of Jonah is the type of the future universal gospel proclamation. Jonah’s emergence from the fish and his preaching to Nineveh prophesies the end-time manifestation of the Sons of God:
“The second part of the sign of Jonah prophesies of what happens AFTER the dead rise at the fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets. Jonah’s emergence from the belly of the fish represents the resurrection of the dead at the last trumpet. He came forth bleached white (glorified). He was then sent to preach the Gospel to Nineveh, which represents all nations, including God’s ‘enemies’. When the world sees the manifestation of the sons of God, they will be converted in the coming age.”3
Related Types
- Connected: passover (Passover as the direct type of Christ’s death work — Jonah is a parallel type from the prophets)
- Connected: feast-of-trumpets (Feast of Trumpets as the feast at whose fulfillment the second part of Jonah’s type is realized)
- Connected: bronze-serpent (Bronze serpent as a parallel Christ-type: lifted up in judgment, life-giving to those who look)
Footnotes
Footnotes
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Jones, The Laws of the Second Coming, ch. 12 — Jonah as type of Christ’s death work; three days in the belly = three days in the heart of the earth; emergence = resurrection. ↩
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Jones, The Laws of the Second Coming, ch. 12 — Towla worm (Jon. 4:7) as additional type of Christ’s crucifixion; connection to Ps. 22:6. ↩
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Jones, The Laws of the Second Coming, ch. 12 — Second part of the sign of Jonah: resurrection at the last trumpet; preaching to Nineveh = manifestation of the sons of God to all nations. ↩