<TITLE>12. Par 142-158</TITLE>L-142   And Jonah had faith in what Solomon had prayed. And God delivered him from the whale, after three days and nights. He might have put an oxygen tent down there. I don't know what He did, but He kept him alive for three days and nights, according to the Word. And the Word is right.

L-143 Well, if Jonah, under those circumstances, could look again to the tabernacle that a man made, how much more ought you and I, tonight, to look to the Temple where Jesus stands at the right hand of the Majesty, with His Own Blood, making intercessions on our profession, on our little symptoms! Don't condemn Jonah, and then look at what's wrong with you. Look to the promise, "God said so!" If you're the children of Abraham, "God said so!" He made the promise, and that settles it.

L-144   Notice, all the people was out fishing, and pulling their nets and things. After a while, up come the sea-god, the whale, rushing towards the bank. Everybody fell on their knees. God knows how to do things. And he got right to the bank and licked out his tongue, and, when he did, here come the prophet walking right out of the whale's mouth. The prophet! The god spit the prophet right out on the bank. No wonder they repented. See?

L-145 That was a sign. Jonah being delivered by the whale, was a sign. What did he do? That was a sign from God. What did the voice say? "Repent or perish, in forty days." God's sign; God's voice! Always, when God sends a sign, God sends His voice behind that sign. Notice, "Repent, or within forty days this whole city will perish."

L-146   John the prophet's appearing on earth, after four hundred years without a prophet; the sign after four hundred years, of him appearing. That little lax time!

L-147 Now if you're spiritual you'll catch what I'm saying. May God open up your understanding. How long has it been!

L-148 Four hundred years, the Israel without a prophet, the churches had got so twisted up, and then here come John on the scene. John was the prophet, a sign that the Messiah was going to speak after him. Watch. Because, Malachi 3 said, "I'll send My Messenger before My face, to prepare the way, prepare the people."

L-149 Look at John, no selfishness in him. He never took any glory. They tried to call him the Messiah; but he said, "I'm not worthy to loose His shoes."

L-150 But as soon as Jesus appeared, He had a sign, a Pillar of Fire, a Light above Him, like a dove come down a voice saying, "This is My beloved Son, Whom I'm well pleased."

L-151 Notice, and John immediately said, "He must increase. I must decrease." He presented the Church to Christ. Amen.

L-152   We are told that, in the last days, that will repeat again! There is going to be a Message come forth, that will introduce the Messiah to the people. And it'll be in such a way, they'll stand dumbfounded like they did then. He promised it. The next chapter of Matthew, of Malachi, tells us about it. Watch.

L-153 They asked about it. John's nature identified him in the spirit of Elijah. Now notice the two prophets.

L-154 Now, Elijah was a man who rose up in the time of Israel, in a chaos.

L-155 Ahab was king. And all the women had mocked after Jezebel, and probably waterhead haircuts and everything, probably like we got today. And all had went after Jezebel. And the pastors thought, "That was just fine. Let them alone. Let them do it."

L-156 And at that time, God raised up a man from the wilderness, by the name of Elijah. We don't even know where he come from. He didn't have no school to identify him. But he raised up, and he condemned all that stuff. He condemned the whole set-up.

L-157 If he would come on the scene, today, he would condemn our set-up too.

L-158 He condemned every Jezebel. And it, finally, it was her that broke the prophet down. Run out, like John; laid under the juniper tree when Jezebel was going to kill him. She hated him.


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