When God takes us Fishing
Sunday, August 20, 2022
I was seeking the Lord for the word for his church and as the pages of my bible opened up, my eyes were drawn to the first two verses of the Book of Jonah. Immediately I heard the Holy Ghost as he led me to focus my attention to what God would reveal as I read this familiar, yet very powerful message for this morning. Anyone who has been around the word of God for very long will know the story that the Book of Jonah tells, but I wonder how many have heard what it is saying to the church right now.
Jonah 1:1-2 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim [judgment] against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me."
What were the roots and the foundation of Nineveh and what was it about Nineveh that caused its wickedness to be so great that God was choosing to bring utter destruction upon it?
Going back to Genesis chapter 10 we find the sequence of events that came together to create this great city in the earth and it was all connected to Nimrod who was the grandson of Ham and great-grandson of Noah.
Genesis 10:8-9 Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD."
The name Cush means “unclear”, and he raised Nimrod, but I doubt that Cush emphasized the importance of serving Jehovah or made the ways of the Lord very clear to his son. If he did, Nimrod certainly didn’t get a clear picture of the kind of man that God expected him to be. Nimrod’s focus was on the earth and what he could get out of it for himself .
It could have been literally true that Nimrod became a great hunter for after the days of the great flood.
It’s very possible that the wild animal population grew at a fast pace and made it dangerous for men to travel around while living in tents. So Nimrod becoming a hunter to stem their attacks against people, and perhaps even supplying an extra source of food, would have earned him some respect and gratefulness among the people. But the notation of the word of God about Nimrod being a “great hunter”, took on a much more sinister and dark meaning.
Nimrod gained respect and notoriety among men, but it went to his head and became a matter of pride that drove him to build an army of “hunters” who not only hunted animals but hunted people as well. With this “army of hunters”, Nimrod gained power over men and began to establish himself as their ruler and king, forming his own tyrannical government.
It is said that the Assyrians, a godless nation founded by Asshur, made Nimrod into an idol god in their religious practices and gave him the title “Bacchus”, a name which means “a hunter”. They elevated Nimrod as a god to the point of claiming that he arose into the heavens and lived forever among the stars. He was given the name Orion, and to make him greater they claimed that he was given his favorite sidekick known as Sirius, the “Dog Star”!
I recently completed study of the gospel in the stars and it is clear that Orion represents the Prince of glory, (the Lord Jesus Christ), and the triumph and brightness of His coming! Nimrod was lifted up in the minds of the Assyrians and those who worshipped him as a replacement for the coming messiah. The message of the gospel in the stars that had been passed down from generation to generation was perverted to magnify Nimrod instead of the Son of God and the truth of God’s story in the stars of the heavens was perverted and lost.
Nimrod’s identity as a great hunter became more of a negative thing as he grew in power and became a greater rebel against God. He openly and publicly forced his will upon men before the Lord and acted as though he had no fear of God at all, provoking God to rise up against Nimrod. His identity of being a great hunter is not a complement but a statement against him because Nimrod used his abilities to defy God.
In his defiance against God, Nimrod chose to build a kingdom and a city that would be his legacy and the center of his power over mankind.
Reading from the Amplified Bible in Genesis chapter 10 we see how it all came about.
Genesis 10:10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, which in Hebrew means “to confound or confuse” and Erech, which in Hebrew means, “to be long or to prolong”; and Accad, which in Hebrew means “a jar with a glow or a spark”; and Calneh, which means, “Center Of The World, Beautifying Everything”, in the land of Shinar [in Babylonia]. Shinar means, “Cast Out A Breach; That What Is Young (or Shakes, Growls); Tooth Town; City Of Wit”.
Those of you that know a little about the Hebrew alphabet should know that the letter Sheen is symbolized in pictograph form as “teeth”. We like to think of that as God showing his teeth while smiling in approval, but in this case the “teeth” of the Sheen reveals a different meaning to the words “Tooth Town”, for they reveal the growling and devouring teeth of Satan working through Nimrod to attempt to use his wit to deceive mankind and destroy the belief in the One True God!
Genesis 10:11 From that land Nimrod went to Assyria, a land and nation that would be enemies of Israel for many years to come which was established under Asshur, and there he built Nineveh, to be the very seat of his government, and he built Rehoboth-Ir, which refers to the center of Nineveh, or town square, the central place of Nimrod’s throne of power; and Calah, which means, “Like New; or having a Stern Gaze”,
Genesis 10:12 and [Nimrod built] Resen, which means, “ Head Of A Spring;
Bridle, Halter”, and located it between Nineveh and Calah; all these [combined to form] the great city [Nineveh].
Looking at the names and meanings of these verses we find that Nimrod, the mighty hunter who rebelled against and defied God, founded the city of Nineveh to be his seat of power and government to rule over the people.
• He created confusion and confounded the knowledge of God, perverting God’s ways so that men could not decide what was God’s way and what was Nimrod’s way.
• Nineveh was established to prolong Nimrod’s rule and establish it for a very long time.
• He wanted Nineveh to be like the spark of fire that would be poured out of a jar to ignite rebellion in the hearts of men against God so that they would follow Nimrod.
• He wanted Nineveh to replace not only the stories of the beauty of the Garden of Eden, but even the ideas that men had of a beauty city of God in the heavens.
Nimrod breached the wall of separation between the sinful heart of man and the righteousness of God! He rebelled against God and used his own wit to lead men astray, and when they balked, his stern gaze caused their opposition to melt away. The city of Nineveh became a great city where the rebellion of Nimrod would act as a bridle, or a halter, to turn the heads of mankind against the kingship of God.
Nineveh was filled with pride, rebellion, idolatry and flaunted its ability to control nations and people, with a defiant spirit toward God. This was the Nineveh that Jonah was called to go and prophesy to.
So now we can better understand why Jonah balked at the calling that God put on his life! Jonah, whose name means “vexer; dove”, was the son of Amattai, which means “true”. He knew the Truth; he understood the heart of God desired truth to reign in the hearts of men; he was rooted in truth, and was vexed by the sin of Nineveh and all that it had done to the people of God. Nineveh, in Jonah’s mind, was the greatest Spirit of the Antichrist on the earth and they deserved whatever judgment God would send upon them.
Jonah was called to leave his place of comfort, arise and go to this city where he knew that rebellion, lies, deceit and hatred toward God and truth were rampant. He was called to rise up and become one who “Vexed” the liars and idolaters, and confront the evil leadership, and be harmless as a “dove” while he preached that God would destroy the city if they didn’t repent quickly. How would you have liked to have been in Jonah’s shoes when God called him to go to Nineveh?
I’m here to tell you that God is calling each of to rise up right now and go prophecy to Nineveh! That same spirit that was in Nineveh has now covered the earth and it is all around us!
The church in this hour has been called to rise up and go into our world; our nation; our community; into a world that is lost in terrible darkness; a world that has perverted the truth and called it a lie; a world that is trying to draw every man aside and make him a slave to sin; a world that denies the very existence of God, and a “Nineveh” world that has chosen to replace the Way of Salvation through Christ alone, with a man-made way saying that all religions lead to God. They’ve chosen to proclaim that heaven is a myth, and that hell doesn’t exist at all, and anyone who believes in such things is either delusional or a fool.
I saw the parallels between Nineveh and the world around us, and the Holy Ghost began to speak, saying “Rise Up, Church”, go and prophesy to Nineveh once again!
Rise up, says the Lord, Open your mouth and I will fill it with my word that you may speak my name and see many come to me and be saved!
• Rise up with faith, trusting God!
• Rise up in victory and power and let nothing hinder you!
• Rise up in the power of the Holy Ghost with the Holy Fire of God burning in you!
• Rise up and go! Go to your families, your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors and anyone who will listen! Do not delay for the time of my appearing is at hand!
Rise up, - Again I say unto you, RISE UP and lift up my name before the earth! I have called you, anointed you and put my Spirit in you for such a time as this!
Why did God send Jonah to Nineveh? Was it true that God’s judgment would come upon them if they didn’t repent? Yes, God does not lie, and when he said that judgment was coming, God meant it! Nineveh was given only 40 days to obey the word of the Lord. 40 is used many times in the bible to symbolize a period of testing, trial or probation. Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness is a great example.
Here's the real question – if God was so determined to destroy the evil in Nineveh, why didn’t he just do it. Why give them 40 days of grace to repent?
This lets us know that sending judgment upon Nineveh wasn’t what God really wanted to do at all. His real purpose in sending Jonah was to save the souls that dwelled in that terrible place!
God’s love was reaching out for one last call to repent! He wanted to save Nineveh, but unless the prophet would be obedient and go, telling them what the word of the Lord had said, there would be no hope for deliverance! God does not desire to judge; only to save!
Jonah was afraid! He was on the run! He didn’t even want to see Nineveh repent, so he chose to not go and preach to them. He decided in his own heart that every one of those souls in Nineveh deserved to die under judgment because of the evil in their hearts and the damage that they had done to the purposes of God and his people. I can only imagine that Jonah thought, “Why should I preach; they won’t hear it anyway! Why make myself into a target for those who hate God and his ways?”
How many of God’s people in the church will develop that same attitude? We must not allow ourselves to become cynical, and we should never rejoice when bad things happen to ungodly people. We must be very careful not to speak against those whom God has placed over us, and make no mistake about it, God allowed them to be there for his purposes. No king rises, no nation will endure, no government shall stand, no power on earth can move without God’s knowledge of it, and his power of control over it.
I know that it’s hard to understand why evil is allowed to continue; why a nation must suffer under ungodly leadership; why peace is fleeting when that’s all that most of the world really wants; why one nation will rise against another to war; and why unjust laws are allowed to be established. Yet all of these things serve their purpose.
God didn’t create sin, or bring evil things to pass, but he allows the evil hearts of men to create their agendas, and even, for a time allows the powers of Satan to remain free in the earth. But God has a plan, and none of these things move him!
He uses both the good and the evil to bring about his perfect will in the end. We have to just learn to trust him through it all and know that he will never leave or forsake his people, and that he is always reaching out to save souls.
That’s why I believe in this last great revival of the end times. God want’s all men to be saved, and none to perish, and his love is still reaching out even in the greatest of judgments that are upon us, or that will come in the future!
He’s calling out to Israel, to America, to Russia, to China, to Britain and to every nation on the earth to repent while there yet time. Our 40 years of his patient waiting is nearly over! I don’t know when it began, but I know that the end of his probation period for this evil Nineveh world is nearly done! Jesus is coming soon and then the judgments of God begin to fall!
There are lots of things happening right now that signify God’s judgements upon America have already begun, but they’ve only just begun! Our 40 years of testing God’s patience have run their course, and America must repent now!
I’ve heard it preached and prophesied many times that this is the last call for America! As a nation, we are the Nineveh of our time! America has gone from being the nation that trusted in Jesus and worshipped God, to a nation that lives with the spirit of Antichrist and the attitude of Nimrod filling our land and controlling our government.
America no longer exports the gospel, giving hope and freedom to the world. America now exports more filth and sinful teaching, and ungodly films than any nation on earth. God is calling the American Nineveh to repent quickly because we are in our last hours! God help us as a nation, and an apostate church, and an ungodly society to repent and all upon you once again!
What are we, the church of Jesus Christ, to be doing in these final hours? Our calling is to be the “Jonahs”, and go out to prophecy and preach the coming of the Lord and his judgment. But we are not to have the attitude of Jonah who hated Nineveh and didn’t want to see them repent.
We are to love the sinner enough to go out and prophesy, or preach and teach the truth of God’s love and mercy to them even when we don’t see how it can be of any effect.
There are many in the church today who have just given up on witnessing because no one seems to care to hear it anymore! But we are still called to rise up and go!
Jonah chose to run from the calling on his life. He hated Nineveh and what it stood for and refused to go preach God’s word to them. He ran, and that’s when God took him fishing! The only thing was that Jonah became the bait, and God let the fish catch him!
I want you to know that if we fail to rise up and witness, God just might take us fishing too! We may not fall into the ocean and be swallowed by a big fish, but God has many ways to get our attention and bring us to our knees in repentance so that we will do what he has called us to do.
And when we get to the place where Jonah did inside the belly of the fish; when we find ourselves in the spiritual woodshed, feeling as though we have lost our communion with God, and wondering if we will ever rise again to enjoy the presence of the Lord, we will find ourselves praying the same things Jonah did.
Jonah 2:7-9 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.
If we don’t Rise Up and intercede on behalf of America, on behalf of a dying world, on behalf of those who reject God, on behalf of those who are caught in the trap of the devil and even controlled by demonic spirits – what does say about our Christianity? How much do we love other people, and what about our love for God?
When our soul faints within because of the hard times and the time when things just seem so hopeless, that’s when we must remember the call of God to rise up and tell the world about Jesus!
When we don’t want to associate with the devil’s crowd, much less preach to them; when we just want to see the enemies of our freedom gone; and we don’t feel like praying for them because it seems so hopeless that anything or anyone will change; when we just want to see Jesus come and take us out of here and we don’t seem to care what happens to those left behind - where is the Love of God in us then?
What if God’s mercy didn’t reach out to us? Do we deserve mercy anymore than those who seem so far from God? God’s mercy is everlasting and renewed every morning! His heart is still set on saving as many as will repent! We don’t deserve his mercy, or his grace, anymore than anyone else so let’s just preach Jesus and warn the world of impending judgment and let the Holy Ghost reach out and touch the hearts of whosoever will hear!
God is saying for us to Rise Up and fulfill the call of God as intercessors, prayer warriors, witnesses for Jesus and preachers of the gospel. We are all preachers. We are all prophetic believers and can speak as prophets because we know the prophecies of what is coming and we must tell the world! We can’t hide under a basket. We must be the salt and light and let the light of God shine through us! We must become living sacrifices, giving of ourselves in every way we can!
Romans 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
God calls us and anoints us with the gift of the Holy Ghost to go out and be witnesses, to love people and to do all we can to bring them to Jesus. He’s called us to go and preach repentance our own “Nineveh”.
Are we going to Rise Up and go? Are we going to intercede for the lost? Are we going to tell the world that Jesus is coming soon, or will we do like Jonah and just try to run from the calling and go hide in a corner until Jesus comes?
God is calling us again, just as he did for Jonah the second time in Jonah 3:2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
We may not see Nineveh, or the whole society, or the whole nation, or even everyone in our circle of influence, rise up to proclaim a fast, put on sackcloth and ashes, and fall down in repentance, but how do we know who will and who won’t until we rise up to witness and preach the coming of God’s judgments upon the world?
It may seem as impossible to us as it did to Jonah that such a thing will happen, but it’s not our place to judge what God will do in the hearts of men. It’s just our duty and call to rise up and preach the truth.
It may seem impossible that America will repent, but if Nineveh, after all of Nimrod’s influence, still repented, why can’t America? Why can’t our ungodly politicians be moved upon by the Holy Ghost who can convict the world of sin and lead them to Christ? Why can’t an apostate church and backslidden leadership in the church be moved upon by the convicting power of the Holy Ghost and suddenly fall down in repentance?
What makes us think that God can’t do what he did for Nineveh in our own Nineveh? The problem is that the spirit of antichrist and the attitude of Nimrod causes even the church to be deceived into believing that there is no hope for revival!
Rise up in faith church! Rise up and preach the gospel at every opportunity! We have yet to see what God is going to do in these last hours before the Antichrist arises and even beyond that! Surely judgment is coming, but so is the outpouring of the mercies and grace of God upon those who will repent!
Let’s not make God take us fishing and have to bring us to the lowest point in our spiritual lives before we hear and obey his call to be the witnesses that we need to be in this hour! Any of us could be the “Jonah” that another person needs to hear! Any of us could carry the “Word of Prophecy” to a heart that is deep in sin but ready to hear the truth and repent! There’s no limit to what God can do through those who will obey him and preach to those living in Nineveh!
As the Lord said in on Jonah 4:11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than six score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?
Can you see the heart of God? Can you feel the Love that He has for the lost? Can you see the pain in God’s heart for those who can’t discern right from wrong, and can you see that God doesn’t want to destroy and judge; only to save and deliver men from destruction and terrible loss!
That’s why we are called to be a “Jonah”! God desires to seek and save, to love and deliver, to stay the hand of judgment – if only the Jonah’s will prophesy and the people will repent! Rise UP to the challenge and be a Jonah today! Either be a Jonah, or get ready for God to take you fishing! The choice is ours!
