"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" (Matthew 12:39).
Mr. Al-Kadhi states that in effect, Jesus (pbuh) was claiming to have put all of his eggs in one basket. He was telling them that "NO" sign shall be given to them "BUT" the sign of Jonas. This ONE sign shall ALONE decide who is truthful, him or those who doubted him. This shall be the "be all end all" acid test of his truthfulness.
Jesus compares those whom he is speaking to with the inhabitants of that once wicked city, Nineveh. "Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me" (Jonah 1:2).
"Good Friday" is the day Christians tell us Jesus (pbuh) was crucified. As you can see, it is impossible to add up the days and nights so that they equal "three days and three nights."
3 days and 3 nights? Here's one explanation: when you tell your friend that you will come over to their place in a day, what does that mean? Does that mean sometime tomorrow or exactly 24 hours later? Jesus was arrested let's say on Thursday night. So we have Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. The three days are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Mr. Al-Kadhi states that, "as Jonah entered the whale's belly alive and came out of it's belly alive". Where does the bible say that Jonah remained alive for all that time? Maybe you've been staring too long at those cartoons where Jonah is sitting at his table writing a letter?
Care to guess what Jonah looked and smelled like when he came out of that large fish? Obviously, it must have been very terrible. What else would have prompted that wicked city of Nineveh to suddenly proclaim a fast?
The people feared that they would perish in God's sight, so they repented of their sin. Eventually, the people of Nineveh went back to their sinning ways, and God punished them.
What did Jesus mean? How was the sign of Jonas similar to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? Did Jesus enter the belly of a large fish? No. Was he alive when he was placed in the tomb? No. Would there be a miracle if Jesus went into the tomb alive and came out alive? No.
Then what is the sign? Jesus explains it clearly: "The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, someone greater than Jonah is here" (Matthew 12:42).
A similar fate experienced by the Ninevites awaits those who reject the salvation that Jesus freely offers. The Jews experienced judgement in 70 AD when Jerusalem was destroyed. Nations have experienced it throughout history. The same applies to human beings ... the decision is yours. Now is the day of salvation for you.
The Rebuttal to "What Did Jesus Really Say?"
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