Study Focus: Matt. 12:38–42, Jon. 3:5–10, Rev. 18:4, Dan. 5:1–31.
Because the Bible essentially is about the kingdom of God, its central message is oriented toward the end and the heavenly kingdom of God. This eschatological illumination is testified to, and revealed, in the apocalyptic prophecies of the Bible, which clearly and explicitly disclose the end-time scenario. This revelation also is found elsewhere in the Scriptures through specific events of judgment and salvation that shall transpire in the end times.
In this week’s lesson, three of these events have been selected that have one particular trait in common: they all take place at the end of the history of biblical Israel and involve the Gentiles, the “nations” (compare with Gen. 12:3, Gen. 22:18). The first event is dramatic: this is the judgment and repentance of the whole people of Nineveh, following the prophet Jonah’s reluctant evangelistic campaign. The second event is tragic: this is the event of the judgment and non-repentance of Belshazzar that ends with the loss of his kingdom. And the third event is glorious: this is the salvation of God’s people, thanks to the contribution of the Persian king Cyrus. That the end times are the occasion of the salvation of the nations, who finally join the ranks of Israel, is surprising; yet, it is symptomatic of the cosmic character of the eschatological moment, according to Paul’s prediction: “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so, all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:25, 26, NKJV).
Part II: Commentary
The Judgment of Nineveh. The prophet Jonah, who was the Israelite missionary to the people of Nineveh, tells us the story of his success-failure. God called him to move from his place in Gath Hepher (2 Kings 14:25, NKJV), a little town in the northern part of ancient Israel during the time of Jeroboam II, in the eighth century b.c. (785 b.c.). This time is described in the book of 2 Kings as a bad time for Israel, whose unfaithfulness kindled God’s anger against them (2 Kings 13:3). Yet, “the Lord did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven” (2 Kings 14:27, NKJV). Instead, God “saved them” from the enemy (2 Kings 14:27, NKJV).
Ironically, it is during this particular time in which Israel was unfaithful that God called Jonah to go to Nineveh in order to preach to its citizens and urge them to repent. Jonah tells us that the whole city did repent, much to his deep dismay. Jonah was so upset by God’s call to mission that he refused to obey. Instead of traveling north to Nineveh, as God instructed, Jonah chose to travel south to Joppa and then embarked to Tarshish.
The book of Jonah tells us, then, how Jonah ended up in the belly of a big fish, which vomited him out on dry land (Jon. 2:10). Jonah is remembered as the prophet who was swallowed by a big fish because he refused to warn the city of Nineveh about God’s judgment. Ironically, the cuneiform language of the people of Nineveh preserved the memory of this wonder: the cuneiform representation of the name Nineveh means “big fish in the city.” It is as if the very name of the city itself suggests the lengths to which God, disappointed by His own people, would go to save a Gentile nation who would be more responsive to His mercy.
The story of Jonah at Ninevah is an illustration of how God deals with His people and with the nations. In it we clearly see how God extends grace to sinners and how He still punishes them for their unforsaken sins.
The Judgment of Belshazzar. The story of the judgment of the Babylonian king Belshazzar follows the story of Nebuchadnezzar’s judgment and repentance, as if the biblical author intended to bring out the contrast between the two Babylonian kings. While both kings are proud and sin against God, the two kings do not receive the same judgment. Nebuchadnezzar is forgiven, and the chapter reporting his experience ends with his song praising God, who is able to abase the proud (Dan. 4:37). On the other hand, Belshazzar who knew about his forefather’s experience (Dan. 5:22) refuses to repent. On the contrary, he willfully repeats Nebuchadnezzar’s actions of usurpation (see lessons 5 and 12) and goes even further than his forefather in his iniquity. While Nebuchadnezzar’s intention was only to bring the vessels of the temple into his own temple, Belshazzar drinks, and gets drunk, out of those vessels. Nebuchadnezzar contents himself with dismissing the other metals of the statue (see Daniel 3) and retains only the gold, which represents himself. In the end, he finally understands his foolishness and directs his praise to the God of heaven who “lives forever” (Dan. 4:34, NKJV).
Belshazzar, on the other hand, praises all the gods represented by these metals (Dan. 5:4). Belshazzar intentionally insults God. It is at that moment of his praise of the idols that a hand appears on the white wall and writes God’s judgment against him.
Even the respective denouement of the story arc of each king marks the contrast between them. Nebuchadnezzar, who was forced to creep on the ground like an animal as a result of divine judgment against his pride, recovers his standing position. Then his “honor and splendor” were returned to him (Dan. 4:36, NKJV). Belshazzar, who was sitting on the throne and had been so sure of himself, now cannot stand up and does not control himself, his knees knocking against each other: “the king cried aloud” (Dan. 5:7, NKJV). The king calls his wise men for help, for he cannot read the inscription that the mysterious hand has written on the wall. Even his wise men are not able to understand it.
Then the queen mother, Nebuchadnezzar’s daughter and Nabonidus’ wife, comes and testifies of Daniel’s superior capacity, thus reminding Belshazzar of Nebuchadnezzar’s spiritual experience. Daniel, the representative of the God whom the king had insulted, is the only one who will be able to read and interpret the inscription of judgment, which predicts the end of Belshazzar’s kingdom (Dan. 5:26–29). The three words of the inscription on the wall encapsulate the judgment against Belshazzar and thus convey an idea about what the judgment will constitute: “numbered” means accountability; “weighed” indicates evaluation; and “divided” means “rejection.”
The Judgment of Cyrus. The Persian king Cyrus occupies a unique place in the Scriptures. Cyrus is the only Gentile person who receives the title of “Messiah,” or anointed (Isa. 45:1, NKJV). The Bible goes so far as to relate Cyrus to the Messianic Savior, Christ Himself. Beyond the salvation of Israel from exile in Babylon by the messiah Cyrus, the prophet Daniel sees the universal Messiah who will deliver humans from the grasp of evil. Furthermore, the prophet does not just predict the event.
By paralleling the 70 years of Cyrus with the 70 weeks of Babylonian captivity, Daniel alerts the reader to the fact that these weeks are to be interpreted prophetically. The 70 years refer to literal years leading to the coming of the messiah Cyrus (Isa. 45:1), who restored historical Israel to ancient Palestine. Indeed, the messiah Cyrus supports the historical character of the Messiah Jesus Christ and His event of salvation. The 70 weeks (of years) are prophetic weeks leading to the coming of the universal Messiah, who will save the world from sin and, thus, through atonement, provide forgiveness for sin. This parallel between the two messiahs also is found in the book of Isaiah, wherein the messiah Cyrus, in Isaiah 45, and the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 echo each other on a significant number of linguistic and thematic levels.
The messiah Cyrus played a decisive role in the fall of Babylon, the archenemy of Israel; he also restored Israel to their land (Ezra 1:1–3) and even assisted the Jews in the rebuilding of the temple of Jerusalem under Joshua the high priest (Ezra 3:2, 3). Significantly, the book of Revelation parallels Cyrus’s achievement with Christ’s second coming. The event of the drying of the Euphrates that allowed the king of the east, Cyrus, to enter and cause the city of Babylon to fall serves as a template to describe the coming of Christ at the time of the end (Rev. 16:12). Cyrus prepared the ground for the future coming of Christ and the salvation of humanity. Moreover, Cyrus was a type of Christ. The role Cyrus played in the first coming of Christ may well hint at the scenario that may take place at the end of time in connection with the second coming of Christ. Thus, we may well conjecture that the last events of salvation will involve individuals outside of the regular ecclesiastic pattern.
Part III: Life Application
In what ways is the example of Jonah a warning against religious biases? Discuss.
While the church may fail in consistently demonstrating righteousness, how may the people of the world, on the contrary, succeed? As Jesus pointed out to the religious people of His time, “ ‘Tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you’ ” (Matt. 21:31, NKJV). What did Jesus mean by these words?
That justice is also a part of judgment is a guarantee of God’s seriousness in His act of salvation, which aims at the total eradication of evil and death. In what ways is the tension between justice and grace also a message of comfort and hope?
Why can we be saved only on the basis of God’s mercy and not on the basis of our merits?
There are two important truths that we must understand about God’s judgment in the end times: first, everyone will be informed and warned; second, there will come a time when it will be too late to repent. Apply the significance of the three words of the wall inscription to the church at the end times: “numbered” means that we are accountable for all that we do and don’t do; “weighed” means that the “good” and the “evil” will be sorted out (only God has that power of discernment); “divided” means that salvation is given to others.
Read the following encouragement from Ellen White: “The time is not far off when the people of God will be called upon to give their testimony before the rulers of the earth. . . . There is no time for vanity, for trifling, for engaging the mind in unimportant matters.”—Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, April 26, 1892. How does this quote encourage you to share God’s last-day message and warnings with people in positions of authority and power?
Notes
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Key Text: Jonah 1:9
Study Focus: Matt. 12:38–42, Jon. 3:5–10, Rev. 18:4, Dan. 5:1–31.
Because the Bible essentially is about the kingdom of God, its central message is oriented toward the end and the heavenly kingdom of God. This eschatological illumination is testified to, and revealed, in the apocalyptic prophecies of the Bible, which clearly and explicitly disclose the end-time scenario. This revelation also is found elsewhere in the Scriptures through specific events of judgment and salvation that shall transpire in the end times.
In this week’s lesson, three of these events have been selected that have one particular trait in common: they all take place at the end of the history of biblical Israel and involve the Gentiles, the “nations” (compare with Gen. 12:3, Gen. 22:18). The first event is dramatic: this is the judgment and repentance of the whole people of Nineveh, following the prophet Jonah’s reluctant evangelistic campaign. The second event is tragic: this is the event of the judgment and non-repentance of Belshazzar that ends with the loss of his kingdom. And the third event is glorious: this is the salvation of God’s people, thanks to the contribution of the Persian king Cyrus. That the end times are the occasion of the salvation of the nations, who finally join the ranks of Israel, is surprising; yet, it is symptomatic of the cosmic character of the eschatological moment, according to Paul’s prediction: “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so, all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:25, 26, NKJV).
Part II: Commentary
The Judgment of Nineveh. The prophet Jonah, who was the Israelite missionary to the people of Nineveh, tells us the story of his success-failure. God called him to move from his place in Gath Hepher (2 Kings 14:25, NKJV), a little town in the northern part of ancient Israel during the time of Jeroboam II, in the eighth century b.c. (785 b.c.). This time is described in the book of 2 Kings as a bad time for Israel, whose unfaithfulness kindled God’s anger against them (2 Kings 13:3). Yet, “the Lord did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven” (2 Kings 14:27, NKJV). Instead, God “saved them” from the enemy (2 Kings 14:27, NKJV).
Ironically, it is during this particular time in which Israel was unfaithful that God called Jonah to go to Nineveh in order to preach to its citizens and urge them to repent. Jonah tells us that the whole city did repent, much to his deep dismay. Jonah was so upset by God’s call to mission that he refused to obey. Instead of traveling north to Nineveh, as God instructed, Jonah chose to travel south to Joppa and then embarked to Tarshish.
The book of Jonah tells us, then, how Jonah ended up in the belly of a big fish, which vomited him out on dry land (Jon. 2:10). Jonah is remembered as the prophet who was swallowed by a big fish because he refused to warn the city of Nineveh about God’s judgment. Ironically, the cuneiform language of the people of Nineveh preserved the memory of this wonder: the cuneiform representation of the name Nineveh means “big fish in the city.” It is as if the very name of the city itself suggests the lengths to which God, disappointed by His own people, would go to save a Gentile nation who would be more responsive to His mercy.
The story of Jonah at Ninevah is an illustration of how God deals with His people and with the nations. In it we clearly see how God extends grace to sinners and how He still punishes them for their unforsaken sins.
The Judgment of Belshazzar. The story of the judgment of the Babylonian king Belshazzar follows the story of Nebuchadnezzar’s judgment and repentance, as if the biblical author intended to bring out the contrast between the two Babylonian kings. While both kings are proud and sin against God, the two kings do not receive the same judgment. Nebuchadnezzar is forgiven, and the chapter reporting his experience ends with his song praising God, who is able to abase the proud (Dan. 4:37). On the other hand, Belshazzar who knew about his forefather’s experience (Dan. 5:22) refuses to repent. On the contrary, he willfully repeats Nebuchadnezzar’s actions of usurpation (see lessons 5 and 12) and goes even further than his forefather in his iniquity. While Nebuchadnezzar’s intention was only to bring the vessels of the temple into his own temple, Belshazzar drinks, and gets drunk, out of those vessels. Nebuchadnezzar contents himself with dismissing the other metals of the statue (see Daniel 3) and retains only the gold, which represents himself. In the end, he finally understands his foolishness and directs his praise to the God of heaven who “lives forever” (Dan. 4:34, NKJV).
Belshazzar, on the other hand, praises all the gods represented by these metals (Dan. 5:4). Belshazzar intentionally insults God. It is at that moment of his praise of the idols that a hand appears on the white wall and writes God’s judgment against him.
Even the respective denouement of the story arc of each king marks the contrast between them. Nebuchadnezzar, who was forced to creep on the ground like an animal as a result of divine judgment against his pride, recovers his standing position. Then his “honor and splendor” were returned to him (Dan. 4:36, NKJV). Belshazzar, who was sitting on the throne and had been so sure of himself, now cannot stand up and does not control himself, his knees knocking against each other: “the king cried aloud” (Dan. 5:7, NKJV). The king calls his wise men for help, for he cannot read the inscription that the mysterious hand has written on the wall. Even his wise men are not able to understand it.
Then the queen mother, Nebuchadnezzar’s daughter and Nabonidus’ wife, comes and testifies of Daniel’s superior capacity, thus reminding Belshazzar of Nebuchadnezzar’s spiritual experience. Daniel, the representative of the God whom the king had insulted, is the only one who will be able to read and interpret the inscription of judgment, which predicts the end of Belshazzar’s kingdom (Dan. 5:26–29). The three words of the inscription on the wall encapsulate the judgment against Belshazzar and thus convey an idea about what the judgment will constitute: “numbered” means accountability; “weighed” indicates evaluation; and “divided” means “rejection.”
The Judgment of Cyrus. The Persian king Cyrus occupies a unique place in the Scriptures. Cyrus is the only Gentile person who receives the title of “Messiah,” or anointed (Isa. 45:1, NKJV). The Bible goes so far as to relate Cyrus to the Messianic Savior, Christ Himself. Beyond the salvation of Israel from exile in Babylon by the messiah Cyrus, the prophet Daniel sees the universal Messiah who will deliver humans from the grasp of evil. Furthermore, the prophet does not just predict the event.
By paralleling the 70 years of Cyrus with the 70 weeks of Babylonian captivity, Daniel alerts the reader to the fact that these weeks are to be interpreted prophetically. The 70 years refer to literal years leading to the coming of the messiah Cyrus (Isa. 45:1), who restored historical Israel to ancient Palestine. Indeed, the messiah Cyrus supports the historical character of the Messiah Jesus Christ and His event of salvation. The 70 weeks (of years) are prophetic weeks leading to the coming of the universal Messiah, who will save the world from sin and, thus, through atonement, provide forgiveness for sin. This parallel between the two messiahs also is found in the book of Isaiah, wherein the messiah Cyrus, in Isaiah 45, and the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 echo each other on a significant number of linguistic and thematic levels.
The messiah Cyrus played a decisive role in the fall of Babylon, the archenemy of Israel; he also restored Israel to their land (Ezra 1:1–3) and even assisted the Jews in the rebuilding of the temple of Jerusalem under Joshua the high priest (Ezra 3:2, 3). Significantly, the book of Revelation parallels Cyrus’s achievement with Christ’s second coming. The event of the drying of the Euphrates that allowed the king of the east, Cyrus, to enter and cause the city of Babylon to fall serves as a template to describe the coming of Christ at the time of the end (Rev. 16:12). Cyrus prepared the ground for the future coming of Christ and the salvation of humanity. Moreover, Cyrus was a type of Christ. The role Cyrus played in the first coming of Christ may well hint at the scenario that may take place at the end of time in connection with the second coming of Christ. Thus, we may well conjecture that the last events of salvation will involve individuals outside of the regular ecclesiastic pattern.
Part III: Life Application
Notes