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You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth. Jonah 2:2-3 2 And said [amar], I cried [qara] by reason of mine affliction [tsarah] unto the LORD [Yahovah], and he heard [anah] me; out of the belly [beten] of hell [sha'owl] cried [shava] I, and thou heardest [shama] my voice [qowl]. 3 For thou hadst cast [shalak] me into the deep [matsowlah], in the midst [lebab] of the seas [yam]; and the floods [nahar] compassed [cabab] me about: all thy billows [mishbar] and thy waves [gal] passed over [abar] me. KJV-Interlinear 2 and he said, 'I called out of my distress to the LORD, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; Thou didst hear my voice. 3 'For Thou hadst cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the current engulfed me. All Thy breakers and billows passed over me. NASB Jonah was thrown (hurled) into the ocean and he sank immediately. Carried by the wind and the ocean current and the driving waves, he was whisked away from the ship to what he thought was to be his last minutes on this earth. He was now quoting from the Psalms. Psa. 42:7 7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Thy waterfalls; All Thy breakers and Thy waves have rolled over me. NASB In the Old Testament, when people died, they went to either Torments (a place for unbelievers) or to Paradise (the place where believers went). Sheol is the name of the underworld, or the world of the dead, or the world where the dead are imprisoned until such time as they are later released. Unbeliever who are incarcerated in Torments will be released at the final judgment at the Great White Throne at the end of human history at the end of the Millennium. From there they will be cast into the Lake of Fire forever. Believers who died prior to the Cross, went to Paradise. The compartment called Paradise is one of four compartments in the underworld. See the chart on Hades and its four compartments. Jonah was facing certain death. He was in total fear and now ... finally called out to God in prayer. God graciously provided a rescue taxi - the big fish. Not exactly first class, but you know what they say about beggars !!! Jonah was in fear of dying thus the call to God. Who cast Jonah into the sea? God did. How? By means of the ships crew. Jesus Christ controls history in three ways. Directly - He executes His own actions. Indirectly - he allows the laws of establishment to function. And Permissively - He allows the free will of man to operate. This is the function of the third will of God. He permitted the sailors to throw Jonah overboard. Then He intervened in Jonah's behalf by providing a big fish to catch and preserve him before he died. Note that all of this came in a chronological order, but God in eternity past saw all of the thoughts and actions of all parties concerned. The storm came, then Jonah was thrown overboard, then Jonah cried out to God, then the fish came along and rescued Him. But God made provision for all of this in eternity past when He issued the divine decrees of history. What are the divine decrees? That is the total and complete content of all of history right down to the smallest of detail. In eternity past, God looked down through the tunnels of time and considered all of the possible combinations of history. God selected the best possible set of results for all of mankind and especially for you. Remember that God places each one of us into history at birth. He could have placed you here on this earth a thousand years ago, but he put you here, now, because this would be the best place for you providing the best possible result for your life, in history. God saw Jonah's plight from eternity past, and provided a big fish. A fish which was born months or years prior. All of Gods provision was made in eternity past. It becomes a reality only when the historical event actually occurs. God made provision for Jonah, and God has made provision for every event that will occur in your life as well. Most of us will not have such a dramatic life, but we all will face situations in life which are personal to us and for which God has made provision. The only issue you have in life is whether you will be in a position to take advantage of Gods provisions, or not. The major determining factor is your attitude. The other determining factor is Gods plan for your life. Both together will dictate the results of your life - be they positive results or negative. Note that positive results do not mean that you will be rescued, in the event that you are about to die. Jonah could very well have died, but the results of his death would have been positive for several reasons. First the ships crew was introduced to the Lord and they believed and were saved. The second result would of course been Jonah's recognition of Gods sovereignty even in his death. Jonah would have gone to heaven (or in this case Paradise) on a good note. And likewise a negative result does not automatically mean that you will die. You could be rescued from a dangerous situation and still have a bad attitude about it all. Thus your failure to learn anything is the negative result. The important lesson from this passage is that Jonah collected himself even in the face of plunging into the sea, and as he was tossed and rolled by the waves and current. He remembered the psalms. Memorizing scripture does have its advantages. I wonder how many of us would have the poise and calmness to collect our thoughts at such a traumatic moment in our life? And next, the provision of God. From eternity past God has seen every possible aspect of your life, and provided for it. 'Before I call (in eternity past) You will answer (divine provision). While I speak (present situation) You will hear (making provision a reality).' End Of Lesson Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.

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