FIVE SMOOTH STONES - The Five Ascension Gifts in the Heavenly Shepherds Bag

FIVE SMOOTH STONES — The Five Ascension Gifts in the Heavenly Shepherd’s Bag

and be raised after three days. Jesus extracted this understanding from scriptures such as what he said to detractors: Matthew 12:39 “ But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here .” Even the disciples could not understand that Jesus would die and be raised from the dead on the third day. Afterward they remembered, John 2:22 “ Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said .” While Jonah is called a prophet under the old order, the book of Jonah certainly contains the most symbolic representation of the gift of an evangelist in the Old Testament. While Jonah himself was not excited about going to the city of Nineveh (modern day Mosul, Iraq) the book shows God’s nature is to warn before bringing judgment in order to save rather than condemn (Matthew 3:7 and 8, James 2:13). While Jonah’s actions were soulish, his gift was real and brought about the results of repentance and salvation. The fruit of his gift, even in his disobedience, was to turn all of his shipmates from their false gods to the one true God. Jonah 1:5 “ Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, ... ” Jonah 1:14 “ Therefore they cried out to the Lord [Yehovah, the Hebrew God] and said, “We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows. ” Even when Jonah was in the belly of the fish he understood God was the God of salvation. Jonah 2:7 “ When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple. 8 Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy. 9 But I will

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