People are so foolish sometimes, have you ever heard anyone say that the Bible is contradictory? Have you heard them say that the Bible is untrue? Why do they say these things? Let's examine a few stories and we will see the inaccuracies of their interpretations.
Nineveh
One of the stories we would do well to examine is that of Nineveh. Here we have #Jonah a prophet of God that is told by God to go and preach to Nineveh and tell them that God is going to destroy them. That is it in a nutshell, but lets get some more details.
Nineveh: The Great City
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Location: Ancient Assyria, near modern-day Mosul in Iraq.
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Significance: It was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, known for its wealth, power, and brutality.
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Population: The Bible says it took three days to walk across (Jonah 3:3), and had over 120,000 people who "could not discern between their right hand and their left" (Jonah 4:11)—likely referencing children or spiritual ignorance.
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Wickedness: The city was notorious for violence and sin, which brought it under God’s judgment (Jonah 1:2).
#Nineveh was built by Asshur (One of the sons of Shem Gen 10:11, 22) after God confused the languages in #Babel and men started to scatter. This was around the years of 780 - 750 BCE, we know this because2 Kings 14:25 says Jonah lived during the reign of Jeroboam II, king of Israel, who reigned circa 793–753 BC.Nineveh was an important city in Assyria, but it did not become the empire’s capital until around 705 BC under #Sennacherib. Assyria was already known for its cruelty and military might. That Jonah would be sent there was shocking—it was like preaching to your worst enemy.
Jonah & The Prophecy
Ah, so let's talk about the prophet Jonah, we all know the story about him being swallowed by the fish and then vomited up 3 days later (Jonah 3:17). Jonah himself was disobedient to God, then repented in the belly of the fish. God gave him another chance to fulfil his ministry. So now Jonah went into Nineveh full of courage and started preaching, 40 days till Nineveh is destroyed! What did the people do? The repented, dressed in sackcloth and ashes before the LORD (Jonah 3:5–8). So God decided NOT to destroy Nineveh (Jonah 3:10). Then the prophet Jonah got angry, in fact he sat upon a hill waiting for the show so to speak, but nothing happened.
After Nineveh repents, God shows mercy and does not destroy the city. Instead of rejoicing, Jonah becomes “exceedingly displeased” and “very angry” (Jonah 4:1).
“Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.”
— Jonah 4:3
Why was Jonah so upset?
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He wanted Nineveh destroyed. As Israel’s enemy, Assyria was feared and hated.
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He feared looking like a false prophet—he said the city would be overthrown in 40 days, but it wasn’t.
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He knew God would forgive them and didn’t want that to happen:
“I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.” — Jonah 4:2
This echoes God’s own words from Exodus 34:6. Jonah is essentially using God's mercy as a complaint.
What Can We Learn From This?
We can learn from this story that prophecy especially that of gloom and doom can be reversed. However, we also learn that blessings can be reversed if people turn wicked. God does not bless the wicked when they turn from Him. He is a loving God and does not desire anyone to be destroyed. Yet, we cannot live with wickedness, this is not allowed. Yes, we must suffer for some time under wickedness and injustice, but eventually that will end.
I'm Warning You!
A prophecy is like a warning isn't it? I think of my grandma saying, "I'm warning you!", this of course was a prophecy. We all do this with our children, do we not? And what is it but for the benefit of our children. As God's children, we can expect the same. Fathers know God because of this very thing (1 John 2:14). So, this is how you know God if you are a parent, discipline! You give them warnings, blessings, and when they disobey, there are consequences. So, in this way you know God.
Did You Make The Connection?
Did you make the connection about prophecy? It is more fluid than you think. It depends on the reaction and responses to whom it is prophesied too! Once the wrong is recognized, if there is repentance, the consequences are modified! This is throughout the entire Bible. In this way the Bible is alive and exerts power and authority. Just because a prophecy is that of destruction or blessings does not mean it is inevitable, they are warnings! This is why we are told to look for signs and not dates, because things can change!
Appointed Times
There are appointed time, so do not think that God's promises will not come true. There are creatures alive today that will never receive forgiveness. So, therefore their appointed times will come. We call these "Moedim", #Moedim are the feasts of Yehovah which we should observe. Why? This gives us great insight to #prophecy yet to be fulfilled. Follow God #commands and Moedim's or appointed times and you will be way ahead of the game so to speak.