Jonah is a book about resurrection and a second chance. Death is not final. Everyone will experience resurrection. Many Bible readers ignore the Old Testament's explicit and profound examples of resurrection. One of the most controversial events in Jesus Christ's ministry, beyond the virgin birth, is the resurrection. Yet, Jesus identified the Old Testament prophet Jonah as the primary example of one brought back from death and reunited with the spirit and soul.
God's supernatural movement and grace are central themes in the book of Jonah. God sent His prejudiced prophet Jonah to the Ninevites, a group of pagan foreign marauders, to offer them a second chance through spiritual resurrection. The supernatural acts throughout the book, often dismissed by writers and commentators, document the powerful testament to the Lord's sovereignty and His willingness to extend His grace even to foreign polytheistic nations. The book of Jonah thus serves as a profound demonstration of the biblical verse, "The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up" (1 Samuel 2:6; cf. John 5:28-29).
