While studying this week’s lesson, I could not help drawing some intriguing and timely parallels. The lesson highlights three significant Old Testament narratives—Jonah’s mission to Nineveh, the fall of Babylon, and the rise of Cyrus—and their deeper relevance in understanding present truth. The author, Shawn Boonstra, illustrated how each of these historical moments provides insight into last-day events: Jonah’s mission as a symbol of the final warning message to the world, Babylon’s collapse as a mirror of the fall of spiritual Babylon, and Cyrus’ destruction of the city and liberation of the Jews as a powerful type of Christ’s return to destroy evil and redeem the righteous.
I felt impressed to further explore the personal, practical implications of these stories—what they might be saying to us, as God’s remnant people living in the final stretch of earth’s history.
One message echoed throughout the lesson: our daily decisions matter. They shape our preparation, or lack thereof, for the final conflict. These stories are not just theological foreshadowings; they are calls to action—messages crafted for hearts living in the now. Each of these accounts has present-day relevance and, therefore, practical significance. As such, it becomes imperative to search out these lessons with intentionality and press them upon our hearts.
Jonah: The Reluctant Messenger
When Jonah was called by God to deliver a message of impending judgment to a wicked city, he ran in the opposite direction. Despite his willful defiance and blatant neglect of duty, when questioned by others during the storm, he still proudly proclaimed, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” (Jonah 1:9). His words said one thing, but his actions told a different story. It took a terrifying storm and the belly of a great fish to redirect Jonah back onto God’s path. Even then, his obedience was reluctant, and his heart remained conflicted.
Jonah’s experience hits close to home. I cannot help seeing myself in his story—and perhaps you can too. How often do we find ourselves hesitant, fearful, or simply negligent in carrying out God’s will? We are called to proclaim the three angels’ messages to a world drowning in spiritual confusion, yet how often do we run the other way, buried in our own comfort zones or preoccupied with lesser things? Still, when asked who we are, we may confidently declare our identity: “I am a Seventh-day Adventist Christian who fears the Lord.” But does our daily walk reflect that profession?
Jonah’s story transcends time, speaking directly to us. His mission to a single city now parallels our mission to the entire world. God’s call has not changed—only expanded. Just as Nineveh repented at Jonah’s reluctant preaching, so too might many in today’s world respond if we would only open our mouths and share the message. Even deeper, it is not just whether we are willing to go, but whether we are willing to care about those God sends us to.
Jesus is coming again soon, and the only thing we get to decide is which side we are on and how we will live today in light of that reality.
Babylon: Light Rejected
The story of Babylon’s fall during Belshazzar’s reign offers another sobering reflection. While we may not relate to Belshazzar in status—he was a king throwing a drunken party— we can relate to the fact that He had received light, spiritual truth, from God. He was a man who had received insight, who knew the story of Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling experience with the Most High, and yet chose to willfully reject that light. His careless disregard led to his downfall. The handwriting on the wall read clearly: he had been weighed in the balances and found wanting.
This moment raises a critical question: How are we responding to the light we have been given? The Seventh-day Adventist Church has been entrusted with deep prophetic insight and a clear message for the end-times. Are we living up to that light? Or have we, like Babylon, become too comfortable, distracted by the “feast” of worldly pursuits, and unaware of how close we are to the final hour?
Babylon was caught off guard, partying on the very night of their judgment. This should shake us. Are we spiritually awake and vigilant, or are we, too, asleep at the wheel while judgment approaches? Peter admonishes us to be sober and vigilant because our adversary the devil prowls like a roaring lion. The fall of Babylon is not just a historical tragedy—it is a present-day warning for those who take their spiritual state lightly.
Cyrus: A Call to Identity and Action
The figure of Cyrus introduces a note of encouragement and identity. Long before he was born, God named Cyrus through the prophet Isaiah and outlined his mission: to conquer Babylon and release God’s people. When Cyrus finally discovered this prophetic calling, he embraced it. He stepped into the role God had written for him in history. He became a type of Christ, the Deliverer, who would overthrow the kingdom of darkness and set the captives free.
There is a powerful application here. Just like Cyrus, we have been given a prophetic identity. As a movement, we have been raised up for such a time as this. God has called us to proclaim the final message of warning, to live as a light in the darkness, and to prepare a people to meet their God. The only question is: Will we rise to the occasion? Will we embrace our role in this divine narrative?
The mission may seem daunting, but we do not go in our own strength. The same God who called Cyrus and equipped him to fulfill his purpose has called us, and He will empower us as well. Our faithfulness matters not only for ourselves but also for those our lives may influence.
The Urgency of Now
We are standing on the edge of eternity. The events on the prophetic horizon are not conditional—they will come to pass. Jesus is coming again soon, and the only thing we get to decide is which side we are on and how we will live today in light of that reality.
The story of Jonah urges us not to run from our calling, but to proclaim the final message of mercy and warning. The fall of Babylon reminds us to stay awake, to walk in the light we have been given, and not to be found wanting in the final judgment. The example of Cyrus challenges us to embrace our prophetic identity with courage and determination.
These stories are not irrelevant history. They are part of the Word of God, showing us who we are and who we are called to be. They are messages from our heavenly Father to our hearts. The world is watching. Heaven is watching. The time to act is now. We have a message to proclaim in these final hours, and “this is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7, ESV).*
Let us walk in that light. Let us be children of the light—faithful, watchful, and focused.
*Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.