Super Bowl 2013, part 3
by our anonymous Really Good News reporter
Please note the unusual fact that the Columbia disaster was first seen by eye witnesses in the small town of Palestine, Texas. We then find that exactly ten years later, on January 7, 2013, the Palestinian Authority officially changed its name to the State of Palestine, based on authorization by the UN in late 2012. This may have significant effects on the Israeli/Palestinian relationship, going forward in 2013 and beyond.
In another interesting development that took place since the first of January this year, Palestinians erected tents on the West Bank of Jordan to protest Israeli settlements in that area. This brings an image of the Feast of Tabernacles, or Tents, (aka Succoth or Booths) which is a celebration of “the harvest.” In the Biblical sense it relates to the harvest of souls for the Kingdom. In the story of Jonah we see a clear connection because God built a booth for Jonah after the citizens of Nineveh (city of fish) humbled themselves and repented.
So, not only are these two events in Palestine foretelling change, but the timing of them is fitting into the 10-year Hezekiah factor from the space shuttle Columbia pouring down on Palestine, Texas in early 2003.
Going back to the Super Bowl, we stated at the beginning of this report that the sign of Jonah was clearly in place before any of the playoff games even began. Besides San Francisco and Baltimore, there were a handful of other teams that possessed “Jonah possibilities.” One of those was the Minnesota Vikings because one of their players is actually a native of Palestine, Texas. His name is Adrian Peterson. While Adrian’s Viking team lost in the first round of the playoffs, Adrian himself did make the trip to Nineveh/New Orleans because he was voted as the Most Valuable Player in the NFL this past season and he received the reward in New Orleans on the night before the Super Bowl.
We mentioned earlier that the number 28 is associated with the concept of being led by the Spirit. Adrian Peterson wears #28. He was trying to break the NFL’s all-time rushing yardage record that was set 28 years ago. Adrian Peterson will turn 28 on March 21, 2013. Because of his amazing year, Peterson was dubbed as the “Purple Jesus” by sports commentator Eddie George, late in the 2012 season. The Vikings jerseys are purple, as are the Baltimore Ravens. It may be a good idea to keep an eye on Mr. Peterson in the 2013 season next fall. Remember, the Columbia was on its 28th mission when it rained down on Adrian Peterson’s hometown of Palestine, Texas on February 1, 2003.
In Scripture, we find that Jesus addresses Peter as Simon, son of Jonah, on three separate occasions. These are found in Matthew 16:17, John 1:42 and John 21:15-17. There is a wealth of revelation in these verses, but for our immediate purposes it is quite clear that Jesus is connecting Peter to the sign of Jonah. Evidently Peter’s own earthly father’s name may have been Jonah. Adrian Peterson’s surname means “son of Peter,” which makes him a grandson of Jonah, symbolically speaking.
As we mentioned above, Peterson came within nine yards of breaking the all-time record for most rushing yards in a season in 2012. He finished with a total count of 2,097 yards for the year. While meditating about that seemingly odd number, the thought came to look at the Greek Strong’s number 2097 and I found this definition:
1) to bring good news, to announce glad tidings
a) used in the OT of any kind of good news
1) of the joyful tidings of God’s kindness, in particular, of the Messianic blessings
b) in the NT used especially of the glad tidings of the coming kingdom of God, and of the
salvation to be obtained in it through Christ, and of what relates to this salvation
c) glad tidings are brought to one, one has glad tidings proclaimed to him
d) to proclaim glad tidings
1) instruct (men) concerning the things that pertain to Christian salvation
Could there be a more perfect description of Jonah’s message to Nineveh? I don’t think so. Peterson has already stated that he hopes to break the rushing record in the 2013 season and he is fond of quoting Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” There are more Jonah signs yet, but if the reader isn’t convinced by now, then it is quite unlikely that any additional details will change one’s mind. However, we will supply one more and it concerns the fact that in the Old Testament, the words whale and dragon are the same word in Hebrew. Strong’s #8577 is tanniyn and is used interchangeably for these two words.
As I write this, we are still in the Chinese Year of the Water Dragon that began on January 23, 2012. The Year of the Serpent follows the Dragon and it begins next Sunday on February 10. It is fitting that Jonah made his appearance in Nineveh while we were still in the Dragon year. The dye/die is cast.
In 2005 when Katrina hit New Orleans, it was the year of the Rooster. Was that experience a
“wake-up” call? It appears so.
New Orleans has not hosted a Super Bowl since 2002 because of the after-effects of Katrina.
New Orleans was flooded because part of the city is actually under sea level and is shaped like a bowl.
When Jonah said that he was in the “belly of hell,” the Hebrew word for belly is Strong’s #990 and this word is beten. Its meaning is interchangeable with womb and heart. In fact, it is really associated with the bottom of the heart.
The heart has four chambers and the bottom two are called ventricles. The Latin meaning of ventricle is hollow or bowl shaped. The bottom of the heart, the womb and the belly, are all bowl shaped.
Jesus said that He would lay in “the heart of the earth” in Matthew 12:40.
Is it reasonable to say that the heart of the earth is the same location as the belly of the whale?
Is the belly of the whale analogous to the “heart of the dragon”?
Is this also the location of hell, according to Jonah 2:2?
Does hell simply mean the grave as it’s used in Jonah 2:2?
Does that make the heart of the earth a grave as well?
Why did our Father ordain that the same Hebrew word would be used for our modern words of whale and dragon?
Isn’t one a mammal and the other a reptile?
Does a reptile have a forked tongue?
Why does Wales have a red dragon as their national symbol?
Is this enough questions for now?
I think so.