Tread down our enemies? What is this?

This morning Mary and I read Psalm 108 and I shared v 13 on Facebook:

Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

Along with the words of a song, which as I said, I never taught the church but I used to sing:

As I reflected on this I realized that this might need to be explained. Why? Because the verse and the song speak of an enemy, treading down and slaying this enemy. This is warfare talk, and to the world this means physical battle, violence; to tread down your enemy refers to domination, subduing this enemy in a physical manner. And to the ears of the unbeliever this sounds like the Christian is trying to take over his neighborhood, workplace, government, when nothing could be further from the truth. Oh, to be clear, Jesus is coming again and when He does HE will take over, but that’s not our job.

So what does all this talk mean?

The Gospel takes up ideas like warfare, battle, wrestle, and victory and turns them on their ears. What? Yes, the very real and very physical concepts of war and victory and enemy are spiritualized to refer to a spiritual struggle.

Ephesians 6:11-12 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

I have enemies, but not flesh and blood enemies. Even when there is a person who is assaulting me, or the government is opposed to me, what appears to my eyes is not my enemy. Victory, therefore, is not striking back at my foe or taking over the government.

So, what is this victory the Bible and this song refer to?

I believe that in order to answer this we need to know the wiles of the devil. In another place Paul refers to these wiles as devices or schemes, we are not ignorant of his devices. What is it that the devil is seeking to do? Briefly,

For the unbeliever he is doing whatever it takes to keep them from believing in Jesus.

For the believer

1) Cause me to quit the faith, give up, go back
2) Cripple me through sin so that I am unable to serve God
3) Distract me through the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life
4) Focus my attention on my problems instead of God’s presence and promises

This is the battle we are in. This is the warfare. Now it should be easier to see what the victory is! Let's look at them one at a time:

1) Persevering in faith. No matter the struggle, the threat, the consequence, I continue to believe in Jesus. You may beat me, jail me, kill me, if I continue to believe in Jesus I win the victory!

2) Walk in righteousness and holiness; avoid the sin which sets me aside. But, what if I stumble and fall into sin? What is victory then? Repenting and returning to Jesus.

We can see that victory doesn’t always look or even feel like victory. But it’s real nonetheless. This is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. Don't you dare quit. You. Keep. Holding on!

3) Ah, now we are getting down and dirty. Every day of my life I am faced with the cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and if I’m not careful I can be consumed by them. What is victory here? Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. I have to draw near to Jesus and stay close to him, seek him daily, stay in his Word, be full of the Spirit. You see, victory is not some package I buy at Walmart or have delivered from Amazon; I overcome every single day. Praise God for the cross, the resurrection, the Word, the Spirit, the name of Jesus! But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

4) Ouch! When God brought Israel to the border of the promised land, Moses sent out twelve spies to spy out the land. When they came back ten of them said, “All we see is giants, man, we can't do this.” Right here is the battle. What do I see? The ten saw giants and couldn’t see God. Joshua and Caleb also saw the giants, but they saw God, Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. That’s victory, when Jesus is bigger than the giants in my eyes!

As Charles Spurgeon said in his sermon, The Victory of Faith, “This fight with the world is not one of main force, or physical might; if it were, we might soon win it; but it is all the more dangerous from the fact that it is a strife of mind, a contest of heart, a struggle of the spirit, a strife of the soul.”

That's our battle. Those are our enemies. That's our victory!

Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, prophesying by the Holy Spirit said (Luke 1:68-75):

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

Amen! Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

Christ in the Scroll of the Twelve

Malachi

Malachi is the last prophet of the Twelve, the last book in our Bible; but as you can see from this picture, he is not the last book in the Hebrew Bible

Nevertheless, he was the last prophetic word from God for some 400 years. This helps us understand the electric current of excitement when the word of God came unto John in the wilderness and he began preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins saying, Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.

1:11  For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.
Amen! This is describing the gospel age and the salvation of the Gentiles! Peter tells us that in our worship we offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Paul says, By him let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name continually. Amen!

3:1  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
2  But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
3  And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
4  Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
5  And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
6  For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Behold I send my messenger – This is a very interesting verse. My messenger; he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple. And of whom is he speaking? This is so important it is recorded three times in the New Testament:

Matthew 11:10  For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 

Mark 1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 

Luke 7:27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Who is this messenger? John the baptizer, who pointed to Jesus! Which makes Jesus the Lord whom ye seek. John was sent to prepare the way for Christ. This is described further in Isaiah 40:3-5 (LXX)
The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low: and all the crooked ways shall become straight, and the rough places plains. And the glory of the Lord shall appear, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

4.2  But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
The Sun of righteousness is the Messiah, who came with healing in his wings!

4:5  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
6  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Malachi has uttered some very powerful Messianic prophecies. Here is another one. The Jews recognized this as Messianic and taught that Christ could not come until Elijah appeared first. Listen, Jesus cannot be the Christ unless Elijah has come. So, has he come?

When the angel Gabriel announced the birth of John the baptizer he said:

Luke 1:13-17  
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.  
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.  
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.  
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.  
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 
he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah. This is really important.

Jesus, after saying John is the messenger of Malachi 3:1, goes on to say:

Matthew 11:11-15 
11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.  
13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  
14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elijah, which was for to come.  
15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

There, he says it plainly, this is Elijah which was to come.

What does he mean by, and if ye will receive it? Is he saying, "If you don't receive this, if you don't believe John is Elijah, oh well it was a good try, never mind." No. He means, he that ears let him hear. In other words, "I'm telling you John is Elijah, and if John is Elijah then I am Messiah, the Lord whom ye seek, who suddenly comes to his temple.

I have often heard people say Jesus never claimed to be Christ. Yet here he is saying it in all capital letters!

Just in case you are thinking I am reaching here, hear Jesus again

Matthew 17:10-13  
10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come?  
11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things.  
12 But I say unto you, That Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.  
13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. 
The disciples are asking, “If you are Christ, what about Elijah? We believe you are Christ, but why do they say Elijah must come first?"

Jesus says plainly, Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto, Elijah is come already.

Then they understood – he spoke to them of John the Baptist. 

John was the messenger who shall prepare the way before me. John was Elijah who is to come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And John prepared the way by preaching, "Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand;" then he pointed to Jesus, “Behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.”

John said it. Jesus said it. The Apostles said it: Jesus is the promised Christ! I went through Christ in the Scroll of the Twelve so that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Christ in the Scroll of the Twelve

Zechariah

Zechariah prophesied with Haggai when the Jews returned from Babylon. He has so much to say! I will present it with only a few comments.

2:10  Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.
11  And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.
12  And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.
13  Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.
This could be a reference to restoration in his day, but seems to me to be speaking of the last days.

9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
10  And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.
11  As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.
Thy King cometh unto thee - fulfilled when Jesus entered Jerusalem
Matthew 21:4-5 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

speak peace unto the heathen…dominion from sea to sea – the kingdom of Christ

blood of the covenant – the cross of Christ

11:12  And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
13  And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver

12-14!! Wow! This is a description of the last days including the tribulation suffered by (a restored) Jerusalem, the second coming of Christ, the millennial kingdom.

Chapters 12-13: This is very long and worthy of a detailed study which I cannot do here. But I can share a tip for reading the prophets which I have gleaned over the years.
First, the phrase in that day. A prophecy is uttered and then details relating to that prophecy are added, which are introduced by the phrase in that day. For example 12:2 is the main prophecy, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling when it is besieged. Then in v 3-8 four times we read, in that day ; these are details related to v 2. It is a textual key in the prophets, similar to therefore in Paul.
Second, you will notice  there are other in that day which are introduced by the phrase, and it shall come to pass. These are also connected to the prophecy of v 2 (in that day), yet reveal related matters associated with that day. Another textual key. (Some modern versions don’t have this phrase, while the older ones do, including the LXX).
All this means all of chapters 12 & 13 are about the days prophesied in 12:2. This concerns the tribulation Jerusalem shall undergo just before the Lord returns and how God will save Israel in that day. That salvation is described in chapter 14. Here are chapters 12 and 13

12:1  The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
2  Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3  And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
4  In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
5  And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.
6  In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.
7  The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.
8  In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.

9  And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10  And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
11  In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
12  And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
13  The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;
14  All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.
13:1  In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

2  And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.

3  And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.

4  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:
5  But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.
6  And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall 
answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
7  Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

8  And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
9  And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

Chapter 14 describes the day of the Lord: the nations gathered against Jerusalem and the Lord Jesus returning in glory and power and setting up his kingdom on the earth. Once again we find in that day and and it shall come to pass (see above). The main prophecy is v 1-3, then shall the LORD go forth and fight. I believe this is the second coming of Christ and the 1,000 year reign on the earth (millennium) mentioned in Revelation 20.

We find in chapter 14 amazing descriptions of the second coming:
3-4 then shall the LORD go forth…and his feet shall stand upon the mount of Olives – Jesus is returning bodily; and what’s this? Just who is this Christ? the LORD. LORD being Yahweh!!
5 and the LORD my God shall come and all the saints with thee – Hallelujah! Again, who is this Christ? Yahweh my God!!

14:1  Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2  For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3  Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4  And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
5  And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

6  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
7  But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
8  And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
9  And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
10  All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses.
11  And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
12  And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

13  And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.
14  And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.
15  And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.

16  And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
17  And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
18  And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
19  This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
20  In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
21  Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

Christ in the Scroll of the Twelve

Zephaniah and Haggai

Zephaniah

Zephaniah concludes his book with promises of favor and prosperity in the days of the Messiah.

3.8  Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
9  For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.
10  From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.
11  In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain.
12  I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.
13  The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
14  Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
15  The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.
16  In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.
17  The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
18  I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.
19  Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.
20  At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.

This is the time of the kingdom, fulfilled when Christ reigns on the earth.

Here are some of the comments from Adam Clarke's commentary on chapter 3:
3:9 Will I turn to the people - This promise must refer to the conversion of the Jews under the Gospel.

That they may all call - That the whole nation may invoke God by Christ, and serve him with one consent; not one unbeliever being found among them.

3:14 Sing, O daughter of Zion - Here is not only a gracious prophetic promise of their restoration from captivity, but of their conversion to God through Christ.

3:15 The King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee - They have never had a king since the death of Zedekiah, and never shall have one till they have the King Messiah to reign among them; and this promise refers to that event.

3:17 He will joy over thee with singing - The conversion of the Jews will be a subject of peculiar delight and exultation to God himself! There will be a more than ordinary joy in heaven, when the Jews return to God through Christ. 

3:20 when I turn back your captivity before your eyes - On their conversion to Christianity, they shall become as eminent as they ever were in the most illustrious days of their history, Lord, hasten the conversion of Israel! Amen.”

Haggai

Haggai prophesied in Jerusalem after the return from Babylon. He and Zechariah encouraged the Jews as they rebuilt the temple.

2:6  For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
7  And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
8  The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
9  The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

The Jews were rebuilding the temple but were becoming despondent, 2:3 Who is there among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? It is to this discouragement that God speaks to them. The point is, The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former. So how does this speak of Christ? to quote the Apostle Paul, much in every way!

Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth … 
This is quoted in Hebrews 12:26-29
26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.  
27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.  
28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:  
29 For our God is a consuming fire.

This yet once more is significant. God will shake all things and only what cannot be shaken will remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

and the desire of all nations shall come - while this is not quoted in the New Testament, I believe this refers to Christ. Oh, I am fully aware that many translations and commentators disagree! John Calvin presents the two views of the desire of all nations

“The desire of all nations. This admits of two explanations. The first is, that nations shall come and bring with them everything that is precious, in order to consecrate it to the service of God. Hence some render the passage thus, I will shake all nations, and they shall come with what they desire; that is, the nations shall not come empty, but shall gather all their treasures to be a holy oblation to God.
But we may understand what he says of Christ, Come shall the desire of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory. We indeed know that Christ was the expectation of the whole world, according to what is said by Isaiah. And it may be properly said, that when the desire of all nations shall come, that is, when Christ shall be manifested, in whom the wishes of all ought to centre, the glory of the second Temple shall then be illustrious.
But as it immediately follows, Mine is the silver, and mine is the gold, the more simple meaning is that which I first stated - that the nations would come, bringing with them all their riches, that they might offer themselves and all their possessions as a sacrifice to God.”

I acknowledge all this, but I am convinced that this passage is about Christ, and the glory that will fill this house is not the splendor, shimmer, and shine of gold and silver, but the presence of the Son of God. Therefore I remain convinced that the desire of all nations is really Christ. We actually sing this during Advent and Christmas:

A rarely sung stanza of Hark, The Herald Angels Sing (Charles Wesley)

Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent’s head.

and, Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus (also Charles Wesley)

Come, Thou long expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free,
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee:
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art,
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former – this might be hard to do since the glory of the former was truly great. “The Jews themselves own there were several things wanting in the latter which were in the former: the ark, the mercy seat, and cherubim; the Shekhinah glory; the Holy Spirit, which is prophecy; Urim and Thummim; and the fire from heaven.” (John Gill)
How can this latter house have greater glory than all that?
Jesus, the Son of God, the Christ, came to this temple. He taught and performed miracles in this temple. On the Day of Pentecost there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and there appeared cloven tongues like as of fire, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Then Peter preached and 3,000 people were converted. Yes, the glory of this latter house was indeed greater than the former!

in this place I will give peace – Christ, the Prince of Peace came to the temple; he is our peace; and he came and preached peace to you that were afar off and to them which were nigh. Amen!

Yes, this is a powerful prophecy of Messiah which has been fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, who is Christ, the Son of God.

Christ in the Scroll of the Twelve

Nahum & Habakkuk

Nahum
The book of Nahum is a prophecy of the judgement of God against Nineveh and Assyria. It is a good book, but I don’t see anything about Messiah.

Habakkuk
Habakkuk ministered shortly before the Babylonian captivity. This is an interesting book

1:5  Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.

In the context of Habakkuk, God is speaking of what he will do in Judah through the Babylonians. And Habakkuk actually stumbles over this himself.

Paul quotes this in his sermon in Acts 13 (v 40-41) and says it applies to Christ:

Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;  Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.

If you wonder why Paul’s quote is different than ours above it is because he is quoting from the Septuagint (or LXX; Greek version of the Old Testament):

Behold, ye despisers, and look, and wonder marvelously, and vanish: for I work a work in your days, which ye will in no wise believe, though a man declare it to you.

Paul uses this passage as the conclusion of his sermon. And in this sermon he makes no reference to Babylon. So, what is the work which Paul says God will do that they will not believe? As Paul said just before his quote, Acts 13:37-39

But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.  Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

It would appear that while Habakkuk is referring to the Babylonians, this verse finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ


Habakkuk was distressed by this revelation from God (regarding Babylon), so he decided to wait upon God for understanding. And God spoke again:

2:1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

2  And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

3  For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
4  Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

Let me provide the Septuagint for this passage also. As we shall see it is relevant:

2 And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision, and plainly on a tablet, that he that reads it may run.
3 For the vision is yet for a time, and it shall shoot forth at the end, and not in vain: though he should tarry, wait for him; for he will surely come, and will not tarry.
4 If he should draw back, my soul has no pleasure in him: but the just shall live by my faith.

If fulfilled is the theme of the New Testament (see here) the just shall live by faith is the foundation of the gospel! Paul quotes this verse three times in the New Testament:

Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

All four times this phrase occurs in the Bible it is translated, the just shall live by faith. When I read this I hear, Righteous people shall live their lives by faith. But this doesn’t seem to be relevant to Paul’s contention that we are justified or declared righteous by faith and not by works. However, every time this phrase occurs in the Greek the word order is the same, the just by faith will live. When I read it this way I hear, The one who is righteous by faith will live. Which is exactly what Paul is saying and why he quotes this: We are declared righteous by faith in Christ.

Adam Clarke acknowledges this:
“It is contended by some able critics that the words of the original text should be read: The just by faith shall live; that is, he alone that is justified by faith shall be saved: which is also true; as it is impossible to get salvation in any other way. This last meaning is probably the true one.”

All three times Habakkuk 2:4 is quoted in the New Testament it is clear he is using the LXX, so why does he never include my? Y’know, the just by my faith shall live? Ultimately, I don't know, but I believe the my faith of Habakkuk is equivalent to the faith of Christ of Paul. As we read in Philippians 3:9 for example, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.

Hebrews 10:36-39 has the fullest quote from Habakkuk:

36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.  
37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.  
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.  
39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

This understands Habakkuk 2:3-4 as strongly referring to Christ. The Hebrew has, it will surely come, it will not tarry, but the Septuagint translates it as he will surely come, and will not tarry. And Paul understands this to be Christ: Christ will come again and will not tarry. So away with those who say, “If the Lord tarry...” There's no delay, He is coming and right on schedule!

Finally, Paul here includes the phrase, if any man draw back because that is why he was writing to these people, they were thinking of going back to Judaism. God has no pleasure in the one who draws back. Faith in Christ is not merely a one-time-now-I’m-good-to-go thing; to believe in Christ to the saving of the soul is to believe to the end.

All this talk about faith. What is faith in Christ? What does it look like? I wrote about this here and here To believe in Jesus is to believe that he is the Son of God, the Christ, who died for you, rose again, and is now Lord, and to trust him to forgive your sins and restore you to God.


3:13  Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah.
I believe salvation with thine anointed refers to Christ.

Adam Clarke said, “The sense is very far-fetched when applied to Jesus Christ.” I am usually a fan of Adam Clarke … but hey, everybody makes mistakes!

John Gill, “Thou wentest forth for the salvation of that people, even for salvation with thine anointed,.... Or, "thy Messiah"; which Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret of Messiah the son of David; and read and give the sense of the words thus, "as thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, by bringing them into the land of Canaan, so do thou go forth for salvation with thy Messiah.'' ”

John Calvin, ‘Thou wentest forth, he says, 'for the salvation, for the salvation of thy people...’ He adds, ‘with thy Christ.’ This clause still more confirms what Habakkuk had in view - that God had been from the beginning the deliverer of his people in the person of the Mediator. ”

I admit, few commentators agree with me on this ... Gonna be some red-faced people in that Day!

the one who is righteous by faith shall live

Christ in the Scroll of the Twelve

Micah

Micah was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah, Amos and Hosea. He prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. And he has a lot to say about Christ!

4:1-8
1  But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
2  And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3  And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
4  But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.

In the last days – this is our clue that he is speaking of Messianic times. What a glorious picture he paints!

many nations shall come to the Lord and walk in his paths – I believe this describes our day: the Gentiles are flocking to Christ and walking in his ways.

And he shall judge among many people … they shall beat their swords into plowshares – Seems to me that Micah sees the coming of Christ but doesn’t distinguish between the first and second coming. If I’m right, then v 1-2 would be the first coming and 3-4 would be when Christ comes again and the kingdoms of this world they are become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.

6  In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted;
7  And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.
8  And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.
This is the kingdom of our God and of his Christ, where salvation and security are the norm.

5:2
2  But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. 

I recently read that ‘Christians interpret this as referring to Christ.’ Really? What about what we read in Matthew 2:3-6
3 When Herod the king had heard these things [the report of the magi about the birth of the king of the Jews], he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet,  
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Aha! The chief priests and scribes quote Micah 5 and say it refers to Christ!

This prophecy in Micah tells us three things:

• There is coming a Ruler in Israel – Messiah

• Messiah will come out of Bethlehem Ephratah, which is Bethlehem in Judah.

• His goings forth are from old, from everlasting (the LXX says from the beginning, from eternity).

This is rather specific. If Jesus was born anywhere else he would be disqualified from being Christ. This would explain Luke and the account of Joseph and Mary traveling from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the Bethlehem of Micah’s prophecy, so Jesus could be born there.

And just who is this one who was born in Bethlehem Ephratah? None other than he whose goings forth were from the beginning, even from eternity: the Word, the Son of God.

5:3-15
3  Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
4  And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
5  And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.
6  And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.
7  And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.
8  And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
9  Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.
10  And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:
11  And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:
12  And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:
13  Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.
14  And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.
15  And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard. 

I believe this is the kingdom of him who is to be born in Bethlehem. And as in chapter 4, Micah doesn’t see clearly the two comings of Christ. Verse 2 is the first coming, while this is the second coming of Christ, when he sets up his kingdom on the earth.

4 he shall stand in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the LORD his God, and shall be great unto the ends of the earth 
6-9 thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Doth his successive journeys run;
His Kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more. (Isaac Watts)

10-15 Holiness and righteousness shall prevail. Come, Lord Jesus!

7:18-20
18  Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
19  He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
20  Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

v 18-19 tell us of the mercy, compassion, and salvation of God; v 20 his faithfulness

Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old – This is powerful! But when did he swear an oath to Abraham?

Genesis 22:16-18
And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

So, when will he do this? When Messiah comes.

“Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob - The promises which he has made to Jacob and his posterity. Not one of them can ever fall to the ground. "And the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn;" viz., that "in his Seed all the families of the earth should be blessed;" that the Messiah should come from Abraham, through his son Isaac, by Jacob and David; be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Israel. And this promise, and this oath, God has most signally fulfilled by the incarnation of Christ, who was sent to bless us by turning away every one of us from his iniquities; and for this purpose he was delivered for our offenses, and rose again for our justification; and repentance and remission of sins are preached in his name to all nations. Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, when he prophesied by the Holy Spirit seems to have referred to this truth, if not the verse, Luke 1:72-73 'To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham.' ” (Adam Clarke)

Thou wilt perform – God is faithful and will fulfill his promises. Hear Peter and Paul:

from Peter’s sermon in Jerusalem in Acts 3:12-28
18  But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.  
26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

from Paul’s sermon in Antioch in Pisidia Acts 13:16-41
23 Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:
32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,  
33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again
38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins

from Paul’s epistle to the Romans 15:8-9
8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: 9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy...

These are but a few occurrences - fulfilled is the theme of the New Testament. I counted 33 times where the word was used. The coming of Jesus was the fulfillment of what God had spoken by the prophets and confirmed the promises to the fathers. All that God has promised concerning Israel, concerning the nations, concerning the kingdom, he will fulfill. And all of it will be by the Messiah, the Son of the living God, who was born in Bethlehem, Jesus of Nazareth.

Who is a God like unto thee?
"Well might the prophet exult in his challenge to earth and hell. Who Is a God Like unto Thee! Hell is speechless, earth is dumb. Infidels dare not open their mouths!!! Hallelujah! Jesus is the mighty God and Savior, pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin, and saving to the uttermost all that come unto God through him. Blessed be God! Reader, lay this to heart.”  (Adam Clarke)

Christ in the Scroll of the Twelve

Obadiah and Jonah

Obadiah

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament. Just 21 verses. He prophesied judgement on Edom and the restoration of Israel.

1.17  But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
Verses 17-21 may refer to the days of Messiah.

Jonah

The story of Jonah is well known – he was called by God to go preach to Nineveh, he ran away, he was swallowed by a great fish, vomited out, called again, this time obeyed, Nineveh repented at his preaching. Naturally, since we are talking about a man who was swallowed by a great fish there is a lot of doubt, skepticism, unbelief, and discussion about how to understand this book. I will not take the time to cover the book itself, but I will say here how I approach the book:

“The appeal made to the main facts of this history by our Lord, proves that we are to admit of no allegorical exposition of these facts.

1. There was such a person as Jonah.

2. He was swallowed by a sea-monster, in whose belly he was miraculously preserved three days and three nights.

3. This same prophet preached to the Ninevites; and they repented, and turned from their sins, under his ministry.

This testimony puts an end to all mythological, allegorical, and hypothetical interpretations of those great facts. And in its literal sense alone, I undertake the interpretation of this book.” (Adam Clarke)

Jonah does not mention Christ or Messianic times, but Jesus mentions him. Jonah is a type† of Christ, as is evidenced by Jesus’ references to him. Which is what I will focus on.

Matthew 12:38-41
38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah:  
40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  
41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and, behold, a greater than Jonah is here. 

These scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign, proof-on-demand, that Jesus really was the Christ, the Son of God. Bear in mind that up to this point Jesus had already performed many miracles and was known throughout Judah as a great teacher and healer. Jesus tells them:

(1) Their desire for a sign was really a cover-up of their unbelief

(2) The only sign he will provide is the sign of Jonah – as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale‡, so he shall be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. He is speaking of his death and resurrection.

(3) The men of Nineveh will condemn that generation because they repented at Jonah’s preaching, and the Son of man is greater than Jonah.


Luke 11:29-32
29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonah the prophet.  
30 For as Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.  
31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.  
32 The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and, behold, a greater than Jonah is here.

The situation in Luke appears to be different than in Matthew, but Jesus again speaks to this 'seeking a sign' which seems to have been a common request during his ministry. In fact, Paul says, the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom. Jesus says:

(1) An evil generation seeks a sign (because it springs from unbelief)

(2) The only sign provided will be the sign of Jonah (He doesn’t explain it here, they no doubt were familiar with Jonah): As Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so shall the Son of man be a sign to this generation.

(3) The men of Nineveh will rise up with this generation and condemn it because they repented at Jonah’s preaching, and the Son of man is greater than Jonah.

Thus we learn:

• Jonah is a type of Christ and his resurrection from the grave

• There will be a resurrection from the dead of all men

• There will be a judgment of all men; clearly some people have had greater opportunities to repent and believe than others; this will be taken into account on that Day.

• Jesus is greater than Jonah. Jonah was a prophet, Jesus is the Son of man, the Messiah.



† A type is some person, or event, or ceremony that is intended to foreshadow or picture Christ. To which might be added the tabernacle, the temple, the furnishings of the tabernacle/temple.

In studying the types the two comparative words AS and SO are forcibly called to our attention. The word AS is used for the type, and the word SO for the antitype. The first is historic; the second is prophetic. For example,

"AS Jonah was three days and three nights in the Whale's belly; SO shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (adapted from blueletterbible.org)

‡ The King James uses the word whale, as does the Douay-Rheims (English translation of the Latin Vulgate)

In Matthew the Greek word is ketous, from ketos - a sea monster, whale, huge fish
In the Vulgate it is ceti; from cetus - shark, whale, seal, dog-fish, large sea animal

In Jonah the Hebrew word is dag, which is translated 20 times fish
The Septuagint (LXX) has ketei from ketos - see above
The Vulgate has piscem - fish

In popular usage whale was applied to any large sea animal. I don’t know what kind of creature it was, only that it was large enough to swallow Jonah whole and for him to be able to live inside it for three days. He must have been quite a sight upon his being regurgitated, which may have played a role in their response to his preaching! Jesus said, “as Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites”, so he either looked a sight and/or he explained what happened to him on his way to Nineveh.