The prophet Jonah:
Jonah was one of the minor prophets of God. The book of Jonah was written around 780 BC, probably by the prophet himself. The book of Jonah recounts the incredible story of a disobedient prophet who was punished by God by having him swallowed by a great fish (whale) for three days and nights until he repented and agreed to preach repentance to the Ninevites as God had commanded. Jonah was promptly vomited upon the shore. Jonah then preached in Nineveh causing the city to repent of their sins which caused God not to destroy the city as he had planned to do. The miraculous content of the story of Jonah is denied by nonbelieving skeptics who don’t believe in God, miracles or Jonah.
2 Kings 2:23-24 – Then he (the prophet Elisha) went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the Lord. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled (killed) forty-two of the youths.
Jonah 1:17 – Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Matthew 19:26 – But with God all things are possible.
For believers with spiritual discernment the story of Jonah is biblical history as told by God himself to holy men, one of which was Jonah, who wrote down the story as he was moved by the Holy Spirit. For “lukewarm” believers who don’t believe every word in the Bible as written, the story of Jonah is considered to be a parable meant to convey the theological point that God also cares about Gentiles. Nineveh was the largest city in the world at that time with 120,000 people and the capital of the Assyrian empire. The Assyrians were a cruel, evil and warlike people who Jonah hated. When God instructed Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach repentance to the city Jonah instead ran away from God and tried to hide so he wouldn’t have to preach salvation to those evil people. God cares more about sinners than we do. This story confirms that God loves everyone equally and he wants salvation unto eternal life in heaven for all his children. God wants all of us in his presence forever.
2 Kings 14:25 – He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of Arabah, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher.
1 Kings 20:36 – Then he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, surely, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill you.” And as soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him.
Romans 14:12 – So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
So, is the Jonah account historical, a parable or a fake? Apart from the biblical account, there’s no conclusive historical proof that Jonah was ever swallowed by a fish and lived to tell about it. With Jonah we can’t see the obvious tracks of God like we can with Noah’s Ark so we have to base our decision on the circumstantial evidence that’s available and the credibility of God’s testimony on one hand and that of Satan and evil men on the other. Nonbelievers say there was no such person as Jonah and that Nineveh never existed. The Bible books of Jonah and Nahum are both about God’s judgment of the people of Nineveh for their sins before God. To deny the existence of Nineveh is to deny that the Bible is the inerrant word of God and to call God a liar to his face. Nonbelievers also declare that even Nineveh did exist there’s no way that the city could have been as large as God said it was through the prophet Jonah.
1 Corinthians 3:19 – For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness.”
1 Corinthians 2:14 – But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1 Corinthians 1:18 – For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Jonah was a real historical figure and prophet of God as mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25, and reiterated by Flavius Josephus in his history of Israel titled, “Antiquities of the Jews.” The book of Jonah is also a part of the collection of twelve minor prophets contained in the Old Testament that are meant to convey prophecies by genuine historical prophets and, as such, the book of Jonah was considered to be a historical account by the compilers of the Old Testament. A Babylonian priest and historian named Berosus in the third century BC wrote of a mythical creature named Oannes who emerged from the sea to give divine wisdom to man. Oannes is Assyrian for the name “Jonah”. Most myths are based on some historical fact so is it possible Berosus was writing about the real live event of Jonah being vomited upon the shores of Phoenicia? We’ll never know for sure but the similarity between the two stories is striking. In the New Testament Jesus confirms the story of Jonah when he speaks of Jonah being a sign to the Ninevites. This could be a reference to Jonah being vomited from a great fish in front of witnesses who took it as sign from their fish god Dagon that they needed to repent of their sins before God.
Matthew 17: 27 – (Jesus to Peter about paying the temple tax) – Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go out to sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.
Proverbs 5:21 – For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his paths.
1 Kings 17:4 – (God speaking to Elijah) – And it shall be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.
The lost city of Nineveh was discovered in the mid-1800s after more than 2500 years of obscurity, which vindicated the biblical account. Nineveh was found buried in the vicinity of Mosul, in modern-day Iraq, and was confirmed to be a very large city as God said it was. Nineveh was discovered buried beneath a pair of tells (mounds) known by the local name of Nabi Tunus which in Arabic means, “the prophet Jonah.” Sometimes I’ve wondered how Jonah managed to preach repentance only one day in Nineveh and yet he managed to get every single person in that evil city to repent; from the king down to the beggar on the street. Let’s face it, nobody’s preaching is that good! The residents must have seen a miracle.
Matthew 12:39-41 – (Jesus speaking) – An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
Jonah 2:10 – So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Galatians 6:8 – For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
Follow my logic here. The Assyrians worshipped the god Dagon, who was part man and part fish. Jonah was vomited on the shore of Phoenicia from the belly of a whale in front of witnesses. Because of the digestive juices in the whale’s stomach Jonah’s skin and hair were probably bleached white. Given the piscine nature of Jonah’s arrival and his strange appearance the people of Nineveh recognized that Jonah was a sign from God and they all immediately repented of their sins. How could they not do it? It’s the only logical explanation I can think of for 100% of an evil and sin-filled population to repent of their sins.
Some great event had to have occurred for the whole population to repent like that in a single day. It’s like what happened when the meek disciples all became lion’s of the faith when they saw the risen Christ ascend into the clouds and returned to heaven. It’s like what happened to Paul, the greatest enemy of Christians, when he met Jesus Christ on the Damascus road and was subsequently transformed into the greatest Christian who ever lived. Whenever anyone observes a miracle of God, or hears about it from reliable witnesses, then, and only then, is it possible to have such a dramatic turnaround; to have immediate buy-in with God from everyone involved and their total repentance. Meeting God face to face will do that to you.
Biblically speaking, a “sign” is a miracle of God given to a targeted audience for a specific reason. God never gives signs just to show off. In Matthew 12:39, Jesus revealed that the Ninevites had received a sign from God. Now just having the prophet Jonah show up and preach repentance to the people of Nineveh, in itself, isn’t a sign from God. Where’s the miracle in that? The sign from God to the Ninevites, the miracle of God, was having a whale vomit Jonah, the prophet of God, from its stomach onto a beach in Phoenicia in front of a group of startled witnesses. It was this miraculous sign from God to the evil people of Nineveh that caused the whole population of that city to repent of their sins against God and cover themselves with sackcloth and ashes. This was decreed by the king to all the people of Nineveh because they accepted the sign of Jonah as a miracle of God intended just for them.
Psalm 139:7 – Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
Numbers 22:28 – Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”
Galatians 6:7 – Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man does, that he will also reap.
The miracles in Jonah are not impossible for God. God controls nature as we’ve seen time after time in the Bible. It’s easy for God to whip up a storm or calm the sea. God is the author of life so he can make any creature, including man, do his bidding. Only two marine animals are known to prowl the Mediterranean Sea and are also large enough to swallow a man; a Great White shark and a Sperm whale. Anyone swallowed by a shark would be cut to shreds by their razor sharp teeth. A Sperm whale, on the other hand, has no teeth so obviously Jonah was swallowed by a whale and not a shark. A person swallowed by a whale would naturally die from a lack of oxygen or from the digestive acid in the whale’s stomach unless they received God’s supernatural protection; which is what happened to Jonah. God could have just as easily brought a person back to life who died in that situation. This is child’s play for the God who created the universe and all life.
We see repeatedly in the Bible that God controls nature. God summoned the storm in the book of Jonah and dissipated it when Jonah was thrown into the sea. If God can call up lions and bears to kill people he can surely direct a whale to be on station to swallow Jonah and then spit him out again when commanded by God. Is the story of Jonah incredible? Yes it is. Is the story of Jonah physically possible? Yes it is. Is there corroborating physical evidence that confirms the biblical account of Jonah being swallowed by a whale? No there isn’t. Is there any eyewitness testimony confirming the story of Jonah? Yes there is. Is the story of Jonah a certainty? Yes it is; if you believe in the one true God of creation who cannot lie and does all he pleases.
1 Kings 21:13 – And two men, scoundrels, came in and sat before him; and the scoundrels witnessed against him, against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth has blasphemed God and the king!” Then they took him outside the city and stoned him with stones, so that he died.
2 Corinthians 13:1 – By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.
Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
In Old Testament times there were no written languages so everyone operated by rote memory and their local verbal traditions. The truth of any matter in those days was always established by the personal testimony of two or three witnesses and this is well documented in the Scriptures. For example, if someone was alleged to have blasphemed against God they could not be stoned to death unless there was corroborating testimony by at least one other person (i.e. 1 Kings 21:13 – the story of Naboth’s vineyard). In the case of Jonah being swallowed by a whale we have no personal testimonies refuting this biblical story.
Luke 11:29-30 – (Jesus speaking) – And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He (Jesus) began to say. “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.
Daniel 6:22 – (Daniel speaking to King Darius) – My God has sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouth, so that they have not hurt me.
Hebrews 11:6 – But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
On the other hand, we have the testimony affirming the truth of this story from God himself who spoke to Jonah and directed his actions. We have the testimony of Jonah. We have the testimony of the Holy Spirit, who wrote the Old Testament book of Jonah through the prophet. In Matthew 12:40-41, we have the testimony of Jesus Christ confirming the Old Testament account of Jonah being in the belly of a big fish for three days and three nights. Every divine person of the triune Godhead testified that the account of Jonah was true. If you, in your foolishness and pride, call God a liar then the wrath of God will be upon you. You will reap what you have sown. You will reap the whirlwind of your destruction.
Hebrews 10:31 – It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Psalm 18:30 – As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven.
Proverbs 12:15 – The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.
It all boils down to one thing. Who you want to believe. You can believe God who is truth and who cannot lie. Or you can choose to believe Satan who is a liar and the father of lies. Satan has been lying to man from the very beginning, in the Garden of Eden, and he continues to lie to us to this day. In fact, Satan is incapable of speaking the truth at all. He is just the opposite of God in every respect. Don’t believe evil men (nonbelievers) either because Satan has put blinders on them, making them all pawns of the devil. The only one you can count on in this world who will never let you down is Almighty God, because he is always faithful and true. We have the testimony of God himself that Jonah was swallowed by a big fish. Do you want to believe God or Satan? Choose rightly because your eternal destiny depends on it.
John 8:44 – (Jesus speaking) – You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
Matthew 10:28 – (Jesus speaking) – And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Luke 1:37 – For with God nothing will be impossible.