In the Bible, Jonah is swallowed by a great fish when he disobeys God’s instructions to preach salvation to the people of Nineveh. Legend has held that this big fish was a whale. Take a look at this video! Maybe it was a shark.
Though we don’t know for sure, one thing is certain. If it was a shark like this, it certainly would be big enough to swallow a man and hold him in its belly for three days. That might make you think twice about not obeying God.
Take a look at this monstrous animal, and watch as the Today show hosts become speechless! You might become speechless, too, and, like these hosts, you may question whether you will ever go back in the water.
In the Bible, Jonah is swallowed by a great fish when he disobeys God’s instructions to preach salvation to the people of Nineveh. Legend has held that this big fish was a whale. Take a look at this video! Maybe it was a shark. Though we don’t know for sure, one thing is certain. If it was a shark like this, it certainly would be big enough to swallow a man and hold him in its belly for three days. That might make you think twice about not obeying God. Though the story of Jonah being swallowed by a fish may seem far-fetched to some, there have been reports of people being swallowed by fish and surviving – or have there?
Possibly the most famous is that of James Bartley, who lived from 1870 to 1909. The story was published in an English newspaper and told of how Bartley’s whaling vessel, while on an excursion near the Falkland Islands, had been attacked by a whale. In the incident, Bartley was said to have been swallowed. His shipmates, not realizing this, inadvertently cut him out of the whale while trying to preserve its meat. Although it was stated that Bartley was rendered blind and his skin was bleached from the nearly 18 hours inside the whale, he reportedly survived the ordeal and lived an additional four decades.
Most have debunked the story of James Bartley, but it nonetheless made its way into the New York Times, and has since been included in a number of pop-culture pieces, including two writings by George Orwell.
While James Bartley’s experience is in question, Bible believers adhere to the truth of the miraculous story of Jonah. Jesus even mentions Jonah in reference to his resurrection, noting that Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days.
Why was Jonah swallowed by the fish? It wasn’t an accident. The story of Jonah starts with an instruction from God – to go share God’s love with the people of Nineveh. Not wanting to do this, Jonah goes the opposite way on a ship, only to have the ship go directly into a big storm. Realizing the storm is a message from God, Jonah tells the crew to throw him overboard, so that they will be spared. When they do, a large fish swallows Jonah, holding him in its belly for three days before spitting him out on shore. After the ordeal, Jonah decides to go to Nineveh to share God’s love. God spared Jonah, so that the people of Nineveh would know his love.
