The Bible as Science: A Big Fish Story

Jonah and the whale is one of the easiest Bible stories to mock and one of the hardest to discuss calmly. We start somewhere most people do not expect: the quiet power of generosity that gives without asking, serves without squeezing, and trusts God to provide. Then we turn straight toward the criticism that never seems to go away, the claim that the book of Jonah collapses under science and common sense.

We walk through why Jonah draws so much fire from skeptics, and why the key phrase “God prepared” changes the entire frame of the argument. If you erase the supernatural at the start, you will never be satisfied with any explanation. But if you take Scripture on its own terms, you can examine what it actually says, including the way Jesus Christ points to Jonah as a sign. That leads to a challenging line of thought: the story is not merely about surviving inside a sea creature, but about death, the soul, and a parallel to Christ’s time in the heart of the earth.

We also tackle the “fish vs whale” debate, the translation complaints, and the way critics shift between Hebrew and Greek only when it suits them. Along the way, we use a simple modern analogy a submarine, an “iron fish” built by man to expose a common double standard about what people call impossible. We end right where the next broadcast begins, promising more evidence for why the Jonah account is scientifically probable.

Subscribe for the next installment, share this with a friend who loves Bible and science questions, and leave a review with your toughest Jonah objection so we can address it.

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Transcript

Welcome And Broadcast Mission

0:07

Welcome to the Preaching the Cross Radio Podcast, featuring the radio ministry of Pastor James W. Knox of the Bible Baptist Church of Duana, Florida. Our prayer is that these half-hour Bible study programs bring the lost to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and enable the saved to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Savior. Now here's your host, Pastor James W. Knox. All right, thank you for that kind word of introduction. Thanks to each and every one of you for tuning in today to the Preaching of the Cross Radio Broadcast. I'm Brother James. I greet you as always in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

A Giving Ministry Without Pressure

0:53

You know, one of the greatest blessings that I enjoy in the ministry is seeing the fruit of our giving, seeing the fruit of our giving. If you've listened to this broadcast for any length of time, you know that we never make any appeal or solicitation for funds. You know that. You've never heard us ask anyone at any time to send us any money. We've never done that. You have heard letters from time to time. We've read letters of testimony. Those of you that have uh have listened for any length of time, you you are aware of the fact that we send out hundreds of thousands of cassette recorded sermons and Bible studies. We send out thousands of Bibles to people all around the world, absolutely free of charge. In our church services at the Bible Baptist Church of the land, we do not even pass an offering plate or take up a collection. All that we do is set a box in the back of the auditorium, and those who want to give are free to do so. Those who do not wish to give are never embarrassed to put on the spot. We don't jangle the plate in front of the nose or anything like that. And it is just a blessing to see God provide our every need in answer to prayer. Just on my way into the studio to record this particular program, as I came to the door, there was a box sitting in front of the door that was mailed from the state of Illinois, and in that box were Bibles. I don't know how many, I haven't even counted them. There are uh two stacks of uh of testaments here, New Testaments. There are some giant print Bibles in here, there's some gift award Bibles, and just the note inside, dear pastor, use these as you see fit. Now, you know what that is? That is that is someone who loves God, that is someone who desires to serve God, and their heart has been touched by a spirit of giving, not a spirit of getting. They have been ministered to, they have been blessed by a ministry that gives, gives, gives, and and everything that that is of God reproduces and bears fruit after its own kind. And what a blessing, my friend, what a blessing to encourage you to give for its own sake. Don't give to get, don't desire to get, don't minister or preach or serve or labor to get. Follow in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ and give, give, give, give. And oh, how great will be your joy when you see others inspired to do likewise. Amen and amen. Now,

Why Jonah Gets Attacked

3:46

we are in the midst of a series of broadcasts in which we are dealing with the Bible as science, and we started in the last program talking about the criticisms that are raised against the book of Jonah. There is probably no portion of the Bible that it that comes under greater and more constant attack from critics of the Word of God than the book of Jonah. And the critics state that Jonah believed that God was just a local tribal deity that he could run away from, and we refuted those ridiculous claims on the last broadcast. But the critics also attack the scientific accuracy of the Bible by claiming that it is impossible for a whale to swallow a man. That's what we're going to deal with on the program today. Is it possible that Jonah was indeed swallowed by a whale as the Lord Jesus Christ said he was? Now the book of Jonas is a great fish. The Lord Jesus Christ who made that great fish called a whale in the book of Matthew. So that's what we want to discuss on the broadcast today. Was Jonah swallowed by a whale? Now without a doubt, the element of the supernatural entered into the account of Jonah's experience before

God Prepared A Special Fish

5:12

the introduction of the fish that swallowed him. God followed Jonah from the time of the prophet's defection until he returned in submission and humility. First of all, he followed Jonah with a storm, for Jonah testified that the storm came upon the ship because of him. So little did Jonah fear the effects of that storm, reposing as he did in the confidence of the keeping care of God, or perhaps in his own callous indifference by this time, that God followed Jonah again in the call of the captain of the vessel. The prophet was further pursued by the intention of God when, as the men cast their lots, the lot fell upon Jonah. When he was cast over the side of the ship, the supernatural element of the story continues with a very simple statement that God had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. Now, all the argument about a whale being able to do this or a fish being able to do that is ruled out in that key word in Scripture. This is a special-made, special order, custom job by God Himself, especially for Jonah. This brings us to the account of this fish. Now I suppose it's only natural that every man will investigate any question case from the viewpoint of his own preconceived prejudice. It might be argued that we were not able to make a fair examination of the story of Jonah because we came to the study of the account with a strong belief that it was true. But if this is so, it's because of having previously read the testimony of Jesus Christ, whose word we unhesitatingly accept upon any question of which he speaks. But even without the testimony of Jesus, we would be inclined to believe the story of Jonah is true because the infidel and the atheist are united in denying it. How's that for reasoning? I confess I've got a mental revulsion against infidels and atheists. And I'll almost automatically accept what they reject. They feel the same way about Christians. They all reject automatically, or almost automatically, what you believe is a Christian just because you're a Christian, it's a because it's Christian belief. There's a uh an eternal enmity there. But I've noticed over the years that atheism and infidelity never investigate or conduct research except under the prejudice of unbelief. Whenever an atheist starts out to investigate or study a matter with an absolutely closed mind, the whole attempt revolves itself into an effort to disprove the subject he's investigating. The infidel is almost as bad. But there is no counterexplanation to this account of the strange experience of Jonah that will satisfy the inquiring mind if we rule out the supernatural. One critic says that Jonah had a bad nightmare, and that when he awakened, he wrote his dream. Another doubter says that the entire book of Jonah is a simple fabrication, that none of the incidents are historical. One weird so-called thinker states that when Jonah was cast overboard from the ship, he was picked up by a vessel that was following, and the second ship had as a figurehead the image of a fish. So when the men in the first ship saw the rescue of Jonah by this following ship, they said he had been swallowed up by a monster of the deep in the form of a fish. To which we say, Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas. Now, the Bible simply and literally states that God had

Jonah As A Picture Of Christ

9:05

prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And we believe what the Bible says. Now, again, let me call your attention to that phrase, God prepared. The whole argument must turn upon these words. The question is raised: is God able to prepare a fish that would accommodate a man and keep him alive for as long as 72 hours? Well, let's stop for just a minute. Was Jesus Christ alive for 72 hours in the heart of the earth? You say, Well, sure he was. His body, his soul, or his spirit. Now wait a minute. Wait a minute. Jesus said on the cross, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. They took his body down off the cross and laid it in the grave. He said, I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again. That's a resurrection, a re-entry of the soul into the body. Jesus' body was dead. His spirit had returned to God, his soul was in the heart of the earth. Jesus said that is the exact experience of Jonah. You see, what happens, the Bible believer hears the objections of science, then tries to make the Bible fit scientific theory or scientific premise, and by so doing, he destroys the accuracy of the Bible. Nowhere in the Word of God does the Bible say that Jonah survived three days and three nights in the whale's belly. The Bible tells you Jonah was in the belly of the whale just as Jesus was in the heart of the earth. His body was dead in a tomb. Jesus, a tomb of rock, Jonah, a tomb of flesh. His soul was in the lower parts of the earth. You say, how do you know that? Jonah chapter 2. Verse 5, the waters compassed me about, even to the soul. The depth closed me around about. The weeds were wrapped about my head. Matching Jesus crying on the cross, all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Matching Jesus on the cross with the crown of thorns wrapped about his head. Verse 6, I went down to the bottoms of the mountains. The earth with her bars was about me forever, yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption. From corruption. That's the body rotting and decaying after death. His soul is in the heart of the earth below the bottoms of the mountains. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came into thee into thy holy temple. Now, Jonah, his body was dead. His soul was in hell, according to the word of God. Cried I, and thou heardst my voice. You say, Brother James, uh, you think Jonah was in the fish? I think his body was in the fish. You say, where do you think his soul was? The Bible says his soul was in hell. Exactly what it says of Jesus Christ in Psalm 16 in Acts 2. You say you really believe that was hell and not a term for the fish's belly? Where do you think Lazarus went when he died? Rich man and Lazarus, you remember the story? Where do you think the rich man went? To a whale's belly? You think inside this whale there was burning fire? Conscious torment men crying for a drop of water? Absolutely not. The body of Jonah was in the whale. The soul of Jonah was in the heart of the earth. The body of Jesus was in the tomb, the soul of Jesus was in the heart of the earth. You don't have to apologize to science, learn your Bible, then you may stand against the arguments of the Bible's critics. Now let's suppose, let's just suppose, for the sake of argument, that we did have to prove that Jonah lived three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, like Pinocchio. A blasphemous perversion of the Word of God to make money. I just threw that in there because I'm mean. There's no edification

Could God Do More Than Man

13:56

value to that. There is no blessing to be derived from what I just said. I just thought I'd take one more shot at the world that professing Christians love more than they love the Word of God. I just can't resist that. I'm sorry, that's my nature. Uh pray for me. If I'm wrong, God will straighten me out. If I'm right, He'll straighten you out. Pray for me. Now, God has no problem. He's prepared a great fish. I believe he's able to prepare a fish that would accommodate a man, keep him alive as long as 72 hours if he wanted to. If God can't do this, then he is indeed tremendously inferior to man. Really? Do you know that men, finite men, take their little brains and build an iron fish, and they can enter into that iron fish and live underwater for weeks at a time. At the end of that time, they can come to the surface again, replenish their supplies of food and oxygen, and the iron fish can set them forth on dry land for a period of relaxation. You say, What are you talking about? Well, you don't want to talk about talking about a submarine. Man built that. Man prepared an iron fish that he can live in underwater for many, many days, and when he's through traveling around underwater in the belly of that iron fish, it'll cast him up on dry land. Man can do that. You don't think you don't think God could make something like that? You don't think God could prepare a great fish that a man can live in for three days? If man can make something he can live in for weeks, you've got a very uh very poor view of God, don't you? Now how weird it seems to those of us who think things through that men see the evidences of man's power to work these so-called miracles, and will yet deny the same degree of power to God. Again, we see that God prepared other things beside the fish. In the story of Jonah, there was a vine that was prepared. There was a worm that was specifically sent. There was a strong east wind that blew at an untimely season. The God who made the heavens and the earth prepared a fish, a worm, and a vine. One scientist wrote this. Some years ago I was excavating some of those famous shell mounds of the southern area, and I had the pleasure of fellowship with an unusually brilliant man of science. This man was a keen, intelligent thinker, not related in any sense to the household of faith. During the steamy heat of the midday, when it was impossible for men to work with any comfort whatever, we lolled around in the shade of the semitropical verdure and took what ease

A Scientist Asks For Probability

16:40

the weather would permit. In those times of friendly converse, we discussed almost everything in which we had a mutual interest. One day the conversation turned upon the Bible. In some curiosity, this scientist said to his fellow archaeologist, How is it that a man of your mental attainments has never become a Christian? Very earnestly he replied, It seems to me that Christianity must stand or fall with the Bible. I have never become a Christian, beautiful and attractive as Christianity is to me, because I cannot accept the Bible as the infallibly inspired word of God that you Christians claim it to be. Well, finding that they had the same sense of value as to the foundational need of the Scripture, the Christian scientist, or the scientist who is a Christian, you've got to be careful using that term, said, I agree with you, Bob. Jesus Christ and the Bible must stand or fall together, but upon the basis of evidence, and after long years of study and thought, I do receive the Bible as the inspired word of God. Why don't you? Because I cannot accept any of the Bible if I cannot take it all. Well, he's right again. What part of the Bible don't you believe? said his friend. Well, for one thing, I can't believe that old fish story about Jonah and the whale. The Christian, who was a scientist in the conversation, looked at him surprised for a moment and said, Is it possible that a man who knows as much about marine biology as you know does not appreciate how credible and probable that entire account may be? The man sat up as though he had been stabbed with a thorn. Gripping the arm of his friend, he said, Now listen, I don't say to you, prove that that thing happened. I know that would be practically impossible. It's also unnecessary, but I say to you, if you can prove it's reasonably and scientifically probable, that's all I ask. If you demonstrate to me that this thing could have happened, I'll accept the story as truth on the basis that it is in the Bible. Now, how about that? There's an honest man looking for an honest answer. I believe, I believe we can give you an honest answer. For one, I believe we've already done it in carefully reading the account of Jonah's death and Jesus' death. But I know you're wanting me to prove that a man can live in the belly of a whale for three days and three nights. I know that's what you're requiring. And I think we can do it on the time remaining today, and then into the next broadcast, I think we can do that. Now, this is the limit of the mental cooperation that is required. You've just got to be willing. You've got to be willing to accept the Bible record if it can be reasonably shown to be scientifically probable. Now I can't demonstrate today the experience of Jonah exactly as it was written in this book. Jonah's not here. I wasn't there. The great fish isn't here. You weren't there. But we can show from the records of science that it is highly probable that the thing could have happened exactly as Jonah recounted his experience, and that's all you can demand of us. When we bring to light the evidence of modern scientific research upon the record of Jonah, that record is shown as being reasonable in the light of present evidence. The only objection of the infidel that I've ever read is that there is no whale that has a throat large enough to swallow a man. Well, the trouble is the Bible told you this was a specially prepared whale. I know most people don't understand this whale concept anyway. If you went to the Hebrew language, and there's no sense in doing it, but if you did, I know that's

Fish Versus Whale And Bible Words

20:25

what some of you are thinking, well, what does the Hebrew say? What does the Hebrew say? Alright, not because it's necessary, but just to satisfy your curious mind and to head off those arguments at the pass. The word here translated fish is the Hebrew word dag, D-A-G, as found in Dagon, the fish god. This word appears in the Old Testament nineteen times. On each occasion is translated fish, just like we have it here in the book of Jonah. Now we know, of course, that a whale is not a fish. So if the scripture in the Hebrew text says that a fish swallowed Jonah, you're going to jump up and down and say a whale is ruled out at once. The whale's a mammal. It follows the order of a live birth. It suckles its young. It's a warm-blooded animal. It would be scientifically incorrect to speak of a whale as a fish. But this whale was not made for reproduction. This whale was not made to suckle its young. This whale was not made to give birth. This whale was made for one purpose and one purpose only. To swallow, to swallow flesh in the ocean. That's what a fish does. So what we have what we have is a creature formed and made by God for a special purpose. The size, the shape, the appearance of a whale, the capabilities of a fish. Now that's the Bible. That's what the Bible says. In the King James Version of the New Testament. The critics argue that the translation is incorrect. Makes the fish appear as a whale. They say Jesus didn't say Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, and that the original Greek used the word whale because it was the only sea creature they knew that was big enough to suit them. They'll demand that you go to the Hebrew word for fish and stand on it. And then if you go to the Greek word for whale, these same people will demand that you not use that word and say that you cannot stand on it. You know what this is? This is satanically inspired raving. That's all it is. Now you can't insist, you can't say, Brother James, give me the Hebrew word, and I tell you it's fish, and you say, okay, see, it's a fish. Now, give me the Greek word where Jesus said whale, and the Greek word is whale, and then you begin to say, oh, well, but you can't stand on that because what? Because it doesn't support your infidelity, because it destroys your argument, because if we go to the Greek and Hebrew, it will say just exactly what the English says and prove once again that you can't duck out under that fence, and a man that knows and believes the English Bible is perfectly capable of dealing with every problem and situation just as much so as the man that messes around with the Greek and the Hebrew, Amen and Amen, because God accurately translated the Bible into the English language in the King James Version. Now, you can argue all you want about a monster of the deep. Don't go to the Hebrew word for whale. We're not dealing with the Hebrew in the New Testament, we're dealing with the Greek. The Old Testament scripture says Jonah was swallowed by a great dag of fish. The New Testament says he was picked up by a whale. The Old and New Testament both agree that this creature of the deep received Jonah into its spacious mouth, swallowed him down, and there he was for three days and three nights. Now let's suppose this creature of the deep was in very fact a whale, and that Jesus Christ isn't lying. Let's suppose Jesus told the truth. It would still be reasonable and scientifically demonstrable that a whale could have swallowed Jonah. You say, prove it. I won't prove

Next Time And Where To Listen

24:20

it on this program. You say, why, you can't do it? No, I don't have time. If I had the time, I'd prove it to you today. But since I don't have the time, you will have to tune in next time and we'll finish our study. We'll pick up right here where we left off. I won't change the subject. I won't run away and hide. We'll pick up right here where we left off on the next broadcast with our discussion of the Bible as science, proving the biblical account of Jonah and the whale, to be absolutely factual. Thanks for tuning in today. Join us every weekday for another episode of the Preaching of the Cross Radio Podcast. For hundreds of hours of in-depth expository Bible teaching, please visit our YouTube channel, James W. Knox Sermons, our sermon audio page, Bible Baptistland, or our website, Bible Baptistoland.com. Until next time and throughout eternity, may Jesus Christ be praised.