Category: life sciences

A Whale of a Tale? #9

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

“For as Jonas 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” (Matthew 12:40 KJV).

Let us consider one of the most misunderstood and most ridiculed accounts presented in the Holy Bible….

Read a portion of Jonah’s prayer in chapter 2: “[1] Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly, [2] And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. [3] For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. [4] Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. [5] The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. [6] I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God….”

Jonah cried “out of the belly of hell” (verse 2). God has “brought up [Jonah’s] life from corruption” (verse 6). This sounds like someone dying and living again, does it not? In fact, it corresponds to Christ’s own death and resurrection in today’s Scripture! According to Luke 16:19-31, Hell was in two compartments in time past: believers’ souls were confined to Abraham’s bosom and comfort, whereas unsaved souls were enclosed in flames and torment. Jesus’ soul and the believing thief’s soul went to the comfort side when they died—a place also known as “paradise” in Luke 23:43, whose occupants have since relocated to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2,4). The point is, Jonah died and went to “hell” (paradise side), perfectly matching Jesus in “hell” (paradise side; see Psalm 16:10 and Acts 2:22-31).

When Jonah died and lived again, he was really serving as a type (preview, picture, foreshadow) of Jesus dying and living again….

A Whale of a Tale? #8

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

“For as Jonas 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” (Matthew 12:40 KJV).

Let us consider one of the most misunderstood and most ridiculed accounts presented in the Holy Bible….

It has been repeatedly assumed Jonah lived in the fish’s (or whale’s) belly for three days and three nights. However, see the Bible for yourself: “Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:17 simply states Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Scripture does not read, “And Jonah lived / was alive in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”

At this point, perhaps a simple illustration will suffice. If I claim someone was “in the grave for 20 years,” am I implying he or she has lived in that tomb for 20 years? No one exercising a little common sense would misunderstand my words. Likewise, although Jonah was in the creature’s stomach all three days and three nights, he was not necessarily living for the entire duration. People have made an assumption regarding the Bible—and it is a wrong one (just another example of silly presumptions about Scripture!). Two lines of proof can be offered Jonah actually died with respect to this strange sea creature (whose identity we will discuss later).

Firstly, in today’s Scripture, the Lord Jesus pointed to Jonah’s experience and connected it to His own death. Did not the Lord stay dead for three days and three nights? In keeping with the analogy, Jonah would have also perished. Remember, study Jonah chapter 1. The Prophet was tossed overboard in the Mediterranean Sea. Either he drowned before the creature swallowed him, or he died shortly after he entered the animal’s stomach. The point is, Jonah was dead in the creature’s belly.

Secondly, if you read Jonah’s prayer in chapter 2, the Prophet himself alludes to his decease. This part of the discussion will take some analysis, so we must carefully walk through it….

A Whale of a Tale? #7

Monday, November 13, 2023

“For as Jonas 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” (Matthew 12:40 KJV).

Let us consider one of the most misunderstood and most ridiculed accounts presented in the Holy Bible….

Natural laws govern the world around us. They determine the size and shape of matter; dictate the amount of force, time, and distance required to set objects in motion or cause them to rest; control the chemical reactions necessary for physical bodies to live and function; influence our weather conditions and climate; provide us land on which to live, oxygen to breathe, food to eat, and water to drink; to name just a few of these principles in action.

Such laws do not suddenly or randomly appear. Their existence automatically demands a Lawgiver, an intelligent mind behind those rules. As Bible believers, we understand this Great Lawgiver is the Creator God—known as the LORD God, JEHOVAH God, or the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the origin of the heaven and the earth and all things therein, having formulated even the very basic principles that led to their construction as well as their maintenance. What that means is that He existed prior to those laws, and though we are subject to them, He is not obligated to follow them because He is outside of them or isolated from them.

The first objection mockers raise against Jonah is that they deem it preposterous—impossible—how a man could live three days and three nights in a whale’s (or fish’s) belly. If God wanted, He could have quite easily kept Jonah alive for three days and three nights in the whale’s (or fish’s) belly. What is impossible for us is possible with Him. Remember, we cannot create life, yet it exists (are we not lifeforms?!), so we know life can be and was created (though impossible for us, it is possible for Him). However, the Scriptures seem to suggest Jonah was not actually alive all three days and three nights. We will take yet another look into God’s infallible Book….

A Whale of a Tale? #6

Sunday, November 12, 2023

“For as Jonas 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” (Matthew 12:40 KJV).

Let us consider one of the most misunderstood and most ridiculed accounts presented in the Holy Bible….

As a trained geologist (holding a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Earth science), I am quite familiar with the tendency of Bible haters and Bible skeptics to resort to exalting and clinging to whatever “empirical data” that can be uncovered to justify distancing themselves from the “superstitions of religious tradition.” Except on rare occasions, though, the Holy Bible has not actually been given a fair hearing. As a simple illustration, I remember the confession of an honest atheist long ago: having never really read the Bible, he frequently argued with Christians about it! Another example is how people grow up “in church” hearing all sorts of ridiculous and wrong assumptions about Scripture. By the time they become adults, they are on a hostile “crusade” to publicize why they are no longer “church members!”

One of my university science professors (familiar with Scripture) complained to me how “science could not explain” the Bible’s miracles; therefore, he did not believe those miracles actually occurred. Instead, he contended, there was a natural cause for each alleged “miracle”—in effect, nothing miraculous really happened. While that sounds convincing on the surface, he surely knew how science has limitations. We scientists have such a poor understanding of how the laws of nature operate. Even what little we know is subject to change, as scientific ideas are revised or discarded through repeated observation and experimentation. Any scientist could live 500,000 lifetimes and still not fully comprehend or describe the phenomena on our tiny planet—not to mention all the events on all celestial bodies (whose total number exceeds all the grains of sand on every beach of Earth)! When someone boldly declares “science has disproven the Bible,” I can personally assure you this is wishful thinking. You need not worry about them or their overconfidence in the frail human mind or the faulty lab equipment!

With that said, let us get back to Jonah, the whale/fish, and the contempt regarding it….

A Whale of a Tale? #5

Friday, November 10, 2023

“For as Jonas 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” (Matthew 12:40 KJV).

Let us consider one of the most misunderstood and most ridiculed accounts presented in the Holy Bible….

Directly disobeying the LORD’S order to go preach to the Assyrian (Gentile) capital city of Nineveh (near modern Mosul, northern Iraq, on the Tigris River—northeast of the land of Israel), Jonah the Prophet fled Jerusalem and boarded a ship that was headed westward from Joppa and going across the Mediterranean Sea. Though he attempted to hide, God knew precisely where he was: a sea storm and the casting of lots revealed Jonah’s defiance! Now, Jonah’s shipmates—desperate to survive the tempest—throw him overboard. The storm passes, but Jonah’s adventure is far from over.

Read Jonah 1:17: “Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Also, continue into chapter 2: “[1] Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly,…. [10] And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.” If you want, you can read Jonah’s prayer in chapter 2, plus read chapters 3 and 4 to learn the outcome of the narrative. Our focus here, however, is chapters 1 and 2, noting how this creature that interacted with the Prophet is four times designated a “fish.”

When commenting on it in today’s Scripture, the Lord Jesus referred to the animal as a “whale.” This term has engendered a great deal of discussion, skepticism, and mockery. Furthermore, the mere notion of Jonah living inside a fish’s belly (or, as Christ put it, a whale’s belly) for three days and three nights is ridiculous to many people anyway. The whole matter has thus been dismissed as legend or fairytale—but, frankly, to reduce it to something non-literal or figurative is the lazy person’s explanation. Is there any way to account for these Biblical statements without resorting to undermining faith in the Scriptures? Indeed, there is! Let us have enlightenment….

In order to bring you a special study tomorrow, we will temporarily break away from this devotionals arc….

A Whale of a Tale? #4

Thursday, November 9, 2023

“For as Jonas 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” (Matthew 12:40 KJV).

Let us consider one of the most misunderstood and most ridiculed accounts presented in the Holy Bible….

Keep reading from Jonah chapter 1: “[8] Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? [9] And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. [10] Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

“[11] Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. [12] And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. [13] Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. [14] Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. [15] So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. [16] Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. [17] Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”

Again, giving the Bible text the normal sense, we take it literally, accepting it at face value….

A Whale of a Tale? #3

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

“For as Jonas 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” (Matthew 12:40 KJV).

Let us consider one of the most misunderstood and most ridiculed accounts presented in the Holy Bible….

To fathom Jonah’s supernatural adventure, we must start in Jonah chapter 1: “[1] Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, [2] Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. [3] But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish [Spain?] from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

“[4] But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. [5] Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares [cargo] that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. [6] So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. [7] And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.”

Jonah was a real character, a literal man, who lived around 900 B.C. He is also in 2 Kings 14:25—another historical context. Jonah was a prophet, talking as the LORD God gave him utterance. Yet, when God commissioned him to speak His words to distant Nineveh (a Gentile capital city), Jewish Jonah boarded a ship and went the opposite direction! The LORD responded with a sea storm, and Jonah’s shipmates have now exposed him as a wrongdoer….

A Whale of a Tale? #2

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

“For as Jonas 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” (Matthew 12:40 KJV).

Let us consider one of the most misunderstood and most ridiculed accounts presented in the Holy Bible….

Today’s Scripture in context: “[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 Jonas: [40] For as Jonas 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 Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” (Note: “Jonas” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew “Jonah.”)

“A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed” (Matthew 16:4). “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 Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation…. The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here” (Luke 11:29,30,32).

The Lord Jesus Christ clearly believed Jonah was an historical character who actually spent time in a whale’s belly before subsequently preaching in the historical Assyrian capital of Nineveh. He affirmed Jonah’s experience was literal—just as factual as what occurred when Jesus Himself was dead three days and three nights. If the Book of Jonah is doubtful, we have no reason to trust Jesus either! Indeed, Jonah is not make-believe, legend, myth, or parable….

A Whale of a Tale? #1

Monday, November 6, 2023

“For as Jonas 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” (Matthew 12:40 KJV).

Let us consider one of the most misunderstood and most ridiculed accounts presented in the Holy Bible….

From time immemorial, the Prophet Jonah has been a favorite target of Bible critics. This mockery comes in a variety of forms, but the two chief complaints can be summarized as follows. Firstly, “A man living in a whale’s belly is preposterous!” Secondly, “The Bible calls it both a ‘fish’ and a ‘whale’ but we all know they are two biologically distinct animals!” These are weighty and thought-provoking comments indeed, but should we believers in Christ fear such criticisms? Does the Bible offer meaningful answers that we can then provide to those who are sincerely interested in acquiring understanding?

Since we, the professing church, have spent more time dawdling in trivial matters, we neither know what we believe nor why we believe it. Is it any wonder those “outside the church” cannot help but scoff at the idea of ever becoming a Christian and/or actually trusting anything the Holy Scriptures teach? If they who profess to “believe the Bible” have failed to master its doctrines, if they who proclaim to be “Bible believers” are usually among the ranks of its detractors, if they who assert they “love the Bible” really think so poorly of it, who without the Bible would dare to care for it, love it, and uphold it?

Dear saints, in order to drive the Bible ignorance far hence (and ensure it stays there!), we must endeavor to become skillful in the Good Book we allegedly follow. We will have to either do some Bible study to get a clear picture of what is going on, or just throw out the Scriptures entirely and never consult them again (proving we never actually believed them anyway!). Let us do the former—take today’s Scripture as well as the Book of Jonah—and see if we can piece together a coherent narrative as to what happened to Jonah all those centuries ago….

Saints, please remember this work of the ministry requires monthly financial support to operate (Galatians 6:6; Philippians 4:16-17; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7). Those who prefer electronic giving can donate securely here: https://www.paypal.me/ShawnBrasseaux. Anyone who wishes to donate by regular mail can visit https://333wordsofgrace.org/contact-us-mailing-address-for-donations/ for details. Thanks to all who give to and pray for us! Unfortunately, since our ministry audience is so large and our ministry staff is so small, I can no longer personally respond to everyone. Thanks so much for understanding in this regard. 🙂

The Understanding Darkened #2

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

“This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:…” (Ephesians 4:17,18 KJV).

How can today’s Scripture aid in our understanding of the wild world around us?

At the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9), when the LORD God gave all nations over to “walk in their own ways” (Acts 14:15,16), He fulfilled their wish in turning them loose to a mindset or thought process that excluded Him. Re-read Romans 1:20-23,28. Commenting on this combination of tremendous intellectualism (“wisdom” of men) and abysmal darkness in Athens, Paul announced: “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:…” (Acts 17:29,30).

The Athenians had been “wholly [completely, entirely] given to idolatry” (verse 16). In fact, it was even stated of Athens, “It was easier to find a god there than a man!” They thought of a higher power in terms of creation—that the gods and goddesses were part of nature (pantheism). Even in the “sciences” today, natural forces are usually understood as being responsible for life, the heavens, and the earth. However, if you study Paul’s sermon to the people of Athens (verses 22-31), you will notice how he goes to great lengths to differentiate between the one true God and counterfeits (deities of mythology), distinguish between God and nature, discern between God and man. The God of the Bible is alive, not dead, which is why we should not reduce Him to statues of lifeless gold, silver, or stone. He is the Creator, giving us physical life; therefore, if we are alive, He is alive. Moreover, He is not a product of man’s imagination, so if we are to have “the eyes of [our] understanding enlightened” (see Ephesians 1:17), and be delivered from this “ignorance,” we must “repent” or think differently….