Because it tells of a fish swallowing a man, many have dismissed the book of Jonah as fiction. But 2 Kings 14:25 mentions Jonah as living during the time of Jeroboam II (about 793-753 B.C.) and even Jesus referred to Jonah in Matt. 12: 39-41. The story of Jonah describes him being swallowed by a great fish, repenting and fulfilling the mission God had for him.