The Fish that Predicts Earthquakes

Revelation 16:18
“And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.”

Behold the giant oarfish – a creature of which legends are made. With its snake-like body that can grow up to fifty-six feet in length, the longest bony fish in existence has inspired countless legends about sea serpents.

Strangely enough, one of these legends just happens to be true. Japanese folklore relates that oarfish were the messengers from the sea god’s palace that were able to predict a tremendous catch of fish or a disastrous earthquake. While we can’t say they are good luck for fishermen, their earthquake-forecasting ability is a verifiable fact.

Numerous sources cited at the CreationWiki website relate that unusual numbers of dead oarfish have been observed to wash up on shore shortly before an earthquake. In Japan, for instance, whenever an earthquake followed by a tsunami is about to hit, several oarfish wash up on shore dead, indicating the disaster is imminent.

Many of you listening to me now will remember the devastating earthquake that hit Japan in 2011 and the tsunami that caused the catastrophic Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdown. You probably don’t know, however, that many oarfish washed up on shores just before the earthquake struck. Scientists believe that this happens because the oarfish’s large body makes it vulnerable to underwater shock waves or because poison gases are released during seismic activity.

Whatever the cause, the oarfish is not a sea serpent we should fear. The oarfish is one of God’s creatures we should pay attention to!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have made everything for a purpose. While that purpose is often not clear to us, help us to trust You no matter what the circumstances. Amen.

Author: Steven J. Schwartz
Ref: http://creationwiki.org/Oarfish. Photo: Giant oarfish that was found off Catalina Island in October 2013. Courtesy of Catilina Island Institute.

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