Dinosaurs and the Bible
On day six the Bible states that land animals were created. This would also include the animals which we know as the dinosaurs. The term dinosaur originated in 1841 when Professor Richard Owens of London, England, coined the term from two Greek words meaning "terrible lizard. The Bible has three Hebrew words that describe animals that could be identified as dinosaurs, They are Tannin Leviathan, and Behemoth.
Behemoth and Leviathan
"Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as the ox Lo now, his strength is in his loins, And his force is in the navel of his belly. He moveth his tail like a cedar: ...he is the chief of the ways of God..." Job 40:15-19
This special animal, behemoth, is described with detail in the book of Job. Behemoth moved his tail like a cedar indicating that he was most likely a large land dinosaur. Because God compares His power to behemoth, he was perhaps the crowning glory of the beasts of the earth. (Genesis 1:25)
Some Bible scholars have identified behemoth as an elephant or a hippopotamus. Those that are expressing this view are in no doubt being influenced by the evolutionary thinking that man and dinosaurs did not live during the same time period. The N.I.V. interprets the tail as his trunk, when referring to the Behemoth of Job 40:17
"Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord...out of his mouth go burning lamps and sparks of fire leap out. Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or cauldron." Job 41
The scriptures describe leviathan as a fire breathing water creature. Many commentators have classified this animal as an alligator, but alligators have never been known to breathe fire. Other commentators disqualify the description of fire breathing as poetic expression, but what about this ability to shoot fire? Evidence of such an animal exists in the bombardier beetle. This special breed of beetle still exists today as one of many insects that makes and uses complex chemicals for protection. Inside the beetle's body are two chambers, which produce two different chemicals. There is an explosion in the face of his attacker as these chemicals are mixed and ejected through a special tube positioned at the rear of the beetle's body. In light of this, it would be safe to assume that leviathan had a similar mechanism for projecting fire. Additional evidence supporting the existence of fire-breathing animals is found in ancient Chinese history. Many legends contain stories of how the early emperors trained these dragons for ceremonial and special purposes. These legends preceded the discovery of dinosaur bones at the end of the 18th century.
Scientists have found fossils of a dinosaur skull containing an open cavity above the brain with canals that lead to the nostrils. The purposes of these cavities are still unknown, but could certainly be evidence of fire-breathing capability. We do, however, know that leviathan did exist in the days of King David, for he writes of them in his psalms (Psalms. 104:26)
Tyrannosaurus RexAccording to Genesis 1:30, God commanded that all animals, as well as the birds, be vegetarians. This would include the dinosaurs. Some would argue, concerning Tyrannosaurus Rex, which he was a meat‑eater but close examination of his body would prove otherwise. The upper limbs of Tyrannosaurus Rex would have no purpose if he were a meat‑eater. Tyrannosaurus could not even bring his forelimbs to his mouth. In addition, his teeth were shallow rooted and, conflict with another animal would tear out teeth as he ripped flesh and bone. The teeth of a meat-eater would eventually show signs of wear, however, examinations of adult Tyrannosaurus teeth show his to be razor sharp with no teeth missing. In conclusion, evidence indicates that the upper limbs of the T‑Rex were used to grab and pull the limbs of trees closer to his mouth. Fossil records reveal no sign of the wear and tear that we would expect to find in the teeth of a meat‑eater, as well as no missing teeth. As we look at the skeleton of a T‑Rex, he appears to be a ferocious animal and most would assume he is a meat‑eater. When we look at the Panda, he too has sharp and powerful teeth, yet his are used to eat bamboo, not flesh. There has been no hard evidence to prove that T‑Rex was a meat‑eater.
An Amazing Discovery In 1988, a 90% complete T-Rex was found in Montana. In 1990, a crew from Montana State University found red blood cells in a partially unfossilized femur. These red blood cells provide strong evidence that this T-Rex was not millions of years old, but only a few thousand years old.
Fossil Record On the subject of the fossil record, isn't amazing that dinosaur bones are found fossilized and dead? Some would laugh at this, but those two observations tell us important facts about these creatures:
1. How they died.When dinosaur bones are found, they are
fossilized, which shows that they were killed by mud flows. For bones to fossilize they have to be quickly covered by sediments. In other words, the evidence we find all over the world, points to the fact that our planet went through a flood in the not so distant past, which covered the entire earth.
2.When they lived. When a dinosaur bone is found, it is usually
dead. Being dead tells us a great deal of when the animal lived. The Bible records that death entered into the world as a result of one man's sin, Adam. If we find dead dinosaur bones, this tells us that these animals died after Adam.
Decline of the DinosaurToday there are many theories that try to explain the disappearance of the dinosaurs. These theories include comets hitting the earth, massive drought and the ice age. One flaw in these theories is the fact that all of the larger animals, not just the dinosaurs, would have been affected by these conditions. Many questions raised by these theories are answered by creation science. First, at the time of the flood all the known dinosaurs that were not on the ark would have perished. Second, with the destruction of the water canopy, those that did survive would have had to adjust to the new harsh environment. Third, those that did adjust would have been hunted by man. In conclusion, we are not certain that all of the species of dinosaurs are extinct. There are many reports of people sighting animals throughout history that match the description of dinosaurs.
What I find as a sad testimony is that these animals are used to promote a godless philosophy that has no evidence, when they were created to exhibit the awesome power of God.
It is important that we have a firm foundation about our past. When the winds of adversity come into our lives we will stand because our foundation was built on a rock. What is your foundation? The Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ or the Sand, The philosophies of Man? On which one will you stand?
