The Bible's best description of a dinosaur-like animal is recorded in Job chapter 40. “Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly! His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are close-knit. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like rods of iron. He ranks first among the works of God…” (Job 40:15-19). Show
The book of Job is very old, probably written around 2,000 years before Jesus was born. Here God describes a great king of the land animals like some of the biggest dinosaurs, the Diplodocus and Apatosaurus. It was a gigantic plant-eater with great muscles and very strong bones. The long Diplodocus had leg bones so strong that he could have held three others on his back. The behemoth were not afraid. They did not need to be; they were huge. Their tails were so long and strong that God compared them to cedars - one of the largest and most spectacular trees of the ancient world. After all the behemoth had died out, many people forgot them. Dinosaurs were extinct and the fossil skeletons that are in museums today did not begin to be put together until about 150 years ago. Today, some people have mistakenly guessed that the behemoth mentioned in the Bible might be an elephant or a hippopotamus. But those animals certainly do not have tails like the thick, tall trunks of cedar trees! Although it cannot be stated with certainty, it appears that dinosaurs are mentioned in the Bible. This should not sound so strange. After all, God tells us that He created all the land animals on the 6th day of creation, the same day that he created mankind. Man and dinosaurs lived at the same time. There was never a time when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. From the very beginning of creation, God gave man dominion over all that was made, even over the dinosaurs. Learn more about dinosaurs at the Great Dinosaur Mystery Online Author: Paul S. Taylor of Christian Answers Copyright © 1995, Films for Christ, All Rights Reserved—except as noted on attached “Usage and Copyright” page that grants ChristianAnswers.Net users generous rights for putting this page to work in their homes, personal witnessing, churches and schools. For more information about dinosaurs, we recommend the best selling children's book by Paul S. Taylor… The first issue seems to be the uncomfortable silence in the Biblical creation account when it comes to dinosaurs. Why aren’t they mentioned specifically as part of God’s creation? It is true there don’t appear to be any references to dinosaurs in the Biblical record (although some will maintain that the ‘behemoth’ and the ‘leviathan’ mentioned in Job – the Bible’s oldest book – reference dinosaurs). But the argument from silence is really not a fair argument to make here, as it assumes the short Biblical creation account exists to provide humans with a concrete scientific chronology, when it exists for no such purpose. God wrote the short Genesis account to a specific people in a specific period of history. God’s intention here was for the ancient Israelites (who knew nothing of dinosaurs) to understand they were created in God’s image, and their world was also the product of a Creator God who considered them to be the crown of His creation. Beyond this, God had no detailed scientific purpose. Remember the Bible is God’s love letter to us and not a science manual. The Genesis account is also silent about all kinds of creatures, especially if we consider the specific species or life forms falling under the larger categories listed in the Biblical record. While the Genesis account says God created all kinds of animals that walk and crawl on the ground, it does not specifically mention marsupials, for example. They are simply a subset of the larger group mentioned by Moses. In addition, there is nothing said about reptiles or amphibians or insects. Clearly Moses was aware of these creatures, for he also wrote the account of the serpent in the Garden and the frogs and insects of the Egyptian plagues. Why is he silent about them in the creation account? Because every piece of literature is written for a specific purpose and this must be considered when we read the literature. The Biblical creation account is far more interested in man’s role within creation and man’s relationship to the Creator than it is interested in listing every species that ever lived on planet earth. Don’t be misled by silence here. The second issue plaguing Christians as they consider the possibility dinosaurs existed millions of years ago (and well before the existence of humans), is the belief (held by many Christians) the earth is far too young to account for the long dinosaur history indicated in the fossil record. But, as controversial as it sometimes seems, many Christians believe in a very ancient earth (with long creation periods), and hold to these beliefs while simultaneously retaining the utmost respect for the authority of Scripture. But there is yet another issue troubling many Christians as they ponder the existence of dinosaurs. It’s the idea nothing on earth died before the fall of Adam. Many Christians believe the Bible describes a perfect world before Adam’s sin; a world in which nothing dies. If this is true, we would have great difficulty in explaining the presence of death we observe in the ancient fossil record, preceding the appearance of humans. Clearly, all kinds of species of life, both very primitive and more advanced, can be seen captured in the fossil record. How can this be the case, if death comes to the planet only through the sin of Adam? Doesn’t the Bible teach this is the case? Let’s take a look at some important passages of scripture and see for ourselves: Romans 5:12-14 The first thing we need to define here is the word “death” (‘thanatos’ in the Greek). What kind of death is Paul talking about here? Is he talking about biological death or spiritual death? Well, in verse 21 of the very same passage, Paul says, “…just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Clearly Paul is contrasting ‘death’ with ‘eternal life’. It certainly appears Paul is referring to ‘death’ in its spiritual context, not its biological context. And this is consistent with Genesis 2:6. In this passage in Genesis, Moses says God warned Adam and Eve “in the day that you eat of the tree you will surely die”. Adam and Eve did not die biologically “in the day” they ate from the tree, did they? But they did die spiritually in the sense they came under the divine judgment of death as it was executed against man. Adam and Eve were then removed from the garden as a symbol of this spiritual death and were prevented from eating from the tree of life. While the biological sense of death is also meant here, it is clear spiritual death is also in sight. Let’s return to the passage in Romans 5. We looked at the word used for “death”, now let’s look at the word used to say “the world” (‘kosmos’ in the Greek). It does appear Paul is saying death is the result of sin, and sin has entered into the entire world (including all other forms of life in addition to humans). If this is true, then it is easy to see why some Christians don’t believe anything died before Adam’s sin. But, if we take a close look at how the word for ‘the world’ is being used here, it is clear Paul is not actually speaking about all the world, but is instead talking directly about mankind. Look at how he uses the same word in verse 13: “…for before the law was given, sin was in the world (‘kosmos’). But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.” We know one thing for sure; sin doesn’t exist the non-human realm. So what “world” is Paul talking about here? He is talking about the world of human beings; the world of humanity. That’s why Paul uses he phrase “all men” in the second portion of the passage (verse 12), and he uses it as a synonym for “world”. Take a look at verse 18. There it is again, the expression “all men” being used as a synonym. In this particular verse, Paul is saying spiritual and physical death came to mankind as a result of the sin of Adam. That’s why we see evidence of both animal and plant death in the fossil record long before the appearance of mankind. Sin brought death to mankind, not to the animal and plant world in general. Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading. Was All Creation Cursed? Romans 8:18-21 Many Christians have taken this passage to mean that before the frustration of the planet, there was no death or decay of any kind. While it is clear Paul is talking about all of creation here (unlike the passage in Romans 5), it is not clear Paul is talking about animal and plant death prior to Adam when he uses words like “corruption” or “decay”. In fact, Paul seems to be referencing Isaiah as he describes how creation is waiting eagerly to be liberated from its bondage to decay: Isaiah 24:4-6 Isaiah 26:19-21 Isaiah seems to be saying the earth mourns because it is concealing its slain. It mourns because it is a mass graveyard! This is also what Paul is talking about in Romans 8. The earth will be liberated of its dead at the end of the age, when the dead are resurrected. This passage does not eliminate the possibility plants and animals died before Adam’s sin. Did They Eat Meat Before Noah? Genesis 1:29-30 Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading. Genesis 9:1-4 The Genesis 1 passage seems to be saying God gave plants to the animals to be eaten for food prior to the fall of Adam. The Genesis 9 passage then seems to be lifting some kind of restriction on meat, suggesting even humans were not eating animals prior to this point in history. If no one is eating animals until this point in time, then there would be no death prior to Adam caused by animals in search of a good meal. This does seem to fly in the face of archeological evidence of sharp toothed carnivorous dinosaurs who roamed the earth, eating other animals. But look at Genesis 1:29-30 once again. There is nothing in this passage saying animals where prohibited or unable to eat anything other than plants. It simply says plants exist as part of creation to serve as food for the animals created next. Plants are to be the foundational element in the food chain, and indeed they are. The herbivores so dependent on plants for their survival are, in fact, the base diet of the carnivores. So, in essence, both herbivores and carnivores alike are dependent on plants for their survival. And look now at Genesis 9. This is a command directed at Noah and mankind. It has little or nothing to say about the behavior of the ‘lower’ animals themselves and certainly does not eliminate the possibility animals ate each other and died prior to the sin of Adam. Are the End Times a Restoration, or a Promise of Something Better? Isaiah 11:6-9; 65:25 Christians sometimes read these words as a description of what the world must have been like before sin. After all, the scriptures have described Jesus as the second Adam who ushers in a new world; a new inheritance for us as the children of God. Doesn’t the second Adam simply return us to the state of the first Adam? Doesn’t the new world then resemble the world as it was before sin? Not necessarily. It is certainly a stretch to assume the second Adam ushers in a perfect world which is merely a restoration of the Garden of Eden. God promises us something even better than what Adam experienced in the Garden. There is nothing in the scripture mandating the Garden was a place of utter perfection, perfectly equal to the promised world awaiting us at the end of time. We’ve already discussed all the passages dealing even tangentially with condition of the Garden. Any other assumption is just that: an assumption. Nothing in the Bible excludes the possibility plants and animals died long before Adam was created by God. The Biblical Argument for Death Prior to the Fall Psalm 104:19-28 First, note God clearly designed the lion to prowl for its prey. The food of the lion is obviously not vegetation here, and it is being described in the context of this creation psalm, right alongside with the description of the creation of the animals and the creation of the moon. Even this early in the creation order, lions appear to be hunting. But notice something more. This hunting exercise is not only condoned by God, it has been given to the lion by God. He delights in it. The hunting activity of the lion pleases God and it is part of his perfect plan for the world. That’s right, death before the fall of Adam is still described as part of God’s perfect plan. Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading. The Natural Argument for Death Prior to the Fall I think it is hard for some of us to imagine God would design any kind of death into His created world, especially the world of Adam and Eve prior to the fall. But clearly Psalm 104 indicates His design of carnivorous activity was (and is) part of His perfect plan; part of His perfect design. Why would this be true? Perhaps it is because God’s creative acts have always been targeted toward the very crown of his creation, mankind. Remember Adam and Eve are the last created beings. They are the guests of honor at the banquet table being set for them by a Holy Creator. As the guests of honor, they enter the banquet room last. They alone are created in the image of God. All else has been designed for them. They have authority and dominion over everything else. If a cup drops from the table and breaks, it will be replaced. Plants and animals will be killed in order to prepare the banquet. In fact, much of the activity that is conducted prior to the entrance of the honored guests might be seen as destructive. But mankind was created for communion with God. Mankind was created for eternal relationship and worship. We sometimes mistakenly elevate all of creation to the status that the Bible ascribes only to humans. We sometimes act as though the table setting is as important as the guest of honor. Yes, dinosaurs did live and roam the earth. God created them. And yes, dinosaurs (and many other forms of animals and plants) did live and die before Adam was ever created. This was also part of God’s good plan as he continued to prepare and shape the planet for the appearance of the crown of His creation, the human race. For more information about the reliability of the New Testament gospels and the case for Christianity, please read Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels. This book teaches readers ten principles of cold-case investigations and applies these strategies to investigate the claims of the gospel authors. The book is accompanied by an eight-session Cold-Case Christianity DVD Set (and Participant’s Guide) to help individuals or small groups examine the evidence and make the case.J. Warner Wallace is a Dateline featured Cold-Case Detective, Senior Fellow at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, Adj. Professor of Christian Apologetics at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, author of Cold-Case Christianity, God’s Crime Scene, and Forensic Faith, and creator of the Case Makers Academy for kids. Subscribe to J. Warner’s Daily Email Written By J. Warner Wallace J. Warner Wallace is a Dateline featured cold-case homicide detective, popular national speaker and best-selling author. He continues to consult on cold-case investigations while serving as a Senior Fellow at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He is also an Adj. Professor of Christian Apologetics at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, and a faculty member at Summit Ministries. He holds a BA in Design (from CSULB), an MA in Architecture (from UCLA), and an MA in Theological Studies (from Gateway Seminary). 4 Comments 4 Comments
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